Iraq: Outsourcing security and our tax dollars

As the money spent by the U.S. in Iraq even has the auditors scratching their heads. Along comes this story about how U.S. tax dollars spent to fight the drug war in Columbia are now ending up in Iraq with private security companies benefiting and the U.S. taxpayer reaching into their pockets multiple times. Bush economics at work again.

The Bush administration does not lie?

People in the Bush administration don't lie. Do they? Exhibt A:John Bolton.

Energy Bill: More Texas Bushit!

The deficit and spend Republicans really out did themselves with the new energy bill. Led by Republican Texas congressman Joe Bartlet they made sure that the oil and gas interests got some 9 billion in tax breaks even though the oil industry ass-kissing Bush administration only asked for 6 billion. In addition they gave the nuclear industry breaks to encourage them to build bombs in our backyards. Guess who will be paying for these breaks?

Illegal Immigration & Border Security Chertoff gets it!

When it comes to looking at the direct link between illegal immigration and border security Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff gets it. Unfortunately, President Bush does not.

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas to rescue WH scoundrels

Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas looks like he will attempt to save the scoundrels at the White House who put politics above national security and outed Joe Wilson's wife a covert CIA agent. It appears that Republicans like Roberts may try to use hearings to grant immunity to Rove and others in the White House.. This tactic also allowed another famous Republican liar named Oliver North to escape prosecution for his criminal deeds. Such as lying to Congress and destroying documents. Josh at TPM has some of the details

Watching the Detectives: in London

"She is watching the detectives."ooh, he's so cute!"She is watching the detectives when they shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot."-Elvis Costello

I've been thinking about the British Police who killed an innocent man while looking for the bombers of the London Subway system. It turns out they followed this guy for quite a while and they had time to observe him even to the point of getting onto a bus and taking a three mile trip before he got to the Subway station where he was killed. The British authorties are calling it a tragedy though to me it seems more like murder. The only difference is this gang (of officers) had badges.

The Pentagon Report

This process is on track," asserted the 23-page report, which was delivered more than a week behind schedule.

The question is when does the train arrive at the station and our troops get off.

The good news in the fight against terrorism.

I left Washington yesterday on a rush hour Amtrak train heading for New York. I and all the other passengers had to show a picture ID to the gate agent, walk between two policemen at the door leading to the tracks and then show my picture ID again to the conducter who took the tickets. Three levels of security and the train still left on time. That's good news! Now if we could only have that type of security on the U.S. borders that would be REALLY GOOD NEWS!

Judith Miller: Journalist hero or Bush's Iraq war enabler

When it comes to bad reporting in the run up to the Iraq war the articles of Judith Miller of the New York Times were particularly noted for the bad information they contained. Ms. Miller is currently in jail for refusing to name the source in the outing of a CIA agent by White House personnel. We now know it was not Karl Rove she was protecting so it must be someone else in the White House.
Giving that her reporting leading up to the war in Iraq helped disseminate faulty information perhaps her staying in a cell for the next four months might be a good thing because at least she won't be carrying the water for Bush and the Neocon artists and exiled Iraqis who in 2003 pushed this country into the war.

Donald Rumsfeld's turn to take out the trash.

"The US Congress requires the Pentagon to report periodically on progress made in creating Iraqi security forces and stabilising the country. Mr Rumsfeld said the first of the reports would be submitted to Congress tomorrow or Saturday."- Herald Sun News

Since Donald Rumsfeld and the DOD will put out this report on Friday or Saturday after most of Washington Press has gone home for the weekend. You know that this report can not be good news. It's the Washington's way of putting out the trash.

Question for John Roberts: Who's your Nanny?

While the choice of John Roberts for the Supreme Court seems like a good one considering some of the other choices Bush could have made. One question I would ask of the people who vetted Mr. Roberts is: Have you checked the Nanny?

Bombs in our backyards!

The Bush administration continues to push for an Energy Bill (on policy that was created in secret behind closed doors with Dick Cheney and those wonderful folks at Enron among others). One of the main components is for the building of new nuclear plants. Put aside how the U.S. taxpayers already subsidize the risk to the nuclear industry through government policy like the Price Anderson Act and how your homeowners insurance policy has the "nuclear exclusion" provision allowing the insurance industry to walk away from nuclear accidents. The real danger to the American public ignored by Bush and the boneheads in Congress pushing for more nuclear plants is in this memo from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These nuclear plants will become bombs in our backyards that could be used by terrorists much like the commercial aircraft on 9/11 were used as cruise missiles.

Killer Christian terrorist for Christ sentenced.

Christian terrorist Eric Rudolph is sentenced today to life imprisonment. He is a reminder that contrary to media coverage not all terrorists come from the mideast some are home grown right here in the good ole U.S.A. Showing once again religious fundamentalism is bad no matter where it shows it's ugly head.

Another reason Rick Santorum sucks.

Pennsylvania Republican Senator Rick Santorum offers another crappy piece of legislation in the form of S. 786 which will curtail the U.S. Weather Service from providing weather information to the public while allowing private corporations to get the info and resell it to the public . This bill was no doubt suggested by some lobbyists who fill his campaign coffers with cash. You can read about this bill which jeopardizes public safety, does not save taxpayers money but, does bring in profits for some private corporations at the expense and safety of U.S. taxpayers. It's pretty clear Santorium sucks as does his proposed bill.

U.S. soldiers make bad ice cream men

It was sad to hear the headlines yesterday about a suicide bomber blowing himself up near a humvee where a soldier was giving out candy to children. A mumber of people where killed including one U.S. soldier.
While I can understand the attempt to put the best face on the U.S. occupation of Iraq now that George Bush and his team of blunderers have totally screwed it up. The fact is the U.S. soldier is not trained to be a Good Humor Man giving out treats. They are trained to blow things up and kill people. When they start doing other things like community outreach they lose their focus and become targets. Which appears is what happened.

Rove and the Republican tapdance.

As the Republican spinheads try to tap dance around the truth regarding Karl Rove's outing of a CIA covert agent it is very cear that they can't dance as well as Bill CLinton but, they do more damage to themselves and the nation when they don't come clean. But they don't seem to have learned that lesson. Case in point Iraq.

China Notes: Youth Games

Back here in the U.S. and getting over jet lag. My trip to China still continues to bring up memories and thoughts about that fascinating county.
I have been thinking about the youth of China and the comparision with the local kids in my neighborhood here in the U.S.. Both of them seem to enjoy spending time in front of the computer playing video games. The difference is since high speed Internet access is not that widely availible in the home as it is here in the U.S. the chinese youth are required to use the internet cafe's in place like Shanghai. The difference is that because the Chinese youth have to pay for such access they spend at most an hour or two playing the games where the youth here in the U.S. seem to spend many more hours in such diversions. Of course that may change when high speed internet access becomes more widely avialible in China. Even while in the internet cafe's the Chinese youth still communicate and help each other playing the video games and even pause their playing when one of them gets to some new threshold in their game playing and move over to watch the new high scorer work the game.

Israel owes us BIG TIME!

It is outrageous that Israel would send a delegation to come to the United States to ask for two billion dollars to resettle Israelis who set up settlements in Gaza. Someone needs to remind Tel Aviv that they owe us big time for removing Saddam Hussein from power and that it has cost the U.S. taxpayer about $200 billion and climbing. Instead of asking for money they should be helping to foot the bill for our Iraq operations. They owe us big time how about a thank you!

The Ralph Kramden of the White House!

Like a stuttering Ralph Kramden White House press Secretary Scott McClellan tries to spin the hypocracy of the White House in trying to protect Karl Rove Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has the hummana hummana response from the White House Press Secretary.

Memo to Karl Rove

Well now that it appears you were one of the sources who blew the cover of a United States Central Intelligence Agency operative and jeopardized national security for purely partisan political reasons don't worry here is a talking point you should use:

1) Claim that you are what is known as a D.A.T (Dumb Ass Texan) and that you did not know that outing a CIA operative was against the law. You can also point to your boss George Bush as a fellow D.A.T. Who gets involved in things that just turn messy like Iraq and this whole CIA outing is just another mess and that D.A.T's have a tendency to create such messes. You should also bring up LBJ and Vietnam as another example of what can happen when a D.A.T gets in power.

You should also take comfort that George Bush values loyalty more than competence and you will probably be rewarded as others in this administration have been. People like clueless Condi Rice his national security advisor during 9/11 who is now running the State Department and Paul Wolfowitz one of the architects of the Iraq mess who left when the going got tough and had Bush appoint him to a cushy job at the World Bank while letting someone else clean up the Iraq mess that he help create.

London and Tel Aviv calling to CYA!

Amid the smoke and carnage of the London explosions last week comes this item about how the governments cover their ass when
they screw up as it appears happened in London last week and scores of people died. Justin Riamondo has the details.

Jobs go to Shouzou.

Flying back from Shagnhai China I sat next to a guy who was heading back home to South Carolinia after working for four weeks in China. He and a few other co-workers were sent there to help start up a factory so that the electronic components his company makes will be closer to the companies in China that insert the components into the circuit boards. After working six days a week for four weeks he was eager to get back home to his family. I"m sure his company was just as eager to get the factory up and running and then eliminate his job in South Carolinia too.

The Shanghai Mouse

Here is an update from the "Internet Cafe" here is Shanghai. While working at the computer my eye was drawn to a dark shape on the floor. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a mouse. A REAL MOUSE. It wandered around the floor right out in the open and seemed to be deciding which computer site might hold the next morsel. It came back to my area and was about two inches from my foot before I shooed it away. I guess it's time to go.

Blogging in Shanghai

Thanks to our guide I was able to find an "Internet Cafe" around the corner from my hotel. But, it was not easy. It is located on second story of a building down a side street where I would expect a Peter Lorre character to feel at home. You walk up a darkened stairway into and area of several rooms filled with about three computers. The place feels like an modern day opium den instead narcotics the local Shanghai youth seem to be addicted to playing games and the air is filled with cigarette smoke.
I've not been able to view my blog but, have been able to post with no problems. I can google "Beer Can Politics" but, can not see it and get some type of error message in Chinese characters. I also have not been able to view BCP by entering the IP address directly. I'm thinking of adding a new tag line to my blog "BANNED IN BEIJING!"

T Shirt Shanghai style

While strolling down the Bund here in Shanghai the T shirts come with a much different message than those I have seen Xian and Beijing. I was struck by the message that one Chinese male was wearing here in this bustling city of commerce. It read:

"If the gate is locked.
Jump the fence!"

We certainly are not in Beijing anymore!