Mr. President, could this disaster have been prevented?

I'm glad you asked Bob. The answer is an affirmative yes. We've known for years that the levees have been shrinking. Officials from Louisiana have been asking for the funds to fix them a lot but I've got a war to run Bob...and a Office of Homeland security to fund so I diverted funds Bob...

The Zoo hates to pick on Bush just because he's stupid. Most of the time we don't think he knowlingly does stupid things but then again...Sometimes he knowlingly does stupid things. We just think it's good to point them out...and the difference of course...

Stay Naked.

Thoughts, Prayers and Action Items...

We here at the Zoo are sending our full prayers to the citizens of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippe this morning. The devastation defies words...here's some ways you can help:

Here's some housing help

Message boards and community help

The Red Cross

No politics. Just hope.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Making the world safe...one bomb at a time.

The sale of military weapons are at their highest levels since 2000 with the majority of weapons going to India, Saudia Arabia and China! Amer-I-Can sales slipped from 15.1 Billion to 12.4 Billion but we're still #1!!!...

I feel safer already...

Freedom of the Pressssssident...forget it...

So the President threw a BBQ for members of the press. Sounds like a good time...almost, except that you won't hear anything about it because, as Julie Mason of the Houston Chronicle, who was in attendance pointed out, "Nothing the president said could be quoted, but it's rare that reporters get uninterrupted access to him for 90 minutes, particularly when beer is served. Bush, who gave up drinking years ago, drank a non-alcoholic Buckler." So I guess you're a reporter until someone gives you free beer...makes sense to me.

Have you heard of the new hit show on IraqiTV, "Materials and Labor"? It's Extreme House Makeover Baghdad Style...yes, lucky Iraqis get their bomb damaged houses rebuilt for them...Smile into the camera folks, it's only a smart bomb...

and I think to myself...what a wonderful world:)

It must be fun to be Rich...Frank Rich that is.

NY Times columnist Frank Rich continues to hammer the Bush administration senseless on their Iraq policy AND hammer the toothless, sackless Democrats who barely muster a whimper of opposition to ANY Bush policy. I guess when you bend over and take it as hard as they did in SUPPORTING this war then you've got nothing left to say or do other than request lube the next time...
My anto-war hero this week? Presumptive Republican Presidental Candidate Chuck Hagel who was quoted as saying about Iraq, ""more dead, more wounded, less electricity in Iraq, less oil being pumped in Iraq, more insurgency attacks, more insurgents coming across the border, more corruption in the government." Ah the sweet smell of victory:)

In stark contrast to Rich is Times Matthew Cooper in the "No Shit" category. Bush has no strategy? Things are getting worse? Lance Armstrong is a better cyclist then Bush and his bodyguard...thanks a bunch for that penetrating glimmpse into the realm of the obvious...

Greenspan sneezes...

We've said it here before. The next great business sector 'scandal'...ala Enron, The Savings and Loan Crisis, LTCM is going to come about when interest rates keep going up and the housing bubble bursts. Now we've got Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan agreeing with us in Greenspan-ese


Greenspan was quoted as saying, "History has not dealt kindly with the aftermath of protracted periods of low-risk premiums" TRANSLATION: When interest rates rise, and they will, it's going to be armeggeddon for those you who bought way inflated houses with dodgy 'financial tools'...ie. interest only loans.

We here at the Naked Zoo predict hearings at all levels of gevernment as bankruptcies/foreclosures soar with the predictable legislative gnashing of teeth and beating on breast. We also predict new 'strict laws' to protect consumers from 'predatory lending practices'. Say that prhrase slowly three times as you'll hear it again and again, 'Predatory Lending Practices'. Expect to see it scrolling across the bottom of your favorite news channel.

Note to All: Remember this in light of the new Bankruptcy laws President Bush signed into law in April...the rope is already hanging over the branch, you're sitting in the saddle wondering what that tightness is around your neck...Greenspan just yelled Giddy-up...

What rhymes with 'Civil War'?

Federalism and the new Iraqi constitution have apparently sparked violent clashes in Iraq with some Shia (Shite) groups fighting one another. Moqtada Al-Sadr is back in the news as he is reportedly is a key player in the Shite opposition to the new constitution. His close ties with Iran and Syria as well as his willingness to work with Sunni organizations opposed to federalism make him a persistent thorn in the side of those working to build a consensus coalition.

Playing the Plame game...

A phenomenal article out of the LA Times on the Plame Affair...it's a must read...

Also, our boy John Bolton is...well he's being John Bolton and it's not pretty...:)

Good news in the Middle east...brought to you by....Al Jazeera!

We here at the Naked Zoo like to take time to recognize the good news flowing out of the land of milk and honey and it's adjacent environs like the cradle of civilization. Our quest this time brought us to famed news source Al Jazeera...

A wonderful report on a sold out Arab-Israeli solidarity concert in the West Bank city of Ram Allah. "Music can speak by herself if you listen," said Saud Shihabah, mother of one of the violinists. The concert was put on by the Barenboim-Edward Said Foundation

Al Jazeera is also reporting that the marshes of Iraq, drained by Saddam Hussein are 50% restored thanks to a Japanese funded UN project.

Second Letter to Pat Robertson

Dear Pat:
Apparently you didn't get my last letter.
I see you are now advocating the assassination of a democratically elected president of one of our neighbors to the south.
I think that qualifies as murder and I think, though I am no scholar, that God wrote the rule against that one in stone by hand.
I urge you again to keep in mind your prominent position as an (allegedly) Christian leader in this country and refrain from urging the commission of acts God has specifically forbidden. You are much concerned about gays and that rule isn't even included in the top ten.
Jared Dreyfus
P.S. You might also check your facts before attacking a United States Senator. Unless, of course, you have the same regard for the facts you apparently have for the Ten Commandments.
P.P.S. What good does it do to have the Commandments posted in public places if you aren't going to pay any attention to them anyway ?
jd

Bob Costas for Prez!

I didn't before but Bobs refusal to Host Larry King Live because he didn't want to cover the Natallee Halloway disappearance spoke volumes. Kudos to you Bob...

I also encourage you Zoo fans to check out my man Steve Earles visit to Camp Cindy on Truthout...For those of you new to the Naked Zoo...Steve Earle is one of my favorite singers and his staunch opposition to the death penalty is inspiring...

Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Trash)

Robert Mugabes notorious attempt to 'clean up' the streets has left 700,000 people homeless according to the United Nations. Amnesty International recently released secretly taped footage of Operation Murambatsvina...

Also...The Naked Zoo bids a fond farewell to our favorite Gonzo journalist...rest in peace Hunter S.

Pin the Tail on Tenet

Former SecState Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff points the accusatory finger at former CIA Chief George Tenet for the multiple failings of Powell's infamous speech to the U.N. while he describes that speech as the "lowest day" of his life. Tenet, of course, had the Medal of Freedom pinned to him, rather than the Tail of Accountability.

Just when you thought corporations were suffering..

Along comes a fat tax break...that was close.

This is really good. Think there is not enough 'good' news coming out of Iraq. Well the US Military has set up a site to help you out...

A Palestinian Voice

If you don't already know Sam Bahour, check him out. Palestinian born, American bred, in business in and reporting from Ramallah. No apologist for Israel and no rabid idealogue for the cuckoos. He provides useful insight into the Palestinian understanding of events and, God knows, we get little enough of that from the msm.

"Able Danger" We didn't know...ok, we knew...

The entire 'Able Danger' story now making it's way into the public conscious strikes me as very sad. The right is going to BC (Blame Clinton) and the left will...well who knows, make loads of speeches. The sad fact is that it appears that highly trained elements of the US govt. were all over 9-11 hijacker Mohammed Atta and we kept from acting on their intelliegnce...and, less damning but more of a political hot potato, the 9-11 commission knowlingly omitted any mention of 'Able Danger'...of course we'll follow this:)

Abramoff update...this guy can't win for losing...

How the Mighty Have Fallen . . . Further

Just when former super lobbyist Jack Abramoff thought things couldn't get any worse . . . they did. Ft Lauderdale homocide detectives want to have a chat about the 2001 contract killing of the seller of the casino ships that Abramoff is charged with defrauding.
The cops passed on interviewing Jack at the time, but now .....
Abramoff May Meet With Investigators

Walk...do NOT run from the armed men yelling at you...

Just in case you forgot that the British cops mistakenly executed Jean Charles de Menzes...here's a little follow up for you...in short, no 'leaping turnstiles, no 'lump jacket', yes restrained and shot eight times in the head...

Want to see how the red menace "flaunts" forces? SFW.

Open Letter to Pat Robertson

Dear Rev. Robertson:
I am writing to you as a brother in Christ. True, I am out on the left side of the body, but I believe in the basics, I was baptized in a running stream and I'm a member in (reasonably) good standing of a Southern Baptist church. We may not see eye to eye on some social issues (or maybe any), but on the eternals I think we have no quarrel.
In my circles it is sometimes a challenge to explain how I can share any philosophy with someone like you. I'm sure you have the same problem with people wondering what common ground you may have with "liberal" Christians.
My problems arise from your very visibility. There is so much of you around that your acts and your views have a tendency to define "Christian" in the public mind. This leads me to want to caution you where I think you are straying from the text.
For instance, we are cautioned not to "belong to" this world. When you do something like run for President I worry that this is too much like "belonging to this world". Opinions can differ, but to me, looking for the most powerful secular post on Earth seems questionable.
You present campaign around the Supreme Court seems to me to have this same difficulty. A little too directly involved in secular machinations.
And doesn't it occur to you that "praying for vacancies" on the Court comes a little close to praying for "negative outcomes" for some present members of the Court? I don't know anything about the spiritual lives of most justices, but I am assuming many, if not all, are Christians. Are you really comfortable praying for the death or disability of your brothers ? Its the kind of problem that too much "belonging" tends to lead to, I'm afraid.
All of these things have also been accompanied by your amazing certainty about things. You seem absolutely convinced that you know The Father's will about the Court and the beginning of life and same sex marriage. Sometimes I envy that certainty, but mostly I worry that people that are so certain are no longer working out salvation in fear and trembling.
Underneath all this is the fear for you that is also my greatest fear for myself: that when my time comes I will meet Jesus in inexpressible joy only to have him turn me away.. Unimaginable horror. I don't wish it on either of us. I am probably as near to it as you. You're just more visible.
See you in Heaven.
Jared Dreyfus

Rove, whose secretary formerly worked for Abramoff, has "never spoken to [Abramoff] about any of his clients,"

Jack Abramoff update...GOP fund raiser and 'Holy Shit I'm in a Lot of Trouble' party boy Abramoff posted a 2.2 MILLION dollar bail...you know you screwed up when your bail is in the millions...
Abramoff was also handcuffed and frog-marched into the local FBI office as he's considered a flight risk...One frag-march down...dozens to go:)

"it's also important for me to go on with my life"

and other oddities....President Bush, in a stinging rebuke stinging rebuke to Gold Star Mom Cindy Sheehan, went on a bike ride on his vacation. His steely gaze and leisurely pace exuded his opinion of her 'vigil (On a sidenote: this is fun, it's like they forgot how to manipulate the press...:)

In related news...Christian Conservatives, or Conservative Christians held a Rally for justices rally for justices...and by justices they mean Supreme Court Nominees who will vote, "to end the constitutional right to abortion, against recognition of same-sex marriage and for fewer restrictions on religious expression in public places."

Some highlights of this event:

Spurned Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork offered that the US Supreme Court has defined homosexuality as "a constitutional right . . . and once homosexuality is defined as a constitutional right, there is nothing the states can do about it, nothing the people can do about it." (You ever look back on a particular moment in history and say... Whew! Spend a quick second thinking about a Scalia, Thomas and Bork court)

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) said "activist courts" are imposing "state-sanctioned same-sex marriage" and "partial-birth abortion" and are "ridding the public square of any mention of our nation's religious heritage" in what amounts to "judicial supremacy, judicial autocracy" before men in tight-fitting white suits shot him in the neck with tranquilizers and took him away...

Okay, enough is enough. Check out Zell Miller (D-Ga...if you can believe it) Miller said the court "removed prayer from our public schools . . . legalized the barbaric killing of unborn babies, and it is ready to discard like an outdated hula hoop the universal institution of marriage between a man and a woman."

I'm over Zell Miller. Something needs to be done. I propose that the Minority Whip Steny Hoyer do whatever it is that Whips do...at the very least he should give him a serious nuggie or perhaps a 'cry uncle' indian burn...something...

Aim High!!...no wait...low, Aim Low....

The Bush Administration has apparently decided a good try is good enough. The Wapo is reporting that many key officials are throwing in the towel...But have no fear Christopher Walken is running for Prez in '08. I love politics:)

Sounds so dirty...

His name isn't really Jack Abramoff is it? I mean, that can't really be this guys name. Who is he? He's one of Bushs bagmen...his trail runs all up and down the sleazy halls of power...could it be that Iraq, Arbramoff, Enron (careful, this link is Ken Lays personal webpage...don't drink the koolaid...

That Old Black Magic

SecDef Rumsfeld has announced that some (unspecified) weapons in Iraq have come from Iran ! "Clearly and unambiguously". Where do we start ?
Do we compare the certainly of this announcement with Donald's certainty that Saddam had WMD ? Nah, why bother ? Of course there are weapons from Iran in Iraq.
We had better focus on Rumsfeld's admission that he has no evidence that the Iranian government had anything to do with introducing these weapons into Iraq. That part is likely to get lost in the Rove/Novak/Fox/Newsmax and etc spin machine as they crank up hatred and fear of Iran.
Just remember in the days to come, that blaming Iran for weapons smuggling into Iraq is the same as blaming George W. for the smuggling of cocaine into the U.S. He "could control the border" and if he fails to do it, he takes the hit for whatever crosses it.

Section 9528

Did you know that buried deep inside the 'No Child Left behind Act' is a provision Section 9528 that MANDATES that public high schools provide military recruiters with all contact info for Seniors and Juniors...information schools previously had deemed private...
Let's see...recruitment is suffering, recruiters are being accused of lying...

The Best Spies a Friend Could Have

The story of Larry Franklin, the Defense Department analyst suspected of spying for Israel with officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is warming up as details of the indictment are released and speculation begins as to the identities of specific, but unnamed others involved in the plot, i.e. "DOD employee A" and "DOD employee B". See that story at
TomPaine .

Of course, those sympathetic to Israel insist that Franklin and the AIPAC boys are completely innocent and, in fact, the victims of an FBI sting. Israel would never spy on its great friend the United States, they say.

Can memory be so short ? Have we forgotten about the infamous Israeli Art Student ring that spied on U.S. government installations in the months before 9/11 and also kept tabs on the 9/11 hijackers ? That story won't go away and recently resurfaced, oddly enough, in an Israeli newspaper.

Which brings to mind the companion story of the Israeli nationals with links to Mossad who were seen filming the attacks on the Twin Towers from a parking lot on the Jersey side of the river. Did they have prior knowledge of the plan which was (presumably) not shared with the U.S. government ? Were they working with the "Art Students" who were tracking the hijackers ? We don't know. After many weeks of solitary confinement and interrogation they were simply returned to Israel.

No list of Israeli anti-U.S. espionage would be complete without a mention of Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy employee convicted of spying for Israel in the eighties and still in prison. Another "innocent man" according to many Israelis who are demanding his release.

And while not espionage in the purest sense, the sinking of the U.S.S. Liberty by Israeli forces during the 1967 war is certainly evidence that Israel will not allow U.S. interests, or the lives of U.S. citizens, to weigh heavily against those of Israel.

Part of the Israeli defense in the Franklin case is to observe that "the relationship" between the U.S. and Israel is now "so close" that there is no need for spying, all intelligence is "shared". There is another word for this "relationship" in the world of intelligence and espionage. Penetration.

What is he afraid of ?

There is a lone woman camped outside President Bush's Crawford. Texas ranch as he enjoys his 50th vacation since taking office.
She is a Gold Star Mother which means she lost her son in Iraq.
She is also the co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace who are demanding the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
All she wants is to talk to the President. She gave her son. She wants a couple of minutes of his vacation.
W won't talk. She now faces arrest as a "threat to the President" if she doesn't end her vigil and drop her demand to talk about her son to her President whose orders sent him to his death.
So why won't Bush meet her ? It can't be the danger. The Secret Service can presumably prevent a Gold Star Mother from harming the President. The National Security Advisor and the Deputy White House Chief of Staff have met with her and survived.
Is Karl Rove so preoccupied with his own problems that he is unable to see that this one (a) won't go away and (b) won't get better with time ?
See the story at Truthout.og.

Those wee bastards in Congress...

Want to 'amend' and/or 'change the Landmark Civil Rights Act. Haven't heard about this? Well this one could hurt you...

Leak is as leak does...

Robert Novak and Karl Rove have a history of 'loose lips cost jobs'. The NY Times takes us back to 1991 via Truthout.org...did you know Karl Rove was FIRED from 41's campaign? I love stories like this:)

Naked Zoo LIVE Re-cap

We had a wonderful show today LIVE on KWMR. We air every other Saturday at 10:00am PST on 90.5FM in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can also hear us streaming on-line at KWMR.org.

On this weeks show we focused on the Karl Rove/, Valerie Plame scandal. Suspended CNN personality/journalist Robert Novak had a spectacular implosion on live television. Kudos to E!online for a good article. Jay Rosens article is also a must read. We've also got Roves top aides testifying. The scandal that wouldn't go away....Think Progess is also reporting about a new thinkprogress.org/2005/08/02/another-valerie-plame/ "Valerie Plame" scandal. According to the NY Times and the Washinton Post, an unnamed CIA analyst alleges that he was terminated because he refused to falsify his reports concerning WMDs in the run-up to the Gulf War...
We were also very happy to have Fred Ross from theSEIU (Service Employees International Union). Fred spent 6 years with SEIU as strategic campaigns organizer,currently working with healthcare campaigns in 6 states. In 2004 led get out the vote campaign in New Mexico for Kerry campaign.First voter reg and gotv campaigns I did were with my father and UFW in 1968 for Bobby Kennedy campaign in East L.A. Started working with Cesar Chavez as organizer in 1970 organized lettuce strikes ,March on Gallo 1975,20,ooo participated led nor cal grass-roots  lobbying campaign to win passage of ALRA.organized farmworkers in Oregon and Washington state.Founding organizer of
Neighbor to neighbor, natl grasroots organization that successfully challenged Reagan foreign policy in Central America-natl campaigns to defeat contra aid,international boycott of Salvadoran coffee. Community organizer in L.A. latino community during Pete Wilson prop.187 attack on immigrant,1994-1996chief of staff to Rep.Nancy Pelosi1996-1999 brief
stint as S.F. public defender 1981-1983.
Mr. Ross will be addressing the historic split between the AFL-CIO AFL-CIO and the SEIU. Check out this great article by the Christian Science Monitor Here.

Related Links:
Change to Win Coalition
Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma

All Plame, All the time...

Make sure and tune into the radio version of the Naked Zoo News Review tomorrow morning at 10:00am PST on KWMR 90.5 FM (or online at kwmr.org)...

77% This Bush is lying
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/03/opinion/polls/main713832.shtml

Naughty Karl
http://www.radaronline.com/fresh-intelligence/2005/07/26/index.php#report_001974

Why did Novak Explode?
http://www.mysterypollster.com/main/2005/08/offtopic_novak_.html

Rove Aides testify
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/08/03/MNGFOE235C1.DTL

Related Story?
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12305279.htm

This is no good....

Insurgents/terrorists/freedom fighters...call them what you will but they are very resourceful. They've decided..."We need bigger bombs" How very American of them

Day 2: The Mediafada...

Another one bites the dust. Steven Vincent, an American reporter, was assasinated in the Iraqi port city of Basra Basra...we've been seeing for weeks many stories coming out about out-of-control Iraqi security forces...Mr. Vincent died for his reporting...another casualty of the 'War on Terror'...

And away we go....

This is post #1 of the Naked Zoo Media Empire. It's my goal to foster debate and speak truth to power. Who am I to do this? I'm me and I totally believe in truth. Not some shadows on a wall kind of truth but singular truth. For without truth there are no lies, no deceptions. Just pure relativity...which, in my soul, doesn't feel right...so I care. I get mad. I cry. I laugh. I want a better world for the next generation and I want to live well. That's about it. Oh yeah...and drive 200mph on a state maintained road:)