Thursday, June 30, 2005 from Cohutta

Tuesday night, when our president appeared before the American public and asked, “Is the sacrifice worth it?” I think a fair response would have been, “I don’t know, what’s it worth to you?” Would it be worth Jenna’s or Barbara’s life? According to the president, none of the soldiers who has died, has died in vain. So, why don’t the twins enlist in their daddy’s noble cause? They’re out of school and during the campaign I definitely got the idea that they were interested in doing something to better mankind. What better service could they perform? They would be serving their country and honoring their father. And if something should happen to them over there while they were defending our freedom over here, we would all know that it wasn’t in vain. And then our president would know firsthand the answer to his question, “Is the sacrifice worth it?”

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 from Cohutta

Dear Mr. President,

Without listening to your speech/sales pitch I know that you are passionate about this war in Iraq. As a matter of fact, I would have to say that you’re in love with this war because you’re exhibiting all the symptoms of a man in the throes of a love affair–i.e., you’re willing to be completely blind to reality in order to maintain your fantasy.

You were just positive that Iraq had WMDs. You were so sure that you once said that you were “sick and tired” of waiting for Saddam to come clean. Then when the WMDs weren’t found you asked us to be patient while you continued looking. If my memory serves me correctly that’s what the UN inspectors asked you before your sick-and-tired remark. Yet you continued to love the war.

Then your administration said that Iraq was linked to 9/11. Then your administration said that there really wasn’t any evidence to show that. Yet you continued to love the war.

Later the claim was made that Iraq had links to terrorism, in fact, if memory serves me correctly, connections to Osama bin Laden himself. Of course, even after it was admitted that that wasn’t true you continued to love the war. Even now that there are way more terrorists in Iraq than before the war, you continue to love it.

Now we’re over there defending freedom. Who could not be in love with that idea? Mr. President, I would say that Laura is lucky to have you; you’re certainly a loyal man and not the kind to desert things loved.

Respectfully,

Amiko

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 from Cohutta

Other than the fact that Big Business can now seize my property for the greater good, I feel so much more free and safe since we've been fighting in Iraq. I really want to thank President Smirky for connecting the dots for me.

Monday, June 27, 2005 from Cohutta

All that today's ruling by the Supreme Court means is that now the Churches of the Holy Bulldozer will just have to be a little sneakier and a lot more circuitous in getting the Ten Commandments on government grounds.

Sunday, June 26, 2005 from Cohutta

Rumsfeld says, "We're not going to win against the
insurgency. The Iraqi people are going to win against the insurgency,"
Rumsfeld told Fox News Sunday. "That insurgency could go on for any
number of years. Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12
years."

Do you think W knew this when he announced, "Mission Accomplished?" after he got the aircraft to maneuver itself for an at-sea appearing photo op?

Saturday, June 25, 2005 from Cohutta

I've heard it said that as long as there are property taxes, you never really own your own home. Now, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, whether you pay your real estate taxes or not, you could have your home taken away from you and given to another private party; one who has more money and power than you do and has convinced your local government that not only will he or she make a bundle from developing your property but that some of it will trickle down to the taxpayers. So, here in the land of the free, family homesites and farms and pretty much anyone who is unfortunate enough to get in the way of someone else's progress stands to be told to take the money you're offered and get the hell out. Someone needs to tell Congress that our flag is already burning.

Friday, June 24, 2005 from Cohutta

I belong to an online photo site called Flickr. People post photographs that they’ve taken and if the photographer sets it up this way (and most do) others can comment on them. There are different interest groups: Too Sexy for My Hair (a group for people receiving chemo treatment for cancer), Watergarden Wonderland, Just Ferns, The Secret Life of Plants, Naked Self, Flower Power...wait a minute...did I say Naked Self?

The few groups that might include pictures of nakedness have caught the eye of religious fundamentalists in the United Arab Emirates. So they did what fundamentalists do: they banned the site from the country.

In Flickr, contacts are made and often friendships are formed from what might start out as comments on photos (great composition and clarity, you really have a good eye for color, etc.). There are people I may drop little notes to from New Jersey to New Zealand. I’ve shed real tears for the folks in Too Sexy for My Hair and Pet Cemetery. I’ve laughed at some of the submissions to I Ate This and Who Let the Dogs Out? I’ve marveled over photos of our beautiful world in Catchy Colors, Flora and Fauna, and My Backyard, but none of this will leak in or out of the U.A.E. What a loss to us all! Will the people of the U.A.E. be better for this?

We have our own homegrown fundamentalists here in the U.S.; they’re called Evangelicals if they’re religious, Nazis or Klan members if they’re political or social. They’re represented by various people, some mainstream like Falwell, Robertson and often the President of the United States, some underground that we don’t hear about until a light is shined on them like McVeigh and Rudolph. Wouldn’t they love to ban everything that that they think is evil? God knows they try. Though they would tell you differently, THEY ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA; THEY ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD.

Thursday, June 23, 2005 from Cohutta

The Southern Baptist Convention has declared an end to their 8-year old boycott of Walt Disney Co. One question is will anybody notice? Another is did they change anything? Though I'm sure that all the 11,000 "messengers" present at the convention would say yes, but I disagree. Has Disney stopped giving health benefits to employees' same-sex partners? Has Disney stopped having annual Gay Days at the theme parks? Has Disney stopped adult programming? The answers are no, no and can you say Desparate Housewives?

What would the SBC talk about if it couldn't be against things that other people are doing. I guess they would be forced to speculate on how they could be better human beings. I think that if Jesus would have attended the convention it would have been a scene reminiscent of the one with the money changers in the temple, i.e., he would have been seriously kicking some sacreligious ass.

...and I continue to say my only prayer...Jesus, protect me from your followers.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 from Cohutta

Flag burning may be stupid, unpatriotic, or even offensive to people, but should not be a crime. Everyone believes in the the Constitution until they're confronted with something that they don't like; then they think that they have to pass a law. Of course, there are always plenty of politicians willing to posture for the press and rally around what they think is popular. I just have a feeling that many of the supporters of this crime of selective burning would also be against "special rights" for victims of hate crimes.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 from Cohutta

As if she didn't have good reason before, surely Maria Shriver is now chagrined about her hubby of choice.

Monday, June 20, 2005 from Cohutta

I recently received a 41¢ credit on my credit card bill for my share in a class action suit that I knew nothing about. I wonder how many cents the lawyers received.

Sunday, June 19, 2005 from Cohutta

Okay, so some folks are actually surprised that Bush cooked the intelligence to justify invading Iraq, but now that we have the Downing Street Memos it's time to impeach. If you can impeach a president for lying about consensual oral sex (things that good Republicans would never do), I would think that lies that took us into war would qualify as well.

Saturday, June 18 2005 from Cohutta

The solution to the shortfalls affecting the military should really be simple to overcome. Over 50% of the people who voted last November obviously believe that the war is correct and just. Surely, there's a large percentage of them that are eligible or have children who are eligible to sign up and serve for their noble cause. Do you think that their children, as Cheney described his lack of military service, have other priorities? Let's start with the Bush twins. They're out of school and it would be an honorable beginning to what I'm sure will be a lifetime of service to humanity and their fellow Americans.

Friday, June 17, 2005 from Cohutta

Strangely enough, Tom DeLay and the prez seem to be keeping their mouths shut regarding all their political grandstanding about Terri Schiavo. Unfortunately, Jeb Bush and Senator/Doctor Bill Frist seem to think that if they put their feet in their mouths a little bit deeper, they will be easier to extricate.

Jeb Bush now wants to question what he has never questioned before: the perceived time delay of Schiavo's call to 911. Senator/Doctor Frist now says that he did not make a diagnosis from the short 4-year old video that Terri's parents had been using and reusing to push their point. Though, he began his speech to Congress by saying that he was speaking to them as a doctor as well as a senator, he is now backpedaling and saying that he did not make a diagnosis when he said about the, we now know, blind Terri Schiavo that, "She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli."

I think that they both need to look at the number of constituents that they're pandering to and ask themselves if it's worth it.

Thursday, June 16, 2005 from Cohutta

To listen to the Republicans and their constituents complain about the war in Iraq makes my blood boil. What has changed since last November? Nothing! All they gave a damn about was getting their man into office again. Now they have what they wanted. There were no surprises, so what are they disillusioned about, the fact that this Bush-vs-Saddam War is still going on 7 months later? Big surprise!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 from Cohutta

It appears that the damage to poor Terry Schiavo's brain affected her parents' brains as well.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 from Cohutta

It looks like in 2008, another Clinton is going to have to clean up another Bush mess.

Anonymous

Monday, June 13, 2005 from Cohutta

I know now that I can do anything in life. I have survived 4 days without connection to the Internet (or as our prez says, the internets). I am invincible.

Thursday, June 9, 2005 from Cohutta

Not counting Nevada, the place where other people go to obtain divorces, the highest divorce rate is in Arkansas, then Oklahoma and Tennessee. I guess good Christians there are too busy judging the rest of mankind to tend to their own marriages.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005 from Cohutta

Howard Dean's statements may not be politically correct but I do think that they're correct. I wish I would have had the opportunity to vote for him rather than just against Bush.

Friday, June 3, 2005 from Cohutta

Mark Felt was a messenger that the Republicans would like to kill. It must be killing them that they cannot openly defame his character. Their problem is that he was telling the truth. Their other problem is that this would be pointed out to them by the American public. You can elevate a liar to hero status if he has charisma and tells the right lies (case in point, Ollie North) but to tear down Mark Felt might be a tough sell. I think that Rumsfeld came the closest when he questioned whether it was right for Felt to go the media rather than report the wrongdoing. I think that that's a legitimate issue, but who do you report it to when your boss is in on it?

Thursday, May 2, 2005 from Cohutta

Bush Anxious to Learn More of Deep Throat

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said
on Wednesday the disclosure that the former No. 2 official at the FBI
was Watergate's "Deep Throat" source caught him by surprise and he's
anxious to learn more details about his relationship with the news
media.

"It's hard for me to judge" whether former
deputy FBI Director Mark Felt provided a valuable public service or
acted improperly, Bush told reporters.

"I'm learning more about the situation," he said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Translation:

1) This, like everything else, requires something I do not possess: the ability to think and speak at the same time.

2) Everything catches me by surprise.

3) I can't make a judgment because I haven't been told what to think yet.

4) OMG, we're in deep shit if we have a Deep Throat in our little coven.

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 from Cohutta

It would be nice if this administration had its own Deep Throat, except that the result would be President Cheney: the only reason I can think of that makes me feel better off with Bush in office.