Bridge to Nowhere

In all kindness, bridges in New Jersey usually provide escape routes. Since not everyone has escaped from New Jersey, all the bridges are bridges to Nowhere.

The intrepid Gubernator Chris Christy proved the Bridge to Nowhere theory about a year ago.

'He' shut down one bridge. The George Washington Bridge at Fort Lee.



Now the Gubernator didn't personally order the closing. His office did. Sort of like Obama's daughters didn't build the healthcare website. Only the girls really didn't build the website using iPhones. Some one else in private industry, possibly with help from North Korea, neglected to perform their duties.

We should applaud the Gubernator's staff. They intended to screw things up for the residents of Fort Lee and the Mission Accomplished banner hangs over the N.J. capital today. Perfect backdrop for the massive I didn't do it and I don't know how it happened and 'Why can't we all just get along' speech by Christie.

Better than Nixon's Checkers Speech, Christie doesn't get any points for good speech writing. He had a year to prep.

Unlike Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein whose spontaneous text message will be required reading in PoliSci classes for several days.

Here's a couple classic lines. "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly.

When school buses were stuck, Wildstein chirped, "They are the children of Buono voters."

Ah, poor Barbara Buono. It's impossible to win an election without the power to close bridges.

Three heart attack victims painfully waited for EMTs while traffic delays ambulances. Ironic that Ms. Kelly texted one of her messages while attending a wake. Oh well. I guess she didn't cause the heart attacks.

Ironic the Gubernator's office started their political terrorism on ... 9/12. A day after the anniversary of the largest terror attack on U.S. soil. Same day as the Bengazi attacks.

Who knew.

My thanks to the NYT story.

Wikipedia, why it's a bunch of lies...

The internet may be a boon or a bust. It's too early to tell. But, technology works to catch liars.

Wikipedia is an online information center very much like an encyclopedia. But, the Wikipedia has a living feature to it. People can edit the entries as often as knowledge or information changes.

However, some entries are being deleted and altered in a way that hides the truth ... or at least hides information.

Here's a long story on how we know who is trying to limit truth and information on the Internet.

See Who's Editing Wikipedia - Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign

Gonzales knew who was breaking the law

Criminals in the GOP, Pardons, and Presidents named Bush

On my way to other things, Iran Contra came back to life. Depending on which source I choose to use as many as 250 Reagan era 'employees' were charged with a crime.

Some of them got Presidential Pardons to silence the grinding wheels of Justice.

That brings me back to Bush and Libby.

The GOP Presidential Pardons are for corrupt or criminal convictions of GOP office holders, staffers, and Cabinet members.

Democratic Presidential Pardons are just for common crooks.

Clearly, the GOP 'gets caught,' tried, and convicted more often than the Dems.

Is that why the GOP hates judges?

Meanwhile, Gonzales made the news again as "an unindicted co-conspirator" and "perjury suspect."

Being the highest ranking criminal in the country does have its perks. Ops! I meant the highest ranking criminal law enforcement officer in the country, didn't I?

Story on Gonzales and perjury

It's time to call perjury by its proper name. Lying.

Weather and Global Warming

How warm is it?

The ten hottest years on record, and the records go back 150 years, were all since 1990.

2007 is expected to be the 2nd warmest year on record.

Story details

Conservatives no longer fight about "global warming." The warming has become indisputable fact. But, the evil conservatives dispute the cause.

Ignore them. Mankind can create its destiny just as individuals can make positive changes in complex societies.

Don't argue. Just do what is right.

Evil

The GOP

Bush

Cheney

Ann Coulter

Especially Ann Coulter who has done more harm to truth, justice, and the American way than Osama bin Laden.

The filth in her soul overflows from her mouth.

She just wished John Edwards dead. Not just struck down by her hateful God, but killed by 'terrorists.'

Maybe her hateful God works through bin Laden.

News story from the AP

Old News, Old Lies

The air is safe!

Getting the city back on its feet as fast as possible was the right thing to do!

The days after 9/11, when the GOP said to go back home, breath in and out, and feel safe doing what you have always done.

Whitman, the liar, not the poet

She has long insisted that her statements that the "air is safe" were aimed at those living and working near ground zero, not those who actually toiled on the toxic pile that included asbestos.

"Was it wrong to try get the city back on its feet as quickly as possible in the safest way possible? Absolutely not," she said, drawing catcalls from the crowd.

Listen to the Generals

"I listen to the Generals," a favorite line used by Bush.

Both of them, it would seem. There are nine combat commands. Two are run by Army Generals. Bush will cut that number to one in about thirty days.

In July, will Bush talk about listening to the General?

Full Story from the AP

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College who holds a Ph.D. in history from Duke University, said he could find no prior period when the Army was so engaged overseas and so underrepresented at top levels.

"It's absolutely extraordinary," he said. "I just can't believe the numbers. It's cultural, it's political, and it's deeply ingrained. I've never seen it to the degree it exists today."

Besides Special Operations Command, which is located at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, there are eight other "combatant commands." These are the structures responsible for unique wartime functions, such as transportation, or for managing troops in a particular region of the world, such as Europe or the Middle East.

Combatant commanders have short lines of authority; they report to the defense secretary and the president.

Someone should tell the young men and women at Military College of Georgia aka North Georgia College and State University.

Serve your country. Get an education. Be ignored by the Commander and Chief.

Georgia's 10th Congressional District Special Election Update

As I predicted, Jim Whitehead is not making public appearances in the 10th District. He's snubbing Athens intentionally because he hates the 'liberals' who live there.

Sounds like he would make a great representative in Congress. If he doesn't win the election, maybe he can get a job cleaning the restrooms.

Rude and crude remarks aside, Whitehead has an incurable form of foot in mouth disease.

The Atlanta Press Club organized a free public forum in Athens. The Athens event would give wide exposure to all the candidates in the race. According to this story in the Athens Banner-Herald, Whitehead's schedule was the deciding factor in setting up the event. Event planners called his campaign, worked out the details with the campaign, and set the date and time based on Jim's personal whims.

Now Jim Whitehead is running away from the event like a whipped puppy.

I say the man is chicken. A true Yellow-bellied coward. And a liar.

He agreed to the forum upfront with no intention of attending.

Whitehead is the GOP machines candidate in the special election for the 10th. If he wins the 10th, the 10th loses.

It's been eight months since the 10th District had a truly active voice and representation on the floor of the U.S. House. Sonny Perdue delayed the special election to give Whitehead the best possible chance of winning. Whitehead might have used his state office and perks to run his campaign in the 10th while attending the Georgia Legislature.

Now, he can't speak in public and answer a few questions in the company of all the other candidates.

If Jim 'Yellow-bellied' Whitehead can't be trusted to keep his word, why did the GOP even put his name on the voting ballot?

Why would anyone vote for such a coward and a liar?

Jim "Yellow-bellied" Whitehead for Congressional toilet seat cleaner!

The FairTax and common sense

No discussion should be without facts, so before discussing the FairTax, let's get some facts from the Internal Revenue Service Tax Stats available online at www.irs.gov.

Total personal income in the United States in 2004, $6.8 trillion dollars.
Total Federal Government budget, $2.8 trillion dollars.
Total of Personal Income Tax collections, $831 billion.
Average Personal Income Tax rate, 12.10%.
Short fall of Income taxes to budget, roughly $2 trillion dollars.

There are real world numbers from the best source. No one invented these numbers to sell a book.

If the FairTax is imposed and every taxpayers spends every dollar of their personal income on new items taxes at the “quoted” rate of 23 percent inclusive, the federal government debt would increase at least $1.6 trillion dollars before the Federal Government pays the prebate. After the prebate, which on page 85 is $6,072 per household times 130 million households, the Federal Debt would increase by $2.3 trillion dollars.

The FairTax, going by real world examples, will not fund the Federal Government and would increase the Federal Debt by $2.3 trillion dollars each year.

The FairTax is a sales tax on new items only. Can you spend more than your income? Sure. And, under the FairTax, you would be taxed for that borrowing. At least 23 percent. And, even with all possible borrowing included, the FairTax will not collect enough revenue to fund the Federal Government.

Assuming every taxpayer increases personal debt by 30 percent, far more than any bank would loan in one year, the FairTax would only collect $2 trillion dollars in revenue at the quoted rate of 23 percent inclusive.

Let’s make it simple, because it is really simple.

The present budget is $2.8 trillion dollars. Add the "prebate" of over $789 billion dollars. The new budget will be over $3.5 trillion dollars. Unless Americans borrow huge amounts of money to buy new things, the real tax rate will have to be 51.4 percent on all sales.

Maybe the Federal Income Tax average rate of 12 percent seems high. But, why beg to be taxed at 51 percent as a tax protest?

The FairTax is not only a fraud, it's the biggest tax lie in North Georgia History.

Book burning protest

I'm still on the subject of lies, overall.

But, this book burning protest puts a nice amber toned light on the Radical talk show hosts in general.

Radical talk show hosts and other anti-mainstream media activists point to the falling sales of newspapers as proof. Proof of what? Proof that the "American people" have had enough of the 'liberal biased mainstream media.'

Then here comes the book burning. A used book dealer had a warehouse full of books. He tried selling them. He tried giving them away. Libraries wouldn't take them. Schools wouldn't take them. After years of making a living selling used books, the dealer couldn't give books away.

So, he started burning the book in protest.

It seems people aren't reading newspaper, paperbacks, or hardbacks as much any more.

The Internet version of the AJC, The Gainesville Times, and the Washington Post are FREE. The free content of the Internet continues to grow with millions of documents being added everyday.

So there's my proof that the Radical Right remains as out of touch with reality as George W. Bush.

Story from the Gainesville Times and available online!

The Army Corps of Engineers. Are they lying?

After Katrina, the city of News Orleans was helpless. We all remember the expectations of horror and the reality of the horror.

No need to rehash that part of the past.

But, we expected steps to be taken. We were told steps were being taken. We were promised the right steps.

Instead, the culture of corruption triumphed over our humanity.

The government cut a deal with a Repuglican contractor for flood pumps. Pumps to push back the floods from the next storm, the next disaster, the next Katrina.

The Culture of Corruption installed defective pumps.

Read more details on how the Repuglican government lied about preventing the next human disasters.

We first covered this story in March. See that post here.

Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice

The Secretary of State, Crocodile Rice, never smiles with her eyes, cries tears that never make her mascara run, and crawls on her stomach in the river of lies that has become the Bush Administration.

Does anyone not remember her testimony before the 9/11 Commission? She appeared without taking an oath on the Bible, wearing a pair of shoes that would have made Imelda Markos puke.

In that timid, wavering voice, Rice denied military history when she said, "No one could have known that airplanes were going to be used as human guided missiles."

Ms. Rice owes her freedom to the 4,900 men killed by Kamikaze pilots in 1945. Another 4,800 men were wounded by these 'human guided missiles.'

Ms. Rice has over used her act as the woman being unfairly attacked. Her quavering voice, her never smiling eyes, and her defensive hand gestures betray her intent to lie.

Sunday, Ms. Rice again made an appeal on national TV. In so many words she said, "Don't trust the former head of the CIA. He lies." She bases that on many things but mostly on 'slam dunk.'

“When George said ‘slam dunk,’ ” Ms. Rice said, “everybody understood that he believed that the intelligence was strong.

“We all believed the intelligence was strong.” (From the NYT)

Thank you, Secretary Rice for clarifying on TV what you will not say under Oath, "It's not my fault. I did my job. I was duped and fooled by other people who were smarter than me."

Of course you were, Ms. Rice. Of course you were.

Successful Rebuilding of Iraq

Another big lie from the big, bad Right.

Anne Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News have all been reporting great success with the rebuilding of Iraq. These far right war mongers have been blaming the "mainstream media" for our public perspective of the Iraq invasion as a failed Repuglican policy.

There is a real reason to call it the Mainstream Media. The Mainstream Media doesn't lie. The far Right media is paid to lie.

I don't know which is worse. Liars that believe their lies or liars that are paid to lie.

Most rebuilding projects in Iraq have failed. The country is worse off today than it was under Saddam with U.N. sanctions.

Read the details in NYT, registration required.

At the airport, crucially important for the functioning of the country, inspectors found that while $11.8 million had been spent on new electrical generators, $8.6 million worth were no longer functioning.

At the maternity hospital, a rehabilitation project in the northern city of Erbil, an expensive incinerator for medical waste was padlocked — Iraqis at the hospital could not find the key when inspectors asked to see the equipment — and partly as a result, medical waste including syringes, used bandages and empty drug vials were clogging the sewage system and probably contaminating the water system.

The newly built water purification system was not functioning either.

The Repuglican Party, the best collection of liars and paid liars on the planet.

Iraq War

Bush lied about how many troops would be sent to Iraq in his misnamed "troop surge."

He said 21,500, but we've already increased troop levels by more than 20,000 and less than half of the "surge" has happened.

Bush said the surge would have specific goals.

Yesterday, he moved the goal posts. Again.

Read the details in the NYT, registration required.

The Bush administration will not try to assess whether the troop increase in Iraq is producing signs of political progress or greater security until September, and many of Mr. Bush’s top advisers now anticipate that any gains by then will be limited, according to senior administration officials.

When a Repuglican opens either side of their mouths, expect a lie. Remember, the Bush Administration is not going to make any judgements until September. No matter how well things go or no matter had badly things go.

What a great leader to run a war.

Vietnam - Iraq and lying about Body Counts

The right side of the political spectrum has lost it. The lies that are being told have become outrageous and harmful to human life.

No, I'm not talking about the many lies about Global Warming or the censorship of NASA scientists.

The United States supports whatever can be called the Iraqi government. Support isn't adequate to describe the nearly Titanic sized effort to maintain an mythical country called Iraq. That's another series of posts.

The mythical Iraqi government has been skewing body counts, reporting fewer people maimed and killed in the daily chaos.

I don't know what phrase is best to describe a government that has to meet behind concrete bomb blast doors. Maybe Hilter had a special term for his bunker.

Anyway, the bunker mentality of the Iraqi government now matches the bunker mentality of Vietnam and the current Bush Administration.

Lie, lie, and lie some more.

Details on how the Iraqi government has been under-reporting the violence here.

Voodoo from the GOP

It's been a week since the gunfire shattered 32 lives and ended a shattered life at Virginia Tech. My favorite Catholic priest told me to never judge a person for taking their own life. "That is something between God and them." He was hinting at their being some meaning even in a life lost to suicide. But, he was a better man than me.

I've sick and tired of the endless number of right wing GOP backers crying because Virginia Tech didn't have just one more gun on the campus that day! God forbid the shooter had carried three guns instead of two.

One more gun ... would have changed nothing.

What would one less gun have changed? Two less guns?

Had we stopped the shooter from buying guns, how many people would be alive today that have instead been mourned and will be forever missed?

I've made the point that students don't need plastic money to buy guns while in college. No one needs to be buying guns on credit.

But, give me credit. I'm no Nancy Schaefer, Georgia Senator from the 50th District.

Nancy does not believe in mental illness. Therefore, everyone is entitled to listen to the voices in their heads and buy guns.

Like the Son of Sam serial killer. Herb Mullin, who killed 13 people to save California from earthquakes. Charles Albright, serial killer who removed the eyeballs of his female victims. Jeffery Dahmer. Eddie Gein, role model for Buffalo Bill in the movie, Silence of the Lambs. Genene Jones, pediatric nurse who killed little babies in Texas hospitals. And, like the shooter at Virginia Tech.

But, Nancy says, "There's no such thing as mental illness!" And, therefore, no reason to screen gun buyers for psychosis, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, paranoia, multiple personalities, obsessive-compulsive disorder ...

And, Nancy, the North Georgia Queen of Voodoo, says there's no reason for the public to pay for pills, diagnosis, or treatment in our schools and colleges.

A week ago, ten days ago, were we one pill away from saving 32 human beings and one already shattered life?

Not one more gun ... just more one caring doctor ... just one more caring nurse ... THAT could have saved so much heartbreak.

The all time Oscar for lying goes to the Voodoo Queen, Nancy Schaefer. "There is no such thing as mental illness."

Bush Lied

This is a cheap and easy target to accuse of lying, George W. Bush.

In Congressional testimony and under Oath, Admiral William Fallon said that

The idea of the troop increase, originally billed by the administration as a temporary "surge," is not to defeat the insurgency. That is not thought possible in the near term. The purpose is to contain the violence — in particular, the sect-on-sect killings in Baghdad — long enough to create an environment in which Iraqi political leaders can move toward conciliation and ordinary Iraqis are persuaded of a viable future.

The "troop surge" as it once was called is only in reference to troops being deployed to Baghdad!

Actual troops counts are not being given by the Admiral, who is the Senior Commander for all of the Middle East.

Prior to the "temporary troop surge," about 135,000 U.S. military personnel were on duty inside Iraq. With less than half of the "surge" in place, the total number of personnel serving in Iraq can only be estimated at between 160,000 and 180,000.

IF Bush had been telling the truth about escalating his occupation force to maybe 200,000 troops for an unlimited time, he would have been impeached.

The Admiral escapes being called a liar for this wonderful remark: He also said the United States does not have "a ghost of a chance" of success in Iraq unless it can create "stability and security."

Doesn't victory in a WAR involve creating "stability and security?"

So he merely gets the Double Speak Oscar for saying that we don't have a "ghost of a chance" unless we win.

How the Army Lies

By now, nearly everyone knows that Pat Tillman was shot to death by his own platoon in Afghanistan. After his death, his family and the public were told of Pat's heroism under 'enemy fire.' Tillman was awarded a Silver Star.

Months later, the Army confessed to distorting all the details of Pat Tillman's murder.

Tillman was killed by his fellow platoon members.

Now we are learning, nearly 4 years later, how far the Army went with the lies and the coverage, burning Tillman's uniform, cutting phone lines, and giving 'orders' to withhold information from Tillman's brother.

The lies and cover up started with fellow Ranger, Russell Baer.

Ranger Spc. Russell Baer had witnessed Rangers shooting at Rangers. Afterward, he was directed to travel from Afghanistan to the United States with his friend Kevin Tillman. But he was ordered not to tell Pat Tillman's brother and fellow Ranger that friendly fire was the likely cause of the former football player's death.

Non-commissioned officers knew the truth.

Two other sergeants who examined Tillman's vest noticed the bullet holes appeared to be from 5.56-caliber bullets — signature American ammunition. An awful realization dawned on the sergeants, whose names, like those of others who testified in the investigation, were deleted from the recently released testimony.

"At this time was when I had realized Tillman may have been killed by friendly fire," one of them said.

Material evidence was burned and destroyed.

Nearby on the same base, a staff sergeant was in his tent when a captain walked in and told him to burn Tillman's bloody clothing. . . Then he left the staff sergeant to his work: placing Tillman's uniform, socks, gloves and body armor into a 55-gallon drum and burning them.

Guards were posted to keep the wounded from talking.

Spc. Jade Lane lay in a hospital bed in Afghanistan, recovering from gunshot wounds inflicted by the same fellow Rangers who had shot at Tillman. Amid his shock and grief, Lane noticed guards were posted on him.

"I thought it was strange," Lane recalled. Later, he said, he learned the reason for their presence: The news media were sniffing around, and Lane's superiors "did not want anyone talking to us," he said.

...and who shall guard the Guardians? Who shall make sure the Guardians make no mistakes?

UK: Bush Losing "War on Terror"

It is being reported in Australia that the UK will split with Bush on the "War on Terror" when Tony Blair resigns.

Tony Blair will resign as Prime Minister, leaving Bush holding the bag on the phrase, War on Terror.

The UK understands how the English language works. Heck! They sort of invented the thing. Why does that matter?

The phrase, War on Terror, is vague, simplistic, misleading, and counterproductive.

Four words often used to describe George Bush and 99.9 percent of Republican leaders. Also another way to very politely, in that uniquely British way, say, the Yanks are lying about making war on terror.

To make this a little more clear, Casey Cagle pledged to never raise taxes. But, he just created a surcharge of 3.5%. Stop lying, Casey! It's an increase in taxes! Changing the name of a tax to a surcharge isn't honest.

Nor is saying "We're at war with terror!" Meaningless Madison Avenue advertising slogan.

"I am the War President!" "I'm for Law and Order!" "I'm against big Goverment!" "I'm a fiscal conservative!" (Just some more slick and meaningless sound bites from the Lying Right.

Dollar nearly worthless, thanks to Bush, GOP, Nathan Deal

As I said, the GOP lies. And, they are very good at it.

The British Pound Sterling is now worth two U.S. dollars and rising. Not since Europe created the European dollar or Euro has the Pound Sterling been worth twice as much as a dollar.

What can we expect from the Bush appointee, Ben Shalom Bernanke? Increases in your mortgage rates, increases in all interest rates, and an increase in the Federal Debt.

Now how did I get an increase in the Federal Debt?

As Ben Shalom increases interest rates on the entire U.S. economy, growth will fall. As growth falls, tax revenues decrease. Less revenue for the federal government with no cuts in spending will mean a faster increase in Debt.

Don't expect Bush to cut the budget in the middle of his term as the War President. It takes a lot of 'hard work' and MONEY to lose a war. Maybe even more money and hard work than winning a war.

Watch Ben Shalom Bernanke. He just said the record number of people being evicted for not being able to pay their floating rate mortgage has been contained.

"Contained." As in the nuclear blast that destroyed Hiroshima has been contained. (Once the uranium completely burned a hole a quarter mile deep and a half a mile wide, killing 80,000 instantly).

Where is Nathan Deal on the issue of inflation, bank repossessions of homes, and the worthless dollar?

AWOL

More details on the worthless dollar.