Cyclone's Rant

I am in a ranting mood about what I have witnessed since the election, and have chosen two targets in particular for today. George W. Boosh and Condi Rice. I am not even going to edit this, so I apologize in advance for any typos or random thoughts that don’t seem to tie together. I am sick to my stomach, and fixing this would only make it worse. Enjoy, then blast away at me if you so choose.

George W. Boosh

While the Booshman was temporarily (unfortunate that it is temporary) sent to “time out” in Asia while the Big Boys went about taking control of the business of the country, statements that Boosh made from overseas made it clear that he has no more of a clue of what is going on in this world than does your average pre-schooler. It is somewhat comical that while he spent the majority of his 20-somethings trying to stay out of Viet Nam, in 2006 he goes there to try to stay out of Washington D.C.

“ I have seen firsthand the great vibrancy and the excitement that’s taking place in Viet Nam.” WHAT? Boosh appears to look at the economy of Viet Nam much like he does our own, with blinders on. While the annual growth rate of the Vietnamese economy is currently at 8.4%, a respectable number, the per capita income of that country’s citizens is $638. Yes, six hundred and thirty eight dollars per person per year. I’m certain that this is a situation similar to ours, while the wealthiest of the folks in Viet Nam are benefiting from the “vibrancy,” the average citizen can’t find their way out of a thatched hut. Much like here, as our stock market sets new records on a near daily basis, more Americans are being tossed out of their houses and into their cars in these days of record foreclosures. Yet he tells them how great their lives are.

Furthermore, he made the comment that “The only way that we will lose in Iraq is if we quit.” This man has no moral compass. Standing in the country where we lost over 50,000 soldiers over a 10 year period, and a block or two from where "his friend," (the 2000 campaign sure showed that) John McCain, was held captive for years, he maintains that we should “stay the course” in Iraq. If one extrapolates the numbers from Viet Nam and considers that in order to win we would have to still be fighting there, such a statement is mind boggling. Using the most conservative numbers available, a rate of 5000 American soldier deaths per year, to date we would have lost 160,000 troops in the Viet Nam war as we continued to "chase victory." If we stay in Iraq “until we win,” as Boosh says we must, using the current rate of casualties, we will lose 700+ soldiers per year forever. Better keep making babies, folks. This is again using the most conservative numbers possible. This is not even taking into consideration the numbers of permanently maimed, disfigured and severely injured, numbers which to date are uncountable. I am certain of one thing, though. The entire Iraqi population would perish before we won.

I don’t know how many people need to say it before this administration gets it. This war cannot be won militarily. The Generals know this, the diplomats know this, the administration advisors, apparently including even Henry Kissinger knows this, most members of his administration know this, yet Boosh and Cheney and a few others are determined to keep us bogged down in this place until hell freezes over.

We will also not win the “hearts and minds of the Iraqi people,” in fact the opposite is true. First, the citizens want us out of there, as they have for the last year or two. Second, for every “terrorist” we kill, we manufacture untold numbers of more than willing successors to the “blow yourself up for Allah” campaign. Third, the Maliki government is a failed experiment. Everyone knows this, except Boosh and his closest comrades. While they may have been democratically elected, purple stains and all, every general, diplomat and administration advisor, again including Henry Kissinger, know that this government cannot stand. It lacks the support of the Iraqi people, from the Sunni’s to the Shia’s to the Kurds, all across the board. The government will fall the minute we leave Iraq, whether it be tomorrow or a hundred years from now. If I hear one more time, that should we leave Iraq it will turn into “chaos,” I think I will puke. If what we are witnessing already is not “chaos,” I need to be in a rubber room somewhere.

Bring our troops home today and put an end to this aborted policy, damned the consequences. It will matter not in the long run within the region, we have already cemented the fact that the Middle East will be in a perpetual state of chaos by our ill advised march to Baghdad four years ago. Staying one more hour or ten more years will not change things one iota.

Condi Rice

Which brings me to Condi Rice, and her statements last week regarding China.

“There are concerns about China’s military buildup. It’s sometimes seemed outsized for China’s regional role.”

China’s regional role? I’ll comment on that momentarily, but first we need to hear some more “Condi-isms.”

“US policy is aimed at having China be a responsible stakeholder in international politics. That means that Chinese energy, Chinese growth, Chinese incredible innovation and entrepreneurship, would be channeled into an international economy in which everybody can compete and compete equally.”

“China’s economic growth has been a net gain for the international system.” She followed this by expressing US concerns about “economic fairness” and “China’s record on human rights.”

And, “There are concerns about a rising China, concerns about China’s transition, concerns about whether the Chinese economy will in fact act in a way that is consistent with the level playing field that the international community needs.”

In an attempt to do a public service to Condi, Cyclone is going to attempt to educate her on a couple of things that she clearly needs to be educated on.

1) “….seems outsized for China’s regional role…..” Condi, the fact that you want China to stay limited to a “regional role” and the fact that you seem to think you get to tell China what to do with their military is a bit presumptuous, don’t you think? On second thought, no, you probably don’t think that at all, given the arrogance with which you and your administration present yourselves. Here are a few facts that you might want to commit to memory.

First, China has a population of approximately 1.3 billion people, a little over 1 billion more people than we house or choose not to house here in the United States. They comprise about one-fifth of the population of the entire world. Yet, you make these half-cocked comments about how they are “regional players,” which given the demographics alone, seem a bit ill advised. They just might take offense to your calling them second rate citizens.

Second, they own our ass, pure and simple. They can crash our economy tonight if they so choose, though I’m not sure you or Boosh need their help. You might want to be careful who you talk down to in the future, they might just jump up and bite you and the self-absorbed, misguided policies that you helped construct.

Here’s the Real Deal, Condi. China is undergoing a huge military buildup because they are sick of being bullied by a banana republic that insists upon parading around like a superpower, that being your country, the USA. They are undergoing a huge military buildup because they have watched us pre-emptively strike a sovereign nation without cause, torture citizens from around the world then retroactively make it legal, and they will not allow it to happen again. They are undergoing a huge military buildup because, despite what you say, they are not content with being considered a “regional player.” They are going to become the World’s Player, and you can thank yourself and your neocon buddies for that.

Condi, there is no way to break this to you easy, so I’m just going to have to say it. China is not going to cower to you or your ilk for much longer. Instead, they are going to “flex their muscles.” I tried to tell you long ago that they owned us, and that they (and others like Russia) were waiting for us to weaken ourselves to the point where we were no longer much of a threat to them. That then they were going to “pounce on us like a bulldog on a slab of raw meat” is close to the way I phrased it, I believe. While you have been sitting on your high horse and admiring your position from atop your golden saddle, they have been working on building a few relationships with others who might just leave our team and join theirs. In this day and age of free agency, things like this happen. While your head has been turned, we have come very near to that point of vulnerability.

2) “…US policy, economic fairness, level playing field, human rights blah, blah, blah……”

Condi, another tough one for you, because no one cares about US Policy! It is irrelevant, immaterial, is already laughed at and is soon to be ignored. As you have allowed our middle class to be decimated, and watched our jobs be transported overseas, you have taken “economic fairness and a level playing field” off of the table for the citizens you allegedly represent. For you to now try to blame those countries that have taken the jobs is beyond absurd. You and yours have created the environment that has allowed for the takeover of America, and for that you should be skewered.

And human rights? Give me a break. You have stripped us, the American citizens, of more human rights in 6 years than the Chinese citizens have even had in their thousands of years of existence. You and your rubber stamp cheerleader, Alberto Gonsales, have authorized and legalized the torture of God only knows how many innocent people, Muslims, Christians, Canadians, US citizens, you name it. You’ve got people right here in your country living in cars, losing homes by the minute, literally starving to death, while your big oil buddies and corporate thugs have earned billion dollar profits in a fiscal quarter. You have a large number of those same citizens without health insurance, and most that do have insurance find that the cost is doubling or in many cases, tripling. And you dare judge others, especially on human rights issues?

Here’s a clue, they don’t give a rat’s ass what you think about their take on human rights. Now, what are you going to do about it? Here is another clue. You are going to do nothing about it, beyond running your mouth as you have been. Why, you ask? Because there is nothing that you or Boosh or anyone else can do about it, pure and simple. The days of the USA being able to con their way out of every little immoral scrape we find ourselves in are over. The days where we can threaten others with sanctions and threats of bombing them to hell and back are over. They no longer care. Many of them figure that they will likely be bombed anyway, so why play the game any longer? The bully on the block has been humbled, and there is nothing you can do to turn back the clock. The destruction of a once proud and great nation is near completion.

Enjoy your perch while you can, Condi. It won’t last much longer, the "regional powers" in the world will see to that. The sad thing is, you have taken the rest of us with you, and many of us don't want to go.

Cyclone

The Election; Rumsfeld's Resignation; What It All Means

Wednesday, the Day After

On Wednesday afternoon, just a few hours after it was learned that the Republican’s would no longer control the House of Representatives, and just a few short hours before it was learned that they would also no longer control the Senate, a press conference was held. I’m speaking of the event in which Boosh announced the firing of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. Sure, they called it a resignation, but it was clearly a choice of either Rumsfeld resigning or being told that “you don’t work here anymore.” What was most revealing was also the least noticeable, unless you were looking for it that is. To me at least, some things became very clear while watching this short 2 minute production. What I have believed to be true and what I have spoken about various times over the life of the Real Deal have finally been confirmed, in my mind at least. Let’s start at the beginning.


The Election

The people have spoken. In overwhelming fashion, the American citizens rebuked the Boosh administration and everything they have stood for over the last 6 years. The people are sick of the war, sick of the economy, sick of the incompetence of the administration as a whole---think Katrina---sick of being lied to, sick of being taken for granted, sick of being walked on, sick of the sleaze and slime that runs under the cover of the party of “moral values,” sick of the disgusting campaign ads that were especially repulsive during this election cycle, sick of the arrogance of this administration, and most of all sick of George W. Boosh and his merry band of thugs. They said so through their votes, and handed the job of fixing the mess to the Democratic Party. At least they think they did, but we’ll get to that a little later.

I asked each of you to get out and vote, and to vote for every democrat on the ballot. I told you that it was the lesser of two evils, and believe me it was. I told you that it might buy us a little time, which hopefully it has. I was wrong about one thing; I did not believe the Democrats were capable of carrying the Senate. I did not anticipate the overwhelming rebuke of the Republican leadership, nor properly gauge the anger of the voting populace. I must admit, I have not given quite as much credit to the masses' ability to discern that they deserve, but must say that they have hidden those abilities well. Regardless, I applaud them for their efforts. If you were a part of the voting process, I applaud you as well. You did the right thing.

Now to the reality of what the vote accomplished. In the short term, short being over the next several months, it may help some of the least fortunate among us. You will probably see the minimum wage increased very quickly, a long overdue necessity. You may see real work begun on the health care crisis in this country, though to expect anything of real substance to be completed any time soon is a pipe dream. You may see some prescription drug price relief for seniors, though when that will actually occur is anybody’s guess. Finally, you will see an honest look at the war in Iraq, and the beginnings of how we are to deal with that quagmire over the long haul. Though the Democrats would love to take credit for whatever policy changes occur in the future, that would be dishonest. In fact, they will have very little to do with it other than talk, something else that we will get to in the next section.

In the longer term, you will see some investigations begin into various sordid evils that this administration have managed, but to expect anything of consequence to come of these investigations is probably dreaming a little too high. You will begin to see discussion about what to do about the energy crisis that we face, as well as discussion of the long ignored global warming crisis that we have been forced to ignore since Boosh came to power.

As for what you will not see, most of the list will initially disappoint you. But, as you will find out later, it probably shouldn’t. First and foremost, you will not see the impeachment of George W. Boosh, regardless of how much we all believe it is deserved. You will not see Dick Cheney hauled away in chains and dumped in Gitmo or some other hell hole, nor any other administration official treated accordingly for that matter. You probably will not see, at least any time soon, the restoration of our rights of Habeas Corpus, though it will be talked about. Nor will you see the end to the CIA torture program, though that could at least be placed in the toss-up category. Another toss up that might lean in our favor is an end to the "legal for now at least" government ability to monitor our phone calls at the whim of the CIA, FBI or Alberto Gonzales. There will at least be a fight about this one. But, within all of the things that you won’t or maybe won't see, there are at least a couple of very important positive developments. You will not see another Samuel Alito or Anton Scalia confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, nor will you see any ultra conservative right wing lunatics appointed to any federal court. And, you will not see John Bolton speaking for us at the United Nations ever again.

The reason that you will not see many of the things that we desperately hope to see, that being these people "brought to justice" if I may borrow a Boosh favorite line, is that the Democrats are not intending to simply “rent” the majority for two years. They hope to stay around a while. And while we on the progressive left would like to take credit for the results of the election, and we deserve our share, it was really not us that got the power back for the Democrats. It was the angry conservatives who feel betrayed by this administration, as well as the independents who likewise feel betrayed by a group they supported for six years who deserve most of the credit. The recently elected Democrats know this, and will walk a fine line to keep these folks in the fold. Unlike us, these people do not want to see impeachments or revenge of any kind. They simply want to see some sanity restored to our government, and they are probably correct. All that being said; lets move on.

The Firing of Rumsfeld

For those of you who have been long time readers of the Real Deal, it is no secret to you that I have never thought that George W. Boosh or Dick Cheney or anyone else in this government is truly in charge of what is going on today. This was confirmed to me while watching the press conference announcing that Robert Gates would be taking over the duties of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. If you saw the news conference yourself, think about what I am about to say. If you didn’t, I would encourage you to watch it.

Two minutes (an approximation) can be a long time, and tell a very long story. That was the case on Wednesday. Boosh introduced Gates as the new Secretary, thanked Rumsfeld for his service mentioning that he would soon become the longest running Secretary of Defense in our countries’ history, and walked away from the microphone.

When Gates spoke, he said he would miss his job as President of Texas A&M University, thanked Boosh for the opportunity, and praised Rumsfeld for his service. He didn’t talk about what changes might be made, just simply walked away from the mic.

Rumsfeld butchered a quote from Winston Churchill, said that few understood the current war, said that history would remember Boosh and walked away.

Someone said thank you, and it was over. Seems pretty cut and dried doesn’t it? Trust me, it wasn’t. Here is my take on what really occurred.

First, I want to describe the body language of those in attendance. Boosh clearly did not want to do this, did not want to be there, and looked like a dog that had been chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged for a few miles. Rumsfeld was clearly in shock, and was obviously pissed. While he mentioned that “history would remember Boosh,” he did not say whether or not that memory would be a fond one. Gates had a look on his face similar to a watchdog. He was there to assure that the other two did not stray from the short script, a limit that to date no one in history has been able to impose upon Rumsfeld. I had the feeling that if anything was mentioned beyond what was written on the pages they were reading from, and reading they were, we would have witnessed the first public execution in modern American History. Gates left no doubt who was running this show.

As you recall, just last week Boosh stated that Rumsfeld and Cheney would be around until his term was over. That was before the election. The day after the election, Rumsfeld is fired. Some might think that he changed his mind after the election results were known, but that doesn’t pass the smell test. At some point yesterday, Boosh told the press that this had been in the works for “some time” and that the change was going to be made regardless of the results of the election. He was only waiting to make the announcement until after he got the agreement of Gates to accept the job. Anyone who saw Boosh when he made the statement last week regarding Rumsfeld and Cheney saw the same smirking, arrogant, in your face cowboy that we have watched for years. There was no wavering or doubt about what he said, just as there has been no wavering or doubt that we would “stay the course in Iraq if only Laura and the dog support me.” Though he has since claimed that he was "ambooshed" (I love that word I just made up!) by a few members of the press, that is pure nonsense. What really changed? Boosh has been given his marching orders, pure and simple.

Robert Gates was a member of the group, along with James Baker, that will soon release the “recommendations” on what to do in Iraq. And you can bet, the recommendations will not be “stay the course” or whatever phrase this administration has chosen to replace the name of this failed policy with. Now he will be the Secretary of Defense, replacing the man who, as the world was told, “Will be here until my term expires.” Interesting.

Another interesting thing about all of this is that sometime before the announcement that Rummy was gone, it was leaked to the press that Cheney was very much against this move, and that the President had in no uncertain terms ignored his Vice President’s advice and disregarded his opinion. Why was it necessary to say this? Only one reason makes sense, which is to provide cover. If I had to guess, Cheney is soon to have a health problem and will be the next one to go. You know, the old ticker just isn’t acting quite right all of a sudden. Oh, he won’t be forced out, but he has been told to sit down and shut up for two years, or leave. His choice either way. Dick just doesn’t strike me as the type to do absolutely nothing for a couple of hundred grand a year for two years, especially at his age when he could command great sums telling off color jokes to rightwingnuts, so look for him to retire. He has also been given his marching orders. And, these orders do not come from George W. Boosh.

George W. Boosh has been spayed and Dick Cheney has been neutered. (Sorry Boosh, that’s just the way I see it) They have served their purposes, have unfortunately made a real mess of things, and are now being cast overboard like left over fish bait. The big boys have come to town, and they are now running the show, led by James Baker. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been running the show to a great degree the whole time; it’s just that now they don’t feel the need to hide it so much any more. If someone like me can pick up on this stuff, believe me, they don’t really much care who knows what’s really happening.

Back To The Election

This leads me back to the election. My question is this. Did the PTB really want the Republicans to win this thing? These are far from stupid people, so it makes me really wonder when I look at two things in particular surrounding this election. (there are many others, but I will limit it to two or this could go on forever) It is clear that whoever is in power will be unable to fix this mess in one term.

The first being, why would Boosh not fire Rumsfeld, back in the spring or summer if this was indeed in the works for a long time, if they truly wanted to win? Had that occurred, it would have changed the face of Iraq and probably satisfied those pissed off conservatives and independents that we talked about earlier just enough to keep them from jumping ship and voting for the evil Democrats. Some of them might still have stayed home, but this election had a near record turnout for a mid-2nd term election. Without those votes, the Democrats don’t win. Period.

Secondly, I think that everyone knew that this would be a close election regardless of what happened leading up to it, likely decided by a few seats one way or the other. There was enough voter discontent over Iraq alone to keep the Democrats in the same ballpark anyway. So tell me, please, why did the Republicans have Katherine Harris, the Elvira of the 2000 debacle leading to the Boosh appointment, on the ticket? I could have beaten her, for crying out loud. She didn’t even have the support of the Republican Party, and Boosh wouldn’t let her on the stage with him during his final Florida campaign stop, the same location where the Republican governor elect stiffed him. Yet she is allowed to run for the US Senate, as a Republican candidate, in an election where every seat was considered vital? It defies all rational logic. Or does it?

It’s The Economy Stupid

What all of this shows, is that what we have been talking about for a year is true. Boosh is a puppet with his strings being pulled by others, all connected to his Daddy in one way or another, and our economy is toast. How much more evidence does anyone need?

Houses are being abandoned faster than I change socks, the rich are getting richer while the formerly middle class are being further decimated, jobs (good paying ones, anyway) are becoming more scarce, health care is becoming extinct, and we as a nation are in debt way beyond our eyeballs. We are at perpetual war to prop up our fiat dollars, we are almost out of oil and the party is just about over.
That is why, in the end, the election didn’t matter and the PTB didn’t care who won. They have theirs, are currently obtaining what little there is left to scavenge, and the rest of us are on our own. Look for more blatant actions in the near future as Boosh does exactly what he is told to do. He has no choice but to follow the line, if he wants to protect the remnants of the silver spoon that he was born with; the Boosh family fortune and legacy. And believe me, he does. He is at least smart enough to follow orders these orders, now that he has realized his little dog and pony show is over. There is no reason for impeachment, he is irrelevant. As are Cheney, Rice and the rest of this stinking administration. Stay? Go? It doesn’t matter, because the Real Players Have Arrived and they aren’t hiding their presence any more.

How do you know when the game is nearing an end? When the masks start to come off and those behind the curtain begin to expose their true identities.

Cyclone

Voting: Updating During the Day

As a result of my voting experience this morning, I thought we would do something different today. When I reached the polls and filled out my ballot, I placed the ballot into the "counting bin." I then was told by an election worker that the machine was down and that "they had been called and were on their way to fix it." The "counting bin" was nearly overflowing with ballots, and it was still very early in the morning.

This told me a couple of things.

1) The machine clearly was not working when the polls opened, and Lord only knows when "they" will arrive to fix it. There were many people waiting to vote, so they had either better fix it quickly or find an additional bin to place uncounted ballots in.

2) The turnout is extremely heavy. Where I vote, there are never lines no matter the time of day. Today there were. Being in Indiana, we have received much national attention over 3 particular House races that could well determine who carries the House in this election. The district that I vote in is NOT one of the highly contested areas mentioned nationally, yet I have never seen the numbers of people at my polling station that I saw today. We have a competitive House race and a race for prosecutor that most deem important, but other than that nothing terribly earth shattering.

They are not, as of yet, counting votes in my district. The fact that the "machine is down" is disturbing. Did they not test it yesterday to see that it worked? We are not using "electronic voting," but physically marking candidates with a black pen. I guess that is a step up from the "pull the lever" approach we have used until now. Apparently the new technology, however basic it is, must have some flaws, at least initially.

If you have any stories of problems or anything else of import at your voting station, please email me at:

cyclone@cyclonesrealdeal.com,

and tell me what is going on. I will put it up for all to see, protecting your identity of course. Tell me what state you are in, what races are important and we'll see how the day goes. I would also be especially interested in your view of the turnout in your particular location, as it appears to be extremely heavy in mine.

If you respond, I will update this throughout the day. We are going to see problems everywhere with polling stations not opening, machines not working, etc. This will be interesting and lawsuits will undoubtedly be filed. Let's keep track of whats going on today, until the counting actually begins.

I will update this as necessary below.

Thanks,

Cyclone


*Update #1---- I have already heard from a reader in southern Indiana, one of the districts that IS in play nationally. They are using electronic machines, and they are not working. This reader showed up when the polls opened and was unable to vote. He stayed for over two hours, then went home. He is soon to head back and try again.

(I have since learned that a lawsuit has already been filed asking the courts to keep the polling places open late in several southern Indiana counties where the e-machines are not yet working)It's going to be a long night, folks. This may make 2000 look like a very short election process!

Update #2----- I heard from a concerned voter in Columbus, Ohio. She said that 18 live television outlets were present, not surprisingly. Though things seemed to be working properly, this reader said that she was disturbed by the apparent light turnout. She said that the last election she waited for over an hour, this time she walked right in and voted. They were using electronic machines, and she said that there was a ticker tape print out coming out behind a glass enclosure behind the machine. She thinks that this may be some sort of paper trail; we can only hope so. ( Cyclone's comment: I hope that Ohio voters are not staying home because of the fact that the Republican party appeared to write off Ohio a long time ago. With the Ohio history of voter fraud and manipulation, a landslide is needed there perhaps more than in any other state.)

Update #3------ I heard from a Virginia voter. This is not a voting problem, (he had already voted) but a phone call. After voting, this person received a phone call with the caller stating that they knew that he lived at a different address than that listed on his registration rolls and that he would be arrested should he decide to vote. Needless to say, this reader was upset by this call. (Cyclone's comment: Though little surprises me these days, this is utterly apalling. This was a Republican operative, apparently calling democratic voters. I have since learned that this is not the only case where this happened, and that the FBI is investigating similar claims. This seals it for me, George Allen is a sick pup. And he wants(ed) to be our President? One psycho following another, I guess)

Update #4----- An Alabama voter reported that she went to the polls at 10:30. The weather was bad, about 30 people (mostly seniors) were in various stages of voting. She said that her ID was verified 4 times by 4 different people before she was handed a ballot. After filling it out, (not electronic) she had to wait in line to insert it into the reading machine. They have three machines at the location, only one of which was working. She was told that they would not be fixed! She closes by saying that if her precint is indicative of others in Alabama, there will be problems in Dixie tonight!

Thanks to all who participated, it kept me occupied until the polls were closed. I apologize for those who's comments I didn't get up, but once the results started coming in I chose to stay glued to the information as it became available. I had comments from a pretty widespread group, and all in all there weren't too many horror stories. I'm sorry to say that I didn't hear from anyone in Florida as I'm sure Jeb Bush was running around somewhere with a shotgun!! I would say that the Virginia situation was the worst, though Indiana wasn't far behind. The FBI is also involved in a couple of places in Indiana for various indescretions. I will soon have a post on the election and it aftermath, along with expectations for the near future.

Cyclone

The Lesser of Two Evils

First, I want to make it very clear that I do not like doing things like this. Now, however, I find it a necessity.

Thus, this is Cyclone’s attempt at a “get out the vote” campaign. I want to make it clear, which I have stated many times before, that I don’t believe that there is much difference between the Republicans and Democrats. We have discussed this issue endlessly during the year that the Real Deal has been in existence, and everyone makes good points about the similarities. However, the difference in the two, however slight, are most important when it is time to decide who is going to lead us through the remainder of the Boosh administration.

Yes, both parties are beholden to everything that most of us deplore, that being the corporations, big oil and similar groups. Both parties are for big spending, big government and for making their friends richer. We all know that, so I’m not going to repeat all of these arguments, beyond saying that I don't possibly see how the Democrats could have outspent the Republicans of late and that it is time to balance the checkbook. I am going to point out a couple of differences, however.

1) George W. Boosh has spent the last week trotting from deep Red State to deeper Red State harping about how Republican’s are the only party who can keep us safe. Yet, on Thursday, as reported by the New York Times on Friday, the United States government posted, on an official government website no less, a “how to manual” instructing anyone who can read just how to successfully make a nuclear bomb. Later Friday the information was removed from the site. As we all know, once something hits the web there is no way to retrieve it. WebCrawler’s search for this stuff, file it and repost it all over the place. Right now you can use Google to find the information that was allegedly removed. These people want to keep us safe? Can they really say that with a straight face?

Former weapons inspector David Kaye has stated, and I’m paraphrasing here, that this information was never before available to the public. Pieces of it have been available for some time, but never before has the entire A-Z recipe for building a nuke been released. In fact, he said, it was the most highly protected information we have ever possessed. It is the key to the magic nuclear door. David Kaye should know, he is the one who found the stuff, much of it in the hands of the Iraqi’s.

In a despicable and disgraceful attempt to hold on to precious power, and in a last gasp attempt to prove that which cannot be proven, that Saddam Hussein really did have weapons of mass destruction and was on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon, this administration posted on the internet all of the information necessary for you or I or Mohamed fill in the blank, to build a nuke. Problem? David Kaye found this stuff back in the early 90’s, not right before the last Iraqi invasion. Kaye stated unequivocally that there were no WMD, there were no WMD moved to Syria prior to our invasion, that it is simply a fantasy of George W. Boosh and his hawkish neocon freaks. And David Kaye was the man sent to Iraq by the Boosh administration to find out. He is not Joseph Wilson; they cannot put a double secret agenda to his findings. End of story.

2) George W. Boosh has spent the last week trotting from deep Red State to deeper Red State harping about how the “Democrat’s do not have a plan on Iraq,” encouraging the stiffs he preaches in front of to ask the next democrat they see what the plan is. A couple of things need to be mentioned about this.

First, the Democrats DO have a plan on Iraq, in fact they have several plans. Plans ranging from leaving tomorrow, to breaking the country up into three separate regions with one government overseeing the whole, to John Murtha’s plan to redeploy forces to outlying regions to keep an eye on the place. They are willing to bring these plans to the table and have a long overdue debate on just what to do about this albatross. These ideas are too complicated for Boosh since it involves doing something other than using the now forbidden “stay the course” method, which has now become nothing more than “adjust as necessary as long as we stay the course.” The democrats realize that something different has to happen in Iraq or we will be there losing 100 troops per month, spending billions of dollars per week, for infinity. That they have not yet decided what exactly should be done is actually a good thing. It is something that needs to be thought out, discussed, debated, fought over, whatever it takes to get us out of the mess that Boosh and Co. have put us in. That is something that the Democrats are willing to do, because they realize that it has to be done. In fact, most Republicans are finally realizing that as well, just not their leaders.

Secondly, I repeat, Boosh says that the “Democrat’s do not have a plan on Iraq.” Can someone look me in the eye and tell me that Boosh or Rumsfeld have a plan on Iraq? It is clear that they don’t have a clue what to do to solve this mess, other than just continue to chase their tails while people die, so my suggestion is this. Next time you see a right wing Republican, I encourage you to ask THEM what the Boosh plan is. If they say anything other than “stay the course” or “adjust as necessary as long as we stay the course” they are lying. There is no other plan. They are lying because this administration has been so engulfed in their own tunnel vision for so long that any thought outside their party line is forbidden. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the list of people from this administration who have been fired for daring to suggest that something different be tried.

3) George W. Boosh has spent the last week trotting from deep Red State to deeper Red State harping about how great the economy is. The fact is, the economy sucks and virtually every American knows it. The only people who think its great are people who are currently deciding whether to take the Porsche or the Mercedes to their beach house. Enough said. I won’t dignify that BS with further response.

4) Finally, and this, believe it or not, might be the most important piece of the puzzle, looking at the long term. If we are to have a "long term," that is. Justice Stephens might not make it for two more years, and Boosh has over 100 judges lined up waiting for confirmation to various courts of appeals and other federal courts. Should the Republicans hold both branches of Congress and the White House, and should Boosh get to appoint one more Supreme Court justice to this court, the eroding of OUR constitutional rights that we have recently witnessed up close and personal will be only the beginning. The police state will have officially arrived, and will be signed and certified as legal by the Supreme Court of the United States.

I could go on with countless examples, but you already know what they are and of their importance. Do I like the Democrats? No, I do not. In fact, I find them slightly less repulsive than the Republicans. But, it doesn’t matter now. They must be put in office. The stakes are too high. Our country and possibly our very existence are at stake, nothing less. Any third party vote or protest vote is a vote for the Republicans, it really is that simple. At least, if the Democrats replace the current regime, they can block some of the insane propositions that we face today and buy us some time to come up with a real solution. Maybe later a third party, maybe a revolution, who knows. But should the Republicans stay in office, after this election, it is game set and match. The hourglass will run out, and we will be at the final mercy of the cretins and liars who have put us where we are now. Over the last 5+ years we have become a banana republic. Allowing that to continue without at least minimal intervention is unacceptable and constitutes suicide by ignorance. Believe me; putting the Democrats in office is about as minimal an intervention as we can get, but it is at least something.

Please vote on Tuesday, I beg you. And vote for every Democrat on the ballot. With the new voting machines, the only way to assure victory is to win by a landslide. Is this in reality choosing the lesser of two evils? You bet your life that it is, but an absolute necessary choice.

Cyclone