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September 27, 2006
Blame Bill Clinton Like It's 1999....
Could Bill Clinton have done more to destroy terrorism? Sure.
Were there mistakes made? Probably.
What did the GOP say when Clinton launched "Operation Infinite Reach" in August 1998, missing Osama by a couple hours? "Wag The Dog" (He had testified in the Paula Jones V. William Jefferson Clinton a few days before.)
What did Clinton do when he received word that Osama wanted to hit with planes in December of 1999? Put the FBI on alert, put the Eastern seaboard airports on watch
Did Bill Clinton do everything he could to get Bin Laden? Probably not.
Did he do something? Yes.
What was George Bush's response to the 8/6/01 memo "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States"? "You've covered your ass now."
Who was President on 8/6/01? George W. Bush
Who was President on 9/10/01? George W. Bush
Who was President on 9/11/01? George W. Bush
9/11 happened on whose watch? George W. Bush
Posted by emily at 12:22 AM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2006
War of the World (Wha?)
There's a lot of noise in this world. Sometimes that noise forms words. Most words should be ignored, save professors who are telling you what's on the exam and Bob Dylan's new album. But its impossible to ignore everything that comes to your ears.
I ignore nothing. I am fucking crazy in that way. But let me tell you what I hear nowadays. I hear "the clash of civilizations". I hear about our struggle. I hear about our battle to preserve our way of life.
How is our way of life in danger? (BTW, the same people who want to preserve our way of life... they don't much like our way of life. They're the ones who called SpongeBob gay.) Are we about to become a part of The Caliphate? Are they going to make me wear an hajib?
I'm sorry, but I don't see our way of life in danger. What's in danger is our security... and that was always in danger. We just didn't heed any warnings. We cannot use our American ingenuity to rid ourselves of death, war and terror. I was in NY on 9-11 and on 9-12, I believe I smoked some pot, watched some Star Trek and took a long bubble bath. That's the American way. And if it wasn't in danger on 9-12, it's not now.
Stop clouding my brain with such noise, neocons!
Posted by emily at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2006
Rahm Emanuel Went to Sarah Lawrence
I had no idea. I'm even more proud of my school now.
Posted by emily at 2:39 AM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2006
Former Texas Governor Ann Richards Dies at 73
Rest In Peace.
Posted by emily at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2006
Nothing to kill or die for... And no religion too
Its worth remembering that, right after 9-11, Clear Channel pulled John Lennon's "Imagine" from it's airwaves. Which to me, sitting in Queens, New York and still seeing the smoke coming from the rubble... well, it meant to me that, in all seriousness, the terrorists had won something. We censored a song that perhaps represents the highest of human goals... peace. Brotherhood of man. No hunger, no war, sharing, living together... Why did they take John Lennon off the air? I don't know. But this song should represent the goal. And the goal has been hidden.
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Posted by emily at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2006
One-Liner I Just Thought Of... Part 34
"Who cares that Bill Clinton didn't pull the trigger on Bin Laden... at least HE knew where the FUCK Bin Laden was!!!"
Use that against your GOP friends. Also, point out that they cried like little baby girls over that Reagan movie a couple years ago and got it moved to Showtime.
Posted by emily at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 8, 2006
A Thought As Star Trek Turns 40 Today
Is my opposition to the Iraq war, in some tiny way, reflective of Star Trek's "Prime Directive"? (We don't interfere in developing societies).
Posted by emily at 5:22 PM | Comments (0)
September 6, 2006
The Shortest Chess Game In The World or How Karl Rove Will Fuck Us In The Bum, One Last, Sweet Time
The chess game**
1) Black Move, Pawn to A2: The Rumsfeld "appeasement" speech angered many people who were shocked that the Defense Secretary would say such a thing. These people have no idea how bad the well is poisoned. Is it that astonishing that Rumsfeld thinks of us that way? Or that he would paint such a black and white picture?
But it was a perfect move for the base. Bush cannot say such things. His megaphone is too big. Rumsfeld has so much job security, St. Peter at the gate envies it. He won't get fired, can't get fired. He can only resign and he cannot concieve of that. So he can be tactically used to rile up the base and if he upsets the mainstream, who cares? Nobody likes him anyway, besides the 32% stalwarts.
2) White Move, Pawn to C2: Finally, the Democrats make a move that's not so fucking stupid you want to join the Green party. Calling for censure (pussies) of Rumsfeld is just angry enough not to be too angry for the unwashed masses and it calls the GOP out. It's high noon, except the GOP has their shotguns and the Dems have Super Soakers. No matter; we had nothing to lose.
Eyes and ears and gooey things between said ears make it impossible to deny that Iraq is going badly. And that's saying it in the most polite terms I've heard in a year. If they had had their vote, Dems would have had GOPers on record with a vote of confidence for Rumsfeld, which would have cost them in November. Or the GOP would have to say Rummy's doing a bad job. Smart move.
3) Black Move, Knight to B4: As Jon Stewart says, they're going to get "all 9-11 up in this bitch." Only the 9-11 bitch may have retired her Pradas by now... who knows? The electorate has mood swings. The electorate makes you wait months until it's ready to make up it's mind. The electorate, in fact, is the bitch in this situation.
But I've lost my point. Shoving 9-11 up our ass has worked before. Now, ABC is going to air a docu-drama that lays the blame at Clinton's feet. I'm not going to absolve Clinton of anything, because I don't know enough to comment on what he did or did not do. I have not read the report from the 9-11 commission. (It is strange that ABC is denying Clinton access to the film, but Rush Limbaugh is apparently allowed an advance copy.)
This is wise of the GOP. Wise... it's fucking brilliant. Soon, they'll figure out a way to blame Katrina, the lack of immigration reform, Iraq, Abu Gharib, Gitmo and the DeLay scandals on Clinton. You apparently can teach a dog new tricks ("cut and run", "fight them there so we don't have to fight them here") but they will come back to their old tricks when stuck in a jam. Blame Clinton, blame Clinton, blame Clinton.
4) White Move, Back to Beginning: The most evil move of all, though, came today. Bush has moved some of the worst of the terror suspect to Gitmo, meaning Hamden applies to them, meaning its "pass my framework for a legal system for these guys or they'll walk free".... "allow torture or evil-doers go free". So the Dems either give Bush a legislative victory (and sully our nation and our legal traditions) or they'll look... yes, say it with me... WEAK ON NATIONAL DEFENSE. Well, I'd rather be a pussy than a sadist or running a gulag. But this won't fly with the majority. They don't care about our legal traditions.
They want to feel safe and the true fact that we will never be safe won't help the Dems. The real world has always been a scary place and one of the worst parts of naming this... thing "war on terror" is that people are convinced we can end evil and terror. (Thank you, neo-cons.) Well, suck it up. We can't. We can get the people who mastermined 9-11, we can shake and bake the Middle East until it's smoldering and bloody, but we can't stop evil. It's always been there.
Game over. We aren't going to get back the House, kids. Not yet. The GOP will retain the House and the Senate. The threat of terrorism is serious and even though this political party hasn't done (at all) what needed to be done, fear will keep their inept asses in Congress.
(However, if this story out of Pakistan (a truce calls for Pakistani troops to leave where Bin Laden supposedly is) catches fire, it may help the Dems.)
**I don't know how to play chess. I'm sorry if the movements and pieces are all wrong.
Posted by emily at 11:04 PM | Comments (1)