Sunday, July 03, 2005  

Why is that I've stopped being surprised by the anti-intellectual, malevolently negligent and generally antagonistic things that The Administration does? More and more, I find that I can't be bothered to blog or even care about the state of the economy, the "War," or the state of the nation in general, as it just seems overwhelmingly futile. Bush Inc. seems to be blissfully ignorant of the needs, perspectives, and concerns of the his own countrymen, so why should anyone be remotely shocked that he is similarly out-0f-step with the world, as well?

Let's dissect a few paragraphs from this BBC article, entitled "Bush Rejects Kyoto-style G8 Deal," courtesy of my handy Firefox headline tab:

President George W Bush has ruled out US backing for any Kyoto-style deal on climate change at the G8 summit...But he conceded that the issue was one "we've got to deal with" and said human activity was "to some extent" to blame.

"To some extent?" *Whew* Way to dodge that bullet, W! The only way you could've pinned less culpability on modern industry was to blame all that greenhouse bullshit on cattle flatulence!

Mr Bush said he would resist any deal that would require countries to reduce carbon emissions - similar to the 1997 UN Kyoto protocol, which the US never signed.

"If this looks like Kyoto, the answer is no," he said in an interview with ITV's Tonight With Trevor McDonald programme.

"The Kyoto treaty would have wrecked our economy, if I can be blunt."

He said he hoped the other G8 leaders would "move beyond the Kyoto debate" and consider new technologies as a way of tackling global warming.

Those ozone-loving, mesh tank top-wearing Eurotrash hippies can go straight to hell! I love carbon emissions! The thought of mile-long gridlock on the L.I.E. makes me hard as a goddamn rock! I start my day by cranking my Hummer H2 in the middle of a crowded playground and leaving it running till its mastodonic fuel tank runs dry. I don't drive anywhere, I just like to sit and watch the future melanoma patients on the monkey bars. And don't even get me started on the economy! Without industry and its consequent pollutants, I could never have earmarked billions for The Crusade! War on Terror! What an economic boom that's turned out to be!

The US was investing in developing techniques such as sequestration of carbon dioxide in underground wells, hydrogen-powered cars and zero emission power stations, he said.

We'll just sweep that shit under the rug! What could be better than enormous underground tanks of deadly gas covered by a thin layer of diseased topsoil and capped off by an elementary school? Those are the future soldiers in The War on Terror in that math class. Maybe the toxic fumes will mutate the kids into superpowered instruments of death, like that spider did for that Parker kid in that documentary I saw.

But he rejected the idea he should support British Prime Minister Tony Blair's G8 plan in return for his support during the war in Iraq.

"Tony Blair made decisions on what he thought was best for keeping the peace and winning the war on terror, as I did," he told the programme.

"So I go to the G8 not really trying to make him look bad or good, but I go to the G8 with an agenda that I think is best for our country."

Fuck 'em! They still owe us for DubyaDubyaTwo! And besides that, what have those limey bastards even done in Vietn Iraq? Americans are dying like, 100 to 1 over there. If anything Tony, it's time to pony up!

Posted by: That Other America @ | 11:57 PM

Tuesday, June 21, 2005  

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your Department of Homeland Security at work.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 8:14 PM

Wednesday, June 15, 2005  

Irate. I'm irate. Let's start from the beginning:

Philip A. Cooney, the former White House staff member who repeatedly revised government scientific reports on global warming, will go to work for Exxon Mobil this fall, the oil company said yesterday.

Well surprise, surprise. Read on.

Mr. Cooney resigned as chief of staff for President Bush's environmental policy council on Friday, two days after documents obtained by The New York Times revealed that he had edited the reports in ways that cast doubt on the link between the emission of greenhouse gases and rising temperatures.

Okay, let's review what we know so far.
1. White House staffer
2. falsified documents
3. environmental damage
4. outed by major news outlet
5. resigned
6. not fired
7. new job with Exxon
Press on, children. Press on.

A former lawyer and lobbyist with the American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying group for the oil industry, Mr. Cooney has no scientific training. The White House, which said on Friday that there was no connection between last week's disclosure and Mr. Cooney's resignation, repeated yesterday that his actions were part of the normal review process for documents on environmental issues involving many government agencies.

Mr. Cooney was a lobbyist for a petroleum interest. He was then appointed Chief of Staff for the Environmental Policy Council. He butchered documents and research findings to skew the data away from a conclusion supporting global warming as an imminent threat, presumably laboring under the approving eye of his administrative handlers. He gets busted by the Times and resigns, dignity intact and without a sour word from his administration (he was praised in fact: "Phil Cooney did a great job," said Dana Perino, a deputy spokeswoman for the White House, "and we appreciate his public service and the work that he did, and we wish him well in the private sector."), sinks gently into the waiting arms of an oil company.

Exxon Mobil has long financed advertising and lobbying efforts that question whether warming caused by humans poses risks serious enough to justify curbing carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted by smokestacks and tailpipes.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 3:17 PM  

I. GIVE. UP.



courtesy of www.warrenellis.com

Posted by: That Other America @ | 12:19 PM

Friday, June 10, 2005  

A cursory glance at the nation's major newspapers will, of late, reveal a few ominous and looming portents for the US: the draft is coming and the nation is spiralling uncontrollably into a police state where work is scarce and "security" is intrusive and omnipresent.

Through the boundaries of denials and protests, the draft will, slowly but surely arrive. US Armed Forces have failed to meet recruitment quotas repeatedly, (the Army has experienced more than a 40% shortfall since April), and the construction of a capable and sustained Iraqi military presence is going even more poorly than originally thought possible.

In Washington, W is pushing for a renewed Patriot Act with extended jurisdiction. The middle class has become the smallest sliver on the American pie chart just in time for the bulk of the work force to reach retirement (I'll not even bother linking to the latest Social Security woes).

The emergence of Mark Felt as Deep Throat reminds many of a time when the Executive Branch and its sword arm (the CIA) ran about unchecked and reminds others of a time when it seemed, if briefly, that a few decent guys could hold the politicos at bay. It's a shame it didn't really pan out.

The Dems are too busy bickering over whether Dean is or isn't, as well as trying to stifle the impending shout of "WE FUCKING TOLD YOU SO, YOU REDNECK ASSHOLES!" to do anything about it.

Step back and take a good long look, kids. We're neck-deep in a war that has no terminus or even a clear purpose, a draft is fast approaching, our elderly are about to get the screwgie of a lifetime, Big Brother is watching in Technicolor, and the only ones who can do fuck-all about it are having a pissing contest out behind the baseball field. My advice? Invest in enough sturdy cardboard boxes to hold all of your stuff and make sure your passport is still valid; the grass is definitely greener abroad, but only because the grass over here is dead.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 2:35 PM

Thursday, June 09, 2005  

For those who may have missed "The Downing Street Memo," I'm posting it now. It's more than a month old; however, I had every intention of posting it back in the day but never got around to it. Work is slow today, so I decided to put it now. Better late than never, one supposes.

For anyone who doesn't know about this, this the memo that causing a bit of a stir in DC and Whitehall. It details the Bush Administration's pre-9/11 plans to rush an invasion of Iraq.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 12:27 PM

Wednesday, June 08, 2005  

The laziest blog style ever? Reposting BoingBoing. Pertinent or not, it's still lazy.

Soviet realism finds its way to DC-area commuter trains:




I hope Orwell has enough room in his grave for all those somersaults.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 3:01 PM

Tuesday, May 31, 2005  

Ft. Hood, Texas now features a life-size mannequin of Saddam, fresh from the spider hole, complete with leaves and shit sticking out of his hair. This was commissioned, apparently, to commemorate the 4th Infantry's tour in Iraq.

The mannequin case will eventually be part of a larger display commemorating the 4th Infantry's tour of duty in Iraq. It will include a full-scale replica of the hole where Saddam was caught, with an opening so that museum visitors can crawl in and see for themselves what it was like.

Arthur Fonzo, an Air Force veteran visiting from Atlanta, got a little choked up while taking a long look at the mannequin when the exhibit opened Thursday.

"That is great, just terrific," he said. "It's realistic, it's history. It makes me feel that what our soldiers did was so impressive."

In a related story, the George H.W. Bush Library will feature a statue of an intoxicated Joseph Stalin vomiting into the Volga to commemorate the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Posted by: That Other America @ | 11:26 AM
 

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