A Pointless Move By A Spineless Congress

Senators are considering a perjury investigation against Alberto "El_Turdo" Gonzales after documents contradict Gonzales' testimony, and I wonder, what's the point?
In the enfeebled mind of the Republican, perjury is only applicable when someone like serial rapist Bill Clinton can't recall with whom he had sex (when most Republicans can name all three women they've had relations with: their wives, that hooker from the DC madam and that drunk girl they forced themselves on following a night of binge drinking.)but not when a member of the Bush administration lies under oath to a grand jury or a Senate investigation. Even if Bush would allow an investigation (which he won't since he has continually placed himself above the law), if the verdict was guilty, he'd just pardon Gonzales or commute his sentence, no need for taking responsibility for one's actions when you're a member of the party of values. Besides, Gonzales can't remember every law his office is doing, he's way too busy violating the Hatch Act and ignoring Congressional orders.
And right on cue, anytime Bush has politcally damaging revelations we are suddenly warned of another possible "terrorist" attack, which only proves that all the illegal spying, the illegal wars and executive privilege hasn't made us any safer than we were on 9/11, so you'd have to be a real doofus not to see it.

Same Shit Different Asshole

The 2008 presidential election is one of the most important elections ever (Okay, they're all really important, but bear with me), a chance for the US to change the disastrous course on which it has been recklessly traveling these past seven years. So we need a chief executive who's going to do things differently than the way the satanist in the White House has been operaring.
At last night's Democratic debate, Hillary Clinton criticized Barack Obama for saying that he would talk with nations that are supposed enemies. This is a complete about face from her criticism of Bush for not talking to those same countries. We all know how well not talking to these countries has been successful for the current regime, isn't Sen. Clinton running against their failed policies? And what are the countries that Hillary won't talk to? Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. You know, the countries that refuse to bend to the will of the corpocracy.
Iran has yet to be found doing anything wrong, amid growing accusations being flung at it by the Bush administration, eager to start another war that will make Halliburton even richer before Dick Cheney steps back in the reins when (or if) he steps down from the vice-presidency. But who is behind the push to demonize Iran that so many US lawmakers have signed on with it? And why is the frontrunner in the Democratic Party talking war with Iran, just like Dick Cheney? (Please, no apologists) I suppose once she has started war on Iran she could fli-flop, just like she did with her position on using diplomacy, or her support for the war in Iraq, and millions of addle-pated Democrats, more signed on to a cult of personality than anything the demgogue-in-the-making stands for, will merely accpet it because they think she be better than Bush. But to be better, you have to be different. And Hillary isn't.

An open letter to Vern Ehlers (R)MI

below is a copy of an email I sent to my congressmen, asking him to get behind Rep. Kucinich's call for impeachment. If you wish to contact your congressperson, you may do so at this site.


Mr. Ehlers,
Back in 2002, I wrote you asking you to vote against the authorization for war with Iraq, A war that is illegal under international law, no matter how much support the president had from congress. You were kind enough to respond back to my letter, in effect stating that according to an article in a magazine, you felt that the invasion was the right thing to do. Many years and many deaths later, we are stuck in an endless war that could have been prevented if you had listened to a constituent, and not the media.
Now here it is almost five years later, and things haven't improved concerning Iraq. One of the main reasons for us fighting there is because Vice-President Cheney manipulated intelligence, a fact borne out by too many sources to quote here. This is beyond his authority. We also have a president who refuses to be held accountable for any of his actions. Our political system has a series of checks and balances to prevent the types of abuses that the current administration is involved in. So I ask of you: Which is more important, the constitution and the country it protects, or the party for which you belong?
If you say the former, than I urge you to contact Rep Conyers and agree to start impeachment proceedings. Then, if there is just cause for impeachment, I ask you to vote for it, just as I would expect you to vote against it if there is no cause.
If you say the latter, then I hope you remember this missive when in the future, another president continues the arrogant abuses first conceived by the current administration, and your children, or perhaps your grandchildren ask you why our country has strayed so far from it's original intentions, that you had an oppurtunity to stop this now, but chose instead to be loyal to your party moreso than to the constitution you swore to uphold. Thank you.

Lern Two Spel

Looking at this picture, it's easy to see why the President, or even the Republicans still have support in this country: the people who still do are a bunch of morons (that's morons, not morans). These people, who I'm sure lots of tax payer dollars were spent to give them an education, decided that looking intelligent wasn't as important as looking cool. How hard is it to spell "momma"? There are two preferential spellings, the previous example I gave, or Mama as evidenced in Mama's Family, or in the myriad of "Mama____" Italian food/pizza restaurants that dot the country.
What's even worse than having a bunch of of window-lickers proudly displaying their ignorance is the politicians who exploit the spell-challenged to garner votes for themselves. These are the same people who believe Saddam had something to do with 9/11, the war in Iraq is winnable, or Rudy Ghouliani is "America's Mayor". Basically all you have to do is tap into their fear factor, and they'll respond in kind, which is why they have somehow linked "Osama" to Obama, even though the two have nothing to with each other (and the fact that Osama has been dead quite a while surely is lost on them ).
Now I'm not advocating a literacy test for voters, as that would be a violation of the Voting Rights Acts, nor I do I think we need to spend more on public education, since this person went through the system and didn't gain any rudimentary skills so it's too late for them anyway. Maybe if the media did a better job of informing people, instead of acting like the propaganda branch of the government, there might be hope for our society.

Bush Takes It Up The Ass!

Bush will cede power to Dick Cheney while he undergoes colonoscopy, which means it's one for the record books for the world's longest colonoscopy ever, since he's pretty much ceded most his powers to Cheney anyway. Well, I wouldn't call it the world's longest, since that's pretty much what Bush has been doing to the country since taking office. Let's hope that it's a long drawn out and painful process, much as the Bush administration has been for these past six and a half years.
And we should also hope that once Cheney gets the reins, he doesn't do something stupid, like order a bombing of Iran, which is something he and his neocon buddies have been aching to do since bungling, well, I was going to say Iraq, but they've pretty much bungled Afghanistan, oh Hell, the whole damn war on terrorism. But most of all, and as much as I hate to say it, let's hope he gives the powers back to Bush rather than signing some executive order making him Dicktator for life, which, given the state of Cheney's heart, may not be for very much longer, one would hope.

What Flavor Is Your Kool-Aid?

Neil shakespeare had a post about Kool-Aid where I learned, among other things, that it was actually Flvaor-Aid that was quaffed in mass quantities in Jonestown. Also, that while his mother didn't add the correct amount of sugar, making it blander than usual, my step-mother used Sweet'N'Low, which had no conversion chart for mixing with Kool-Aid, which made the most horrible colorful drink you'd never want to taste.
But why do we only associate Kool-Aid with Republicans? How many people drank the Democratic Kool-Aid last night, when it looked like Harry Reid was going to force the Republicans to filibuster the Levin-Reed Iraq Deployment bill, only to have him pull the bill from consideration on the senate floor, leaving a lot of people with blue dye #6 and yellow dye #10 moustaches around their mouths as the hopes of ending the war came crashing down like a six-year old after the sugar buzz wears off.
Our two party system is a lot like Kool-Aid, or is it Funny Face, Choo-Choo Cherry on the right and Blastin' Blue Raspberry on the left, looks good, tastes good, but really is just laden with sugar and a lot of bad chemicals with no nutritional value whatsoever. Where were the three Democratic front-runners last night, when they had an oppurtunity to show off their leadership skills that qualify them to be the leader of the free world? Sadly, they are non-existant, appealing only to those whose brains have been damaged from drinking too much Kool-Aid, while offering nothing beyond their collective cults of personality.

Dick Gets A Hard-On For Iran (Again)

Iran has agreed to open it's heavy water reactor to UN inspections as part of it's obligations as a co-signee to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. say what you will about Ahmadinejad being a madman, at least he alows more transparency than the crazies in the "I don't recall/executive privilege" Bush regime. So while Al Qaeda thrives in Pakistan, Dick Cheney has been pushing for war with Iran. This won't stop terrorism, of course, but it will mean billions of dollars worth of no0-bid contracts and overcharges for Halliburton, and that's good for Dick Cheney.
But it's not good for the people of Iran, many of whom want democracy, not nuclear fallout. It would not end terrorsim, only increase it as much as the war in Iraq has drawn more people to oppose the US occupation. Increased risks of attacks in a more volatile region wouldn't be good for US troops stationed over there.
According to a Washington source, Bush and Cheney do not trust the next administration to deal with Iran decisively. Of course, people who lack trust are often not trustworthy themselves, as evidenced by a). the repeated lies spewn forth from the mouths of Bush and Cheney, and b). the veil of secrecy they cloak themselves in.

Who'd A Thunk It?

John at Left In Aboite tagged me with a thinking blogger award, which I can't figure out, since most of the time I think people must think I have a large collection of tinfoil hats. But it's nice that I can stir up the grey matter, even when I can't figure out away to end a post.
We all try to make a difference, to get a point across that might get lost in the corporate media onslaught, so for me to have to pick five bloggers that make me think makes me think I have my work cut out for me, since they all make me think.(And since John has already tagged Peacechick Mary, it's going to be even more difficult, but here it goes:

Born At The Crest Of The Empire-Mike has it going on, if you haven't stopped by, you really should because he is on top of things, with the best news and pictures I have ever seen. I stop by several times a day to see if there's anything new, or just to see Mike's response to my comments.
reality-based educator_ I only discovered this a couple of weeks ago, but like Mike, he's got it going on. His posts are longer, but they will make you think.
Left In East Dakota-Everybody loves Graeme (except maybe beakerkin or sonia belle); you should too. Graeme often offers a historical perspective that inevitably has me running to Wikipedia to read more.
Fuzzy And Blue--Political Musings by a Proud Democrat-I often feel Tina is like a kindred spirit, linking together a story that points my mind in a the right (or left) direction.
The final spot is difficult. I'd like to give it to Neil Shakespeare (He's back you know), but I know he doesn't go in much for memes. The same for Pissed-Off Patricia. Snave is good at making me think, as is Sumo, as well as a dozen more blogs that I lose everytime Firefox eats my bookmarks (that's why I haven't been to see y'all).So I just spun a whell and ended up with-
Kvatch-That's right, nobody out snarks the master! Our Kommander already has one of these; here's hoping he gets fifty more!
(Sorry, Ron, not this time, if you know what I mean)
The rules as follows:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the pos
t that you wrote.

Bush's Boogeyman is Back

Curiously timed and conveniently undated videotape of Osama Bin Laden has surfaced, right when we have Bush administration officials proclaiming their "gut feelings" about imminent terrorist attacks and then being ridiculed all over everywhere for it. This was then followed up by Condi Rice proclaiming warning signs of a terrorist attack.
And now we have Osama, once again providing tape of an unspecified origin, right when the Bush administration needs their boogeyman. Support for the war in Iraq is slipping, not only amongst the citizens of America, but amongst the GOP itself. What better way to cloud the minds of the people with fear than to wave the scariest boogeyman (and former CIA asset) at them. That is so, like, 2004, dude.
Now we know that while we're bogged down with war in Iraq Al Qaeda has regrouped in Pakistan and garnered more recruits, making them stronger than ever. While we're wasting time waging a war against Iran, we're no safer than we were on September 10, 2001. All the illegal wiretaps, torture and spying on the American people haven't made us any safer, and neither has the Republican party, or it's incompetent leadership in the White House, which has bathed itself in secrecy to no end. But in order to end this madness, we need a new strategy, which no front runner from either party has offered up, only the same old same old, which has been so (in)effective so far.

Man of God?

Much has been made of Michael Chertoff's "gut feeling" that alqeada will attack sometime this summer. One may think these attacks are unprovoked, but in reality they are in direct correlation to US foreign policy, especially as it pertains to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such policy is being driven by the Christian right, which supports Israel even as it violates international law and seizes more land from the Palestinians. Israel expansionist policies are being funded in part by John Hagee, who has given $8.5 million to Israel expasionist policie, as well as using political pressure on Congress to keep funding policy, even as it violates international law.
Hagee is also pushing for war with Iran, which is necessary in "order for most of today’s Christians to escape physical death, two-thirds of the Jews in Israel must perish, soon", which is most certain to happen when Israel strikes Iran's nuclear facilities, which, unlike Israel's nuclear site at Dimona, is open to inspections by the IAEA, a move hailed by the UN. Hagee seems to revel in the fact that the "end times" of his religious beliefs are upon us, but it seems more as if he's trying to incite the apocalypse himself.
Hagee fancies himself a Christian, however, he seems more in step with the "Islamofascists" who want to take over the world and force Sharia law on us all. Perhaps we'd all be better off if we gave them their own planet to fight each other over whose God has the biggest dick, and leave the rest of us in peace on Earth.

Beyond Psychopathic

There's crazy, then beyond that is pure bull goose loony, and even farther out is a space occupied by George W. Bush. It's not that he ordered the sugeon general to mention his name three times a page in speeches made. that's just mildly meglomaniacal. Nor is it his claim that the insurgency in Iraq is the same as the ones who attacked us on 9/11. Which puts the commander guy at complete odds with what the commanders on the ground are saying. Bush is losing support for the war in Iraq, and so, as in the past, he has trotted out that day which is becoming a dim memory to those people who are dealing with rising prices, a jump in foreclosures, and the final sign of the apocalypse, the Spice Girls reunion. But I think that day has been all used up by the Bush adminsitration and the propagandists in the corporate media. Which is why I agree with Cindy Sheehan (who wasn't the first to float the idea, anyone who can do simple math could add it up) when she says the Bush administration will stage another terror attack to jump start a war with Iran and declare martial law here at home. (You don't think they created a unitary executive to hand it over to Hillary Clinton in January 2009?)
Bush has reached a point where he can admit an administration official committed an act of treason (and was very well taken care of)and not have anyone in the corporate media bat an eye.
Maybe Bush's insanity is caused by the fact that no-one has ever held him accountable.

D'oh!

You know you're skimming the bottom of the blogosphere when I get tagged by the recent meme that's floating around like a virus. But thanks to Lizzy, I can no longer claim to be lucky enough to never be hit by these durn things.
1. Although it's been years since I've entered a Wal-Mart, and never intend on entering one again, I can not pass up a yard sale.
2. I still own the first guitar I ever bought, a Fender Lead II, perhaps the finest guitar on the planet.
3.I used to blog under the name Carrie Oakey, that's right, it was a joke, and what made it even funnier to me was the many people whom "she" angered.
4. I am a professional chef, and can prepare many soups sauces and salad dressing from scratch, but my favorite thing to cook is crystal meth.
5.When I was in college, I shared an apartment with Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer for TOOL and A Perfect Circle and he was the one who introduced my to my ex-wife.
6.I once won an award (second place)in a recycled art show for "Most Artistic Merit"
7. I never use my spell check, instead choosing to actually look words up in a dictionary if it doesn't look right to me.
8. I can sing along with any Beatles song from any point and never miss a word.
Since that unpleasantness is done, now I have to do this:

All RIght, here are the RUles:

1. We HAVe to post these RUles beFORE we give you the facts.

2. PlAYers start with eight RANdom facts/HAbits about thEMSElves.

3. PEople who are tagGED need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these RUles.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagGED and list their names.

Don’t forget to leave them a COmment telling them they’re tagGED, and to read your blog.
And now you're it:
Ron Nasty, my blog buddy over at The American Insurgency
Lily, my partner at Lose The Noose
Rex Kramer
Betty Cracker
Karena
Robot Buddah of The Johnny Sutra
Fatcat Politics

And Lizzy, ye shall be linked!

Isn't This Guy's Time Almost Up?

We're doomed, doomed, I tells ya.
Everyday we circle the drain leading into that dark abyss from which there is no way out. Our collective society's standards are falling so fast that soon they will crash to the ground like George Bush with a mouthful of pretzels.
It's not bad enough that we worship celebrities like false idols at a satanic supper, it's the celebrities we choose to worship, no talent hacks whose sole redeeming quality (if it could be considered a redeemable quality) can be summed up with "I saw 'em on the tv!" Paris Hilton. Anna Nicole Smith. Clay Aiken.
Surely this American Idol runner-up should be on the fast track to 'where-are-they-now', but somehow he has managed to make a career out of being a no-talent hack. That he didn't spontaneously combust when he attempted to cover Badfinger's "Without You" isn't amazing enough, it's the fact that enough people bought it to garner it airplay on adult contmeporary radio when Harry Nilsson's far superior version is still available. Aiken doesn't have the range or the expressive quality to pull the song off, and if you thought it was okay, then you are banned.
But that's not why we are doomed. Nor is it the fact the celebrities like Aiken think we are here to be their personal footstools. Nor is it the fact that in the hierarchy of the idiocracy our country is quickly becoming, people like William Hung and Clay Aiken get record contracts while thousands of better singers and bands struggle in obscurity only because they're not able to exploit themselves for the enjoyment of people too fat and lazy to get off the couch and go to a club, for Christ's sake.
No, the disturbing sign that we all are doomed is the fact the enough people paid money to see Clay Aiken in a concert. That's like one of the seven signs that the apocalypse is upon us. And we are all doomed.

Left Wing Elitism Is As Bad As The Right

I didn't watch any of yesterday's Live Earth concerts for varying reasons. One, I don't have cable television (which in and of itself is a very eco-friendly sacrifice we all could stand to make), so the idea of watching artists NBC deemed worthy of watching (what are the odds most of them were on Warners, or other subsidiary, label?)didn't really excite me enough to tune in. Two, the roster of artists didn't really excite me too much (Madonna? Red Hot Chili Peppers? Shakira? These people aren't total publicity whores, now are they?), nor did the Crowded House reunion. Three, I'm already aware of global warming, and anyone who isn't has their head buried in the sand too deep for this concert to reach, as you can't swing a cat by the tail these days without hitting a global warming opponent.
Now, I'm not saying global warming isn't a threat, it just seems hypocritical for private jet flying and SUV and limousine driving pampered rock stars with McMansions with heated pools to lecture to me about global warming. This sort of hypocrisy is akin to people who support the war in Iraq from the safety of their homes in the US, instead of taking up arms themselves. This is just more elitism from people who want us to do as they say, not as they do (because if we did, we'd all be screwed). You can't change the world if you can't change people, and left wing elitists need to change as much as anyone else.

The Numbers Are Growing....

Despite the best efforts of the corporate media to downplay the Bush Crime Family's illegal and unethical behavior, Nearly half of Americans favor impeachment of Bush, while more than half support an impeachment of Cheney. Of course, more than 75% of Americans bleieve in ending th war in Iraq, which leads me to wonder, why haven't the Democrats done anything that they were voted in to do?
Even now, with anew election cycle around the corner, more and more Republican senators are jumping ship and calling for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, while timid congressional Democrats refuse to back Dennis Kucinich's call for impeachment of Cheney. Way to drop the ball again, Democraps!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Jump In The Lake

....quick, before the State of Michigan makes it illegal to jump off the piers. This is the most ridiculously unenforceable laws that I think they have ever considered (although the $500 fine will make it profitable for the state to do so).
I grew up in Grand Haven, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, where the waters of the Grand River spill brown into the blue of the Great Lake. On either side of the river are piers, one with a lighthouse maintained by the Coast Guard to guide ships through into the harbor where they can drop off coal for the city owned power plant, or construction materials for Construction Aggregates, farther upstream in Ferrysburg (that's right, it's just southwest of Fruitport).
The pier is one of the tourist attractions, and is featured prominently in advertising for many local businesses who thrive during the tourist season, as well as a symbol for the city itself. Many people who come to town take the long walk to the end of the pier, where they take some pictures, and then head back. We called them "fudgies" in honor of their predilection for buying fudge at the many confectionaries along the west coast of Michigan. (We, in turn, were "townies", local yokels who stuck around when Old man Winter dropped mountains of snow on the beach) There is no real industry in Grand Haven besides the tourist industry, most of the autoparts manufacturers having been outsourced to other places.
As a teenager, we would all gather at the second ladder of the pier (which makes the story of the 19 year old Grand Rapids woman who was unable to pull herself onto the pier unbelievable. She couldn't climb up a ladder?), where we would dive and swim (and sometimes, in a fit of misplaced testosterone, ride our bikes off)in the lake, far away from the fudgies who lined the shores with their screaming kids and loud top forty radios blaring disco music. The water wasn't very deep (only about twelve feet, which was how we were able to retrieve our bikes after riding them off there)), and it was free of under water rocks and other debris. And, we were smart enough to obey the signs posted by the US Army Corps of Engineers warning us to stay off the pier during high seas. Now, future generations of townie's good times are in peril because some do gooder with misplaced intentions wants to spoil it for the many to protect the few, who, if they aren't good enough swimmers to be able to swim to shore (which is not that far, my buddies Leroy and Ron Nasty used to swim to shore from the end quite frequently), shouldn't be in the water in the first place.

FLASHBACK!! "No Plans To Occupy Iraq"

In case you missed it yesterday, President Bush compared soldiers in Iraq to the US soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Actually, we're more like the British, and the insurgents, which are being tagged "alqaeda" by the administration, even though there is no connection, they are the ones fighting off an occupation army intent on exploiting the vast resources of the country for King George.
Of course going into Iraq the US disputed a report that the US wanted long term access to bases in Iraq. Now, of course it's a different story. Even Hillary Clinton wants full time bases in Iraq (which is her way of sucking up to the corpocracy, and why she sucks). Which reminds me of an old joke. How do you know when George Bush is lying? When Dick Cheney's lips aren't moving.

Digging Past All The Right Wing Bullshit: What The Scooter Libby Case Was Really About

The American people are pissed. They are so pissed, that the White House had to turn off it's comment line.Another neocon crime okayed by the criminals in the Bush administration, who seem more concerned with covering their asses than obeying the law. If, like Jonah Goldberg claims, everyone on the cocktail circuit knew tha Valerie Plame was a CIA agent, it just means that the right wing nuts aren't very good at keeping secrets, or they aren't very careful with national security (or both. You decide). However, the prosecutor, the CIA and Plame's former colleagues all have stated that she was a covert operative. Who do you believe? A propagandist with the National Review, or people testifying under oath in a court of law?
But if the commutation (and possible pardon) hasn't got you steamed up, perhaps going back to the original story will.
In the propaganda run up to the Iraqi war, George Bush uttered the famous sixteen words:

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Joseph Wilson was sent by the CIA to investigate these claims earlier and reported them back to the CIA as false. When Bush gave his infamous speech, Wilson was mortified that what he reported was being twisted to use as the springboard to war. So he wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times:

Given the structure of the consortiums that operated the mines, it would be exceedingly difficult for Niger to transfer uranium to Iraq. Niger's uranium business consists of two mines, Somair and Cominak, which are run by French, Spanish, Japanese, German and Nigerian interests. If the government wanted to remove uranium from a mine, it would have to notify the consortium, which in turn is strictly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, because the two mines are closely regulated, quasi-governmental entities, selling uranium would require the approval of the minister of mines, the prime minister and probably the president. In short, there's simply too much oversight over too small an industry for a sale to have transpired.

(As for the actual memorandum, I never saw it. But news accounts have pointed out that the documents had glaring errors — they were signed, for example, by officials who were no longer in government — and were probably forged. And then there's the fact that Niger formally denied the charges.)

There you have it. Bush was using forged documents as it's cassus belli for war, and when it was pointed out to the American people by Joseph Wilson, someone from the Vice-president's branch of government leaked his wife's name to Robert Novak (as well as other journalists)in retaliation. Outing a covert CIA operative (especially during a time of war) is a crime, and as I have pointed out earlier, Plame was a covert operative. James Comey, a Bush appointee, had Patrick Fitzgerald investigate this, and in the course of the investigation, Lewis Libby gave contradictory testimony, in fact perjuring himself, which is another crime.
The Bush crime family, like any good crime family in America, looks out after those who won't roll over on them. So instead of having Libby do his time like Susan McDougal did for the Clintons, Bush commuted his sentence, which Bush (who has detainees in Guantanamo indefinitely without the luxury of a trial) thought was rather harsh.But the lie still lives on, even as more and more people die because of it.

So Much For Equal Protection

Proving once again that the Republican party only believes in accountability for the other guy, George Bush commuted the sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Apparently Bush felt the sentence for committing a crime was "too harsh". Hey, don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
While this may mean the felony conviction stands, it does mean that ouside of a $250,000 fine (which probably will come from the legal defense money his corpocratic buddies have been raising for him)and probation, Scooter won't have to face the consequences of his actions. Niice.
As was illustrated in the Paris Hilton case(or the Marc Rich case for that matter), the United States has two sets of laws. One for the rich and/or famous, and another for the rest of us. While we may be expected to follow the letter of the law, the wealthy skate by on their money and political connections.
Just remember this election cycle, when you hear a candidate blather on about "fighting crime" or "justice" or "democracy"what they really are talking about is a set of rules that don't apply to them. Don't believe me? Why hasn't Bush been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to release subpeonaed material?

My Holocaust Is Bigger Than Your Holocaust

A resolution has gained a majority of support in Congress that would label the slaughter of Armenians by the Turks between 1915 and 1923 as an Armenian genocide. President Bush is resisting the resolution because he says it would endanger already strained "diplomatic relations" between Turkey (which wants to go after PKK rebels in Northern Iraq and the US, which has had the support of the Kurds since it's 2003 invasion of Iraq. essentially Turkey feels that if you free the Kurds in Iraq, then Kurds in Turkey would wish the same freedom. Which makes me wonder why we're afraid of offending a country with one of the worst human rights abuses records.
One also has to wonder why it's okay to label deliberate mistranslations as genocide (see previous post), but not to label real acts of systematic governmental eradication of ethnic groups (the very definition of genocide) as such.
Even more important is the question why the Congress is obsessing on actions that started over ninety years ago, while 77percent of Americans feel we should get out of Iraq now. Especially when 1.5 million Iraqi refugees has crossed the border into Syria (probably lugging those missing WMD with them)since the illegal US invasion in 2003. Ironically, Syria was the final destination for many of those Armenians during the rule of the Young Turks.
And while mentioning the Armenian holocaust in Turkey is a crime (I guess I'd better cancel that trip to Istanbul), denying the Holocaust (or even questioning it) can get you thrown in jail.
While any wholesale slaughter of inidgeonous people is a tragedy (anyone remember our own Native Americans?), this legislation, while noble, cannot do anything to change the past. What we need to do is focus on the here and now, and get down to business to do do waht's really important to Americans now.