The Pursuit of Happiness

The phrase means something different to every person. The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Please feel free to comment on any of the posts or browse the topic links on the left hand side below.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Impeach King George!
End the plunder in Iraq!


"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." listen here —President-elect George W. Bush, at a photo-op with congressional leaders during his first trip to Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000



Bush is a criminal and a liar!




STOP!

Read this article now

And then read this one

Okay and this one too


Abuse of Power

If you are concerned about the law and retaining the rights and protections of the first and fourth amendments to the U.S. Constitution, write your congressperson now to demand Bush's removal from power. He is a fascist hell bent on imperialism and belongs in prison for his illegal actions (i.e. spying on U.S. citizens without following the legal procedures as stated under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA]), for clear violations of the U.S. Constitution and for the abuse of power of the executive branch of government.

Bush and his administration have essentially stated that they are above the law, above Congress and above us, the American people (read this article for more information). That said, he is threatening the democratic institution of separation of powers as well as the established system of government based on checks and balances. He is clearly disrupting the power of the executive branch and thereby threatening the power of the legislative and judicial branches. This is a tremendous threat to American democracy! Act now before you see your basic privacy rights start to crumble before your eyes.


(Click on the picture to the left to find out more about former republican House majority leader "The Hammer" Tom Delay and his slimy trail of corruption in Congress.)

The administration's relations with political scandel after scandel and corrupt linkages to corporate cronies and agendas is destroying the government and our rights! Checks and balances? Say good bye to constitutional rights in this country. Executive power continues to go unchecked and domestic spying on U.S. citizens has been sanctioned by the Bush administration. FISA court? The Bush administration has stated that the threat of terrorism is enough alone to bypass the FISA court laws. The U.S. Congress? Except for a select few in Congress, much of Bush's actions about national security and other related matters remains a covert process. Secret government and absolute power are the themes of the Bush administration.


(Click on photo to the right for articles on Rove's misdeads)

In case you're wondering about Bush's poll ratings, which are quite dismal,click here. While we're at it, let's not forget about Mr. Abramoff's corrupt links with more than 20 Republican members of Congress and recent criminal felony convictions for conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion.



The Bush administration has been illegally spying on U.S. citizens.
Click here for more information.


And now the latest: the U.S. Justice Department's recent legal attempts to collect private information on internet usage by U.S. citizens.
Read here.



Watch this video

of a recent speech by former Vice President Al Gore on the abuse of executive powers by the Bush administration.




As former Vice President Al Gore has made clear, we have had many wars in the history of this country, even an "unseen" enemy (i.e. communists), but never have we as a nation decided that U.S. citizens (that's you and me) could be spied on for the sake of national security. Even in a time of great threat to the nation's security, the war of 1812, a war in which the U.S. was actually invaded by a foreign enemy, was a citizen's right to privacy ever comprimised or threatened. Up until this very moment in history, the local police, the district attorney, the FBI, the CIA and other law enforcement agencies have all historically investigated, arrested and/or prosecuted criminals, terrorists and other credible threats to this nation's security; but always with the oversight of the courts and generally with respect to the law and individual privacy rights as protected under the U.S. Constitution. The president however, is circumventing this democratic process altogether.

Incredibly, by the actions of this president, the separation of powers of the three branches of government has never been more vulnerable, with the executive branch threatening this traditional balance of power. Without immediate challenge and investigation to this president by the Congress or without the judicial oversight of the Supreme Court, the deck of cards that is government is at risk of collapsing on the slippery slope of secrecy and power grabbing. Dubya and his cronies are already boasting about the illegal and unjustifiable spying program stating that if it was in place prior to 9/11, they would have caught the hijackers. This said despite it being revealed that the administration already knew about two of the 9/11 hijackers prior to 9/11 and did nothing.

September 11, 2001
Bush already aware that the North tower was hit,
was just told by Chief of Staff that the South tower was hit
(North tower hit at 8:46am; South tower at 9:03am)


Some say that we are more protected with this spying program. After all, there hasn't been a terrorist attack since 9/11. How do we know that we haven't been protected from a terrorist attack since then? It seems like it right? Maybe the government has been doing its job, but then again maybe it was luck. People say that it's probably a good thing that we have this spying program without having to go through that messy FISA court, after all, they say the program is only meant to target terrorists and those that contact terrorists from the U.S. and abroad. As long as a person doesn't break any law they should be okay right? After all, the average hard working, tax-paying citizen is not a criminal or a terrorist. Plus, how much damage can this one little meaningless action by the administration do? It's not going to affect me. If you believe this then you have some reading to do. Sorry, but you are not informed in your assumptions that this administration can be trusted.

Has anyone ever heard of a "slippery slope?" We do not spy on U.S. citizens without at least enforcing the existing law and the system of checks and balances! Some may say, well, J. Edgar Hoover did it without having to go through a FISA court, so what's the big deal if we just turn back the clock and spy on some terrorists? It seemed to work for Hoover and the FBI to catch criminals and communists back then. Yeah, they caught criminals and communists alright, they also violated the privacy rights of innocent individuals like Dr. King and others. It was eventually discovered that the FBI was primarily spying on political enemies and others critical of the government's policies and the executive branch was taking full advantage of this power. Give them an inch and they will go a mile. I am barely old enough to remember Watergate. A good example of how government spying can rear it's ugly head. Remember the corruption? Nixon's resignation to avoid impeachment? The idea here is not to turn back to repressive and unconstitutional policies but to move forward beyond our past mistakes. That's why the FISA court was established to provide a check and balance between the branches of government and prevent the executive branch from misusing its power and spreading corrupt practices and policies.



This week, numerous prominent U.S. senators questioning attorney general Alberto Gonzales on Capital Hill have stated that all that is being asked is whether the Bush administration will honor the system of checks and balances, the U.S. constitution and the law by processing the spy program through the FISA court. Gonzales denied that the administration would violate the rights of private citizens through the program. Essentially, he implied, trust us. He also said that the administration and law enforcement agencies can't wait around for the sluggish pace that the FISA court processes its review of cases. This said despite that, according to the FISA act, the administration has 72 hours to submit details about its spying activity after the actual activity takes place. Additionally, the spying program is guaranteed to occur within a secure, confidential court and process cases in a quick, timely fashion. This ensures that the court has the opportunity to review the activity which acts as a check and balance on the executive branch. What does the administration have to hide? Why refuse the FISA court's check if you can still administer the program effectively?

Some may still argue the point. "Hey well, I feel safer with the government spying on terrorists. I don't care about whether the president goes through FISA or not. I don't know, as long as there is no more attacks by terrorists, and there hasn't been one since 9/11, then I feel safer." If you believe this, believe me, you are selling out your privacy rights and you are not safer now then you were before 9/11. This country has poured its resources into Iraq, $239 billion at last count and growing. A war that the administration has admitted was based on flawed intelligence. The real terrorist threat is not in Iraq. What has this administration done for real security? What about the ports? The shores? The cities? The airports? Nuclear power facilities? There are still huge holes in the security of this country. What's stopping someone from blowing an airplane out of the sky with a surface to air missile?

The thinking is that the establishment of the "Department of Homeland Security" was good and must be a contribution to safety, right? Well, all that we have essentially seen from DHS is a reorganization of existing government agencies and a color code for terrorist activity. That color code is always going to be heightened to continue the fear. The fact is that the republicans are more concerned about the next election and their corporate contributions than really funding and making policy that ensures actual security. The administration can have its spying program, but not without submitting the program to the FISA court as written by law. If the president gives himself the authority to spy on and potentially throw any American citizen in prison labeled as a "terrorist" or "combatant" without counsel or due process or the FISA court, what can't he do?


Stop U.S. imperialism!



These are very frightening times and America really needs to wake up to what's going on here. It's as if many people are psychologically asleep in the comforts of their own homes and distracted from reality in the overconsumption of goods. We are a nation based in fear and this criples us from ascerting what we all know is the right thing to stand up for particularly in this case, which is justice. Where are the leaders that stand up for this justice? We can no longer solely depend on our paid- off politicians. Yes write your congressperson, but do even more to protect your own rights.

This administration and the republican party leadership hold close ties with right wing fundamentalist Christian leaders and conservative and wealthy CEOs and corporations; all of whom have long range plans even beyond this current administration to regress this country back a century and into the ground. They literally want to return this country to a time, i.e. pre-1900/McKinley era, when the rights of the corporations and wealthy dominated. A time when there was no comprehensive tax system, no social welfare system, no labor rights, no civil rights, no women's rights, no environmental protections and the moral code of the day was fundamental Christian puritanism. If you haven't already noticed, they are slowly but surely picking apart all of the above.

So it's bye bye to the estate and dividend tax for the wealthy, so long to social security for the elderly. Hello to destruction of the earth and adios to the endangered species act. Good bye Medicare/Medicaid safety net and howdy do to private pharmaceutical companies that are sucking all the money from the disabled! See ya public social welfare system and pleased to be your acquaintance faith based social programs! Sayonara public institutions and what's happening privatization of government? So long Ford, GM, trade tariffs and U.S. raw materials and how have you been Chinese manufactured goods and NAFTA?



They and the war hawks in the Pentagon are after your rights. Along with the corporations and their lobbyists, all of these right-wing entities wants us to live in a society based on fear to continue their agenda of war; to continue our dependence on product consumption to expand on their greed and wealth; and to be converted into the narrow and extreme views of fundamental Christianity to save us from immorality and secularism. I know we all lead busy lives, but consider some form of activism. Of any time, this is the time for it.

America needs to turn off the t.v.; curb our dependence on the overconsumption of goods; if you aren't already, be informed about the issues you see on the left hand side of this blog; and fight to save your rights for a healthy and constitutionally protected life for yourself, your family and future generations! This administration is absolutely the most corrupt the U.S. has ever experienced in the 229 years of our nation's history. As an informed person, you know that the right and moral thing to do is to demand that Congress investigate what has been an otherwise secret attempt to unconstitutionally expand the power of the executive branch by the Bush administration; and to demand that this corrupt president and his corrupt administration is removed from office before he truly is crowned King George. Stay informed by checking out the links on the left, and put the dots together about Bush's horrid record! It's now in the hands of the fourth branch of government, the people, to demand justice in a time of lies and more lies.



If you haven't already, diversify your sources of information by listening to your local community radio station and by seeking alternative sources of media. Also listen to Air America Radio for an alternative to the right wing corporate dominated media of FOX news, CNN, & MSNBC. Click here to connect.






Iraq quagmire

Click here for top ten reasons
why the U.S. must leave Iraq



Stop the bloodshed and the torture and end the illegal and preemptive misadventure in Iraq now! This is an unjust and deeply flawed use of the U.S. military. This action was based on a small group of powerful people in Washington with unfinished business and long standing vendettas against Saddam and his regime's actions. As far as brutal dictators go, Saddam was high on the list. But then again there are a whole lot of brutal dictators out there that have invaded countries and the U.S. hasn't imposed a full scale war. For Bush I and Bush II, it was never about the dictator Saddam per se, but rather the representation that Saddam posed as a threat to the large scale corporate and business interests in this strategic and vital region of the world. It was also never about the WMD's or the many lies that were thrown at the public about why the U.S. military action was necessary. It was about the importance of maintaining control over the area due to its vast oil reserves and for preserving the sovereignty of Israel. It is now clear that Bush II and his administration were intent on attacking Iraq from the beginning of his administration.

Of course, what many tend to forget is that during the 1980's, the U.S. government, under the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Bush I, was involved in the selling of chemical, biological and other military weaponry to Saddam in Iraq (for more information, click on the Saddam greeting Rumsfeld photo below). Indeed, relations were very warm with Saddam in the 1980's to help him in his war with Iran. Why is it that Reagan and Bush I turned a blind eye to Saddam's gassing of the Kurds and Bush II used this very reason to assist in justifying the invasion of Iraq? Hmmm....

Many people also tend to forget that the U.S. government was literally starving Iraq in the 1990's which propelled the country into a humanitarian disaster as a result of economic sanctions. Read here for more information. Iraq now maintains some of the highest mortality rates of children in the world as a result of the sanctions and the war. Yes, Saddam was a barbarous dictator and was a central factor to the many atrocities, but the U.S. only provided fuel to the fire of despair, disease and death by imposing sanctions. Saddam, the wealthiest man in Iraq, who lived in lavish surroundings throughout the 1990's, was not made to suffer as a result of these sanctions. In fact, he greatly benefited by taking advantage of manipulating the oil-for-food program to enhance his own wealth. Was the U.S. really punishing Saddam by implementing these sanctions and the no-fly zones after the Persian Gulf War ended in 1991? Or was it that the U.S. government was simply unconcerned with the humanitarian consequences of the people of Iraq and really more interested in gaining strategic military and political advantage within the Middle East region to preserve critical economic interests?


(Click on photo of Rumsfeld and Saddam for the lesser
known history of the U.S. arms trade with Iraq)
hi
Giving insult to injury, after 12 long years of imposing these harsh economic sanctions, as if it wasn't enough, we then bombed the hell out of the country beginning in March 2003 and haven't stopped since. Since the beginning of the U.S. pre-emptive invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq, our military has gone door to door, neighborhood to neighborhood, seeking out "insurgents" while at the same time terrorizing innocent families of men, women, and children. We have bombed numerous Iraqi cities, killing thousands of innocents, including children. Why is it that the U.S. media doesn't cover this aspect of the invasion? Why isn't it reported that there may be a direct relationship between this door to door searching by U.S. troops and the rise in the so-called "insurgency"? Our very imperialistic presence in the region has fueled terrorism and has invited rebellion from within and from outside of Iraq.

If Americans were being searched house to house by a foreign enemy, having family members taken away and labeled "terrorists", wouldn't you think that Americans would do everything in their power, including taking up arms against the invaders, so that they could protect themselves from this type of terror? Why isn't it that Americans have ribbons and bumper stickers demonstrating support for the innocent families that suffer from the terror by our own U.S. military? How long will it take for Americans to understand that the Iraqi people have suffered greatly and that this suffering and injustice has been the order of the day in Iraq since the early 1990's?

In terms of the U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq, many are young, tired, over-extended, and missing their families. They are men and women who fight for freedom, our freedom. Regardless of what you or I think about the invasion of Iraq, are we doing our troops justice by sending them into an operation that is based on lies? An operation that can be defined as a pre-emptive strike on a sovereign nation that was calculated and conceived from day 1 of this arrogant and antisocial administration. Make no mistake this was an operation based on lies and the administration simply cherry-picked, enhanced, and ultimately lied about what was "actionable intelligence" to expand their imperialistic policies. It's quite an insult to the Iraqi people, the American people and the global community for the administration to now rely on the explanation of being provided "flawed intelligence" by the CIA as a way to externalize blame for going to war. It is simply more lies to cover up past lies. Is all of this really serving our troops well when we ask them to go into harms way to defend our freedom? Or is that taking advantage of our military based on a strategy that is inherently flawed and founded on imperialistic origins?



Did you know that a substantial portion of U.S. troops serving in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) are National Guard and Reserves troops? According to the U.S. Department of Defense, here are the stats as of September 2005: Army (77,400); Navy (14,500); Air Force (19,800); Marines (25,900); and National Guard and Reserves (55,000). The National Guard and Reserves make up a sizable portion of those serving in the Iraq. Weekend warriors? Not any more. They are over-extended serving multiple tours. More than 210,000 of the National Guard’s 330,000 soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keep in mind, while the National Guard and Reserves are the troops taking up much of the burden of this quagmire, they are the very units that are left behind when it comes to body armor protection. Let's support our troops serving in Iraq by bringing them home now and opposing the policy of endless lies which led to this mess in the first place.

We know there have been cases of extreme abuse and torture (i.e. Abu Ghraib prison-please note, these are graphic images) by U.S. soldiers of Iraqi "detainees." Lesser known is the specific abuse that female military personnel and detained as well as non-detained female Iraqi civilians have experienced as victims of rape by male U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. Read here for more information. Write your congressperson in opposition to this suppressed issue of violence in the military.

Many officials in government are now taking a stand against this unjustified military expansion of power. Read about Congressman and distinguished 37-year career veteran and retired colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps, John P. Murtha's position on the Iraq war. A majority of the American people now believe that the president intentionally misled the country into a war that has now cost hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives. The only question that remains is: will he and his administration be held accountable?



Other critical issues

Support the separation of church and state (click here for more information) and a woman's right to her own body to choose an abortion(click here for more information). If you are concerned with women's rights, continue to oppose the Alito confirmation to the Supreme Court.

For a good article on why the existence of the separation of church and state is critically important to America, start here. And for those who feel that being labeled a "godless liberal" is unfair and judgmental, read this.

On Bush's recent statements about how well the economy is doing, keep in mind that his audience is not the American people on the whole, but the wealthiest 1% in this country. The gap between the rich and poor has never been wider and is ever growing due to his extreme right wing policies.

Stay informed and active in your community on all of these issues!



Dr. King on the separation of Church and State

Regarding the issue of the separation of church and state, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King certainly was in support of the separation. Dr. King supported the Supreme Court’s decisions striking down government-sponsored prayer in public schools. In a January 1965 interview with Playboy magazine, Dr. King was asked about one of those rulings. He not only backed what the court did, he noted that his frequent nemesis, Gov. George Wallace of Alabama, stood on the other side.

“I endorse it. I think it was correct. Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in God. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken, and by whom? Legally, constitutionally or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right. I am strongly opposed to the efforts that have been made to nullify the decision. They have been motivated, I think, by little more than the wish to embarrass the Supreme Court. When I saw Brother Wallace going up to Washington to testify against the decision at the congressional hearings, it only strengthened my conviction that the decision was right.”

Were he alive today, it’s unlikely Dr. King would endorse the Religious Right’s current crusades for teaching creationism and “intelligent design” in public schools. Dr. King saw no need for religion and science to fight. “Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism,” he once wrote. Dr. King wrote in Strength to Love, a sermon collection:

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

We will be doing justice to fight the Religious Right from imposing their unconstitutional agendas on every American's unalienable rights and freedoms. Dr. King was certainly no friend to the Religious Right. Take a moment today and celebrate his true legacy of freedom.

More quotes from Dr. King:

"Today there is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence. I feel that we've got to look at this total thing anew and recognize that we must live together. That the whole world now it is one--not only geographically but it has to become one in terms of brotherly concern. Whether we live in America or Asia or Africa we are all tied in a single garment of destiny and whatever effects one directly, effects one in-directly."
-- Nonviolence or Nonexistence, from a 1967 interview

"A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, 'This way of settling differences is not just.' This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
-- Beyond Vietnam, Riverside Church, April 4th, 1967

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
-- Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963



Political Fun Corner


And now the latest from political satirist Al Franken on...{who's Al Franken? see the link section under political humor}

IRAQ
They told us that when we invaded, we'd be greeted with sweets and flowers. They left out the crucial modifier: "exploding."

GAY MARRIAGE
George W. Bush wants to amend our Constitution to make it illegal for gays to marry. But evidently, he has no problem with terrorists getting married. America can't afford a president who is soft on terrorist marriage.
Because unlike gays, terrorists can breed.

BILL FRIST DIAGNOSING TERRI SCHIAVO FROM 800 MILES AWAY
The FristCam Act of 2005 would place a video camera in every one of America's Intensive Care Units. The FristCams would pan the ICUs, and the Senate Majority Leader would give each patient a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.

BUSH'S 9/11 BAIT AND SWITCH
Bin Laden must have been furious. Here he had gone to all this trouble to murder thousands of Americans, and Saddam-Saddam, the infidel!-was getting all the credit! Who was the head of al Qaeda?! Who was funding al Qaeda?! Somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border there was a very angry terrorist mastermind.

MORAL VALUES
From what I understand, if you cut out all the passages in the Bible where Jesus talks about the poor, about helping out the least among us, you'd have the perfect container to smuggle Rush Limbaugh's drugs in.

THE SOCIAL SECURITY "CRISIS"
The number Bush kept using, $11 trillion, represented the total shortfall from now until the year Infinity. If you think about it, $11 trillion over infinity years is nothing. Over the first 11 trillion years, that's just one dollar a year. Easy. After that, it's over. You're done. What, exactly, is the problem?


Excerpt from Al Frankin's book, LIES: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them - A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right:



Introduction

God chose me to write this book.

Just the fact that you are reading this is proof not just of God's existence, but also of His/Her/Its beneficence. That's right. I am not certain of God's precise gender. But I am certain that He/She/It chose me to write this book.

This isn't hubris. I'm not saying this in an egotistical way. God didn't choose me because I'm the greatest writer who ever lived. That was William Shakespeare, whose work I have a passing familiarity with. No. I just happened to be the right vessel at the right time. If something in this book makes you laugh, it was God's joke. If something makes you think, it's because God had a good point to make.

The reason I know God chose me is because God spoke to me personally.

God began our conversation by clearing something up. Some of George W. Bush's friends say that Bush believes God called him to be president during these times of trial. But God told me that He/She/It had actually chosen Al Gore by making sure that Gore won the popular vote and, God thought, the electoral college. “THAT WORKED FOR EVERYONE ELSE,” God said.

“What about Tilden?” I asked, referring to the 1876 debacle.

“QUIET!” God snapped. God was angry.

God said that after 9/11, George W. Bush squandered a unique moment of national unity. That instead of rallying the country around a program of mutual purpose and sacrifice, Bush cynically used the tragedy to solidify his political power and pursue an agenda that panders to his base and serves the interests of his corporate backers.

God told me that Bush squandered a $4.6 trillion surplus and is plunging us into deficits as far as God can see. And that Bush squandered another surplus. The surplus of goodwill from the rest of the world that he had inherited from Bill Clinton.

And this was pissing God off.

He/She/It was right. But it sounded like a lot of work.

“Look, God, I'm flattered, but I think you got the wrong guy. The kind of book you're talking about would require months of research.”

And God said, “LET THERE BE GOOGLE. AND LET THERE BE LEXISNEXIS.”

“Very funny, God. I use Google all the time.”

“YES, I KNOW,” God said. “FOR HOT ASIAN TEENS.”

“You must be thinking of my son, Joe.”

“AL? I'M OMNISCIENT.”

“Okay, okay.” I changed the subject. “It's just that I can't do this book myself.”

“LEAVE THAT TO ME,” God boomed.

And that's when Harvard called.


***
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government asked me to serve as a fellow at its Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. After my varied and celebrated career in television, movies, publishing, and the lucrative world of corporate speaking, being a fellow at Harvard seemed, frankly, like a step down.

I couldn't think of anything less appealing than molding the minds of tomorrow's leaders, unless it was spending fireside evenings sipping sherry with great minds at the Faculty Club. Yawn.

To my surprise and delight, though, all Harvard wanted me to do was show up every once in a while and write something about something. That gave me an idea.

“Would it be okay if I wrote a scathingly partisan attack on the rightwing media and the Bush administration?”

“No problem,” Harvard said absentmindedly.

“Count me in,” I replied. “From now on call me ‘Professor Franken.’”

“No,” Harvard said, “you're not a professor. But you can run a study group on the topic of your choosing.”

“Great,” I said. “I've got the perfect topic: Write My Son's Harvard College Application Essay.”

“No,” they said. “Harvard students already know how to write successful Harvard applications, Al. We want you to teach them something new.”

Harvard was right where I wanted it. “How about if the topic is: How to Research My Book?”

“Sure,” Harvard said. “Most of our professors teach that course. Why, in the Biochemistry department, most of the graduate level courses are�”

Harvard was boring me. “I gotta run, Harvard. Thanks.”

***

I had my Nexis, I had my Google, I had my Harvard fellowship, and I had my fourteen research assistants. I sat down to write. Nothing.

So I got on my knees and prayed for guidance. “How, God, can I best do Your work through this book? Who, dear Lord, is the audience for a book like this? And what's a good title?”

God answered, “YOU KNOW THOSE SHITTY BOOKS BY ANN COULTER AND BERNIE GOLDBERG?”

“The best-sellers that claim there's a liberal bias in the media?” I asked.

“TOTAL BULLSHIT,” God said. “START BY ATTACKING THEM. HE'S CLEARLY A DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEE, AND SHE JUST LIES. BY THE WAY, THERE'S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH HER.”

“That's pretty obvious.”

“SO GO AFTER THEM, THE WHOLE LIBERAL BIAS MYTH, AND THEN GO AFTER THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA. ESPECIALLY FOX.”

“Okay, God, I'm writing this down.”

“THEN USE THEM AS A JUMPING-OFF POINT TO GO AFTER BUSH. YOU KNOW, BIG TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, SURGING UNEMPLOYMENT, IGNORING EVERYONE BUT HIS CORPORATE BUDDIES, SCREWING THE ENVIRONMENT, PISSING OFF THE REST OF THE WORLD. THAT STUFF. AND THAT'S YOUR BOOK.”

“Got it. One last thing. Title.”

“HOW ABOUT BEARERS OF FALSE WITNESS AND THE FALSE WITNESS THAT THEY BEAR?”

“Hmm. I, uh, I'll work with that.”





Audio+Video=Fun:

Dubya speaks on the global warmings

Fuzzy math by GWB

this is an audio post - click to play

Knowledge is power
The truth will set you free
Silence=Death
Stay informed, get involved, listen, learn, think, do and say something!