You may have heard, "truth is stranger than fiction," and indeed, that often seems the case.  While that strange truth is usually just entertaining and innocuous, there are times when it is exactly the opposite... stupefying, shocking, even threatening.

Mimicking Ripley is not the intent here, though.  It is simply to point you to a variety of recent articles, some of which just bring a smile, some that give pause for thought, and some that deal with very serious issues.  Not surprisingly, many involve government and elected officials at various levels.

Aside from the trivial 'fun' articles, many are important but have been beneath the radar for whatever reason.  They need greater exposure, for they often have implications that scream for attention.

The entries here do not comprehensively quote their referenced sources, except for maybe a one or two line teaser that might pique your interest, and, of course a link, along with maybe short comment. Better that you follow the links and look in the horse's mouth yourself:)   Hope you enjoy.

Cheers:)

You may have heard, "truth is stranger than fiction," and indeed, that often seems the case.  While that strange truth is usually just entertaining and innocuous, there are times when it is exactly the opposite... stupefying, shocking, even threatening.

Mimicking Ripley is not the intent here, though.  It is simply to point you to a variety of recent articles, some of which just bring a smile, some that give pause for thought, and some that deal with very serious issues.  Not surprisingly, many involve government and elected officials at various levels.

Aside from the trivial 'fun' articles, many are important but have been beneath the radar for whatever reason.  They need greater exposure, for they have implications which scream for attention.

The entries here do not comprehensively quote their referenced sources, except for maybe a one or two line teaser that might pique your interest, and, of course a link, along with maybe short comment. Better that you follow the links and look in the horse's mouth yourself:)   Hope you enjoy.

You may have heard, "the truth is stranger than fiction," and indeed, often that seems the case.  While that strange truth is usually just entertaining and innocuous, there are times when it is exactly the opposite... stupefying and malicious.
 
Here are a few instances which you may not have been aware.  Not so surprisingly, many involve government and elected officials at various levels.

The entries here do not quote their referenced sources, except for maybe a one or two line teaser that might pique your interest, and, of course a link, along with maybe short comment.   Hope you enjoy.

I have never pimped a diary or a blog.  What I have done is pick out parts of the best of them as a means of illustrating or promoting my point of view (which like everyone thinks of their own, I think is a correct one:).  But, in this case, I am going to make an exception, with regard to a blog, and specifically to one item of content.

The blog is ‘The Washington Note’, a blog of Steve Clemmons.  IMO, he gives some of the most reasoned and balanced views of what is happening in Washington, what is happening in the world, and particularly what is happening in US foreign policy, of anyone on the political scene.  But, he is not just a ‘pundit’ – he is actively engaged in the process, interacting with movers and shakers not only in the US but around the world.

If you have not experienced ‘The Washington Note’, I encourage you to do so.
And now for the other part of the endorsement.

There was a time, long, long ago, when the two ‘toughest’ kids on the block or playground or in the neighbourhood would inevitably square off in a challenge for supremacy.  Usually these combatants were relatively young and well-grounded in the community.
 
After a brief struggle of the participants, whether boxing or wrestling, or more usually a combination of the two, one would submit to the superiority of the other, and the codeword was ‘Uncle’.  You could hear a shout of one, as the opponent was hopelessly pinned, demanding of the other, "Say Uncle!"  You see, the utterance of that one word, ‘Uncle’, established the pecking order (at least for that day) on the playground or in the neighbourhood.  It might well be challenged tomorrow, but for the time being, there was a ‘peace’ in the neighbourhood, on the baseball field, or wherever as one established his or her dominance.  It might be reversed tomorrow, depending on the resolve of the combatants, but there it was for the day.
And that is exactly what this Democratic candidate contest has devolved to be... who can make who cry ‘Uncle’, no matter the cost.

Up front, I have to admit to being a fan of professional football ... not so much baseball, although that is the ‘national sport’, according to some.  It is not a matter of anything other than personal preference for the level of movement, action.

Okay, both sports have their followers, and both are very much in the forefront of the national sporting psyche.  But in the end, I think it is a measure of sanity to admit that both are simply what they are... sports!
 
Is the conflagration in Iraq going to turn on the outcome of the Superbowl, or on the outcome of the World Series?  How about FISA and proposed changes to it?  Or maybe the ‘stimulus package’ or the next budget, or investigation of politicization in the executive branch, especially in supposedly independent agencies of government, or the budget itself, or presidential signing statements effectively disavowing the control of Congress over spending, or any one of a thousand other things?

The costs of GWB's war of choice have been very much in the news in the last 24 hours.  The illumination came with a CBO estimate that to date, the cost for Iraq alone is estimated at about $1.3 trillion, more than double the appropriated moneys to fund it.  Of course, the CBO recognizes as 'costs' little things like continuing veterans' care, equipment replacement, etc.

When you throw in Afghanistan, the CBO pegs the costs at about $1.6 trillion... so far!  As usual, this has become a Dem talking point, and rightly or wrongly, it is and will be one more in the arsenal of clubs with which to bring this administration to account... do ya think?

The fact is, the costs have been known for quite some time to exceed the funding requests by the administration by a factor of even more than two.  But, in the Congress (House and Senate), when there is committee action, or debate (seldom, in a true sense), or a vote on funding for the war(s), there is never an acknowledge of the total costs, only what must be borrowed today to keep the war(s) perpetuated into an indeterminate number of tomorrows.

I know... you don't have to say it.  I am not politically astute, therefore not very swift in assessing what is going on in the great sumo pit of politics.

I am not politically sensitive; therefore, I do not understand the undercurrents nor the necessities of compromise, like accepting torture as a legitimate tool for anything, or violating the 4th Amendment and giving immunity to criminals; or even for that matter, accepting and accomodating criminals as the head of the DOJ or even of the Executive Branch, itself!

Yes, I know I am a rube.

Just a little light relief for the weekend.  After all, you need it.  A heavy week of being Kossack Deciders does take a toll.  Just ask GWB about the toll life imposes on all us Deciders, political and otherwise!

Anyway, thinking about that (and being on a third bottle of wine), I DECIDED there should be some acknowledgement of the role of true Deciders in our nation’s history.  And who could be more appropriate as an example than our very own Decider, especially when cast against the light of one of his most revered Heroes, none other than another GW, George Washington!

How do I know he is an official GWB Hero?   Well, GWB himself has told us that he has read three books about him, all in one year!  We only know of him reading two other books... one by Camus, but being a foreign author (specifically French), there could be no inspiration there, could there?  Then of course, there was The Pet Goat. But all knowledgeable persons agree that GWB would never accept a goat as a Hero... an Ass maybe, but never a goat!

I have to admit that I was taken aback by one of House Speaker Pelosi’s remarks.  With reference to a proposal to levy a ‘war tax’, specifically an income tax surcharge to help pay for GWB’s War Of Choice, Ms. Pelosi had this to say,  ""Some have suggested that shared sacrifice should take the form of a draft; others have suggested a surtax. Those who oppose a tax and the draft also should oppose the President's war. Just as I have opposed the war from the outset, I am opposed to a draft and I am opposed to a war surtax."  You can find that here, in the last paragraph.

In other words, Ms. Pelosi has effectively taken a ‘war tax’ off the table, just as she did any move toward impeachment.  That seems a very narrow and short-sighted view, especially in the face of a Congress willing to continue funding of this War of Choice while continuing to run up the national debt to pay for it!  

This is a personal view.  Take it as you will.  But I will tell you, it is borne of a belief in our Nation, its Constitution, the underlying principles that gave rise to its formation, and simple respect for fairness and justice.

Why would I be writing this, since (I think) these are concerns for us all?  To be blunt about it, the impetus is a diary, in fact a front page article, with which I take extreme exception.  It will be interesting to see how you  respond, whether you take exception as well, or whether my thoughts are totally misguided.

So, to follow me, to see why I disagree with at least some of the ‘conventional wisdom’, to watch me fall off the cliff as eloquent arguments are offered to the contrary, I invite you to follow me below.

Now, due to consideration for privacy, I cannot tell you how I came by the following.  But it is an offer of help to the President, who obviously could use more than just a small amount.  In fact, it is a letter from an admirer, striving to remove one of his many burdens, specifically what he should include as themes in his State of the Union address.

I offer it for your consideration... and after chewing on it a bit, perhaps your regurgitation.  Without further adieu,
_______________________

To My Friend, George Bush,

Now, I know, Mr. President, that you are gettin ready for your premere performince of the year, delivering the State of the Union Address.  I also realize you are under great stres trying to ward off all those attempts by the naysayers and naydoers and less-than-committed tryin to tie your hands in Iraq, and to make you accountable toward Iran, too.  Such non-believers, such doubting-Thomases!

No, I do not intend to expound as in a full civics course the make-up and operation of Australian government, but as it is a staunch ally of the US, you might find some interest in it.  After all, GWB (and other presidents) rely on it; it should not, though, be taken for granted as a given that its interests are always identical with those of the US.  In that light, perhaps you should know something about it, both the nation and its government, yes?

I won’t bore you with statistics of the nation beyond a few.  And I will save those, even for below the fold, so to speak (for the sake of brevity and formatting).  Likewise, I will save any discussion of government, though in this case, I will limit such discussion to the electoral process.

Interested in the ‘Lucky Country’?  Want to know why it is lucky, how the electoral process works, some other interesting facts?  Well, the price is right, for sure ... nothing.  Just follow me for the facts (and some interpretation).’

There needs be some explanation of this diary’s title, I suppose.  So, let’s dispense with that first.

America.  Well, here I have to apologize to Canadians and Mexicans.  I really mean, in place of America, the US.  But you see, ‘Americans’, out of habit however ill-informed, usually those in the US, means the people within the borders of the US (sans illegal aliens, naturally).  Now, as to what that, were it true, would make Canadians or Mexicans in terms of a geographic reference, I confess to having no idea!  So, I apologize to both Canadians and Mexicans beforehand, for I will use the term ‘America’ or some variant thereof, when in fact, I mean the US, or some variant thereof.

The other part that may be in question, ‘From Here and There’, warrants some explanation, too.  But it is too long for an introduction; so if you are curious, you will simply have to read on a bit.  At this point, I will only say it relates to a viewpoint, one from standing in the middle of the stew, and one from well outside the pot, so to speak.  Enough said above the fold.

For all of you who are Democrats or who identify with the Democratic Party, you have gotten some help from an unexpected quarter.  You see, whether you knew it or not, you, collectively, have been suffering an identity crises!  Oh, you may have thought of yourselves as Democrats (registered or not), as progressives, as liberals, or of some other political bent.  Therein lies the fallacy.  Political belief is not, apparently, adequate to know who you are.  You really need a banner, a label.

Well, in a moment of brilliance, George Bush, compassionate conservative that he is, uniter-not-divider that he is, has thrown you a lifeline that will end that nagging confusion about your identity.  He has tagged you, given you your banner, your label.

...the Democratic Party -- the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman -- has become the "party of cut-and-run."

I appreciate Mr. Bush's obvious concern that Democrats have an identity, yet somehow I cannot help but think of his words as a 'macacca moment'.

I am lucky.  I live in a place that political censorship is not so prevalent, not so pervasive.  I live in a place where I can view events through a long lens, absent the spin and noise that the media in the US make a permanent part of the news landscape.  I live in a place where worldviews and news are not totally defined by the political party in the US, where it is not the ultimate censor, where it does not define what people may or may not see, may or may not hear... what they may or may not think.

Tonight, there is a re-run here, another showing of Farenheit 9-11.  Every time I have seen it, it has made me sick to the core, and that is saying something for sure.  And every time, it makes me realize the illegalities, the blasphemies of this administration, and hate it all the more, as if how I felt before was not somehow sufficient.

At the end of it, I can only ask myself... why does this administration hate the US so very much, why does it hate its children, the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen - why does it hate so many people in the world?  

This was reported yesterday by Reuters:

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday named the Philippine and Indonesian branches of the International Islamic Relief Organization as fund-raisers for al Qaeda and other terror groups.

.
Reuters goes on to explain

snip...
The action means that no American can have any dealings with the two branches of the organization ...
snip...
...and that any assets they have in the United States will be frozen.

The source for Reuters was, as might be expected, a Treasury Department news release which contains considerably more information on the IIRO and its history.

Now that you are sufficiently bored, you may rightfully ask, "What does this have to do with the price of tea in China, or the Global War on Terror (GWOT)?"  To that, I can only ask your indulgence, that you read a bit further.

For a couple of hours now, I have been watching live feeds from the Middle East, specific emphasis on Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian areas (which are all under the control of Israel).  My only reaction is... this is absolute fucking madness!

Various people have postulated that the dimensions of the current Israeli-Palestinian/Hamas-Lebanon/Hezbolla conflict might have the potential for regional war.  To them I would say this, the war, a regional one, is already engaged!  Right now, it is at a slow(?) burn, but believe it... it is war already.  It remains only for the engagement of other parties to determine how broadly it may spread.

Why?  Well, Israel shells a beach in the Gaza Strip.  A family (seven, I think) are killed.  Hamas launches rockets from Gaza.  Then, Hamas (supposed) conducts a cross-border operation, kills two (as I recall) IDF soldiers and kidnaps a third.  So, Israel conducts a large scale bombing campaign in Gaza, destroying bridges, a critical power station, and then a large scale invasion with ground forces.  Hamas continues firing rockets.