Thursday, July 31, 2008

Rick Davis Use to be Human


But not anymore!

Its strange I know but WE'VE all seen this movie before, an old one starring Karl Rove and George Bush.

MIB III
Rick Davis: All right, Andrea, there was no alien. The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus.

Andrea Mitchell: Wait a minute. You just flash that thing, it erases my memory, and you just make up a new one?

Rick Davis: A standard issue neuralyzer.

Andrea Mitchell: And that weak-ass story's the best you can come up with?


Go see the movie trailer here.


Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Recording the Images of War


AP: US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,125


The Iraq war is a very hidden war however, there are a few news photographers who do try to record the images of war. Recently a freelance photographer, Zoriah Miller got into some trouble for photographing the casualties of war. Miller was embedded with U.S. Marines in Anbar Province in Iraq when he captured images that included the deaths of US military members.

I think it is very important that Americans see at least some images of this war in Iraq so as not to forget the sacrifice of our military and not to ignore the horror of what war necessitates with its inception. We all need to understand what it is that our military men and women have to endure as well as empathize with Iraqis who live each day in the midst of a war zone.


From the MinnPost.com: He described the scene as "horrific beyond words." "I found it nearly impossible to look through the viewfinder. What I saw was abhorrently graphic, yet far too important for the world to ignore. I present images that provide an uncensored view of a terrible event, and some small measure of dignity to those who lost their lives."

He published the pictures, including those of the dead Marines, on his web site and has found himself at the center of a major controversy over press freedom vs. military prerogatives, the political dangers of being embedded with a military unit and the importance of video and photographic coverage of war, particularly one that is unpopular.

Zoriah Miller has his own website. Warning - the site has very graphic photo images of death in Iraq.

Let The Money Talk

Heck, even the Texas Rednecks will go for this.

CNN: WATCH Obama: 'I'm ready to duel'

Yeah, I can’t argue with his logic nor would I even want to know if its logical or not, because it works just fine for me.

It works for all of us, except of course for those who are Bush and Cheney's select, wealthy, elitist electorate. So after this particular video there must be at least 50 Republican 527's being born today, probably half, perhaps 25 different fledgling start-up campaigns being hatched right now in the American Enterprise Institute.

Has Karl Rove Lost His Game?

McCain has a new political ad out.

This new ad is completely bizarre, farfetched and sort of telling -- on McCain.

So if in fact Karl Rove is advising McCain on his TV advertising than perhaps McCain should ask for his money back. This ad simply manifest the fact the Republicans will resort to anything when they get desperate. Tell lies, make lurid suggestions and oh please the foreign oil line even as McCain would like to stay in Iraq for 100 years to watch over US economic interest (oil).

McCain is already scrapping the bottom of barrel here but he still has a long ways to go before November, so I expect it will get quite pathetic in the end for poor old John McCain.

Democrats Don't Do Oversight - Not Really

Democrats keep denying voters any real oversight at all. So why all the pretense of an investigating with no responsible results? Why are Democrats wasting time and taxpayer money on something that will result in no meaningful action of any kind?

AP news services has this bit of news out today that says that Karl Rove was cited for contempt by congress, but apparently, it is only a "recommendation" to hold Karl Rove in Contempt.

Voting along party lines, the House Judiciary Committee said that Rove had broke the law by failing to appear at a July 10 hearing on allegations of White House influence over the Justice Department, including whether Rove encouraged prosecutions against Democrats.

The committee decision is only a recommendation, and it was unclear whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would allow a final vote. Rove has denied any involvement with Justice decisions, and the White House has said Congress has no authority to compel testimony from current and former advisers.

If its government criminal conduct cover-ups, obviously Nancy Pelosi firmly approves of criminal activity and the complete irrelevancy of the Democratically lead House Judiciary Committee. So let us all hope that Nancy Pelois is eventually held equally accountable for criminal acts that she allowed this administration to continue unabated with while prohibiting any real or meaningful oversight. Nancy Pelosi knew that Bush was wiretapping illegally and she knows that this administration is torturing people too, and yet, she continually chooses to do nothing about it. That, in itself is a criminal act equally as serious as anything this administration is doing.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Best New Blog of the Day

If you really appreciate beautiful music and gorgeous graphics than you will absolutely love this new blog, Passagen e Marcas.

It's a breathtaking little art galley experience on the web, all by itself.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Conservative Re-Awakening

Jim Henley over at Unqualified Offerings points out a ray of hope for me.

It all involves the GOP’s loyalty test, and how testy some conservative voters have become with Republican congress members who never step outside their loyalty oaths to Bush and Cheney. So at long last, the conservative voters show life beyond simple, loyal Bushism, and if that is true, well McCain is toast even among his conservative voters.

Oil, Oil, Oil

Why can’t we move beyond the combustible engine, particularly since this type of engine seems so antiquated having been around since the late 1800's? The burning of fossil fuels ruins our environment so why haven't we invented something new? Its not hard to imagine that commercial transportation companies would be very thrilled to find ways to maximize their profits by investing in alternative fuel solutions at today's staggering fuel prices.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that China had a vehicle engine that could run on water, or even salt water. So why haven't our American scientist been trying to find new propulsion technology when the cost of fossil fuel is so expensive that it seems to precluding anyone else, other than energy companies from making a profit?

I went looking for unspecified technology on the world wide web and find some interesting videos over on the YouTube website. Here are a few comparatively fascinating videos that I happened across. This first video says there is proof that cars can run on water.

Proof that a car can run on water- no more gas!

And here is another video that shows an inventor, John Kanzius, a man with a Ph.D. in thermodynamics who was looking for a cure for cancer when he accidentally found a way that produces hydrogen from salt water using radio waves.

Saltwater Energy

Finally we go down-under to Australia to find a couple of inventors who created a no fuel magnetic motor.

On the NEWS Free Energy - No Fuel Magnetic Motor

The words from this last video inform the viewer that the Ausralians want to prevent the patent from being sold overseas, like, you know, to big oil companies who's only interest would be to buy the patent and then shelve the invention permanently. In fact, I think we can be fairly certain that any new energy inventions will undoubtedly come from outside the US. What do you think?

A Forgone Conclusion

Last week the political consensus in the political cartoon world seems to be centered around “a forgone conclusion”. The idea that Obama would be the next president simply because Obama left McCain in his dust, so to speak.

Obama has taken the world by political storm since visiting foreign countries as the Tom Toles political cartoon at the Washington Post indicates. The WaPo also links to Ann Telnaes Animations that seems to share the exact same sentiment as Tom.

The Boston Globe chimes in with an op-ed by Joan Vennochi with same forgone conclusions.

Despite that inconvenient truth, it is still hard to imagine McCain stopping destiny's child.

Like Sisyphus, the Republican is pushing a heavy boulder up a steep hill. It is weighted down by his own flubs and flaws, the unpopularity of George W. Bush, the price of gas, and the increasing aura of inevitability surrounding Obama.
This week I make my first attempt at a political cartoon. Since the whole political storybook of the Bush Administration seems to evolve principally around Big Oil and catering heavily to these particular industries' wants and needs, with an especially willing GOP, that it all looks incredibly fatal to me. So here is my take on a foregone conclusion.


Sunday, July 27, 2008

Forget Dan Balz and the WaPo

IT almost seems like a gag worthy of “Borat”: A smooth-talking rookie senator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent American president to credulous foreigners.

Frank Rich’s columns are always, ALWAYS a must read.

The magic of Frank Rich is that all alone this guy could carry the New York Times as a respectable reason to buy the newspaper. Frank Rich has the best political pulse that money can buy. It is my belief that Mr. Rich is the preeminent political perspective genius in American today with his awesome understanding of precisely what drives political personalities and world politics minus the weight of his own ego and personal agenda, unlike so many of the other stale op-ed columnist in today’s national newspapers.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Trying Terrorist Cases

John Coughenour, a US Federal judge has an op-ed column in today's Washington Post arguing against a separate court for Guantanamo detainees.

Detractors of the current system argue that the federal courts are ill-equipped for the unique challenges that terrorism trials pose. Such objections often begin with a false premise: that the threat of terrorism is too great to risk an "unsuccessful" prosecution by adhering to procedural and evidentiary rules that could constrain prosecutors' abilities. This assumes that convictions are the yardstick by which success is measured. Courts guarantee an independent process, not an outcome. Any tribunal purporting to do otherwise is not a court.

So alas, simultaneously the Washington Post editorial board felt compelled to protect the current administration from national as well as global reproach for their own enigmatic reasons. But after all the stanch proof that has been steadily reported on how the Bush administration practiced enhanced interrogation techniques, (torture), I truly do not see any legitimate way to proceed with the veil apparatus of possible torture use at the core of every deliberation from a Guantanamo tribunal court.

...modern realities strongly argue against using the federal courts as the exclusive arena to hold or try all terrorism suspects. Most terrorism prosecutions, including the 1993 World Trade Center case, are brought after terrorists have struck. The first priority of a president must be to protect the country from attack. The president must have the legal flexibility to detain those against whom there is credible, actionable intelligence but not enough evidence to bring charges.

Traditional federal court proceedings also present security challenges. Although the most sensitive national security information could be shielded from public consumption through existing laws, the openness of federal court proceedings risks handing unclassified but valuable information to those who would harm this country. The protections afforded to defendants in federal court -- including the right against self-incrimination -- work against legitimate intelligence-gathering interests.

There will always be the question of how alleged "actionable intelligence" was gained and supposed "legitimate intelligence” acquired by this administration and it's abominable use of torture. In this regard, the Bush Administration has made the case for closing Guantanamo by not keeping to the terms of the Geneva Conventions. There really is no workable solution around that ugly fact.