Mind Vomit by the ikss ~ a journal
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�Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead�
-Lucille Ball
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
REGISTER TO VOTE
"The time is always right to do what is right"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The "seven social sins": Knowledge without character,
Science without humanity,
Wealth without work,
Commerce without morality,
Politics without principles,
Pleasure without conscience,
Worship without self-sacrifice."
--Gandhi
"We have not inherited the world from our forfathers -
We have borrowed it from our children."
--Kashmiri, proverb
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said for the first time on Thursday he made a "miscalculation of what the conditions would be" after U.S. troops went to Iraq, The New York Times reported. The insurgency, he maintained, was the unintended result of a "swift victory" that led to Iraqi troops disappearing into the cities and mounting a rebellion. . .
Public opinion initially favored Bush's decision to go to war but, after months of casualties and chaos, the public is evenly divided on the subject now. . .
With the number of U.S. casualties expected to reach 1,000 well before the election, Bush said, �The president has to make hard decisions. My job is to confront problems not pass them on. And the American people have seen me make the hardest of decisions. That's just going to have to be a part of their decision-making process.�
In the USA Today interview, Bush was asked why he is staying in politics. �There's a lot of my friends who come and bass-fish with me. They don't say it out loud, I know they're thinking it: Why?'' Bush said. �And the answer is because the stakes are high. Because there is more work to be done to make the world a freer and more peaceful place. [Editor�s Note: Pardon me while I vomit] It is essential that America lead in the 21st century in order to defeat the ideologues who use terror as a weapon, in order to secure the homeland, but also in order to spread liberty. I know what needs to be done, I see clearly where we need to go and I want to spend four years leading toward that goal. [Editor�s Note: Ouch, this is really painful] And I believe the American people will give me that opportunity," he said.
On other points, Bush said:
He stands by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld despite two reports criticizing the Pentagon's management of Iraqi prisons.
The campaign for the White House �really doesn't seem that ugly to me� despite the furor over political ads by outside groups attacking Kerry's war record.
The most disappointing thing about his four years in office has been his inability to change the �harsh environment� in Washington. [Editor�s Note: OK, now that�s just funny]
On the Net:
USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
8/27/04
� Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
~~~
From the League of Conservation Voters:
Something's Fishy
"Mercury is everywhere." So says EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. EPA's latest survey of fish advisories across the nation shows that nearly all of America's lakes and rivers are contaminated with the toxic metal, prompting 48 states to issue warnings on fish consumption.
Mercury is a hazardous neurotoxin that has been linked to developmental disorders in children and fetuses. One in six women of childbearing age already have elevated levels of the heavy metal in their blood, putting the health of their unborn children at risk.
Pretty serious stuff. So you'd think that EPA would get tough on cleaning up coal-burning utilities -- the source of the majority of the country's mercury emissions. Instead, the Bush Administration offered a weak plan to allow more emissions over a greater period of time. Incidentally, the plan was formulated using a bit of copy-and-paste from industry memos, so we know who benefits from the proposed rule.
Read more in our Newsroom
Read more about the Bush Administration's mercury plan
~~~
From the Weekly Grist, something so unfathomable it would be laughable if I wasn�t afraid half of America would actually buy it:
IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, GO NEGATIVE
Bush Tries to Besmirch Kerry's Environmental Record
It may seem downright nutty for President Bush to be trashing John Kerry's environmental record, considering that Bush has earned the ire of just about every enviro in the country while Kerry's green credentials are well-established. But that's exactly what Bush is doing. This month, his campaign has barraged the media with a steady stream of attacks on Kerry's environmental positions. Is there a method to this madness? You bet. Muckraker reveals all -- on the Grist Magazine website.
in Grist: Bush attacks Kerry on environment -- in Muckraker
*
WHINING IS JOB ONE
Ford Battles Hybrid-Friendly Legislation, Destroys Electric Cars
Ford Motor Co. CEO Bill Ford's vocal attempts to position his company as eco-friendly are sounding a little hollow this week. As the California legislative session nears its end, Ford has ramped up lobbying efforts to kill a bill that would allow drivers of fuel-efficient hybrids to drive solo in the state's carpool lanes. Ford said the measure -- sponsored by Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D) and backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) -- is a "buy Japanese" bill "intended for almost exclusive use by Toyota Prius drivers." Ford took issue with the bill's stipulation that only hybrids getting at least 45 miles to the gallon would qualify, which would exclude his company's new hybrid Escape SUV. California Treasurer Phil Angelides suggested that rather than whining, Ford should focus on building more fuel-efficient vehicles. Meanwhile, Greenpeace is protesting Ford's plan to destroy more than 400 of its Think electric cars, despite an offer from a Norwegian distributor to buy the cars and sell them to eager customers in Norway.
straight to the source: The Sacramento Bee, Margaret Talev, 24 Aug 2004
straight to the source: Terra Daily, Agence France-Presse, 24 Aug 2004
~~~
BUSH TRIES TO HIDE POVERTY NUMBERS
Anticipating the release of devastating new poverty and health care statistics, the Bush administration today took the extraordinary step today of trying to bury the numbers. Specifically, the Administration had its top political appointee at the Census Bureau release the numbers a month earlier than usual, during the August congressional recess when many reporters and Americans take their summer vacations. The rescheduling of the announcement also means that the bad numbers will not come out in September immediately after the Republican National Convention, when they have traditionally been released.
With the President's economic and health care agenda leaving millions behind, the Associated Press reports, "the statistics today show the number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million."[1]
This is not the first time the White House and Republicans have gone to great lengths to hide damning information. As CBS News reported, President Bush released his military service records late on a Friday night on the eve of a three day weekend in order to make sure the story about his poor attendance was seen by as few people as possible.[2]
In Congress, GOP leaders regularly pass the most controversial bills in the middle of the night. Those included bills to slash veterans benefits and health/education funding, as well as spending $87 billion on war in Iraq and passing the President's Medicare bill.[3]
Sources:
1. "Ranks of Poverty, Uninsured Rose in 2003" The Guardian, 8/26/04
2. "Bush's Records: All In The Timing" CBS News, 2/15/04
3. "Under The Cover Of Darkness" TomPaine.com
~~~
And more and more proof keeps rising that Bush�s administration probably had PLENTY to do with the recent, inaccurate �Swift Boat� attack ads against John Kerry, despite their many claims to the contrary.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg, the "chief outside counsel to the Bush campaign" admitted "I've done some work for" the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The LA Times reports he represented the Bush campaign in 2000 and became a prominent figure during the Florida recount. In the current presidential campaign, his law firm has been paid $256,635 for his services[1] by the Bush campaign. That figure does not include any cash Ginsberg made in his work with the Swift Boat Veterans.
Also, the Dallas Morning News yesterday reported that the man bankrolling the smear ads is hosting President Bush's top political adviser at a fundraiser in New York during the Republican National Convention. Robert Perry, the top Bush-Cheney fundraiser who is financing the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads, "is listed as the co-host" of an event whose guest list includes Karl Rove on September 1.[2]
1. "Bush Lawyer Also Advises Anti-Kerry Veterans" LA Times, 8/25/04 2. "Kerry critic listed as fund-raiser's co-host" Dallas Morning News, 8/23/04
Visit www.Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion.
~~~
The Missing Medal
A Vietnam-era Bronze Star citation discovered by Newsweek documents Kerry's version of wartime events
A previously undisclosed Naval record obtained by NEWSWEEK supports John Kerry's claim that he was under fire when he rescued a U.S. Green Beret who had pitched overboard from Kerry's 50-foot swift boat during a short but intense engagement in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam in March, 1969.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY
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