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9/30/2005

The Bullshit That Hurts America

It's one thing to hear simplistic bullshit coming from people who still STILL!!! think Bush is doing a dandy job. But to hear it coming from a Bush administration official who seems to believe the simplistic bullshit, that's just goddamned scary.

First of all, Karen Hughes needs to know that "under God" appears nowhere in the US constitution, and .... oh, why bother? Is she really helping bin Laden make more terrorists by telling the Middle East what good, Christian people we are? Probably. Would our bitching convince her that she should change tactics? Probably not. Because she's an idiot, babbling away as she helps undermine her own president's goals by talking the party line about how the US is a Christian nation, bringing good Christian freedom to the world. Her job is to make the Islamic peoples like us, and this is how she's doing it.

9/28/2005

The Wheels Of Justice Grind Slowly, But They Do Grind

Delay indicted on conspiracy charged, could get two years if convicted.

This actually has nothing to do with the Mob hit that may have come out of a troubled business deal with Republican Kingpin Lobbyist Abramoff.

9/27/2005

No, Really, I Am NOT Shitting You

Michael "Drownie" Brown, now paid FEMA consultant, blames FEMA's Katrina response on New Orleans and Louisiana. That guy who ran FEMA, Drownie says, was doing a great job.

I thinking that this suggestion that Drownie was the leaker behind the National Equirer's Bush Is Drinking Again story just might be true. Desperation lead to two choices, quiet the loudmouth with a mysterious death, or give him what he wants. Both actions could be damaging. Here we see the damage unfolding -- could the Bush people be this incompetent to let their scapegoat back in to spout this shit?

No, I Am Not Shitting You

WASHINGTON — Facing criticism that he appeared disengaged from the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush has been looking for opportunities to show his concern. But the White House will take the effort a step further Tuesday, venturing into untested waters by putting the nation's first lady on reality television. Laura Bush will travel to storm-damaged Biloxi, Miss., to film a spot on the feel-good, wish-granting hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Mrs. Bush sought to be on the program because she shares the "same principles" that the producers hold, her press secretary said.

Principles that tell us it's a good thing to make people feel good by giving extravagant help to one family, paid for by corporate sponsorship. Maybe Laura will give them a big plasma screen TV!

"In its standard format, the popular ABC series finds hard-pressed but deserving families..." I wish they could send those FEMA checks to just deserving families.

9/26/2005

Evolution Wins Again

I have no problem with being a chimp's cousin.

Hmmmm...

Mass killings, rapings, shooting of rescue workers in Superdome and convention center? Not that many at all.

9/24/2005

Not About Bush, Hurricaines...

Watchfilms.com -- Old, moldy movies, cartoons, shorts, commercials, all free.

Texas Too Sunny For Photo Op

Bush was going to go to San Antonio to do a nice photo op of the Leader Leading The Charge Into The Teeth Of The Storm, but then got questioned that maybe he and his entourage would get in the way of those doing real work. See here amusing video of President Snippy having to face a blunt question.

So they didn't go to San Antonio. But the reason wasn't that they didn't want to get in the way, the reason was that San Antonio was too damn nice.

Another White House official involved in preparing Mr. Bush's way noted that with the sun shining so brightly in San Antonio, the images of Mr. Bush from here might not have made it clear to viewers that he was dealing with an approaching storm.

Can't help but note that the NYT story assumes that he didn't halt the political stops during his vacation for Katrina because Bush didn't want to get in the way. Which is bullshit-- no one expected Bush to go stand in the French Quarter in the middle of the crisis. But many suggested that he go to Washington and do his fucking job.

But Was It A Good Thing When He Was "Bold" And An Idiot?

Republicans saying Bush is weak, emasculated.

And now it's happened. It must be fun around the house now, with a top Republican saying openly that Laura's got Bush's balls in her pocket. If Skippy wasn't drinking before, he is now.

9/23/2005

Quntron and MIss Pussycat

A summary of the Quintron and Miss Pussycat saga.

Asshole

Panic has caused death and gridlock on the highways. Again we hear the lame excuse, We never thought this would happen! A levee in New Orleans is overflowing again, flooding the 9th ward again.

President Bush is conducting stratigic photo ops to make it look like he's on top of things.

Maybe Bush, FEMA and DHS will do better this time. But still, all that can be done is sing along.

9/21/2005

Clarence Frogman Henry Alive And Kicking Ass

You heard the Frogman last week on SwaG!, and heard your host fumble around trying to determine if he had lived through the hurricaine, or if he might've passed away long before the hurricaine.

Found out at the end of the show that he is alive, and was to play at a NYC Katrina benefit concert. He did so, and kicked ass.

Before long, Lenny Kravitz and Elvis Costello took turns underwhelming each other. Luckily, Clarence "Frogman" Henry saved the day, and showed that a performer forty years past his prime is still better than a Costello or a Kravitz any Tuesday. Frogman stunned the Garden with a stellar Ain't Got No Home, complete with little girl and frog stylings. He segued into his I Gotta Go schtick, and down in N'awlins that act can last fifty-five minutes. With the off-camera hook lurking, Frogman's I Gotta Go routine was infused with a fresh sense of urgency.

9/20/2005

Motherfucking Cronies Are Crooks

Can we say 'scandal'?
The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal reached into the White House yesterday, picking off President Bush's top procurement official -- who just barely had time to resign before being arrested....

And for a White House so desperate to build public confidence in its ability to respond to the Gulf Coast disaster, it doesn't exactly help that the man who up until Friday was overseeing contracting policy for the multi-billion dollar relief effort has now been charged with lying and obstructing a criminal investigation.

You Need To ...

... take a look deep inside Our President, George W. Bush.

9/16/2005

When The Lord Closes A Door, He Opens A Window

Karl Rove is now in charge of rebuilding the Gulf Coast. And Bush wants to rely on the military the next time something like this happens. If you don't understand what's wrong here, you need to take a closer, more detailed look.

From here:

As I've been saying, repressive governments mix adminsitrative clumsiness and inefficiency with authoritarian tendencies. That's almost always the pattern. The direction the president wants to go in is one in which, in emergencies, the federal government will have trouble moving water into or enabling transportation out of the disaster zone but will be well-equipped to declare martial law on a moment's notice.

Another pack of lies. Right in front of everyone.

9/15/2005

What Lives After The Apocalypse: Cockroaches, Keith Richards, and the Saturn Bar

I've been to The Saturn Bar many times. It is the best/worst dive in New Orleans and likely the world. The last time, Halloween 2004, it was really going down hill. Some guy had his little dog there which was pissing and crapping, and no one was cleaning it up. We went upstairs and the seating area up there was full of spider webs -- huge amounts -- which caused me to think that deadly arachnids were just waiting to jump on my face. And there was the cat infestation. And the cockroaches.

It's in the 9th Ward, near Quintron and Miss Pussycat's place. Then we thought that it was doomed to be closed as a health hazard. After Katrina we knew the Saturn had drowned in toxic water, made more filthy by the bar itself.

But at the end of this story... A Miracle!

In New Orleans' 9th Ward, O'Neil Broyard, 67, said Monday that he was not concerned about the threat of disease, although several feet of increasingly fetid water stands just behind his business, the Saturn Bar.

Broyard has been mucking around in the water for days. During the height of the flooding, 2 feet of water was in the bar and he spent three days cleaning it out. He said he took precautions every time he slogged through the water.

"I washed up good," Broyard said. "I got that antibacterial soap and I just put it on my feet."

Like thousands of others left in town, Broyard rejected the mayor's call to evacuate. Instead, he said he was intent on guarding his bar, a small, strange gem in the east of the city that has acquired a cult following over the years for its collection of surreal, comic paintings by a local artist and its earthy, no-nonsense management.

Horribly Tasteless

Yet they pull us together in times of crisis. New Get Your War On comics, page K.

9/14/2005

Fuckers

Do we want an independent, bipartisan study of the Katrina fiasco? All senate Democrats vote yes, all senate Republicans (with one absent) vote no.

You know, now is really not the time to play the blame game. Now is the time for action!

Bush already has dispatched his top strategist, Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, and other aides to assemble ideas from agencies, conservative think tanks, GOP lawmakers and state officials to guide the rebuilding of New Orleans and relocation of flood victims. The idea, aides said, is twofold: provide a quick federal response that comports with Bush's governing philosophy, and prevent Katrina from swamping his second-term ambitions on Social Security, taxes and Middle East democracy-building.

9/12/2005

Sanzenbach, Nicky Blood, Accounted For....

Hey, I know that guy. Met him last year in New Orleans. Strange night. Moon was getting eclipsed, turned blood red. He had some smokey fire going in his yard, ranted about how he wanted to punch a famous NOLA music star and the secret plans behind 9/11...

WWOZ lists musicians known to have survived.

Beginning Of The End Of Dubya?

"An emperor-has-no-clothes moment seems upon us."

9/11/2005

How Bush Blew It

Read.

9/11 Vrs. Katrina

Then, cops lost lives trying to save people. Now, there's this.

9/09/2005

Great Idea

Got a spare room, a spare bed? Go to Hurricanehousing.org.

9/08/2005

Quintron and Miss Pussycat Alive

They made it, but the Spellcaster is now the underwater dance club.
i don't know what the fuck is happening.....this is biblical and it is breaking my heart to see New Orleans burnt, flooded, neglected, ethnically cleansed, and basically shoved underwater to drown........but we can breath underwater.  Cajun Atlantis has just begun to emerge and the moment those fuckers let us back in the gates, we are going straight to the gun store and then to the boat bar for all the free drinks we can drink.  Thank you all for everything........WE LOVE YOU!...............sincerely, Mr.Q and all of Rhinestone Records

And here's the story on all the many New Orleans musicians who made it. No word about any who didn't.

I'm just trying to picture big overweight Dr. John hobbling around on his cane in the Superdome.

"Are you getting a lot of that, Mr. Vice President?"

Cheney gets some feedback.

Thought For The Day

From here:
"Now, for you people who are saying, `Well, stop pointing fingers at the president...left-wing...the media's being too hard:

No.  SHUT...UP!  No!  This is inarguably---inarguably---a failure of leadership from the top of the federal government.

Remember when Bill Clinton went out with Monica Lewinsky? That was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for his behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now. And I will say this: Hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is that tens of thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina."
--Jon Stewart

And here's the finger-pointin' blame game in action! Next time at work, when the boss is pissed at you for something, answer everything with, "You're trying to engage in a blame game!" It will drive him nuts!

9/07/2005

Fucker

"In short, firefighters who volunteered to help save and help people, were instead forced to act as human props as Bush walked around pretending to do stuff."

You have got to see the picture of the little prick strutting around, rolling up his sleeves like he's getting to work.

Saving New Orleans

Here is a very rational, well-reasoned post on Plastic on saving New Orleans. Long story short, it can be done, but we're going to have to get help from the same federal government which refused to properly fund the levee system in the first place, the same government that handed over $250 million to build a bridge in Alaska to an island of 50 people, the same government that took about 5 days to save people after the disaster.

9/06/2005

Three College Kids In A Hyundai Head To New Orlenas

They did what they could.

Bush Really IS A Son Of A Bitch

"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overhwlemed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle)--this is working very well for them." - Barbara Bush, speaking on all those poor dark 'fugees.

From here. Look for the audio link. This is something you have to hear.

9/05/2005

Does This Mean I'm Getting Big-Time?

Just a note: We're getting spam comments in the comments. It's pretty obvious. Don't follow the links. Don't bother to respond to them.

"The Only Honorable Thing to Do"

When I saw this headline I instantly thought of what Japanese generals did in WWII, when they failed in battle.

Lost?

Did we lose New Orleans?

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.

Well, we are a lot more than all that. And though we may seem the most exotic, the most atmospheric and, at times, the most downtrodden part of this land, we are still part of it. We are Americans. We are you.

I talked to a native who escaped. She said Mardi Gras will happen next year. It's going to be a big party. That's just the way they are. The costume theme will be hurricane damage. people will wear fucked up houses on their heads and trash they found on their lawns. People will dress as Bush and FEMA's Brown -- this is where I suggested effigies on ropes, and she said that was a fine idea.

And they'll drink and parade on the filthy streets, because that's just what they will do. I said I'd hope to be there, but then felt guilty. That should be kept as the natives' party. No tourists allowed.

That reminds me of another idea. We go to all the frat boys with the richest families and tell them no more Girls Gone Wild, no more boobie flashing, no more public drinking in a massive street party, unless they get mommy and daddy to donate all to helping the people survive, then to helping the people rebuild.

9/03/2005

Seeing The Dead and Dying Will Do That To A Person

Fox reporters revealed as humans; not robots as was suspected.

Goddamn

From here:
Say 9/11 changed everything now, motherfuckers. Ooops, 9/11, 9/11. 9/11. Doesn't work anymore? Gee, maybe the sea of alligator MRE's once known as the citizens of New Orleans has something to do with that. Now you can shut the fuck up about 9/11. Bush just proved what would happen with another 9/11. Dead Americans as far as the nose can smell.

9/02/2005

Think of Your Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Movie

"The Road Warrior," "A Boy and His Dog," "Escape from New York," etc.

Now it's Escape from New Orleans. And let's not forget the rest of the Gulf Coast which is also fucked.

We have no government -- at least, no effective government. Here we have an MP3 of an interview with the mayor of New Orleans. He's asking for help. The delay in getting help is killing people, allowing lawlessness to thrive, turning it into a situation where one would have to join an armed gang to survive. It's worse than 9/11, worse than Baghdad. It's a little preview of what will happen if the US government keeps going in the direction it's been going. The rich will be safe, the middle class endangered, and the poor will die or turn to violence.

9/01/2005

In a Nutshell

From here, a summary of the preparations for disaster:

A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.

Actions have consequences. No one could predict that Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.

I've really got to shut down my browser. I'm about to go motherfucking T'n'T.

"Waiting For A Leader"

New York Times editorial.

Fucker

Our Leader and Commander In Chief, President George W. Bush, on ABC this morning: "I don't think anyone could have predicted the levees would break."

From here (but originally from the Chicago Tribune, which has too much registration hoohah to get through):

Despite continuous warnings that a catastrophic hurricane could hit New Orleans, the Bush administration and Congress in recent years have repeatedly denied full funding for hurricane preparation and flood control.

That has delayed construction of levees around the city and stymied an ambitious project to improve drainage in New Orleans' neighborhoods.

For instance, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested $27 million for this fiscal year to pay for hurricane-protection projects around Lake Pontchartrain. The Bush administration countered with $3.9 million, and Congress eventually provided $5.7 million, according to figures provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

This was the big terrorist attack that we've been preparing for for four years. And you're seeing how the government is now able to respond to a big terrorist attack. They tend to get confused when they look for an enemy to strike back at, and all they got is dissipating winds and clouds flying north.

Lord of the Flies II: Escape From New Orleans

Geeks trapped in an IT office in New Orleans.