George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.I heard just an excerpt of this speech on the radio this morning, and I was appalled—even by Bush’s standards, it was just unbelievably bad. Among a string of empty platitudes, he was stumbling to describe what he’d seen in his flyover, and while that’s totally understandable, he was chuckling, perhaps at his own inability to verbalize what he’d seen, but it was still dreadfully inappropriate. And what he could manage to get out was presented as though he was ticking off a list of what he’d seen, with very little emotion. If the rest of his speech was even half as bad as what I heard, the Times isn’t wrong in deeming it one of his worst speeches ever.
…[N]othing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis.
[…]
It would be some comfort to think that, as Mr. Bush cheerily announced, America "will be a stronger place" for enduring this crisis. Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes. But since this administration won't acknowledge that global warming exists, the chances of leadership seem minimal.
NY Times Eviscerates Bush
On Stewardship
It takes its name from the Scottish House of Stewart, the members of which served as caretakers on behalf of the English king, before their house itself became the Royal House of Scotland, but the concept of stewardship did by no means originate with the Stewarts; it was sometimes offered as the spoils to be won in ancient Greek and Roman contests, and I daresay they probably didn’t invent it, either. I imagine as soon as human consciousness developed sufficiently to appreciate that, provided a pointy rock, a stick, a way to bind them together, and half-decent aim, we were pretty much the top of the food chain, there were those who went mad with the power such status confers, and those who felt obliged by that position to be careful and responsible.
And thus began war. But that’s a whole other post.
The latter of the two were stewards, by nature or deliberative choice, assuming the responsibility for taking good care of the property and resources with which one is entrusted, a tradition which has carried on forward, seeing various incarnations of the concept, from feudal stewardship to the environmental movement to modern secular philosophies advocating social safety nets. The concept also plays a role in every major religion*, with God serving as the benefactor from whence earthly resources came to be under humans’ watchful care, imbuing each of us with the responsibility of stewardship. What nearly every manifestation of stewardship bears in common, however, is the sense of such protection over one’s ward having been granted, the steward trusted to protect and care for his charge.
In this way, the American presidency is a stewardship; the very fact that the president is chosen by the people he’s meant to lead signifies the simultaneous ceding and bestowing of power to one who is recognized by a majority as best suited to be entrusted with the vast resource of people, materials, wealth, and power that is this nation. When we vote, we are choosing our steward, which is a distinctly different notion than our leader. The president is that, too, to be sure, but while good leadership often requires quick decisiveness, good stewardship is marked by steady vigilance. A steward is tasked with taking care of the resources he inherits—not exploiting them, nor oppressing them, nor pillaging them, nor in any manner leaving them in a worse state than they were when he assumed the role of their guardian—and such caretaking requires intimate attentiveness, a dedication to both knowing and understanding the resources in one’s care.
George Bush has failed miserably as our steward.
He has been world-famously and unconscionably bad at protecting the environment, whether it’s supporting Orwellian-named initiatives that will result in ever greater pollution of our skies and streams or failing to enthusiastically endorse an alternative energy development plan or endorsing drilling for oil in an Arctic refuge. So thorough is his contempt for a clean and healthy environment, I would be amazed if he doesn’t shit in his own bed and drink toxic waste before pissing in the fishin’ lake on his own ranch. But although we most closely associate stewardship with the environment, he has failed with equal aplomb in his duty to protect America’s greatest resource—her people. Never has this been more evident than in the aftermath of Katrina.
Conservatives are already howling that all liberals can do is blame Bush, and even some liberals are annoyed with what they view as attempts to politicize this tragedy, but in truth, it is vital that we see the scope of this disaster, which will reach far beyond a ruined city, as the inevitable consequence of Bush’s poor stewardship on a plethora of issues. Indeed, the fatal error of leaving New Orleans’ levees in a state that made possible the physical devastation which takes our very breath away is a monolithic mistake that is not solely attributable to one party or another, and cannot be laid at one man’s feet. It was a collective failing, and so I will not lay the blame for it singly upon our current president. It is, instead, the aftermath that will affect all of us, as the water recedes and the fires diminish but their implications begin to reverberate far and wide, and how ill-equipped we all are to cope with those inescapable issues, for which I hold him accountable, as should we all.
A number of Louisiana’s National Guardsmen are in Iraq, fighting Bush’s war of choice. FEMA has been gutted to redirect funds to other areas of Homeland Security, the victim, like so many other federal programs, of budgetary limitations made necessary by a deficit made worse by tax cuts issued during a time of war. Poverty continues to rise and wages for the middle and lower classes continue to stagnate, meaning many of New Orleans’ residents, left without employment or housing perhaps indefinitely, will struggle to survive without help, and leaving many of us unable to help financially as much as we’d like. As energy costs soar as a result of both the devastation of this region, combined with Bush’s appalling energy policy and the war in Iraq, people across the country who suffer from poverty and wage stagnation will struggle, too. And come October, when the bankruptcy bill goes into effect, anyone who loses that struggle will face undue hardships that could have been avoided. Because the GOP-led Congress struck down the proposed amendment which would offer a homestead exemption to those bankrupted by medical bills, how many victims of Katrina (who may rack up healthcare fees either because of injuries or a lack of insurance to pay for existing conditions because of employment loss) will be revictimized by this cruel legislation? Indifference to global warming, resistance to a national healthcare plan, pissing away resources to line the pockets of Halliburton while the economy languishes—the list goes on and on. Bush shirked his responsibilities as our steward, ignoring what was needed to protect America’s natural, human, and financial resources, and now we will all pay the price for his dereliction of duty.
Bush fancies himself a great leader, as do his supporters, but being a great leader isn’t all that’s required of our president. Protecting American’s resources shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but he has made it so, choosing to protect his cronies and, worse, reward them with the resources he’s plundered from the public. When he chose to favor his own interests ahead of America’s, he not only turned every issue in which people suffer because of his decisions into a partisan fight, he also disregarded his obligations of stewardship, and in the end, a leader without stewardship is just a tyrant.
-----------------------------
* (Though not every denomination of every religion. Tthe opposing construct to Christian context for stewardship, for example, is Dominionism, adherents of which it its most radical incarnation encourage the rape and depletion of the earth’s resources to instigate the Rapture.)
You're F-ing with us, right?
I think I'm going to have to rely on Mark over at Recidivist Journals or Mister Shakes to tell me if this is real or not. It just has "prank" written all over it.
Brits driving Austrians bonkers over rude village name
LONDON, (AFP) - British tourists have left the residents of one charming Austrian village effing and blinding by constantly stealing the signs for their oddly-named village.
While British visitors are finding it hilarious, the residents of F---ing are failing to see the funny side, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.
Only one kind of crimimal ever stalks the sleepy 32-house village near Salzburg on the German border -- cheeky British tourists armed with a sense of humour and a screwdriver.
But the local authorities are hitting back and with the signs now set in concrete, police chief Kommandant Schmidtberger is on the lookout.
Okay, it's all well and good, but then we start getting quotes like this:
"We will not stand for the F---ing signs being removed," the officer told the broadsheet.
"It may be very amusing for you British, but F---ing is simply F---ing to us. What is this big F---ing joke? It is puerile."
...and
"Every American seems to care only about 'The Sound of Music' (the 1965 film shot around Salzburg). The occasional Japanese wants to see Hitler's birthplace in Braunau.
"But for the British, it's all about F---ing."
...and
Guesthouse boss Augustina Lindlbauer described the village's breathtaking lakes, forests and vistas.
"Yet still there is this obsession with F---ing," she said.
"Just this morning I had to tell an English lady who stopped by that there were no F---ing postcards."
See what I mean? The language is just a little too... calculated. Mark? Mister Shakes? Heard anything about this? Or did some prankster write up a news story and somehow get it published?
I mean, come on... Kommandant Schmidtberger??? I'm German, and even I find that name ridiculous. Why not just call on Otto von Schnitzelpusskrankengescheitmeyer?
(Needed a break from bad news cross-post)
I'm not holding my breath, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Bush Views Katrina Devastation from Plane
This news story is just begging to be picked apart with snark, but I'm going to resist it for now. The situation is just too horrible. I just want to say one thing:
The president, upon his return to Washington, planned to chair a meeting of a White House task force set up to coordinate the federal efforts to assist hurricane victims across more than a dozen agencies.
Please, please let this be a legitimate success for him. If he does one thing right in his Presidency, if he's able to actually help people without making it into a vote magnet or somehow make this all about 9/11... if he's able to make lives better for these victims without finding a way to stuff money in his friends' pockets... if he's actually able to be Presidential...please, let it be this time.
I will be more than happy to give him any praise he deserves.
(Don't fuck this up cross-post)
Terror in Iraq
Panic engulfed thousands of Shiites marching across a bridge in a religious procession Wednesday after rumors spread that a suicide bomber was about to attack, triggering a stampede that killed at least 695 people.Apparently one of the railings collapsed in the furor. I really hope the number of victims isn’t as high as feared.
Scores of pilgrims jumped or were pushed to their deaths into the muddy Tigris River about 30 feet below, but many also were crushed in the crowd, which had jammed up at a security checkpoint on the western side of the Azamiyah bridge. Most of the dead were women and children, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said.
It was the single biggest confirmed loss of life in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
Tensions already had been running high in the procession in Baghdad's heavily Shiite Kazimiyah district because of a mortar attack two hours earlier against a shrine where the marchers were heading. The shrine was about a mile from the bridge.
Health Ministry spokesman Qassim Yahya said 695 were killed and 180 were injured. Figures from other official sources varied because survivors were rushed in ambulances and private cars to many hospitals, and officials were scrambling to compile accurate casualty figures.
I also hope this puts to bed once and for all the urge to suggest we’re fighting terrorists there so we don’t have to fight them here. It’s really just so heartless a suggestion, and this is exactly why.
Everybody out
Governor: Everyone Must Leave New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS - The governor of Louisiana says everyone needs to leave New Orleans due to flooding from Hurricane Katrina. "We've sent buses in. We will be either loading them by boat, helicopter, anything that is necessary," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. Army engineers trying to plug New Orleans' breached levees struggled to move giant sandbags and concrete barriers into place, and the governor said Wednesday the situation was growing more desperate and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.
Ho-lee-crap.
"We are looking at 12 to 16 weeks before people can come in," Mayor Ray Nagin said on ABC's "Good Morning America, "and the other issue that's concerning me is we have dead bodies in the water. At some point in time the dead bodies are going to start to create a serious disease issue."
Blanco said she wanted the Superdome — which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people — evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.
At the same time, sections of Interstate 10, the only major freeway leading into New Orleans from the east, lay shattered, dozens of huge slabs of concrete floating in the floodwaters. I-10 is the only route for commercial trucking across southern Louisiana.
This is just mind boggling. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. Where in the hell are we going to get the money to help take care of this? How are we going to be able to help these people? Where will they go?
(Growing more and more disturbed Cross-Post)
NOLA
Unbelievable—80% of the city is now underwater, they can’t even begin to calculate how many lives have been lost, and it’s just a total mess. Airports are under water, buildings are burning, there are leaking oil tankers, gas leaks, no electricity or fresh water…I honestly can’t even begin to comprehend the madness down there at the moment. Shamanic’s got some good NOLA links to check out.
Meanwhile, experts are predicting a national gas crisis, and The Fixer looks at the potential insurance fall-out. In Fix’s comments, Michael Hawkins notes that grocery prices are on the rise, which is a (usually unaddressed) consequence of higher energy costs, while at his place mentions that the poverty rate in the US has risen to 12.7%, marking a fourth year of increasing national poverty. And from USA Today reader comments, another sad consideration (hat tip to Michael at AMERICAblog):
New Jersey: With the economic nightmare that Hurricane Katrina is causing for so many people, has anyone thought about how sad it is that in October, the new bankruptcy laws will go into effect? Those people will still be homeless, unemployed and broke, when the new law goes into effect, so filing bankruptcy will be the last thing on their mind. How would you like to be required to go to credit counseling when you are homeless? Stupid President Bush!!!I don’t even know what my point is. I guess just that everything seems really fucked up at the moment.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
Oddjob tipped me to this story in comments with four mad faces. That’s a lot of mad faces. I had only to read the headline and subhead before I reached a four-alarm annoyance level:
Says US must prevent oil fields from falling into hands of terrorists
I repeat: AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
And it only gets worse from there (inserts mine).
President Bush answered growing antiwar protests yesterday with a fresh reason for US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the country's vast oil fields, which he said would otherwise fall under the control of terrorist extremists. [ARGH!]So, let me get this straight—the assertion was that Hussein was conspiring with al Qaida, so we had to invade, lest he give them weapons of mass destruction, but that proved to be utter bullshittery, so now, after swimming through a swamp of twaddle containing nine or so other rubbishy rationalizations for this insane-a-thon in Iraq, we’re there to prevent al Qaida from seizing the oil fields (to which Hussein would never have given them access, by the way—not that I’m defending his sorry ass) so they can, presumably, buy WMDs from some other despot who actually has them?
The president, standing against a backdrop of the USS Ronald Reagan [ARGH!], the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet, said terrorists would be denied their goal of making Iraq a base from which to recruit followers, train them, and finance attacks.
[…]
Appearing at Naval Air Station North Island to commemorate the anniversary of the Allies' World War II victory over Japan, Bush compared his resolve to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's in the 1940s… [ARGH!]
Democrats said Bush's leadership falls far short of Roosevelt's. [No shit—ARGH!]
…Bush declared, ''We will not rest until victory is America's and our freedom is secure" from Al Qaeda and its forces in Iraq led by Abu Musab alZarqawi. [ARGH!]
''If Zarqawi and [Osama] bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks," Bush said. ''They'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions. They could recruit more terrorists by claiming a historic victory over the United States and our coalition."
The head spins. And then it explodes.
KA-BOOM!
Ow.
Media Bias of a Different Color
When black people chest deep in fetid water snag something from a grocery store, it's called looting.
When white people chest deep in fetid water snag something from a grocery store, it's called finding.
Yeesh.
(Via Pandagon, as part of a great post by Amanda on how Katrina's victims are being primed for the blame game as a distraction from potential political fallout.)
Question of the Day
With people affected by Katrina blogging the event, I started thinking about what historical event would have produced blogging I'd be most amazed to read (had blogging been around). The first one that came to mind was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the subsequent engulfing of Pompeii, but that kind of was blogged, in a sense, by Pliny the Younger, so I thought on. And the truth is, I can't really think of anything of which I'd more like to have an unfiltered eyewitness account than the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. Aside from the fact that it would just be amazing, it would also clear up a whole lot of Framers' Intent nonsense.
Short of a blog authored by Christ himself, which would clear up a whole lot more nonsense, I've got to go with that.
How about you?
Unfortunate Son
Sgt. Thomas Strickland, on his blog, two days before he died in Iraq when his truck overturned:
What the fuck has my chain of command been doing? We were winning somewhat when I left. And now we're being pinned down in our own fucking homes? Insurgents are pushing locals out of their homes and taking over my area at will? What kind of fucktarded plan have we been half-assedly executing? Obviously the kind that neglects sound contact with locals. Obviously the kind that gives further distance to unbridged gaps between soldiers and locals. Obviously the kind that has shown enough weakness when confronted by the insurgency that it has been encouraged to grow.
Back home (the USA kind) I have no home, no job, and my commander in chief is on vacation (he's about 20 days behind Ronald Reagan right now in the race to become the most vacationing president ever. Hey W! we all got our fingers crossed! Here's to you and two more years of presidency...er vacationing!). Luckily pretty much everything that is important to me can fit into the back of a truck. Luckily I just paid off one of those.
In their fear to build relationships and get out of their hiding holes the FOBbits above me have fucked my friends and I.
Brutally, horrifically sad. I really don’t know what to say. I have no home, no job, and my commander in chief is on vacation… I have never, ever been more angry at Bush’s lackadaisical attitude about fucking everything than I am at the moment, knowing that Sgt. Thomas Strickland was thinking about his shattered life at home as he fought Bush’s war of choice abroad, while Bush dicked around in Crawford.
What a useless, hideous waste of space he is, this Fortunate Son who wouldn’t know the meaning of sacrifice if it was printed in the dimples of a golf ball.
Support the troops.
(A very nice tribute to Sgt. Strickland from a friend here.)
Politicizing Katrina
I haven’t written much about this because I feel very torn about what the appropriate way to handle this is. I tend to agree with Drum in the sense that it’s not appropriate to lose sight of what’s really happening here—one of America’s cities is dangerously close to being washed off the map. But at the same time, I think both sentiments can exist in the same head simultaneously. Having compassion for the victims of this truly unbelievable disaster can indeed be mutually exclusive from the anger felt at an administration that diverted human and fiscal resources from the region. And although it should be noted by way of clarification that the funding changes to which D. referred would have not made a sliver’s worth of difference in this instance, as they wouldn’t have come into effect until this October (a widely repeated misunderstanding that I myself didn’t understand at first), the larger point about a laissez-faire attitude toward the area’s needs is still valid.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s exactly because I feel so terribly bad for the people struck hardest by this thing, people who will also be facing a horrendous time of hardship as their sources of income drown before their every eyes (inevitably made ever that much harder by a fucked economy preceding this time of struggle), that I feel so very angry about how this administration has repeatedly let people down. It isn’t about scoring political points; it’s about being a human, and feeling really shitty and pissed off. Right or wrong.
[UPDATE: Go read Rexroth's Daughter. Beautiful.]
What a guy
Bush Cancels Vacation to Focus on Relief
Please make those little finger quotations in the air when reading the word "cancels."
WASHINGTON - President Bush decided to cancel the rest of his vacation to concentrate on federal relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina as his top disaster relief official lamented "catastrophic" damage in three Southern states.
Apparently, all that whizzo super amaz-o-tron equipment that allows Bush to direct a war from the toilet that makes G. Gordon Liddy so wet doesn't work so well with disaster relief.
Either that, or Bush is just trying to score some badly needed points. You make the call!
Meanwhile, the White House revealed that Bush was returning to Washington Wednesday from his Texas ranch. "We have a lot of work to do," the president said of the storm damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He initially was to have flown back to the capital on Friday.
Gee, three whole days. Or two, if you're not feeling charitable.
What a guy... he's always there when we need him, isn't he?
Isn't he?
Isn't he?
Isn't he?
Does it have a feeding tube? I'm there!!
(We can cross-post if we want to, we can leave your friends behind...)
Random Observation
I spotted the following two bumper stickers side-by-side on the same car:
It’s All About ME
The ME on the latter was larger than either the flag or the lettering on the former. It was, of course, meant to be one of those cutesy princess things, but I couldn’t help thinking that’s really the whole problem with conservatives right there. “United We Stand” doesn’t have nearly the prominence as everything being “All About ME.” The ugly American doesn’t even realize she is ugly even to other Americans, or doesn’t care. The ugly American advertises it right on her bumper.
I could probably turn this into an entire essay, but I’m short on time today, so I’ll post it for discussion—and as a solicitation for other stickers, ribbons, and assorted automotive accoutrements that drive you insane.
(As an aside, I saw a good one the other day which read: “Republican Health Plan: Don’t Get Sick.” It was right next to another advocating chaos, ha.)
King Minus
Everything he touches turns to shit (emphasis mine):
A senior United Nations official has accused President George Bush of "doing damage to Africa" by cutting funding for condoms, a move which may jeopardise the successful fight against HIV/Aids in Uganda.I could rant about this for six million hours, but really, what new is there to say? President Heartless Scumbag would rather see people die a slow and painful death than admit that perhaps his crackpot, faith-based, reality-impaired, abstinence-first dictum is tragically flawed. What a truly soulless man.
Stephen Lewis, the UN secretary general's special envoy for HIV/Aids in Africa, said US cuts in funding for condoms and an emphasis on promoting abstinence had contributed to a shortage of condoms in Uganda, one of the few African countries which has succeeded in reducing its infection rate.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the condom crisis in Uganda is being driven by [US policies]," Mr Lewis said yesterday. "To impose a dogma-driven policy that is fundamentally flawed is doing damage to Africa."
The condom shortage has developed because both the Ugandan government and the US, which is the main donor for HIV/Aids prevention, have allowed supplies to dwindle, according to an American pressure group, the Centre for Health and Gender Equity (Change).
In 2003, President Bush declared he would spend $15bn on his emergency plan for Aids relief, but receiving aid under the programme has moral strings attached.
Recipient countries have to emphasise abstinence over condoms, and - under a congressional amendment - they must condemn prostitution.
Marines Write Letters
Christopher at After School Snack points to a great letter to the editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune from a marine serving in Iraq:
If only I could fit his entire letter on a bumper sticker…What he's fighting for
As a U.S. Marine currently deployed to Iraq, I would like to respectfully disagree with a fellow Minnesotan who stated that people who protest the war hurt troops' morale ("Letters from readers," Aug. 26).
Public debate and discussion are vital to the health of a democracy. It is a good thing when I see Americans exercising their right of freedom of speech.
Seeing people exercise freedoms that many in other countries don't have is something that we all should be thankful for -- whether you agree with what is being said or not. Semper Fidelis!James Haugerud,
Camp Blue Diamond,
Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
Pat Buchanan Calls for Bush’s Impeachment
Seriously. But not because of any of the following reasons:
Lying to take the country to war
Mishandling the war
Abu Ghraib
Gitmo
The appropriation of 9/11 as a political tool
Mismanaging the economy
Repeated misidentification of dissenters as traitors
Possible involvement of highest advisors in CIA outing
Election fraud
Spending a year out of five on vacation
Demonizing the LGBT community
Cynical exploitation of homophobia
Encroachment on women’s rights
The Bankruptcy Bill
The Energy Bill
The Clear Skies Initiative
The Patriot Act
The Terri Schiavo debacle
Failure to address healthcare crisis
Failure to extend assault weapons ban
Failure to endorse stem cell research
General disregard for traditional conservative principals
Criminal stupidity
Or any one of 1,000 other idiocies I could name. Nope, Pat’s mad about immigration.
Pat Buchanan, a leading conservative pundit and former presidential adviser, quietly suggested House Republicans mull impeaching President Bush -- though not for the liberals' cause celebre, Iraq -- but rather for what he sees as Bush's 'criminal' failure to stem the tide of illegal immigrants, RAW STORY has discovered.
"We are being invaded," the reactionary Republican declared in his column Monday, "and the president of the United States is not doing his duty to protect the states against that invasion."
[…]
"Bush is chief executive of the United States. It is his duty to enforce the laws," he adds. "Can anyone fairly say he is enforcing the immigration laws? Those laws are clear. People who break in are to be sent back. Yet, more than 10 million have broken in with impunity."
Now, of course, Pat Buchanan is saying all this because he’s an inveterate racist, but, in truth, considering the president’s primary election strategy of declaring himself “the security president” and vowing to secure the country’s borders, it is true he’s broken yet another promise to the American people.
Happy Blogiversary...
...to Agi T. Prop!
UPDATE: And a happy second blogiversary to Toast!
(Moved back to top for a bit; new posts below.)
Quote of the Day: Truth in Every Joke Edition
I mean to say, "where's them damn burkas when you need them?"
— Kos, resorting to misogynist humor once again during a debate over “women’s stuff”
------------------------
Go read Media Girl’s very long (but very worth it) post for context.
I should also note Mr. Shakes' response, which was, "Yeah, real funny with what's going on with the Iraq constitution right now." (I really can't stress enough that when something strikes the working class Scot, son-of-a-sailor, decidedly un-P.C. Mr. S as so totally fucking sexist that it pisses him off, it's really not remotely in the realm of an actual joke.)
------------------------
On a side note, I’d just like to say I run this blog day in and day out without visiting any blogs that I’ve found repeatedly offensive, no matter how important they are alleged to be. There’s simply not a blog important enough to oblige my patronage if I’m compelled to hold my nose while I read it.
(The only reason I mention that is because I’ve too often read other bloggers note, as if with a sigh of resignation, how certain blogs “have to” be read. No they don’t; no blog is indispensable—yeah, including and probably especially this one, although I’m fairly certain the world might have spun off its axis if I hadn’t revealed my nerd percentage.)
Fred Phelps: Hate-Filled Maniac with a Death Wish
Yep. "Good Christian" Fred Phelps is yet again picketing the funerals of American soldiers because gays exist.
Or something.
SMYRNA, Tenn. - Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.
The church members were met with scorn from local residents. They chased the church members cars' down a highway, waving flags and screaming "God bless America."
Can we please stop calling these mentally ill bigots "church members?" This isn't a church; it's a grouping of hate-crazed fanatics that wouldn't know God if he handed them an iced tea. Call them what they are, a Hate Group.
The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.
The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates fags" and "God hates you."
Okay, we're used to the "fags" one by now, but "God hates you?" Huh? How does that make the slightest lick of sense? If God is supposedly punishing America for "harboring gays" (by the way, a bunch of gays at the harbor or docks is called a white party or tea dance), therefore, God hates Americans, therefore "God hates you," doesn't that include all Americans, including himself? Are there ANY Americans that aren't hated by God? Other than the eight or so screwballs that Phelps has managed to dupe into following him?
I know, I know.. don't try and fathom the motivations of Fred Phelps. That way lies madness.
Hundreds of Smyrna and Ashland City residents and families of other soldiers turned out at both sites to counter the message the Westboro Baptist members brought.
So many counterdemonstrators were gathered in Ashland City that police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers were brought in to control traffic and protect the protesters.
Wowzers. Kudos to the people that showed up to shame Phelps. I've always felt that ignoring him and his followers were the best way to deal with them, but I'm sure it helped the grieving families to see that show of support.
Picketing the funerals of soldiers... Jesus...
Okay, I have a question here, and I'm completely serious. Do you think Phelps is trying to get himself killed?
We are living in one of the most charged political times in our history. While the majority of Americans are against the Iraq war and the President, the opposing side is still fighting back with all the energy, venom and dirty tricks that they can muster. At a time when the phrase "support the troops" can bring people to blows, why in the hell would you picket the funeral of a soldier? We have gotten to the point in this country where you can get away with just about anything if you say that you "support the troops." People were smeared for daring to speak against soldiers that were torturing innocents, for chrissakes.
So why is he doing it? I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that Phelps is a true media whore. He'll do anything horrible and outrageous to get his shrunken-apple head face on television or in print. I'm sure he tells himself that this is a way to "get out the message," and attract more people to his "church," but in reality he's just another microphone cocksucker.
But, is he also trying to get himself attacked? Perhaps killed? Think of all the press he could get if he were attacked. Think of how he could use an attack as a rallying cry for more lunatics.
And if he's killed... Martyr City baby! You can't buy press like that!
What do you kids at home think?
(Your faith was strong but you needed proof, You saw her bathing on the roof, Her beauty and the cross-post overthrew you...)
