Winter Blahs?

I found this little quip from the movie WarGames to be a good allegory to my state of mind today...



"A strange game, the only way to win is not to play."

...it fits on so many levels.

On one side, it means "Be concerned, yet detached."
on the other hand, it means "fuck it. I'm going home."

...and right now I'm somewhere in between.

Machiavelli Would be Proud...

Recently, all the news is how Bush is going to relent to McCain and allow his amendment banning torture to pass into law. After all, as Bush has said "We do not torture"

See, McCain's amendment uses the Army Field Manual's definition of torture., which, as per the Washington Post...

"By contrast, the Army's Field Manual 34-52, titled "Intelligence Interrogations," sets more restrictive rules. For example, the Army prohibits pain induced by chemicals or bondage; forcing an individual to stand, sit or kneel in abnormal positions for prolonged periods of time; and food deprivation. Under mental torture, the Army prohibits mock executions, sleep deprivation and chemically induced psychosis."

So, when you want to still torture, but you don't want to say it out loud, what to do?... what to do?

Change the definition of torture.

Recently, the Bush Administration has made classified changes to the Army Field Manual's section on torture and interrogation. Just the thing: rewrite the definition of "torture" so you have all the loopholes you need and none of the loss of "moral character".

So now, when bush confidently says, "We do not torture"

we know that depends on your definition of the word "torture"
(that's ok for Bush to do), but if you parse the definition of the word "is", look out! That's grounds for impeachment!!!

With that said, I leave you with this bumpersticker...

Those Who fail to Learn from the Past Are Doomed to Repeat It...

From Bush's November 30, 2005 speech at the US Naval Academy and Nixon's "Silent Majority" speech from November 3, 1969.

BUSH: "We will increasingly move out of Iraqi cities, reduce the number of bases from which we operate and conduct fewer patrols and convoys.

NIXON: "As South Vietnamese forces become stronger, the rate of American withdrawal can become greater."

BUSH: "As the Iraqi forces gain experience and the political progress advances, we will be able to decrease our troop levels in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists."

NIXON: "We have adopted a plan which we have worked out in cooperation with the South Vietnamese for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. combat ground forces, and their replacement by South Vietnamese forces on an orderly scheduled timetable. This withdrawal will be made from strength and not from weakness."

BUSH: "These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington. Some are calling for a deadline for withdrawal. Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere, but I believe they're sincerely wrong."

NIXON: "I have not and do not intend to announce the timetable for our program. And there are obvious reasons for this decision which I am sure you will understand. As I have indicated on several occasions, the rate of withdrawal will depend on developments on three fronts."

BUSH: "Pulling our troops out before they've achieved their purpose is not a plan for victory. As Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman said recently, "Setting an artificial timetable would discourage our troops because it seems to be heading for the door. It will encourage the terrorists. It will confuse the Iraqi people. Senator Lieberman is right: Setting an artificial deadline to withdraw would send a message across the world that America is weak and an unreliable ally."

NIXON: "An announcement of a fixed timetable for our withdrawal would completely remove any incentive for the enemy to negotiate an agreement. They would simply wait until our forces had withdrawn and then move in."

Though both Bush and Nixon reject setting a timetable for withdrawal, one group does want one set in stone: The Democratically Elected Iraqi Government.

...On November 22, 2005, the democratically-elected leaders and ruling body of the Iraqi people agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation"

Furthermore, they added that "insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens."

Did you get that? These Iraqis, in an expression of their liberty, freedom, and democracy, just legalized insurgent attacks on US troops.

Talk about not being wanted.

At this point, it's time to pack up, say "we did it - they have a democratic government", and go home. Iraq's future will be decided by their own self-determination, not by the spending of our tax dollars.

Why stay when you're not welcome?

Worst President Ever!

Leave it to PollKatz to give a good comparison.



(click to enlarge...)
Blue is Clinton, Yellow is Nixon, Red is Bush Jr.

Right now Bush's disapproval rating is the worst faced by any president except Nixon

World View Quiz

...and 0% in the dreaded 'Fundamentalist' category.... booya!

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 75% Postmodernist 63% Existentialist 56% Romanticist 38% Materialist 31% Idealist 31% Modernist 25% Fundamentalist 0% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Ditzy Cam Returns

ditzy_oct 006
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

C'mon Ditzy... in or out!

Okay.... whatever.

IRS uses double standards.

From CNN...
Anti-war sermon imperils tax status

The Internal Revenue Service has warned a prominent liberal church it could lose its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon a guest preacher gave on the eve of the 2004 presidential election, church officials say.

The Rev. George F. Regas did not urge parishioners at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to support either President Bush or John Kerry, but he was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts.

The IRS warned the church in June that its tax-exempt status was in jeopardy because such organizations are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

...so what the hell did the IRS consider 'Just Us' Sunday, 'Just US Sunday II', and 'Porn Sunday'? I mean, they even had congressmen, right-wing nutcase congressmen, as their guest speakers, whining and moaning about... politics!

Does the IRS revoke or threaten to revoke the tax exempt status of those churches? Nooooo....

But a liberal one? Can't have that. Apparently the Iraq War and Tax Cuts for the rich are political topics. Senatorial proceedings aren't.

Seriously, how many of you think this isn't politically motivated, and the IRS is acting as a non-partisan group, and is not acting on a politcally motivated agenda?

Just one more sign that the conservative have changed the tone in Washington... for the worse.

What did I just say?!?!

Oooh! Look mommy! A bicyclist!

From the ToledoBlade (our rather crappy Foundry Newspaper) (bold is MY emphasis.)

Nov. 6, 2005

Bikes on the sidewalks

Instead of ignoring a proposal to let adults ride bicycles on sidewalks on busier streets, perhaps a Toledo City Council committee could consider how to make it incumbent upon bicyclists to watch out for motor vehicles if they use sidewalks and penalize them for riding without due regard for safety.

A recent debate on the subject before council's law and criminal justice committee seemed to disregard why bicyclists prefer sidewalks on streets where the speed limit is above 35 mph.

Some adult bicyclists understandably feel their safety is jeopardized on streets that carry a lot of vehicular traffic. But city law only allows cyclists 14 and under to use sidewalks.

Councilman Ellen Grachek has proposed amending the law to permit older cyclists to also use sidewalks on such busy thoroughfares.

The idea springs from an adult cyclist's experience in July on Alexis Road. After the bike rider collided with a vehicle coming out of a driveway, he was slapped with a ticket and conviction, though he received no penalty.

He correctly notes that motorists today are more distracted, especially by cell phones. Motorists on the phone don't pay close attention to traffic in general, so they may not see bicyclists on busy streets.

At the same time, there are legitimate concerns about cyclists on sidewalks. Foremost among them: the worry that bicyclists could pose the same threat to pedestrians on sidewalks that cars and trucks represent to bikes on busy streets.

But there are ways to allow bikes on sidewalks and penalize careless operation. Bicyclists on sidewalks could be required to travel in the same direction as traffic, and motorists, not bicyclists, could have the right of way at intersections and driveways.

If youngsters are allowed to ride their bicycles on sidewalks, adults willing to do so responsibly should have the same right. Bikes don't belong on busy thoroughfares.

...this is the standard Foundry mentality I was just mentioning. Bicyclists risk getting hurt by careless drivers if they ride in the street like they're supposed to do. Someone says, "let them ride on the sidewalks," but give the automobile right-of-way in all cases. On top of that, if the road is too busy, bicycles should be banned from it.

In other words: "Everyone here uses cars, trucks, ans SUVs to go places. If you wanna be different and ride your little bicycle, find another route and get outta my way. You don't belong here."

It's no wonder bicyclists are looked upon here as oddities, like shriners in their little cars on parade. Everytime we venture out on the streets we run the mortal risk of getting plowed down by a driver too busy chatting on their cell phone and lighting their stogie.

And, according to The Blade, it's not the driver's fault.

Also, notice, not once, NOT ONCE, does this crappy newspaper editorial mention the idea of adding a bike lane to some streets. I guess the paint would cost too much (the lanes are wide enough already that no blacktop would be needed.)

So much for those people who value their physical fitness enough to get to work under their own power, or who are environmentally conscious enough to not waste gas on their daily commute. These people here in The Foundry are joined at the ass to their machines, gasoline addicts in an automobile-centered culture. And anyone who doesn't like it and wants to live differently can go somewhere else.

...and they wonder why people are leaving this region in droves...

Back to the Foundry

(from Wikipedia)
Foundry: according to Joel Garreau, is a coherent nation made up of the eastern seaboard of the United States except New England, along with the Great Lakes region (including those parts of the Canadian province of Ontario which border the lakes) except for the Lake Superior shoreline, plus the Washington D.C. suburbs of Virginia and roughly the northern half of West Virginia, including both of the state's panhandles. Traditionally, this corresponds to the industrial core of North America. It is one of the Nine Nations of North America Garreau identified in his book of that title, published in 1981.

...Another term used to describe this region is The Rust Belt. And for a good reason.

Not only do things rust in the rust belt unlike in other areas of the country such as the south or west, but this region is falling into decline. This area was the manufacturing center of the United States. If you bought a manufactured good, odds are it came from the Foundry. Cars from Detroit. Tires from Akron. Cameras from Rochester. Glass from Toledo. Steel from Pittsburgh. each city in the Foundry was known for the product it produced. The Labor Movement started in the Foundry to oppose the brutal working conditions in the factory. Thanks to them we have the 8 hour workday and a thing called the weekend. Anglos, then Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch if you like), Irish, Poles, Italians, and Slavs migrated to this region. They were seeking a better life. A job at the factory ensured them status as middle class. But by 1981, this way of life ended. The Sun Belt, Globalization, and a new economy had emerged. And the Foundry started to decline. Factories closed, moved to the south, or relocated overseas. Today the Foundry's few remaining factories are but a spectre of their once great status. No more can you finish high school and get a good job at the factory. That way of life has ended.

...just don't tell anyone here in the Foundry. They haven't got the memo yet.

We are still a culture that looks to the big corporations to somehow 'save' us. Politicians still clamor about what their city or area can do to 'attract business', tripping over each other to lure a big business headquarters their way. The issues and agenda of the local governments are ran by a political machine of manufacturers, manufacturig Union members who still occupy the few and ever-dwindling factory jobs left in town. Much ado is made about keeping the few industries from moving away, throwing tax breaks and corporate welfare their way. Meanwhile, the new, growing sectors of the economy, service and high-tech, are suffering from neglect. Service sector jobs at a big box retailer pay a substandard wage, usually don't include health care, and are filled by people who can only dream of being middle class. Yet the manufacturing unions that control local politics don't dare take them on. They have the coveted factory jobs and control of the government. Empowering or organizing those in the service sectors would be costly and would erode their political base. And the young professionals who have the skills to work (and start their own) high-tech business find the atmosphere here toxic. They have no friendly ear in the politics ran by manufacturing labor tradesmen. The area is extremely social conservative. Like the factory mentality, the quantity of a good is much more important than its quality. More is better. A gallon of olive oil for a doallr at WalMart is better than a quart of Organic Portuguese Olive Oil - that's a no-brainer! People who are different in their looks, how they dress, what they do in the bedroom, etc. are oddities. Gays are denied civil rights. Immigrants are ridiculed about their 'strange' customs. Cyclists are gawked at like they are shriners in little cars but without a parade. They see an area with few options for people of their age (late 20s- early 40s) who are single or married without children. Truth is they have all moved away. This area holds little appeal for them, nor the incliniation to provide anything of interest. Just consider what the Foundry offers for leisure time. Leisure in the Foundry is geared toward family activities, things for the mom dad, and children. Science centers, zoos, ballparks, and fairs. Try finding a vodka bar in a mid-sized midwestern town. Ask a local about one and expect them to say "A vodka what?"

I have just spent 2 weeks in the San Francisco Area, labeled as Ecotopia in honor of the Callenbach book of the same name.

(once again, from Wikipedia)
In his 1981 book Nine Nations of North America, author Joel Garreau named one of his nations Ecotopia after Callenbach's book. Garreau's Ecotopia consists of Northern California, Western Oregon, Western Washington, coastal British Columbia, and southeastern Alaska and is one of the nine economic-cultural nations into which Garreau believed North America should be divided to correctly understand the true regional dynamics of the continent. This Ecotopia, like Callenbach's, is characterized culturally by its environmental sensibilities and focus on 'quality of life', and economically by its focus on renewable resources such as hydropower and forestry.

...here is a place that 'gets it'. Gone is the whole Foundry mentality. That of the factory, the job, the trade as being the identifing factor of oneself. Here people aren't expected to conform. Ties are rare accessories in Ecotopia, usually only worn by detectives. They are just that casual. Where those in the Foundry look for specialists in each field, Ecotopia looks for generalists who can be trained to do several unrelated tasks in their workday. Jobs here are booming. The manufacturing unions do not call the shots, and the political institution is not a 'good ol' boy' network. Big box retailers are not as prevalent. People are not interested in getting a 99 cent bottle of Olive Oil in Ecotopia; they want an $11 bottle of Organic Portuguese Olive Oil. Quality of life is more important than quantity. To them, that's a no-brainer! Sure, housing is out of control high, but when there is such a high demand for anything and a limited supply, what happens to the price? Just look at your gas bill.

I have to admit, I feel more more at home in Ecotopia than I do here in the Foundry, the place I was born and raised. My options in the Foundry are too limited. In my heart, Ecotopia is my new home.

With that, here is a view of the last sunset I saw in San Francisco. Hopefully I will see many more of them...

San Francisco Vacation : Biking the Marin Headlands

My third visit to the city so far, and what a day it was! the first 2 visits were with my friends Matt & Jen, and they had been rather foggy... not chance for good views, though there's still plenty to do and see.


The view from Coit Tower looking westward on a foggy Saturday.. That's Lombard St., the crookedest street in the world, just left of center.

Today I headed into the city alone while Matt & Jen were working to get in a little biking. If I can't get out on 2 wheels, after a few days I feel rather lethargic. Besides, SF is the biking capital of the world (unofficially, of course).

...I expected fog today, all the weather reports predicted it. So I was going to bike the Presidio, or Golden Gate Park... places where the sights were up close and there was no vista for the fog to cover.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the sky as clear as a bell....

Change of plans. I have wanted to bike the Marin Headlands, and they're supposed to have the best views of the Bay, period. Today was my chance.



Here I am at the vista from the Spencer Battery, an artillery post that defended the Bay during WWII.... and there was much more hill to climb. In many stretches I was in first gear, but I didn't stop (except for photos, of course).

All in all the elevation change from where I started was about 1,500 feet. Then there is a HUGE drop off from Hawk Hill that is over a mile long. One fellow on a racing bike flew right by me (and I was going pretty fast too!), darting through each turn... he had to have done this plenty of times. There are only a few guard rails, sheer drops off the roadsides, and dozens of winding turns. Thank God they've made this a one-way street.


The long drop off from Hawk Hill to Point Bonita.

Three hours later, after many stops for side trips and photo opportunities, I made it back, muddy, a little sore, but I did it! I pushed my limits, challenged myself physically, and took on these hills I found big and intimidating. And I did it!

What an experience!

Yup, they pegged me...

...how do they know?! How do they do that?!?

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty. At work and school, you do best when you're researching. When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often. In friendship, you are considerate and compromising. Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking. You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

Where'd Tim go?

ditzy_waits1
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

I'm on vacation for 2 weeks in San Francisco.

Don't worry, a friend in town is taking care of Ditzy for me.

Here's how I imagine him right now, wondering where I've gone...

See the cat? See the cradle?

"For maybe a hundred thousand years or more grownups have been waving tangles of string in their children"s faces... no wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X's, but there's no damn cat, and no damn cradle.

...Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

I just arrived in San francisco this afternoon. During my flight I was able to read Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle". Overall I have to say I liked the book; it left me pleasantly surprised at times how eloquent Vonnegut captures the human condition... the more I read, the more I like. In the book Vonnegut introduces the religion of Bokononism. Bokonon, its founder, teaches us that the universe arranges itself into two entities, the karass and the granfalloon. The karass is a loose connection of friends that, without knowing it, do God's work. A granfalloon is a false organization, one that serves no true purpose except to make false associations.

...there is a lot more about bokononism out there than what I am willing to put into writing. I suggest wikipedia for a better definition than I offer...



Anyway, what really touched me and what I wanted to share from this book are the last rites given to a Bokononist.

God made mud.
God got lonesome.
So God said to some of the mud, "Sit up!"
"See all I've made," said God, "the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars."
And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.
Lucky me, lucky mud.
I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.
Nice going, God!
Nobody but You could have done it, God! I certainly couldn't have.
I feel very unimportant compared to you.
The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn't even get to sit up and look around.
I got so much, and most mud got so little.
Thank you for the honor!
Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep.
What memories for mud to have!
What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met!
I loved everything I saw!
Good night.
I will go to heaven now.
I can hardly wait to find out for certain what my wampeter was...
And who was in my karass...
And all the good things our karass did for you.
Amen.

Ia! Ia! C'thulu Ftagn! (Translation: Shop at Walmart)

Something sent to me in the mail from my friend Gabe.



While I do defer great respect to the Old Ones, the main reason I am not a Cultist of Walmart is that I don't like to buy Cheap Crap!

But an environmentally friendly Walmart? Please.

Still, the comparison to the actions of Corporate Walmart to the ineffable evil of Great Cthulhu is quite amusing, though I feel that they are more akin to the insidious, subtle evil of Nyarlathotep...

still, Cthulhu would be a great spokesman.

Evolution is a fact, not a theory.

So last week I was watching Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"... they are reairing them on the Science Channel, along with some updated graphics. I remember always watching the show as a kid, it was one of my favorite programs.

Anyway, the one I was watching was on evolution. In it Carl said something that today would cause all kinds of religious rancor,

"Evolution is a Fact, not a Theory, it really happened."

The evidence of evolution is overwhelming, more overwhelming than the evidence of gravity (no one yet is certain of how gravity works). Yet in evolution scientists have taken fruit flies, separated them into two isolated groups, and through several of their short generations have mutated them so much that they are unable to reproduce with each other, essentially make two species out of one... evolution.

Yet the propaganda from the religious right is that evolution is theory. Bunk. The difference between theory and fact in science is well defined by their own peerage, not by clergy and politicians. Yet the tide of public opinion still shows many would rather believe in the stories of Creation (yes, there are 2), or in its bastard stepchild, Intelligent Design.

Truth is, evolution is how life has diversified from a single source (and it is still debated as to where the single source came from). God created the universe. Evolution just shows how God did it. Science teaches the process we call evolution. But for some, that's just not good enough

With that off my back (though I could go for hours), I leave you with this comic from Asmussen's Bad Reporter. He underlines, I think eloquently, how ridiculous it is to bring mythology into a science class.

Credentials? What credentials?

Cat and Mouse

Cat and Mouse
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

Says Ditzy..."yeah! How do you like me now?! I'm up on your desk... you just go ahead and TRY to double click. I dare you!"

A fun little Quiz

Who would've known?


You are Peppermint Patty!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

...kinda odd: I hate academics, yet I am an academic. ?!

Halleluiah!

Paul Hackett will run for Senate in 2006 against DeWine (Google news wire)

Finally! Us Ohioans have a real contender for Senate. And, a recent Zogby poll has Hackett already ahead of DeWine by 44.2% - 35.9% (+-2.9% MOE).

Now my question is: Where do I sign up to volunteer for the Hackett campaign? It's about time we kicked these corrupt Ohio GOP politicians out of power.

Vote FOR Issues 2-5 on November 8th

Us Ohioans will be given a rare opportunity this November 8 to change the rules governing our elections process. Four petition-sponsored amendments, Issues 2, 3, 4, & 5, are up for statewide voter approval. I urge you to vote yes for them. They are common sense issues that only help to benefit the Ohio voter, as I will explain below...

Here is a rundown of each Issue:

Issue 2: Makes it easier to vote by giving all Ohioans the option to vote by mail.
Right now an Ohioan can only request an absentee ballot if they have a qualified reason, such as military service or that they will be out of town on election day. Issue 2 simply allows anyone who wishes to vote via absentee ballot to do so. No big deal really... it was easy enough to say you'd be out of town to vote and get one anyway... this means you don't have to make up an excuse.

Issue 3: Help bring the influence of money back under control in elections thorugh responsible regulation of campaign contributions.
Right now an individual can contribute up to $20,000 a year to a candidate. While some may argue that the flow of money to campaigns is free speech, the influence of big money in Ohio politics means that those who have the money are given preferential treatment over those who do not; an unequal governance that goes against the one-man one-vote ideal of Democracy. Why should the poor not be given equal access to government? This amendment would limit individual campaign contributions to $2,000 for statewide candidates and $1,000 to legislative candidates, ban corporate contributions, and require full disclosure so you'd know who contributes and how much they contributed to each candidate. The idea is to restrict those with big bags of money and an agenda not in the people's best interest from buying our government and our candidates.

Issue 4 - Ends Gerrymandering once and for all by putting an Independent Commission in charge.
Every 10 years, after the Census, the political party in majority gets to draw our congressional district boundaries. No surprise, they draw them in a way to benefit their party the most. Areas of the opposition party, which should guarantee a seat in the house for that party, are split into other districts so that they the party drawing the map can have the majoirty in both districts.

The Gerrymander, for those who never learned about it in US government class, goes was a congressional district drawn in 1812 by Mass. Gov. Elbridge Gerry to favor his party, as seen to the right. Today's gerrymandering is more subtle, but the practice is still alive and well. In 2003, Republicans in Texas redrew their congressional districts in a way that allowed them to pick up 5 seats. Passage of issue 4 would move our congressional districts out of the reach of partisan politics using the following rules:

1 The first member would be appointed by the state appeals court judge with the longest continuous service. The second member would be appointed by the next senior appeals court judge from a different political party.
2 The first two commission members then would appoint the other three, including one member not affiliated with a political party.
3 Any person or group could submit a congressional and legislative redistricting plan, and the commission would choose the plans judged to create the most competitive districts without dividing up counties and cities.
4 The first districts under the plan would be in effect in the 2008 elections. After that, new plans would be chosen in the year after each census, starting in 2011.

Issue 5 - Places a bi-partisan Board of Supervisors in charge of Ohio's elections instead of a partisan politician.
Right now the Ohio Secretary of State oversees Ohio's elections. This position is held by a politician with an affiliation and loyalty to their party. Regardless of the Secretary of State's best intentions, there is always the possibility that they will make decsions that unfairly benefit their own party. To use a football analogy, it is the same as letting the Michigan team have their own referees call the Ohio State - Michigan game. Issue 5 is a good idea because it sets up a system that is fair. Besides, all of Ohio's 88 counties use the bipartisan system. Why should we use a different system for Ohio as a whole?

For more information on Issues 2-5, check out the Reform Ohio Now webiste.

And for those of you who like to see the fine print and legalese of the proposed Amendments, here is a link to the pdf...

Yay... I won some TP

...the theme is crappy disaster movies... so crappy that it's a good thing I won the TP

heheh

Overdue Ditzy Cam

Ditzy and Crazy Cat
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

Here's Ditzy watching the rain fall with his new acquisition Crazy Cat, another noise-making toy. Thanks a lot Matt & Jen. It was JUST what he needed...

A story from Katrina's aftermath

On last Friday's podcast from DemocracyNow they aired a story about 2 people, Lorrie Beth Slonsky of San Francisco, a retired paramedic from the San Francisco Fire Department, and Larry Slonsky, also of the SF Fire Department.

So here are 2 individuals, emergency medical workers, attending a conference when Katrina hits. They saw firsthand how the poor and black were treated by the local authorities. Here is an excerpt from the transcript below...

LORRIE BETH SLONSKY: Now it's day four and the hotels had completely run out of fuel for the generator and food and water. And sanitation, even in this very fancy hotel had become dangerously abysmal. And it seemed like our only choice was to go to the Convention Center. As we left the hotel, we came across the National Guard, and this is where they told us that we couldn't go to the Superdome nor the Convention Center, and they didn't have any suggestions where we should go, and they also said we should have gotten out there sooner. And no, they didn't have any food, and no, they didn't have any water to spare. And then the next thing we came across was the Police Command Center and this is at Harrods on Canal Street and we were told the same thing: that we are on our own, and they had no place to suggest where we should go, and they didn't have any food, but they did give us four small bottles of water to share among the probably 200 folks that had left the hotel and the downtown tourist type folks. That's what they had to give us was four small bottles of water to spare.

So, right across the street from this Police Command Center was this amphitheater type place and we thought the best thing to do is to go ahead and camp across the street from the Police Command Center. Because we thought, well, we would be visual to the media and we have some sort of a protection, and before we got too comfy, the Police Commander came up to us and said we needed to go to the bridge because they were going to be buses waiting there to take us out of the city. You know, this crowd of 200 that had left the hotel in the downtown area, we just let out a big old cheer, but Larry called everyone back and said to the police officer and to the folks that, you know, we have been given so much misinformation and was he sure there were buses? And I have to tell you, Amy, that he looked at us directly and he said, I swear to you that the buses are there.

So, we group of about 200 people, set off to the bridge, and I have to say, we must have looked like quite determined tourists with our little roll-top suitcases following behind us, and we passed near the Convention Center, and locals asked us where we were going. And we told them the great news, how the police commander said that there was going to be buses at the bridge, so you know, families grabbed their few belongs and we all started marching up towards the bridge. And our numbers doubled and probably doubled again. We were probably about 600, 700, 800 people. Just it seemed like a lot of people. So, it started to rain, and even though it started to pour down rain, we -- our -- it didn't dampen our spirits at all. We felt like, God, we have a way out of here on day four. And as we approached, there were armed Gretna deputies. And they had formed a line at foot of the bridge. And before we were even close enough to cross, they shot guns, they shot guns over our heads. They fired guns over our heads. And this group of families and, may I say, disabled people, children, tourists, I mean, just everyone, we just all scattered in all sorts of directions. And then everyone was in their own small little groups and milling around and what to do next.

And this is when Larry approached the Gretna deputies, and you know, he had his badge, his San Francisco Fire Department badge and had his hands up and asked if he could approach. And he was able to engage the deputies in some conversation. And Larry told them that we were told by the Police Command Post that we needed to come here to the bridge, because we we’re going to get on buses. And the deputy said that the Police Commander had apparently lied to us, and there were in fact no buses that were going to take us out of New Orleans. So, we asked the deputies, well, why couldn't we just cross the bridge anyway? And this is -- this is what we heard for the first time that the deputies had said to us, they said, this is not New Orleans, and there wasn't -- they were not going to have a Superdome over here, meaning, I guess in Gretna or Algiers or across the bridge. And I -- if you looked at the group that was remaining in our little group, I mean, you could only look at us and see that -- predominantly everyone was African-American or a person of color except for Larry, me, and the other gal we were with that it could only mean that if you are poor, or if you are black, you are not going to get out of New Orleans.

...how's that for 'to protect and serve'? Apparently all those poor folk stuck in New Orleans, trying to flee on foot, were turned away by ARMED police. They were prisoners in their own city, unable to leave or flee the disaster.

I am just outraged by this. I had to share it, because the story of Katrina is not told by talking heads in Atlanta or Washington, but by the individuals who witness it firsthand. May we all listen to them and not forget the lesson of where we are being led as a nation by crony politicians and our own selfishness.

More from Kurt Vonnegut

The more I read from this man, the more I am overwhelmed by his writings.
Enjoy him while he's still here on this earth; he is the Mark Twain of today.

An excerpt from...

Cold Turkey

by Kurt Vonnegut

But back to people, like Confucius and Jesus and my son the doctor, Mark, who’ve said how we could behave more humanely, and maybe make the world a less painful place. One of my favorites is Eugene Debs, from Terre Haute in my native state of Indiana. Get a load of this:

Eugene Debs, who died back in 1926, when I was only 4, ran 5 times as the Socialist Party candidate for president, winning 900,000 votes, 6 percent of the popular vote, in 1912, if you can imagine such a ballot. He had this to say while campaigning:

As long as there is a lower class, I am in it.
As long as there is a criminal element, I’m of it.
As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

Doesn’t anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools or health insurance for all?

How about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes?

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. …

And so on.

Not exactly planks in a Republican platform. Not exactly Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney stuff.

For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.

“Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!

...I keep imagining a legal fight going to the US Supreme Court over the posting of the Beatitudes... not on the grounds that it's a violation of the separation between Church and State, but because it is 'unAmerican Communist propaganda' undeserving of space on public grounds.

Kinda makes you rethink the whole notion of the US being founded on Christian values.

Vonnegut tells it like it is...

This just seemed woth repeating...

As mentioned during Kurt Vonnegut's appearance on The Daily Show last tuesday...

LIBERAL CRAP I NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN
by Kurt Vonnegut

Give us this day our daily bread. Oh sure.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those wh trespass against us.
Nobody better trespass against me. I'll tell you that.

Blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the merciful. You mean we can't use torture?

Blessed are the peacemakers. Jane Fonda?

Love your enemies - Arabs?

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
The hell I can't! Look at the Reverand Pat Robertson. And He is as happy as a pig in s**t.

Clueless... absolutely clueless...

If there were an award for the man with his head furthest up his ass, then I'd nominate this man:

Brown Doesn't Know Why He Was Removed

"A beleaguered Michael Brown said Friday he doesn't know why he was removed from his onsite command of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts"

Psst... hey Mike... maybe it's because your experience as an Arabian Horse Commissioner made you utterly INCOMPETENT to manage FEMA, and your bumbling response cost precious human lives!

People, you can't just, with good faith, take a job that you HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO FRIGGIN CLUE HOW TO DO... I don't apply for jobs as a dental hygienist. And if my friend was a dentist and offered me the job, I'd turn it down because I'm completely unqualified. Put me to work on someone's teeth and I'll wreck them.

By Michael D. Brown? Oh no.... a friend offers him to run a federal disaster agency, and he jumps on board for the corner office and the cushy government job. Then when there's work to be had, he brings his Arabian Horse-lore skills to task and shows America exactly what kind of an incompetent boob Bush spent taxpayer money to hire.

...and then he wonders why he was removed.

As Napoleon Dynamite would say: Gosh!... Idiots!!!

Jimmy Carter!!...?

A recent Zogby poll shows that, if the American public had to pick between George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter as their president, Jimmy Carter would win, 50% - 42%

Jimmy Carter?!?!


The guy that right-wingers everywhere love to bring up as the epitome of a liberal president.
The guy they all make fun of, callign him "Nutty", making fun of the submarine named after him

Well all you right-wingnuts out there, the verdict is out:
Carter is a better president than Bush. Eat it.


Oh, and has anyone noticed that, just like the tsunami response, where Clinton and Bush Sr. were asked to visit and campaign for relief, once again Carter was not invited.



...maybe Bush is afraid that Carter will run again.

Something shared by my firend Samir...

My friend Samir, an Indian grad student here at UT, sent me the following comparison between New Orleans and Mumbai (which , I should add, is on the west coast of India. You may know the city of Mumbai as Bombay.



inches of rain in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina... 18
inches of rain in Mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1

population of new orleans... 484,674
population of mumbai.... 12,622,500

deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina...100
deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.

number of people to be evacuated in new orleans... entire city..wohh
number of people evacuated in mumbai...10,000

Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai.. NONE

Time taken for US army to reach new orleans... 48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai...12hours

status 48hours later...new orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricty
status 48hours later..mumbai is back on its feet and is business as usual

USA...world's most developed nation
India...JUST A DEVELOPING NATION..

...this comparison to a 3rd world country really stresses the gross incompetence of the officials entrusted to respond to this emergency.

And before you start with that whole 'the local officials were responsible' talking point, let's reflect upon the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. A department formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to make us safe and handle, well, let's see it in their own words...

"In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS."

Oh, and BTW: FEMA now is under the Department of Homeland Security. (Thanks to John for this excellent point!)

Also, get this... Bush didn't declare a state of emergency in New Orleans until after Katrina had made landfall, but he did declare a Statement of Federal Emergency Assistance for Lousiana in counties nowhere near the water! (Thanks to Indy over at CHT for the heads-up).



So why does Shreveport have a State of Emergency declared on August 26 (Katrina won't make landfall in New Orleans until 7AM on August 29th, BTW) but not New Orleans?

Three words: Incompetence, Incompetence INCOMPETENCE

Rightwingers looooove to say the Democrats will blame Bush for anything he does... but when you are this BAD at doing your job and appointing people to handle these matters.

People like Michael Brown, the blithering idiot in charge of FEMA - a job he trained for by running something called the International Arabian Horse Association - admitted he didn't know until Thursday that there were 15,000 desperate, dehydrated, hungry, angry, dying victims of Katrina in the New Orleans Convention Center. Boy did Ted Koppel let him have it.

Koppel: I've heard you say during the course of a number of interviews that you found out about the convention center today. Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio? Our reporters have been reporting on it for more than just today.

So what did Bush think of Brownie's bumbling? He said "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Does anyone else smell the reek of cronyism on 'Brownie'? That he only got the position through loyalty and some political backscratching?

When liberals sy this is the worst Administration EVER, we mean WORST ADMINISTRATION EVER!

And we can always look to George W. Bush to back up our claim in spades.

Deeds not Words

So the left is weak on defense? They're a bunch of pansies who cannot be trusted to defend this country? They don't know about defending this country enough to make the hard decisions to go to war?

Republicans talk the talk, but can they walk the walk...

Here's a list courtesy of Big Brass Blog and one of their readers 'An Other Geek'...


Military Service Records, prominent Democrats:

* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,and Soldier's Medal.
* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
* Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
* Chuck Robb: Vietnam
* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
* George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
* Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.

Republicans (and these are the guys sending our kids to war):

* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
* Karl Rove: did not serve.
* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
* Vin Weber: did not serve.
* Richard Perle: did not serve.
* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
* John Kyl: did not serve.
* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.
* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

Pundits & Preachers
* Sean Hannity: did not serve.
* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
* Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
* Michael Savage: did not serve.
* George Will: did not serve.
* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
* John Wayne: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.
* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
* Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)

Oh, and thanks to my friend Gabe for elaborating on the reason Ted Nugent didn't get drafted...

In an interview for the Detroit Free Press (July 15, 1990), Nugent described how he avoided the draft: He claims that 30 days before his Draft Board Physical, he stopped all forms of personal hygiene. The last ten days he ingested nothing but junk food and Pepsi, and a week before his physical he stopped using the bathroom altogether, virtually living inside pants caked with excrement and stained by his urine. That spectacle won Nugent a deferment, he says. His quote: “ but if I would have gone over there, I’d have been killed, or I’d have killed, , or I’d have killed all the Hippies in the foxholes… I would have killed everybody.”

Wednesday Ditzy Cam

ditzy
Originally uploaded by AultTimIT.

On a lazy August afternoon, Ditzy sits and waits for the next chipmunk to scurry by...

Buzztracker.Org

Buzztracker, from Chin Music Press, offers a realtime map of world news events based on Google News RSS feeds.

Howe it works... the larger the red dot, the more prevalent the story. The lines represent the relationship between the news event and the location of the press covering the story. The darker the line, the more publishers reporting the story.

It's pretty interesting how the MSM stays fixated on certain parts of the world. But when you are are business and sensationalism sells, you go where the sensation is....

Thanks to Jim for the heads-up on this site.

Bush's approval just keeps on sinking...

If you went off for a month-long vacation while the business you run were in crisis, how would that make you look as a leader?

If you didn't have time to meet with the family of an employee who died in an industrial accident at your company, but you had plenty of time to attend golf outings with your stockholders, how would that make you look as a leader?

Well, with Bush's month-long vacation at his Texas compound while the nation is at war overseas, along with his refusal to meet privately with Cindy Sheehan while taking time out of his vacation to meet with campaign donors, he's not looking so well as a leader...

If you haven't see the recent polling done by SurveyUSA, it's worth a good look.

Just released on 8/16/2005, it calculates Bush's approval rating to be a national average of 41%. This, if I'm correct, is his worst rating yet.

But SurveyUSA takes it a step further than other approval polls; they have a state by state breakdown. And look at Ohio...

37% Approve ; 60% Disapprove

...yep. The state that went for Bush in 2004 is only topped in their disapproval of Bush by those liberal states of New Jersey(61%), Maryland(62%), New York(62%), Connecticut(62%), California(62%), Vermont(63%), Delaware(64%), Massachusetts(64%), and Rhode Island(68%).

I should also note Ohio isn't alone. Missouri also voted for Bush in 2004 and now their approval/diapproval is 38%/58%, tied right with the blue state of Michigan.

Florida, however, still approves of him at 44%, slightly above the national average?

So why are Ohio and Missouri changing their minds about Bush?

I'm not sure about Missouri, but here in Ohio we've had some nasty scandals arise on the state level, the OH-2nd district Hackett-Schmidt house battle which severely threatened a GOP stronghold, and an economy of stagflation for the past 5 years.

Numbers like these aren't permanent though, but if this is the omen of things to come in the 2006 congressional elections, things are looking good for the Democrats...

Ain't that the truth...

I just love this picture I found over at Urban Geography..

Defective product? Or new innovation?

If it's green, it's biology, If it stinks, it's chemistry, If it has numbers it's math, If it doesn't work, it's technology
- Unknown

From Ars Technica and PRNewsWire..


The Committee to Fight Microsoft ("CTFM"), the first civil rights and consumer action organization in cyberspace, will hold a San Francisco news conference Tuesday, August 9th to announce that it has begun a campaign to block Microsoft Corporation fromreleasing Windows Vista to the general public unless and until Microsoft offers a general and unconditional warranty to purchasers that the program
does not include "bad code."
The Washington, DC-based CTFM celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
"Bill Gates sells the public defective products," says CTFM Executive Director Andy Martin, "And then expects us to spend years being his guinea pigs, while he corrects the myriad of defects and vulnerabilities in his defective code. This is mass consumer fraud. It is unacceptable corporate behavior. Over four (4) years after Windows XP was released I still receive regular 'updates' and 'bug fixes,' which reflect a product that was originally scandalously defective.
"Windows 95 was a disaster; it took three years to correct the major deficiencies. But the 95 fix, Windows 98, only created new vulnerabilities, and required yet another round of fixes for Windows 98. On and on it goes. No other company in America gets away with selling defective products and then expecting its customers to wait years for proper product operability.
"When computers were a tool for techies, bad code may have been understandable. Today computers are a mass consumer product. The idea that hundreds of millions of people should have to have a similar 'XP' as users of Windows XP is unacceptable.
"Two other unacceptable scams that Microsoft has used over and over again are to encourage people to 'upgrade' unsuitable old computers, and to
encourage manufacturers to sell underpowered computers. XP was authorized for 128 RAM, which was clearly inadequate. Who would buy an inadequate TV set? Or an inadequate stove, that didn't get warm enough? Or an inadequate refrigerator that didn't get cold enough? No one. Why should someone buy or 'upgrade' an inadequate computer on Bill Gates' say-so? The Committee to Fight Microsoft is launching a legal action effort to bar such practice, in advance, for Windows Vista. Bill Gates, you are on notice."

Adjunct professor of law Andy Martin created the legal theories that led to litigation by state attorneys general against Microsoft. He founded the CTFM during the second round of federal litigation against Microsoft, and was an opponent of the original 1994 settlement.

...imagine that! A consumer movement to demand, of all things a warranty?! Why... this is (in my best blustering FoxNews® voice) a shining example of the travesty of frivolous lawsuits!

I ask, what is so wrong about demanding that a product work? If your DVD player needed to be reset every now and then because it locks up when you hit the menu button, we call that a defective product. But if your DVD player is a PC, well, that's just a fact of life...

Consumer advocates should be on Microsoft like white on rice... the end users need to stop paying for Windows patches with cool names like 'Vista', or 'Windows98'.

And have you heard anything about Vista, like the system requirements? 512MB RAM minimum... I tell you, it makes the most loyal Wintel fan reach for a Apple.

Having said that, I think my next PC is going to be a Mac Mini...

Ditzy's Night Out

Last week I helped my boss with his IGU conference. From Tuesday to Friday I was gone from 8am to 11pm every night. My cat was not happy being left alone. Then, on Friday, as soon as I finished the conference I went to visit my family in Canton for the weekend, leaving Ditzy alone with a big bowl of food until I returned on Sunday night.


Well... cabin fever must've set in for the little guy, because while I was on the phone when I got back sunday night, Ditzy managed to open the screen door and take off! I didn't notice he had got out until he was clean out of sight.

From 1am to 5am I went out looking for him, but with no success. I watched some Tivo and continued searching ever 10 minutes or so.

By 5am I was dead tired and had given up. I wouldn't find him until he was good and ready. As I turned off the lights and went to shut the back door, Ditzy popped his head from around the corner and gave a questioning "meow?"

He was wet, muddy, and covered with little cockleburrs... and he looked tired too.





...he didn't even wipe his feet.

I had to give him a bath the next day. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't fight me.

I guess I'm going to have to make sure to always lock the screen door now.

Stupid cat... no.. the problem is he isn't stupid at all...

Americans are waking up to Iraq

The honeymoon is wayyyy over. War weariness is starting to set in...

Here are some interesting numbers from a recent CNN/USA Today Gallup Poll on Iraq.
(found on pollingreport.com)

						.
"In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?" Form A (N=481, MoE ± 5)
						.
		Made a Mistake	Did Not Make a Mistake	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	54	44	2
	7/22-24/05	46	53	1

...that's a pretty big change for one month. And it means that most people now think we goofed going into Iraq.

"All in all, do you think it was worth going to war in Iraq, or not?" Form B (N=523, MoE ± 5) Wording, 6/03-12/03: "All in all, do you think the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over, or not?" Wording prior to 6/03: "All in all, do you think the current situation in Iraq is worth going to war over, or not?"
						.
		Worth Going To War	Not Worth Going To War	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	44	54	2
	7/7-10/05	44	53	3

As Dick Cheney the flip-flopper once said, "Everybody is fond of looking back at Desert Storm and saying that it was, in fact, a low cost conflict because we didn't suffer very many casualties. But for the 146 Americans who were killed in action and for their families, it was not a cheap or a low cost conflict. The question, to my mind, in terms of this notion that we should have gone on and occupied Iraq is how many additional American casualties would we have had to suffer? How many additional American lives is Saddam Hussein worth? And the answer I would give is not very damn many."

Well, Dick, the American people now agree..

"In general, how would you say things are going for the U.S. in Iraq: very well, moderately well, moderately badly, or very badly?" Options rotated. N=1,004, MoE ± 3. Wording prior to 3/04: "How would you say things are going for the U.S. in Iraq now that the major fighting has ended: very well, moderately well, moderately badly, or very badly?"
						.
		Very Well	Moderately Well	Moderately Badly	Very Badly	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	5	38	28	28	1
	4/29 - 5/1/05	6	36	31	25	2

...to 56% of America, this war is going south faster than 2-month old milk. Even those thinking it's still going well don't think it's doing overly well. But this isn't new; mot Americans knew this wasn't going well for quite some time... since Oct of 2003.

"Which comes closest to your view about what the U.S. should now do about the number of U.S. troops in Iraq? The U.S. should send more troops to Iraq. The U.S. should keep the number of troops as it is now. The U.S. should withdraw some troops from Iraq. OR, The U.S. should withdraw all of its troops from Iraq." Options rotated. N=1,004, MoE ± 3.
						.
		Send More	Same as Now	Withdraw Some	Withdraw All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	13	28	23	33	3
	6/6-8/05	10	26	31	28	5

...for the past 2 months the American people have been wanting our troops to come back home. Let Iraq defend Iraq. Of course, Iraqi troop training is a joke right now; we won't even accept offers from other countries to help bear the burden of getting them trained...

"Do you think the war with Iraq has made the U.S. safer or less safe from terrorism?" Form A (N=481, MoE ± 5)
						.
		Safer	Less Safe	No Change (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	34	57	6	3
	7/7-10/05	40	54	5	1

"Do you think the war with Iraq will make the U.S. safer or less safe from terrorism in the long run?" Form B (N=523, MoE ± 5)
						.
		Safer	Less Safe	No Change (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/5-7/05	42	48	8	2

...seems that since the London transit bombing that people have put 2 & 2 together and figured out that all we're doing is creating a great big terrorist training camp in Iraq, one where the survivors can apply their new 'skills' by stashing a bomb in a briefcase and attacking us here at home. So much for the "Fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" rhetoric. With our government cutting funding to border protection and the security of our infrastructure so they can pay for this unneccessary war, of course we're less safe!

Let's set our priorities straight. Secure the border to stop terror and stop making terrorist breeding grounds...