<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>texxmezz</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com//texxmezz.</link>
<description>New posts by texxmezz</description>
<item>
<title>A Win for the Blogging World!</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/A-Win-for-the-Blogging-World.98376</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/05/free-speech-on-the-internet/">California Supreme Court heard a case a few months back </a> that had the ability to turn the blogging world on its ear and essentially, shut it down completely. Today they published their decision on this critical free speech case. </p>

<p>The ramifications, if the California Supreme Court had found in favor of the plaintiff, would have been the equivalent of shutting down free speech through the blogosphere, and would have placed bloggers front and center in libel suits. </p>

<p>The winners would've been trial lawyers, congressmen and senators, war profiteers, campaign contributors, and the White House. </p>

<p>Who came out ahead? The bloggers won! The California Supreme Court rules we are protected under the 1996 Communications Decency Act and cannot be held responsible for liable by simply republishing content. This is good news considering a blogger cannot verify the sources of an original article because it is someone else's work product not open for release (it could also potentially compromise confidential sources). </p>

<p>If one stops and looks at the bigger picture, it has been the blogging world that has created the stir and stoked stories the mainstream media conveniently ignored. The bloggers have united on many fronts of potential corruption and make it an issue until the mainstream media realizes it can no longer afford to ignore it. It isn't about conscience, it's about being outscooped by someone with no budget that tends to tick off the media giants. </p>

<p>It was the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001428.php">bloggers who exposed a dual hold </a> by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2006/08/transparency%20bill%20update.html">Sen. Byrd </a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/30/stevens-caught/">Sen. Stevens </a> on the pork database bill. Sen. Byrd and Sen. Stevens are both known for their ability to bring home the bacon when it comes to earmarks. Stevens is known for his infamous bridge to nowhere project. As for Byrd? <a target="_blank" href="http://porkbusters.org/hall_of_shame.php">&amp;quot;I once saw a park latrine in West Virginia that I thought was not named after him, but someone told me the sign had fallen down. </a>&amp;quot; Now imagine if the blogging world was silenced; the block would have been successful and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001485.php">there would be no pork database bill passed </a>. </p>

<p>The power of the blogging world is in part via numbers. Some might refer to us as “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.capitolhillblue.com/content/2006/09/underwear_comma.html">underwear commandos </a>”, and to some degree that's true. We can't all live in the high rent DC or New York areas, but we all have a keyboard and can do our part. There would be no need for “underwear commandos” <a target="_blank" href="http://www.capitolhillblue.com/content/2006/09/when_news_becom.html">if the media would do their job instead of being lap dogs </a> for the powers that be, but that's part of the problem when one talks about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_9586.shtml">media consolidation in the industry </a>: their stories, their biases are what we are allowed to see, and they often parrot the official lines instead of engaging in good old fashioned journalism. </p>

<p>The court ruling is quite explicit: </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S122953.PDF">“These provisions have been widely and consistently interpreted to confer broad immunity against defamation liability for those who use the Internet to publish information that originated from another source. The immunity has been applied regardless of the traditional distinction between ‘publishers' and ‘distributors.' Under the common law, ‘distributors' like newspaper vendors and book sellers are liable only if they had notice of a defamatory statement in their </a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S122953.PDF">merchandise. The publisher of the newspaper or book where the statement originally appeared, however, may be held liable even without notice.” </a></p>

<p>Hooray! Score one for the good guys and the Internet with this ruling! I must admit, however, I fully expected the court to go in favor of the plaintiff because California judges have a well-known track record for being activist judges instead of interpreting the rule of law. It is a pleasant surprise to be proven wrong with this ruling. </p>


<p>quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>socyberty.com articles can be located <a target="_blank" href="http://www.socyberty.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>relijournal.com articles are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>picable.com photographic images are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.picable.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FA-Win-for-the-Blogging-World.98376"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FA-Win-for-the-Blogging-World.98376" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:03:12 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Bush and Olmert:  Who knew these two men were so funny!</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Satire/Bush-and-Olmert--Who-knew-these-two-men-were-so-funny.98201</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is a man who lacks understanding and seems to have a talent and taste for bad timing. He arrived in Washington to hold talks with President Bush on Monday. I don't know if it was jet lag, but he opened his mouth just long enough to switch out to the other foot. Actually, his comments weren't the only hum dingers lobbed during the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061113-3.html">White House press conference </a> this week. </p>
 
<p>For your protection, I'm going to share the comment, the “offender”, and I'll parse the politico-propaganda so you don't have to. </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush </strong>: “ The Prime Minister and I had a fascinating discussion the last time he was here. We were sitting on the Truman Balcony. We spent probably an hour-and-a-half strategizing about how we can work together to achieve peace. ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation </strong>: “Hoodia and me was…” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert </strong>: “It's not ‘Hoodia', it's EHUD.” </p>
<p><strong>Bush </strong>: “That's what I said! Anyway, Ehudie and me was sitting on the former Truman (“Show Me” state) balcony, which was renamed to the Bill Clinton “I'll show you mine if you show me yours” balcony, and we spent an hour and a half strategizing about how we can work together to achieve pieces in the Middle East.” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/images/20061113-3_d-0329-1-515h.html"></a>I appreciate the Prime Minister's strategic thoughts ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“….since I have none of my own, I'll borrow his and then blame it all on Ehudie when it goes bad.” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“I can hear you, Mr. President; I'm sitting five feet away from you.” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“Don't get your undies in an uproar, Hoodia, I was just sayin'…” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“Can we move onto the next embarrassing gaffe, please?” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ We talked about our commitment to a two-state solution. ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>“It's not really a ‘two-state solution', per se, it's more like a uhhm… a ‘final solution'. I'll bomb the stuffing out of all of Israel 's neighbors, and my buddy, Ehudie, has hired <a target="_blank" href="http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=9923">Avigdor Lieberman </a>, who will <a target="_blank" href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=712521">exterminate </a> the stragglers the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/11/sprj.irq.moab/">MOABs </a> missed.” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ We spent a great deal of time on Iran … ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>Change your underwear, book a ticket to the polar ice caps, buy a big iceberg, dig a deep hole and hope the nooklar fallout won't melt your hide out before it's safe to breathe the air again. And you used to just worry about green house gasses. </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ I recognize the threat to world peace… ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>“I looked in the mirror first thing this morning and…” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ We talked about Iraq . ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“Ehoodia, you wouldn't believe what happened to me last week. The damned voters handed me my a$$ to wear for a hat over Iraq . I still can't understand it!” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“Oh, you're kidding me, right, Shrub? It must s*ck to be you.” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“You don't have to get all nasty about it, Ehud, I was just saying…” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ But the whole central thrust of our discussions was based upon our understanding that we're involved in an ideological struggle between extremists and radicals versus people who just simply want to live in peace… ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“Whenever the Hoodmeister and I get together, we love screwing you ‘little people' over like the big dude at the beach who kicks your sand castle over! You know a thing or two about ‘beach blanket bingo bombing', right?” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“First, the sand castle I knocked over was nothing more than a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=2024">human error or the terrorists kicked it over themselves </a>. Second, stop calling me stupid names!” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“Lighten up, dude. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060516-1.html">I called Prime Minister John Howard of Australia ugly </a> and he didn't give me no lip. Besides, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0614-01.htm">one of my guys said your footprints were all over </a> the sand castle. </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“… to listen to the will of our people ” </p>
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>{Bush and Olmert laugh hysterically} </p>
 
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“ We in the Middle East have followed the American policy in Iraq for a long time… ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“Peace is so boring, but bloodshed is a lot more entertaining and gets higher Nielson ratings!” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“You really like my work?” </p>
<p><strong>Rest of the Middle East : </strong>“We noticed you've been making everyone ‘pay'…errr, attention.” </p>
 
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“… we are very much impressed and encouraged by the stability which the great operation of America in Iraq brought to the Middle East . ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“When I say ‘stability', I mean for us, not for everyone else.” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“You like it when we f*ck with Habeeb, ‘Hudwink?” </p>
<p><strong>Rest of the Middle East : </strong>“WE CAN HEAR YOU TWO OVER HERE!! Ya kundara!” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“You speak Arabic…what did they say, ‘Hudwinkie?” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“You don't want to know, Shrub.” </p>
<p><strong>Bush to Cheney: </strong>“Find out who said it and drop a MOAB on their ‘Mercedes Camel', Dick.” </p>
<p><strong>Rest of the Middle East : </strong>“You call this ‘stability'?!” </p>
 
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“ We shared thoughts about the Iranian threat. ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>“ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/787766.html">The ‘talking points' were written by Benjamin Netanyahu </a>, and you can trust what he's saying. If there was ever an even handed, cool, level headed kind of man not prone to wild exaggeration or propaganda, it's him!” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“… Prime Minister Olmert knows how to run his own foreign policy. ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“…and <a target="_blank" href="http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=6316">AIPAC knows how to run ours </a>!” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“And don't you forget it!” </p>
 
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ My policy towards Syria is this… ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071700402_pf.html">See, the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this sh*t, and it's over </a>.” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“Are we at the G-8 Summit?” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“Whoa! Sorry dude, I just had a flashback.” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“ Vietnam ?” </p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“No, from breakfast.” </p>
<p><strong>&amp;nbsp; </strong></p>
<p><strong>Bush: </strong>“ But our position is very clear, and we would like to see some progress toward peace… ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong>“I don't even know what the hell I'm doing, and Pelosi's got me by the ‘short and curlies'!” </p>
 
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“ I share the same opinion with President Bush. ” </p>
<p>No translation needed. </p>
 
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“I hope that one day the conditions for contacts between them and us will be created. ” </p>
 
<p><strong>Translation: </strong></p>
<p><strong>Middle East </strong><strong>: </strong>“Then stop bombing us into the Stone Age and telling us it's a dust storm passing through!” </p>
<p><strong>Olmert: </strong>“I said ‘hope'. I hope to win the lottery some day, too. What's your point?” </p>
 
<p>All joking aside, the fact Olmert believes stability has been to the Middle East is nothing short of jaw dropping. My mind keeps going back to an interview King Abdullah of Jordan did with the BBC during the Israeli-Lebanese war in which he said, </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.jordanembassyus.org/hmka08082006.htm">“ A new Middle East? The way I'm looking at this new Middle East, I'm seeing what is happening in Somalia, I'm seeing what's happening in Gaza, I see what's happening in Lebanon, I'm seeing what's happening in Iraq. This is a new Middle East? ” </a></p>
 
<p>He might be seeing it really soon as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1161811226402&amp;pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">Bush is doing his best to provoke Iran </a> into a first strike scenario by parking in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/floyd/floyd36.html">Iran's back yard and throwing a wild party </a>. </p>
 
 
<p>quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>socyberty.com articles can be located <a target="_blank" href="http://www.socyberty.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>relijournal.com articles are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a></p>
<p>picable.com photographic images are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a></p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FSatire%2FBush-and-Olmert--Who-knew-these-two-men-were-so-funny.98201"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FSatire%2FBush-and-Olmert--Who-knew-these-two-men-were-so-funny.98201" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Nov 2006 06:07:43 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Never Corner A Wounded Political Animal</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Never-Corner-A-Wounded-Political-Animal.98366</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>It's easy to believe that some level of change will take place now the elections are behind us, and to some degree there will be. What I fear are the changes no one is talking about or might notice – the regrouping of the GOP, Israeli interests, and the religious right wing. There are two old sayings that come immediately to mind: never corner a wounded animal, and never come between a mother bear and her cubs. I'd almost rather be bear food than GOP religious right wing chow. Knowing history repeats itself, we must be hyper vigilant during this break or else we will be back on the merry-go-round, spinning out of control. </p>

<p>For those who are quick to assume, “ahhh, here's another angry Democrat!”, you're wrong. I'm a recent convert from the GOP to a third party, and I'm an evangelical Christian. I changed my party, and I fully admit, my religion has morphed into something that isn't biblical. It would be fair to say several groups for political exploit, have hijacked Christianity. </p>

<p>Throughout the 1980's we were told if the GOP had all three houses, they could cut spending and trim down the government. We gave them the chance in 2002, and the world took the roughest beating the neo-conservatives could dish out. What the hell happened? </p>

<p>During the late 1980's and early 1990's, the American public was off its guard to such threats. We were watching the Savings and Loan scandal that had caught up one of the Bush sons. We were watching Iran-Contragate, the BCCI scandal, the first Gulf War, and anxiously waiting for the news reports filed by Arthur Kent, the “Scud Stud”. We did not hear, or chose to ignore the whisperings of neo-conservatives busy cooking up destruction inside their private think tanks. </p>

<p>In the early 1990's, neo-conservatives received a gift of a smokescreen: right wing talk radio. Americans tuned in and turned off to the real workings going on underneath our noses, and we thought we were being vigilant, protecting democracy from Bill Clinton! The talk radio scene absorbed Americans and polarized them like never before, draining us of our common sense and ability to rationally think. It forced us to choose blue or red, and allowed for no in between options. </p>

<p>During this divisive move to polarize the country, the neo-conservatives were in the background, creating reports and plotting for the day they would come to power. That day came in 2002, but only at the cost of a terrorist attack that nearly half this country believe was the result of either total incompetence, or an “inside job”. A report penned by The Project for a New American Century reads like a grisly tarot card: <a href="http://www.terraknowledge.net/news/terrak040503a.htm">“ <em>Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – <strong>like a new Pearl Harbor </strong>... </em>” </a></p>

<p>They have released other equally disturbing reports such as “ <a href="http://www.newamericancentury.org/defensenationalsecurity2000.htm">Rebuilding America's Defenses </a>”, which was dated 2000 when we were in a state of peace and had limited or no threats from abroad. <a href="http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraq-20010514.htm">They wanted to liberate Iraq </a> as early as May of 2001 when it posed no threat, and <a href="http://www.newamericancentury.org/AttackIraq-Nov16,98.pdf">discussed how to attack it </a> in November of 1998. Paul Wolfowitz was working hard in September of 1998 <a href="House%20National%20Security%20Committee">trying to convince the House National Security Committee </a> Saddam Hussein was a threat. Actually, by 1998 Paul Wolfowitz had been at the game to remove Hussein from power for six years, as revealed by the 1992 document “ <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/etc/wolf.html">Defense Planning Guidance </a>”. In one article published by the New Yorker, Peter Boyer recounts listening to Wolfowitz outline a Nazi threat from the past as a way to play on emotional sympathies of days long gone. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/041101fa_fact">“ But most puzzling to some, perhaps, is the communion that Wolfowitz seems to have with George W. Bush. How can someone so smart, so knowing, speak—and even apparently think—so much like George Bush? ” </a>I have a different answer than Mr. Boyer: Israel . </p>

<p>Wolfowitz belongs to many think tanks whose memberships consist of Zionist and Christian Zionist members, which is no secret. President Bush being an evangelical, is very much a Christian Zionist as illustrated by his consistent pro-Israel stances. Bush, sadly, is little more than a useful puppet to achieve Paul Wolfowitz's objectives for Israel 's well being. </p>

<p>Most will not confront this question because it raises the ire of the Anti-Defamation League, which automatically earns you a spot on their anti-Semitic list, but it's hard to ignore pressing facts, such as the current AIPAC scandal that has yet to be played out in the courts. There are many cases of Israeli spies that are constantly shipped back to Israel under a “gentleman's agreement”, but only when the case is too severe to hide, the spy is tried – as in the Jonathan Pollard case. I have to question: if Israel is such a good friend, why are they consistently spying on the United States ? </p>

<p>Although Israeli policy and those advancing it is a threat to U.S. sovereignty, they aren't the only ones. In this delicate dance, the third partner who cuts in and out is the Religious Right. This past summer saw the rise of the <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/new_christian_zionism">Christian Zionist </a> out front and center, screaming with delight like a teeny bopper at a N'Sync concert while thousands, including fellow Christians, died in Lebanon . </p>

<p>They were waiting for the Israeli-Lebanese war to push the world over the edge and start the battle of Armageddon or World War III, however it wasn't THE time. Just like the predictions of so many in the past, it wasn't time, and the Church looked like a fool and cult, as people were whipped up into a bizarre frenzy. Anything that screams “cult” usually drives people away in droves, and the damage to the Christian faith by the Christian Zionists is incalculable. </p>

<p>I have said before Iran and the United States are playing the same dangerous game: cause enough world chaos on the theory we can force God into moving up the rapture or <a href="http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/SHIA/HIDDEN.HTM">delivering the arrival of the Mahadi </a>. Fat chance! God will move only in His time; by trying to destroy the world, it's not going to force Him to speed up the process. Extremism doesn't move God – God moves God. </p>

<p>The more Christian Zionists align themselves with Zionists, the worse the situation becomes for everyone involved. Some have said either Bush is a fool or a genius by trying to bring about the end of the world with his policies; I vote for “fool”. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, it's not just the politicians who are stoking this fire – the fanning of the flames is being supplied from televangelists and right wing Christian radio hosts such as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, John Hagee, and Jerry Falwell, who's goal it is to whip up the faithful sheep and control their heads. If it's not through talk radio and TV, it's through email or paper news mailings as well as political action committees and “Christian” think tanks. None of this bodes well for the sheep when they are constantly bombed with a political message, seasoned with the occasional scripture reference and healthy dose of fear and guilt. The one thing the Ted Haggard story did was to expose weekly conference calls into the White House by the National Evangelical Association. </p>

<p>As long as “Christian” leaders continue to muck up the minds of the sheep with politics, the further away they get not only from the Gospel, but also from the warning of “…render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and render unto God what is God's.” The Church was never meant to be a political force, but somewhere along the line there was a shot gun wedding no one told the rest of the world about. Pat Robertson, who wrote in his original autobiography <a href="http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n4_v22/ai_6507649">God told him not to enter politics </a>, formed the Christian Coalition and ran for president. Strangely though, in the re-release of the book, that passage was deleted. </p>

<p>So when it comes to the regrouping and fresh strategy over the next few years here are some helpful tips:<br>
<ul>
  <li>Watch closely for smokescreens thrown up from the GOP. </li>
  <li>Read the think tank websites and their produced documents. </li>
  <li>Take note of the movements of prominent Israelis or Jewish American politicians such as for conferences and Washington meetings, and timing of visits with major news events (terrorism, West Bank/Gaza operations, etc.) </li>
  <li>Keep up on the rhetoric being spouted by the right wing media heads both secular and religious. </li>
</ul>
</p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FNever-Corner-A-Wounded-Political-Animal.98366"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FNever-Corner-A-Wounded-Political-Animal.98366" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:14:00 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>The Right Wing Media “Darlings” Just don’t get it</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/The-Right-Wing-Media-Darlings-Just-dont-get-it.98369</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>The day after an election that saw more blood flowing in the streets than General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn, it is painfully and embarrassing obvious the right wing media talk show hosts just don't get it. The denial and anger pouring out of their mouths like a springtime flood makes one wonder if they can not only read, but also comprehend the complexities of democracy. </p>

<p>Here's a sampling of what's coming out of the mouths (thanks to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html">Washington Post </a>) of a few of the right wing commentators: <br>
&amp;#149;&amp;nbsp; Laura Ingraham: &amp;quot;Democrats, in my mind, don't have a mandate because they stood for nothing…&amp;quot; <br>
&amp;#149;&amp;nbsp; Rush Limbaugh: &amp;quot;The Democrats beat something last night with nothing. They advanced no agenda, other than their usual antiwar position.&amp;quot; <br>
&amp;#149;&amp;nbsp; Sean Hannity: &amp;quot;I know a lot of you are sad. I know a lot of you are bummed. I know a lot of you are depressed. . . . I'll give you 24 hours and then I'm going to tell you to get over it. Don't let yourself wallow in what has happened here.&amp;quot; </p>

<p>It's sad to hear the sampling of talking heads just do not get it, and I'm afraid they may never resolve this. They cannot deal with two aspects of this picture: not stumping for someone they don't personally believe in but have an “R” after their name, and the obvious loss of their own listeners. </p>

<p>“Now boys and girls, in order to create a political landslide plus an inside streak, you don't necessarily need to do anything – you just sit back and let the other party self destruct with scandal and poor policy.” And boy did they ever! </p>

<p>In short, the take over would not have occurred if ALL of the Republicans in power acted responsibly instead of drunk and above the law. Word gets out when you're being bought with cash, trips, and hookers…funny how that happens. “Ohhh!! Don't tell my wife!” Like at that point you're the morally upstanding poster child for McDonalds: “You deserve a break today!” You have become just like the corporate raiders of Enron and WorldCom – taking what wasn't nailed down and arrogantly assuming you'd never get caught. </p>

<p>As for any “good” Republicans that exist, you didn't try hard enough to expose it or stop it, which makes you equally guilty. The American people call it “aiding and abetting”. You were busy trying to climb up the ranks and not piss off special interests groups that could fund your future campaigns, instead of nationally blowing the whistle. I'm sure the Washington Post and others would have loved a good scandal to boost their circulation! As long as you toed the party line, you were in the fishing net when Americans trolled to toss you out. </p>

<p>The talking heads still need to understand American anger this time around is white hot, which they can't fathom. They were part of that problem; it's their job to divide and anger, and they did it well. There are eventual consequences when you divide people – eventually their anger turns against YOU, not against the target you are aiming for. </p>

<p>For Americans to vote in massive numbers against the Republicans, it meant mass party defections. They erected a “Berlin Wall” between blue and red, and forgot one thing: even the real Berlin Wall came crashing down, resulting in reunification. It also means these talk show hosts have not only lost a large portion of their listener base, but also their credibility is, and will continue to be, questioned on a grander scale. </p>

<p>Americans are many things, and sick and tired of those seeking to divide is one of them. “United we stand”, and this time we stood up and screamed in one deafening voice: “we're sick and tired of this, and we're not going to take it anymore!” Beware, dividers…everything comes to an end – including your shows. </p>

<p>I will confess to having been a Rush fan, watching Hannity and Colmes, Bill O'Reilly, and buying an Ann Coulter book. I stopped listening to all right wing screech and hate media about three years ago. Since then, my life has been incredibly peaceful. </p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FThe-Right-Wing-Media-Darlings-Just-dont-get-it.98369"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FThe-Right-Wing-Media-Darlings-Just-dont-get-it.98369" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:10:37 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Sour Grapes Produces Sour Whine</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Sour-Grapes-Produces-Sour-Whine.98370</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>I never get bored watching politics; I get frustrated, morose, and psychotic, but not bored. How can I be, even after elections? There's so much to yell, scream and throw at the TV set! The best invention man has come up with are socks – they are wonderful to roll up into a wad and hurl at the TV screen in moments of insanity. </p>

<p>This time around, I didn't load up a basket of cotton projectiles because the public knew what it wanted. It delivered a powerful “lovers slap” across President Bush's face heard around the globe, leaving an unmistakable stinging red donkey on his cheek. The man who didn't get it, finally got it - and so did Republicans across the board in state and local races. It is on the state and local levels the show really played out. </p>

<p>Here in Dallas County, I watched a traditional Republican stronghold turn from red to blue. It wasn't in a few races – it was in all races. National politics came home and delivered every contested seat into Democratic hands. How mad do the voters of a major county have to be to turn it straight blue? The answer, it seems, is extremely mad. Some reporters have chalked it up to Dallas County turning blue slowly with immigration trends, and lamenting this was the natural course of the political scene, while ousted candidates admitted the national brand name of “Republican” was bad. </p>

<p>Most were right when they said, “this is a good year to be a challenger”. </p>

<p>It wasn't until later in the evening when the glum faces in the Republican camps gathered at the larger of the parties – the Dallas County RNC, it went from sad to ugly. It was there the Republican figurehead spouted his anger like a sour grape under pressure, railing with sentiments of, “the voters of Dallas County kicked out seven blacks and the only Asian and Latino in power!” Only he saw race, but the voters saw red. </p>

<p>He didn't understand or want to understand something the average voter does: it's not about “race”, it's about party. Baby Republicans grow up to be big Republicans, and even if they choose to stay in the crib with their bottle and taxpayer nipple, they still give cash to the big Republicans. </p>

<p>This was a multi-faceted decision, and in the voting booth, most are colorblind beyond red and blue. It was an indictment against the big Republicans they've been giving cash to. It was an indictment against President Bush. It was an indictment against the Congress who is not only corrupt, but has destroyed major freedoms instead of protecting them. It was an indictment against the Senate, who never acted like the check or balance our founding fathers intended them to be. </p>

<p>This was an absolute routing against all things Republican. Retired Rep. Dick Armey was partially correct when he said that Terri Schaivo and flag burning amendments weren't the bread and butter issues, and neither was the steroids baseball scandal. They were “simple” issues to distract from a larger duty, and Americans let the Republicans know that with a delivered landslide. No amount of voter intimidation, dirty politics, or illegal polling and discrediting the voter's right was enough to stop it. </p>

<p>As I watched the RNC head for Dallas County angrily give his speech, I couldn't help but think to myself, “Sir, I bet you have kids and maybe even grandkids…did you teach them to scream and yell when they lost?” I can't imagine that image leaving my brain for quite some time – and other voters are probably thinking the same thing. It was like watching a male version of Faith Hill. They placed the blame squarely on President Bush and his unpopular policies, but never mentioned any of their own personal faults that might have contributed to their personal downfalls. </p>

<p>This is certainly a factor, but what local and national Republicans have so far displayed is the same negative image: sore losers. In all the coverage I watched, not one Republican on the national or state level took it on the chin gracefully – they blamed something or someone else. I'm certain they probably taught their kids and grandkids to own up to their mistakes, but it seems those lessons have been forgotten as they age. </p>

<p>Amazingly, they didn't come right out and call the voters stupid, but Karl Rove has come close to it in the past by referring to us as “inattentive”. His disguise as “boy genius” regurgitating political gospel, has fallen away, giving light to the “turd blossom”. It seems the American people aren't as “inattentive” as you gambled, resulting in your bacon being tossed in the fire. It must have been a knee-knocking, wet diaper moment when it came to informing King George the strategies of fear and intimidation to keep the peasants in line, went down like the Hindenberg. </p>

<p>The November of sour grapes, has once again, produced enough sour whine to last through November 2008. </p>

<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FSour-Grapes-Produces-Sour-Whine.98370"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FSour-Grapes-Produces-Sour-Whine.98370" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2006 05:30:38 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>What’s A Christian’s Response Towards the Saddam Hussein’s Verdict?</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Whats-A-Christians-Response-Towards-the-Saddam-Husseins-Verdict.98372</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>I've been thinking about the Saddam Hussein verdict since I woke up and heard it on Sunday morning. It's like a ball with no actual sides, and yet people are taking sides in this unfolding saga that might have an end in sight, which started me thinking: what should a Christian's response be to towards the Saddam Hussein verdict? </p>

<p>The first thought that danced around in my brain was Israel . They finally had what they wanted: Saddam no longer posing a threat to their sovereignty. The current war in Iraq can never solve that because it's an ongoing issue, but Saddam sentenced to death is a mental boost, a reason to exhale a sigh of relief for many. I began to imagine how they might be celebrating in Israel with the news of the verdict. </p>

<p>Viewing the footage presented by the Leher News Hour on PBS, I watched as former Attorney General Ramsey Clark was tossed out of the courtroom as the verdict was pronounced. It was a surreal moment that didn't quite make sense. </p>

<p>Today there are pictures and video footage of Shiites celebrating the verdict over the man they called the “Butcher of Baghdad”. It's not hard to see their point considering old estimates claim he had killed upwards of a combined 1.5 million Shiites in the south, and Kurds in the north. This doesn't take into account the thousands who were picked up and tortured to death by his elite secret police unit. </p>

<p>Then there are stories hard to resolve – Saddam not being allowed to face his accusers, questionable legal defense and rulings, and general practices of law that didn't quite smell right. After all, the court was being watched over by the United States , and the timing of the verdict clearly illustrates Bush still exercised some level of control over the process. </p>

<p>I kept thinking, “if only they had sent Saddam to be tried by the World Court , then we'd have an impartial verdict.” I wish Guantanamo was closed and the prisoners put on trial there as well. There has to be some measure of protection; even Jesus warned us about bearing false witness against our neighbor. </p>

<p>Saddam is certainly guilty of many things, but the way in which he was tried was fundamentally flawed. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing real justice could have been served on a world stage. If you're going to put someone on trial for their life, be fair about it. Proverbs warns us about using “weights” fairly, in essence, not cheating on the scales – and that should include the scales of justice. </p>

<p>The Old Testament did pass out a lot of death sentences, but since the arrival of Jesus, we recognize we're under the new covenant. Some argue an interesting point: if you don't accept Jesus, then you're still under the Old Testament laws. I don't know how to resolve this, but it's hard for me to ignore, “Thou shall not kill”, even if it is Saddam. </p>

<p>God's justice is thorough and effective; there is nothing man can think up for a punishment that God cannot outdo in severity. If you can beat hell, then God just might outsource that job to you, but until then, “vengeance is mine, says the Lord” will have to do. </p>

<p>What's a Christian attitude towards the verdict? I can't speak for everyone else, but here's how I reacted: I slid out of bed, dropped to my knees, and prayed the man would find the salvation of Jesus while waiting on his appeals. </p>

<p>You might say he deserves death and hell. He does. So do we. “The body that sins, dies.” “The wages of sin is death.” “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” We're not guiltless, but we are blood bought. If Nebuchadnezzar could find his way into a whole chapter of the Bible, just perhaps…Saddam can find Jesus, too. </p>

<p>“Love your enemies” </p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FWhats-A-Christians-Response-Towards-the-Saddam-Husseins-Verdict.98372"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FWhats-A-Christians-Response-Towards-the-Saddam-Husseins-Verdict.98372" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2006 05:35:23 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>An Open Letter to the GOP and the DNC</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/An-Open-Letter-to-the-GOP-and-the-DNC.98373</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>Today's election day; I will be heading out to the polls to cast my ballot and pray the election will not be stolen, thanks to Diebold and other forms of “big brother” electronic enslavement. I believe it is important to let the incumbents and newly elected freshmen in on a few tidbit thoughts. </p>

<p>To my former Republican masters: </p>

<p>As a child, if my bedroom was one tenth of one percent as messy as you've made the political landscape…my mom would be riding “ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sparky">Old Sparky </a>” like it was a mall Santa's lap for beating me dead into next week. You have screwed up the consummate “free lunch”, handed the American public the bill, and then swiped the tablecloth on the way out the door. All we hear from your flapping pie holes is, “Not me! I didn't do it!” Pssst!…That excuse works for no one. I got blamed for stuff I never did, and you think I'm going to let you pass “GO” and collect $200? You must be high off some concert pot wafting around, buddy! </p>

<p>You have sold our <a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_4163.shtml">highway infrastructure </a> and seaports to foreign interests. You thought you pulled a slick one over us when you gave up on the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/09/AR2006030901124.html">Dubai port deal </a> and quietly pursued an <a href="http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&amp;entry=849F046D-E0C3-F08F-991D793F942625E6">Oman port deal </a> instead. You have given the <a href="http://discuss.pittsburghlive.com/viewtopic.php?t=58319&amp;">United Nations control of our national parks </a>. You have <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/bop2004/report.aspx?aid=273">sold your influence </a> to consultants and lobbyists like a pack of cheap, skanky, $2.00 hookers. You have shipped our jobs overseas under “ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_trade">free trade </a>” instead of fair trading practices that protect the American worker, and then tried to tell us it was good for our economy. The unemployment numbers do not match up with the realities in the homeless shelters, bankruptcy courts, or the food pantries. As someone once said, “don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining!” </p>

<p>To say you have “neglected” your duty to uphold and defend the Constitution would be letting you off the hook much too easy. You shoved the rule of law into the garbage disposal and flipped the switch, delivering a near perfect clone of a police state to “King George”. You have sat by and let him <a href="http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/911/">modify martial laws </a>, passed an <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15321167/">exceptionally broad language law </a> that allows Americans to be arrested and tried as “sympathizers”, and did nothing when the Air Force Secretary advocated for <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&amp;code=20060913&amp;articleId=3213">testing non-lethal weapons on Americans </a>. You protected the White Palace when the King was caught <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700650.html">illegally spying on his “subjects” </a> and instead of making him use the laws already in place, you gave him an easier route and deputized NSA Special Agent Elmer Fudd to help him wook for tewworists in our <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_W._Bush%27s_bank_records_spying">bank accounts </a> and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm">telephone call patterns </a>. You never know when your phone will accidentally dial the odd number and connect to OBL's dialysis center. You didn't stand up to the King when he placed himself above the law with <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/07/24/BL2006072400458.html">signing statements </a> and you rubber stamped everything he handed you. </p>

<p>Hopefully, your days in power are seriously numbered. You don't deserve to manage a portable toilet, much less a great nation that now resembles a cesspool to the rest of the world. You are truly “princes among men” for your service to…someone other than the United States public. </p>

<p>In the future, if we want to destroy another country, I suggest instead of sending the military, we just ship the executive and legislative branches over and you can do for them exactly what you've done for us. </p>

<p>Democrats, please stop snickering, giggling, and rubbing your hands together while profusely drooling. I've always said of the DNC, “they couldn't find their butts with both hands, a mirror, a road map, and a cheering section.” You are the party of cluelessness, not of deliverance – no spot of light falls from heaven gently on your face with the rousing sound of a choral “aaaahhhh!” playing in the background. </p>

<p>To whom is given much, much is expected from; I'm giving you the nod this time around because you scare me less than the Republicans. What do I expect from you? A lot – especially if you manage a clean sweep of the House, and hopefully the Senate. </p>

<p>You owe this country an impeachment – not as a payback for Bill Clinton, but as a way of preserving the Constitution. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and Gonzales all must go like a popcorn fart in the wind. </p>

<p>You must find a way to get us out of Iraq . It was a war based on lies, not “faulty intelligence”. Cut out the euphemism crap and do the patriotic thing – bring our boys back home. How many active and retired military have to complain before American blood stops spilling? </p>

<p>Launch the long overdue probes into war profiteering. Take the cases to court and don't allow “judge shopping”, which will result in vacated verdicts. If the contractor is found guilty, remove them permanently from ever bidding on another federal contract for the rest of their natural life. </p>

<p>Repeal legislation nightmares like the Real ID Act and the Military Commissions Act, for starters. We don't need another unfounded mandate that will result in “papers please!” police state, and Americans shouldn't feel threatened by their own government to protest – it is our right. </p>

<p>Don't raise taxes. Cut the welfare nipple that the contractors, consultants, and lobbyists are sucking from. I want that pork cut and hear the Republicans scream like stuck pigs when it is. </p>

<p>If you are handed this…don't FUBAR, please. I don't want to see any of your partisan stunts or hear you while like a three year old. Fix the mess and leave the country in better shape than what you found it in. I don't believe you to be that much different than the GOP, and that means you can be voted out in two years as easily as you were voted in. Watch yourself – the country is not in a forgiving mood this time around. </p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FAn-Open-Letter-to-the-GOP-and-the-DNC.98373"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FAn-Open-Letter-to-the-GOP-and-the-DNC.98373" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2006 05:25:09 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Is It Better To Give Than To Receive (“the finger”), Mr. President?</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Is-It-Better-To-Give-Than-To-Receive-the-finger-Mr-President.98355</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>In September, a female bus driver lost her job when her “smile for the birdie” thought got the best of her, resulting in her flipping up “The First Motorcade”. It turns out a Republican Congressman was in the motorcade with President Bush; she was reported and promptly sacked. </p>

<p>I'm not for that kind of behavior, and when I get flipped off in traffic, I smile and politely wave back. In this day and age of the road rage, and having been chased by a nut case driver for some perceived transgression, I know better. Plus, it's generally a poor way to express your frustrations. There are days, I must admit, that I want to hook up one of those dot matrix scrolling rectangular signs, have a keyboard on the dash, and type a “just for you” personalized message. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/061103015341.ypp6d17e.html">&amp;quot;This incident has to do with the responsibility of an employee who is supervising students to act professionally and serve as a role model for appropriate behavior,&amp;quot; the district superintendent said. </a></p>

<p>There are a few missing bits of information here that make this story tantalizing. Did Bush see the “First Flip Off”? Having read reports of his <a target="_blank" href="http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/bush_meltdown_mental_lapses_worry_aides.htm">infamous temper </a> and his demand for total loyalty of those around him, it wouldn't be hard to visualize the President going nuclear inside the limo. If the Congressman liked his job, he also would've been smart enough to understand “insubordination” within the Republican ranks is a definite “no-no”. When your paycheck's on the line, you don't ask how deep to plant your nose up the “First Crack”. </p>

<p>Another question I had was, “were there actually any kids on board, or was the bus empty?” Again, that sort of behavior is never warranted, but politics and driving do bring out our “one fingered friend” more than most situations. Considering the violence that takes place on school buses, a finger flip is exceptionally mild. I've read about numerous gang beat downs and sexual attacks, and I somehow can't believe if this school district has encountered any violent incidents on their buses, the finger would traumatize the kids. </p>

<p>The way the story is written, it comes across as the school district is as <a target="_blank" href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/index.html">pretty as Wisteria Lane </a>, and all the kids were new transfers from <a target="_blank" href="http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/">Lake Wobegon </a>, where all the children are above average. I want the real skinny on this district and its bus safety and incident report records. </p>

<p>The last thought I have on this is…is the congressman taking one for the team by saying he made the call, or did he actually make it? If the congressman didn't see “Fingergate” first hand (sorry for the accidental pun), that means either the President or one of his close lackeys saw it. This sort of thing isn't unprecedented; people have been reportedly <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5106705,00.html">kicked out of events </a> because of anti-Bush bumper stickers on their vehicles. People who were wearing <a target="_blank" href="http://www.refuseandresist.org/police_state/art.php?aid=1495">anti-Bush t-shirts </a> have endured uncomfortable confrontations with the Secret Service. </p>

<p>Of course you're probably thinking, “You led us to believe Bush was flipping people off!” I didn't mislead at all. From the information on this <a target="_blank" href="http://freepressinternational.com/1finger56.wmv">video clip </a>, it looks like this was filmed right after winning one of his two gubernatorial elections in Texas . As you can see, it isn't a situation in which he is being provoked; on the contrary, he is relaxed, smiling, and refers to this polite action as &amp;quot;Just a one finger victory salute!&amp;quot; </p>

<p>If you were in the room and you got flipped off by then Governor George Bush, would it not bother you? It would bother me. I honestly believe it would bother most people. </p>

<p>They fired the woman above because of her “role model status”, but what's the “govenor” or “president”, as compared to a school bus driver? The kids hear more lies and view more smut from political ads than they do from bus drivers' digits! She didn't “act responsibly”…many can argue about Iraq on this point all month long, and now the neo-cons who egged the President into this fight are all turning tail and squealing like stuck pigs, <a target="_blank" href="http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/11/neocons-now-blame-bush-for-iraq.html">“It's all Bush's fault!” </a>Then to add injury to insult, the superintendant states “the finger” wasn't “approproate behavior”, however, the First Frat Boy in Chief likes to prance around the White House and explore his “inner musician” – <a target="_blank" href="http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_9415.shtml">he likes to rip a good fart </a> and clear a room faster than a weight watchers convention can clear a pizza off a plate. I guess the “R” after his name stands for “raunchy”. </p>

<p>My friend came to my house last Thanksgiving and brought his girlfriend, who was starting a new life as a parolee. She talked about how they have group talk sessions to help the women deal with the issues of anger and being behind bars. She moved her right hand close to her face, made a fist, but left her index finger extended, as if she were pointing to her nose. </p>

<p>“In prison we call this a ‘one on one'.” </p>

<p>She then opened her hand, moving her fingers up and down upon her thumb, again facing her face. </p>

<p>“And we call this a ‘group therapy session'.” </p>

<p>My friend and I enjoy insulting each other – a friendly “burn” contest. It has been going on for years. I don't remember what I burned him with, but his girlfriend howled with laughter. He shot me the finger with both hands. </p>

<p>“Oh, you're having a ‘one on one' with yourself, or is that an intervention? Good, because you have an anger management problem, friend.” </p>

<p>Moral of the story: it is better to give than to receive…the finger, and if you do it to a wildly unpopular president, it is hazardous to your job. </p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a target="_blank" href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a target="_blank" href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FIs-It-Better-To-Give-Than-To-Receive-the-finger-Mr-President.98355"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FIs-It-Better-To-Give-Than-To-Receive-the-finger-Mr-President.98355" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2006 03:22:48 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Fighting for the Truth</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Fighting-for-the-Truth.98357</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>I'm about as an unpopular person as one can be these days; I'm Christian, American, formerly identified as a Republican, and definitely evangelical. This combination will definitely not win me any accolades among any group – even fellow Christians, as I have discovered. </p>

<p>Truth is a sketchy thing, demoted to being “relative” instead of “absolute”, which is why we're all in trouble. </p>

<p>On Friday afternoon, I discovered on a large Christian news website a story headline that read like this: “Terrorists Back the Democrats”, and “It's Official! Terrorists are Democrats!” As I started to write an angry letter to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade for attempting to influence the U.S. election system (which really amounts to throwing the election to the Republicans), I heard God's quiet voice in my head. “How do you know this story is true?” I realized I didn't. </p>

<p>I quickly contacted a Muslim friend who I'd trust with my life, and asked for his help. “MoMo, can you please look at the major insurgency websites and Arabic news sites, and tell me if there's any mention of a man named ‘Jihad Jaara', and if there are any posted comments. If there isn't, look for any comments that would give Republicans an edge.” MoMo is a U.S. citizen; he knows what is going on and what to look for. </p>

<p>While MoMo looked in Arabic, I searched English version websites. We both came up empty handed to any mention of influencing U.S. politics or “Jihad Jaara”. I knew at that moment the story was nothing more than a manufactured, belated “October Surprise”. I was furious! </p>

<p>Please keep in mind this wasn't the first doubt I had about this website; they tend to write for the Christian right wing, and they consistently post anti-Arab, anti-Muslim stories. </p>

<p>When someone posts a story and claims it to be “news” when it really should be filed under “opinion”, then the truth is being bent, twisted, and even broken. They are not only trading off basic journalist principles, but they are also sacrificing their own personal integrity by contributing to the dumbing down of society. Here in America, the conceptual idea of a free press is based upon a simple premise: report the truth, don't editorialize it, and let the reader interpret the facts as they see fit. </p>

<p>I sat down and typed a polite, but firm letter to the editors of the website. I told them about my own research to verify their information, and how we had come up empty handed. I told them I didn't believe a word of their article, and shame on them for creating propaganda in a last-ditch desperate attempt to terrorize the Christian base. </p>

<p>Up until this point, the Republicans had only been able to fabricate rhetoric and claim extremist Muslims were for Democrats – no story, no proof had been put forward. Then at the eleventh hour they miraculously have “proof” thanks to a right wing Christian website? </p>

<p>Even a day after the “story” was broke, nothing shows up on Arabic or Jewish websites, which is strange. If no overseas outlet finds it newsworthy or credible enough to run, that says a lot. It is also curious to note the Arab and Muslim world usually has the source first – how likely is it a Christian website has “out scooped” Al-Jazeera? In my experience as a news watcher, I have yet to see this happen. </p>

<p>If one thinks about the 2004 U.S. election cycle, Osama Bin Laden influenced it at the last minute by the release of a videotape that threatened Americans' sense of security. Who got the story first? Arab and Muslim news outlets. The timing of this article is highly suspect for a few reasons: </p>
<p>
<ul>
  <li>It is exactly like what Bin Laden did – and it threw the election to the Republicans. President Bush has admitted Bin Laden did him a favor by releasing that tape. No American questioned the timing of the tape or its authenticity, but in retrospect, we should have. </li>
  <li>It's hard to ignore the Republicans are getting the stuffing kicked out of them by their own scandals, poor economic policies, and “Big Brother” surveillance tactics. Americans are seeing red over the collective mess – red as in a Democratic handover of power. If Bin Laden could hand over the 2004 presidential election, who's to say this website isn't conveniently handing over an election to the Republicans with a false story? </li>
</ul>
</p>

<p>As a Christian and a former Republican (and not Democrat or Independent, either), I have a hard time sitting by and watching as other “Christians” demonize Muslims and Arabs. I realize this is a very unpopular stance in America, but it's a biblical stance for many reasons. </p>

<p>Jesus said, “Love your neighbor, as yourself”, and He went into detail describing who our neighbors are. “ If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4:20) To me, a Muslim is simply a person who hasn't been exposed to the life changing power of the Gospel. They are my neighbors and brothers. Jesus makes no distinction who can come and seek the refuge of the blood stained cross, and neither should Bible believing Christians. The reality is, Christians have been grafted into the vine – Gentiles and Samaritans were the outcasts when Jesus walked the earth. We should fully understand how a demonized Muslim must feel! </p>

<p>You may be wondering if I ever received a response back from the letter I sent. I did. This nationally known writer stood by the story, did not offer any proof to back up the substance of the article, and ended it tersely with, <strong>“ </strong><strong><em>As for losing you as a reader, I'm happy to see you go. </em></strong><strong><em>” </em></strong>(Notice how “Christian” of an attitude this is.) I never said in my letter I wouldn't read their site again. The closest thing that could be misconstrued was, “This is the reason I don't rely on your site for news without checking multiple sources.” </p>

<p>This is quite disturbing; when a reader asks a news source to back up a highly questionable story and they not only refuse, but politely tell you to take your “eyeball traffic” elsewhere, this all but confirms the story is false. </p>

<p>Out of curiosity, I did a search on their website about the notorious New York Times fake news sources scandal (for hypocritical comparison); it didn't show up, but they took time to bash CBS' Dan Rather for releasing the questionable National Guard documents pertaining to President Bush's military service. Seems what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. They can demand proof from others, but they won't supply it when they're asked? </p>

<p>As for “Jihad Jaara”, I did discover an interesting tidbit: the CIA trained him. </p>

<p>I wonder what Jesus would say about all of this. </p>


<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FFighting-for-the-Truth.98357"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FFighting-for-the-Truth.98357" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 05 Nov 2006 02:44:16 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Hezbollah and Neo-Conservative Republicans: Will the real “Party of God” please stand up?</title>
<link>http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Hezbollah-and-Neo-Conservative-Republicans-Will-the-real-Party-of-God-please-stand-up.98358</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>I was watching TV the other day when something bothered me. The former Secretary of State James Baker III was chatting away on the PBS Charlie Rose Show, speaking about Lebanon and Hezbollah. The more he talked, the more it bothered me. I've been aware for some time of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usip.org/isg/index.html">Iraq Study Group </a> he heads up and their recommendations <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.dreyfuss.html">to help save President Bush's backside </a>, so I was listening without the respect I used to have for the man. I listened for his unspoken agenda. When old politicians from previous administrations start showing up in Washington on a regular basis, you should sit up and take notice. In his case, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/19/AR2006091901341.html?nav=rss_print/asection">he wasn't there to sell his recommendations for the Iraq Study Group </a>; he was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/books/review/Heilbrunn.t.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FB%2FBaker%2C%20James%20A.%20III">peddling a new book he's written </a>. </p>

<p>Either way, as I said, when old warhorse politicians start flooding Washington , it's best to pay attention. Baker isn't the only one to have surfaced in recent times to the eyes of the mainstream press – Henry Kissinger is back as well. I'm doubtful it's for tea and cookies at the White House; you don't get in there without a donation or an idea that will bail you out of trouble. In this case, both men are advising Bush #43 on war – as if he needs help in how to stay in the arena and get more innocent soldiers killed. That's what the Pentagon's budget shortcuts are for – how else can they afford substandard body armor and vulnerable Hummers? “Err…according to the budget, we can't afford any more phosphorus weapons, but we've decided to give you roman candles to light things up instead!” “From bad to worse!” is their standing motto. </p>

<p>The more I watch politicians – formally retired and those who do nothing and act retired – the stranger the thoughts become. I sat there and watched the interview, hearing a passing reference to the “Party of God”, and then it really hit me: </p>
<p><strong>What's the difference between Hezbollah and the Neo-conservative Republicans, who both claim to be the “Party of God”? </strong></p>

<p>I can't tell you how I sunk down into the chair and felt like a world-class idiot for not having spotted that connection sooner. How many other evangelical Christian republicans are in the same boat, floating down the river in Egypt : denial. Are evangelicals naturally blind to such connections? The Bible teaches us God has blinded Israel for a season, so it possible He has blinded evangelicals, too? Rule number one: all things are possible with God. </p>

<p>The question hung in the air like the scent of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.quazen.com/Society/People/While-some-painted-by-numbers,-my-mom-cooked-by-the-smoke-alarm---Part-One.5946">my mom's cooking </a>. At least with a charcoal dinner, you can open the windows and doors and air out the house, but when that odor is the bad smell of politics, no amount of Lysol air freshener will cover the stench. </p>

<p>Finding myself sentenced to hell, my options are rather limited. I can scream, but no one listens to me anyway. I could throw myself out of a window to my death, but no one's ever died from being flung out a one-story house before. Or I could whip up an article like this. </p>

<p>Hezbollah, Hizb'allah, and Hizbollah – no matter how you spell it, the political platform the group was founded on remains the same: liberation from Israeli occupation in Lebanon . The translation “Hezbollah” is “Party of God”, which is well known amongst most people who have even the most basic knowledge of this terrorist group. Keep in mind the old saying: “One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter” before you pass judgment because it's so easy to blindly brand groups based upon what the State Department wants us to think. Remember, these guys have approximately 3,000 public relations firms carefully conditioning the American public with every single planned word. </p>

<p>I do realize Hezbollah does have an earned history of bloodshed, and I'm not going to go all liberal on you with some sort of tripe like “they are misunderstood and are a product of a bad upbringing in a rough area during war.” Actions are deliberate and chosen, but I will admit there are always going to be pawns used in any movement. I do remember <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing">the bombing of the US Marine base in Beirut </a>. <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_1983_U.S._Embassy_bombing">Hezbollah also hit the American embassy twice in Beirut </a> – once in April of 1983 and in September of 1984. If you look at their recent activities, they're no darling child in the stunt they pulled by kidnapping Israeli soldiers. </p>

<p>Then again, the United States government has its own flaws in terms of senseless bloodshed. How many times in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, have there been “Oops!!” strikes, later to be revealed the intelligence used was wrong? Only a few days ago, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bangladeshnews.net/story/8aa491b017cf17f5">Pakistani officials bombed a school, based on faulty US intelligence </a>. When blood runs red, it doesn't matter if it's a terrorist strike or an “Oops!” strike – the blood still needs to washed from the scene. </p>

<p>Here lies one difference between the two parties: the United States likes to attack from 30,000 feet, or we get someone else to do it for us – like Israel , when it's convenient. Hizb'allah guerrillas, on the other hand, at least have the stones to suicide bomb you up close and personal. For these guys, it's no “video game”. I'm not advocating either technique as both are reprehensible and revolting. </p>

<p>Then there's the generosity factor. It has been widely reported Hizb'allah has been giving Lebanese survivors <a target="_blank" href="http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/August/middleeast_August501.xml&amp;section=middleeast&amp;col=">$12,000 cash for their destroyed homes </a>. Some critics have said Iran 's footing the bill, while others claim Hizb'allah or their Iranian backers have been busy cranking out counterfeit bills and ripping off the recipients. There's also been <a target="_blank" href="http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1515755,00.html">numerous stories about how Iran is “stealing” from its own people </a> in order to be viewed as a hero for supporting Hizb'allah and Lebanon . </p>

<p>If you compare this to the United States , it gets rather intriguing. I'm in line for my $12,000, but since I'm not rich, well connected, and receiving a tax break, well…I can wait in the same spot until I drop dead. It's not going to happen. The “little people” of this economy that actually do the work basically got shafted on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbpp.org/9-27-06tax.htm#m8">income tax reduction </a>, while the wealthy friends of Bush made out extremely well. I used to believe the line, “the wealthy pay more taxes, so they should get more back!”, but the truth is with all their tax shelters and loopholes, they're barely paying anything to begin with. Who hasn't read a story about a large corporation who paid almost nothing in taxes, and then got a tax refund thanks to those escape clauses? </p>

<p>The fact is, this government takes and takes and takes, forgetting they work for us, not us for them! We are looking down two financial disasters in this country, and the mainstream media consistently is looking the other way and playing dumb. Last year there was a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.minyanville.com/assets/File/Kotlikoff_USBankruptcy_paper%5b1%5d.pdf">twenty-three page report </a> released on a public website with no publicity. Why is this noteworthy? The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.populistamerica.com/how_the_federal_reserve_runs_the_us">Federal Reserve </a> released a document that claims the United States is racing towards bankruptcy. I don't know about you, but to me, that's kind of an important thing to mention. The second barrel of the same gun we should be bracing for is a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&amp;refer=politics&amp;sid=ajJYxC6TAiBE">$1.35 TRILLION minimum tax bomb </a>, which will impact approximately 20 million families with increased taxes, and only a few politicians up for re-election have the intestinal fortitude to mention we're heading for this disaster. </p>

<p>If I had to choose between $1.35 trillion in additional taxes, plus a total bankruptcy of this country thanks to piss poor economic policies, or Iran …? I'd have to sit and think about that one for quite awhile. At first blush, I think Iran and Hizb'allah might be cheaper. </p>

<p>The other thought that gets me is at least Hizb'allah is trying to project they care – that means something. Not a lot, but something is better than nothing. If you feel you're not alone and the government, or a slice of it is at least trying to help you stand in the face of hard times, then it's not so bad. </p>

<p>The Bush Administration, however, has been exceptionally generous to their friends already in high places, while kicking the “middle/low class dog” around for fun. The best examples of “caring” I can come up with: the Katrina response, and the change in bankruptcy laws. </p>

<p>Katrina, we've heard ad nausem, was unlike any disaster we've ever experienced, but the cronyism within this administration allowed it to happen because these people make unqualified dog catchers appear to be Nobel laureates. You put stupid people in, you get stupid responses out. It's the GIGO principle at work: “garbage in, garbage out”. At every turn, the federal government was sitting on its hands, inactive, inattentive, and fourteen months later, still exhibiting gross incompetence. They left people stranded, hungry, and desperate. When they got their acts together, they threw cash at the problem to such a degree, the debit card statements on the cards showed purchases of jewelry, pornography, sex change operations, divorce lawyer fees, and trips. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301367.html">Over one billion dollars was wasted </a> on fraudulent claims, but our government's “doing the best it can”. Where do I sign up for my slice of that pie? </p>

<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15252903/">economy </a> under the administration has been atrocious and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061024/1a_cover24.art.htm">polls seem to confirm it </a>, while so many talking heads recite <a target="_blank" href="http://www.alternet.org/story/41533/">reports and try to tell us exactly how “robust” it is </a>. Tell me, please, why so many Americans are out of work and why <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/18/congress.poll/index.html">fifty-four percent of the nation's residents believe the “middle class dream” is impossible to obtain </a>? </p>

<p>Once your unemployment runs out, you are no longer counted as “unemployed”, so the official figures the government reports are always lower. This has created an unfortunate reality: bankruptcies are up – or, they used to be before Bush made it even harder on decimated families who have lost everything. The new bankruptcy laws are making it very hard on the average American, who has waved their jobs good bye, thanks to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04041/271362.stm">President Bush encouraging </a> all our “low paying jobs” to head east. Strange that physicians, surgeons and lawyers are also seeing their jobs heading in that direction, too, since those aren't considered “low paying” positions. </p>

<p>When you outsource the country's ability to earn a living, bankruptcy is your only option. Once your credit is destroyed, there's an alarming trend in this country by employers only making it worse: conditionally hiring and then rescinding the offer. I personally have experienced this phenomenon of bluntly being informed, “…because you can't manage your own finances, you are viewed as irresponsible at best, but you're a higher theft risk, apt to steal to make ends meet.” What a catch-22! No employer will hire me because I'm a “thief”, but I can't clear up my credit issue without income. How did I get in this mess? I am a two-time loser; I watched two jobs sail off to India . </p>

<p>If you look at the <a target="_blank" href="http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/BankruptcyGuide/4FixesForABadBankruptcyLaw.aspx">price of the filing fees, they have increased </a> at least $200, and in some states, the filing fees have doubled. Most debtors are ordered to pay back a higher percentage, plus enroll in credit counseling courses many cannot afford. If you don't have a job, no way to pay the increased costs to file, and you go in without representation because lawyer fees are untouchable, you put yourself at further disadvantage. </p>

<p>“And answering, Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.' And he said, ‘Teacher, speak.'” </p>

<p>“'There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And they having nothing to pay, he freely forgave both. Then which of them do you say will love him most?'” </p>

<p>“And answering, Simon said, ‘I suppose that one to whom he forgave most.'” </p>

<p>“ And He said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.'” (Luke 7:40-43) </p>

<p>I'm far from being a Biblical scholar, but I suspect the bankruptcy laws that favor the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=12100B6BHJXZ">companies who have heavily contributed the to “Team Bush” </a> and the GOP seem to go against the spirit of forgiving at least once. This wasn't very “Christian” of you, Mr. President. I would like to know how the Senate and House “Christians” resolve <a target="_blank" href="http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/8/23/13014/2634">engaging in usury </a> (charging interest and fees), which is expressly prohibited by the Bible. If you're supporting the companies and allowing them to do it, aren't your hands just as dirty as if you had done it yourself? You didn't speak out against it. </p>

<p>I recall “W” himself had <a target="_blank" href="http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0228,ridgeway,36385,6.html">at least one failed company that was bailed out </a>. It would've gone under if George H.W. Bush wasn't president at the time and there was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1992/09/bushboys.html">serious quid pro quo going on </a>; everyone but “Shrub” lost money, which is odd. When the ship sinks, usually everyone gets wet. What is good for the goose obviously isn't good for the gander. </p>

<p>I have to give this one to Hizb'allah, too. You may not agree with their platform of anger and violence, but they get style points for not kicking the little guy in the “family jewels” when he's down and out, and they consistently remain more loyal to the people. You certainly cannot say that of the Republicans these days! </p>

<p>Here's another little interesting comparison sure to make your hair hurt. Nasrallah was quoted as saying, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-2331980,00.html">“We did not think, even 1 per cent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude. You ask me, if I had known on July 11 . . . that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not.” </a>I think the man was lacking in critical foresight considering past incursions and violations usually lead to a bloody nose and a black eye from Israel, but even in the face of a stupid action, the man actually sounds sorry, which is a rare quality. </p>

<p>When you compare Nasrallah and Bush in the category of “stupid things I should not have done”…oh, there aren't enough trees to kill to write it down. I'll be kind and focus on one: Iraq. How many times has this administration lied to the American public? If you were to measure one lie equals one step on a pedometer, you probably could've walked around the world a few times. Being in power means never having to say you're sorry – or wrong. How many times did we hear, “Saddam has <a target="_blank" href="http://intelligence.senate.gov/">weapons of mass destruction </a>, and he <a target="_blank" href="http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_9398.shtml">gave aid and comfort to the 9/11 terrorists </a>”? If I were handing those pack of lies to my Mom, she would've poured gallons of soap in my mouth and used an SOS pad to scrub it clean. </p>

<p>The sad fact is, Bush waited to tell the truth only after years of reporting had proved the administration wrong. He waited until his back was up against the wall – namely, when the Senate Intelligence report came out and told the truth in September. </p>

<p>What's most disturbing is the President tried to squash it until after the midterm elections, in a desperate attempt to hold power in the House and Senate. It's no different that the results of Baker's Iraq Study Group – <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/19/AR2006091901341.html?nav=rss_print/asection">those recommendations were turned in a month ago, but won't be released until after the elections </a>. </p>

<p>Then if that wasn't embarrassing enough, the National Intelligence Estimate report for 2006 was leaked and confirmed just how right the American public is to be distrusting and angry: all the intelligence agencies unanimously said our presence was not deterring, but increasing terrorist activities. The President came out swinging and screaming, claiming <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609270215sep27,1,4538042.story?ctrack=1&amp;cset=true">it was taken out of context </a>, and forced to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2006-09/25595716.pdf">“cherry pick” which pages to release </a> to minimize the damage. </p>

<p>Nasrallah had the stones to admit he was wrong, and admirably, did it right away. He didn't lie, obfuscate, or hide behind anyone or anything. He was upfront about his mistake – which is good sign. There were no special prosecutors, no official inquiries, and no circling of the wagons; he took responsibility. </p>

<p>The Republican Party has repeatedly spent the last five years lying, covering up, and shooting down requests for internal investigations. It's sad to say, but how many scandals are going on right now? There's two possible House Page sex stories, a few stories of infidelity, a few of spousal abuse, one father-daughter FBI raid, and a guilty verdict on at least one tied to Jack Abramoff. Those are the most notable, but <a target="_blank" href="http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/gopscorecard.php">here's a current scorecard of all the GOP scandals </a>. </p>

<p>Nasrallah also has something Bush can only dream of: a high confidence rating among the people – not just in Lebanon, but all over the Arab and Muslim world. Osama Q. Public loves this man for standing up and fighting for what they believe is a perceived injustice. President Bush, on the other hand, has been hovering around a disapproval rating of sixty-five percent of the public, and the House and Senate are approximately at an eighty-six percent disapproval rating. Why? For being the worst rubber-stamping, do-nothing, corrupt lap dogs in political history, that's why! </p>

<p>It's a knee jerk reaction by most Americans – we hear Nasrallah speak about “Allah” this and “Allah” that, and we cringe and paint him with the “crazy fundamentalist” brush. We hear Bush talk about going on a “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/print.php?pid=63346">crusade </a>”, and the <a target="_blank" href="http://interventionmag.com/cms/index.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=190">whole world sat up in absolute horror </a>. “He didn't just say that…did he?!” Yup, he did. </p>

<p>For the Republicans to be the “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thetalentshow.org/archives/001181.html">Party of God </a>”, the party and the leader must be Christians. Unfortunately, there is too much proof President Bush and the Republicans in Washington are not born again. </p>

<p>You do not <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20000904/aponline220243_000.htm">swear at reporters </a>, give them the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freepressinternational.com/bush.098267.victory.salute.8716209.html">middle finger </a>, or approach their table and call them a “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.answers.com/topic/al-hunt">f*cking son of a b*tch </a>” in front of their small children and wait a decade to apologize for it. You <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101647.html">do not endorse torture </a>, strip America down into <a target="_blank" href="http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/911/">a police state </a> by dismantling Constitutionally guaranteed rights, use <a target="_blank" href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/04/30/bush_challenges_hundreds_of_laws/">presidential signing statements </a> to put yourself above the law, or refer to the Constitution as a “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newswithviews.com/metcalf/metcalf163.htm">G*d damned piece of paper </a>”. Your do not advocate <a target="_blank" href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&amp;code=20060913&amp;articleId=3213">using non lethal weapons on American citizens </a> who are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/aclu_report_documents_government_monitoring_of_lawful_protest_and_lack_of_regulations.shtml">exercising their right to protest </a> or have the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/department_of_homeland_security_provided_information_to_pentagon_on_uc_students'_anti-war_activities.shtml">DHS take down names and pass them on to the Pentagon </a> to be investigated as dissidents and security threats. You do not <a target="_blank" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003187698_detainees10.html">retroactively enact laws to protect yourself </a> and others from prosecution of potential war crimes. You <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/06/eveningnews/main1979106.shtml">do not lie </a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800601_pf.html">obfuscate </a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/23/iraqi-insurgents-elections/">create and infect the general population with propaganda </a>, or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083002859.html?referrer=email">cost the taxpayers billions to shamelessly hide secrets </a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&amp;itemid=1781">discourage Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits </a> to uncover illegal activities. You do not steamroll policies through that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.alternet.org/rights/41726/">make Americans appear to have no character </a>, especially when the country is fully against you and your measures. </p>

<p>I'm sorry, but based on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cuttingedge.org/news_updates/nz1086.htm">Republican actions </a> and the doctrine of, “…you will know them by their fruit”, GOP, you are anything BUT the “Party of God”. </p>
<p>
<ul>
  <li>When the preacher wants <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.html?id=6182">to kick you out of his church </a>, you are not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When you've got such a strangle hold on pastors they feel patriotically compelled to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050700972.html">kick Democratic parishioners out </a>, you are not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When you are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/13259.html">backed by “Christian” lobbying groups who will not dare to criticize </a> the Republican Party for increasing funding on abortions and promoting gays to top positions in the administration, then I know you're not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When Christian talk show hosts (do not disclose their political leanings, unduly influencing their audience, and are little better than their televangelist counterparts) go on the warpath and back policies that are blatantly not Christian…tune in the radio station WPOG and hear it announce, “You are not the ‘Party of God'.” </li>
  <li>When <a target="_blank" href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42027">Jesus doesn't show up in the White House Christmas displays </a> while Christians are fighting to put “Christ back in ‘Christmas'”, you aren't getting a Christmas card from the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When you view Christians as a “voter base” and call it the “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/dowd/121599dowd.html">Jesus Card </a>”, you are not the “Party of God”…or our votes. </li>
  <li>When you <a target="_blank" href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/287207_joel02.html?source=mypi">use religion to be a divider instead of a way to unite </a>, you are not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When you flunk <a target="_blank" href="http://religiousleft.bmgbiz.net/bushandjesus.html">test one </a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.museumofconceptualart.com/Jesusisms_vs_Bushisms/index.html">test two </a> of “Jesus' words versus Bush's words”, you are most certainly not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When <a target="_blank" href="http://shades-of-gray.net/articles/238.aspx">theological professors sign a petition </a> to tell you, “Sir, your theological stances and understandings are not sound…actually, bordering on blasphemy”, I could be wrong, but I don't think you're in the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When your political base looks at you and says, “ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/washington/25religion.html?ex=1314158400&amp;en=17591279d7eded9f&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss">you're no friend of Jesus! </a>”…big flashing neon sign clue: you're not the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When Christians prayed President Bush would be a good and faithful ambassador for Christ, but turned into the most hated man on the planet, enraging and driving away the unsaved by the millions, it's a pretty safe bet you don't hold membership in the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li><a target="_blank" href="http://theocracywatch.org/rel_inst_methodist_bishop.htm">“ The bishops of the President's church have repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought a meeting with the President. He is only the second President since Washington who has refused to have a discussion with Methodist bishops. ” </a>When you won't meet with your spiritual covering and feel you are not accountable to him, it's clear someone shredded your “Party of God” card, along with some FOIA requested documents. </li>
  <li>When the Christian Defense Coalition has to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42258">sue in order to have the right to display a cross at the 2004 Inaugural Parade </a>, you are not in the “Party of God”. </li>
  <li>When you engage in filthy, raunch, despicable negative ads on TV that children can see at all hours, leaving their parents to explain...I highly doubt the &amp;quot;Party of God&amp;quot; would sink to such classic Satanic behavior.&amp;nbsp; What you're broadcasting in some races closely borders soft porn. </li>
  <li>When you're not touting &amp;quot;family values&amp;quot;, you are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/19/AR2006101901621.html">cheating on your spouses </a>.&amp;nbsp; When you're not cheating on your spouses, you're committing domestic abuse and being <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/10/26/news/local_news/news01.txt">accused of rape </a> (ironic, since you used the excuse women needed to be freed from Taliban repression, which was plastered all over nearly verbatim by Laura Bush and Lynne Cheney).&amp;nbsp; When you're tired of those past times, you're having the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101700175.html">FBI raid your house </a>.&amp;nbsp; The Bible says no adulterers and no <a target="_blank" href="http://www.oldamericancentury.org/counterspin.htm">liars </a> will enter into the kingdom of heaven.&amp;nbsp; I don't think your continued scandalous behaviors are that of the &amp;quot;Party of God&amp;quot;. </li>
</ul>
</p>
<p>Here's a hint for the Republicans: God does not take sides, especially with corrupt folk. Whoever told you God backs you…needs to run to the nearest Bible believing church, slide in on his/her knees at ninety miles an hour, and start confessing and repenting to the point it makes <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jackinthehouse.org/">Jack Abramoff </a> look like a saint. The damage you have done to the faith is incalculable, and yet you still have the audacity to point and shake your fingers at Islam and screech and howl about their “fanatics”. </p>

<p>There's one more clear indication the Republicans are not born again: when we come to Christ, we are given a new heart, and we are instructed to put off the &amp;quot;old man&amp;quot;. If the words and deeds of this party and its leaders are of the &amp;quot;new man&amp;quot;, exactly how evil and corrupt were they before coming to the knowledge of Jesus? I'm horrified just trying to imagine the way they used to be! </p>

<p>Here's a hint for the Republicans: God does not take sides, especially with corrupt folk. Whoever told you God backs you…needs to run to the nearest Bible believing church, slide in on his/her knees at ninety miles an hour, and start confessing and repenting to the point it makes <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jackinthehouse.org/">Jack Abramoff </a> look like a saint. The damage you have done to the faith is incalculable, and yet you still have the audacity to point and shake your fingers at Islam and screech and howl about their “fanatics”. </p>

<p>Republicans, it is clear you haven't looked in the mirror in a very long time.&amp;nbsp; People are supposed to be able to see the light of Christ in us.&amp;nbsp; When I look at the collective &amp;quot;YOU&amp;quot;, all I see is a great Satanic work in progress.&amp;nbsp; </p>



<p>Other quazen.com articles by this writer can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://www.quazen.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, relijournal.com articles <a target="_blank" href="http://www.relijournal.com/writers/texxmezz.627">here </a>, and picable.com images <a target="_blank" href="http://www.picable.com/shooters/texxmezz.627/1">here </a>. If you enjoyed this article, consider <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digg.com/">digging it </a> with others. </p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FHezbollah-and-Neo-Conservative-Republicans-Will-the-real-Party-of-God-please-stand-up.98358"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsflavor.com%2FOpinions%2FHezbollah-and-Neo-Conservative-Republicans-Will-the-real-Party-of-God-please-stand-up.98358" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:13:43 PST</pubDate></item>
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