“We Didn’t Think Anybody Would Notice”

U.S. Navy says “oops” nearly 40 years later

At the top of the news today is something a little more humorous than cutting ten million children’s health care off, or rattling sabers at Iran, or even which Republican hypocrite got caught with his pants down. I figure we should enjoy the comic relief whenever we get a chance.

The photograph at left was originally obtained by Google Maps over the internet, and has since proliferated across the ‘net, on YouTube, and in print and video media. For rather obvious reasons. It’s a building housing U.S. Navy SEALs at the Coronado amphibious base near San Diego, California. It was built in 1968, and has been sitting there in a ‘no fly’ zone for 39 years where only Navy and Marine pilots (and passengers) could see it from the air. Until satellite images became public access not long ago…

Continue reading »

Filed under Humor, Military | Comments (3)

House Votes to Ignore Bush SCHIP Threat

SCHIP Expansion Passed

As I reported last month when the Congress was on its summer vacation, President Bush promised in July to veto any legislation reauthorizing and expanding the State Children’s Insurance Program, a.k.a. SCHIP.

He’s stuck to that promise even as members of his own party – and a large swath of its right-wing ‘base’ – have turned on him over this issue. Many Congressional Republicans facing re-election next year have been getting an earful from the constituents back home about children’s health care and the millions of working poor and middle class children who are functionally uninsured. It’s a public health issue. It’s a moral issue. It’s a big political thorn in the side. But, as usual, Silver spoon George is deaf and dumb. There’s just something about providing health care to other people’s children he can’t stomach. And since he keeps reminding us that he’s the Decider-er, that’s that.

Continue reading »

Filed under Bush, For-Profit Insurance, Health Care, Universal Care | Comments (4)

John Grisham Steps On Iowa Republicans’ Toes

In an interview this past Thursday with the Des Moines Register newspaper, best-selling author John Grisham made more news with his entrance onto the political stage than with his new book, scheduled for release Monday [September 24].

Grisham slams war, tells book’s Iowa ties appeared in Friday’s Register, featuring scant information about the book and lots of quotes about his political opinions.

Continue reading »

Filed under Bush, Hillary Clinton, Iowa, John Grisham, Presidential Candidates, Republicans | Comment (0)

Avast, Ye Landlubbers! Arrrrrr…!

Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, so I think it be a Cracken good idee to invite me matey Cap’n Randall to spin a sea-yarn for all us swabbies. About dark buckaneers an’ dirty deeds in foreign ports, blunderbuss firing and cannonballs’ thunder, and Davy Jones’ locker.

The Cap’n eats fire, ye bilge rats! Don’ ye cross ‘im or he’ll sent ye straight to Davy Jones!

Follow me below to the bilges if ye dare….

Continue reading »

Filed under Corruption, Foreign Policy, Mercenaries, Military, Talk Like a Pirate, War | Comment (0)

US Foreign Policy Gone All Wrong

I’ve always been rather fond of the Foreign Service, the idea that diplomacy is an important aspect of establishment and maintenance of a global economy, the furtherance of progress and human rights. Always more effective than war, as well as less deadly.

So it was with interest that I read a report from the Denver Research Group dated 9-15. In which they report things that should definitely be of concern to Americans. The gutting of both intelligence capabilities and diplomatic standing during the Bush-II presidency have been significant, and may prove difficult to rectify when they’re gone (scheduled for January 20, 2009).

Continue reading »

Filed under Balance of Power, Bush, China, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Russia | Comment (1)

6 Years Later: Osama bin Laden is still free.

I shed my share of remembrance tears just like everyone else today. They taste more bitter than salty. Guess I’m better at remembering than I am at forgetting.

This Years’ Osama bin Laden

When it was announced last week that bin Laden had sent another of his annual video greeting cards to America, I didn’t even bother to view any out-takes or try to guess if this year’s bin Laden is the real McCoy or just another bad actor too fat or too black to pull it off. I figure if George Bush isn’t concerned enough about him to care, why should I?

Again counter-terrorism expert Larry Johnson agrees with my take, though he beat me to the analysis this time. On his blog he calls it The Bin Laden Video Nonsense and complains about this bin Laden’s dyed beard – Grecian Formula for facial hair.

Continue reading »

Filed under 9-11, al Quaeda, Military, Osama bin Laden, Propaganda, War | Comments (2)

Saber-Rattling 101:

How to Scare the Bejesus Out of Tyrants and Tin-Horns

The buzz on the left has been insistent for a couple of weeks now about what the Bush administration is planning to do about Iran’s apparently insane Shi’ite political leader and his nuclear ambitions. The carrier fleet and their escorts have been deployed to the Gulf, the rhetoric has kicked up a few notches about how accessible Iran’s nuclear facilities are to air and sea strikes, there’s even been some talk of a draft. Because Iran’s got a heck of an army and they could march it into Iraq if it felt the need.

There are of course many reasons to doubt that our current war-loving band of chicken-hawk miscreants in Washington are really dumb enough to attack Iran, particularly since Israel issued a statement on Wednesday that they’d be willing to live with a nuclear Iran. So long as it’s just power, of course, as opposed to weapons.

Thus it was with a wry smile and a roll of the eyes that I saw the several news reports about 5 ACMs – Advanced Cruise Missiles – mounted with 5-150 kiloton nuclear warheads (these qualify as tactical nukes as opposed to strategic ones on ICBMs that boast multiple megaton warheads) that were ‘accidentally’ flown from Minot AFB in North Dakota to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana on August 30. Oops.

Continue reading »

Filed under Bush, Military, Nuclear Weapons, War | Comments (2)