Who Cares About WMD's



Are those skeletons the 250,000 people Saddam killed over the course of 20 years, or the 100,000 we're responsible for since 2003?


Shrub Man of the Year!

Kerry Say Wha?!

I don't remember how, but I recently stumbled upon a Conservative Web Log and came across an interesting quote from Senator John Kerry. Here it is:

"We use that word 'terrorist' to marginalize and demonize people whose way of expressing ideas is culturally different from ours," said Mr. Kerry. "But when a man takes up the scimitar to behead an innocent civilian, or straps on the exploding vest for a walk through the marketplace, he's just passionately stating his philosophy. Who are we to judge his methods?"

I was shocked and confused. I thought to myself, how can a Senator of the United States and a veteran of the Vietnam war say something like that? I thought to myself, maybe the way liberals and Democrats manage to find questionable quotes about Bush and the like, that Conservatives perhaps can manage to find just as equally questionable quotes by Democrats and liberals. Maybe I'll be more enlightened to such things if I read their blogs more. I actually found myself agreeing with Conservatives (a very scary thought). I obviously didn't agree with everything they said, but I found it a lot harder to defend my viewpoint in light of these new revelations about the sentiments of my former candidate. They said things like:

"Liberal Democrats equal Intellectual Morons. That says it all." - Con #2

"As much of an a**hat as he is, I can't believe kerry said that.

I read yesterday that he hoped the media doesn't "hype" the election; make more of it than it 'really' is. What a buzzkill that man is; the antithesis of joy... and more - a man who commiserates with terrorists." - Con #3

"Well said, Pam." - (Owner of that blog)

To stay honest to the truth I had to express my sentiment about Kerry's statement.


"What the?????! My views I guess if one wanted to simplify things and force someone into a category are as "liberal" as they come, but I really can't for the life of me understand what Senator Kerry was thinking - and I begrudge agreeing with you on this, but to put it simply 'that ain't right'. At least I can take solace in the irony of [Con #2's]'s comment." - Garden Stater

There's just one minor itsy bitsy teeny little problem. Senator John Kerry never made the statement.

If you haven't yet registered with the Washington Post (or don't wanna), Read the article for yourself here, in Adobe format titled:

"Kerry Praises Campaign, Plans to Build on Effort"

37 Troops Killed in Deadliest Day in Iraq

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4758055,00.html

37 Troops Killed in Deadliest Day in Iraq

Wednesday January 26, 2005 8:46 PM

AP Photo BAG115

By SAMEER N. YACOUB

Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter crashed early Wednesday in a desert sandstorm, killing the 30 Marines and one sailor aboard, and six other troops were killed by insurgent ambushes in the heaviest single-day loss of life for the United States since the Iraq war began.

Four days before the country's crucial elections, militants set off at least eight car bombings that killed 13 people and injured another 40, including 11 Americans. The guerrillas also carried out a string of attacks nationwide against schools that will serve as polling centers.

In Washington, President George W. Bush asked Americans to remain committed to the Iraqi effort, despite what he called a ``very discouraging'' day when the U.S. death toll for the war rose above 1,400.

``We value life and we weep and mourn when soldiers lose their life,'' the president said. ``But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom.''

While a group calling itself al-Qaida in Iraq warned people to stay away from the polls - saying they would only have themselves to blame if they are hurt in attacks - Bush called on Iraqis to ``defy the terrorists'' and cast ballots in the Sunday election.

A Bush administration official said the cause of Wednesday's crash was not immediately known but that there was bad weather at the time. An Accuweather map of Iraq showed sandstorms Wednesday in the western region of Iraq, near the Jordanian border where the crash took place.

The CH-53 Sea Stallion, with a crew from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was ferrying personnel from the 1st Marine Division when it went down about 1:20 a.m. near the town of Rutbah, about 355 kilometers (220 miles) west of Baghdad in Anbar province, while conducting security operations, the military said in a statement.

A search and rescue team was sent to the site, and an investigation of the cause was underway.

The victims were 30 Marines and one sailor, said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the top Marine commander in Iraq - the most American service members to die in a single incident in Iraq. Overall, it was the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the March 2003 invasion almost two years ago.

Four other U.S. Marines were killed in fighting in Anbar province, the military said in a statement.

A reporter embedded with those troops, Jim Dolan of WABC, said the deaths came when insurgents ambushed a Marine convoy leaving the town of Haditha, northwest of Baghdad, hitting a vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Also Wednesday, insurgents attacked a U.S. Army patrol in Duluiyah, 50 miles north of Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding two others, the U.S. command said. Another U.S. soldier died and two others were wounded in a roadside bombing in the capital, the U.S. command said.

With the helicopter crash and other deaths, at least 1,409 U.S. military members have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.

The previous single deadliest incident for U.S. troops was also a helicopter crash: a November 2004 collision of two Black Hawk helicopters that killed 17.

Previously, the most Americans killed in one day came on the invasion's third day - March 23, 2003 - when 28 troops were killed during the U.S. military's drive to take Baghdad and topple Saddam Hussein.

Last month, a suicide bomb exploded at a mess tent in a base near Mosul, killing 22 people including 14 U.S. soldiers and three American contractors.

The U.S. military has lost at least 33 helicopters since the start of the war, including at least 20 brought down by hostile fire, according to a study by the Brookings Institute.

Despite the violence, all sides pledged that the national elections set for Sunday would proceed.

Sunni Muslim extremists have threatened to sabotage the election and many Sunni clerics have called for a boycott because of the presence of U.S. and other foreign troops.

A string of political violence continued. Several schools slated to be used as polling stations were bombed overnight.

A suicide bomber detonated a fuel tanker at the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the town of Sinjar, southwest of Mosul, killing five and injuring at least 20 people, KDP officials said.

Earlier in the day, gunmen opened fire with machine guns on the local headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Communist Party in the city of Baqouba, north of Baghdad, killing a traffic policeman. The KDP and PUK are the two largest Kurdish groups in Iraq and have formed a coalition along with other Kurdish groups to run in the election.

Insurgents also set off three car bombs in rapid succession in the town of Riyadh, north of Baghdad, killing at least five people - including three policemen.

Four American soldiers were injured in a car bombing Wednesday in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, the U.S. command said. Another car bomb targeted a multinational forces convoy on the road to Baghdad's international airport, injuring four soldiers, the command said.

The attack temporarily closed the airport road, one of the country's most dangerous.

Another car bombing later hit the same airport road, and an eighth car bomb detonated prematurely in the town of Mashahda, 30 miles north of Baghdad, killing the two men in the car.

A Web site statement, purportedly from al-Qaida in Iraq, said it carried out one of the attacks on the airport road, claiming that the targets were Americans.

The group also warned Iraqis to stay away from the polls Sunday.

``Oh people, be careful. Be careful not to be near the centers of infidelity and vice, the polling centers ... Don't blame us but blame yourselves'' if harmed.

The statement's authenticity could not be verified.


Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4758055,00.html

"Sin City"

Again, I typed the lyrics while listening, rather than copying it from a site. To hear the song itself go to http://www.MeredithBrooks.com and look for "Sin City".

"Sin City"
Meredith Brooks


In this town of pain,
You could be the lucky one,
Fate turns on a dime,

The only thing that will change,
Are the lights that make it brighter,
They replace the sun,

Out the door,
You get burned,
And there is no way back in,
You've got nothin',
Snake eyes the house always wins....

A Drowning man,
Does not the die suddenly,
You can feel the final warning,
And the black money follows,
Through the vains of the shallow,
Change the name to protect the guilty,
You'll never leave sin city,
Where you are king,

In this room of shame,
You could sink this town,
And breathe another day,

The mirror faces you,
You cannot look away,
Blood is on your hand,

The streets will be the same,
Under your feet like quicksand,
Touch the face,
Where a kiss of hope can last,

A drowning man,
Does not die suddenly,
You can feel the final warning,
And the black money follows,
Through the vains of the shallow,
Change the name to protect the guilty
You'll never leave Sin City,
Where You are King,

Oh ho ho...

Where you are king,

Oh ho ho....

A drowning man,
Does not die suddenly,
You can feel the final warning,
And the black money follows,
Through the vains,
Of the shallow,
Change the name,
To protect the guilty,

You'll never leave sin city,
Just one kiss,
From the shadow,
Will be the touch of an angel,
Just one kiss is all that you need,
If you'll never leave Sin City

You'll never leave Sin City
You'll never leave Sin City

Where you are king

http://www.MeredithBrooks.com

Bias? What Bias?

Recently I was having a debate with a friend of mine about which way the media leans. He claimed the news on television about Iraq was so dismal because Democrats control the media. First, let me just say, if you compare television news or cable news to let's say guardian.co.uk the news on television by comparison can be more accurately considered "rosy" than bad or dismal. So let's take a look at who owns what.

Here's a diagram of the corporations who own the "Ultra Concentrated" media:
http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml

Here's "The Big Ten" diagramed by the news source called "The Nation"
http://www.thenation.com/special/bigten.html

So those are the corporations, does this anwer the question? No, because some people see Democrats and Liberals (& Progressives) as elitists and the rich who are disconnected with the rest of the country. Others see Republicans and Conservatives as having more control over the corporate media, than some countries have over their state controlled media [cough: Election fraud blackout, cough: Pentagon uses Psy-Ops on CNN]. Ahem, sorry about that, so to figure this out, let's see the faces behind the ownership of the media.

Right now, the best back up information I have for my case isn't very surprising, NewsMax and Fox News



A CNN Article says this about Richard Mellon Scaife, the head of NewsMax, "this much is undisputed: Richard Mellon Scaife is very rich and very partisan."
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/04/27/scaife.profile/

Then there's the "Fair and Balanced" Fox News.



Roger Eugene Ailes is the CEO of Fox News, so what's his resume?

* media adviser to Richard M. Nixon Presidential Campaign in 1967-68
* consultant in 1984 to Ronald Reagan
* George H. W. Bush's 1988 Presidential campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ailes



Fox News is owned by NewsCorp (News Corporation) which is headed by (Keith) Rupert Murdoch

He is described on encyclopdia.com as "Combining sensationalist journalism (often reflective of his generally hawkish, strongly conservative political views) with aggressive promotion, Murdoch established a worldwide communications empire, the News Corporation..."

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/m/murdochr1.asp

Okay, so the people who control the media are conservative, does that necessarily mean their political views will affect how they run business? Well, let me aswer this question with another question, have you ever head of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group?



If not, just watch a short Flash Movie from Take Back the Media called



http://web.takebackthemedia.com/geeklog/public_html/staticpages/index.php?page=20041013042650709

One Man Army

This is one of my favorite songs, one that I listened to often during the summer. I typed the lyrics here out while listening to the song (in other words, I didn't copy and paste).

Artists: Our Lady Peace
Title: "One Man Army"
Album: Happiness is Not A Fish That You Can Catch



Take these plastic people,

Read Their lips,

Now let it linger,

Is there anything that makes them sound sincere?

C'mon,

Tightly hold your hand, Take a deep breath, Give them the finger,

Are you worried that your thoughts are not quite clear?

[twitch]

Overlooked, unfit appearance,

I remember falling,
I remember marching,
Like a One Man Army,

Through the Blaze I know I'm coughing,
I believe in something,
I don't wanna remember falling,
For your Lies,

Unbutton your clothes,
Undress Your soul,
Show them your vigor,

Are those inhibitions easiest to fear?

C'mon,

Take this gasoline tin,
Head up high,
Walk like a winner,

Let the bare feet be the last sounds that they hear,

[twitch]

Overlooked, Unfit appearance,

I remember falling,
I remember marching,
Like a One Man Army,
Through the Blaze I know I'm Coughing
I believe in Something,
I don't wanna remember falling,
For Your Lies,

But I know I... know I

But uh I....

Falling,
I remember falling,
I remember marching,
Like a One Man Army,
Through the Blaze I know I'm coughing,
I believe in something,
I don't wanna remember falling,
I remember crawling,
Through the blaze I know I'm falling

I remember marching

I don't wanna remember falling

I don't wanna remember falling

For your Lies....