We. Are. Fucked. No seriously, we are in some major trouble.

[LSK]

As I sit here thinking about the Attorney firings, I cant help but think of the bigger picture.

Carol Lam and David Iglesias were just 2 examples of possibly thousands of people in the Government who have been removed because they did not accept that complete and total loyalty to the Republican Party and President Bush. It is painfully obvious that the Bush agenda has been for the past 6 years to surround himself with "yes-men" and to do everything in the power of the Executive Branch to establish a permanent Republican majority and to make America an imperial dictatorship under President Bush. Bush even admitted this once:

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier...just as long as I'm the dictator..."
--Washington, DC, Dec 18, 2000, during his first trip to Washington as President-Elect

We have seen the same cycle over and over again:

Richard Clarke wanted to fight terrorism prior to 9/11 and was witness to how Bush didnt. GONE

General Zinni said invading Iraq was foolish and knew what he was talking about. GONE

General Shinseki accurately predicted how many troops would be needed to invade Iraq. GONE

Jay Garner didn't agree with the chosen one Chalibi in Iraq. GONE

Colin Powell didn't agree with Rummy and saw what a fuckup Iraq was. GONE

Valery Plame's husband exposed the Niger lies and her work could expose a lot more. Brewster Jennings? GONE

Now we have 8 perfectly good, honest and highly qualified US Attorneys. GONE

The list can go on and on and on.

Who knows how many lower level workers and perfectly good honest hardworking Govt employees were purged, fired, forced to retire or quit?? You don't follow the party line, you dare to question Bush, you do anything that can hurt the Republican party, you are GONE.

What are we left with then??? We are left with incompetent Yes-men.

We are left with people like Porter Goss who says he couldnt get a job with the CIA heading the CIA.

We are left with people like Michael Brown heading FEMA.

We are left with people like Paul Bremer looting Iraq and creating an insurgency.

We are left with people like Alberto Gonzales using the Attorney Generals office as a political machine.

How many more other incompetent idiots are running key parts of our Government???

It is a miracle that America has not self destructed yet and that we have not had many more 9/11s or a total economic collapse.

We. Are. Fucked.

[JDPriestly]

1. Face it. Bush staged a coup. There is just no way around it.

Bush is destroying our Constitution. No way around that either. He is a traitor.

And note, many of those who were fired were loyal Republicans. Paul O'Neil comes to mind. The book about him, The Price of Loyalty is excellent.

[Sherman A1]

8. Read that book right after it came out

and got the idea, then. It's all been downhill since that point.

[cassiepriam]

17. Yes, there was a takeover of the govt by criminals.

The criminals now have the entire US govt at their disposal.
They can commit any crime and get away with it.
They make a few lackeys take the rap for them.

[deutsey]

27. "Smells Like Coup Spirit"

Something I wrote on Bartcop back in April 2001:

http://www.bartcop.com/coupsp.htm

(That's not my email address, btw).

[ananda]

58. he didn't stage the coup by himself..

He had a lotta help, and it still shocks and appals me
how many Americans just let it happen, including me.

No, I have never voted Reep in my life; and yes, I
participate in peace vigils, protests, petitions, etc...
but somehow I feel part of the juggernaut that just
let it happen.

[frogcycle]

60. we all are

despite our objections, however vocal or not they may have been, collectively the American public is guilty as charged. We quit teaching civics, quit teaching how to form a complete sentence, said "the me generation" was a good thing, made Alfred E Neuman our hero, and collectively got what we had coming.

The fact that they were organized and working hard to get us to overlook their coup is immaterial. We are responsible as citizens, as "We the People" to manage our government, and "We the people" were asleep at the switch, too busy watching "Survivor" to bother. Shame on us. We have an obligation to set it right, sooner rather than later, and then we owe the entire world an apology.

[bdamomma]

76. me too, did we learn our lesson in all of this, never take your eye

off the ball. I hope we can turn this around not only for us but for the rest of the world.

[The Doctor.]

102. Keep in mind,

They valued loyalty over competence.

That's a self-defeating tactic when applied to American politics.

But the scale of this is distressing.

[progressoid]

69. Not Bush. He's just the face of it.

His puppeteers did it. He's not smart enough to do it.

[bobbie]

73. Correct. Bush is irrelevant and his IQ is irrelevant

He's just a puppet as you say.

[bobbie]

75. President Kennedy and his murder is the Rosetta Stone

for what's going on now.

[natrat]

99. the wellstone murder is an interesting footnote as it gave them the congress

[bobbie]

120. Oh, absolutely. They've killed to attain power...

And they've killed to retain power.

Many many times.

[Cetacea]

104. agreed. nt

[lutefisk]

80. He's the Ronald McDonald of the new Fascist Movement...n/t

[bobbie]

72. Yes, and to put it in context...

1933 - A coup attempt against FDR (how dare he look after ordinary people with the New Deal) by the
"American Liberty League"--aka JP Morgan & Mellon aka Wall Street, and assorted others like the
DuPonts/Remington Firearms--failed after being exposed by General Smedley Butler--a true hero.

1963 - A bloody coup succeeded against President Kennedy (how dare he look after ordinary people by
pulling us out of Vietnam and ending the Cold War and refusing to start WW3 with Cuba) by the
Military-Industrial Complex Eisenhower warned about--aka Rockefellers/HL Hunt/Brown & Root
bankrolling; CIA (with Poppy Bush playing a prominent role and Nixon on-scene)/pentagon/Cuban exiles
pulling the many triggers; LBJ and CIA-owned media and the Warren Commission (with Ford steering it
and Dulles of the CIA doing his dirty work) covering up the crime.

Ever since then - The only non-regime president was Carter. Probably Clinton too, though he almost
immediately fell in line and carried the regime's water.

That's the context.
The coup was in '63.
It merely became obvious in 2000.

[Sequoia]

95. I just read that book about it, "The Plot to Seize the White House"

Check out the Non-Fiction Book Foru about it. Great book, great, great guy that S.D. Butler!

[bobbie]

121. Oh I want to read that Sequoia!

In fact it's already on my book list but I haven't ordered it at the library yet.

Yeah, General Butler was the real deal hero.
But we don't get to hear a whole lot about him, presumably 'cause he rather embarrassed some powerful people.

...
Er, we have a Non-Fiction Book forum?
...
I really need to get out more.

Thanks for the tip.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. Add to that list all the Federal appointees in the EPA,

FDA, FCC, GSA, DOJ and on and on and on. Yep -- we have been usurped of democracy. This is definitely a fascist corporotocracy.

[live love laugh]

111. Here's another casualty

"Army Corps of Engineers' top civilian official Bunnatine Greenhouse has been demoted for complaining about bloated no-bid contracts for Halliburton. So while Iraq spirals downward with thousands of American lives and billions of taxpayer dollars at stake, we're seizing the moment to punish an official who tried to stand up for fairness and cost controls."

more...http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2005/08/iraq_whistleblo.html

[HCE SuiGeneris]

113. It is their whole strategy. Turn Amurika into a Reich Wing state. n/t

[diva77]

123. Add to that list elections officials from Secretaries of State

such as:

Katherine Harris - SoS of Florida & Bush's Florida campaign co-chair in 2000 election
Kenneth Blackwell - SoS Ohio & Co-chair of Committee to re-elect George W. Bush in 2004 election


to

Voting Machine Vendors such as The chief executive officer of electronic voting company Diebold who once famously declared that he would "deliver" Ohio for President Bush



and County Registrars

[azurnoir]

3. It goes futher

I suspect the "faithful" have pervaded just about every government department and post of any consequence. It is truly sad and frightening and will take years ti correct, one future challenge for Dem's will be to gt rid of these people without becoming their mirror image.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/30/civil_rights/

[tom_paine]

4. You are almost unquestionably correct. The Busheviks are like Soviet Communists

with a different economic philosophy.

I suspect it goes MUCH FURTHER. MUCH DEEPER.

[BeHereNow]

10. Ever read, "Trilaterals Over Washington" by Antony Sutton?

Sutton studied the Trilateral Commission from formation in the 1970's until
his death.
if any one wants to clearly grasp how we got here and
where they plan on taking us, read "Trilaterals over Washington."
It is available online for any one brave enough to read it.
Warning though, you wont be able to sleep soundly ever again,
BUT you will better comprehend what is unfolding and who
is responsible.

The global elite are real and their plans for us are not good at all.

It will get worse before it gets much worse in our lives.
Sorry, but that is a fact.

BHN

[WinkyDink]

31. And they've been working on corrupting and co-opting university staffs, to

propagandize the next generations.

[fooj]

5. 150 from Messiah.

:scared: That's just creepy.

[cassiepriam]

18. Bingo. What we now know is only a very small portion of the big picture.

There is much more that we will find out.
And the damage will take a long time to correct.

[loudsue]

79. A paragraph from that article: (TOTALLY illegal)

"First in Mississippi and then in Texas, the Front Office facilitated or directly approved redistricting plans that created net gains for GOP candidates, patently disregarding the recommendations of the analysts and lawyers of the Voting Rights Section. Though in both instances they counseled the Front Office that the law required the opposite actions, they carried out the Front Office's orders."

This is ABSOLUTE violation of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act.

When congress finally gets to the bottom of this, we all need to take the bush gang out to be tarred & feathered, and run their asses out on a rail.

I'm surprised there haven't been riots in the streets over this.

I'm so pissed I can hardly believe it.

:kick::kick::kick:

[wake.up.america]

6. I have yet to be proven wrong about Bush -unfortunately

[MnFats]

7. thanks, guys, i'm really gonna sleep well now...

...but then, none of us should be sleeping well with the shitstorm we face.
decades. it will take decades to repair the damage, if it can be done at all.

[orleans]

9. oh, stop trying to cheer me up! n/t

[tbyg52]

11. They got the money and we got the numbers

So they divide us over stupid, stupid issues, keep us at war, and scream "TERRA" in our ears....

[bklyncowgirl]

12. Now for the good news--we're learning about it. Thanks to the American people

It's overwhelming and it's frightening but the good news is that somehow, some way their plans went terribly wrong last November.

Frankly I don't think they ever believed they'd actually lose. The faith in the Bush administration in Karl Rove's "Math" was stunning even as congressional Republicans began to panic.

The American people voted the Republicans out of office. Long serving, safe district Democrats like Henry Waxman and John Conyers took over key committees. They are shining a light on the dark corners of government and the cockroaches are scurrying around in panic.

It's not a pretty sight.

The conspiracy minded among us might say that this was part of the global elite's plan. Maybe they saw that Bush was getting out of control and needed his chain yanked. The media was allowed (encouraged) to criticize Bush, his war, and Republicans in general. Maybe Poppy Bush, horrified of going down in history as the father of the worst president in history, made a few phone calls. Maybe the American people, stunned by hurricane Katrina , realized that their government was neither competent nor humane. Maybe the Democrats have gotten smarter and more aggressive. Maybe it's a combination of all of these factors.

Whatever, the ugly underside of the Bush administration is being exposed and that is a good thing.

[FredStembottom]

45. I am happy to be able to agree, Bcowgirl!

I think you are onto an important part of how this will told in history - that this "enemy from within" was defeated by a hurricane.

That is where things started going wrong for these schemers. There just wasn't enough media anesthetic to make people go stone-cold unconscious to the loss of an entire American city.

This led to a mistake in the "math" come November. They had done their calculations based on X amount of suppression needed. But Katrina produced X x 2 amounts of shock at the heartlessness of the regime.

Drowning hordes still register - not as much as they should - but more than Karl Rove's X amount.

[VP505]

50. "Incompetence"

is the way they would like to frame the long list of problems this admin has had. By doing so they divert attention away from the real root of the problem, that will allow them to continue to get enough basic hard core support (30%) for their movement to survive. They want to use the notion that simple "incompetence" is to blame, by changing a few faces and policies they can generate a new crop of people that will resurrect their party once again. The real problem is with their conservative ideology, it doesn't work, it's cant work and we Dem's need to focus on educating the voting public why that's true. Don't be fooled and defiantly don't help them push the simple notion of "incompetence" as being the only thing wrong with the Republic Party, it goes much deeper than that.

[bbgrunt]

62. exactly. likewise the emphasis solely on bush and cheney is

misguided. It is their PHILOSOPHY that must be defeated

[bklyncowgirl]

65. I keep going back and forth between "evil" and "stupid" with these guys

Most likely it's a mix of the two.

Frankly, if you believe that the government is evil then dismantling the government is good--except of course as a means of funneling money from the taxpayers to you and your friends pockets.

Unfortunately when bad but unavoidable things like hurricanes happen or the public gets wind of avoidable things that went bad because you outsourced programs like maintenance at Walter Reed to your buddies, the true cost of your replacing competent people with political hacks and greedy contractors comes home and John and Jane Q. Public are not pleased.

You're right, their "shrink the government" ideas sound wonderful until they're tested in practice. Hopefully we're at the end of this experiment.

[Ron Green]

70. "Stupid" cannot maintain "evil" forever.

Evil requires top-notch propaganda and organization, and that means lots of smart people at or near the top. Conscience will always rear its ugly head, though.

[bklyncowgirl]

85. They've run into problems when honest & brave people put their country first.

There's not many, but I think we can mention a few. Joe and Valerie Wilson certainly go on the list as some high ranking military officials like General Shinsecki who were fired or quit rather than go along with the adminstration's hasty, ill planned war. Also honorable mention to James Comey who assigned Pat Fitzgerald to the CIA leak case instead of some "Good Bushie". Richard Clarke comes to mind as well.

[loudsue]

81. You can BET THE FARM that Rove won't let it happen again.

The 2008 elections are going to be the battlefield over their very survival, and the battle they will fight is the one to try to keep them out of jail. Rove "misunderestimated" the numbers on our side by a tiny fraction this past election, and STILL managed to screw us out of another 20 or so seats due to his gerrymandering.

If ALL OF US, on the State level, don't act RIGHT NOW to make use of the computerized voting machines illegal in every State, we're going to be right back on the "minority" side of the political divide, and all of these hearings and victories we've gained will not only be LOST, but will be punished even more harshly.

The 2008 election is going to make or break the future of this country, and the repervlikins have the deck STILL stacked in their favor with control of the voting machines. THIS IS NOT OVER, just because we managed to take back (with a small, crippled majority) the two houses of congress.

The repervs still own the justice system, the supreme court, the presidency, and ALL OF THE VOTING MACHINE COMPANIES. They also still have their mafia machine in place, making a mockery of our slim majority.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Diane R]

93. I agree. Rove and the Republicans will make absolutely certain they can steal the '08 election.

[coalition_unwilling]

82. The Iraqi Resistance had a lot to do with it too. A body of rag-tag

irregulars stood, fought and defeated the most powerful military in the world. As impressive as the victory by the Vietnamese over us 30 years ago, I would have to say that the Iraqi Resistance's victory is even more impressive, since they had no Soviet Union and China providing materiel and training.

[conscious evolution]

13. It is a scary scenario you just brought up

The only way to be free of them is when the Dems take over the white house in 08 they need to fire every single person hired into any goverment job by bushco since 2000.Any hold overs from bush 1 and reagan also need to be shown the door.
It may seem like a harsh move but it is the only way to clear out the corrupt and imcompetant.

[bdamomma]

38. 2008 will have to be our turn again to get rid of this vermin.

or hopefully they will bodily removed.

[bbgrunt]

63. be careful what you wish for. Total democratic control

might just end up being as corrupt now that the repukes have shown them how to do it. I do believe there are many good democrats out there, but there is far too much dlc influence that is nothing more than repuke light.

[mnhtnbb]

92. Unfortunately, the courts can't be cleared out. It will take a generation to undo that damage.

[Cobalt-60]

109. Hit the "PURGE" button

Remember: republicons project
This means it's better than even money that they are in fact guilty of whatever they're accusing other people of before they make the accusation.
One of the favorite charges of the backwash is that the government is riddled with Bill Clinton's moles, working at every turn to subvert poor Dubya's benevolent plan.
You can bet the farm that every office from which they are forced to retreat will be riddled with moles, spies and bugs.
No one, absolutely no one from the food trough wiper to the executive secretary, can be allowed to remain in position after the cons are run out. That means contractors too, from the donut vendor to the IT specialist.
I have long suspected that Nixon's fifth columnists sabotaged the Carter administration.
When i heard the ridiculous Clinton mole story I was certain.
PURGE!
I volunteer to personally drag the dogs from their desks if they won't go on their own.

[cassiepriam]

14. Bingo. We still have not seen the whole picture, there is more, much more.

[Vinca]

15. At this point I'm more interested in the people who weren't fired.

What have they done, are doing or scheduled to do that makes them "loyal Bushies?"

[Tyler Durden]

16. This be my terribly SHOCKED look.

If you had any idea how many times I get slapped down for insisting that the New Roman Empire is ALREADY sliding into the death spiral....

[skids]

19. More fuckitude here...

http://cronyjobs.com

...and not to mention OSHA and the Mine Safety Department.

[lazyriver]

20. How about the many thousands of people who weren't

fired because they have been doing, are doing and will continue to do Bush's/Rove's every bidding? The firings are sensational, make better news, and shine the first beam of light into this very dark closet full of skeletons but the real issue is the Bush-Rove loyalists who have quietly KEPT their jobs. What kinds of unspeakable evil have they been up to for the past six years?

[Solly Mack]

21. We've been fucked. We're just getting a glimpse of just how fucked

The fullness of just how bad it is hasn't come out yet.

[eridani]

22. Correction on Jay Garner?

Wasn't he ousted because he wanted to have local elections right away, and disagreed with firing all Baath party members?

[LSK]

34. yes, but according to Fiasco, he really did not like Chalabi

And Chalabi was the "chosen one" to lead Iraq during that time.

[EnviroBat]

23. Another little artifact that keeps me up some nights...

This fuck-jobs have totally taxed our military past it's limits. We are an extremely vunerable Nation at this moment in history and we have one major traitor to blame for it. Bush must go, he is destroying this country.

[Tansy_Gold]

35. Remember, too, that it's not just "the military" as we normally

think of it -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.

When you factor in the down-sizing of the military over the past 15-20 years, you not only have the lost in trained troop numbers, but you've lost all those "local" military bases where there was at least some intermingling of military and civilian populations. The military is now much more concentrated, much more isolated.

Then you have the destruction of the national guard. Again, "citizen soldiers" who were part of the community and had strong ties to the local culture, the schools, the businesses, the families.

Furthermore, many in the national guard were/are also local law enforcement and fire fighters. Their loss to the Iraqatastrophe leaves local communities more vulnerable.

Now, to this disastrous mix add the rise of the mercenary army of Blackwater -- and I haven't even seen the Scahill documentary.

What you're left with is a country stripped of its usual and expected defenders, left at the mercy of an "army" loyal only to themselves, money, and an ideology that knows no mercy.

I'm not really much into :tinfoilhat: stuff, and I tend generally to be more optimistic than pessimistic, but I do believe there are disturbing signs that we need to pay attention to.


Tansy Gold

[bdamomma]

39. * has been continually destroying this country and he is not

finished, that is what I'm afraid of.

[Sydnie]

24. Keep in mind, although these 8 are gone

what did the rest do that kept them under the radar? Just how loyal were they that they kept their positions? It's not just the firing of these attorney's that matter, it's the ones they didn't fire and what they were involved in that needs to be investigated as well.

Perhaps Ashcroft covering the "nakedness of justice" was more telling than we thought. Perhaps it wasn't her exposed breast that offended him as much as the fact that we all could see it did. Think about that.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

29. That is probably true about Ashcroft.

He's one sick mofo. (Most) Missourians know how twisted and wrong he is about everything.

I remember thinking, "HE is going to be the ATTORNEY GENERAL???"

He had just lost a race to a dead man . . .

[proud2BlibKansan]

78. I can't stand Ashcroft either

but I would take him back in a heartbeat over Gonzalez.

[baldguy]

25. Some of us knew that six years ago.

[deutsey]

26. This "Onion" article was more prescient than anything written after the 2000 coup

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28784

[WinkyDink]

32. I can actually hear Bush saying all this, that's how perverse he really is.

[never cry wolf]

83. That is just amazing, they were spot on!

These are truly bizarre times.

[LSK]

36. Yes and our fears have been confirmed since then

[Frank Cannon]

54. Heck, I knew it SEVEN years ago

I lived through this guy as "governor" of Texas. I knew from the minute he announced his candidacy that this incompetent idiot would take this nation down the darkest path possible--that he would, in fact, render this great country to ruins, in almost every way imaginable.

I tried to warn my family and friends about all this (particularly my centrist Dem family, who thought he would help shower them with tax breaks), but no one would listen. Bush was the candidate they most wanted to have a beer with.

I hope they're enjoying their beers. They're going to need a lot more of them. Now, even my most right-wing relatives are now admitting that they made a horrible mistake.

[Hepburn]

28. What bothers me more than those who have been outed...

...are those "loyal Bushies" who have NOT been found out.

[WinkyDink]

30. Incompetence I can forgive, for job duties can be learned. I think it's EVIL we've seen

replacing the GOOD. We are being Nazi-fied, one governmental position at a time.

Well, two, with the Bush/Cheney coup d'etat of 2000.

[gatorboy]

33. It's why we HAVE to win it all in '08

If for any other reason, to cleanse these people out of government.

[bdamomma]

40. and we must be out in record numbers.

[greyghost]

97. That is ...

the key. The large tunout in 06 negated Rove's "Math,"
the same kind of turnout in 08 will do the same.

We need to take this country back, or we will be kissing our own asses goodbye.

[sinkingfeeling]

37. I agree. I've read that in agencies like OSHA, FDA, EPA, etc. that up 60% or more of the

dedicated civil employees have been eliminated and replaced by political loyalists.

[LSK]

43. and how many Generals have stepped down in the past 6 years?

:scared:

[bdamomma]

112. too many, it's disgusting what * has done. We have to take back

our country, this rat bastard took our civil liberties away, and people just said I have nothing to hide, yup, look at us now, unbelieveable, this frat boy arrogant dickhead has ruin this country, and can't even or does not care to even care about our sore, New Orleans and the neighboring states, just like Iraq, Afghanistan, or whatever place he wants to strike at first. Yea, he is a godly man, BS, and those people who still believe they should support the President those days are over, time to take this rat bastards off their pedestal, they are not below or above the law. SOB's. Every dog has its day, well I can't wait till those dogs have their day!!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

41. oops. never mind

[wicket]

42. "Back and to the left. Back and to the left"

K & R

:kick:

[Scriptor Ignotus]

44. The Silver Lining:

a whole generation of voters who will be disgusted at the GOP's incompetence, cronyism and treachery. I think unless we mess up, we will dominate the 2008 elections and beyond.

[BeFree]

46. Welcome

To our national nightmare. Do tell me you haven't just now realized it's more than a bad dream.

[LSK]

47. when the Chimp was elected, I was worried about him playing games with the Button

Seriously, even before the election I feared if this joke got elected we'd all be dead by now from him starting WW3.

High expectations I had huh?

[BeFree]

49. Just a matter of time

They will, just as soon as enough of us give up trying to stop them. They do have the means, the motive and the opportunity.

But what did the people do in 2004? Too many voted to let bushco continue. Even on DU we had folks dissing Kerry. Ah well, today is a new day, eh?

[in_cog_ni_to]

48. Don't forget the U.S. PRAVDA. Our media has been infiltrated also. They have taken over...via the

CORPORATIONS that own our cable companies, various TEEVEE networks, newspapers and radio stations. IMCPO, that's the most dangerous loss. THE various media outlets were our EYES and EARS. Not anymore. KO is the one exception. Had our media been doing its job, NONE of the above (in your post) would have been allowed to happen. NONE OF IT.

[ShortnFiery]

51. I wish that I could encourage what few moderate Republicans to listen to BBC World News Radio.

Even listening to that venue would convince the objective Republicans that our media is "Corporate" not "Liberal." Further, continued consolidation of our media conglomerates is best supported by REPUBLICAN legislators.

Most important to remember is: Although perhaps 80 percent of media personnel vote Democratic, it's the high level executives (Republicans) who make *all* the programming decisions. If people want to work, they best serve the interest of the CEOs and high level executives.

The far right is lost as they have shut down their little minds to any new coming information. However, anyone who has listened to the BBC or CBC broadcasts will realize that the USA M$M is not only filtering information, but also putting out disinformation and flat out lies in order to keep the populace confused and beholden to Authoritarian Rule. :shrug:

Wake UP objective Americans ... and smell the stench of budding Fascism in the USA. :scared:

For the people? Bullshit, it's all for the benefit of Large CORPORATIONs and the M$M is part of the deception, NOT the solution.

[LSK]

52. But but but BBC is the liberal media

The only ones you can trust are newsmax and worldnutdaily!

:rofl:

[ShortnFiery]

56. And B sure 2 check Drudge's cite 4 Unka KKKarl's inn-put each day!

Spelling and other grammatical errors were intentional. :P

[Swede]

53. James O'Beirne fucking up Baghdad in the aftermath after Saddam's fall.

Just another in a long line of repukes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600193_pf.html

[LSK]

55. yes the CPA had Iraqs finances handled by College Republicans

Another example of what happens in the Bush administration.

BTW, Kyle Sampson looked pretty young to be a Chief of Staff.

[cascadiance]

57. New bumper sticker: "It's NEVER too late for impeachment"!

There isn't any rule in the constitution that says that impeachment can't happen after a certain point in an elected official's term. Therefore the "it's too late to do an impeachment" is a false premise.

What would congress do if Bush turned around and shot and killed someone on national TV a month before the 2008 election? Say it's too late for impeachment and to wait until the election results are in? NO! And I believe the Republicans in that case would join in to convict him, or they'd be sunk in that coming election too.

This man, and the people he surrounds himself with are doing serious damage to this country each day he continues to stay in the White House. We need to continue to find the best, quickest, and legal way of getting him out SOON!

Sibel Edmonds is another person that belongs on your list up there. And I still believe that she has the most goods on he and his cabal up there that shows the dangerous results of this "yes man" atmosphere that is pervading our government now! Continue to let Mr. Waxman know that her testimony should be on his list of his committee's activities in the coming months!

[frogcycle]

59. you are spot on

the same geniuses who have driven American industry into the ground with bs non-management by yesmen and toadies have done so with our government.

their self-image is that of the inbred european royalty, truly believing that enough people are forced to grovel before them that makes them great

[Firespirit]

61. Personal anecdote

I am convinced that the PURGE goes all the way down to the lowest "peon." Here is why.

* Firespirit: Barely a year out of college, worked an entry-level position for the DOE in summer 2005, under the supervision of someone with contacts in the NSA, DOJ, and White House. FS pursued her own interests outside of work, specifically election reform, and wasn't silent about it. FS also chose not to attend an event featuring the Petty Dictator.

Yep, they all but sacked me as well, and made up a BS reason for doing it.

[LSK]

64. and how many thousands of people have stories just like you?

[Firespirit]

66. Who will ever know?

I consider it a blessing, in a way, because now I work closely with Democrats and I really love what I do. But the fallout from this sort of thing will take years to clean up. They have installed an infrastructure that is just waiting in the wings for another Bush-type to emerge. They really did plan for permanent neocon power.

In all honesty, I doubt that I would have been singled out for "not enough loyalty" because I am in my 20s, I was fresh out of college, and it was a low-level position. (I'd have to take the blood oath to the Deciderer if I had advanced.) But evidently it was Unacceptable for me to actively oppose them.

[femrap]

67. But now we can stop it.....

we got the Power of the Subpoena now. I believe the F*cking of our nation is stopping...now it's time to get f*ck the criminals.

Rove just danced his 'Last Dance'....bring on Donna Summer and let her sing it! These evil boys are going down!

[bdamomma]

77. Rove's last dance, I want to see them dance their way out of

WH in cuffs!!!

[femrap]

105. That is a sight I look forward to....

Their arrogance will bring them down!

[bdamomma]

114. their arrogance is stunning, someone mentioned to me if you

have power you can be arrogant, I would love to see those smirks be cleaned off their faces. Each year that these SOB's are abusing power, they are thumbing their noses at us, and more, look at the division of the poor and the rich now, as bad as it was since 1926. Middle class no more. WTF, what has to happen for us to really revolt, I mean really how much more will they take away from us, geez, let me stop now.

[loudsue]

86. We only have 20 more months to correct the election mess

or we're going to be right back in the mess we've been in for 6 years.

They still have control of the government and the VOTE COUNTING MACHINES, and we have only a TINY majority in both houses of congress.

Rove KNOWS that if the hearings can be delayed w/ trials for "executive privilege" challenges, republicans pulling rule of order tricks to stop hearings, etc., for another 20 months, he'll have the privilege of stealing yet another election in 2008. At that point, this democracy will be dead forever. Rioting in the streets, at that point, will be cause for martial law, and it won't be pretty.

:kick::kick::kick:

[CrispyQ]

68. Last week I parked by a car with this bumper sticker --

Of course it hurts--
You're getting screwed by an elephant.


I am thankful that I have lived during some of the best years of America, but I am pissed beyond belief & heart broken to see what these thugs are doing to our country.

[xxqqqzme]

71. As bad as that is...I think it is even more insidious.

The civil servants in Interior - national parks, etc. Dept of Energy have all been forced out. Career civil servants, as you state, throughout the government, forced out, fired or 'retired' because of loyalty. jerry falwell, pat roberts & oral roberts universities all supplying good little christian soldiers to fill those ranks. The huge bureaucratic machine is being turned to follow, promote and institutionalize the neo-con/religious right agenda. Eight years to turn it.

How long will it take to purge the monster system so balance can be restored?

[cascadiance]

74. What hurts is that I don't want to use the same tactics to "fix" the situation!

I'd like to see jobs etc. be decided on merit and experience, and not on partisanship! I don't want to be like the Communists coming in and being just as bad as "the old" boss and have us singing the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again!".

The problem is that we have the system so filled with partisans now, how do you avoid doing "blanket purges" to get rid of that partisan imbalance and put "back" people that are experienced and do jobs in a fair and sensible and in most cases where it's not needed, a non-partisan manner! That will be really tough! Some of these turds will go underground and we'll still have a lot of buried partisanship that have invaded our infrastructure in key areas.

[lutefisk]

87. I don't think there is much chance of a "reverse purge"

This is a fundamental change in the United States' government that cannot be reversed. No administration is going to aggressively purge the government of every appointment made from 2000-2008. The legal issues alone would prevent that from happening.

The Bush regime has been so incredibly aggressive in its purge and replace program that I can't help but think that has been the main priority of the planners behind the scenes. The stuff that's on the news and that we all know about is a depressing distraction while the real work is going on beneath the public's radar.

We aren't ever going back- the damage is permanent. Is Hillary or Rudy or Condi going to seek out the thousands of appointees and fire them all, replacing them with ... who??? The government workers that have been "retired" or moved on to other jobs aren't coming back. And think of all the decent people completely soured on government service because of the crap that's been going on for the past 7 years.

I think the Bush Regime broke the system along with the rules.

:rant:

[LSK]

94. we dont have to use the same tactics to fix it

All we ask is honest elections.

We ask us to let the intelligence drive the policy, not the policy drive the intel.

We ask for the Justice department to base its actions on the Rule of Law and the Constitution.

And how do we do all this? Accountability and OVERSIGHT!

[cascadiance]

101. The problem is that it isn't just elected positions that are being affected.

As is noted by others here, it is going deep into our infrastructure in many other places in the government, where ultimately it is who works there who is managing those underneath them and decides on their performance, etc. When the whole pyramid of folks have been "purged" to get rid of folks not loyal to them, it will be very difficult without a "reverse" purge to repair this damage. And as I said, I don't really want to do a "reverse" purge either. I think it won't be solved by doing that, and it will just take us down to their levels.

About the only way possible is that a concerted effort needs to be made at every level of government that has been affected to put out pragmatic NON-POLITICAL work goals for these folks to meet and tell them that this will be a time they will be measured for quality of work, NOT loyalty, and that if they thought that loyalty was going to elevate them (like it got many of their jobs to start with), they have a new boss in town that says differently.

It still will be hard to weed out all of the bad chaff that way, as no system is perfect in that respect, but I think being more rigid on quality of work definitions is the only way to get rid of these "yes" bastards that are infesting these areas now. Wherever possible, try to track down the older folks that were "purged" earlier for unfair reasons who might have good experience to offer and see if they want their jobs back. That will be hard though, as many will have moved on, as have folks like Carol Lam have already.

[mile18blister]

84. Have they infiltrated us as well?

And what is worse than everything in this thread is that they've probably have moles all over the Democratic Party. Forgive me if I'm getting too paranoid, but how many times have we wondered why some supposedly Democratic official, candidate, or organization doesn't do something? How hard is it for a county registrar, precinct worker, or SOS just to look the other way, even if they have a D after their name? With all the election theft of 2000, 2002, and 2004, why did many Dems in Congress not take fraud seriously until RFK, Jr's Rolling Stone article? The Congressional Black Caucus was on it right away, of course, but why were so many others in denial until almost right before the 2006 elections? Did they check with some staffer or local official who told them not too worry, taken care of, nothing to it? And then sat there in shock on election night when the results defied exit polls, logic and statistics?

We need to take a good look at some of the people in our party, not just the Repugs.

[loudsue]

88. That's BINGO!!

They've infiltrated the Dem party every bit as much as the rest of the government.

Are we ever going to be able to turn this mess around? I don't think so.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Generator]

89. At least we live in interesting times

That's you are fucked in Chinese, I believe.

I just want to be here to see how it all turns out. I want to read the history books about what I lived through. I want to read about what evil fucks they were, letting Americans die, falsifying info for war, allowing terrorist attacks to happen-because after all, we are only collateral damage-and it was FOR OUR OWN GOOD. They treat us like ignorant children. Sure, some of you must die, but when we are done remaking the planet, you will thank us. Is that not their "belief" in a nutshell? Oh that and making sure they have all the power and money.

I hope there is a tomorrow where the truth is free.

[The Count]

90. Randi just said the very same thing just now

"We're being overtaken by little dough boys, Rove look-alikes from BK U and such

[Gloria]

91. Think Putin, purging now for the next elections there, where his

hand picked successor will be installed....

Seriously, it dawned on me today when listening to Hartman----forget Stalin, it's Putin right now in Russia.

[Morgana LaFey]

96. Peter Goss

You are mischaracterizing what he said, as many people have done. He remarked that in today's world he wouldn't "qualify" for a CIA agent's job (I think it was agent's job).

All that means is that the CIA is looking for a particular skill set, education, perhaps experience that Goss himself didn't have. But Goss had lots of OTHER experience that was well above the pay grade of agent, if you understand what I'm talking about.

Am I making any sense?

Organizations routinely refine and update their minimum requirements for employment, and make them stricter as time goes on. It wouldn't be impossible to find people in fairly high places in certain organizations that do not have full college degrees, but entry level professional jobs in those same organizations now require a college degree. Just because Goss doesn't meet THOSE minimum criteria doesn't mean he's incompetent for the job itself.

I am not a Goss fan (far from it!) or defender -- I just really want his comment fairly characterized.

[LSK]

98. depends on interpretation I guess

REP. GOSS: It is true I was in CIA from approximately the late 50's to approximately the early 70's. And it's true I was a case officer, clandestine services office and yes I do understand the core mission of the business. I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified. I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably. And I certainly don't have the technical skills, uh, as my children remind me every day, "Dad you got to get better on your computer." Uh, so, the things that you need to have, I don't have.
-- Rep. Porter Goss, March 3, 2004, Washington, DC

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=128

[Morgana LaFey]

107. Yes, thank you. That perfectly confirms my point.

BTW, I don't think your post is wrong, or even the point for which you used Goss as an example -- just that Goss is the wrong example, for the reasons I cited.

Note that he's talking about specific skills: language skills, technical skills. I'm not as clear what he means by cultural background, but in any case it's still something that the CIA looks for in its entry level people which Goss says he couldn't meet. Doesn't mean he's incompetent at the higher level. The skills (and knowledge) required for a higher level manager are VERY different from the skills required at an entry level for professionals.

[LSK]

110. regarding cultural background, I assumed he didnt know the Middle East

And if we are in a "war on terror" with Middle Eastern "terrorists", I would want the leader of our spy agency to know the Middle East.

Thats the reason I chose him for the example.

[knight_of_the_star]

100. Look on the bright side

If he's got a bunch of toadies running the government who are there for loyalty not competence sooner or later, hopefully sooner, he's going down and going down hard. The bad thing is a lot of us will be dragged down too, but at least we can be sure that sooner or later this nightmare will be over and won't happen again, at least for a while.

[mzmolly]

103. Not any longer, because WE KNOW.

In the long them, THEY.ARE.FUCKED. ;)

[AnotherMother4Peace]

115. I NEED to share your optimism - he's pissing off attorneys, judges, generals.

Conservatives, true Republicans (not neo-cons), people who love America. He's even pissing off his "base". He's pissing off a lot of very intelligent people, not to mention the Democrats, & I'm predicting he will be gone by next year. People are just tired of his shit. Pardon my French.

[Swamp Rat]

106. RICO is our friend.

;)

[ChiciB1]

108. From STEALING The 2000 Election This Group Planned Much Much

more than ANYONE ever imagined. I KNEW in 1997 from a Greg Palast article that The Repukes "planned" many things "when" NOT "if" they got into the WH in 2000! It was written about way back then, talking points, agenda the whole shootin match! And signed by so so many NEO-CONS!!

I tried and tried to get everyone to take this stuff seriously, but I FAILED, and now we surely are in a pickle. The corruption, policies and people they have PUT INTO place these past 6 years will take decades to repair, if at all!

Too many people are still TOO AFRAID of these "criminal operatives" and won't say PEEP until it's SQUEEZED out of them!! Some squeezing is happening, but one only has to remember what THE DECIDER said up front a while back, "this war will still be going on after I leave office!" I don't think that was simply arrogance talking, that was taken from their "WORKBOOK" produced and written many years ago!

THE DECIDER is simply their wind up "boy" and one they hand picked because he's always been so full of himself. I seriously doubt he cares ANYTHING about what happens in the future, just as long as his name goes down in history as one of America's Presidents. He will never ever accept the fact that he was used or that his presidency is the worst one we've ever seen in this country.... and maybe ANY country!!! He's just too full of his own shit to give a shit!!!

[BlueJac]

116. I love your statement.................

We are fucked.....and fucked............

I just can't remember, what was the question?
I don't recall.

WTF? This is total Bullshit.
If you can't remember how did you get a job fool?

[Rex]

117. People should have noticed that Bush and Cheney were demanding

loyalty oaths before gaining entrance into campaign rallies! Hmmm.

"This would be a lot easier if I were a dictator." - George Bush.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

118. OMG - he had that stupid grin on his face when he said that 6 long years ago.

This statement is burned into my memory. He said this during his first pre or post illegitimate election. I'm not sure which, but I remember his stupid sadistic grin, and his outrageous statement.

[nolabels]

119. Nice to know, after all these fucking years, anymore genius ?

I once thought i was crazy, then later i thought everybody else thought i was crazy. Now-a-days, i just know some of us are more sane than others.

Just remember, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely

[buddysmellgood]

122. SLAP! NO WE ARE NOT FUCKED....Get a hold of yourself. It's bad. It's very bad.

But the people...ever so slowly are waking. Shine the light on the lies, the hate, the evil. Do not lose faith in the people of this country no matter how stupid and uninvolved they really are. In the end...we will do the right thing. It sucks that we have to approach Armageddon, but that's where we live.