Kim Jong Ill

The South Korean news agency YTN reports that North Korean Stalinist thug and all-around waste of human flesh Kim Jong Il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer.  Well, they may have said he is a life-threatening cancer; I’m not really sure.  Either way, he is not expected to live more than five years, during which the demons and devils in Hell will no doubt be stirring the River Phlegethon in the Seventh Circle, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Kim Jong Il, looking even more like the piece of shit he is than ever before

I’d like to wish him a speedy recovery, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  The best I can do is hope that he has access to the same high-quality, state-sponsored health care that he and his late unlamented father failed to provide for the suffering people of the country they ruined.

The sooner this subhuman piece of filth is gone from the earth, the better.

Viva la Revolution!

This is what Revolution looks like

Iranians in Revolt

Who saw this coming?  In 1979 when the Ayatollahs took over Iran’s government by occupying the American embassy and holding our people hostage for 444 days, they ushered in an “Islamic Revolution”.  For those of us who were alive to witness that pivotal moment, the thought that the same crowd that started their government with violence, terrorism and hostage-taking may see it end with themselves in the same position is both satisfying and a bit ironic.

The people who once incited crowds to shout “Death to America” now hear the same phrase ending in their own names.  History is not without a sense of irony.

Over the weekend, the Ayatollah Khamenei said that the election was “ordained by God”.  Today in light of highly likely charges of vote fraud and election rigging, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic appears to have changed his mind.  An investigation has been ordered by Khamenei.

Is this really how Ahmadinejad thinks democracy works?  Rigging elections and suppressing dissent?  He’s got a lot to learn about reality.  The younger generation of Iran is fed up with him and the Ayatollahs’ tyranny.  It’s time the leaders of the so-called Revolution stepped aside.  REAL revolution is sweeping across Iran, whether they like it or not.

Change is coming.  They can get on the train or get run over.

Shame

Who knew the candidate who campaigned on a promise of change would turn out to be such a spineless wimp?

I speak of the week’s news that President Obama has decided not to hold the Bush Administration and its coven of lawyers – Yoo, Bybee, Addington, Bradbury, Rizzo, Gonzales – will not, in fact, be held accountable for the crimes against humanity they committed during the so-called “war on terror”.

In a statement on Thursday, the President made this incomprehensible statement regarding accountability:

“This is a time for reflection, not retribution… nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.”

This is not about retribution.  It’s about justice.  When we fail to hold those in positions of leadership accountable for their actions, we lose our moral legitemacy in the world.  If we fail to prosecute Bush et al. for actions that Obama’s own justice department has acknowledged are, in fact, criminal in nature, then we are no better than the worst of our enemies.

In order to “more forward”, we must revisit the sins of the past and excise them.  Now that we know more of the crimes committed by Bush, Cheney, Gonzales and their cronies, we must act swiftly and deliberately to hold them accountable.

Anything less is unacceptable.  This is not about retribution.  It’s about justice.  They committed crimes; they MUST be held accountable.

Should we have “looked forward” after World War II and NOT held the Nazis accountable for their actions?

Should the Cambodians “look forward” and ignore the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge?

Should suffering Zimbabweans, if they ever pull out of the tyranny of Mugabe and ZANU-PF, “look forward” and not demand justice?

Should the long-suffering people of North Korea “look forward” and not demand justice if they ever emerge from their decades-long nightmare?

The souls of the dead cry out for justice, Mr. President.  The tortured demand it in their screams.  If you do not cleanse the stain of the Bush Administration from our national soul, then you are as guilty as they are.  And worse, you will enable future tyrants and dictators here and abroad to “get away with it”.

Justice, Mr. President.  That’s all we ask.  Justice.  It must be done, no matter how painful, difficult or embarrassing.

Fear and Loathing in Anchorage

This latest news from Huffington Post should make all of us political bloggers sit up and take notice.  Apparently one of Alaska’s marginally competent Republican Congressmen took issue with being a regular feature on the now-famous Mudflats blog and decided to go on a personal crusade to reveal the identity of his tormentor.

In a recent letter to his constituents, the “Honorable” Mr. Doogan included this little missive:

The identity of the person who writes the liberal Democratic Mudflats blog has been secret since the blog began, protected by the Anchorage Daily News, among others. My own theory about the public process is you can say what you want, as long as you are willing to stand behind it using your real name. So I was interested to learn that the woman who writes the blog is Anchorage resident *name redacted*.

Best wishes,

Mike

It’s nice to know he’s got such deep thoughts about free speech and democracy in America.  What a lunatic.  He, and jackasses like him, are the reason so many of us choose to blog anonymously.  Anonymity is not a sign of cowardice, it’s a sign of prudence.  Anonymity and privacy are rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and have been a cornerstone of American politics since the Revolution.  Doogan’s actions are nothing short of political harrassment, the most anti-American thing any politician can do.  He has abused his power and position.  It’s not for Doogan to reveal the identity of anyone whose opinions he disagrees with.  If his critics choose to attack him anonymously, that’s their choice.  Obviously, based on recent events, they have their reasons.  Doogan isn’t a good American – he’s a coward and a traitor.

And that’s my anonymous 2 cents.

A bloated tick on the butt of New York

Following is a letter I wrote but did not send to my local paper, in response to a front-page article this week.

Sir,

Re. the January 6th article, “Towns lose watershed suit“, it comes as no surprise that a court based in Manhattan would rule against the rights of upstate citizens and communities.Under an EPA mandate waived last year, New York City would have had to install filtration systems and desalination plants, both of which would have reduced its dependency on Upstate New York for water and lessened the burden imposed on less wealthy communities in the Catskills. Instead of taking responsibility for its own water supply, the City succeeded in convincing a federal court that such measures would be too “costly” and was granted a ten-year waiver, in effect being given a license to pillage and plunder the poor for another decade. And at the end of this extension, I’m sure we can expect more of the same.

Interestingly, a search of the state’s premier newspaper, the New York Times, turns up not a single word written about this latest development. In fact, it’s very difficult to find any ink or bits devoted to covering Catskill Watershed issues between the pages of the Times. It’s very easy, however, to find articles about where to find “second homes”, “weekend retreats” and other “inexpensive” real estate. In other words, the City only really cares about upstate New York when it’s to their benefit to do so. Otherwise, they turn a blind eye to the damage they cause to the local communities by their insatiable desire for land.

New York City has been allowed to get away with treating the rest of the state as its feudal fiefdom for far too long. It’s time it started acting like a good neighbor instead of the greedy, grasping, overweening, bloodsucking parasite it’s been.

Why did I not send it?  Well, as it happens, the editor beat me to it.  The lead editorial was almost as scathing, but without the direct insults:

Surprise! NYC wins yet again

It’s not a surprise that a David lost another battle against a Goliath when Delaware watershed towns lost their legal battle to stop New York City’s exemption from filtering its water until at least 2017.

The towns of Hamden, Roxbury and Hunter had joined the Coalition of Watershed Towns in a suit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency over the Filtration Avoidance Determination waiver issued in 2007.

The 10-year waiver allows New York City to use water from the Catskill/Delaware system, which includes reservoirs at Cannonsville and Pepacton, provided it continues to take steps to ensure the quality of the water.

The fact that the city doesn’t have to spend $10 billion to build a filtration plant is the root of most of the animosity felt by leaders and residents of watershed towns in the Catskills and Delaware County.

That’s because the only way the EPA would issue filtration waivers to NYC is if the feds are sure that the water will be clean and drinkable anyway. And to achieve that certainty, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection is granted the authority to control most of the lands in the watershed. (click the link to read the rest)

New York City is nothing but a fat, bloated parasite leeching off its upstate neighbors.  I fucking hate the place.  New York would be much better off if the state would cut itself loose from the manacles of its feudal lords to the south.

Maybe if we started charging NYC use-taxes for the water and land it takes, the city leaders might think twice about what they’re doing.

Voter suppression for Dummies, 2008 edition

Just when you thought the GOP couldn’t sink any lower, we have this report from Michigan.  Michigan, as you will recall, is one of the states worst affected by the housing and foreclosure crisis, and the black population there has been particularly hard-hit.  Take a look:

The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.

“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed.

State election rules allow parties to assign “election challengers” to polls to monitor the election. In addition to observing the poll workers, these volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voterprovided they “have a good reason to believe” that the person is not eligible to vote. One allowable reason is that the person is not a “true resident of the city or township.”

The Michigan Republicans’ planned use of foreclosure lists is apparently an attempt to challenge ineligible voters as not being “true residents.”

Take note, Americans.  We can expect more of this sort of behavior in the next 6 weeks.

Kim Jong Ill?

Recent news indicates North Korean dictator and chief scumbag Kim Jong Il may have suffered a serious health problem.  As reported by the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il may be gravely ill, perhaps the victim of a stroke, U.S. and other Western officials said Tuesday after he failed to appear for a major national parade. If so, it could jeopardize the already troubled international effort to get his nation to abandon nuclear weapons.

Kim’s absence from a military parade for the country’s 60th anniversary lent credence to reports that the man North Koreans call the “Dear Leader” had been incapacitated during the past few weeks.

Hopefully the rumors are true and the North Korean people will soon be relieved of the primary source of their suffering.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Blackwater, the mercenary company responsible for dozens of civilian deaths in Iraq, the gang of thugs that rampaged through New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, is back in the news.

It seems they’ve formed an “intelligence unit”, apparently called “Total Intelligence Solutions.”  Read on:

Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, is worried about the giant mercenary firm’s latest foray into private intelligence. “They’re marketing their services to not only foreign governments, but to Fortune 500 corporations,” he recently told an interviewer.

The forthcoming paperback edition of Scahill’s book on Blackwater, which appeared in hardcover in February 2007, will include 100 pages of new material, including a discussion of last September’s shooting spree in Baghdad by Blackwater operatives — which killed 17 Iraqi civilians but for which nobody has ever been charged.

“This is a company that has been accused of murdering Iraqi civilians,” Scahill pointed out, “of shooting the bodyguard to the Iraqi vice-president, of causing blowback attacks on United States troops, of hurting the morale of the United States military — that has cost United States taxpayers over a billion dollars for its operations in Iraq.”

However, Scahill’s greatest concern at present appears to be Blackwater’s venture into the private intelligence business.

“Blackwater started a private intelligence company,” he explained, “a private CIA essentially, called Total Intelligence Solutions. And the man running Total Intelligence Solutions is J. Cofer Black. He’s a thirty-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency. He also was the guy who ran the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program, the government-sanctioned kidnap-and-torture program.”

“His thirty-year CIA career, his network of contacts, his knowledge that was gained through his work in the most sensitive areas of the United States government is now on the open market for hire,” Scahill said sadly.

“This isn’t a liberal or conservative thing,” concluded Scahill. “You have a lot of traditional conservatives who are outraged at what they see as the degradation of the United States armed forces. … This has everything to do with the future of war-making and global stability.”

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

Where’s the outrage?

Read this before you answer…

Islam’s Silent Moderates

That’s your “religion of peace”. Until the mythical “moderate Muslims” stop pretending there’s no problem, and admit that “Islamic justice” is an oxymoron, the Muslim world will remain trapped in the 16th century. Petty, barbarous and cruel.