The Bush Disaster Disaster

Exactly how large a disaster does this administration need before it actually gets its act together? In the aftermath of Katrina, we now have various reports reiterating the insanity, stupidity and incompetence which swamped the response to the hurricane and its aftermath. Ditto, 9/11. Ditto, Iraq.

My question is this; will we even be around to have commissions and inquiries after a nuke blows away half of some state or city? Boy, that'll be helpful as hell!

The GOP, whose adherents pride themselves on being self-reliant and anything but "new age," seem to fall back on the hippie-dippie PC protocol "let's not play the blame game" after each meltdown. But you know what? I want some freakin' blame laid. I want to know who was at fault. I want to know who screwed up, and why. And I want heads to roll! Why? Because the people in charge need to be afraid for their jobs and their careers. They need to understand that "re-evaluating their response" after-the-fact won't be enough next time.

Is working in fear a good motivator? Maybe. Maybe not. But here's the thing; if these people do their jobs and do them well, they won't have to be in fear.

Is Dick Cheney Fucking Crazy?

For the more kind-hearted or squeamish, I apologize for the title, but it seems to be the clearest way in the English language to put the current situation in perspective.

There are various scenarios which may have played out this past weekend, and all of them are very bad. Cheney's efforts to delay the flow of information to the American public is, no matter the reason, an impeachable offense. Was he drunk and afraid of a blood test? Was he just stupid and careless? Who cares!

If the Bubba's and Bertha's and corporate slime of this nation hadn't already "gotten it," what more proof do they need that the Executive Branch of the the United States of America has been hijacked by a team of scheming liars; men who will do anything to protect their own sorry asses, even when another human being is bleeding-out in a Texas meadow.

There is absolutely no question that Cheney should step down, or proceedings against should begin immediately. Will it happen? I'm not sure. Bush has already spoiled the chances of many GOP candidates next year, and now Cheney is adding to their miseries. Poll numbers for the Admin could be in the negatives by next week. But Cheney is not the sort to fall on his sword. He's a vindictive cuss who, I imagine, will only leave the White House kicking and screaming, in what would doubtless be a mirror image of Nixon's last days.

One other note. Can someone explain to me why we even allow the VP or the President to consort with people who have loaded weapons in their hands? We spend millions each year protecting these dipshits from crazies with guns...then we let them wander around in fields with hunters toting loaded shotguns. While I'm sure the Secret Service feels pretty confident about the GOP faithful who get to go on these trips, isn't this "accident" a sign that just being around weapons can be dangerous business? Shouldn't we make it a law that, while holding office, they can't hunt? Hell, if Cheney still wants to get his kicks, he can always go to Nova Scotia and beat seals to death.

Finally, As Ms. Piltdown mentioned to me; "Hunting for these guys isn't something they care about, it's just golf with guns." Excellent point.

Cheney Shoots and Scores

Saavy hunter and wiley sportsman that he is, Dick Cheney unleashed a load of buckshot into a rich Austin political appointee this weekend. The man, a Mr. Harry Whittington, is apparently doing okay. We think. No word on whether the quail escaped unscathed. My guess is that he and his quail buddies are laughing their asses off.

Think about it, because it isn't often that you get to contemplate this; the VP of These United States shot a man this weekend...and the White House didn't report anything about it for 24 hours. Why? That's the time it took for the spinmeisters to invent a credible story and make sure all those involved had it down pat.

"Mr. Whittington approached from behind and didn't announce himself...as he is supposed to do." That's the basic BS. No matter that any decent, experienced hunter does one thing before they pull the trigger; they verify that what they're shooting at really is a bird or a deer or a rabbit. From the wire photos I've seen, Mr. Whittington does not look much like a quail. In fact, he's quite a bit larger and more obvious than a quail. Add to that something I was taught when I was a young hunter; never turn and shoot behind yourself...because you don't know what's back there.

Here's my favorite part, though. All the rich hunting types are desperately trying to make this sound like, "Oh well, I've been sprayed myself a few times. It's really nothing." This is nonsense. Mr. Whittington could easily be dead or permanently disabled or blind today. The truth is, we don't know just how bad his condition is, because I'm sure it's beging closed guarded and spun by the White House. While I don't have any moral problem with hunting, I do distain the rich and famous who do it only for "sport."

The hunters of Ohio and Pennsylvania and New York and New England, who go out in search of whitetail deer and snowshoe hares and other game have nothing in common with these patrician pigs who would just as soon turn and shoot their political benefactors as they would a terrified rabbit.

Cartoons Are Just That.

Denmark is a lovely country...and the Dane's were a historically adventurous people. But, in today's world, it is mostly inconsequential on the world stage. However, after the publication of some cartoons in a Danish newspaper, the eyes of the Muslim world turned on the tiny, icy enclave...as if it had declared war on The Prophet.

What is at play here? Why the hub bub, bub? It is clearly nothing more than hate-mongering among certain factions in the Muslim community. Trashing the leader/prophet of a major religion is generally bad form, but it isn't something to shoot, kill or main over, because that's what most religions themselves consider bad form. No major religion purports to support violence as a solution.

Yet here we have some Muslim's declaring virtual war on a democratic nation that supports freedom of the press. It's enough to make you want to re-read the holy Qur'an, to see if humor, satire and stupidity are truly punishable by death.

The bottom line for many Westerner's is this; if you are a Muslim, and you can't slough this off and look at the real problems facing you, what chance do you have for the future?