Now They've Spiked the Koolaid

It is, of course, possible to have differing opinions about the quality of service that has been provided by Donald Rumsfeld in his role as Secretary of Defense. President Bush is a staunch supporter as is VP Dick Cheney. There are others.

Critics, who look at the catastrophe in Iraq, the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the ongoing scandal of war profiteering among favored defense contractors and the reported overall condition of the Army and Marines as those forces are stretched to meet combat needs while keeping to Rumsfeld's doctine regarding force size, are, well . . . critical.

Folks who go along with Rumsfeld are said to have "drunk the Koolaid", a reference to the followers of Jim Jones who loyally drank the poisoned Koolaid in Guyana and died.

Evidence that the Rumsfeld Punch has now been spiked with something stronger, possibly hallucinogenic, started coming in last week when Cheney told Rush Limbaugh that matters in Iraq were going "remarkably well". Compared to what, he did not say.

From the White House to the Pentagon, the I.R.P. (Improved Rumsfeld Punch), is now being more widely circulated. Looking to get ahead at the Pentagon these days ? Have some punch.

According to AFP, Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who took over Southern Command the other day, said "We're lucky as a nation that he [ that's right, Rumsfeld] continues to serve with such passion and such integrity and such determination and such brilliance." Brilliance ? I wonder if he had the grape or the raspberry.

The man he replaced, General Bantz Craddock, was lyrical about what SouthCom had achieved on his watch. "Today I believe that we can say we were successful in our efforts and contributed to ensuring our nation's security through support on the global war on terror, and encouraged regional cooperation to enhance the security and stability in the region," he said. Regional cooperation ? Is he talking about Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales or is he talking about Colombia where the Army we trained is murdering the police we support ?

Gen. Craddock, for his loyalty, is on his way to become Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe.

We wonder if Rumsfeld has actual hickeys on his backside.

We are taught that if a man gives his soul and gains the whole world, he profits nothing. What if he only gains the Supreme Command of Allied Forces in Europe or Southern Command ?

If Improved Rumsfeld Punch is not yet available for drinking in your area, you can always vote Republican instead.

Stay Naked
jd



Gen. Craddock

Hu's on First ?

When you are the World's Only Superpower engaged in a self-proclaimed Global War on Terror against the Axis of Evil it is easy to view all world events through that lens and have the feeling that everything relates to and revolves around us.

Thus, North Korea's decision to test a nuclear weapon is immediately seen as a challenge to President Bush.

It is possible, however, to see these matters in different frameworks which is why we like like to drop by WatchingAmerica from time to time to sample these other perspectives.

In this case we are considering the observations of Rajinder Puri of Outlook India who sees China in general and President Hu in particular at the focus of the DPRK weapons test furor.

You may or may not be persuaded by Puri's argument, but you will doubtless be amused by his crediting Henry Kissinger with assisting China in achieving its 5 to 1 trade advantage with the U.S. and noting that Donald Rumsfeld was a director of the company that sold North Korea its light water reactors. Wrap that around a possible internal Chinese power struggle between the Old Guard and Hu and you have a plausible yarn that reduces Bush to a bit player in the real game.

Ponder these plausabilities, consider alternative realities and

Stay Naked
jd

We Are Shocked ! Shocked !

The President of the United States won't say it. The President of Iraq won't say it. The Secretary of Defense of the United States won't say it. The main stream media won't say it.

Some of these folk will say we are "near" it, or "sliding toward" it, or "approaching" it or "in danger of" it. But they won't say it. Until now.

It takes Anthony H. Cordesman, the Arleigh Burke Chair in Stategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies to say it. Iraq is already in a state of civil war. All right, I didn't put quotes around it because Cordesman actually said, "Iraq is already in a state of limited civil war." Emphasis added. But a limited civil war is still a civil war and this expert thinks we are there now.

It's in his recent report entitled "Iraqi Force Development and the Challenge of Civil War: Can Iraqi Forces do the Job?" His answer is a qualified "yes". The qualifications, however, are pretty serious, e.g., "most units are severely undermanned, have critical problems in officer and NCO quality and leadership, are too lightly equipped and poorly facilitized, and many are Shiite or Kurdish dominated" and " The [Interior] ministry [is] still plagued by "poor planning and fiscal control capability" and it still had "serious problems with corruption," and "most [national police units] still present problems in terms of both loyalty and effectiveness."

In summary: "There is no near term prospect that Iraqi force development will allow major reductions in MNF-I forces." The successful development of the Iraqi security forces "can only succeed if the MNF-I provides active combat support well into 2008 and major advisory and aid support through 2010," he stated. "Every element of ISF development still requires years of effort and support."


Who is Cordesman ? Among many other things that can be seen HERE he has formerly served as national security assistant to Senator John McCain of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as director of intelligence assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as civilian assistant to the deputy secretary of defense.

So pay attention to the progress, look on the sunny side, vote Republican and

Stay Naked
jd

Chad Vader: Episode IV

That's right Zooheads, time for Adams favorite Youtube offering. I'm talking about Chad Vader: Night Shift Manager. Who is Chad Vader? Why he's Darths not so talented younger brother. I love the internet. Enjoy the continuing saga of a supermarket far far away...



Since I'm in a youtube state of mind I thought I'd include something that just flat out touched me. This is a young youtuber doing a cover of Leonard Cohens 'Hallelujah' (Immortalized by Jeff Buckley IMHO)



Stay visual and as always...Use the Force.

I mean...Stay Naked.

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News from the Cola Wars Front

Government in India is, of course, different than government here. Of course. Here, you get a little e coli on some spinach and spinach disappears from the market as by magic.

In India, as we reported HERE, the government of Kerala State determined that both Pepsi and Coke contained pesticides at levels 24 times the allowable levels. So they banned the sale of the contaminated beverages.

Courts in India must, of course, be different than courts here. We can tell, because the High Court of Kerala State just ruled that the state didn't have the authority to ban the contaminated beverages. Not that they weren't contaminated, but that the government lacked the power to ban them. Oh, we don't mean that the courts there are different because they ruled in favor of gigantic corporations and against the public interest. Our courts do that all the time.

No, its just that they did it so fast ! Our first story was August 10 and 43 short days later the court has overturned the ban. That is speedy justice, well, a speedy ruling anyway.

AND IN OTHER COLA NEWS . . .

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports a study of 1,413 women finding that daily cola drinking (not just any old soft drink, but specifically cola) results in weaker bones and higher fracture risk. Seems to have to do with the phosporic acid in the cola that interferes with calcium absorption and increases calcium excretion.

No effect on the 1,125 men in the study, so Pepsi your brains out, boys, and ignore the other pernicious effects of the stuff.

Stay hydrated and Stay Naked.
jd

More Rights for Terrorists !

Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis (What Emails ?) Hastert (R-Ill) characterized the almost completely Democratic vote against stripping habeas corpus rights from "enemy combatants" detained by the United States as a vote for "more rights for terrorists".

Pure Republican spin, of course. What the Democrats did was to vote to preserve rights any person in U.S. custody has had since the founding of the republic, i.e., the right to have an independent judge decide whether his or her confinement was legal and, if not, to order their release. Pretty basic stuff for more than two hundred years.

Now, if you are a foreign national and Mr. Bush has labeled you an "enemy combatant" and the CIA has got their hands on you, you are out of luck, period. They can hold you forever. They don't have to tell anybody. If you are thinking "thank God I'm an American citizen", consider Niemoller's famous, "When they came for the communists, I didn't protest . . . ", but that would be a digression here.

Our question is: Why should we give a damn about what Bush does to terrorists ? So what if we deny them their "rights" ? They want to kill us.

Fortunately, that question has been perfectly answered and in a movie. A Man for All Seasons. What happens when we would ignore the law to fight evil ? The movie's central character, Sir Thomas More, discusses the point with a young man named Roper.

Wife: "Arrest him!"
Sir Thomas: "For what?"
Wife: "He's dangerous!"
Roper: "For all we know he's a spy!"
Daughter: "Father, that man is bad!"
Sir Thomas: "There's no law against that!"
Roper: "But there is, God's law!"
Sir Thomas: "Then let God arrest him!"
Wife: "While you talk he's gone!"
Sir Thomas: "And go he should, if he were the Devil himself, until he broke the law!"
Roper: "So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!"
Sir Thomas: "Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?"
Roper: "Why, yes! I'd cut down every law in England to do that!"
Sir Thomas: "Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down--and you're just the man to do it, Roper!--do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?"
"Yes," Sir Thomas concludes: "I'd give the Devil the benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!"

That's why we care. For our own safety's sake. And yours.

Stay Naked
jd

It is our understanding that the use of a single frame of the abovementioned film for noncommercial and educational purposes is a "fair use" within the meaning of the Copyright Act. If we are wrong, you all may be declared enemy combatants. Oops.

Most Profound Man in Iraq

an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied...'Yes. You.'

This is a great snippet out of a wonderful article just published on Time.com. It's written by an anonymous Marine Officer. It made me smile. It made me cry. It made me want to go fight with the amazing young men and women we have serving in Iraq and it made me pray for their safe return. I'm going to include some excerpts but I encourage you to read the full article HERE.

Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate — Any outfit that has been in Iraq recently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here — all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a band of brothers who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps.

Biggest Outrage — Practically anything said by talking heads on TV about the war in Iraq, not that I get to watch much TV. Their thoughts are consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted. Biggest Offender: Bill O'Reilly.

Proudest Moment — It's a tie every day, watching our Marines produce phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in teasing apart Bad Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by our guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school shouldn't be able to work so well, but they do.

Favorite Iraqi TV Show — Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Most Common Thought — Home. Always thinking of home, of my great wife and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting that I don't write more. Yep, always thinking of home.

Stay Naked.

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A Little Like a Toy Gun

The story is common enough that the Google search " toy gun killed police" brings 1, 340,000 hits from all parts of the country, from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, from Dallas and from Pomona. Details vary but the essentials are always the same. Somebody, a child, a criminal, brandishes a gun, the police open fire and later discover the gun was a toy. Oops.
You see the police can't always tell at a distance or in the dark or in a hurry that what looks like a deadly weapon is really something else.

Now the Pentagon wants to raise the stakes in this deadly game. The risks in the toy gun game are pretty much limited to the kid or the perp with the toy gun. Now the generals want to spread the risk. To everybody.

The brass hats want to modify our deadliest nuclear missiles to carry conventional (instead of nuclear) weapons for possible use against, oh say, Iran or North Korea. Sounds like a step in the right direction until the experts point out that the Russians will not be able to tell whether the launch they detect is nuclear and aimed at them or conventional and aimed at somebody else. The toy gun problem

Add to that the problem that they will have just fifteen minutes to make up their minds. And their satellites aren't as good as ours. And their whole system is badly deteriorated.

If all of this additional risk makes sense to you, please send SecDef Rumsfeld an encouraging word and, by all means,

Stay Naked
jd

There Are None So Blind

Secretary of State (and Lt. Governor of the State of Denial) Condoleeza Rice looks at the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza where Hamas and Fatah fighters have been killing each other and innocent civilians and cries out for peace. Of course, when the Israelis kill innocent Palestinians that is just "collateral damage" in their ceaseless war to "defend themselves" which it is, of course, their right to do.

I digress. Let us take Bush Administration compassion where we can find it. Condi says the Palestinians deserve "calm". So she is looking for ways to strengthen one faction (Fatah) against the other (Hamas), the side that happens to be the recently elected side. The whole problem is, you see, an "internal Palestinian problem". There is another view.

In that view, found in Haaretz, Israel has been conducting a multi-year experiment on the Palestinians. An experiment that includes imprisonment (none enter or leave Gaza but by Israeli permission), destruction of livelihoods and infrastructure, theft of hundreds of millions of dollars due the Palestinians in customs dues and taxes, reduction of food, water and electricity supplies and etc. Add a policy of dividing the political factions, plus assassinations and arbitrary military raids. Stir under hot sun. See if violence results. Decry violence.

Secretary Rice may then enter, join in condemning the violence, ask the Israelis to temper a few of these policies, fail in her request and leave, presumably after a ceremonial washing of the hands. Little is asked of Israel, nothing is demanded or required. You'd think they were giving us more than a billion dollars a year.

Never doubt, Oh Best Beloved, that when the final accounting is rendered on peace and suffering in Israel and Palestine, the account due from the United States, from you and me, Oh Best Beloved, will be long and detailed.

Think about the indictment, prepare your defenses and

Stay Naked
jd

CHINA DECLARES SPACE WAR ON U.S. !

The Communist Chinese have openly attacked key U.S. surveillance satellites with ground based laser weapons while the Administration keeps these facts from the public for political reasons and to preserve China's "cooperation" in diplomatic initiatives against North Korea and Iran.

Those are the facts, folks, according to a recent piece in the U.K. paper the Telegraph. The Pentagon is apparently very concerned with these developments, but was required to limit mention of the problem in its annual review of the Chinese threat to noting that China "could" blind U.S. spy satellites. Omitted was the fact that they have.

This is all confirmed by the magazine Defense News in an article headlined "NRO Confirms Chinese Laser Test Illuminated U.S. Spacecraft". (Subscription required)

Well, of course we are in a space arms race with the up and coming super power. How could it be otherwise ?

For me this is just another in the endless series of "what if this were Clinton" questions. This time, WIIWC covering up Chinese aggression ? You'd see a headline like the one above. FOX News would be going crazy. There'd be investigations in Congress and calls for impeachment. For Bush ? A small story in the Telegraph. In England.

Watch the skies and

StayNaked
jd

I wasn't going to say anything about this...

But I was asked to by a Zoohead:) What I'm talking about is the story burning up the airwaves right now concerning former Congressman Mark Foley (R-Fl). For those of you who don't know, Congressman Foley resigned after sexually explicit emails that he wrote to teenage underage Capital Hill pages came to light. The FBI is looking into this and the news is all focused on the political fallout as the ultra-conservative Washington Times appears to be calling for House Speaker Hasterts job. From Drudge "'House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once... Mr. Hastert has forfeited the confidence of the public and his party, and he cannot preside over the necessary coming investigation, an investigation that must examine his own inept performance'... -- Washington Times, October 3, 2006"

Yikes.

So here's my problem. So far no one has alleged he molested anybody, just wrote dirty emails. I'm not condoning that but I don't think any of these pages are scarred for life. My problem is Foleys apology.

I just came across an interesting wrinkle. Here's the ABC News quote: "I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems"

and here's from an actual fax received by WPBF, ""I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and RELATED behavioral problems"

Hm...at first I thought he was saying that his alcoholism and pedophilia were 'related' which is a dangerous connection to make.

Stay Sober and as always...

Stay Naked.

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just not around Capital Hill Pages;)

'This is Your Brain on Music'

We've been flooded with emails since our show yesterday. They all say the same thing...where can we get more information on that book you guys featured. We really should have put this up yesterday so there's egg on our face:)
The book in question is 'This is Your Brain on Music' written by McGill Universitys Associate Professor Daniel Levitin. For those of you that missed the interview yesterday, it was a fascinating conversation about the nature of sound and music, how the brain processes music, how it creates emotion...I want to thank Dr. Levitin for taking the time to come on the show...
**You also missed an answer to the age old question: If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one to hear it...does it make a sound? (answer below)



Stay groovy and as always...

Stay Naked.

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**No;)

Truthtime: We've received one email:)