Vicarious stupidity.

January 30th, 2005

Our Prime Minister is at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland proving to the entire world just how stupid he is with statements such as this.

"Can I just say, I mean, the negative mindset of the last five minutes is ridiculous – of course America has made mistakes."

"I think some of the criticism of the Americans by some the Europeans is unfair and irrational and I have said so."

Meanwhile in America, Gore Vidal has responded to Bush’s second inauguration speech – found over at WhatROOLYhappened.com.

Gore Vidal responds to this excerpt from Bush’s speech,

"America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal, instead, is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way. The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America’s influence is not unlimited; but fortunately for the oppressed, America’s influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom’s cause."

Vidal’s comments,

"Well, I hardly know where to end, much less begin. There’s not a word of truth in anything that he said. Our founding fathers did not set us on a course to liberate all the world from tyranny. Jefferson just said, all men are created equal, and should be, etc, but it was not the task of the United States to go abroad to slay dragons, as John Quincy Adams so wisely put it; because if the United States does go abroad to slay dragons in the name of freedom, liberty, and so on, she could become dictatress of the world, but in the process she would lose her soul. That is what we – the lesson we should be learning now, instead of this declaration of war against the entire globe. He doesn’t define what tyranny is. I’d say what we have now in the United States is working up a nice tyrannical persona for itself and for us. As we lose liberties he’s, I guess, handing them out to other countries which have not asked for them, particularly; and what he says – The reaction in Europe – and I know we mustn’t mention them because they’re immoral and they have all those different kinds of cheese – but, simultaneously, they’re much better educated than we are, and they’re richer. Get that out there: The Europeans per capita are richer than the Americans, per capita. And by the time this administration is finished, there won’t be any money left of any kind, starting with poor social security, which will be privatized, so that is the last gold rush for (as they say) men with an eye for opportunity."

"Events are made so horrible people like Saddam and so on are demonized, and we all have to immediately begin by saying how awful he is for 25 minutes before we can get down to the fact that he was no threat to the United States, no threat at all. He was not involved with al Qaeda. He was not involved with 9/11. He was not. He was not. You can say it a million times, but there you have a president with the help of the most corrupt media in my lifetime buoying his words across the land and telling lies about the – We’re 45 minutes away from being blown up by the weapons of mass destruction that this master of evil has in his hands. – To which the answer is: Why? Why would he do that? There must be some motivation. You see, they are now beyond motivation, and that is insanity. So, an insane government is not one that you can look to with any confidence."

John HoWARd follows Bush and his administration without applying facts, truth, logic, analysis, common sense or humanity.

Army reservist should have paid attention in History class.

January 16th, 2005

In 1945, in Nuremberg the trials began.

  1. Hans Frank
  2. Alfred Jodl
  3. Wilhelm Keitel
  4. Arthur Seyss-Inquart
  5. Constantin von Neurath
  6. Joachim von Ribbentrop

All these men were found guilty of Count Three: War Crimes.
These were the more traditional violations of the law of war including treatment of prisoners of war.

“I was just following orders”

was not a defense allowed then and it is not a defense allowed now.

US Army reservist Charles Graner Jr., convicted of mistreating Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison, said he had been ordered to abuse detainees as he took the stand for the first time today. He described himself as a by-the-book prison guard corrupted by superiors who ordered him to physically mistreat and sexually humiliate detainees.

He said he initially resisted pressure to mistreat prisoners, but his Army superiors made it clear to him that he was expected to obey the commands of the military and civilian intelligence agents who ran his part of Abu Ghraib.

Graner said a lieutenant in his unit told him:

“If (military intelligence) asks you to do this, it needs to be done. They’re in charge, follow their orders.”

the-nuremberg-trials-the-nazis-and-their-crimes-against-humanity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can buy the book from here 

Look mum there’s Osama…he’s mastered the high kick

January 13th, 2005
This story out of the US postulates that prisoners of war are like cheerleaders.

I don’t know why I didn’t see this before.
These men do resemble the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Ok their wax jobs are a bit rough and if that one is Debbie, she looks done.

This Iraqi cheerleading team is obviously working on their pyramid in readiness for the 2005 Superbowl. Isn’t it nice for the American soldiers to be their coaches and physiotherapists.

Clear as an autumn day in Geneva, these are the Baghdad raiders cheerleaders.

Oh and look, they’re naked,
“bootygate”

wonderland-boy-cheerleade-006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image from here

Oops we missed

January 9th, 2005
The war in Iraq is not a natural disaster.

The numbers of dead are not all in the space of a few moments.

These and many other Iraqi dead are, however, as innocent as the dead from within families peacefully living their lives in Thailand last year.

This story out of northern Iraq highlights yet again why this war, that Australia is still a willing part of, is (and always was) wrong.

An official from a joint US-Iraqi security centre for Salahuddin province said the air strike targeted a suspected insurgent hideout in al-Aitha, a village on the border between Salahuddin and Nineveh provinces.

“The house was not the intended target for the air strike. The intended target was another location nearby.”

-The US army has stated. It added that it:

“deeply regrets the loss of possibly innocent lives and that an investigation was under way.”

Downer diverts us again

October 26th, 2004

Alexander Downer, Howard’s go-to-guy.

Howard will do anything to make sure that Australia and Australians stay moved on.

Today three members of the Australian Military were hurt in Baghdad.
I hoped that with this news, the government would acknowledge that yes, we have ADF personnel in Iraq, and yes they may get hurt/killed.

Instead Howard calls Downer and says,

"Alex, come up with a conspiracy theory to take the focus off these boys getting hurt."

Alex obliges…..