Is that a shrub in your pocket...
or are you just a corporate profiteer?
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Fight them over there I wonder if Tony Blair realized that "over there" meant London? I wonder, when he gets back to his G8 summit, will Tony Blair ask his pal George W. Bush why his administration blew the cover of double agent Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan (in effect, crippling Britain's domestic anti-terror efforts to track down and stop terrorist cells inside the UK by exposing a known Khan at a time when they close to nailing a ring of Al Qaeda cells) last August? You think maybe British intelligence would have wanted to finish their work last fall in smashing London's Al Qaeda cells before the Bushies blew thet operation just so Bush could be reelected? Bush says we need to "stay the course" in Iraq as part of a "flypaper strategy" -- better to fight the terrorists there than at home. Of course, the Iraqis never asked to have their country turned into a dangerous mix of terrorism, insurgency, violence and death. For right-wingers and their apologists - supporters of sending somebody - ANYBODY - else, to die in the desert - looking for any rationale to justify our presence in Iraq, "flypaper" is as good a reason as any. So, how's that working out for ya? Is the West any safer? Or have we created a new crop of terrorists? Today, London. Tomorrow? New York, LA, DC, Rome, Sidney? The bungled invasion and occupation of Iraq only serves to further motivate Islamic terrorists to strike at the West. Today, our fearless leader, who has the advantage of playing the game with the bravery of being out of range, said of the terrorists, "we will find them. We will bring them to justice." Well, we've heard that one before, haven't we? In a few months, will it be, "well, I don't think about them much at all?" Will we invade another sovereign nation with imaginary WMD's and non-existent ties to terrorists, in order to "spread freedom" throughout the region? The University I work for has over 60 students studying in London this summer (had it been fall, we'd have had three or four times that). Fortunately, they're all safe and accounted for, as are our London staff and faculty. While our staff scrambled to contact students and their parents, they had their own families and circumstances to consider. One writes:"All tube lines in Zone One are closed and limited buses are in service.....The number of deaths and casualties is horrible, but Londoners and tourists have reacted very calmly.....I stayed in the British Museum all day to avoid the chaos and keep myself updated about news outside.... Then walked for three hours to the hotel in Paddington..... My daughter... cried all day when she learned of the news from the TV." "...husband works in the centre of the explosions, and it took some time for her to hear from him. He is unable to get out until the police clear the area. Neither of them have any way of getting to their six year old son at school, although the teachers will keep him until they can." "...was at... -- again in the center of the bomb attacks -- and after police clearance walked from there...4 miles to check in with everyone, and is now walking home to be with his small children (9 miles)... has a similar walk (6 miles or so) home tonight.There are consequences to this shit in Iraq. Not just for the anonymous brown-skinned people in some distant desert and the soldiers we've sent off to die there (and are, for some reason, ashamed to show in their flag-draped coffins), but for our friends, our families, our colleagues; all of us, right here and right now. Today, we saw one of those consequences. Unfortunately, I doubt it'll be the last.
posted by pjs 3:53 PM
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Six years ago already My mom died six years ago today. She would find GW Bush despicable.posted by pjs 4:18 PM
Friday, July 01, 2005
Now we're fucked Well, Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her resignation. O'Connor was appointed by Ronnie Rayguns, but has proved to be a moderate voice on the court. With the impending death of William Rhenquist, that means Bush will get the opportunity to add two right-wing wackos to the court. So, goodbye right to privacy. Goodbye civil rights. So long Roe v. Wade. The Kristian fascists will have ultimate control over the judicial branch for years and years to come. Next time you hear somebody say it doesn't matter who you vote for, get up off your cell floor (if you aren't chained down) and remember this day.posted by pjs 10:58 AM
