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Denialism

If they stay true to their stated goal, they should be a great asset to all of those of us who cherish truth.

Bush Block Funding For The Troops

That would be a valid statement if I was trying to spin the war funding debate the way the Bush White House has been trying to spin it. Since I am not, so I guess I will retract it.

But back to the main point, Bush has vetoed the democratic version of the supplemental spending bill that would fully fund Bush's war in Iraq.

What is interesting about this whole Iraq funding mess is: The democrats fully funded Bush's request, no quibbling at all. The only progress markers the Democrats included in the bill are the ones Bush himself outlined, no additional demands at all. The only thing that is purely democratic in orgin is the timeline, and that is at the demand of the American people who voted them into power.

Bush's biggest complaint seems to be that the Democrats took him seriously when he outlined the steps that the Iraqi government needed to take to move forward.

So we are back to the starting point, and at this time I can see only 3 real options presented.

1. Follow the Bush - McCain plan, and play Wack-A-Mole in Iraq for the next couple of generations.

2. Do the job right. Find 600,000 to 750,000 trained and armed troops, find a spare 500,000,000.00 a year to fund it, then move into Iraq a force that can impose some form of peace

3. Get the heck out of dodge.

And remember, if you pick option 1, at some point in time you will still have to pick either 2 or 3.

This is a fact, that is obvious to so many, is something that the Bush administration refuses to address.

The BBC Goes Where American Media Dare Not

They actually bother to look at Baghdad and tell you what is going on.

Trying to get into the centre of Baghdad earlier this week offered one view of how far away the Americans and Iraqi authorities are from gaining control here. We were at the airport. Just before we were due to leave, the entrance car park was hit by a car bomb.

...

While we waited with scores of other vehicles, mortars were fired at the airport.

...

You won't have heard about any of this because at the same time a series of other far more serious attacks was taking place. One was at the Sadriya market in the city centre, where a massive car bomb killed more than 140 people.

...

As we drove into the city, we counted six blast holes left by recent roadside bombs along just one 100-metre stretch or road. A large patch of damaged, blackened Tarmac on a bridge spoke of another attempt to destroy a key crossing.

...

Last month alone there were more than 100 car bombings, and the number of attacks has continued at a similar rate so far this month.

Abstinence Only Fails

Not that this should surprise anyone who has any ability to think. Just say no has been an abject failure in every venue it has been rolled out into. What may be surprising is that this first study indicates that the hundreds of millions that have been spend on telling kids to just say no to sex has had, what amounts to, absolutely no impact on teen sexual activity.

Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex a few years later as those who did not

...

those who attended one of the four abstinence classes reviewed reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes, and they first had sex at about the same age as their control group counterparts — 14 years and nine months

just as likely to have sex, similar numbers of sexual partners, first had sex at about the same age... all for the low, low price of $175,000,000 a year. I wonder if we can get a full refund from all the right wing sexual snake oil sales people who have been able to use the Bush administration to rob the American public.

A Life Well Led

Kurt Vonnegut has died

More Guard Off To War

The combat escalation in Iraq is stretching the military so thin, that they are having to dip into guard forces again.

Coming on the heels of a controversial “surge” of 21,000 U.S. troops that has stretched the Army thin, the Defense Department is preparing to send an additional 12,000 National Guard combat forces to Iraq and Afghanistan

Let's just hope that they are treated better than Matthew Zeimer.

One of the soldiers died just hours after arriving in Iraq -- and was one of those troops rushed to the country in the "surge" who did not receive full training.

....

On February 9, the Savannah (Ga.) Morning News reported: "At least 143 soldiers joined Fort Stewart's 1st Brigade too late to participate in a final combat exercise before their units deployed to Iraq. Last week, one of those soldiers - Pvt. Matthew T. Zeimer, 18 - was the first from the brigade to be killed when he was hit by enemy fire in Ramadi, the stronghold of Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

"Zeimer arrived at Fort Stewart on Dec. 18 after basic training and deployed to Iraq just a few weeks later. He missed the brigade's intensive four-week mission rehearsal in October when more than 1,300 trainers and Iraqi role-players came to the post as part of the most realistic training program the Army offers for Iraq operations.

It's Official, The Escalation Will Fail

I say this not because of the obvious weakness in the plan, or the overall inability of the US armed forces to do the job (we lack the manpower), but because Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, at the urging of Bush's pal Ahmad Chalabi, has decided that he likes the Civil War and wants it to continue.

The most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq has rejected an American-backed proposal to allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to return to government service, an aide to the cleric said Monday. The rejection by the cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, appears certain to fuel hostility between the majority Shiites and the former ruling Sunni Arabs, since many Sunni Arabs say they were unfairly purged from the government in the clampdown on the Baath Party.

And as long as Sistani wants civil war, there will be civil war.

John McCain, A Bad Liar or Simply Delusional?

On CNN, Sen. John McCain (R-Az) was busy singing the praises of the escalation of the war in Iraq, and claiming that we have made amazing progress. The trouble is, his claims were so absurd that you either have to admire his willingness to lie so boldly, or wonder how we could let someone so delusional roam the streets without adult supervision.

Remember - Wack A Mole

We have liberated and secured Tal Afaf 3 times now, and despite our efforts in the last couple of days we have seen, both bombings, followed by what appear to be reprisal killings where Shiia police members have executed Sunni civilians.

When you here politicians singing the praises of our escalation of combat in Baghdad, remember Tal Afar, and what Bush said a year ago after the 3rd 'freeing' of the city.

So today I'd like to share a concrete example of progress in Iraq that most Americans do not see every day in their newspapers and on their television screens. I'm going to tell you the story of a northern Iraqi city called Tal Afar, which was once a key base of operations for al Qaeda and is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq.

Progress, as defined by the Republicans in DC, sure looks like failure to me.

Remember The Iraqi Death Survey

Published in the Lancet?

The Bush administration was quick to denounce it, but the higher-ups in the UK were clearly impressed by the work.

But a memo by the MoD's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Roy Anderson, on 13 October, states: "The study design is robust and employs methods that are regarded as close to "best practice" in this area, given the difficulties of data collection and verification in the present circumstances in Iraq."

...

In the same e-mail the official later writes: "However, the survey methodology used here cannot be rubbished, it is a tried and tested way of measuring mortality in conflict zones."

When it comes to anything scientific, the Bush administration denounces anything they don't like, even when the science is valid.

Another Bushie Cops A Plea

This time it is a result of the Abramoff coruption investigations. He, like scooter, is taking the fall for obstruction of justice.

The former No. 2 official at the Interior Department has agreed to a felony plea admitting that he lied five times to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and its investigators about his relationship with Abramoff

The plea somehow seems appropiate for an administation who wants to be able to lie with impuniy.

But, If We Are Under Oath, Can We Lie?

With the Democratic party in charge, the US Senate has decided to get back into the over site business. In this effort they wish to chat with a few members of the Bush administration.

They have advised Bush that they would like them to come on over, get sworn in, and answer a few questions about the job they have been doing for the American public for the last 6+ years. George isn't happy with the request, and has offered to have the talk.... but only if they are not under oath.

It appears that after having one member of his administration found guilty of lying under oath, he now wants to make sure the rest of his people can lie to the American Public without being concern about facing a judge in a few months.

Well, I Am Shocked

It turns out that Karl Rove was involved the overtly political decision to fire various federal prosecutors, and replace them with political hacks that avoided Senate approval.

The whole process clearly displays how morally bankrupt most of the Bush administration is. Years ago they wanted the power to appoint federal prosecutors without Senate oversight. To get this power they used the confusion and rush surrounding the Patriot Act to have a provision added granting them this power. 2 years ago the administration starts talking about replacing all the federal prosecutors and using their new powers to get a new batch in place that the congress has no say over. Last year, while giving testimony when he was trying to gain his appointment as attorney general, Gondolas swore he has no intention of using the Patriot Act provision to replace any federal prosecutors, and now we see that all along this was being considered inside the Bush's White house.

As I follow this story the term perversion of the course of justice keeps popping into my head. Now with confirmation that Karl Rove was in the middle of the scheming to make this happen, I know why.

The Intelectual Weakness of Peter Pace

As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff you expect Gen. Pace to be a man of strong personal character with excellent leadership skills and a extremely sharp intellect. Unfortunately for Peter, his statements about the don't ask don't tell policy of the US Armed Forces has not displayed his intellectual prowess in the best of lights. It has put his deeply flawed logic and reasoning on display for all to see.

Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday that he supports the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving in the military because homosexual acts "are immoral," akin to a member of the armed forces conducting an adulterous affair with the spouse of another service member.

Wow, just how stupid to you have to be to express this line of flawed reasoning? I must admit I do share part of Gen. Pace's view. I also think that adultery is wrong. This is the about the only thing he has said that makes any sense.

First of all, Adultery is an act, Homosexuality is a state. As example, I am heterosexual. That says nothing about me other than my sexual orientation. I could be a celibate heterosexual, a monogamous heterosexual, a promiscuous heterosexual or, if married, an adulterous heterosexual. Under Gen. Pace's definition, as a heterosexual, I have to undertake a very specific act to be tossed out of the military.

Homosexuals however do not have to do anything, their very existence is, by Pace's definition, 'Immoral' and on par to wilful violation of the marriage bed.

Utterly absurd.

In addition to the deeply flawed logic at play here, there are also practical issues involved. The armed forces bring very few adultery cases forward for prosecution, far fewer than the total number of affairs that occur. If the armed forces were to police marital infidelity with the same passion they use when investigating sexual orientation, based on what I can see of the fidelity of the US troops I know, we would lose tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of troops a year, kicked out for fooling around.

I don't see Gen. Pace proposing that we do this.

Flawed logic, and embracing a double standard, clearly not traits that anyone would want to see in Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Peter Pace

Notable Creationism Chatter

In the last few days there has been a notable uptick in chatter by and about creationist on some of my regular blog visits. First The Rev. Big Dumb Chimp noticed the work of one Nathan Bradford, and decided to try to educate the poor fellow, Nathan resisted this.

By chance Steve Reuland at Sunbeams From Cucumbers noticed another creationist, this one in the news with a bit of legal/ethical trouble.

One creationist who either is unable to understand scientific argument, or has made the choice to ignore it, and another who appears to be unable to live up to the standards he claims to hold.

Serendipitous, and unrealated, but it caught my notice anyway.

A New Series - Alarmingly Stupid Americans

The winner of our first prize is Alice Shannon of Soldonta Alaska.

It’s time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don’t believe in God, then get out of this country.

The United States is based on having freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in God any way you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.

I don’t recall freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency even says, “In God We Trust.” So, to all the atheists in America: Get off of our country.

Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer out of our schools and being able to practice what can only be called evil. I don’t care if they have never committed a crime, atheists are the reason crime is rampant.

How About A Nice Game Of Wack-A-Mole

Today Bush is claiming that the escalation is working, but consider this.

Violence has fallen in Baghdad, where a joint U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown was in its third week. But U.S. military officials say insurgents have fled the capital for outlying areas, where attacks are on the rise. Direct attacks on U.S. forces in Diyala are up 70 percent since last July, according to figures provided by the U.S. military.

This was completely predictable, to everyone expect the folks in the Bush Administration.

Interesting Headlines

In Afghanistan there was an incident. A bombing and firefight has left 16 dead.

Here is how MSNBC reports the story:

'Complex' ambush on convoy in Afghanistan kills 16

A “complex” ambush involving a suicide car bomb and militant gunfire killed 16 Afghan civilians and wounded 25 people during an attack on a coalition convoy in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.

Clearly giving the impression that the civilians were killed by the militants.

Now to the BBC and how the international press is treating the story.

US troops kill Afghan civilians

An incident described by US forces in Afghanistan as a "complex ambush" has left 16 civilians dead. The incident occurred on the road from the eastern city of Jalalabad to Pakistan when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy, sparking a fire fight.

Thousands of local people took to the streets, accusing the Americans of deliberately firing on the civilians.

What a HUGE difference in how the facts are presented.

Of course there is no reason to accept the BBC's reporting over NBC's, until you consider this tid bit from the AP: US soldier deletes AP photographer's photos, threatens violence.

Following a suicide bombing and ensuing gunfight between Afghan militants and American soldiers on Sunday, a US soldier demanded that an Associated Press photographer delete his photos.

Based on the past behavior of the US military, the neverending efforts trying to cover up their mistakes, and the reaction of the local forces, it is a safe bet that at least some the the civilians killed were killed by US forces.

More importantly, it is clear the local population blames the US, and this is the path that will lead to Afghanistan becoming another Iraq.

More excellent work by both the US media and the US armed forces.

Sadly Typical Of Our Current Military

Only after the Armed Forces failing efforts in vet care is exposed by hte press does the military leap to action. They suddenly get busy to correct the years old situation. Two major steps are taken to address this national shame.

1. The military tell the troops to not talk to the media. A traditional step in any cover-ups.

2. They then fire the General in charge of the base. The only trouble is, this man had been in charge for only six months, and the decay at Walter Reed is far older than six months. The person most responsible for the state of the base is the past commander, or commanders. And what punishment will the past commander of Walter Reed face for allowing the current situation of the base to develop?

It appears he will be appointed as the new head of the Walter Reed.

Only in a George 'W' Bush administration would this foolishness make any sense

Jesus' Tomb Found

Or at least a tomb has been discovered, that if it is not some sort of archaeological prank, may have, at one time, been the final resting place for a group of people that included A Jesus and a Mary (or two).

This means that:

Another artifacts counterfeiter will soon be facing justice;

or

Some of the mythology that is the basis for portions of Christianity has been shattered;

or

There was actually some other persons who lived in this area durring a period covering over two hundred years, who were also named Jesus etc.

Since some of the names involved in this story are as common as Smith and Jones now, my bet would be on a case of mistaken identity.

At least this story has pushed Anna Nicole Smith to second or third in the ranking of news items for the day.

Just How Stupid Is Americia's Right Wing?

Being to busy to see straight, I will just link to Vanity Press, where you can be introduced to Stupidpedia, the rights attempt at fact gathering.

Via CC, here's the Conservapedia, which is supposed to be Wikipedia for the ideologically fragile. Not surprisingly, it's actually just for the dumb. PZ Myers has already noted its mistakes on Darwin (big surprise there), but I thought I'd list a few more:


They think that in The Divine Comedy, Dante's guide through Hell was Aristotle. Actually, it was Virgil.

They think that the Christian undertones in Tolkien are "altogether unintentional." Actually, we know from many of Tolkien's letters that they were deliberate.

They think that Chaucer's Middle English is "so different from modern English that [his writings] are usually read in modern English translation." Actually, every college student who's studied even a little Chaucer reads him in Middle English.

They think that Chaucer's poem The Parliament of Fowles is called "The Assembly of Fowles."

They think that Beowulf is an epic (it isn't), and that it is "the oldest surviving literature in the English Language." It almost certainly isn't.

And that's not even mentioning the spelling, grammatical, and stylistic mistakes. This project is a really bad idea. It's just another example of epistemological relativism, of the kind that's too common on the modern right to begin with.

Both Ed Brayton and PZ Myers have been having fun with the rights latest public display of gross stupidity.

Saw Something Interesting In Downtown Columbia

A train, 50-60 maybe even more cars heading southeast. Each car a flat bed, and each flatbed holding 5 armored Hummers.

Just another indication that there is every intention of staying in Iraq for quite a while longer.

I Wonder If They Will Just Follow The Brits Home

Dick Cheney has again displayed why he will be considered one of the worst VPs to ever hold the office. He has again returned to spouting the discredited and incredibility stupid idea that the fighters in Iraq will follow us home.

It is really not worth spending much time rebutting, but I would like to point out that the overwhelming majority of those involved in fighting in Iraq are fighting to evict us from their country so they can get busy killing each other without outside interference. When we leave, they will be consumed with their own issues, not concerned with finding access to the US.

But, even if you are dim enough to accept his position as valid

Since the British announced a 25% force reduction in Iraq are we not now safe? Since the Brits are leaving first, will not the Iraqis just follow them to England?

Good News From Iraq, al-Qaida Leader Injured

At least the Iraqi government is claiming they injured him.

Security forces have wounded the head of al-Qaida in Iraq in a clash north of Baghdad, Iraqi government authorities said today.

I am a little concerned that this will not make much difference. Abu Ayyub Al-Masri appears to have remarkable recuperative powers. At one point last fall he was reported Killed in a US bombing action. If this report is true, he has gotten a lot better much more quickly than one might expect.

One other detail to remember, Abu Ayyub Al-Masri was the replacement for al-Zarqawi, who we killed last spring. When Al-Masri is caught or killed there will be someone Else who will step up. The media facination with beheading the enemy is ather silly in the end.

Kansas Gets Smart, For A While

And has decided to teach science in science classrooms.

The Kansas state Board of Education on Tuesday repealed science guidelines questioning evolution that had made the state an object of ridicule.

The new guidelines reflect mainstream scientific views of evolution and represent a political defeat for advocates of “intelligent design,” who had helped write the standards that are being jettisoned.

At least until the stupid brigade gets another batch of anti science cretins elected to the school board.

The Big News This Week

What the mainstream media decided to focus on tells us a lot about the population they serve.

This week started with wall to wall coverage of a deranged, diaper wearing, hammer wielding, NASA astronaut in love. They rode this story for at least 48 hours, until the untimely death of a celebrity, famous for marrying well, and posing nude (and little else).

And we wonder why our nation is screwed up.

Thank god we don't have real news to worry about, like national debt, or a two wars, or national health issues, or our educational system or our retirement systems or climate changes.

Because it is vital that we understand what would drive a NASA astronaut to drive nonstop from Houston, to Orlando, and it is urgent that we learn how Anna N. Smith (who greatest contribution to society may be her death, which did get the anoying NASA love triangle story off the air) died.

All Better Now

It appears homosexual mega-pastor, Rev. Ted Haggard, after only 3 weeks of 'treatment' is all better now.

The Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is "completely heterosexual" and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser.

To quote a very old line, de-nile is not just a river in Egypt. Deciding to run back into the closet is not a new sexual orientation, but just old fashioned sexual repression

The Timing Is Interesting

It's Sunday, Superbowl Sunday. A day where an overwhelming number of Americans will not be watching the news, but watching commercials with friends.

So what did the US Military decide to confirm today?

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - All four U.S. helicopters that have crashed in Iraq since Jan. 20 appear to have been brought down by ``some kind'' of ground fire but it is unclear whether this represents any new threat to U.S. aviation, the chief U.S. military spokesman said Sunday.

It was the first time that the U.S. command has publicly acknowledged that the three Army helicopters and one private helicopter were probably shot down.

The Military has fallen back into Vietnam era habits. When they can not lie, they try to hide they truth by obscuring it.

1000 Civilians

In just one week.

And that is from a semi official source.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates that about 1,000 people have been killed throughout Iraq in the past week due to gunbattles, drive-by shootings and bomb attacks, a ministry official said Sunday.

I wonder how long it will be until the US gets someone else in the Iraqi to announce a downward revision of this.

Just A Stray Thought

On poetic justice.

in an effort to man this escalation of combat in Iraq; Every member of the executive branch that promoted the invasion, as well as their spouse and children who are of age, should go over to serve as a member of the infantry. Every talking head, op ed writer, lazy reporter, and think tank member who worked so hard to sell the war to the American public should get the same treatment.

They can all come home when when the war is over, or when they admit to their errors, apologise to the American public for their stupidity, return all pay they received while they were busy selling this war, and promise that, in the future, they will keep their militaristic fantasies to themselves.


Just a thought.


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Iraq