Something else to blame "Old Europe" for
Thanks!!

Raised Middle Finger Is Ancient Gesture: Experts who have studied the history of the raised middle finger have found written references to it as far back as ancient Greek and Roman times. The gesture's sexual meaning has always been roughly the same, and it has always been considered rude.

Those findings, the experts say, debunk a common legend that "flipping the bird" got its start at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. As that story goes, the victorious British supposedly raised their middle fingers after the French threatened to chop off the middle digits of captured English soldiers. But experts say there is no written proof of the story. - link.

Updates
There's a new poll up! Now if I could only figure out how to fix the permalinks without destroying my archives.
Was Smirky the Clueless Cokehead speaking just now? The markets just tanked.
It's snowing again.

Yeah, but what about Clinton??
{/sarcasm}

Don Williams, founding editor of New Millennium Writings, on such government lies as the battleship Maine explosion, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Iran-Contra scandal, and the first Gulf War:

Are you being duped? Ask yourself that question before condemning those who oppose bombing, invading and occupying Iraq. It wouldn't be the first time your own government, including your president, has lied to justify war. It happens in every other generation.

If you love America as I do, then you owe it to yourself and your children to seek the truth and reject even the lies told with the best of intentions by our own leaders. Governments throughout history have lied, and many folks around the world have become smart enough to know it.

Maybe that explains why, even as talking heads on CNN and ABC gushed over how brilliantly Secretary of State Colin Powell had made the case for war against Iraq - with his photographs of trucks and bulldozers and his little bag of phony anthrax and his weird tape recordings - the world responded with the largest peace demonstration in history against a war that hadn't even started. It's one that doesn't have to if the truth be told.

Blah blah blah
"It's a moment to determine, for this body that we hope continues, to determine whether or not it is going to be relevant as the world confronts the threats of the 21st century." - the incredible raging nincompoop, on the UN, 2/24/03. I guess he means in relation to Iraq and not the Bush misadministration.

Democrats Challenge AWOL's Credibility
Democratic leaders, after receiving a small crate of testicles from the French, circulated "Caught on Film: a photo history of the Bush credibility gap," highlighting "various examples of the Administration making promises at various photo-ops and then slashing funding for the very priorities it stressed." It covered everything from education to programs for the poor.

Several republicans described Emperor Snippy as "peeved" that Tom Daschle and others are questioning his "honesty." - the Washingtoon comPost. Boo-f*cking-hoo. So where are they wrong, you idiot? Quit your damn whining and come clean.

I can just hear the whore pundit response now: Clinton! Monica! Xlintoon! As if a bj can compare to the monumental f*cking we've been getting from pReznit Dumbass and company.




Bush Faces Increasingly Poor Image Overseas
"Leaders feel manipulated and deceived."
The messages from U.S. embassies around the globe have become urgent and disturbing: many people in the world increasingly think the arrogant, court-appointed AWOL Warmongering Wonderboob is a greater threat to world peace than Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Helmut Sonnenfeldt, guest scholar at the Brookings Institution and a staff member of the National Security Council during the Nixon administration, said about the attitudes overseas: "It was antiwar, not anti-American. Now it's anti-Bush, not anti-American." - link.




And he's not doing much to help it here, either
Democrats said Saturday that the White House was taking unprecedented steps to limit conversation at Monday's scheduled policy discussion between governors and pReznit Evil.

With their states' economies in tatters, members of the National Governors Association - who began their four-day winter meeting Saturday - are hoping to win more federal aid to cover soaring costs for health care, homeland security and education.

But the governors have been told that most of them won't be able to directly question the president during Monday's White House gathering. According to Nicole Harburger, communications director for the Democratic Governors Association, "Several of the governors are considering not attending the meeting. The governors are upset and concerned that the White House is not interested in a dialogue."

She said the governors have been told the group as a whole will be allowed just two questions - and must submit them in writing beforehand.

--snip-- Bush closed to the press Sunday's formal dinner with the governors; in years past, it had been open. The White House has even set limits on Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton's toast at the dinner. - link. I wonder how many questions Jeb! was "allowed."

1. How come you can give billions away to Turkey and other countries and do nothing to help out America?
2. When are you leaving? - Warrior, at the BC Forum, asks his own 2 questions.

Grammy antiwar statements will be allowed
Despite a report that CBS executives had considered blocking politically outspoken rockers, the network said last night it would not pull the plug on anyone protesting a war against Iraq.

"There will be no restrictions on artistic expression or opinions expressed during acceptance speeches," said CBS spokesman Chris Ender. - NY Daily News. Now if only the Grammys themselves didn't suck so bad!

View from my window: heavy rain, spring birds, deer looking for something to eat under a couple feet of snow.

Still trying to wake up after a bizarre night of listening to the cats use the litter box as a test-firing range. I better look into buying a different brand of cat chow.

A huuuuuuuge thank you to Jim Capozzola of The Rittenhouse Review for buying out the WTF page ads and for his very kind words. I'm still speechless.



"militaristic innuendo, bigotry and xenophobia"
From K.P. Nayar's piece in the Calcutta Telegraph, courtesy of SmirkingChimp.com:

One of the more dangerous aspects of the current countdown to war with Iraq is the role of the US media. With rare exceptions, American television has taken upon itself the task of selling president George W Bush's war against Saddam Hussein.

In this propaganda effort for the White House, it does not offer readers any adequate choice of views or news. It openly dismisses those who speak up against the coming conflict even on the few occasions when they are called to appear on television screens. It long ago gave up the pretence that as a free media, it was offering viewers enough balance and variety so that they could independently make up their minds on the question of overthrowing Saddam Hussein through an invasion.

[T]he American media, which takes pride in having brought down a president over Watergate, has been unwilling to investigate the hysteria whipped up by the state, presumably because it suits the administration's war plans.

Because America's mass media, by and large, has abdicated the responsibility to report the truth and gone along willingly with the administration's plans for war, there is confusion in the minds of Americans what the conflict with Iraq is all about.

getting dicked
Yeah, but what kind of job?
"...when a person has more money in their pocket, they're likely to demand somebody to produce them a good or a service....And, therefore, the cornerstone of good economic policy recognizes that the money in Washington, D.C. is not the government's money, it's the people's money. And the more of it you have in your pocket, the more likely somebody is going to find a job." - pReznit Privilege, 2/20/03, in between golf games with Zell Miller (D-INO).

{.....}
"It's important - it's very important for our citizens to understand the significant change that took place on September the 11th, 2001. Obviously, it changed a lot of people's lives and we still mourn for the families who lost life. But it used to be that oceans - we thought oceans could protect us, that we were guarded by the oceans; and that if there was a threat overseas, as a result of the protection from the oceans, we could decide whether to be involved or not. It might affect us overseas, but it couldn't affect us at home. And therefore, we have the luxury of kind of picking and choosing gathering threats." - Like North Korea. The Cretin of Crawford, Kennesaw, Georgia, 2/20/03, regarding, I'm guessing, either smokin' out those damn evil oilfields that terrized our country on 9/11, or the oceans that abetted them.


Meanwhile, in an alternate universe
"America and our allies are called once again to defend the peace against an aggressive tyrant, and we accept this responsibility."
"If war is forced upon us, we will liberate the people of Iraq from a cruel and violent dictator." - Squinty the Coked-up Crackhead, Kennesaw, 2/20/03, in between video games.

Bwwaahahahaha
Chickenshits.
CBS EXECUTIVES WANT NO 'ANTI-WAR' STATEMENTS DURING GRAMMYS
Top CBS executives are deeply concerned that Sunday night's Grammy Awards may turn from a celebration of music into an anti-war politically rally - developing, at drudge.

Let them eat cake
It's good to be the Dictator-tot.

Last week, Bush said he didn’t care if a majority of Americans thought he should wait and let the United Nations finish its work before invading Iraq.

“Sometimes you have to ignore popular opinion and do what’s right,” Bush said in a speech to a group of cheering veterans. “The President must govern, not be governed.”

Say what? Excuse me, King George, but this country was founded on the belief of “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Taking that Oath of Office didn’t suddenly endow you with great intellect or the ability to ignore the voice of the people you are supposed to represent. As I recall, your grade point average in school wasn’t that hot anyway. - Doug Thompson at Capitol Hill Blue.




The Martial Plan
Turkey has reportedly been offered the right to occupy much of Iraqi Kurdistan. Yes, that's right: as we move to liberate the Iraqis, our first step may be to deliver people who have been effectively independent since 1991 into the hands of a hated foreign overlord. Moral clarity!

Some observers also point out that the administration has turned the regular foreign aid budget into a tool of war diplomacy. Small countries that currently have seats on the U.N. Security Council have suddenly received favorable treatment for aid requests, in an obvious attempt to influence their votes. Cynics say that the "coalition of the willing" President Bush spoke of turns out to be a "coalition of the bought off" instead. - Paul Krugman.

Duct 'n' cover!
The Moron of Midland will be hosting Prime Minister Jose Aznar of Spain at the Lazy W, his bogus Texas "ranch" Friday and Saturday.




Inspectors: U.S. Tips Total Bullshit
U.N. arms inspectors are complaining about the quality of U.S. intelligence and accusing the Bushies of not only sending them on wild-goose chases, but flat-out lying. In fact, the U.S. claim that Iraq is developing missiles that could hit its neighbors – or U.S. troops in the region, or even Israel – is just one of the claims coming from Washington that inspectors here are finding increasingly unbelievable. They've become so frustrated trying to chase down unspecific or ambiguous U.S. leads that they've begun to express that anger privately in no uncertain terms.

The inspectors have become so exasperated that one source has referred to the U.S. intelligence they've been getting as "garbage after garbage after garbage." In fact, news correspondent Mark Phillips says the source used another cruder word. - CBS News.

"If you're talking about bringing democracy to the Iraqi people, this administration doesn't even like us to have it here." - Janeane Garofalo.


Great moments in television, cont.
Who watched Ms Garofalo and later Vic Kamber kick Tucker's pasty, clueless ass on Crossfire the other night? I've been listening to him and other rightwing blowhards disparage "Hollywood celebrities" for their opinions on the upcoming War for Oil and Larger Genitalia for weeks now. But something...strange happened yesterday: I was carpooling to a computer course with a repug coworker, listening to the sanctimonious Bill Bennett being interviewed on Fox and Friends on the radio, when I heard him say he was going to LA to get some celebrities to speak out for war. I almost peed my pants.




Repug strategist Alex Castellanos: I think the president suffers from several disadvantages. One is the Democratic candidates are out there now. They're launching their campaigns, they're raising their special interest money, they're attacking the president. Meanwhile, he's busy leading and protecting the country.

Paul Begala: How's that working out so far?




The French remember all too well
Molly Ivins writes, "George Will saw fit to include in his latest Newsweek column this joke: 'How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? No one knows, it's never been tried.' That was certainly amusing. One million, four hundred thousand French soldiers were killed during World War I. As a result, there weren't many Frenchmen left to fight in World War II. Nevertheless, 100,000 French soldiers lost their lives trying to stop Hitler. On behalf of every one of those 100,000 men, I would like to thank Mr. Will for his clever joke. They were out-manned, out-gunned, out-generaled and, above all, out-tanked. They got slaughtered, but they stood and they fought. Ha-ha, how funny... And for eighteen months after that execrable defeat, the United States of America continued to have cordial diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany" - link.
- and Grandpa Bush was getting rich financing them.

Working on the 'cheer up' thing

Pippin and Merry suddenly realize that, just as their mothers
had feared, they did indeed forget to bring clean underwear.
- http://www.ninecompanions.net/



Quote
"Someone needs to tell Bush and Rove to be careful invading Iraq. The Iraqis are not Democrats and will probably fight back." - Denny, in the BuzzFlash mailbag.

Plastique Jesus
"George W. Bush's faith offers no speed bumps on the road to Baghdad; it does not give him pause or force him to reflect. It is a source of comfort and strength but not of wisdom." - from The Blinding Glare of His Certainty, by Joe Klein.




Update
MikeD wrote in to remind me that pReznit Stupid, though he derided deciding "policy based up on a focus group," actually used a focus group to prepare the 'duct tape and cover' answer to terrorism. He wins a cigar, which I'll smoke tonight in his honor. Thanks, buddy.

'Propagandists for the Establishment'
From 'War, protest and the press: The failure of American journalism:' Like bloodied Christian penitents, the media repeatedly flagellate themselves, citing polls that say the public is losing respect for and confidence in the media. Inevitably, the response to these polls is for editors to yank even harder on the leashes constraining their reporters to the "objective" reporting of stories. Yet this is precisely why the American public has lost confidence in the mainstream corporate media.

As the line between entertainment and news has blurred, Americans, long adept at spotting snake-oil salesmen and deconstructing advertising, have realized that they are getting fed a line by the newsmedia. - Dave Lindorfof CounterPunch, courtesy of SmirkingChimp.com.





"Some of you may die, but it's a price I'm willing to pay."
We've been told we're going to war to eliminate weapons of mass destruction we haven't located yet; to retaliate for links to al Qaeda that are historically tenuous; to eliminate a man for actions he might take some day; to liberate an oppressed people we didn't care about before Sept. 11.

Which is it? It doesn't matter to the Bush administration, as long as you accept any of the above. - from Robert Steinback's column, here.

Great moments in television
"Tucker, you ignorant slut."

Tony Coelho bitchslapped Rovian boytoy Tucker 'Squee!' Carlson on last night's Crossfire. And though he didn't use the exact words in the quote above, he came pretty damn close.





Unca Dick has another oily wet dream
After we're done bombing you to smithereens, you can pay for your own reconstruction.

I'm kind of incoherent today - the cats decided to spend most of last night playing tag on the bed, when they weren't using it as a trampoline.

"I would say this about this president, is that he wants to go to war with Iraq in the worst possible way. And so far as I can see, he's succeeding." - James Carville, 2/18/03.




Dueling headlines
Powell: Anti-War Camp 'Afraid of Responsibility'
US, UK Ponder Resolution to Placate Anti-War Camp
- seen at Yahoo News this morning.



Hey hey, goodbye
'Coalition of the Willing' heading for the crapper

"The so-called willing coalition is collapsing. Bush's chicken hawks who drone on about some 30 countries supporting the war will soon have to face the fact that many of these nations will soon join France, Germany, Russia, Canada, and Mexico in opposition... Bulgaria's monarchist-based conservative government is on the verge of collapse and will be replaced by one opposed to Bush's war plans. A newly resurgent Dutch Labor Party is now within striking distance of the conservatives... Spain's pro-war conservative government has united the opposition against it with 65% of Spaniards opposed to a war... Only 24% of Czechs favor Bush's war, while 62% of Slovenians and Poles are against their governments' support for Bush... Italy's scandal-plagued Silvio Berlusconi may soon be voicing his support for Bush from an Italian prison." - Wayne Madsen, at CounterPunch, courtesy of Democrats.com.



GOP threats halted GAO Cheney/energy task force suit
Threats by republicans to cut the General Accounting Office (GAO) budget influenced its decision to abandon a lawsuit against Dick 'Chicanery' Cheney.

Sources familiar with high-level discussions at the GAO said Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Oilpig), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, met with GAO Comptroller General David Walker earlier this year and “unambiguously” pressured him to drop the suit or face cuts in his $440 million budget. - link. Isn't there a law against that??

'Axis of Weasels' list grows!
Woohoo!!

The Bushies' preparations for war with Iraq suffered a new setback today when Turkey dug in its heels in negotiations over its role as a launch pad for an invasion, and close ally Saudi Arabia warned it that bypassing the United Nations would make military action look like a "war of aggression."

And the New York Times Karl Rove steno pool reported that senior Bush officials were for the first time openly discussing what could go wrong both during an attack on Iraq and in the aftermath, including concerns that Baghdad could use human shields or explode oil fields. - link. I bet they haven't even gotten to who the hey is going to pay for it, either.

Update: Canada says, in a delightful accent, I'm sure, "no f*cking way, you imbecile!"

What I've been doing
Shovelling snow.
Watched Black Hawk Down on dvd. Good movie, and yes, Orlando Bloom was in it.
Snow shovelling.
Watched Bean - what a sick f*ck.
Shovelled snow.
Watched Planet of the Apes. The original, with Mr NRA in a loincloth. Wuh.
Shovelled more snow.
Right now I'm heating up some soup for lunch, then I'll have to go out and do some snow shovelling. I'm quickly running out of places to put it, though.