Faith-based foreign policy

What would we call someone who supported the invasion of Iraq and then as the claims made by the war party
were exposed as bogus changed their spin and pretended to be war critics?

What if then, posing as Iraq war critics, now claimed the Bush escalation ["the surge"] was
working? Moreover what if they had been advocates for a "surge" before Bush
had called for the same?

Liars? Lacking integrity?

Read about them here: 

http://www.salon. com/opinion/ greenwald/ 2007/07/30/ brookings/ index.html

What then did the war party do with this story as it went 'round the world?

The claim was taken up that with a little more patience, with the "hopeful signs," and
a "maybe winning," was in the offing.

But let's see: the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff states the war in Iraq won't be won
via military means, but political.

See
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20070731/ wl_mideast_ afp/usiraqmilita ry_070731184200

How is the political coming along in Iraq?

Their parliament is blowing off August, so NOTHING shall be done of the reforms the Iraqi
government promised the USG.

But there is more: the largest bloc of Sunni supporters for al-Malki’s government is bolting his coalition, see http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20070801/ ap_on_re_ mi_ea/iraq

and from within his own Shi'ite party, he faces a revolt, see  

http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2007/ 07/31/AR20070731 00312_pf. html

The foreign policy of the Bush administration is taking its’ “faith-based” notions and applying them here. Based on hope & faith, George W. Bush “endeavors to persevere.”

Iraq Security Is "Better," So Says New Joint Chiefs of Staff Pick

The Wise Great Leader’s newly-handpicked Joint Chiefs of Staff is putting a positive spin on the Iraq quagmire by saying that the “security force” in Iraq has improved, but not by much.

Michigan GOP Bill to Stop State’s Income Tax Credit

A new piece of legislation by Michigan lawmakers would delay the state’s new earned income tax credit unless the state discovered a way to churn out revenues of at least $250 million. In other words, Michigan GOP lawmakers are pulling a bait and switch on taxpayers, businesses, and voters simply by slapping a new tax to raise the $250 million revenue stream in order to pass the new tax subsidy program. To put a fine point on it, it’s either their way or the highway.

Republicans who have historically claimed to be anti-tax, anti-regulation, anti-welfare state, and pro-free market really have a spotty record when it comes to that rhetoric. They constantly pay lip service to cutting taxes, but in their own deluded way, they can’t justifiably make a valid argument to boost spending.

At least Democrats admit that they’re socialist. At least they’re not arrogant about it…like the Republicans are.

The Vision of Benito Giuliani’s Health Care Plan

According to the New York Times‘ blog, Benito Giuliani, with his new team of sycophants, is publicly noting his “vision” of health care for the U.S. In other words, Giuliani is supporting a Republican-style “universal health care” (a politically correct term for “socialized medicine”).

Here’s an excerpt of the Times’ blog:

LACONIA, N.H. — In preparation for Rudolph W. Giuliani’s speech about health care here in New Hampshire tomorrow, his campaign announced the team of advisers today and made them available to reporters to explain Mr. Giuliani’s vision.

But not to explain it so much so that they stole the former New York City mayor’s thunder.

Mr. Giuliani, who has spoken about how he would change the health care system only in the broadest terms, plans on offering details about how he would try and move America from an employer- and government-based health-care system to a consumer-based system where individuals would take a lot more control over their coverage.

Using mainly a combination of tax breaks and vouchers, Mr. Giuliani plans to tell voters that his plan, by increasing the incentive for individuals to purchase their own insurance, will create greater competition, force down overall rates and improve the quality of care all at the same time.

The plan represents a sharp difference from the various proposals being advanced by Democrats and, depending on the details, could also separate him from another leading Republican contender, Mitt Romney.

Mr. Giuliani has said in the past that he opposes mandates on health insurance, either by the state, like Mr. Romney imposed in Massachusetts, or by the federal government.

Interestingly enough, the blog also pointed out something else:

However, there are many questions about the plan that remain unanswered.

For instance, what assurance is there that people will get the kind of preventative care they need?

Mr. Giuliani often compares health insurance to car insurance and he talks about how the owner of the car will pay for the small stuff like an oil change. So too, he suggests, with health care. A consumer can cover basic routine visits, choosing a package that matches the level of risk they are willing to take.

The big risk here, it seems, is that people will fail to get the kind of preventative care that can prevent bigger, more expensive problems.

Considering Giuliani wants a Republican version of socialized medicine and Hillary wants a Democratic version of the system, which system is most likely going to get an overwhelming amount of support?

Retired and Current Unionized Auto Employees Lament Decline of the Middle Class and Fear the Future

A very short Detroit Free Press piece showcases retired and current unionized employees of the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) who lament the decline of the middle class and the fears of their future, even while the automakers and the UAW remain in contract talks.

Don’t these people understand that Big Business, the government, and Big Union, in a collectivistic manner, are the reason why the middle class is dying because government policies have encouraged businesses to relocate to other countries due to the onerous regulations slapped on them? Don’t they also understand that these things keep the middle class poor, thanks to the Federal Reserve, the income tax, the welfare-warfare state? Don’t they know that these government edicts and decrees are interfering with the free market’s natural ability to move them to the top? What will it take for them to understand that, in a laissez faire capitalistic and free society, there are no special rights, no protections, no safety nets, and, more importantly, no job security?

It’s always been a known fact that the Big Three and their employees have enjoyed a considerable amount of protectionism and mercantilism, thanks going to the state that afforded such protections from the get-go. It’s no secret that the employees of these companies who remained in their jobs for over thirty years have become so accustomed to their cushy jobs that they have professionally stagnated, thus never growing as an individual and never showing any desire and inclination to succeed. As a result, he ends up being dependent on his employer, which is something that auto employees for decades have perceived to be as an entitlement (which never truly exists, by the way).

As much as I sympathize with them, I can’t say that I feel sorry for them, considering they’ve done nothing to take care of themselves. Instead, they have expected their employers and the government to take care of them.

What a sad yet unsurprising unintended consequence of the welfare state indeed!

Pharmacists File Suit Against Washington State Over Abortion Pill

Pharmacists are now suing the State of Washington over a new regulation that strong arms them into selling the abortion pill and other contraceptives to customers despite their moral and religious objections.

So much for freedom of association, economic freedom, and voluntary social cooperation.

Bush Takes Critical Potshots at Congressional Democrats

The Great Leader has decided to blast congressional Democrats for stonewalling on “defense spending” bills by accusing them of fiscal irresponsibility and delaying the passage of the bills.

The Washington Post noted:

Speaking before conservative state legislators meeting at a convention here, Bush called on Congress to approve a Pentagon spending bill before its August recess and to pass the 11 other appropriations bills in short order.

“They need to exercise their responsibility and get this defense bill passed,” Bush said, adding that having troops in Iraq and Afghanistan adds urgency to the matter. “There’s time to do it. I’ll hang around if they want me to get the bill passed.”

The Post further noted:

With his once-ambitious domestic agenda in tatters, his administration facing multiple congressional investigations and his approval ratings at near-historic lows, the president has targeted the one institution that polls show is less popular with the public than he is: Congress.

All this business about Republicans being the poster children for fiscal responsibility and champions of small government, free enterprise, and personal responsibility is what it is — rhetoric designed to obfuscate their real agenda: to create a military welfare-warfare-loving empire that begets a blend of corporatism, mercantilism, and political and economic fascism.

And Republicans claim to embrace free market capitalism. Yeah, right. Uh huh.

Americans Distrust Politicians, Says New Survey

Americans are now viewing the political establishment — and the 2008 election — with an enormous amount of cynicism and skepticism, according to a new survey. In the overall scheme of things, many Americans are expressing a great deal of distrust of the government.

Should we really be surprised with this survey? Let’s face it; in light of the Iraq quagmire, Americans need to wake up and realize that the state is the enemy of the people, not their ally. After all, aren’t the American people the enemy of the state by now?

Bush to Sell Weapons to Saudi Regimes

The Washington Post reports today that the Bush administration is hawking WMDs to Saudi Arabia and its surrounding regions, including Israel and Egypt, for a price tag of $20 billion.

The arms deals, which include the sales of a variety of sophisticated weaponry, would be the largest negotiated by this administration. The military assistance agreements would provide $30 billion in new U.S. aid to Israel and $13 billion to Egypt over 10 years, the officials said. Both figures represent significant increases in military support.

U.S. officials said the arms sales to Saudi Arabia are expected to include air-to-air missiles as well as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn standard bombs into “smart” precision-guided bombs. Most, but not all, of the arms sales to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman — will be defensive, the officials said.

The arrogance of our own regime is astonishing: it went to war with Iraq employing a laundry list of bogus claims in defense of its invasion and occupation of the region (finding WMDs that Saddam Hussein purportedly have being one of them). And now the administration, in a sanctimonious fashion, peddling chemical and biological weapons to Israel, Egypt, and a few other nation-states, all in the name of making allies with the Middle East while getting tough with Iran.

In a nutshell, it wasn’t okay for Saddam to have WMDs in his own backyard, even if he were to going to sell them to his own allies in the region (which he had done), but it’s fine and dandy for Bush and his collectivistic thugs in Israel and Egypt to do the same.

This is pure hypocrisy at its worst. And for good measure, this is a fine epitome of the old adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

Pathetic yet predictable.

Photo of the New Joker Out

I found this photo of the new Joker, who’s being played by Heath Ledger in the upcoming Dark Knight film, which is due out in 2008. As a longtime fan of Batman and the world of comic books, the Dark Knight himself has always struck me as a libertarian.

After all, Bruce Wayne is a capitalist and an entrepreneur. Moreover, he has always opposed the state. The Joker, on the other hand, is an evil statist who believes in the power of the state and looks to initiate force on those who don’t see things his way.

Isn’t that a fair assessment or no?