Friday, September 14, 2007

GRAVEL: AMERICANS “FATTER AND DUMBER”

Other Candidates Adopt Similar Approach

Peptic Springs, Iowa (TBC) During an on-line forum yesterday afternoon, Democratic Presidential long shot candidate, former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel said that Americans are getting “fatter and dumber”. He added that he was informing us of this fact as a “friend”. While some may have found his remark a little harsh or rude, people polled here afterwards expressed thanks and respect for Gravel’s candid comments. “I know I have gotten fatter and dumber. I’m glad Mike Gravel noticed this is happening”, commented Norv Stewanmeyer of Council Bluffs, Iowa. “Far as I can tell, me and all my kin has gotten a hellava lot fatter and dumber since Bush has been president. Goddamned him”, lamented a surly Ron E. Mulehumper from Riverside, Iowa.

By late yesterday evening it had become apparent that several other Democratic Presidential hopefuls had picked up on the public's response to Gravel’s comments. Speaking to the Congress of Rural Black Farmers of Iowa 1st Annual Pork Eat-a-thon, Barak Obama told the 7 people gathered that they were getting “uglier and meaner”. The crowd erupted in thunderous applause sporadically punctuated by rib-shattering belches.

While addressing the Iowa Manure Haulers Association, John Edwards emphatically declared that “It looks like y’all have gotten stinkier and more illiterate since I was here last”. The Manure Haulers responded enthusiastically as they swatted at the millions of flies present. “ Shitfire...I think it’s about time someone had the spine to speak the truth”, said Lloyd Spittle a Manure Hauler representing the small hamlet of Dung Falls, Iowa. By the time Hillary Clinton appeared at the fund raiser hosted by the Lesbian Llama Breeders of Eastern Iowa held at the elegant Alexus Park Motel and Spa in Iowa City, it was obvious that even she had caught on to the popularity of Gravel’s candor. She began her keynote address to the Lesbian Llama Breeders by clearly, albeit somewhat shrilly, declaring “ You, my bull-dyke, muff-diving friends, must support me. I am the only candidate who understands you and possesses the steel balls to tell you that all of you are, without a doubt, more loathsome, pathetic, deviant and sickening, than ever before in your lives. I love you all.” Pat Stark a heavily tattooed lesbian in attendance commented as she wiped away tears and scratched her ass, “Wow...Hillary is...I mean...what can I say. I’d just love to get her alone for ten minutes”.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Petraeus: “Don’t Know” if Iraq War is Making America Safer

Crocker offers a Crock
and the beat goes on...

Washington, DC. September 11, 2007

Responding to a question from Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia, General David Petraeus said “I don’t know...” if the war in Iraq is making America safer. This startling and refreshingly candid reply seemed to be the General’s way of answering “no”. Certainly, if he felt that our military efforts were directly impacting our national security he would not have hesitated and answered as he did. No. He knows (and we know) that our efforts in Iraq have never had anything to do with our national security and have done nothing to bolster our homeland defense. If anything, the facts and reality of the situation indicate that our continued involvement in a failed occupation of a country roiling from civil war, ethnic cleansing, the lack of an empowered, accepted central government now in the fourth year of war, is fostering increasing hostility towards America. In a recent poll 58% of Iraqis agree that it is acceptable to attack U.S. troops. While there was no al- Qaeda presence in Iraq prior to our invasion, pockets of Iraq are al-Qaeda strongholds. If we are not securing our national interests and security with our efforts there, why do we remain?

The hapless Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, sat next to General Petraeus as they testified before two Senate Committees today. Crocker had that deer-in-the-headlights look throughout the proceedings and, if he is the best and brightest the State Department has to offer, we are in very deep trouble indeed. Crocker admitted that the U.S. backed central government in Iraq is “dysfunctional” which even to the casual observer was a gross understatement.

It was pathetic to listen to their testimony and especially ironic that it occurred on the sixth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Was this yet another ham-handed disingenuous effort by the administration to connect the events of that day to Iraq? Probably; they have used that blatant falsehood at every opportunity over the years. This is among their most grievous lies.

So the long awaited Petraeus Report turned out to be a charade, a damning indictment of our continuing efforts, our ongoing abysmal failures and total lack of diplomatic initiatives. The facts spoke for themselves and no amount of obfuscation and semantical waltzing could conceal these sad, costly facts. This entire “surge” has been a cruel hoax, a means to prolong our engagement until Mr. Bush is safely, blissfully back at the ranch in Crawford clearing brush and waiting to “refill the coffers” with speaking fees.

September 11, 2007: Osama bin Laden is still sending us video messages, every rationale originally floated by the administration for going to war in Iraq has proven to be false, over one million Iraqis have left Iraq, hundreds of thousands more are essentially refugees in their war torn country, U.S. taxpayers have spent one trillion dollars on Iraq, we have lost 3800 of our troops with over 25,000 troops suffering grave injuries and there is no end in sight. Meanwhile, a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda engage our meager military force in Afghanistan daily in fire fights. Who would have ever imagined all of this? Who could have predicted six years ago that we would find ourselves in this untenable situation? How many more of our troops will die, how much more suffering must be endured until someone in our government has the moral fortitude to end our involvement in this chaotic storm?

We have been had. Scammed, conned and lied to in the most horrific manner regarding the most serious of issues. Six years ago today the nations of the world were firmly behind us as we first glimpsed the war on terror. Now we stand alone, bloodied, bruised, battered and weakened because we have allowed George W. Bush to live in the White House while he should never have been able to leave his dusty ranch in Texas and bring his ineptitude and delusions of Divine guidance to Washington DC as our president.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

6 YEARS OUT

Let us never forget September 11, 2001 nor ever forgive those who delivered death onto our soil nor those in our own government who failed us. We lost lives and our innocence that day. We have mourned and buried our dead, (at least the bits and pieces that were recovered and identified). We have seen more lives lost while invoking the memories of that day. That is a disgrace. It is an amazing act of hypocrisy and hubris to even associate that dark day with our wrong-headed, costly and seemingly endless involvement in Iraq. Too many of our fellow citizens succumbed to the lies of this awful president and his minions; blindly followed him into Iraq, sending their sons and daughters to be sacrificed.

Remember that day, remember what happened, who did it and what we have done about it. Pay attention to the failures and lies. Pray for leaders who will honor their offices, respect their obligations and adhere to their oaths. Pray we elect them in 2008. Pray for all our troops in harms way.
* * ****************************** * *

God Bless all the innocents and MOS who were murdered that day.

FDNY 343 MOS

NYPD 23 MOS

PAPD 46 MOS


Fidelis Ad Mortem

Posted by Lou-NYPD4N6@aol.com

THE LOST YEARS

September 10, 2007



September 11, 2001 was the defining day between THEN and NOW . Then, we existed in a naive unconscious realm where the thought of our country suffering an attack of any kind on our own soil was remote. Then, we collectively assumed that our government, all its agencies and resources were functioning vigilantly to keep us safe. Then, we went about our business largely unconcerned about issues beyond the immediacy of our own lives. The pre- 9 11 world was remarkably different from the world since in its unremarkability. The rest of the world with all its complexity and turmoil was 'out there' somewhere; America existed in a world, an attitude, a mind set of its own construct. Actually, our world seemed pretty good. The economy was roaring along and credit made everything possible. We appeared to sit atop the global stage as the lone super power, respected by all, envied by most, feared by some. We gave little if any thought to those who might hate us. If we conceded such mindless zealots existed, we gave no credence to them as a threat. What could such primitives do? How could they hurt us? Looking back it feels odd that we had ever thought that way. But, we did. Then we learned. And, we have paid the price.

As citizens we can be forgiven our ignorance and naivety. We cannot be faulted for the assumptions any one of us had taken to be the truth. We lived in our secure realm believing our government to be on watch in all its myriad ways. Our safety was virtually assured. Those that cannot be forgiven, those who should be held accountable, those who actually knew better have yet to learn the lessons of our most recent past. They have yet to grasp the need to focus on the issues that define our Now. We have grown accustomed to the petty political bickering that has come to define Washington DC. We tolerate the partisan battles over a variety of social, economic and legislative issues. What is intolerable is playing those same self serving games with issues pertaining to the fundamentals of what our government should provide: NATIONAL SECURITY. Those two words , all they encompass and imply comprise that which must be immune to politics. How many more lives must be lost before our Congress will meet the challenges, rise to the occasion and act in the best interest of our nation, of US ALL.

There is a brilliant beauty in the structure of our government. The framers of the Constitution were truly inspired. The elegant simplicity of the roles and interactions of the three branches of government, federal, legislative and judicial as well as the bicameral composition of the congress provides a sturdy framework on which to build our democracy. Money, special interest and an ever decreasing moral character of members have eroded and bastardized most of that which the framers intended. If the events of September 11, 2001 have not initiated change in Washington, what will ?

The last six years have exposed the long existing and un-addressed vulnerabilities in our national security, critical infrastructure, transportation systems as well as the abysmally poor quality of our legislators. We have learned of the legion of experts and academics who had been warning for years of the impending threat of terrorism. We have heard interviews by some of those who had asked congress to act, to thoughtfully correct the inadequacies glaringly present at ALL levels of government and most especially in those agencies charged with our safety and security. History will look back on these blunders as well as those yet revealed and be left to wonder "what were they thinking?" Our prosperity had made us soft, obscured clear and present dangers while our arrogance allowed priorities to crumble.

The empirical data regarding the astonishing intelligence failures, the dysfunctional, self-serving nature of career oriented bureaucrats merely protecting a pension, the total lack of congressional oversight and the shameful ignorance, incompetence and ineptitude of George W. Bush and his hapless administration, is substantial and damning. Since 9 11 01 they have repeatedly, shamelessly lied to us and attempted to soothe our doubting minds with pabulum and imbecilic phrases and slogans such as “slam dunk’, “cake walk”, “piece of cake” and “mushroom cloud”. They have stoked fears with lies, sent our children to die for lies smugly claiming we would be “greeted as liberators”. W have long since passed that May evening when W., pathetically dressed in a flight suit declared our mission in Iraq “accomplished”. How many limbs and lives have been lost since? Yes, into Iraq George W. led us, brazenly atop his ego and messianic complex, surrounded by isolated, insulated neo-cons too impressed with their own ideas, theories and axes to grind to pay heed to history and the myriad warnings from those in the know. Sadly, they were in positions to influence decisions, decisions we now know to be so horribly wrong. The cast of the arrogant, misguided fools who will forever have trouble washing blood off their hands include not only our deranged commander in chief but also our shadow president, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Doug Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Tommy Franks, Richard Perle, George Tenet, Karl Rove, Louis Libby, Condi Rice and many others.

We have witnessed this administration ignoring sound advice from the 9 11 Commission, the Baker-Hamilton report and a host of congressionally appointed as well as privately funded groups and commissions. Reality, objective assessments, reasoned analysis have no place in this White House, Pentagon or grossly inept intelligence apparatus.

We have not yet “captured or killed’ Osama bin Laden “dead or alive”. We departed Afghanistan without completing the mission; actually our president out sourced the battle of Tora Bora in November 2001 and moved our military resources from that righteous mission to invade Iraq. The list of failures from the last six years is almost mind boggling in its length, breadth and depth. History will look back at these years in awe and wonder over the depth of our errors and the atrocious quality of our elected leaders. Yet, we tolerate this, we tolerate elected representatives who are as craven, callous and incapable as this administration.

This putrid administration has had the audacity to conjure the images of 9 11 01 and use it rhetorically when it was politically necessary, thereby actually despoiling the sanctity of those who lost their lives that day, yet have done nothing to truly avenge those who perpetrated those acts of war and have squandered untold limbs, lives and over a trillion tax dollars in a war of their own construct. Let our memories be not so short that we forget what has gotten us to this point, this predicament.

The actual day and all its dramatic horror, images none among us will never forget. It is as vital as it is healthy to remember. It is appropriate to ask questions and questions are in abundance. Is our country safer today than it was on September 11, 2001? Does every level of the intelligence and law enforcement community possess the authority, methods and means to effectively execute their mandates? Has our government become wiser and more attentive to that which should have been top priorities all along? Is it now more difficult for a similar event to that of 9 11 01 to take place today ? The sad harsh reality is that each of those questions can be answered "NO." This is not opinion: it is well documented and substantiated fact.

It is with great sadness, frustration and anger that we report these facts. But, it is a sense of duty that motivates us to shed light on them. Perhaps if more of us paid closer attention to the issues and performance of our legislators we would not be languishing in this state of haphazard security and half-assed readiness while our overburdened military continues to erode in the nightmare of Iraq.

We have lost our innocence, we have lost confidence and faith, we have lost many lives. Our politicians have lost years. The last six years have arguably seen the least productive congresses in American history. we have seen the predominance of the career politician whose only concern is reelection, self-promotion and financial security. we watch in dismay as they work less and less, become increasingly partisan, and ignore the public will and public good. perhaps if a plane had crashed into the capitol on that day six years ago, we would be better served, more secure and not bleeding in Iraq. Maybe we would have secure national borders, ports and infrastructure. Possibly we would have an effective, efficient, capable FEMA, DHS, FBI and CIA. But, alas, we have no such things and won’t for the foreseeable future.

What more do we have to loose?