Bernie Kerik

His appointment - well, his nomination, but when does Mr. Bush ever fail to get what he wants - bothers me on a few levels.

One of the biggest profiters of 9/11 and the Department of Homeland Security is Giuliani and Associates. Who has worked for them since leaving NYPD? Bernie Kerik. So we can look for Rudy to be even richer. Kerik and Rudy would never say a peep that does not benefit Mr. Bush. And as run by Tom Ridge and buddies, DHS has existed largely to hand contracts to Mr. Bush's contributors.

Only ONE commentator has mentioned that Kerik was sent to Baghdad to restart the police force, only to come home far before his tour was up, pronouncing his job a success. But it wasn't. We paid Giuliani and Associates to handle this and they failed. After he left, the police officers really got butchered. Why did he come back months early?

Now, I have nothing personally against Mr. Kerik. I think he's a decent enough human being outside of being a political player. It's the player part that bothers me along with his ties to Rudy - I'm making a fortune off 9/11 - G. I think it also annoys the hell out of me that everyone who failed to protect us on 9-11 is treated to promotions and big money, while everyone else just suffers.

In the "Guns Don't Kill People; Lava Lamps Kill People" Department

Cough. I can just see the NRA ads now.

Funny... Tom Ridge resigns

and already the world feels safer.

Not that he didn't earn his $175K a year base pay with the duct tape and the color codes.

Dan Rather

This is another topic I've avoided because it seems so dumb as some of the right-wing bloggers flog themselves gleefully that they brought down Rather. Missing, of course, in this discussion is the fact that the records purportedly counterfeited reveal true information about Mr. Bush's lack of service because the media in the Bush Years has become adept at always missing the forest for the tree the right has painted red.

I don't have any strong feelings either way about Rather's retirement except annoyance that this is seen as his necessary fall because the right didn't like what he said. They've been after him for awhile but especially since his interview with Saddam before the second Bush-Iraq War.

But it goes way beyond Rather. The far right is picking off any journalist or commentator who dares to report anything that isn't approved by Bush's White House. That's dangerous for us all.

Dan Rather

This is another topic I've avoided because it seems so dumb as some of the right-wing bloggers flog themselves gleefully that they brought down Rather. Missing, of course, in this discussion is the fact that the records purportedly counterfeited reveal true information about Mr. Bush's lack of service because the media in the Bush Years has become adept at always missing the forest for the tree the right has painted red.

I don't have any strong feelings either way about Rather's retirement except annoyance that this is seen as his necessary fall because the right didn't like what he said. They've been after him for awhile but especially since his interview with Saddam before the second Bush-Iraq War.

But it goes way beyond Rather. The far right is picking off any journalist or commentator who dares to report anything that isn't approved by Bush's White House. That's dangerous for us all.

Science Textbook Disclaimer Stickers

These are hilarious. Thanks to TBogg for the link.