Red blogule to Stephen Sackur - HARDtalk but softBRAIN

Yesterday's HARDtalk featured a stimulating cast with interesting things to say (Tariq Ramadan, Joseph E. Stiglitz and a brilliant professor from Harvard I never heard of before but would be pleased to hear more often).

Unfortunately, Stephen Sackur kept interrupting each one of them each time they reached the climax of their sentences, as if to deny them the right to oppose the official propaganda. Instead of a journalist, I saw an ambitious man with the pretention of being smarter than his hosts but only reciting the irrelevant and worn out brief from the Bush Administration.

And yes, even if there was no link watsoever between Saddam Hussein and 9/11 in the first place, you cannot dissociate the mess in Iraq from the aftermath of 9/1.

I wish these 3 people had been interviewed by the genuine BBC journalist who had, just a few minutes later, a chat with a scaringly diminished Dan Rather.

Red blogule to the Commander in Thief - The Architect is back

Yes, the Bush camp can still win the 2006 elections. After all, Ken Mehlman remains an ace and Karl Rove the ultimate opponent-destroying-propaganda machine.

The aim of the game, as usual, is to steal the elections by counterfighting where you're supposed to be the weakest. Iraq, for example, about which the Dems are considering the pros and cons of a withdrawal, exposing themselves to an intense guerilla from "Turd Blossom". I wish they instead made clear in the minds of the public the most vital thing for the US is to withdraw from the Bush doctrine. First behave well, then act responsively, sane decisions will come naturally. And they propably won't include a withdrawal of all troops anytime soon. The least America must do is to fix the damage Bush's Amerika has done.

For the moment, the "flip flop" specter is hovering above the Democrats, and Karl will very likely have Bush talk as the boss in charge : we've been waging a nasty war that's true, but we nailed most of 'em bastards and we proved bein' tough could prevent new attacks on our soil. You have the power to decide ; to be either with us or with them - not them Dems, but them terrorist thugs.

The truth should be exposed : right after 9/11, terrorists were the only bad guys around and the whole world was supporting the US, expecting a responsible answer from a model democracy - but this excuse for an Administration managed to damage the image of democracy so badly the US are now considered a rogue state and terrorists heroes. Not only did the US invite terrorists where they weren't (Iraq), they made the World a much less safer place by fueling terror, fanatism and hatred all across the world.

The US need a strong administration all right, but should remain a model democracy as well : you have the choice between supporting fascists and fundamentalists on one hand (those ruling the country these days as well as the terrorists, their supposed enemies), and restoring the values that made America respected on the other (all you have to do is to get rid of these madhatters).

Red blogule to Amerika's "Freedom Agenda"

I listened to Dubya's I have a dream press conference yesterday. It's good to hear again about the need for an independant and free Palestine, but it's getting harder and harder to stand this voice and that surrealistic propaganda rap of empty keywords repeated on and on (blah blah terror blah blah freedom blah blah Iran nuke blah blah liberty blah blah freedom of worship blah blah strategy of freedom blah blah universal desire for liberty blah blah democracy blah blah tyranny blah blah unstoppable power of freedom blah blah amen). While munching their pizzaz, mesmerized Joe Sixpacks musta understood Hezbollah helped Saddam and Bin Laden destroy the Twin Towers back on 9/11. With such efficient History Bis 101 lessons, no wonder 50% of US adults now think Iraq had WMDs when the US invaded that country, up from 36% back in February 2005 (Harris polls mentioned by the CMD).
Freedom will prevail, yeah... Hezbollah, a state sponsored terrorist group, will be replaced by Qaeda wannabes, a cloudy mist of irresponsible people far more dangerous for the region, but that's OK because Israeli hardliners need a bigger threat at their doors. Olmert will be replaced by a madhatter even worse than Benjamin Netanyahu but that's OK because that's what Amerika needs too. The utterly successful Iraki model will be replicated in Lebanon but that's OK because that was the aim of the game... Sorry Beirut but Bush's speech is yet another bring'em-on-invitation to terrorists from all over the world to visit your country.
But the most surrealistic speech of the day was pronounced by Ehud Olmert himself : admitting his own failure, he dared say next time - because there will be a next time - , he'll handle war better. Talking about flattened Lebanon as a learning curve...
Last throes of sanity, anyone ?
More than ever, it's time for a regime change in both the US and Israel... but for the better, please.

Red blogule to fundamentalists - bases are loaded

The disarmament of Hezbollah is under way thanks to... Hezbollah itself : the organization is methodically getting rid of its stocks of weapons over Israel. Tel Aviv's attacks are not meant to destroy Hezbollah but to make sure Eretz Israel has strong enemies for the decades to come and thus, to make sure Israeli fundamentalists remain in power. Paradoxically and just like Bush's counterproductive "War on Terror" helps terrorists recruit new followers, new waves of antisemitism will lead more Israelis towards the welcoming arms of their country's extreme right.
Whether from Iran, Israel or the USA, fundamentalists don't want peace : peace means living without fear nor coercion ; peace means opening up and accepting the world as it should be, diverse and tolerant ; peace means the irrelevance of fundamentalism.
Look at them cheer up all over the world : radical Sunnis and radical Shiites applauding each other's victories ; Amerikan New-Born Neo-Cons and Iranian radical islamists using each other as evil witches to be hunted in a sick medieval obscurantism remake...
US "diplomats" don't seem to care much when masses of pro-Hezbollah demonstrators hit the streets in Baghdad. They don't seem to worry when Israel ruins the heritage of Yitzhak Rabin and infuriates the whole world as well as Bush did back in 2003 with an unecessary war doubled by a provocative occupation... The White House's most radical wings are actually rejoicing.
I wonder when the US citizens will eventually realize their country is led by lunatics devoted to putting out fire with gasoline. It will take decades to repair the image of the country overseas (not to mention implementing actual peace) - but judging by the 2004 landslide victory of immoderate conservatism across Amerika, I don't believe the restoration of the values that made America respected to be a priority.

White blogule to Lebanon - please do survive

Israel fuels terrorism as efficiently as the Bush administration : instead of acting carefuly and with the help of the international community after outspoken terror attacks (9/11, Hezbollah raid), they attack blindly and unilaterally, appear as the aggressors and bring chaos where it definitely wasn't needed (Iraq, Lebanon). Only military action is considered, all political options and all legal frameworks being nixed.
I wonder if Lebanon can survive now. People came back once but this looks even worse than civil war. The country is politically, economically and socially devastated. A week after the first Israeli riposts, half a million people have been moved and more than 200 civilians killed, half of them kids. Who cares ? There's nothing but culture to be saved over there.
Bush applauds, Europe remains silent, Arab countries fear for their own stability, the UN is as dead as John Bolton wants it. Welcome to Diplomacy's Ground Zero.

Red blogule to the reconstruction of Afghanistan...'s talibans

9/11 harmed all major airlines but two : CIA Airlines and United Terror. None can be dubbed "no-thrill" and in spite of what the former claims, only the latter is a low cost company with genuine Qaeda members as frequent flyers.
Code sharing allows Chechens and other exotic partners to flock in numbers in Somalia or Afghanistan, where Talibans rule again and whack entire families without much reaction from peacekeepers stretched to the limit by the Rummy Doctrine.
Terrorism is stronger than ever, thank you. US casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq will soon reach 3,000 - not even one tenth of all deaths caused by this so-called "war on terror". Even in Paris, it's getting more and more difficult for a Muslim woman not to wear a scarf.
And the beauty of it is everything was planned from the start : for a majority of neocons who actually thought they would change the World for the better, only a minority of fundamentalists knew exactly what the said change for the better would mean.

Red blogule to the US CENTCOM - paint it black

Sick and tired of listening to CENTCOM briefings with daily claims of a dozen so-called Qaeda members (half of which under 7 year-old "terrorists"), the US audience cheered the death of Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, a genuine thug with a fake al Qaeda label.
Now the propaganda experts feel strange : the non-event of this death exposes a disgraceful vacuum. The top bad guy (Osama Broadcasting Laden) remains at large and the US army in Iraq lacks a marketable target... Unless the Pentagon decides to go after al Sadr and thus officialize the civil war.
They'd better sponsor some other suicidal wannabe, give some other thug his Warhol's 15 mn of fame. Prime time, live or dead.

Red blogule to Justice as defined by The White House

George W Bush once more uttered his favorite mantra : "Those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished." This time, it's about 24 Iraqi civilians killed by US Marines. But this time, Dubya is likely to go all the way and punish the actual decision makers ; after all, these soldiers do not rank high in the hierarchy. Those in charge of the cover up do, but they shouldn't fear anything considering the history of justice and punishment for wrongdoings under Dubya's rule.
Here, Justice means praising the likes of Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld. Here, Justice is monitored by Alberto Gonzales, the man who made Abu Ghraib possible. Here, Justice is said to be in the hands of God but meant for the sole protection of the President and his interests.
I'm confident this man doesn't stand a chance facing the judgement of History. The problem is till then, the whole world is paying for the damage done.

White blogule to David Gregory - Welcome to the House of Fun

NBC News' chief White House correspondent denounced Operation Swarmer in Iraq as a political show made up as a military action. 40 so-called Qaeda members were caught but released a few hours later, and witnesses doubt seriously about the violence of the offensive. I must confess I was a little bit surprised by the target (an area without any previous history of intense rebellion), the images of the Iraqi soldiers preparing for the battle (all smiles), the publicity made around the Operation and its timing. To me, this looks like vintage War Propaganda, Fallujah style*. Look how swiftly did the Red Army react, carpet bombing poor David "Stretch" Gregory with all their Weapons of Mass Disinformation and lobbying for his firing. For them, the mother of all battles since march 2003 isn't "Operation Swarmer" but "Saving Private Bush".
Just like Michael Moore, David Gregory can be a clown and his caricatural attacks can be used by the defense to turn around the proof of credibility gap. But I don't like the idea of the palace's buffoon being sacrificed as a scapegoat. The joke should remain on the Bush Administration.


* remember that old 2004 blogule "Red blogule to the bombing of Fallujah - Bombing, for image's sake - Bush is only targeting the US audience" (20040429) ?

Red blogule to W's preemptive counterstrikes

"43" said he was open to a debate over Iraq... provided it only did "bring credit to our democracy, not comfort to our adversaries".
So only he has a right to wage a dirty war at home, using all the illegal tools one dictator could dream of. And he denies politicians as well as medias the right to investigate, to use such terms as illegal eavesdroppings, abduction, torture or all of the above ?
This isn't what I call an open debate. Nor even a debate, for that matter. Actually, it rather looks like the denial of a genuine debate, the refusal to confront democracy, and once again, a shame for America.
I don't think history will "bring credit" to Dubya's democracy*. And I do think democracy's adversaries find a lot of "comfort" in seeing Amerika turn its back to its own values.


* Mercifully enough, Iraq will eventually move towards democracy. But this far, all major steps have been reached thanks to a lack of Bush doctrine : the UN made the first elections possible and the talks with insurgents are the only way of kicking Al Qaeda out of the country (yeah, those very foreign terrorists who came in after the US invasion).

White blogule to unconstitutional ID and illegal eavesdropping

In Seattle, WA, the Discovery Institute receives $9.5M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That's a charity supposed to eradicate evil bugs from all children of the world. I mean the B&MGF, not the Discovery Institute, a known promoter of Intelligent Design.
In New York, NY, Fox intelligently designs new films fit for the fundamentalist audiences (FoxFaith.com). Next time, they won't let Mel Gibson take all the risks on his own (nor grab all the benefits).
In Washington, DC, President George W. Bush, still waging his intelligently designed war in Iraq,maintains illegal eavesdropping is not only legally but morally OK.
In Dover, PA, U.S. District Judge John Jones rules Intelligent Design teaching illegal. At last, somebody is waking up this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Red blogule to CENTCOM pictures incorporated

At last ! The US Army liberating from evil treatments hundreds of detainees, including 13 needing hospitalization. And this time, we are not responsible for the torture : it's that nasty Iraqi regime we put at the head of the new and improved Iraq. We've got bad guys within our ranks but look : torture is an Iraqi thing. It's embedded in their DNA ! Who knows, it could be Saddam's WMDs and nerve gases attacking the very souls of every single person living there !
The US have nerves, all right. This telegenic bravado is supposed to remind the audience Amerika is not the only country fighting this nasty war, but it should remind everybody this war wasn't necessary. There were other ways of castrating Saddam Hussein, and there were certainly other things to do to truly fight terror.

White blogule to the Law Lords - find another al-Libi, Dubya

Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, the Lybian detainee who confessed in 2002 a link between al Qaeda and Iraq, did it under torture but in an Egyptian jail (back then, the C.I.A. would still outsource this nasty business).
In London, the Law Lords just ruled that evidence obtained under torture (even on a foreign soil) could not be used in British courts.
The US have used the "foreign soil" loophole since the Cold War and torture has been banned since 1640 in England.
Talking about cold wars and smoking guns... Amerika's Real Estate Agent Condi Rice just clinched a deal with Romania where 4 US military bases will be installed. This former Soviet satellite enjoys a view on the European Gulf (the Black Sea ? an epitome of the Bush doctrine : a major oil and gas hub and an environmental nightmare), locates in Europe but not yet in the EU (perfect timing as far as the European agenda is concerned), and happens to be neither too close from the Middle East (the Gaza Tigers can draft Roger Clemens, their stones will never reach the Constanta shores), nor too far (when the boys are withdrawn, their toys will remain nearby). Of course, today's EU members won't budge and The Company Airlines gets all the time slots they need.

Red blogule to The Lincoln Group - painting Iraq green

Behind the stage, where the Commander in Thief gave a vibrant state of the disunion, the Bush Administration are focusing on their core know-how : pre-election propaganda. This time, they need to win the war in Iraq (that is, get the hell outta there or at least set a positive timetable before next mid-term US elections).
A DC-based PR firm, Lincoln Group, got the $6M contract. We already knew from Odwyer PR News they'd been hiring "Senior PR help" for their Iraqi operations, now we know for sure they're paid by the US, as the NYT put it, "to plant articles in Iraq papers".
How charming. Planting, without the help of Monsanto ? Karen Hughes could make sure these six millions are taken from the environment budget : after all, The Lincoln Group are working for a better environment for US troops in Iraq.
Abductions, torture, usage of WMDs, and now plain propaganda... Iraqi certainly feel the difference between Uncle Saddam and Unkle Sam...

White blogule to John McCain vs cruel, inhuman, or degrading Amerika

The Reps have their moral leader back on time for 2006 and 2008. Karl Rove managed to ruin his 2000 campaign but Senator John McCain once again proved how great he could be as the commander-in-chief.
His amendment specifying no "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment should be performed by the US against detainees puts the Commander-in-thief in front of a dilemma : if I veto the bill (since, as McClellan put it, it "would limit the president's ability as commander-in-chief to effectively carry out the war on terrorism"), I may have to renegociate a $400bn check. If I don't veto it, I'm losing the face as a commander-in-chief.
McCain said : "The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don't deserve our sympathy. But this isn't about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies." How about Saddam's trial ?
Saddam Hussein's trial is only about who he is, not about who we Western democracies are : the only charge is about a massacre of villagers. Relevant, but nothing about gassing the populations (with gas manufactured in Germany or in Iraq with French & US facilities). Nothing about the ugly war against Iran (sponsored by the US and "old Europe"). Nothing about the post Gulf War I retaliation on Kurds (abandonned by Dubya's father). Nothing about the honoris causa Doctor Hussein behind the evil Mister Saddam.

Red blogule to the Department Of Justice - Denial Of Justice

A couple of months ago, French soldiers would try to cover up an incidental death in Ivory Coast : as soon as the Government understood it, they suspended the general in charge of the whole operation in the country.

Just days later, the US DOJ decided not to charge CIA felons for the institutionalized abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan*, considering enough people paid.

Only low rank soldiers have been charged but everybody knows who's responsible for the Abu Ghraib and Salt Pit infamies ; the man who even wrote down in memos his vision of an Amerika refusing the Geneva Convention and embracing torture ; the man George W. Bush put at the very head of the Department Of Justice.

You don't want to stir bitter feelings among CIA people these days. So Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales decided not to sue Senior Adviser Alberto R. Gonzales.

Shame, shame, shame ? Not really : this mob keeps talking about the pride of defending Freedom and Democracy against fascism.

Lynnie England definitely found her master in sick jokes.

* C.I.A. to Avoid Charges in Most Prisoner Deaths" (NYT 20051023)

Red blogule to the White House's Upper Deck - Trading Card and dis-Carding scapegoats

The scapegoat has eventually been found : he is Karl Rove's boss and no decision is taken in the White House without his knowledge. This powerful leader must quit at once.

Andrew H. Card Jr is responsible for everything*, from the disastrous handling of Katrina to the surrealistic nomination of Harriet E. Miers. He is certainly the one who said there were WMDs in Iraq and for all we know, he could even have shot JFK.

So the great decision maker who spends less time finding a scapegoat when he's under attack than reading "my pet goat" when his country's under attack, the great thinker who writes down such powerful memos as the now famous "I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible ?", The Great King Dubya, Lord of the Banana Republic of the Divided States of Amerika, will once again prove his wisdom and his character : He will fire His Chief of Staff or rather dis-Card him.

God bless Amerika and someone bring me a barf bag.


"Crises Raise Criticism of Bush's Chief of Staff" (NYT 20051018)

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Red blogule to Homeland Security's rainbow warriors

Rainbow Warrior was the name of the Greenpeace ship sunk by the French intelligence service as the organization tried to reach the site of nuclear tests, about 20 years ago.
Rainbow warrior is the name of the sinking US president as he tries to reach a more decent approval rate by raising both fear and the US Department of Homeland Security's threat level from Green to Blue to Yellow to Orange to Red*.
Neither Greenpeace nor Bush did swallow Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei's Nobel Price, the IAEA promoting from the start civil nuclear energy and its leader contesting from the start the existence of WMDs in Iraq.
Yesterday, you had to see Greenpeace leaders go nuclear and Dubya turn green... Now that's quite a weird association. And considering the intensity of the attacks on a former Nobel duet (the UN & Kofi Annan), ElBaradei could be considered an endangered specie.

* Is Amerika Ready ? For those feeling nostalgic for the McCarthy era, enjoy the government's website devoted to readiness. Coming soon after Ready Business and Ready America : Ready Kids. After Katrina, I guess they're working on Ready Pets as well.

Red blogule to Freedom Walk - the Grey Pride

Strange. America Supports You's Freedom Walk website isn't working today.
As if it weren't such a good idea to link the war in Iraq and 9/11 anymore.
As if it sounded like a sick Grey Pride : keep walking with us folks, we brought you war, we brought you social collapse, and we sure have lotsa good ideas for the years to come.
As if they suddenly feared no one would turn out. Don Rum can't even mobilize army people : he needs them to fish corpses in Iraq and Louisiana.
So because the site is down, people cannot register or enroll to enjoy their Freedom to Walk. America supports you, but who is supporting Bush's Amerika ???

Red blogule to quagmires and bayous

To those who doubted Bush was a fake, Cindy and Katrina exposed the truth : a quagmire abroad and a bayou at home, that's how deep the US have sunk. "Our Dear Compassionate Leader", a born again Christian with a well trained Texan accent, turns out to be a selfish and amoral stubborn New England brat, enjoying two more days off in his own ranch when real people from the South die in their own feces.
Time to rehearse the National Anthem's lyrics, folks :
Q :
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
A :
Err... no, actually I can't see. I did see quite a few rockets and bombs but the banner people tend to follow is that of the Red Cross.
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A :
Lemme get you some glasses. The reflection on the stream is a dead body.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A :
"That band" is still at large at the White House. "The hireling and slave" happen to be US citizens. Some were ordered to bring "the havoc of war and the battle's confusion" overseas, others found no refuge and ended in "the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave".
Q :
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
A :
"Rescued land"? "Victory" ? "Peace" ? That remains to be seen. Blame the power that hath made the US a despised nation : Lord Dubya, King of the Banana Republic of the Divided States of America.