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In Today's Tequila Treehouse... Will Kerry Report for Duty?  GOP Changes Ethics Rules  New Dow High Likely?  Dangerous Pot Dealers  Jitske and Evolution  Bush to Limit Your Rights In the Hands of Monkey Man Will Dems Stand Silent?     Quote of the Day "In this world of sin and sorrow there is always    something to be thankful for. As for me,    I rejoice that I am not a Republican."       -- H. L. Mencken   "...as long as I'm the dictator..."

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Quotes

"This town is sometimes too partisan and too political. My hope is, is that we can show
  the nation that we can come together to achieve big things for the good of the country."
    -- The most brazenly partisan president in history,     Attribution

 Will John Kerry Report for Duty?
     by Robert Parry

  Click  Here

  Excerpt:
 Early in Campaign 2004, Sen. John Kerry challenged George W. Bush's operatives to "bring it on," fully expecting
 that they would try to smear his patriotism despite his Vietnam War medals. In accepting the Democratic nomination,
 Kerry again highlighted his national service by snapping off a salute with the words: "Reporting for duty."

 Yet one of the biggest disappointments for many Democrats was that the "bring it on" John Kerry didn't show up at
 key moments in Election 2004. He failed to respond aggressively when a Republican front group spread lies about
 his war record. He then meekly conceded defeat on the day after the Nov. 2 election rather than fight for a full
 examination of voting irregularities.

 Now, John Kerry may have one more chance to "report for duty." On Jan. 6, after the new Congress convenes,
 he could join with Reps. John Conyers, Maxine Waters and other members of the House of Representatives in
 supporting their expected motion for a full-scale investigation of Election 2004, particularly the widespread
 allegations of voting fraud in the pivotal state of Ohio.

 For the House motion to have any standing, it must be signed by at least one U.S. senator. So far, no U.S. senator
 has stepped forward despite petition drives from rank-and-file Democrats demanding that Bush's victory be contested.
 

Not to be too dramatic, but Earth's history either goes right or wrong on January 6.
    Either Kerry steps up and forces a real investigation into our stolen elections and gets America
    back in the civilized world or we could be stuck living in "Thug America" for generations.
    Will Kerry step up and become the man who stopped the Bush Madness?
    Or will he join Lincoln's bodyguard as the man who went to sleep at exactly the wrong time?

.Robert Parry is not only the most important writer on the Internet, for some reason,
    I can follow and understand every word he writes.
    Whatever my learning/reading disability is, it doesn't seem to apply to Parry.
    I read a paragraph of his, I understand it, my mind files it, and I look forward to the next.
    For my money, there's no other political writer who says so much so clearly - and he f-ing tells the truth!
 

 Note:  consortiumnews.com is the most important site on the Internet.

 Comments?

 G.O.P. Changes House Ethics Rules

.....
"I'm nuts about these new rules!"

  Click  Here

  Excerpt:
 House Republicans pushed through a significant change in the handling of ethics complaints
 over wimpy Democratic objections as the 109th Congress convened with a burst of handjobbery.

 The House enacted a change that would effectively dismiss a complaint in the event of a deadlock
 in the ethics committee, which is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans.

 
 Absolute power, corrupting absolutely.
 The voters don't care if the GOP are crooks - they like Bush no matter how crooked he is.
 He can murder at will, loot the Treasury and reward the super-rich with THEIR money.
 America has lost her soul and making the Illegal Emporer happy is all that counts now.

  Comments?

 Quotes

"I will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly, and their
  successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith."
      --Pat Robertson, (R-Insane) claiming Jesus told him that Dubya will have Social Security
         and tax reform passed and that Muslims will (swear to Koresh) turn to Jesus Christ,    Attribution

 Subject: cloud being?

 You and your cloud being.
 Marijuana was and is illegal as a means of control (originally mostly minorities).

 What?
 

 It has nothing to do with religion, or jesus, or God (who isn't invisible, and isn't a "cloud being"!)

 ...the opposite of invisible is visible.
 

 The History channel runs the history of drug laws every other month. Watch it sometime.
 They've done a reasonably accurate series. Prohibition (which was repealed) was maybe mostly
 driven by good christian morality,

 I haven't seen that series, but you say the Christians brought back booze?
 If that's true I will tip my hat to them, probably for the first time.
 

 ...but drugs were rampant and legal and common (think Coca-cola?), until the 20's when the govt.
 decided to step in with a "tax" (impossible to get license, thereby making pot, coke, H all effectively illegal)

 That's confusing.
 The tax made drugs illegal?
 

 Happy Koreshmas and or solstice, and for God's sake--get your act together for the coming tribulations!
 Love,
 allun

 allun, thanks for the advice.

 Comments?

 Quotes

"If the money they have promised to the victims of the tsunami still falls far short
  of the amounts required, it is partly because the contingency fund upon which they draw
  in times of crisis has been spent on blowing people to bits in Iraq.  If our leaders were as
  generous in helping people as they are in killing them, no one would ever go hungry."
       --George Monbiot,    Attribution

 Comments?

 Bushies say new Dow high likely in 2005
   They won't bet on that, but they'll suggest you do

  Click  Here

  Excerpt:
 It might be hard to believe, (ha ha - you got that right) but just 27 months after the nation's
 oldest and most recognizable stock barometer set a bear market low of 7286, the Dow is
 within striking distance of taking out its high notched at the height of the stock market bubble.

 To make history, the Dow, which ended 2004 at 10,783, must climb an additional 940 points, or 8.7%.
 If the Dow recoups the rest of its 37.8% bear market loss sometime in 2005 - an accomplishment most pundits
 would have viewed as a long shot a few years back - it would be a huge psychological boost for investors
 scarred by the worst decline since the 1929 stock market crash ushered in the Great Depression.
 

 Notice how they mix the truth with lies.  They admit Bush gave us a worse crash than even Reagan's disaster,
 second only to the mother of all crashes in 1929, but they suggest that same "feed the rich" mentality will work
 better a third time after crashing the economy twice before.

 Want to bet your economic future and your children's economic future that Bush knows what he's doing?

 Remember, these are the same people telling you, "Iraq is working out better than expected."
 

...
    The Dow lost ground each of the last five days - an optimistic start for 2005?

 ð Abby Joseph Cohen, the top strategist at Goldman Sachs and the most influential
   Wall Street bull in the '90s, pegs the Dow at 11,800 by year-end 2005.

 Yeah, if you "peg" it, that means it will happen?
 When I hear you've pulled your assets out of cash and bought stock, THEN I might believe you, but "pegging"
 is your way to get US to buy stock so the stock prices will rise so you can sell yours at a higher profit.
 

 ð Hennessy, the mutual fund manager who made headlines in late 2003 when he predicted
    the Dow would reach 15,000 by year-end 2008, is looking for Dow 12,100 in 2005.

 Yeah, and Ol' Bart is "looking" to become the Democratic nominee in 2008.
 

 ð Chuck Carlson, contributing editor of the Dow Theory Forecasts, says the Dow
    has a "viable" shot at setting a new high.

  Yeah, and Ol' Bart has a "viable" shot at winning the World Series of Poker.

 Look at the weasel words they're using.
 They act like they're saying the Dow will rise, but in truth, they're saying it could rise.
 They're doing all they can to convince us the Emporer is a genius - but we know he's not.

 Bottom line:
 If you think peace is coming to Iraq and the Middle east - bet on Bush's stock market.
 If you think the 4,000 year problem can only get worse with Bush's meddling, buy gold and oil futures.

 Disclaimer:
 I really have no idea what I'm talking about, but I know betting on Bush is a bad gamble.

 Comments?

 Quotes

"There are plenty of people on Wall Street who say the blue-chip barometer (Dow average)
 has the pedigree to do it (break Clinton's record of 11,722).
    -- Adam Shell, Bush toady at USA TODAY with obscene optimism    Attribution
 

 Have you ever heard such asinine phrasing?
 The Dow "has the pedigree" to beat the old record?

 And who thinks that?
 "Plenty of people on Wall Street," says Shell, wanting you to bet on Bush.

 Instead of a pedigree, Shell is humping Bush's leg with that unwarranted sunny forecast.

 Comments?

 Subject: selling marijuana

 Sure, 55 years is too long and is a reactionary response to more dangerous drugs.
 But it is still against the law to sell weed, and there is tons of evidence that it is a gateway drug.

 I don't believe that.
 What if I told you that 98 percent of pot users enjoyed chocolate as children.
 Would chocolate then be considered a gateway drug?

 If pot is a gateway drug, its prohibition is the cause.
 The "criminal" who sells pot can probably get you other drugs as well.
 But if you grew your own pot, how could that possibly lead to harder drugs?
 

 It ought to be available by prescription, but the unregulated use advocated by NORML and others is too far.

 Who, Long Ranger!
 What "danger" are you trying to prevent?
 Tobacco kills 400,000 Americans a year - pot kills nobody - and you want it regulated?

 Will you try to "protect? me from tequila, too?
 

 The way to change the law is to elect people who will do so, not break it.

 So, the quadriplegic who used pot to treat his chronic pain should wait until America
 comes to their senes and allows science and logic to interfere with the making of laws?
 Trust me, he'll die before Americans start acting rationally about a harmless flower.
 

 And please stop blaming every moral or legal stance of the Right Wing on their religious views,
 and thereby blasting all people of faith as the same kind of nutcases.
 Should all democrats be tarnished with the excesses of Ramsey Clark, Maplethorpe and other extremists?
 No.

 The same holds true for all people of faith being blamed for the extremes of the Religious Right.
 They are not representatives of all Christians, despite their claims to the contrary.
 DKS
 

 That's fair - if the sane, church going people allow medical doctors to influence the writing of drug laws
 instead of doing "what God wants" or following some idiot like Falwell - I'm with you.

 Personally, I don't know any medical science and logic people who are religious,
 but maybe I just don't know enough religious people.

 Thanks for the tangle...

  Comments?

 Subject: answer for Jitske - how things evolve

  Click  Here
 

 Dozens of smart people wrote with good replies to Jitske but I don't have time to
 copy and format them all.   These were some of the best replies I read.

  Comments?

 Bush Launches Battle to Limit Your Rights in Court
  Shielding the super rich from liability his primary goal

..

  Click  Here

  Excerpt:
 Bush launches an uphill battle on Wednesday to limit medical malpractice lawsuit awards
 that he says drive up health care costs, seeking to protect the super-rich from accountability.

 The battle pits powerful groups against each other: trial lawyers against insurance companies
 and doctors who whine that rising premiums for malpractice insurance are driving them out of business.

 Legislation to cap malpractice awards for pain and suffering passed the House last year but stalled
 in the Senate. Bush is hoping the larger Republican majority will lead his plan to victory this year
 

 If you go in for a vasectomy and they amputate your feet, Bush says the doctor shouldn't
 be held accountable because the medical lobby gives him tons of money every year.
 If your family burns to death in a poorly-designed car or truck, Bush wants you to
 "get over it" because Ford and GM need to make more so they can give him more.

 Comments?

 Quotes

"The 'new paradigm' of the war on terror renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning
  of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions requiring that a captured enemy be
  afforded such things as commissary privileges' and other amenities of prisoner-of-war camps."
    --White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, (R-Torturer) memo to Clueless      Attribution

  Comments?

 Subject: one more crucifix letter

 ONE of your problems Bart is that -- as it is with 97 percent of all Catholics
 (both devout AND heritic, almost as high as with 98.9 percent of all Protestants)
 you are woefully ignorant of Christian-faith history.

 Sidebar:  I'm not certain, but I think you just said, "The more you know about
 Christian-faith history, the more you'll enjoy seeing Christ immersed in urine."
 That's my imagination, right?  Or did you really say that?

<snippage>

 The artist has shockingly presented his case.
 Of course, the artist's case can only be perceived by people who actually think for themselves.
 The Dude.
 

 Dude, is there a way to make a point without starting and ending with "You're stupid?"
 I've been disembowling people who start e-mails like you did since 1993.

 I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it go, but why would you think it was safe to do that?
 Your "I'm never wrong" proclamations are not refreshing.

 Do me a favor - next time, read your e-mail back to yourself before you hit "Send,"
 because if I'm in a bad mood next time you attack - ...I would just hate myself for doing what I'd do.
 

 Sidebar:
 This 'Dude' is a good guy, a regular, who usually makes sense, but some subjects make people go nuts.
 Remember, there's a difference between attacking a position and attacking an old friend.

 Comments?

 More skin on DVD of The Vanessa Marcil Show

..

  Click  Here

  Excerpt:
 Among the scenes cut from the televised Las Vegas by NBC but included on the DVD:

 Various flashes of skin, comparable to Janet Jackson's 2004 Super Bowl performance.
"We had to paint out a lot of things last year, using visual effects. But for the DVD we
 went back in and put the original footage back in," he says.

"My objective is to push it to the limit every week," he says. "You know, it's Vegas.
 There are strip clubs, scantily clad women, there's just this insanity that happens in Las Vegas,
 and we have to show that to maintain our show. So I just tell our director to shoot it all.
 

 Damn, and I just got home from Best Buy :)

 Comments?

 Quotes

"This isn't the last war we are going to fight. Once you say the
  Geneva Conventions are quaint and obsolete, you can't undo that."
      --retired Admiral John Hutson, former JAG,  Attribution

 
 If we could only get the Democrats to show some spine and reject the Head Torturer,
 but what are the odds we can find a Democrat with courage in today's Amerikkka?

 Comments?

  Click  Here  scroll to 'Courage in Print'

  Excerpt:
 America is the greatest damned mass of foolish, ignorant peasantry the world has ever produced.
 Not once before in the human race's mutable existence has there been a nation of such monumental idiocy;
 and what's more astounding is that history has given these dopes self-determination. In the exercise of this
 self-determination, America (if we are not so skeptical but as to actually believe the tally) has chosen to let
 George W. Bush lead it for another four critical years, and we are at once given a demonstration of our
 extraordinary mass moronism, and of the stunning depth of our ancestors' genius.
 

  Comments?

 Subject: the crucifix thing

 Storm in a teacup blowing out of all proportion?
 Your statement "Piss Christ bandwagon that took over the Democratic Party in the early 21st Century" is curious.

 Actually, that was a farcical prediction meant to point out the end result of defending "shock" art.
 

 I'd wager that the Democratic Party (members, supporters of) has not officially or unofficially embraced piss
 - or any other bodily fluid related works (of art, or just works), at least I have not heard of a statement
 ("Piss-Christ represents the Democratic Party, says minority leader Pelosi").

 Very few people in dem camp probably give a rat's ass about Serrano's work, or even know such exists.
 If they do, most probably hate it. However, they are not howling at the moon with rage because some artist
 wants to be confrontational. It's no big deal. There will always be artists who want to push buttons, and there's
 no reason to get all worked up because someone wants to call piss or whatever art.

 Ordinarily I'd agree, but I'm only printing a fraction of the "How dare you dislike PC?" letters.
 I thought this would be a less-than one-day story, but some left-wing readers can't believe I wouldn't
 fight to defend Serrano's work at all costs (including losing elections) and that's surprising to me, too.
 

 Let'em! It hurts no-one and steals no-one's pension.   The freedom of expression covers a lot of ground.
 Let the republicans get their panties in knots over non-issues. When they scream: "This is liberalism!"
 We can say, no it is not, and in fact we don't like it, but the artist can do whatever he wishes and I don't
 believe in censorship. The freedom of expression, and the ability to tolerate inconsequential stupidity is liberalism.
 
 Enjoy the page from across the pond,
 Sami

  Comments?

 Subject: wackos

 Bart, you wrote:
 
> I worry that we'll come off as "wackos" to the voters.
> Do we want to win in 2008?
> Or do we want to take a stand for Ramsey Clark, Saddam and Piss Christ?

 What's next? Do we come out against Roe v. Wade so some voters won't think we're wackos?

 No, that would be telling women their rights aren't important.
 

 Should we slap the 10 commandments on the front of every public building so as not to insult religious voters?

 No, that would be surrendering to religious insanity.
 Why is it necessary to take what I said and extrapolate something "funny" from it?
 Why can't I just refuse to get in bed with Ramsey Clark, Saddam and Piss Christ?
 I'm almost getting a "You're either with us or you're against us" vibe on this PC thing.
 
 

 You righteously rave day in and day out that Dems have to fight. I couldn't agree more.
 But this business lately about some liberals being too liberal makes you sound like the wingnuts
 who try to equate controversial art or speech with liberal policies.

 President Mondale and President Dukakis agree with you.
 Haven't you ever asked yourself why they sometimes win 49 states?
 You ask. "What's next?" as tho I'm trying to jerk the Democrats a mile to the right.
 I'm just trying to pull them away from the things that make people vote for the fascists.
 

 Bart, it's confusing, and it sounds like you're pissing off some of your subscribers.
 Move on.
 Dan Leahy
 

 Dan, I'm hoping my readers have the brains and maturity to debate the issues instead of
 committing political suicide defending something that repluses most voters.
 Some (or many) Democrats think we ought to marry Piss Christ - I don't.

 If I'm wrong - tell me where.
 If there's a reason to trade winning elections to stand with urine art, I've yet to hear it.

  Comments?

 VCR Alert

 Alias returns tonight with a two-hour, four star episode, according to Robert Bianco of USA Today.

 West Wing officially begins the out-with-Martin Sheen, in-with-Jimmy Smits era tonight.

 World Poker Tour is a repeat of the "Reno Hilton's World Poker Challenge."
 That's OK for me, because I can't remember each hand, anyway.

 Subject: You are a liberal?

 Bart:
 I enjoy reading your site and find many of your comments assist me with analyzing the current Right turn in American politics.
 
 With regard to your own positions, I am beginning to question your true Liberal (perhaps Progressive fits better here) credentials.
 I have found the following three positions that you have taken recently surprising for a Progressive thinker:
 
    * You seemed to believe that some level of torture was acceptable during comments in the past year.
       How can any human being justify in any way the torture of another?  No truly moral person or great leader
       would ever espouse any form of torture against any other human, ever.  By appearing to suggest that any
       torture is ever acceptable you have joined the ranks of Hannity, O'Rielly, and Savage.  Do you really believe
       this position and wish to be associated with these thugs on this issue, or were you just debating the point to do so?

    * You clearly seem to think that soldiers who are participating in an illegal war (Iraq) are themselves completely blameless.
        If the soldiers in our military had the moral courage to refuse to fight in this war, there would be no war.  It is really a
        very simple concept, and I am surprised that someone as intelligent as you fails to see the point.

    * You seem to fail to understand the significance of Piss Christ.  I love Kid Rock's song where he has the line:
       "The second coming of Christ, he's got himself in a jar" - the Kid clearly understood that this was not art,
        but social commentary.  The social commentary is clearly an affront to the religious Right in our society and I find it
        interesting that in many of your rants you criticize the Democrats for not fighting the Republicans but then object to
        an artist who had the courage to take on the Right Wing per force, with no fear.

 Maybe you could clarify your "Liberal" position on these issues?
 Bob in San Diego
 

 Bob, GREAT questions.
 I'm giving you a month-long subscription to BartCop Radio because great questions
 should be rewarded and because that's where I'm going to answer you

 Thanks

  Subject: Will Democrats stand silent again?

 Four years ago when Bush stole the election the Democrats stood silent and allowed it to happen
 and suppressed the voices withing their own party who wanted to speak out about election fraud.
 We now have another election that although wasn't as close as last time - was still riddled with fraud.
 We now live in a country when the outcome of an election is dependent on who is counting the votes,
 and this is an issue that needs to be talked about. It would be a very big mistake for Democrats to
 again block this debate like they did last time.

 There are three reasons Democrats have been losing elections. The first is that Republicans are stealing elections.
 The second and more important is that Democrats have stood silent and allowed it to happen.  The last reason is
 that the Democrats keep voting with Republicans on unprovoked wars and cutting taxes for the rich. No one wants
 to vote for cowards and if the Democrats are going to roll over and take it again and again when they know better
 - then why bother to support them? If they aren't going to dig in and fight for issues like stopping the Republicans
 for privatizing Social Security, protecting reproductive choice, and blocking extreme judges - then what is the
 point in them being there in the first place? Democrats never win when they try to be like Republicans.

 Marc Perkel
 San Francisco

 Comments?

 Subject: Piss Christ

  Click  Here
 

 This is the last time I want to try to explain this.
 I must be the world's worst communicator.

  Comments?

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