The Big Circus

[Guest IT Manager]

From the Sydney Morning Herald

Damned lies and war loot

By Mike Carlton

January 17, 2004

More and more evidence is coming in. The jigsaw pieces are fitting into place. It is becoming appallingly clear that President George Bush is an arrant liar and - as Mark Latham correctly suggested - "the most incompetent and dangerous president in living memory".

Two books I read over the summer holidays pointed me in this direction. Both were by Americans. The first was How Much Are You Making on the War, Daddy? by William D.Hartung, a policy wonk at the New School University in New York.

Hartung gives chapter and verse, sourced and annotated, on the crony capitalism and brazen conflicts of interest which reek from the highest levels of the Bush Administration. His particular bete noir is the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, who even while in office receives hundreds of thousands of dollars in "deferred payments" from his old company, Halliburton, a giant oil services conglomerate which now has the lion's share of (untendered) Pentagon contracts to rebuild Iraq.

But it is not only Cheney. Invoking Dwight D.Eisenhower's prescient warning of the rise of an American "military-industrial complex", Hartung joins the dots on a web of richly profitable insider dealings by Administration figures - from Donald Rumsfeld to George Bush the First.

The second book was The Great Unravelling, a collection of writing by Paul Krugman, an economist at Princeton who turns out regular columns for The New York Times. Witty and irreverent, Krugman has the happy knack of explaining complex economic issues in plain English, rather like our own Ross Gittins. And he does not hold back:

"It is a simple fact that George Bush and Dick Cheney got rich through pretty much the same tricks, albeit on a smaller scale, as those that enriched Enron and other scandal-ridden corporations," he writes. "At a time when we need another Franklin Roosevelt, we are instead led by men who are part of the problem."

Krugman demonstrates with cool logic that Dubya lied through his teeth about massive tax cuts promised equably to all Americans but which, he says, deliver 40 per cent of the benefit to the richest 1 per cent of the people.

It is these tax cuts that helped push the US to a record-shattering budget deficit of $US374.2 billion ($486.03 billion) in the last fiscal year and which, as the International Monetary Fund reported last week, now threaten the stability of the global economy. I ASKED Mark Latham this week if he stood by his "incompetent and dangerous" crack at Bush.

This question will dog him all the way to the election later this year, so he has developed what I suppose is a formula answer: he supports the American alliance but reserves the right for Canberra to differ with Washington if needs be.

Or words to that effect. But he added, firmly enough, that he believes the Iraq war was a mistake.

"It was a war justified primarily to find and eliminate weapons of mass destruction. None were used in the conflict; none have been found since," he said.

"And on that basis [the] war was sustained on a premise that hasn't been proven and hasn't been justified. And for that reason you'd have to be worried about the conduct of Australian foreign policy."

The Bush and Howard toadies in the media will use this as a stick to bash Latham as anti-American, a common smear when they are devoid of logical argument.

They would have more difficulty, though, in suggesting the same of Bush's former treasury secretary, Paul O'Neill, whose recent portrait of his ex-boss as "a blind man in a roomful of deaf people" was devastating.

Then there was this week's report from the US Army War College (America's "most prestigious institution for the education of strategic leaders", says its website) which slammed the invasion of Iraq as "a detour" from the war on terrorism and said the Bush Administration's attempts to prove a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda were a "strategic error of the first order".

Or take these words from Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts in a speech last Wednesday: "No president of the United States should employ misguided ideology and distortion of the truth to take the nation to war. In doing so, the President broke the basic bond of trust between government and the people. If Congress and the American people knew the whole truth, America would never have gone to war."Complete Story

[Georgie-Porgie]

John Hawkins strikes again in this explanation as to why he's supporting Bush in the upcoming election, and his comments are right on the money.

Why Support Bush?

IT'S THE NATIONAL SECURITY, STUPID.

"But, the most important reason to reelect Bush is the war on terrorism. We absolutely cannot afford to ease up on terrorists or terrorist supporting states. Yes, Bush has gotten rid of Taliban and Saddam, Afghanistan & Iraq are slowly but surely moving towards Democracy, we have decimated -- but not destroyed -- Al-Qaeda's leadership, & Quadaffi has given up his WMD."

Bush had the cojones to do something that neither waffling Dean or plain weasely Clark could ever do....he drew a line in the sand. He took a stand, and stayed with it.

Bush said, simply: "In the war against terrorism, you're either with us, or you are with the terrorists."

And then he proceeded to show them that he meant it.

Good job, Mr. President.

[Boon Mee]

Mr/Ms. ######:

One can get the sense from your last post to this thread you could be a Democrat. All the Democrats oppose the war. And all the Democrats who took a position on the war before it started were for it, but now believe everything Bush did from that moment forward has been bad! bad! bad!

Your quote from that old alky representing a large flabby chunk of the Kennedy wing - Ted, gave a speech the other week where he called the liberation of Iraq a "political product." Then again Ted Kennedy calls Chivas Regal "that life-sustaining liquid". Nobody listens to Ted Kennedy anymore.

A couple of other folks you quote as impeachable sources - Paul Krugman, has his own agenda with the Republican party. Also, he's so far to the left of the spectrum, if the old communist party was sill around, he'd be a card-carrying member. With that "cool logic" he could have gone far in the Party.

The other, Paul O'Neil also has a huge ax to grind - principally from getting "turfed out" due to incompetance.

As a previous post to this thread said: "It's the terrorists" and y'all felt a little of that yourselves in Bali - right? Not because GWB invaded Iraq.

Boon Mee

[SoCal]

President George Bush is an arrant liar and - "the most incompetent and dangerous president in living memory".

I.T.,

It's this kind of b.s. that really pisses me off. What ever happened to a sense of propriety?

Say you don't agree (I know you didn't write) with the guy, but what is this irrational garbage? I not only feel this way about Bush, but the same when they call Blair a poodle, or Thaksin Toxin.

I expect this garbage from Bitterfly, but guess I expect a moderator to have a little more substance. Once again, I know these aren't your words, and you only posted, and this message is not only directed at you. This is nothing personal.

Is the majority of the left in third grade? It really seems that way. Are the old eyes so blinded by rage that they can no longer judge reality, only level insults and baseless accusations?

If I seem irrational, then please note that I do not suspect Bush will get my vote in November.

G.P., Membrane, Boon Mee, et al- Just so you guys understand, as you have become sort of cohorts. I am not voting for Dean. I am a Libertarian who usually votes Republican. Bush has done too many things that I don't agree with, so I will give my vote to some knucklehead in hopes of having a voice. PS- I live in CA, which in no way is a swing state, and while the left can't comprehend, I fully understand that we elect by the electoral system not the majority.

SoCal

[Georgie-Porgie]

SoCal, remember something, I've never claimed to be any big fan of Bush either. The reason that I post on here is to protest all the wacko garbage about America and friends that is posted as if it were real, that the left never bother to say a word about, for example, the nutty "Israelis bombed the World Trade Center" post that was on here a day or so ago. How many of the left-wing regulars even mentioned it?

I disagree with Bush on just about everything except the War on Terrorism, but he's the only one who ever took it seriously, and I give him a lot of credit for that. Despite other deficiencies I really wouldn't be surprised if someday he is considered to be a "Great President" because of the War on Terror alone.

[strawberry]

Mr IT God bless your cottonpickin socks. Itsseems that some of your critics are taking this all personally and what they want is for us others not to have an opinion. It seems to me the anger they show is due to doubts about their own belief systems. If they were so covinced that bush was in the right it would not be necessary to express their anger in such a juvenile way. Juvenile, perhaps thats the answer and these people could be that kind of teacher who never left school so never got to grow into a mature adult.

Boon Mee

you mentioned that the young christian men in Iraq were all volunteers. So let me explain this to you. Young men going to war zones for the first time see it as a great adventure and then the bullets start flying and the piss starts running down your leg and your so bloody frightened that you can hardly move and the smell of sh*t can be something else too. so now its no longer an adventure the reality has set in. As I understand things most of those, if not all, christian men now want to go home. They have found out there is no reality on the practice ground.

Heard it again today bush saying ''GOD BLESS AMERICA"

Love that prayer in fact I say it every day in the hope that God will do just that and we all can start to live in real justice, peace and love

God Bless America infact God BlessEveryone

Regards Joe Strawberry

[Axel]

Personally, I do not care too much about the elections in the US and believe Thailand is safe as long as GWB is far away and busy in other areas.

Still, the comments in the Bear Pit, I repeat myself, give me a lot to chuckle about, although some are well posted and argued.

Some are not so well but supported by BOLD letters, UPPER CASE typing etc.

It does make sense to me, the bigger the letters, the more truth is behind the statement.

Admittedly, I as well can learn a lot in here. Makes it more interesting to watch CNN during 2004.

What I learned up to now, there seem to be only 2 parties willing to have somebody elected as President.

The one side are the Republicans or conservatives and the others are Liberals or democrats, whereby it seems to me that democrats have nothing to do with democracy but are more commonly known as:

half wits

fat, dumb, stupid

wacko

creeps, losers and weirdoes

garbage

hypocrite

The other side, obviously the better one, is neither a democracy but a Republic.

Then I hear, the Iraq thing was planned already years ago, but at that time the President was one of the bad guys. So when the good one took over, he followed the plan of the bad one, but is not allowed to say so, as this would make him look bad as an assistant of the other one.

For the election the bad guys are bringing at least 4 candidates who are all whackos, half wits and what have you. The good guys bring only one, because they don't have another one. This one is not too good, but one day will end up as hero.

The two factions are apparently also named liberals and criminals or is it the other way round? This point is not yet too clear to me.

When one side presents their candidate, it is called election campaign, when the other side does the same, it's called circus.

As said at the beginning, it should not concern me too much, but than I am afraid. Whoever is elected will be the guy being angry with ME if I am not for him.

You see, I am learning a lot, hope so far understood everything correctly. Very exciting. Keep on going, I want to learn......

[Georgie-Porgie]

Axel, it must be nice to observe everything from up there, but I hope that you don't think that your posts add too much to the discussion. I get the idea that you think of yourself as an amused observer who drops us a few pearls of wisdom, when you are feeling magnanimous.

I think of you more as someone whose posts are of little interest to either side (oh, him again), but not greatly offensive either: Kind of like Pee Wee Herman with no sense of humour.

Have a nice day.

[Boon Mee]

Boon Mee

<<<you mentioned that the young christian men in Iraq were all volunteers. So let me explain this to you. Young men going to war zones for the first time see it as a great adventure and then the bullets start flying and the piss starts running down your leg and your so bloody frightened that you can hardly move and the smell of sh*t can be something else too. so now its no longer an adventure the reality has set in. As I understand things most of those, if not all, christian men now want to go home. They have found out there is no reality on the practice ground.>>>

First off, hate to break it to you Joe but I just so happen to have been in Viet Nam - '68 & '69 and NOT as a REMF so I got a little idea what you're talking about.

Second, your premise that all "these Christian men" want to go home - what a crock! First of all, they probably ain't all Christians - most likely heathen or at the very least, agnostic with a few Buddhists and maybe a Moslum thrown in for good measure. They're there because they WANT to be.!

Boon Mee

[davidm]

This joke I received earlier today sums up elections American style as well as any other comment I'm capable of making right now:

While walking down the street one day, George "Dubya" Bush is struck by a large wheel of cheese that had fallen out the cargo door of SwissAir, flight 119. Sadly, George does not make it. His soul arrives in heaven and he is met by St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see Republicans around these parts, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in; I'm a believer," says Dubya.

"I'd like to just let you in, but I have orders from the Man Himself. He says you have to spend one day in ###### and one day in heaven. Then you must choose where you'll live for eternity."

"But, I've already made up my mind; I want to be in heaven."

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to an elevator and he goes down, down, down, all the way to ######. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a lush golf course; the sun is shining in a cloudless sky, the temperature a perfect 72 degrees. In the distance is a beautiful clubhouse. There is a Texas-style barbecue

featuring cloned cattle and genetically engineered corn.

Standing in the crowd are his dad and thousands of other Republicans who had helped him out over the years: Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Jerry Falwell. The whole of the "Right" is here, everyone laughing, happy, casually but expensively dressed. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had getting rich at expense of tree huggers and liberals. They play a friendly game of golf, then eat cheesecake made from genetically engineered milk.

The devil himself comes up to Bush with a frosty drink and says, "Have a BGH milkshake and relax, Dubya!" "Uh, I'm watching my weight," says George, sadly.

"This is ######, son. You can drink and eat all you want and not worry, and it just gets better from here!" says Satan.

Dubya takes the shake and finds himself liking the devil, who is a very friendly guy who tells funny jokes and pulls hilarious nasty pranks, kind of like a Yale Skull and Bones brother with real horns. They are having such a great time that, before he realizes it, it's time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves as Bush steps on the elevator and heads upward.

When the elevator door reopens, he is in heaven again and St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven," the old man says, opening the gate.

So for 24 hours Bush is made to hang out with a bunch of honest, good-natured animal rights activists and anti-milk folk, people who enjoy each other's company, talking about things other than money, and treat each other decently. Not a prank or frat-boy joke among them; no fancy country clubs and, while the broccoli and tofu tastes great, it's not steak. It's organic soymilk shakes and veggie burgers. And these people are all poor; he doesn't see anybody he knows, and he isn't even treated like someone special!

Worst of all, to Dubya, Jesus turns out to be some kind of hippie with his endless 'peace' and 'do unto others' jive.

"Whoa," he says uncomfortably to himself, "Pat Robertson never prepared me for this!"

The day done, St. Peter returns and says, "Well, then, you've spent a day in ###### and a day in heaven. Now choose where you want to live for eternity."

With the 'Jeopardy' theme playing softly in the background, Dubya reflects for a minute, then answers, "Well, I would never have thought I'd say this--I mean, heaven has been delightful and all -- but I really think I belong in ###### with my friends."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down, all the way to ######. The doors of the elevator open, and he finds himself in the middle of barren, scorched earth covered with leaking 55-gallon drums of Roundup-Ready herbicides, garbage and toxic industrial waste...kind of

like Gary, Indiana.

He is horrified to see all of his friends dressed in rags and chained together, picking up the industrial waste with teaspoons, and putting it in black bags. They are groaning and moaning in pain, faces and hands black with open sores, boils, and sooty grime. Then Lucifer comes over to Bush and puts an arm around his shoulder.

I don't understand," stammers a shocked Dubya. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a clubhouse and we ate a Texas barbecue. The cloned animals were tasty. We had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and everybody seems miserable!"

The devil looks at him, smiles slyly, and purrs, "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted for us."

[Axel]

Axel, it must be nice to observe everything from up there, but I hope that you don't think that your posts add too much to the discussion. I get the idea that you think of yourself as an amused observer who drops us a few pearls of wisdom, when you are feeling magnanimous.

I think of you more as someone whose posts are of little interest to either side (oh, him again), but not greatly offensive either: Kind of like Pee Wee Herman with no sense of humour.

Have a nice day.

Georgie-Porgie, somehow I lost you. I am not 'up there', just down here, straight down to earth and there with both legs.

I don't think I am an 'amused observer', just a bewildered outsider looking in and not understanding the magnanimous (I have to look up this word) offerings.

I was down on my knees, begging for more education and you wish me a nice day?

Well, I had a nice evening, my home team won, and that does not happen so often.

Now tell me more about this 'Pee Wee Herman'. Is he Republican or Democrat?

Meanwhile, have a nice day, too

[Georgie-Porgie]

Axel, accept my apologies. Anyone who would admit not knowing who Pee Wee Herman is, can't imagine themselves as the aloof, God-like figure that I had imagined.

By the way, being compared to Pee-Wee is a really big complement. He spends a lot of time in movie theatres expanding his.... mind.

[strawberry]

Boon Mee

mate when you were in Vietnam I was walking the streets in support of the Moratorium. I didn't walk the streets because it was the in thing to do but because I took time to study the situation, reading among other things the Geneva convention papers. I was convinced that my government were doing the wrong thing and felt it was my duty to take a stand. I was called a pinko bustard communist traitor and even got bashed up by some rednecks because I insisted wearing a moratorium badge. I didn't take that badge off until one day went into work and one of my work mates who had just done time in Vietnam and had come back to work saw the badge and he was shocked. I could see the hurt in his face so I took the badge off and never put it on again. It wasn't the service men I was peed off at it was the polititians. It is still the polies I'm peed off at and not the American people or the Brits. I won't say anything about the Aussie government, but I'm fairly pissed off at them duay.

Boon Mee you are obviously not watching the BBC or CNN not long ago both these channels did programs on this and the concensuss was I WANNA GO HOME. You probably won't find it on Fox.

The reason I used the term Christian Men was because of a program on BBC it was done in the States and about the neo conservatives. It seems that most of the think tanks that bush admin. listen to are neo cons. and they are more than 80% zionists. They are also strongly backed up by the oil companies.

Axel

I think your letters are great and you do add greatly to discussion as oppossed to the angry rantings coming out of Georgy Porgy

OK now its time all together now on your knees and pray

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Love you Joe Strawberry

O! one more thing Boon Mee love your mail

[Georgie-Porgie]

Strawberry, I suggest you go back and read my angry rantings about how the Palestinians lost there land before any further lectures on that situation. They don't seem to have taught that at the Wizard of Oz School for Special Simpletons, where both you and the gentlemen learned everything that you know.

[strawberry]

Hey georgy Porgy

I don't believe you got your facts right. you been reading zionist propaganda.

In 1952 I was serving with the British Navy in the Mediteranean. I was picked to train for a military police force to serve in Palestine. The training took place in a camp on the Island of Malta. You can check the records and you will find out that this is true. We didn't go because the situation changed. But, I've watched the situation there over the years so I do have an idea of whahas been happening there over the years

By the way I didn't go school in Oz I went to school in Scotland.

If you can get it together with your facts I'm happy to hear them and if I'm wrong I'll thank you.

Love Joe Strawberry

and GOD BLESS AMERICA

[Axel]

Axel, accept my apologies. Anyone who would admit not knowing who Pee Wee Herman is, can't imagine themselves as the aloof, God-like figure that I had imagined.

By the way, being compared to Pee-Wee is a really big complement. He spends a lot of time in movie theatres expanding his.... mind.

Well well, Georgie-Porgie, seems I have to admit to a gap in my education. So, I did some search and found him here:

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/entertai...pee-wee-herman/

But must one really know this fellow? He seems to have been quite popular but perhaps not that much in Asia.

O well, in Thailand, you don't have to go to the movies, the life is still real.

Self-service and with the left hand?

Seems my question is solved, he is a leftie

If you like him, I never fight about ones personal preferences.

[Georgie-Porgie]

Hey georgy Porgy

I don't believe you got your facts right. you been reading zionist propaganda.

In 1952 I was serving with the British Navy in the Mediteranean. I was picked to train for a military police force to serve in Palestine. The training took place in a camp on the Island of Malta. You can check the records and you will find out that this is true. We didn't go because the situation changed. But, I've watched the situation there over the years so I do have an idea of whahas been happening there over the years

By the way I didn't go school in Oz I went to school in Scotland.

If you can get it together with your facts I'm happy to hear them and if I'm wrong I'll thank you.

Love Joe Strawberry

and GOD BLESS AMERICA

Strawberry, first of all, you were picked to serve as a Military Policeman in Israel, but never went there, and you think that, somehow, this makes you an authority on the Middle East conflict? Why, exactly, would I want to check into records about that? "Yep, he didn't go all right"!

Secondly, I've read what are considered to be some of the best histories about the Israel and the Middle East. I'm sure that the Palestinians would consider them to be Zionist propaganda, but they probably would say the same about Mein Kamph if it didn't agree with their spin on something. These zealots have fought and caused destruction the whole world over for decades. They have just made their situation worse and worse, so I must admit I, and certainly most other Arabs, don't hold them in high regard.

They are self-destructive pawns, who would delight in taking the whole world with them to kingdom come, but who can really blame them? Let's face facts, before the Israelis came along and made something productive of the barren land, they had lived in a desert hellhole for centuries.

The truth is that, for all of their complaints, in every way that can be measured, life expectancy, education, income, etc., the Palestinians lives have vastly improved since the Israelis returned to the neighborhood.

By the way, was there another Australian guy in your class in Scotland who looked and talked just like you, who is now living in Phuket? Like a twin brother or imaginary friend or something?

[Boon Mee]

<<By the way I didn't go school in Oz I went to school in Scotland.>>

Joe,

What's a Scots "Git" like yourself doing getting so worked up about Poltics? Perhaps it's just been the boyos I've hung with who could give two sh1ts about world events as long as they had a bottle of that smokey/peatey elixir I can't afford!

Don't wish that you could throw rocks at the Jews - wish instead you could take out Arafat - the biggest pustule on the butt of humanity...

Boon Mee

[the cynic]

Arafat - the biggest pustule on the butt of humanity...

Boon Mee

He hasn't got the Oscar yet.

Bush, Sharon and Cheney have also been nominated in this category.

[Georgie-Porgie]

Arafat - the biggest pustule on the butt of humanity...

the cynic, posted on Mon 2004-02-02, 05:50:33

  He hasn't got the Oscar yet.

Actually, Saddam Hussein won the Oscar for his deranged performance as the surrendering Cowardly Lion. Best supporting actor went to Arafat for his continuing role as the World's biggest living, two-faced postule.

[the gentleman]

Arafat - the biggest pustule on the butt of humanity...

the cynic, posted on Mon 2004-02-02, 05:50:33

   He hasn't got the Oscar yet.

Actually, Saddam Hussein won the Oscar for his deranged performance as the surrendering Cowardly Lion. Best supporting actor went to Arafat for his continuing role as the World's biggest living, two-faced postule.

I think the best supporting actors catergory went to the USA, since the Kurds found Saddam first, drugged him and left him in a hole and put a huge white towel over it, so it would stand out for the "American super Army".

[Georgie-Porgie]

More PC "facts" from gentle-D. Sure it wasn't The Jews who found him?

[the gentleman]

oh you didnt see that story last night on Discovery, 2 hours of Saddam, before and after capture - it was American Tv Georgie. They interviewed the Kurds and the US army... But you would know more, because you are a educator

[Georgie-Porgie]

But terrorismOKbutstopwarman.com said it was THE JEWS, and they are always right.

[Axel]

But terrorismOKbutstopwarman.com said it was THE JEWS, and they are always right.

Great statement. Not sure what you had tonight, I want the same!

[the gentleman]

But terrorismOKbutstopwarman.com said it was THE JEWS, and they are always right.

I love to hate you Georgie

[the cynic]

But

There are things we know and things we don't know. There are things we know that we don't know and things we don't know that we know. But most of all there are things we don't know that we don't know that we know.

Does that help ?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Well....now we know

[adjan jb]

Electing the Governor of California is also a big circus The Gropinator is a stain on Democracy's dress.

[Boon Mee]

To Mr. Gentleman:

"since the Kurds found Saddam first, drugged him and left him in a hole and put a huge white towel over it, so it would stand out for the "American super Army".

According to one of your posts in another thread, Mr. Gentleman, don't you claim to have trained this American Super Army???

Boon Mee