@anna – only this way
Nemo
The wailing we hear from Iraq these days, bodes darkly for the black house on the hill. Quack surgeons, drunk on fervor and narcissism have sought to remedy an irritation with a primal flourish, a sweeping of the mighty wrist across across the table of sand. To rid the Iraq of its demon and its delusion, and in doing so, to instill unto the eyes of the world, the fearsome of our carnasial wisdom, our mastery of the ideal incarnate.
But lo, the labotomy of Iraq, has run afoul. Its blood of transfusion has has turned nefarious unto itself. It has arisen on its own particulated power, twisting loose from its restraint, in a raging stupor. A raging stupor at its unatural reassembly, alas, its parts no longer work to its sense of self. In its delirium, its dissonance of mind calls for vengence toward its maker and its collaborator. To throw off its contaminated self, to rid itself of its newly formed being it does not recognize, it will lash itself to death so it may be reborn anew of itself.
Posted by: anna mist | August 3, 2004 05:02 AM

Posted by: b | Aug 3 2004 9:53 utc | 3

@NEMO:
Get the hell out of the way!
The A TEAM’S coming in.
http://www.teamamericamovie.com/

Posted by: Harold | Aug 3 2004 13:53 utc | 5

b
thanks for that, think i stayed up to late last night

Posted by: anna mist | Aug 3 2004 15:16 utc | 7

Many countries have higher voter participation rates than ours. If you want to raise the US voting rate, think systematically rather than individually.
First, even if they counted all the votes here, not everyone’s vote really counts because of election rules such as winner-take-all and plurality-rather-than-majority-rule traditions. The two party rather than multi-party system, and the inability to require more gender-balanced slates of candidates leaves a lot of voices out of the process, contributing to voter apathy. Furthermore, expecting folks to vote on a work day in a country where the work day is often 12 hrs long definitely supresses voter turnout, among both long-working execs [Cheney’s other priorities] and poor women and men working three jobs.
So Sunday or holiday elections would do a lot to increase the voting rate.
The ‘horse-race’ -crazed media which ignores [or rather skews] the issues also makes voting seem pointless to many.
In the meantime, I wouldn’t push anyone to register who might ‘cancel out’ your vote.
Unless your an official registrar in a voter registration activity who ought not refuse to register a voter.

Posted by: gylangirl | Aug 3 2004 16:12 utc | 9

Check out the CJR Campaign Desk’s little quiz on current events- it’s a hoot!

Posted by: æ | Aug 3 2004 17:59 utc | 11

@FLASHHARRY-
LOL. No worries- I did only marginally better. I don’t have a head for specific numbers, or dates. What I’ve leared in gradute school is that if you can’t have all your facts at hand, at least have your resouces. I do much better at the latter than the former.

Posted by: æ | Aug 3 2004 19:37 utc | 13

Those poles are so full of shit.
@JDP:
Christ:
What does the Coalition of the Willing have to do with any of this?

Posted by: FLASHHARRY | Aug 3 2004 19:59 utc | 15

Via TPM
George W. Bush, August 2nd 2004: “Let me talk about the intelligence in Iraq. First of all, we all thought we’d find stockpiles of weapons. We may still find weapons. We haven’t found them yet. Every person standing up here would say, ‘Gosh, we thought it was going to be different.; As did congress, by the way. Member of both parties. And the United Nations. But what we do know is that Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons. And … umm … but let me just say this to you. Knowing what I know today, we still would have gone on into Iraq. We still would have gone to make our country more secure. He had the capability of making weapons. He had terrorist ties. The decision I made was the right decision. The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power.”
The World would be better off with the USA!

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 3 2004 20:33 utc | 17

CP, a song comes to mind, does it not:
(in a passionate voice)
We can’t live with or without you
One of the song’s stanzas begins with “My hands are tied”, I think, but the associations in this context would be, er, unhelpful.

Posted by: teuton | Aug 3 2004 21:24 utc | 19

Some VERY INTERESTING discussions now taking
place at the other bar.
Things you can really sink your teeth into, like
Rabbit Stew

Posted by: Harold Lloyd | Aug 3 2004 21:42 utc | 21

Hello people,
help me at connecting the dots:
DOT ONE:
Eric Margolis reminds us that:

While eyes are fixed on the bloody mess in Iraq and Saudi Arabia’s growing instability, Egypt is beginning to tremble as its people worry who will succeed Mubarak’s unchallenged, 22-year rule. […] Egypt remains a repressive state with a brutal secret police where the use of torture against political opponents and Islamic militants is routine. $1.3 billion in annual US military aid keeps the armed forces and security apparatus loyal to Mubarak. CIA, DIA, FBI and NSA run major operations in Egypt to protect Mubarak’s regime from domestic opponents. The US tightly controls the military’s communications and limits stocks of spare parts and munitions.

DOT TWO:

[The 76-year old Mubarak returned to Egypt after 17 days in a German clinic. ] Now, as Egypt faces a succession crisis, Mubarak has been grooming son Gamal to be leader, but Egyptians strongly oppose this idea as unworthy of and medieval. When Mubarak goes, Washington will discreetly install a new leader from the pro-US elite – unless there is a massive uprising against foreign domination by nationalist-Nasserites and Islamists(`terrorists’ in Bush-talk).

DOT THREE:

The indispensable Juan Cole:

The number of persons in the Muslim world who wanted to inflict direct damage on the US homeland in 2000 was tiny. Even within al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri’s theory of “hitting the distant enemy before the near” (i.e. striking the US rather than Egypt or Saudi Arabia) was controversial.
[…]
In the first poll, […] the overall approval ratings of the US ranged between an unprecedented low of two per cent in Egypt and a high of 20 per cent in Lebanon. Those holding a favourable view of the US in Saudi Arabia were four per cent, 11 per cent in Morocco, 14 per cent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 15 per cent in Jordan. [DOWN FROM AVERAGE 75%]

A famous someone tried once to connect them into a picture:
A cryptic slide, by Laurent Murawiec, invited by Perle, at the Pentagon :

Iraq is the tactical pivot
Saudi Arabia the strategic pivot
Egypt the prize

Methinks the gentleman connects the right dots but the picture should be reversed. Is Egypt now ripe to plucked by the hand of the Islamic Revolution?
Can you help me find dots that I do not see, yet?

Posted by: MarcinGomulka | Aug 3 2004 22:01 utc | 23

Murawiec is a weirdo. I still have to see what reason anyone would have to invade and conquer Egypt. They don’t have oil. The only problem is the Suez canal, and even if it’s shut oil will still come to the US. That’s some weird stuff I don’t really see yet.

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Aug 3 2004 23:53 utc | 25

@ æ
Part of this stems from my wondering if I’m just in the ‘wrong’ country. I often feel that as a serious lefty-progressive, I’m in a huge minority. When I’ve lived in Europe, the positions I hold have been treated as no-brainers, by and large. Here, I’d fear for my physical safety expressing some of my views in public.
I know everyone claims we’re a very polarized nation, but how can that be said to be true when we have so little participation in the democracy? Sure, maybe among the <50% who actually vote it's pretty divided... but how is it really, I wonder?
Where are you from ae? Here in Vermont I feel the Progressive mind set is predominant. At a recent parade the Democrats received enthusiastic applause while the Repub’s got the cold shoulder. I’m sure there are pockets of both sides everywhere. But I sense the latent “silent majority” are beginning to wake up and become less silent. My optimistic self speaking right now. Nevertheless, I want to try to help light that spark in “We the People” to get involved and reclaim our democracy again. I’m going to go after voters that normally don’t but recognize they need to do something and quickly. Wish me luck please.
BTW, the bears and trees around here like us I think.

Posted by: Juannie | Aug 4 2004 1:35 utc | 27

Juannie:
I live in central VA and there are not many progressives here. However, there are many disaffected conservatives (the non-fundies and ideologically apathetic) who are unhappy about the Iraq war, the deficit and the Patriot Act. Some even understand that corporate power (the MI complex, including Big Oil) is driving foreign policy (I haven’t met any who have become aware of AIPAC yet, though) and are aware of what that power is doing to small business and American jobs. Big Media keeps telling us that it is the left that opposes Bush, but there is a lot of unhappiness with him on the right as well. The national Dems have missed a good chance to bring a lot of these folks – most of whom are civil libertarians – into the party. Dem Gov. Warner found a formula to get elected in a very Republican state: let them keep their guns, balance the budget, spend on schools and promote small business growth in depressed, redneck areas. Practical stuff, not very exciting, but it sells and gets you respect if you actually do it. The Norquist wing of the Repubs, for whom tax cuts and the Christian fundie social agenda is all that matters, is fighting Warner but the moderate Repubs have broken with them and worked with Warner. Progressives would do well nationally to reach out to these people; they are not well off and the Repubs take them for granted.

Posted by: lonesomeG | Aug 4 2004 2:45 utc | 29

@lonesomeG:
Virginians sure are a strange group. I might even know a little something about them.
Might even get close in November if John Kerry, Wes Clark, and Max Cleland come in with their artillery trains.
Virginians appreciate what is real and don’t have much time for BS. Green Mountain boys might be the same way, J.
You gentlemen have a good evening.

Posted by: Cartman Lee | Aug 4 2004 3:05 utc | 31

Some news

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 4 2004 5:22 utc | 33

Connect Sa-Dat?
CBC Article
BBC Article
New Yorker Pitches In
Embezzlement, Bribery and Drugs Heavy tinfoil required, Hosni and Abdulaziz did it all…
Without checking, that “grand prize” quote was from a PNAC fellow, right?
Hmmm, Billmon wrote on this topic a year ago.
More on Laurent of Arabia.
They’re all insane – maybe they are. But what if they’re not, will a pewter helmet suffice? What if 33 is not just a number. The all-seeing eye suddenly becoming relevant. Are these people idiots or idiots savants?
In any case, I would like to be the one to have the last laugh, please humor me.

Posted by: fiumana bella | Aug 4 2004 8:34 utc | 35

@fiumana bella:
Great reading material, esp. the New Yorker article on Egypt.
Thanks.

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 4 2004 13:04 utc | 37

Moral dilemna aside, please understand that the other side does actively suppress.
sure, absolutely… I don’t relish the thought of stooping to their level, though. Hell, that’s also why I’m not impressed with the Democrats platform this time ’round. The theory that one has to “out-x” the “x” seems to me to be a big looser, even if it’s the only way to win. They might win, but we (the people) still loose.

Posted by: æ | Aug 4 2004 15:52 utc | 39

My teenaged daughter, a libertarian-minded kid, has for the past year been dating what we call a Birkenstock leftist. The other day she asked me: Why is it that almost all the smart, thinking kids are on the Left, and the ones who are on the Right are usually non-thinking parrots?
I agree with her and it’s a good question. We got into a discussion about the anti-intellectualism of the modern American Right, which I see as a significant turn-off to young people entering the world of ideas.
Any thoughts on this from you Lefties here at MoA?

Posted by: Pat | Aug 4 2004 16:59 utc | 41

Bush Knew. More stuff just out from In These Times.

Posted by: beq | Aug 4 2004 17:26 utc | 43

@Pat
I’ll bite, though I’m not comfortable slapping any loaded label on myself to make such a seemingly rational observation… I’m wagering that what it boils down to is the issue of when (and if) a person values the realization, acknowledgment and appreciation of our own interconnectedness and dependence on the world around us. Cognitive awareness of our role in the natural world leads to critical observations of how we interact with it and others. A person who thinks about these things will most probably act quite differently than a person who is conditioned to defer their thinking to others. For one thing, the thinker will ask questions before necessarily acting against their own interest (including that of others.) Empathy is also undoubtedly a strong factor in determining how one reacts to the world around them. Empathy for your peers vs empathy for your masters. To be in the category of the latter reeks of ugliness, no matter what physiognomy presents itself and no matter how many products they consume. Maybe it’s as simple as “real people” vs “pod people” with the ego being the crux of the proverbial biscuit.

Posted by: b real | Aug 4 2004 18:36 utc | 45

“anti-intellectualism is, among other things, a product of religous obeisance, in my mind”
I’ve noticed that this is a significant factor in some people’s anti-intellectualism. It probably depends on the nature of their religious belief (i.e., whether and to what extent their belief requires the surrender of mind). We’re a non-religious household, but my daughter’s boyfriend is involved with a youth group at his church, which I would classify as a “kumbaya” institution along the lines of the churches many of my friends attended back in the Seventies. Definitely not conservative; a generous amount of free-wheeling; and about as far from doctrinaire as one can hope to get on Sundays. William Graham Sumner said, “If you want war, nourish doctrine. Docrines are the most frightful tyrants to which men are ever subject.”
And you’re right that critical, independent thought is not a habit cultivated in adulthood.
“…the thinker will ask questions before necessarily acting against their own interest (including that of others.)”
All of the kids I’ve come to know and like over the years – and they certainly run the gamut in other ways – have one, small thing in common: they didn’t stop asking questions at the age of four or five. They are full of questions – the sort of questions that are the quickening of a soul anticipating a new stage in life; questions that must be answered by one’s self, to the satisfaction of one’s own out-going mind and spirit.
That kids like that continue to survive years of dreary miseducation and an oftentimes unfriendly and stultifying culture – that they burn brightly still with questions and a passion for discovering and formulating answers – amazes me.

Posted by: Pat | Aug 4 2004 20:29 utc | 47

Sovereign Iraq: U.S. Troops Arrest Iraqi Police Colonel In Ramadi: Police

“An American unit went to the home of Colonel Imad Suleiman Falah at 2:30 am (2230 GMT) and arrested him without explanation,” said policeman Ziya Hadi.

Posted by: b | Aug 4 2004 20:47 utc | 49

@Faux:
Looks like those Wahabbists be wearing Birkenstocks too–from the file footage I’ve seen.
Perhaps birkenstocks have become revolutionary.
Seriously, fiumana bella, way up thread has excellent references to the Islamic Revolution. Tey are very interesting reading, esp. the New Yorker piece.

Posted by: FLASHHARRY | Aug 4 2004 21:58 utc | 51

@fauxreal
Support for education, in turn, supports democracy.
hells yeah! Which is exactly why our public school system has been allowed to deteriorate. Teach ’em enough to do their worker-bee jobs, but not enough to start wondering if there might not be a better way.
The good news is, if you know this, and if you know that your children’s education does not begin and end at Abraham Fitzgerald Washington-Adams Lakeview PS #23, but rather is your job too, then you can turn out bright, inquisitive children despite the sorry shape of the schools.

Posted by: æ | Aug 4 2004 22:25 utc | 53

FWIW-
Birkenstocks are a crappy choice for running from the pigs… or, really, anyone. The official footwear of the revolution? consignment (read: used) Nikes, with the swooshes ripped off/colored over/turned upside-down or otherwise “No-Logo’d”
… or maybe combat boots.

Posted by: æ | Aug 4 2004 22:33 utc | 55

FlashHarry- yes, I read the New Yorker piece. It gives me no sympathy for the Islamic revolution to read that the newspapers publish defenses of Hitler, or, as I noted before, spew bile by quoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
In addition, the “Islamic Revolutionaries” are, imo and with much fact to back up that opinion, the enemies of all women around the world, and since I am a woman, I have no sympathy for their movement, in the same way that I have no sympathy for the religious right in this country.
The Eqyptians failed to note that the leader of the Northern Alliance, who was murdered by Al Qaeda criminals who killed themselves at the same time, was killed, by all circumstantial evidence, because the suicide attacks on the WTC were upcoming. How that squares with the declaration the WTC attack had nothing to do with it seems to be one long exercise in denial.
The seeming belief among those “on the street” or in the mosque about the value of the WTC attack also demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the U.S. to think that this nation would not respond militarily.
in fact, the attack seems to demonstrate that bin Laden understands the value of killing innocents to recruit for his cause much better than any of his followers do. How shameful that bin Laden uses people in this way, while, at the same time, doing business with the Bush family and, in turn, profiting from the killing of Muslims via the bin Laden investments in the Carlyle Group, for example.
So, bin Laden is a war profitteer just as Bush and Cheney are, and that the people in the middle east are ignorant of this fact is sad beyond words.
Yes, the U.S. policy concerning Israel is a terrible situation and a cause of much misery in Palestine. But if the Palestinians want to win that conflict, they have to stop suicide attacks and shame the U.S. into a saner policy.
that was the case with the civil rights movement here. that was the case with apartheid in South Africa, and it’s the case in the Palestine occupation.

Posted by: fauxreal | Aug 4 2004 22:53 utc | 57

@Faux:
I was talking about the “reality” of the Islamic revolution, not about “sympathy” for it.
Two very different things really.

Posted by: FLASHHARRY | Aug 4 2004 23:04 utc | 59

FlashHarry- my Celtic-French (it’s like Irish, but without the “h”…or something like that) got up when I read that article.
the reality of the Islamic Revolution is, sadly, the same as the reality of the proto-fascist movement here…it is dependent upon an uneducated population manipulated by rich people who make them think they care about their plight, and who use an external enemy to avoid any consequences for their own corruption.
sigh.

Posted by: fauxreal | Aug 4 2004 23:19 utc | 61

oh, and the return mail thing has an attachment…which I haven’t opened. is this how mail is usually returned from aohell?

Posted by: fauxreal | Aug 4 2004 23:40 utc | 63

@Faux:
Might want to shut your computer down, run your antivirus software, and see if you’ve got a bug. Don’t open the attachment.
Do you have a firewall?

Posted by: FLASHHARRY | Aug 5 2004 0:26 utc | 65

Juannie, a couple points:
1. Right now much of Sudan’s oil is somewhat controlled by Malaysia’s Petronas & the Indian state oil company. Canada’s Talisman oil had to sell its interests after the kitchen got very hot re human rights and how the Sundanese gov’t would use its revenues in funding its war efforts last year.
2. My own opinion is that there is way too much hype about the looming oil shortage. Oil is not running out – there’s billions of reserves in Alberta’s oil sands alone (cost to produce approx $15-20 per bbl)

Posted by: Ramlad | Aug 5 2004 1:50 utc | 67

@ Ramlad,
Point 1. Good info. Thanks.
Point 2. Ramlad, I agree, oil is not running out. It is just no longer an ever abundant expandable energy resource. As such it will no longer be able to be used to continually pump up a yearly growing GNP, which has been the case through most of the 20th century. Energy drives everything and as the stored multi-million year fossil fuel resource starts to decline, the engines of world economy will likewise begin to decline. Not overnight, but gradually.
There is a concept involved here: EROIE (energy returned on energy invested). The oil sands, and many other oil reserves contain huge quantities of stored energy but to recover them increasingly requires more energy so the net energy return begins to continually decrease instead of increase. That means, less energy from the resources to pump into our continually increasing GNP way of life. Things have to change. Are we smart enough to recognize this and position ourselves to live by the only known and practical sustainable, renewable energy source (Sol)?
I am and I hope to convince Vermonters that this is the direction we must consciously move to prosper into the future.
Check out Richard Heinberg’s book “The Party’s OVER” and others like it.

Posted by: Juannie | Aug 5 2004 2:19 utc | 69

@fauxreal
I just got an email message from aol that said a message I had sent to an address called “the hosses” had a fatal error and could not be sent.
yow! That usually means, though i could be wrong, that someone who has your email address in their address book got something nasty- trojan ‘hoss’ most likely.
sounds like you’ve already taken the correct measures, though.
One of the best reasons not to use a mail program that downloads stuff off the server; I’m lucky to have a webmail client which spares me much agony in that regard.

Posted by: æ | Aug 5 2004 2:41 utc | 71

Interesting article from this mornings Guardian.
Let’s rock the boat – Europeans should be cautious recruits to a President Kerry’s war on terrorism

Posted by: Fran | Aug 5 2004 7:19 utc | 73

Ups, must be really important information – don’t know how the double post happend.

Posted by: Fran | Aug 5 2004 7:21 utc | 75

nemo
Henry Cartier-Bresson++++expect more developments.
L.Paul “boots&suit” Bremmer——expect no further developments.

Posted by: anna mist | Aug 5 2004 7:51 utc | 77

Once More
About this time 1 year ago the French floated the proposal: relinquish sovernity as soon as possible,before September as I remember.This proposal was, at the time, laughed at. The crazy French.

Posted by: anna mist | Aug 5 2004 8:15 utc | 79

Looting widespread in Iraq
$1.9 billion of Iraq’s money goes to US contractors
Sorry for the double post, some American contractor must have taken my first link.
😉

Posted by: Nemo | Aug 5 2004 11:08 utc | 81

Fast move up slow down?General Barbara Fast back in Arizona
While the cameras train on the trailer park trash the torture facilitator looks forward to promotion…

Posted by: Nemo | Aug 5 2004 11:32 utc | 83

@Pat – thx, good thought
IRAQ is in full uproar (maybe nobody notices). There are fights against US troops all over Iraq – serious escalations and the steady stream of dead truck drivers takes care that there is no steady stream of logistics for US troops anymore.
Three dead, chopper downed in Najaf as British face “jihad” threat

Posted by: b | Aug 5 2004 12:26 utc | 85

Not so wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Danish army officer charged in Iraq prisoner abuse case
Of course she says she’s innocent – but they all say that. They’ve got a reputation for spinning stories those Danes, that Hans Christian Andersen was notorious for it. Let me at her, just for a couple of hours, I could soon have her singing like a canary…

Posted by: Nemo | Aug 5 2004 13:09 utc | 87

If you can’t catch the real ones, entrap the wannabes
FBI arrests two in Albany ‘missile case’
Agents provocateurs will doubtless help to heighten the ‘enemy in our midst’ fever in the US. Interestingly, considering his ubiquity, no mention is made in the article of the arch-fiend al-Zarqawi, who most definitely is a part of Ansar al-Islam. The old entrapment debates – “Well, we catch the types who would be willing to do something.” versus “Wouldn’t it be more useful to dedicate resources to actual threats instead of manufacturing ‘success stories’? – probably won’t even get a run out in a climate that seems to be creating a fertile ground for racial tension and, perhaps, internment.
Doubtless many people will be relieved that the ‘terrorists’ that US intelligence agencies have created especially for the news headlines have been ‘apprehended’. And doubtless those who really are plotting against the US will be cheered to know that while they do their thing the authorities are off manufacturing incidents and arrests to generate the illusion of efficiency. People get scared, people get arrested, people get praised, people are relieved, people are free to commit terrible acts undetected and unmolested, Presidents get re-elected – everybody wins.
Oh, except the rest of the people of America that is. Entrapment – it’s no substitute for detective work but it sure produces results, when you want them, where you want them and the media coverage is as good as if it was the real thing.

Posted by: Nemo | Aug 5 2004 13:27 utc | 89

In Afghanistan it´s not the money, it´s the question of who has more money. When this years opium has been sold, the warlords in Afghanistan will have more money than the US would ever be willing to give. The next step is then to get anti-air weapons. Those were the weapons the US gave to the warlords to help them to drive out the Russians and the same kind of weapons will be needed to make trouble for the US troops who do depend on helicopters just as the Russians did. Russia and China and a bunch of former Sowjet states have plenty and the black market will take care that they reach Afghanistan.
Iraq may not be decided on money, but on logistics. Oil will have problems to leave Iraq and anything else will have problems to come in – esp. to US troops. Here again anti-air weapons may be important. If the US further alliniates Iran, Syria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia there will be plenty of interests to take care for delivery.
It´s all a big colonial war race for commodities. The US, UK, Japan and AU are trying to secure as many oil reserves as possible before China and India have grown enough to hinder them. The time is not on the US side and all players know this. If India and China are smart (no big if), they will covertly support any resistance against these plans if the resistance itself is not able to win it alone. So far everything is playing into their hands. The US is dragged down into unwinable wars and as long as the US does not seriously (ground)attack Iran, everything is well for them.
The way out for the US would be to draw back miltarily and support all international efforts for a neutral oil policy in all oil owning countries. This would mean higher oil prices for all, but less total costs for the US as the military cost could sink some 100 billion a year.

Posted by: b | Aug 5 2004 13:39 utc | 91

Fight dehydration – catch typhoid or hepatitis E
Deadly water poses risk in blistering Iraq heat

Posted by: Nemo | Aug 5 2004 14:11 utc | 93

Something to lighten the mood – just found this on Needlenose.
Outsourcing the Presidency
A humorous email circulating around, courtesy of Limey Buddy:
OUTSOURCING JOBS REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
by Staff Reporter Melynda Jill
Outsourcing the Presidency.
Washington DC – Congress today announced that the Office of President of the United States will be outsourced to overseas interests as of June30th, the end of this fiscal year. The move is being made to save $400K a year in salary, a record $521 Billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead. “The cost savings will be quite significant” says Congressman Adam Smith (D -Wash) who, with the aid of the GAO (theGeneral Accounting Office) has studied outsourcing of American jobs extensively. “We simply can no longer afford this level of outlay andremain competitive on the world stage”, Congressman Smith said.Mr. Bush was informed by email this morning of the termination of his position. He will receive health coverage, expenses and salary until hisfinal day of employment. After that, with a two week waiting period, he will then be eligible for $240 dollars a week from unemploymentinsurance for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be able to receive state Medicaid health insurance coverage as his unemployment benefitsare over the required limit.Preparations have been underway for some time for the job move. Sanji Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India will be assuming the Office of President of the United States as of July 1. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his parents were here on student visas, thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month but with no health coverage or other benefits. Due tothe time difference between the US and India, Mr. Singh will be working primarily at night, when offices of the US Government will be open”I am excited to serve in this position,” Mr. Singh stated in an exclusive interview. “Working nights will let me keep my day job at theAmerican Express call center. I always knew I could be President someday.! ”

Posted by: Fran | Aug 5 2004 14:39 utc | 95

@NEMO:
We appreciate your Herculean efforts to keep us informed.
I just saw something this morning that could possibly bring you up to speed on the American criminal justice system. Was reading case law in the South Fark Seconds, and thought of you.
The case is :
State v Tigger
Felony Child Molestation
The cite is here:
http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1066922&ok=true

Posted by: Mr. Justice Lloyd | Aug 5 2004 16:11 utc | 97

@Pat, you’ve made great posts on this thread.
The one above this one sums it all up. The Arabs/Persians/Afghans are proud people, they want to run things the way they like it.
Were foreigners ever killed when the West had great contracts with Iraq, NO.
Where are foreigners (outside of the War in Iraq) being killed now?
The lynchpin of the ME crisis, bankrolling Israel and their destruction of Palestine and turning a blind eye to the Saudis.

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 5 2004 17:38 utc | 99