Joe Biden on Iraq...

Joe Biden has an Op-Ed column in the Washington Post this morning...



Would the Bush Administration be misleading us on the number of Iraqi Security Forces able to take the place of American Servicemen?



That couldn't be! Tell me it's not so Senator!

Training Iraqis: the Facts



By Joseph R. Biden Jr. Sunday, February 6, 2005; Page B07



Before we can begin to responsibly disengage from Iraq, two conditions must be met. First, an elected Iraqi government and constitution considered legitimate by the country's main factions must emerge. Second, that government must develop the capacity to provide law and order, deliver basic services and, most important, defeat the insurgency. Last Sunday's elections were an important step toward meeting the first condition, but they did little to advance the second.



During Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's confirmation, much was made of the dueling numbers she and I advanced regarding Iraq's security forces. Rice said there are about 125,000 trained Iraqi security forces. I maintained that the real number was between 4,000 and 18,000. What explains the discrepancy?

The rest can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Joe Biden on Iraq...

Joe Biden has an Op-Ed column in the Washington Post this morning...



Would the Bush Administration be misleading us on the number of Iraqi Security Forces able to take the place of American Servicemen?



That couldn't be! Tell me it's not so Senator!

Training Iraqis: the Facts



By Joseph R. Biden Jr. Sunday, February 6, 2005; Page B07



Before we can begin to responsibly disengage from Iraq, two conditions must be met. First, an elected Iraqi government and constitution considered legitimate by the country's main factions must emerge. Second, that government must develop the capacity to provide law and order, deliver basic services and, most important, defeat the insurgency. Last Sunday's elections were an important step toward meeting the first condition, but they did little to advance the second.



During Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's confirmation, much was made of the dueling numbers she and I advanced regarding Iraq's security forces. Rice said there are about 125,000 trained Iraqi security forces. I maintained that the real number was between 4,000 and 18,000. What explains the discrepancy?

The rest can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Thanks to to Sue in NH...

Over at Daily Kos, Sue in NH has a great post that I feel I need to share.

I'm a republican. Fuck you.

I'm a republican. I have my own pile of money. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. My kids go to private school. I don't care about your kids, or public schools. When my kids are better educated than yours, they will get better jobs and make more money than your kids. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I have a job with health insurance. If you were not so lazy or stupid, you would have a good job with health insurance too. It sure is sad when you go bankrupt after a catastrophic health crisis, but its probably your own damn fault anyway. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm a Christian. You are either a heathen, a raghead Muslim, or the wrong kind of Christian. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm going to heaven and you're going to hell. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. It is not only my right, it's my duty to spread freedom and democracy around the world. If you don't understand that, Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I have a condo in Vail, a summer home in Maine, and a beach house in Florida. We don't need any National Parks or protected forests. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm white. I'm perfect, and I'm not like all those brown, yellow and black people. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I live in a gated community. It's too bad about all the crime out there on the city streets, but that's your problem. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate taxes. Its my money. I earned it. I don't want to pay to support all you lazy, uneducated, pathetic poor people, least of all you teenage mothers (whores), you drug addicts and all you black boys. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate homosexuals. When I think of gay people, I think of of man-on-dog, horse on woman, threesomes, and other sexual fantasies, and that frightens me. If you are queer, or have a queer friend, Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I was born rich, and I've become more rich, and damn it, since I can't take it all with me, I'm going to make sure my kids are just as stinking rich. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm never wrong. I know everything, never make a mistake, and can't learn anything from you, you damn ignorant pussy democrats. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. My rights and civil liberties should be protected, but not yours, you terrorist loving, America hating, pansy liberal. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate you and everything you Democrats stand for, you fucking communists. Fuck you.



Rage, rage, rage against the lying right.

Damn that felt good! Do you have anything to add?

That about sums it up.



A link the post can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Thanks to to Sue in NH...

Over at Daily Kos, Sue in NH has a great post that I feel I need to share.

I'm a republican. Fuck you.

I'm a republican. I have my own pile of money. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. My kids go to private school. I don't care about your kids, or public schools. When my kids are better educated than yours, they will get better jobs and make more money than your kids. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I have a job with health insurance. If you were not so lazy or stupid, you would have a good job with health insurance too. It sure is sad when you go bankrupt after a catastrophic health crisis, but its probably your own damn fault anyway. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm a Christian. You are either a heathen, a raghead Muslim, or the wrong kind of Christian. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm going to heaven and you're going to hell. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. It is not only my right, it's my duty to spread freedom and democracy around the world. If you don't understand that, Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I have a condo in Vail, a summer home in Maine, and a beach house in Florida. We don't need any National Parks or protected forests. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm white. I'm perfect, and I'm not like all those brown, yellow and black people. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I live in a gated community. It's too bad about all the crime out there on the city streets, but that's your problem. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate taxes. Its my money. I earned it. I don't want to pay to support all you lazy, uneducated, pathetic poor people, least of all you teenage mothers (whores), you drug addicts and all you black boys. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate homosexuals. When I think of gay people, I think of of man-on-dog, horse on woman, threesomes, and other sexual fantasies, and that frightens me. If you are queer, or have a queer friend, Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I was born rich, and I've become more rich, and damn it, since I can't take it all with me, I'm going to make sure my kids are just as stinking rich. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I'm never wrong. I know everything, never make a mistake, and can't learn anything from you, you damn ignorant pussy democrats. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. My rights and civil liberties should be protected, but not yours, you terrorist loving, America hating, pansy liberal. Fuck you.



I'm a republican. I hate you and everything you Democrats stand for, you fucking communists. Fuck you.



Rage, rage, rage against the lying right.

Damn that felt good! Do you have anything to add?

That about sums it up.



A link the post can be found here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Hippy no more?

I have decided to trim my hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle.



Everyone should! Details can be found here.



-The North Korean Socialist

Hippy no more?

I have decided to trim my hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle.



Everyone should! Details can be found here.



-The North Korean Socialist

Thank you Dan Froomkin...

Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing column is a must read for me on a daily basis. Add it to you favorites now.



From Today's Edition:

The banner headlines in today's newspapers belong to the stories that dutifully recount the highlights of President Bush's daring State of the Union address.



But the morning news is also alive with little headlines advertising analyses and sidebars that dig deep into the speech's omissions, implications, misrepresentations and contradictions.



Most notably, on the issue of Social Security, many reporters pointed out that Bush warned alarmingly of financial disaster but didn't really say what he wanted to do about it. Instead, he spoke of the importance of personal accounts, which even supporters say wouldn't help.



In fact, careful observers of the run-up to war in Iraq will recognize some similarities in this strategy. Back then, as the president was making an argument for going to war, many critics said that he confused Americans by linking Saddam Hussein to the terrorists who struck on Sept. 11, 2001.



Now the Bush message is: Social Security is going bankrupt; Let's give people private accounts. Doubtless, the president is hoping the public will link those two concepts as well.



Before the speech, a senior administration official spoke at length and on background about Bush's plan for private accounts. He also pretty clearly implied that the White House sees across-the-board benefit reductions in the offing. They just don't want to talk about it.



Here's the transcript of that very important briefing.



When push came to shove, and it did, the official was grudgingly more forthcoming than the president on some key issues. For instance:



"QUESTION: "[A]m I right in assuming . . . that it would be fair to describe this as having -- the personal accounts by themselves as having no effect whatsoever on the solvency issue?



"SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: . . . that's a fair inference. . . .



"QUESTION: But is it fair to say that when everybody wakes up tomorrow morning, the president is not going to have given them an answer tonight about the $3.7 trillion shortfall, and that presumably, since he's ruled out higher taxes, that the deal that he goes along with is going to have to come up with $3.7 trillion worth of benefit cuts?



"SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I'm not sure I would categorize it that way. . . . "

Read the rest of today's column here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Thank you Dan Froomkin...

Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing column is a must read for me on a daily basis. Add it to you favorites now.



From Today's Edition:

The banner headlines in today's newspapers belong to the stories that dutifully recount the highlights of President Bush's daring State of the Union address.



But the morning news is also alive with little headlines advertising analyses and sidebars that dig deep into the speech's omissions, implications, misrepresentations and contradictions.



Most notably, on the issue of Social Security, many reporters pointed out that Bush warned alarmingly of financial disaster but didn't really say what he wanted to do about it. Instead, he spoke of the importance of personal accounts, which even supporters say wouldn't help.



In fact, careful observers of the run-up to war in Iraq will recognize some similarities in this strategy. Back then, as the president was making an argument for going to war, many critics said that he confused Americans by linking Saddam Hussein to the terrorists who struck on Sept. 11, 2001.



Now the Bush message is: Social Security is going bankrupt; Let's give people private accounts. Doubtless, the president is hoping the public will link those two concepts as well.



Before the speech, a senior administration official spoke at length and on background about Bush's plan for private accounts. He also pretty clearly implied that the White House sees across-the-board benefit reductions in the offing. They just don't want to talk about it.



Here's the transcript of that very important briefing.



When push came to shove, and it did, the official was grudgingly more forthcoming than the president on some key issues. For instance:



"QUESTION: "[A]m I right in assuming . . . that it would be fair to describe this as having -- the personal accounts by themselves as having no effect whatsoever on the solvency issue?



"SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: . . . that's a fair inference. . . .



"QUESTION: But is it fair to say that when everybody wakes up tomorrow morning, the president is not going to have given them an answer tonight about the $3.7 trillion shortfall, and that presumably, since he's ruled out higher taxes, that the deal that he goes along with is going to have to come up with $3.7 trillion worth of benefit cuts?



"SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I'm not sure I would categorize it that way. . . . "

Read the rest of today's column here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

SOTU -- Who was the Iraqi Woman Last Night?

Everyone needs to imediately check out this post over at Daily Kos. It was posted in the diaries by mikel1814.

I am always interested in finding out who the people are that are chosen to sit with in the "good seats" at the State of The Union.



Especially after last year, when Chalabi was sitting in the seat. You often wonder who these people are.



So as I'm watching the woman hold up a shaky "peace" sign, finger stained in purple, you are wonder. "Did they fly her in? Wow, that's some crazy symbolism."



So I decided to look around.

So, What did he find?

Here's what Bush said.

"Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country -- and we are honored that she is with us tonight."

Her name is Safia Taleb Al Souhail.

Wow. What a Story. Mikel1814 continues:

I was struck by the line "three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote..."



I did a search and found that she published an article in December of 2003 for the group "Foundation For the Defence of Democracies."

[www.defenddemocracy.org]



They seem pretty reasonable when you look at their mission statement on the website.



The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a non-partisan, non-profit policy institute dedicated to:





Finding the most effective ways to defeat terrorism--and the totalitarian ideologies used to incite and justify terrorism.



Employing strategic communications, education and research to fight terrorism across national, ethnic and religious lines.



Promoting freedom and basic human rights for all peoples.

Wow. Sounds good, doesn't it. Let's see where that leads him...

So, then I went to see who they are, being non-partisan and all. Board of Directors?

Steve Forbes.

Jack Kemp.

Jeanne Kirkpatrick.



OK, so far not so balanced.



Distinguished Advisors?

Newt Gingrich.

R. James Woolsey.



OK, yikes. Still a bit off kilter.



Board of Advisors?

Gary Bauer.

Charles Karuthammer, (yes the columnist)

Bill Kristol.

Zell Miller.

Richard Perle.



wow. OK and then finally we see who represents the other side on that board.



Donna Brazille. (?)

Frank Lautenberg.

Chuck Schumer.



All very interesting, strange, but leading me away from my original question. Who is Safia Taleb Al Souhail?

He's right. That doesn't really tell us much. Let's let him get back to his research:

Well I read her piece published under the banner of this group here. It was written in January of 2003. Just before we headed off to war. I think it's important to remember the mood of the time, and the debates we were having.



http://www.defenddemocracy.org/usr_doc/Ongoing_War.pdf



The first paragraph is what got me.



"As we watch UN inspectors search Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, I ask, why are there no UN inspectors investigating Saddam Hussein's crimes against the Iraqi people? Along with hidden caches of biological and chemical weapons, Iraw also has hidden tourture chambers, prisons, and maass graves."



Sound familiar? Does to me. Not only does he have lots of weapons that he's hiding, the United Nations is a worthless organization that isn't holding Sadaam accountable. Hmmm...



The article goes on to explain how bad Sadaam was for women, which we all know his brutality was second to none. But what struck me again was that she left the country in 1968. She returned to the country at some point recently. I found an article about her return to Iraq. to hold a Iraqi women's conference in Baghdad in July "facilitated by the coalition provisional authority." It seems she was in a group of people that had "returned" to Iraq with the "facitity" of the CPA. This was at another pastel colored, sleek website called "womenforiraq.org"



But here it is again, you click to read more about the conference in Baghdad...and you go to another blank page that says "Hopefully /article928.php at www.i-a-j.org will be up again soon. - 1254726158" And you click the "home" button and you're right back at that anti-spyware site. All of these groups are strangely connected to each other, and this one is now defunct.



But back to the article.



Her father was killed in 94. But although Bush said in the SOTU her father "was killed by Sadaam's Intelligence service," it's not quite the way you think it is. Her father was the leader of a tribe, but was killed in his exile home in Lebannon. How long was he in Lebbanon? Doesn't say, but the rest of the family was living in Jordan for nearly 30 years. It is not clear where Safia lived, but by this point, I'm sleepy and can hunt no more.

Apparently, Mikel1814 got the requisite rest, because he updated the post. From there it only gets more interesting:

**** [UPDATED: I don't know how to do the fun editorial update but here it is. I found some new information, the plot seems to thicken.





http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1379

US Secretly Helped Saddam

Al Bawaba – December 20, 2003





The daughter of a prominent Iraqi opposition leader, who was assassinated in Beirut by Saddam Hussein's secret service in 1994 said she would sue the ousted Iraqi president before three international courts, charging that the U.S. was a virtual accomplice in her father's murder.



Nora al Tamimi, daughter of slain Iraqi opposition activist Taleb al Suhail al Tamimi, said from Beirut in a newspaper interview published Saturday that her father had planned a coup d'etat to overthrow Saddam in 1993, operating from Beirut and Amman.



"Zero hour was set for a certain June day in 1993 to stage the coup when Saddam would have been sponsoring an official event in Baghdad," Nora told the London-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper in an interview conducted at the family house in Beirut.



"But the Americans, who did not want the coup to succeed possibly because they were certain my father would not go along with their polices, tipped off Saddam about the impending putsch by my father and gave the names of his top aides," Nora said. "All of them died in Saddam's torture chambers."



Sheik Taleb Al Tamimi, who led a million-member Central Iraqi tribe called the Bani Tamim, was shot dead April 12, 1994 at his apartment in Beirut's Ein El Tineh district in an assassination officially blamed by the Lebanese authorities on four Iraqi embassy diplomats, who were detained and then released on the grounds they enjoyed diplomatic immunity, Nora recalled.



Saddam has severed Baghdad's diplomatic ties with Beirut upon the detention of the four.



Nora said she plans to sue Saddam at the United Nations, before the International Court of Justice at The Hague and before the world organization of human rights.



Nora said her sister Saffia, 38, a human rights activist, has already returned to Iraq and is currently making the needed arrangements in Baghdad to recover the family's bank accounts and property, which were confiscated by Saddam in 1968, when her father fled Iraq.



She said the family would return to Iraq soon with the remains of her father for reburial in his native country.

The names are slightly different, but theses are obviously the same people.

Summary? The Safia's sister blames the United States for not protecting her father and telling Sadaam about a pending coup attempt because they didn't trust Safia's father.



Is the prominent position within current policy a payback to cover some behinds? Perhaps Bill Hemmer wasn't far off when he said "she will soon be the Mayor of Baghdad."

The link to the original post is here.



Thanks Mikel.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

SOTU -- Who was the Iraqi Woman Last Night?

Everyone needs to imediately check out this post over at Daily Kos. It was posted in the diaries by mikel1814.

I am always interested in finding out who the people are that are chosen to sit with in the "good seats" at the State of The Union.



Especially after last year, when Chalabi was sitting in the seat. You often wonder who these people are.



So as I'm watching the woman hold up a shaky "peace" sign, finger stained in purple, you are wonder. "Did they fly her in? Wow, that's some crazy symbolism."



So I decided to look around.

So, What did he find?

Here's what Bush said.

"Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country -- and we are honored that she is with us tonight."

Her name is Safia Taleb Al Souhail.

Wow. What a Story. Mikel1814 continues:

I was struck by the line "three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote..."



I did a search and found that she published an article in December of 2003 for the group "Foundation For the Defence of Democracies."

[www.defenddemocracy.org]



They seem pretty reasonable when you look at their mission statement on the website.



The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a non-partisan, non-profit policy institute dedicated to:





Finding the most effective ways to defeat terrorism--and the totalitarian ideologies used to incite and justify terrorism.



Employing strategic communications, education and research to fight terrorism across national, ethnic and religious lines.



Promoting freedom and basic human rights for all peoples.

Wow. Sounds good, doesn't it. Let's see where that leads him...

So, then I went to see who they are, being non-partisan and all. Board of Directors?

Steve Forbes.

Jack Kemp.

Jeanne Kirkpatrick.



OK, so far not so balanced.



Distinguished Advisors?

Newt Gingrich.

R. James Woolsey.



OK, yikes. Still a bit off kilter.



Board of Advisors?

Gary Bauer.

Charles Karuthammer, (yes the columnist)

Bill Kristol.

Zell Miller.

Richard Perle.



wow. OK and then finally we see who represents the other side on that board.



Donna Brazille. (?)

Frank Lautenberg.

Chuck Schumer.



All very interesting, strange, but leading me away from my original question. Who is Safia Taleb Al Souhail?

He's right. That doesn't really tell us much. Let's let him get back to his research:

Well I read her piece published under the banner of this group here. It was written in January of 2003. Just before we headed off to war. I think it's important to remember the mood of the time, and the debates we were having.



http://www.defenddemocracy.org/usr_doc/Ongoing_War.pdf



The first paragraph is what got me.



"As we watch UN inspectors search Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, I ask, why are there no UN inspectors investigating Saddam Hussein's crimes against the Iraqi people? Along with hidden caches of biological and chemical weapons, Iraw also has hidden tourture chambers, prisons, and maass graves."



Sound familiar? Does to me. Not only does he have lots of weapons that he's hiding, the United Nations is a worthless organization that isn't holding Sadaam accountable. Hmmm...



The article goes on to explain how bad Sadaam was for women, which we all know his brutality was second to none. But what struck me again was that she left the country in 1968. She returned to the country at some point recently. I found an article about her return to Iraq. to hold a Iraqi women's conference in Baghdad in July "facilitated by the coalition provisional authority." It seems she was in a group of people that had "returned" to Iraq with the "facitity" of the CPA. This was at another pastel colored, sleek website called "womenforiraq.org"



But here it is again, you click to read more about the conference in Baghdad...and you go to another blank page that says "Hopefully /article928.php at www.i-a-j.org will be up again soon. - 1254726158" And you click the "home" button and you're right back at that anti-spyware site. All of these groups are strangely connected to each other, and this one is now defunct.



But back to the article.



Her father was killed in 94. But although Bush said in the SOTU her father "was killed by Sadaam's Intelligence service," it's not quite the way you think it is. Her father was the leader of a tribe, but was killed in his exile home in Lebannon. How long was he in Lebbanon? Doesn't say, but the rest of the family was living in Jordan for nearly 30 years. It is not clear where Safia lived, but by this point, I'm sleepy and can hunt no more.

Apparently, Mikel1814 got the requisite rest, because he updated the post. From there it only gets more interesting:

**** [UPDATED: I don't know how to do the fun editorial update but here it is. I found some new information, the plot seems to thicken.





http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1379

US Secretly Helped Saddam

Al Bawaba – December 20, 2003





The daughter of a prominent Iraqi opposition leader, who was assassinated in Beirut by Saddam Hussein's secret service in 1994 said she would sue the ousted Iraqi president before three international courts, charging that the U.S. was a virtual accomplice in her father's murder.



Nora al Tamimi, daughter of slain Iraqi opposition activist Taleb al Suhail al Tamimi, said from Beirut in a newspaper interview published Saturday that her father had planned a coup d'etat to overthrow Saddam in 1993, operating from Beirut and Amman.



"Zero hour was set for a certain June day in 1993 to stage the coup when Saddam would have been sponsoring an official event in Baghdad," Nora told the London-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper in an interview conducted at the family house in Beirut.



"But the Americans, who did not want the coup to succeed possibly because they were certain my father would not go along with their polices, tipped off Saddam about the impending putsch by my father and gave the names of his top aides," Nora said. "All of them died in Saddam's torture chambers."



Sheik Taleb Al Tamimi, who led a million-member Central Iraqi tribe called the Bani Tamim, was shot dead April 12, 1994 at his apartment in Beirut's Ein El Tineh district in an assassination officially blamed by the Lebanese authorities on four Iraqi embassy diplomats, who were detained and then released on the grounds they enjoyed diplomatic immunity, Nora recalled.



Saddam has severed Baghdad's diplomatic ties with Beirut upon the detention of the four.



Nora said she plans to sue Saddam at the United Nations, before the International Court of Justice at The Hague and before the world organization of human rights.



Nora said her sister Saffia, 38, a human rights activist, has already returned to Iraq and is currently making the needed arrangements in Baghdad to recover the family's bank accounts and property, which were confiscated by Saddam in 1968, when her father fled Iraq.



She said the family would return to Iraq soon with the remains of her father for reburial in his native country.

The names are slightly different, but theses are obviously the same people.

Summary? The Safia's sister blames the United States for not protecting her father and telling Sadaam about a pending coup attempt because they didn't trust Safia's father.



Is the prominent position within current policy a payback to cover some behinds? Perhaps Bill Hemmer wasn't far off when he said "she will soon be the Mayor of Baghdad."

The link to the original post is here.



Thanks Mikel.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

This is BUSH Democracy...

Thanks to Markos over at Daily Kos for this link.

City Commissioner Linda Coates says she was shocked to learn she and her husband were among more than 40 area residents on a list of people barred from attending President Bush's speech here Thursday.



The list was supplied to workers at the two Fargo distribution sites, along with tickets and other forms citizens were asked to fill out, The Forum reported.

See the rest here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

This is BUSH Democracy...

Thanks to Markos over at Daily Kos for this link.

City Commissioner Linda Coates says she was shocked to learn she and her husband were among more than 40 area residents on a list of people barred from attending President Bush's speech here Thursday.



The list was supplied to workers at the two Fargo distribution sites, along with tickets and other forms citizens were asked to fill out, The Forum reported.

See the rest here.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

State of the Union real time thoughts...

The Purple Finger Thing... Sieg Heil!



Clear Skies Legislation? We changed the way we measure pollution so we record less of it. I don't think people are going to get healthier.



Less dependent on foreign energy... Right. He wants to drill ANWAR but won't tell the Saudis to piss off...



Tax System... When the president said "Fair to All" he meant rich people.



Immigration... The President wants temporary guest workers! From Mexico. He just wants to be able to kick them out when he's done.



We must honor Social Security... By dismantling it!



The system is only headed towards bankruptcy using Enron style accounting.



Denny Hastert looks like he crapped his pants...



For those of you however that are younger than 55, GRAB YOUR ANKLES!!!



Yes, worse with time... See, I'm going to be the president for 4 more years.



Either the President is being intentionally dishonest, or people didn't do an honest job of explaining the system.



BROKE BROKE BROKE...



Uh, would could ask higher wage earners to pay FICA on their entire wages, instead of pretending no one makes more than $85,000... Nah.



The Generals look pretty in the front row.



What is good for the Democrats is most of what he is listing as Social Security Reforms sound like complicated Economic babble that not even he understands... People don't care, they just don't want anyone to fuck with it.



Denny Hastert is about to cry...



I need to start timestamping these things...



2037 Privatization! Private Accounts! Personal Accounts! Get me a pollster!



2028 He wants us to build a nest egg! Oh, but he doesn't tell you that your money will be in the stock market, but you don't get to to decide what stocks it is invested in.



2029 The government cannot take it away. I thought the republicans believed the private sector could always do better than government? Why would I want the government to manage my mutual fund?



2030 Ah Federal Employees! An example for us all!



2031 Marriage is Sacred. If gay people get married you children WILL DIE!!!



2032 Oh, there's the idea of messing with the constitution. I knew I would find you.



2032 NIH!!! WHOO HOO!



2032 No stems cells for you! Uh, tell that to the kids with cancer and paralysis.



2033 Always Ethical!!



2033 He doesn't want judges legislating from the bench. Tell that to his federal Judicial Nominees.



2034 Every Nominee deserves an up or down vote!!! (Unless Clinton nominated them.)



2035 Wow... the president wants Gang Members to respect women and reject violence. Every crip should report to their nearest police station and claim you copy of Men are from Mars Women are from Venus.



2036 At least the President is against AIDS. (As long as you're not from Africa.)



2036 Rep. Ford!!



2037 Double sure we don't convict innocent people. And if we might execute innocent people, Alberto Gonzales will make sure we don't know it.



2038 I promise children will be Free of Fear!!! Uh... by overhauling the CIA.



2039 Thanks Policemen and Firemen... Oh especially those of you in Washington D.C. who used you Homeland Security budget to pay for inauguration Security.



2040 We will keep killing Brown People everywhere there is sand and until they figure out that we've won.



2041 Why is the President proposing giving our fighting men and women the tools for victory. Shouldn't we have done that a couple of years ago?



2042 The President's Tie is very red



2042 Oh, we're going to build a coalition to defeat the dangers of our time. International Pretzel Brigade, move out!



2043 The force of Human Freedom... Unless you're a prisoner in Texas... Or Iraq...



2044 George Bush wants to end tyranny in our World. We need to start at home.



2044 Uh, we did force our form of government on other people, asshole.



2045 Smiling Afghan woman... HOT!



2045 CONDI!



2045 Coming to a country near you! It's the Bushapalooza tour. If you don't like it, we'll bomb the hell out of you.



2046 America plans to do a lot for a country who apparently can't afford Social Security.



2046 Morocco! Home of Tyranny!



2047 democracy? Egypt will show us the way!



2047 Paging Dr. Orwell! Weapons of Mass Murder?



2048 Hey Syria... We're going to threaten you but don't call our bluff because we don't have the money or the man power to do anything about it.



2048 Same goes for you Iran.



2049 The President just told Iran to Overthrow their government. I think they learned enough watching us let the Kurds get killed in Iraq 13 years ago.



2050 Tay-Ron.



2050 Sieg Heil!! Blue Finger! Sieg Heil!! We love Der Furher! Blue Finger!



2051 Let the families of the soldiers that have been killed by insurgents tell you how weak they are.



2051 Voting is a civic REPSONSIBILITY. Unless you're a democrat in Ohio or Florida.



2052 Did you see him try an pronounce that name?



2054 Remember this night when Iraq break out into Civil War.



2055 More capable Iraqi Security Forces? Isn't this the same speech from last year? Oh, we didn't get around to it.



2056 Freedom in Iraq will make America safer. Going back to history... Oh that's right. Iraq was never a threat to us. Ever.



2057 The terruahists can wait us out, dumbass. They're never going to stop trying to get us to leave. And if someone was occupying the United States, we wouldn't stop either.



2058 Errrrg.. Troops Good... Democrats Bad.... Errrrrg



2058 The volunteers of our Military... what about the ones that are no longer volunteers? Like, the ones who have fulfilled their commitment and want out but cannot get out?



2059 Watch out for it... He's about to attempt buy off the families of everyone Killed In Action... $400,000 for everybody!



2059 I killed your son. No one's sure why. We've changed our reasons 4 or 5 times. Take a bow Mrs. Norwood.



2101 Large Events? Like the Superbowl? Oh, times of sorrow. You mean the Orange Bowl.



2101 I'm a part of his great Venture?



2102 FDR. Sure. I'm going to start saying the Democrats are the party of Lincoln.



2102 No, Thank you Mr. President.







initial thought. The Purple Fingers seemed a little too Nazi for me.







2103 Lieberman just kissed the President. Will Chairman Dean drum him out of the party? Please?



Ok, Russert is verbally wanking right now... so I am going to take a while to digest what I have just seen.



Don't expect praises.







-The Oklahoma Hippy

State of the Union real time thoughts...

The Purple Finger Thing... Sieg Heil!



Clear Skies Legislation? We changed the way we measure pollution so we record less of it. I don't think people are going to get healthier.



Less dependent on foreign energy... Right. He wants to drill ANWAR but won't tell the Saudis to piss off...



Tax System... When the president said "Fair to All" he meant rich people.



Immigration... The President wants temporary guest workers! From Mexico. He just wants to be able to kick them out when he's done.



We must honor Social Security... By dismantling it!



The system is only headed towards bankruptcy using Enron style accounting.



Denny Hastert looks like he crapped his pants...



For those of you however that are younger than 55, GRAB YOUR ANKLES!!!



Yes, worse with time... See, I'm going to be the president for 4 more years.



Either the President is being intentionally dishonest, or people didn't do an honest job of explaining the system.



BROKE BROKE BROKE...



Uh, would could ask higher wage earners to pay FICA on their entire wages, instead of pretending no one makes more than $85,000... Nah.



The Generals look pretty in the front row.



What is good for the Democrats is most of what he is listing as Social Security Reforms sound like complicated Economic babble that not even he understands... People don't care, they just don't want anyone to fuck with it.



Denny Hastert is about to cry...



I need to start timestamping these things...



2037 Privatization! Private Accounts! Personal Accounts! Get me a pollster!



2028 He wants us to build a nest egg! Oh, but he doesn't tell you that your money will be in the stock market, but you don't get to to decide what stocks it is invested in.



2029 The government cannot take it away. I thought the republicans believed the private sector could always do better than government? Why would I want the government to manage my mutual fund?



2030 Ah Federal Employees! An example for us all!



2031 Marriage is Sacred. If gay people get married you children WILL DIE!!!



2032 Oh, there's the idea of messing with the constitution. I knew I would find you.



2032 NIH!!! WHOO HOO!



2032 No stems cells for you! Uh, tell that to the kids with cancer and paralysis.



2033 Always Ethical!!



2033 He doesn't want judges legislating from the bench. Tell that to his federal Judicial Nominees.



2034 Every Nominee deserves an up or down vote!!! (Unless Clinton nominated them.)



2035 Wow... the president wants Gang Members to respect women and reject violence. Every crip should report to their nearest police station and claim you copy of Men are from Mars Women are from Venus.



2036 At least the President is against AIDS. (As long as you're not from Africa.)



2036 Rep. Ford!!



2037 Double sure we don't convict innocent people. And if we might execute innocent people, Alberto Gonzales will make sure we don't know it.



2038 I promise children will be Free of Fear!!! Uh... by overhauling the CIA.



2039 Thanks Policemen and Firemen... Oh especially those of you in Washington D.C. who used you Homeland Security budget to pay for inauguration Security.



2040 We will keep killing Brown People everywhere there is sand and until they figure out that we've won.



2041 Why is the President proposing giving our fighting men and women the tools for victory. Shouldn't we have done that a couple of years ago?



2042 The President's Tie is very red



2042 Oh, we're going to build a coalition to defeat the dangers of our time. International Pretzel Brigade, move out!



2043 The force of Human Freedom... Unless you're a prisoner in Texas... Or Iraq...



2044 George Bush wants to end tyranny in our World. We need to start at home.



2044 Uh, we did force our form of government on other people, asshole.



2045 Smiling Afghan woman... HOT!



2045 CONDI!



2045 Coming to a country near you! It's the Bushapalooza tour. If you don't like it, we'll bomb the hell out of you.



2046 America plans to do a lot for a country who apparently can't afford Social Security.



2046 Morocco! Home of Tyranny!



2047 democracy? Egypt will show us the way!



2047 Paging Dr. Orwell! Weapons of Mass Murder?



2048 Hey Syria... We're going to threaten you but don't call our bluff because we don't have the money or the man power to do anything about it.



2048 Same goes for you Iran.



2049 The President just told Iran to Overthrow their government. I think they learned enough watching us let the Kurds get killed in Iraq 13 years ago.



2050 Tay-Ron.



2050 Sieg Heil!! Blue Finger! Sieg Heil!! We love Der Furher! Blue Finger!



2051 Let the families of the soldiers that have been killed by insurgents tell you how weak they are.



2051 Voting is a civic REPSONSIBILITY. Unless you're a democrat in Ohio or Florida.



2052 Did you see him try an pronounce that name?



2054 Remember this night when Iraq break out into Civil War.



2055 More capable Iraqi Security Forces? Isn't this the same speech from last year? Oh, we didn't get around to it.



2056 Freedom in Iraq will make America safer. Going back to history... Oh that's right. Iraq was never a threat to us. Ever.



2057 The terruahists can wait us out, dumbass. They're never going to stop trying to get us to leave. And if someone was occupying the United States, we wouldn't stop either.



2058 Errrrg.. Troops Good... Democrats Bad.... Errrrrg



2058 The volunteers of our Military... what about the ones that are no longer volunteers? Like, the ones who have fulfilled their commitment and want out but cannot get out?



2059 Watch out for it... He's about to attempt buy off the families of everyone Killed In Action... $400,000 for everybody!



2059 I killed your son. No one's sure why. We've changed our reasons 4 or 5 times. Take a bow Mrs. Norwood.



2101 Large Events? Like the Superbowl? Oh, times of sorrow. You mean the Orange Bowl.



2101 I'm a part of his great Venture?



2102 FDR. Sure. I'm going to start saying the Democrats are the party of Lincoln.



2102 No, Thank you Mr. President.







initial thought. The Purple Fingers seemed a little too Nazi for me.







2103 Lieberman just kissed the President. Will Chairman Dean drum him out of the party? Please?



Ok, Russert is verbally wanking right now... so I am going to take a while to digest what I have just seen.



Don't expect praises.







-The Oklahoma Hippy

Oh Yeah...

For the 835th time, DON'T FUCK WITH SOCIAL SECURITY.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Oh Yeah...

For the 835th time, DON'T FUCK WITH SOCIAL SECURITY.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Feb 2nd...

This will be the 835th time I have woken up on this mornning, and I am at the end of my rope.



How many more times must I live through Feb 2nd?



Is there anyone else out there stuck on Groundhog's Day?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Feb 2nd...

This will be the 835th time I have woken up on this mornning, and I am at the end of my rope.



How many more times must I live through Feb 2nd?



Is there anyone else out there stuck on Groundhog's Day?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Thoughts on the Pope...

The Pope is in the hospital... There is no way of knowing how close to the end he may be.



In my 26 years I have never known another Pope. He has always loomed as a figure big as life to me. As much as I support liberalizing the church, (Birth control anyone?) I have always had enormous respect for him.



I suspect when the inevitable moment arrives and I hear that His Holiness has passed, I will feel a great deal of personal loss.



Your Holiness, you have served God faithfully and well. I pray that the Church will make it through this time of turmoil quickly. And I pity the man who is to succeed you. They will serve in quite a shadow.



I may not agree with a lot of church doctrine, but I will always respect you.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Thoughts on the Pope...

The Pope is in the hospital... There is no way of knowing how close to the end he may be.



In my 26 years I have never known another Pope. He has always loomed as a figure big as life to me. As much as I support liberalizing the church, (Birth control anyone?) I have always had enormous respect for him.



I suspect when the inevitable moment arrives and I hear that His Holiness has passed, I will feel a great deal of personal loss.



Your Holiness, you have served God faithfully and well. I pray that the Church will make it through this time of turmoil quickly. And I pity the man who is to succeed you. They will serve in quite a shadow.



I may not agree with a lot of church doctrine, but I will always respect you.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Chinese Cinema...

Ok... I am becoming a huge fan of Chinese Cinema. Hero was amazing, though it was propaganda.



So now I have a recommendation for all of you. This one is propaganda free and it is a beautiful movie.



It's called The Road Home.



From IMDB:

City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all the traditional burial customs be observed, despite the fact that times have changed so much. Yusheng realizes that his mother's wishes must be respected.

This doesn't come anywhere close to doing this movie justice. Go. Watch. Now.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Chinese Cinema...

Ok... I am becoming a huge fan of Chinese Cinema. Hero was amazing, though it was propaganda.



So now I have a recommendation for all of you. This one is propaganda free and it is a beautiful movie.



It's called The Road Home.



From IMDB:

City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all the traditional burial customs be observed, despite the fact that times have changed so much. Yusheng realizes that his mother's wishes must be respected.

This doesn't come anywhere close to doing this movie justice. Go. Watch. Now.



-The Oklahoma Hippy

The Iraq Election...

Daniel has a good point. I should blog the Iraq election... There has been so much said in the blogosphere that I'm not sure what I should add at this point. Since I am only on my lunch break at work, I don't have time for a full post at the moment, but I will tonight or tomorrow.



In the mean time, have a look at this post on Daily Kos by patachon.



The link to this particular post is here.

U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote :

Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror



by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times (9/4/1967: p. 2)



WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.



According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.



The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here.



Pending more detailed reports, neither the State Department nor the White House would comment on the balloting or the victory of the military candidates, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, who was running for president, and Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, the candidate for vice president.

A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.



The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government, which has been founded only on coups and power plays since November, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by a military junta.



Few members of that junta are still around, most having been ousted or exiled in subsequent shifts of power.



Significance Not Diminished



The fact that the backing of the electorate has gone to the generals who have been ruling South Vietnam for the last two years does not, in the Administration's view, diminish the significance of the constitutional step that has been taken.



The hope here is that the new government will be able to maneuver with a confidence and legitimacy long lacking in South Vietnamese politics. That hope could have been dashed either by a small turnout, indicating widespread scorn or a lack of interest in constitutional development, or by the Vietcong's disruption of the balloting.



American officials had hoped for an 80 per cent turnout. That was the figure in the election in September for the Constituent Assembly. Seventy-eight per cent of the registered voters went to the polls in elections for local officials last spring.



Before the results of the presidential election started to come in, the American officials warned that the turnout might be less than 80 per cent because the polling place would be open for two or three hours less than in the election a year ago. The turnout of 83 per cent was a welcome surprise. The turnout in the 1964 United States Presidential election was 62 per cent.



Captured documents and interrogations indicated in the last week a serious concern among Vietcong leaders that a major effort would be required to render the election meaningless. This effort has not succeeded, judging from the reports from Saigon.



NYT. 9/4/1967: p. 2.

Sound Eerily familiar, doesn't it?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

The Iraq Election...

Daniel has a good point. I should blog the Iraq election... There has been so much said in the blogosphere that I'm not sure what I should add at this point. Since I am only on my lunch break at work, I don't have time for a full post at the moment, but I will tonight or tomorrow.



In the mean time, have a look at this post on Daily Kos by patachon.



The link to this particular post is here.

U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote :

Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror



by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times (9/4/1967: p. 2)



WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.



According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.



The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here.



Pending more detailed reports, neither the State Department nor the White House would comment on the balloting or the victory of the military candidates, Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, who was running for president, and Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, the candidate for vice president.

A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.



The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government, which has been founded only on coups and power plays since November, 1963, when President Ngo Dinh Deim was overthrown by a military junta.



Few members of that junta are still around, most having been ousted or exiled in subsequent shifts of power.



Significance Not Diminished



The fact that the backing of the electorate has gone to the generals who have been ruling South Vietnam for the last two years does not, in the Administration's view, diminish the significance of the constitutional step that has been taken.



The hope here is that the new government will be able to maneuver with a confidence and legitimacy long lacking in South Vietnamese politics. That hope could have been dashed either by a small turnout, indicating widespread scorn or a lack of interest in constitutional development, or by the Vietcong's disruption of the balloting.



American officials had hoped for an 80 per cent turnout. That was the figure in the election in September for the Constituent Assembly. Seventy-eight per cent of the registered voters went to the polls in elections for local officials last spring.



Before the results of the presidential election started to come in, the American officials warned that the turnout might be less than 80 per cent because the polling place would be open for two or three hours less than in the election a year ago. The turnout of 83 per cent was a welcome surprise. The turnout in the 1964 United States Presidential election was 62 per cent.



Captured documents and interrogations indicated in the last week a serious concern among Vietcong leaders that a major effort would be required to render the election meaningless. This effort has not succeeded, judging from the reports from Saigon.



NYT. 9/4/1967: p. 2.

Sound Eerily familiar, doesn't it?



-The Oklahoma Hippy

Hillary Clinton

I was just informed that Hillary Clinton collapsed while speaking in Buffalo... I will post more as soon as I know anything.



-The Oklahoma Hippy



(Update)



Here is CNN's report on what happened. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.