Bush's Shrinking Safety Zone

[WabUfvot5]

Bird flu is a communist plot or something.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by marichiko

Damn Commie! How dare you cite the US Constitution when "libertarians" like UG want the government to take ever more control out of the hands of the US people, and allow our highest elected officials to engage in war profiteering by lining their pockets with ill-gotten Halliburten profits?

And you know so much about it you can't even remember how to spell "Halliburton." Yeah, riiiiight. You may believe that guff with a religious intensity, but you are bowing to a false god. It will, naturally, fail you, and leave you in the confederacy of dunces. I know you've set forth your penchant for irrational anti-Republicanism before -- which leaves me cold.

Jeez, only a fellow traveler would have us beleive that someone should rein in the power grabbing schemes of the current executive branch of our government!

Which is an interesting, if well trodden, spin on the Administration trying to have war powers in order to prosecute what is unmistakably a war, regardless of its unusual features. It might be legally simpler if we had a formal declaration of war, but with the Democratic Party unable to identify the real enemy -- his name isn't George, for a little hint -- and concentrating solely on the pseudo-battle to take Congress and the Presidency away from the party that actually can fight the war, as well as the out-of-proportion feel to a declaration of a state of war against a non-national crew of murderous shitheads, I don't see a formal declaration of war on the horizon either.

PS I am in a very bad mood today, and if UG makes just one more of his hysterical war mongering posts or accusations, he's toast, courtesy of yours truely.

It would be nicer dealing with you if you ever knew any better -- you're old enough, after all, so I really don't know what excuse you can present. We of the warmonger party are more interested in peace than you are, I should think: we seek a true, just, and lasting peace, which will only be found on the far side of victory: a democratic, open Iraq and discredited terrorists, rejected of all Islam. You and yours seek only surrender, to people America should not surrender to. For shame! And if you seek to leave me toast, I shall make of you a charcoal briquet, you dishonest and miserable antipatriot. Your wrath and hissy-fit will avail you not at all.

[tw]

George Jr in 2003:

If there is a leak in my administration, I want to know who it is, and if the person has violated the law, the person will be taken care of.”

Does that mean Cheney gets a bonus? Is that not how corrupt management is rewarded? How big is the VP's golden parachute? Meanwhile, Libby says the president ordered the leaks. Does George Jr have an evil twin? Oh - he is a right wing extremist Republican. Clearly Saddam created 11 September. Clearly Iraq was a threat to somebody. Now if we could only figure out who was threatened? Silly me. That also assumes honesty. This is god's chosen president. Honestly would only get in the way of god's will. Clearly George Jr can lie all he wants. After all he is the same president who therefore can wiretap anyone he wants. Is it in nationaly security - or for the greate glory of god's religion?

Anyone else and these above statements would be foolish. Not with George. He gets the respect he deserves.

[tw]

Straw and Rice (foreign ministers for UK and US) snuck into Iraq to tell Iraqi leaders that a government will stop terrorism. Right. And the elections in S Vietnam were going to stop Victor Charlie. Ironic that American leadership - totally devoid of what was happening in country (ie Vietnam) - again completely have no grasp of how bad Iraq is becoming.

Last year, some in The Cellar tried to claim Iraqi violence was exaggerated. They claimed all that reconstruction and other good works was being ignored. Well, most all projects are halted or sabotagued. BBC quote so many Iraqi this week who routinely claimed American soldiers were a greatest threat. Americans routinely fire at anyone who gets too close. Clearly Iraq is getting better. Iraq is now a net importer of oil. Somehow these and a long list of other facts get ignored in a Washington 'denial' mindset that some have even parroted here.

Well another American decrees how Iraq will get better. From the NY Times of 7 April 2006:

Suicide Bombers Kill at Least 71 at Shiite Mosque
The attack came as the American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in an interview with the BBC that if a unified government was not formed soon, a sectarian war could erupt in Iraq and that such a war could engulf the entire Middle East.

The explosions at the historic Baratha Mosque, in northern Baghdad, took place right after the mosque's head imam, Sheik Jalaladeen al-Sagheir, delivered a searing speech there, demanding that the incumbent prime minister step down.

The blasts scattered bodies across the courtyard, destroyed stalls of vendors selling religious texts and ripped turquoise tiles from the walls. The mosque loudspeaker blared a message urging people to donate blood, while police commandos piled charred bodies into pickup trucks. A white blanket covering one body was so soaked with blood that someone tossed a black cloth over it.

Robin Williams starred in a movie called "Good Morning, Vietnam" where these events were also how America won the hearts and minds of the people. Mission Accomplished. Scenes literally right out of another famous book called "Ugly American".

Good Morning, Iraq. Mission Accomplished. Now all they need do is form a government. That will stop the violence. That will restore electricity (to levels that Saddam had no trouble providing). Clearly things are getting better. All they need is Americans to order the Parliament to meet again. That will solve everything according to Condi Rice and Jack Straw. Clearly only Washington knows what is best for Iraq.

[tw]

George Jr's intentions to invade Iran have been subverted first by insurgents (which he lies about when he calls them Al Qaeda), and now by militias that are killing more than insurgents. As killing in Iraq increase (from levels never seen during Saddam's reign), a use of conventional forces against Iran is not viable. No problem. Since George Jr sees the world chock full of enemies everywhere, then unilateral use of nuclear weapons is completely justified. Remember, when you remained silent as the US "Pearl Harbored" Iraq, well, you only enpowered Satanic forces. From CBS News of 9 Apr 2006:

The United States is exploring plans for a military strike on Iran because of its nuclear ambitions, according to reports by the Washington Post and The New Yorker magazine.

Seymour Hersh writes in the April 17 issue of The New Yorker, that members of the U.S. military, more and more, believe President Bush is leaning toward a "regime change" in Iran as the best way to quell the country's quest for nuclear capabilities. Hersh writes that the Bush administration has "increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack," including the use of nuclear, bunker-busting bombs.

Why was the mental midget promoting bunker busting nuclear weapons? Are you so anti-American (naive) as to believe they were not built? Why are there enemies everywhere (where no enemies exist)? Even our allies are mistrusted. Clearly Idi Amin is even hiding in every closet waiting to massacre us. It is the George Jr mindset encouraged by so many Americans who so hate America as to remain silent.

Those who have been Cellar dwellers forever know that I have never been anywhere near so critical of any other politician. I have never seen so much of what others call 'evil' as exists with the current president. No one has ever observed me to be anywhere so critical of any other politician. He does nothing as people die due to an Indian Ocean tsunami, destroys the Oslo Accords, undermines or destroys international world treaties (anti-missile treaty, weapons in space treaty, nuclear non-proliferation treaty, nuclear test ban treaty), sits reading a children's book and does nothing when told "America is under attack" (and does nothing all day but hide), lies about Saddam's WMDs, outs a CIA agent to take revenge on those who would tell the truth, endorse religious extremists who would even lie in Federal Court to promote their religion on good people in Dover PA, wiretaps while saying all but "fuck you" to the courts, advocated torture and lies about it, rendition (kidnapping innocent people in foreign nations), completely destroys a negotiated settlement to bring N Korea back into the world (to justify war), spends money like only a corrupt politician would to mortgage America's future (no one else has even done this worse), lies about levees in New Orleans as Brownie all but begs on his knees for assistance (and then goes to CA for a campaign fund raiser) (keep the USS Bataan at sea while people are dying in New Orleans), destroys American science where ever he can (from satellites to even software research - yes government research on software has been cut by more than 50%), lies about the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan (so that only the most naive among us could believe him), creates so much mistrust that even Canadians will need passports - clearly Canadians are more enemies of America, lies about global warming, enriches corporations that contribute money to Republicans (Halliburton, K Street, et all), other corporate welfare ($tens of billions free to airlines, protection of anti-American steel manufacturers, subverts SEC investigations of numerous companies such as Enron, AIG, Waste Management, those who intentionally created a CA energy crisis) until state Attorneys General threaten to prosecute to publically humiliate George Jr, accepting a $450,000 campaign contribution to keep a defective nuclear reactor on-line (with a potential Three Mile Island problem and a hole in its containment dome) in Toledo, promoting excessive energy consumption as a solution to stifled innovation (what happened to that $100million given to GM 12 years ago to build a hybrid?), global warming, executive incomes increase between tens and hundreds time more than all others (a precursor to a Great Depression), encourage Arab Israeli violence by even letting Israel use American weapons on Palestinians, impose right wing religious beliefs (including "intelligent design") on all others (to promote religious wars), protect that 40% additional profit for drugs at the expense of American consumers by even subverting the real costs of that government welfare program (it will cost about about $1 trillion), massive increases in government bureaucracy such as Fatherland Security, raiding the trust funds such as Highway and Social Security without leaving an IOW - then lying about why those trust funds must be reformed, lying to people in NYC about a major environment health threat, arsenic in drinking water is acceptable, making it dangerous for Americans to travel in a world that once was more than 70% friendly to America, and even bragging about how he made his first $600,000 (by doing nothing productive as only MBAs do). And this is only an abridged list. Americans will be dying for no purpose in Iraq and Afghanistan long after George Jr leaves office - because George Jr did not do his job - did not even read the PDB that warned of 11 September. Even George Jr calls this "Mission Accomplished"

So yes, a nuclear attack on a sovereign nation by this president is quite acceptable. He and other schizophrenic types see enemies every where - where once we could find friends. He will do this because so many even in the Cellar remain silent as they did when George Jr lied about Saddam's WMDs AND where George Jr all but blamed Saddam for the WTC.

Never forget a paper upon which Project for New American Century was predicated - that the US may even unilaterally attack (Pearl Harbor) India, Russia, or Germany. Clearly a unilateral nuclear attack is trivial by comparison. Same people now justify a unilateral nuclear attack on Iran. Their 'Rush Limbaugh' promoters are already spinning that acceptable - as they did to promote lies about Saddam's WMD and to blame Saddam for 11 September. But this time, we can learn, in advance, Cellar Dwellars who advocate nuclear war. They will remain silent here - which justifies unprovoked nuclear war on Iran - as they did to justify the "Mission Accomplished" war.

The US advocates using nuclear weapons. If you remain silent, then you have endorsed it - because the consequences are that severe. So severe that silence is an endorsement of nuclear war. There is no way one can remain silent about a "Pearl Harbor with nuclear weapons" and say they don't approve. Of course George Jr thinks nothing of using nuclear weapons when he even sees a new Hitler in Tehran. This, BTW, is how Hitler took power in Germany.

[tw]

Still finding bodies. From the NY Times of 11 Apr 2006:

In Attics and Rubble, More Bodies and Questions
A landlord in the Lakeview section put a "for sale" sign outside a house, unaware that his tenant's body was in the attic. Two weeks ago, searchers in the Lower Ninth Ward found a girl, believed to be about 6, wearing a blue backpack. Nearby, they found part of a man who the authorities believe might have been trying to save her.

I remember George Jr standing on ocean front property while promising that Trent Lott's house would be rebuilt. Meanwhile:

"Because we haven't found our deceased. Being honest with you, in my opinion, they forgot about us."

She continued, "They did not build nothing on 9/11 until they were sure that the damn dust was not human dust; so how you go on and build things in our city?"

In October and November, the special operations team of the New Orleans Fire Department searched the Lower Ninth Ward for remains until they ran out of overtime money.

Half a dozen officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency rebuffed requests to pay the bill, said Chief Steve Glynn, the team commander. When reporters inquired, FEMA officials said the required paperwork had not been filed.

Heard in a recent game of Password: "Incompetence." "George Bush Jr."

What did George Jr do in his first term when his popularity fell? Issue another Orange Alert. Well that does not work anymore. Better nuke another nation. War always increases the president's popularity ... and stops people from talking about New Orleans.

A competent man, having made so many gross mistakes during Katrina, would go out of his way to make sure no more fubars come from New Orleans. FEMA does not have the paper work? One decree from the president would solve that in 30 seconds. They are still looking for bodies that even remain where they died - 8 months ago. Only an incompetent (religiously selected politician) leader would let this continue – dead bodies unrecovered for eight plus months because of paper work. And again 85% of all problems are directly traceable to top management. They cannot recover bodies for eight months due to paper work? More bull.

George Jr's concern ended with a promise to rebuild Trent Lott's ocean front house. No problem. Fix his popularity by nuking Iran. Don't fool yourself for one minute. That is why the administration's number one guy on New Orleans after 'Brownie' was recalled to Washington was ... Karl Rove. It was a popularity problem - recovering bodies still is only secondary.

[glatt]

tw, you may have covered this before, but where did you find that often cited 85% figure?

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

tw, you may have covered this before, but where did you find that often cited 85% figure?

I have long awaited someone to ask. Number comes from teachers of management. Not the types that preach spread sheet analysis. The types that teach real management theory - often called 'Quality' - or what I call 'Product Oriented'. Many experts in quality have noted the trend. But I believe the actual number is cited by William Edward Deming - whose bead experiment, now in the Smithsonian, demonstrates the fact. I can no longer be sure which Deming publication provided the number. It has been many decades and much reading. Deming is so informative because he includes quantitative analysis.

Meanwhile, I provided another number. When top management blames everyone else, then 99% of those problems are directly traceable to top management. This from personal observations that date back to MBAs such as 1970s Henry Ford, Xerox management, the despicable Cannovino of IBM who was therefore always at war with Microsoft, head of Ashton-Tate (the largest software manufacturer in the world at that time), and even a most recent example - Carly Fiorina. I personally witnessed her all but completely lie to stockholders in the Compaq-HP merger meeting.

Eight months after Katrina and still there is no concerted effort to recover the bodies. This because FEMA does not have the paperwork? This because an organization headed by an MBA (George Jr) and a lawyer (Chertoff) need paperwork? Eight months and still no paperwork! Bull. Classic bean counter management. 99% of this problem is directly traceable to a president who went to CA for a fund raiser when Katrina bore down on New Orleans. A president whose lies are based upon the only thing important - George Jr's popularity and his party extremists. Just another example of why those numbers from W E Deming were so accurate. And probably why I saw George Jr for what he really was long before most everyone here.

CycleFrance noted another book called "The Goal". To appreciate where my perspective comes from and why that 85% number is so accurate, then maybe read that book. Once introduced to the concept, then Ayn Rand's books may say something different from what so many first assumed. It's called perspective. "The Goal" demonstrates in 'story book' format why I could long understand George Jr to be what others are finally learning four years later. The number comes from “product oriented” thinking. I believe Deming provided that number. Decades of experience has repeatedly demonstrated why those numbers are so accurate. Bottom line - that number is deeply rooted in so many fundamental principles.

[tw]

And nobody expected the levees would be breeched. Even from MTV of 12 Apr 2006:

Bush's 2003 Claim Of WMDs In Iraq Had Been Proven False Days Before, Report Says
In the months leading up to the launch of the Iraq war in March 2003, the Bush administration built a case for the invasion based on what it called evidence that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. On May 29, 2003, President Bush reacted to the capture of what were described as two mobile "biological laboratories" as proof that "we have found the weapons of mass destruction."

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that even as the administration was touting the capture of those alleged labs, U.S. intelligence officials had already been informed that the information was erroneous.

A secret Pentagon-sponsored fact-finding mission - the existence of which was not made public until Tuesday, according to the Post - had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons, based on information from a number of unnamed government officials and weapons experts who participated in the mission or had knowledge of it.

Would god's chosen president lie to you? Of course. Normal when religious extremists want to impose their religion on all others. Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition.

When nearly a million were dying due to an Indian Ocean tsunami, George Jr did as he also did for New Orleans. Virtually nothing. George Jr believed he was god's chosen president. Wonder which god he worships. Teach your kids to be as honest as the president.

[tw]

From the BBC of 10 Apr 2006:

Planning the US 'Long War' on terror
The "Long War" is the name Washington is using to rebrand the new world conflict, this time against terrorism.

Now the US military is revealing details of how it is planning to fight this very different type of war.

It is also preparing the public for a global conflict which it believes will dominate the next 20 years.

Lovely. Draft, anybody? You send your kid first! No, you! No, YOU!

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by tw

From the BBC of 10 Apr 2006:

Nothing new here, from the French and British experiences, we see that terrorism can occur over decades. What pisses me off is that the adminstrations is still trying to equate the war in Iraq with the War on Terror. Noone there will admit that the War on Terror is about a worldwide network of terror cells and never had anything to do with regime change in Iraq.

Also, that as far as terror and insurgency go, the French ended up giving up in Algeria and that violence in Northern Ireland has been ongoing for 80 years.

In most cases, occupation caused more violence instead of helping to quell it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

C'mon Rich, how does the "french giving up", mean anything, anywhere.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

C'mon Rich, how does the "french giving up", mean anything, anywhere.

Concepts are similar to why we have an illegal immigration problem. Eliminate a reason for a problem AND that problem goes away. As long as Britain insisted on imposing a solution on Northern Ireland rather than work for a solution, then that problem persisted. Once Sen Mitchell arrived - and the Brits were furious about having negotiations ongoing - then a diplomatic solution replaced terrorism. Once the French stopped imposing a brute force solution in N Africa, then violence was no longer necessary. Once the Israelis were talking to Palestinians (and a solution appeared promising - Oslo Accords), then all terrorism stopped.

An inverse example. Once Zionist extremists came to power - called for and even got the assasination of Peres - terminated the Oslo Accords - then Sharon got what he wanted - Intafada II - plenty of violence.

The purpose of war is to return to diplomacy. When diplomacy does not work, then war is not just possible - but essential. Exactly why we teach Americans 'lessons of history' so that American leaders can not lie and so that diplomacy gets the respect it deserves. Whooops. Maybe others besides Urbane Guerilla did not first read the Pentagon Papers.

A wonderful example of how diplomacy works was the Balkans. Containment. Negotiation. Selective use of force. Economic pressure. The problem in Serbia literally negotiated himself out of a job - without any invasion of Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, etc. Holbrook literally talked Milosevik into surrender. It's all about identifying and then negotiating a problem out of existence. Violence - ie terrorism - only when leaders fail to perform their job.

Nations with great leaders don't need 20 years of violence and warfare to fix problems. And once the locals (Eurpoeans) could not do that job in the Balkans, only then did the Americans enter resulting in far less loss of life.

How many people had to die uselessly in Northern Ireland before the powers that be decided to stop following violent men and instead address the problem.

[Ibby]

tw...

Political leaning isn't simple left/right. It's a circle. And you are so far left that you are coming around on the right.

Yes, the Bush administration is grossly inept. Yes, they broke the law and are getting away with it. Yes, the war is going to hell. But anyone who can arrive at that conclusion by themselves doesn't wanna hear you rant on about it for 13 pages, and anyone who can't isn't going to be persuaded by you saying 'mental midget', 'deja vue (sic)', and 'rush limbaugh' a hundred times. Give it a rest already, man.