Virtual, but permanent.
The stupidity to which American citizenship condemns us all.
If no, then now you can find out exactly.
LegiStorm – The Web’s only source for congressional staff salaries
Of course, one only gets the sinking feeling that many perks suddenly cease to be classified as compensation, and this site will become worthless.
But, until then…
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | CIA attacked by agent who led Bin Laden hunt
Ah, what a dated story. It’s hardly news anymore, but it is worth mentioning, nevertheless. Yes, the fight against terror continues, but without any attention to capturing the chief terrorist, the one who has taken all the responsibility for 9/11, and the one who seems to be inspiring others to take arms against the US, still.
Yet we are told that the “war against terror” rages on. The Teflontm Don only dreamed of this level of protection.
Metals are conductors of electricity. They sometimes conduct heat very well, also. Graphite is a metal that conducts electricity well, but heat poorly. If one were to view mankind as a similar medium that can conduct a current, what would be that substance that mankind conducts? What would it be that it does not conduct, or the substance that it insulates? Judging by the stupidity of this US Representative, one is reminded again that humanity is often a superb conveyor of ignorance and moral depravity.
More than any other mantra, this one perhaps captures the essence of all George W Bush endeavors. Not a single company he has headed has outperformed its competitors. If you read the rest of the posts in the Politics category on this blog, you will see a nice sampling of all the standards that George W Bush has sought to lower: environmental and educational (read the saga of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test).
Now, a new category in which W has lowered standards: moral standards.
Army Manual to Skip Geneva Detainee Rule – Los Angeles Times
Character and strength are reflected in the ability to maintain one’s composure in the face of adversity. That is the essence of the Geneva Convention, to which the US was the first signatory. This signature was a promise that we would maintain our poise in the face of adversity; that we would not act like Nazis when confronted with Nazis; that we would not react like barbarians even confronted with barbarians. Now, we are explicitly stating that we are weak enough to react like barbarians when confronted with barbarians. Not only are we too weak to define our role in this conflict, but we lack the strength to prevent our enemy from defining us in the conflict.
If only people could realize that these are George W Bush’s defining moments, the milestones of a legacy of corruption and barbarism that will be recognized as a gross insult to humanity.
When you recklessly increase Defense spending, it makes sense to cut programs that generate money and that save lives, of course!
Christian Science Monitor: Bush energy plan whacks conservation
The competition between ignorance and evil continues. Ignorance has struck some staggering blows since evil struck on 9/11.
It’s no joke. According to Chemical and Engineering news, a draft report by the White House claims that EPA air pollution regulations have generated between $94 billion and $449 billion in economic benefits. The economic cost of the regulations was between $44 and $47 billion annually. So, it’s a break even affair.
One rule, however, is truly profitable. The one that limits emissions by coal fired plants in 28 states and D.C. costs $1.8 billion and has benefits of over $50 billion annually.
So, is it any wonder that so many states are suing the Bush EPA for wanting to relax these rules?
Everybody loves a good fight. This is especially true for Americans who will fight for the sake of fighting. The distraction over a bill touted as immigration reform1 is a prima facie (thank you very much) example. Everyone seems to agree that immigration laws need to change, but nobody cares to pay heed to the nature and the structure of this change. Consequently, this debate, like most American political debates, has decomposed to a senseless shouting match, much sound and fury representing nothing. In fact, the so called debate scarcely aspires to triviality.
The premise of the whole enterprise is dubious, of course, because, as the name implies, the bill only seeks to “strengthen” existing laws. With respect to immigration, this is a silly proposition because strengthening existing laws will not remedy the problem, lack of enforcement. Existing laws already proscribe hiring illegal aliens. They also provide remedies for deporting those who have entered the US illegally and provisions for preventing illegal entry. We have a problem because these laws are not enforced. Immigrants cross the border freely, employers employ illegals without consequence, and American businesses cater to their economic demands. Hence, making tougher laws will solve nothing because, without enforcement, the tougher laws will also collect dust.
If this were not sufficient incentive to let this piece of rubbish die a well deserved death, then the unfortunate, unconvinced soul may indulge himself/herself by reading the body of the bill by clicking the link below. The reader will discover that, with respect to national security, the bill prescribes no new duties for the Department of Homeland Security. Redundancy is original only in Washington, D.C., it seems, and only in the minds of ideologically obsessed Republicans.
It should come as no surprise then, that the bill is written by a man with no credibility as a politician. James Sensenbrenner2 is a proud prosecutor of an impeached president, Bill Clinton. In as much, he is proud of being an ideologue and of being a servant to ideology, rather than to mankind–not even those who elected him. Given the merits of this “reform” bill–the criminalization of charitable organizations and codifying the forced expulsion of 11 million people without appropriating the tens of billions of dollars and the tens of thousands officers that the task would require–it should come as no surprise that it is the product of such a petty mind. (Why has nobody bothered asking how we go about the task of deporting 11 million people once we declare them to be criminals after having welcomed them with open wallets and open arms?)
Opposition to this bill is understandable. It is even justifiable. Opposition is a rational response, but what of the solution to the problem? Will illegal immigration ever stop? Will there ever be a balance between the human rights of illegal immigrants and the insatiable appetite of businesses for cheap labor? Are we going to move toward an integrated society, or are we going to forge ahead to a more fractured society composed of the “legals” and the “illegals”, each with its set of rules, entirely unequal before the constitution?
This debate would lead to progress of course, but instead we are faced with braying of the masses in response to the braying of one ass. The middle did not used to be this miserable a locale. Or was it?
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Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities – New York Times
The RSS summary for this story reads “Heading into this year’s elections, senior Democrats said that they sense they had failed to exploit Republican vulnerabilities.” This confirms that the Democratic party is either comatose or about as corrupt as the Republican party. I am an optimist. Therefore, I prefer to think of them as comatose.
Given a choice between a human vegetable and a vegetating party, however, the latter is clearly the better choice because the vegetable will make stupid decisions but the vegetating party will at least let the system run unhindered.
A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA – New York Times
The title does not quite convey the gravity of the matter. In case the link has expired, the story is about a Bush appointee, George C. Deutsch, who “told public affairs workers to limit reporters’ access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word ‘theory’ at every mention of the Big Bang”, resigned because he lied about having a college degree from Texas A&M.
Of course, the wisdom of appointing a 24-year-old journalism major to oversee some of the world’s greatest scientists and engineers is illusive. About as illusive as appointing David Duke to head the EEOC. Still this is worse, because this kid was not even a scientist. At least a racist can conceive of “equality of opportunity”, even if he wants to squelch it. Like other Bush appointees, Deutsch is utterly clueless.
Given Bush’s track record of personal and group incompetence, it is not unlikely that we will see Alan Keyes (scroll to “Africa: No Money for AIDS) appointed to the NIH division on AIDS. We might even see some dumbass appointed to FEMA.
Oh, wait….