Bush's "war" record

There's some brouhaha over the president's National Guard service, whether he went AWOL and has never been called to account for it.

What I find disturbing is that, again, no one seems to be concentrating on what is to me the real issue: that when the country needed its citizens to fight a war, the president, apparently a very good pilot, chose to sit out the war at home. The same president whose supporters derided Bill Clinton (rightly) for being a draft-dodger. The same president who makes a show of wearing a military flight suit when visiting our troops in Iraq. Good men went to Vietnam and served as combat pilots; many of them were shot down and killed, wounded, or captured and tortured by the enemy. Where was George W. Bush? Here in the US, in the Texas Air National Guard, presumably protecting us from invasion from Mexico.

Who gives a damn whether he missed some drill days or not. He missed the damn war!

As to Michael Moore, I think (and always have thought) that he's a fatuous idiot who wants headlines rather than a clear look at the facts. He's the kid who shouts "crap" in the middle of his first-grade class, just to see the outraged look on the teacher's face. I'm disappointed that Clark wants to be associated with him.

Granted Asylum, Nun Held in Va. Jail

Tibetan Entangled in Post-9/11 Caution

This is just wrong. Our government is imprisoning a Buddhist nun who has no way to speak to guards or other inmates, who has in no way been demostrated to be a threat to the United States, and who has been adjudged by an immigration court to be worthy of asylum in this country.

In almost every way, this country under the Bush administration is getting more and more like a second-world country. This woman isn't being physically tortured, but I don't know any way in which her treatment would be substantially different if she were in China, the land we've already agreed she has a legitimate fear of persecution in.

Cat for President

from the BBC:

As was the case in Iowa, our correspondents adds, Democratic voters seem less concerned about the fine print of the candidates' policies than their ability to beat Mr Bush in the December election.

As one voter put it, she would vote for her cat if she thought it could defeat the president.

In the spirit of doing what is best for the country, I am volunteering to support one of my cats in his bid for the presidency.

( But I need some guidance as to which cat it should be )

more squabbles over Iraq war intel

Vice President Dick Cheney's claim that a magazine article, based on leaked and unevaluated intelligence, definitively proved links between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden has triggered a new round in the Bush administration's conflict with the intelligence community. Full story on Salon.com

Lieberman, give it up

from CNN

Lieberman, whose campaign was buffeted by rumors that he would drop out, strongly refuted those suggestions Tuesday night.

"I'm not dropping out because there's a virtual split decision for third and no one thought that I would have ended up this close to Wes Clark and John Edwards," he told CNN.

( Joe, give it up. )

sodden mystery

I understand that there are those whose heart does not thrill to sights or sites like
these
or these
or these.

What I don't understand is why they are reading *this* journal. :-)

What I have trouble believing is not that I wouldn't have my basic personal issues if I were living in Dunkeld or Glencoe or Stirling. But that I wouldn't be ten times happier living in a place that, in less than a week, seemed more like home than places I've lived for ten years or more.