Political Rants

Thanks to Morgann for leading me to T-Shirt Hell and letting me find my new favorite political tee.

Seems Pete Coors (yes, that Coors) in Colorado said that being compared to John Kerry was worse than being compared to the Ku Klux Klan. Huh?

In response to this sort of thing MoveOn.org has a new web video (Windows Media) highlighting some of the Republican candidate nonsense like this. It's a bit disturbing. I'd really like to see some real (as opposed to lip-service) moderate Republicans (yes, they exist!) stand up to this nonsense. Sen. McCain has done a bit of this, but there needs to be more. The Republican party is being hijacked by a noisy few*. I can't believe their rhetoric is representative.

*(Whereas the Dems were hijacked by silence, but are finally climbing out of that hole).

Last week, The Des Moines Register ran an article--not a letter to the editor, mind--reporting on how a "Republican activist" and former Iowan called Senator Kerry a "traitor" and a "Benedict Arnold" for reporting to Congress after returning from Vietnam. The guy quoted from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (?) claims Kerry fabricated everything he said before Congress, and yet Col. Day does admit that these things did happen. Huh? First, they need to get their story straight. Second, calling someone a traitor is no small thing. Third, this is just bad journalism, all round. Three Bush supporters quoted, but only one Kerry supporter? And little or no context given?

And are none of these veterans noticing that Pres. Bush has cut their benefits and made thousands of vets ineligible? I know that Vietnam is a hot topic still for those who lived through it, but there are so many more important things to be talking about right now. However, very few of them make Bush look good (the economy, health care, even the fight against terrorism). Oh, yeah, and Bush is coming back to Des Moines again tomorrow. He's here all the time now--welcome to a swing state! I can only hope that some of the many veterans who think he's doing a piss-poor job come out and let him know that. Of course, with 'free speech zones', it's unlikely he'll ever know about it. Is this what they fought for?

(Coincidentally, I met Gene Thorson, who served with Kerry in Vietnam and is the only supporter quoted in the article, at a Women for Kerry dinner on Thursday, just before this came out. He's given up a lot of this last year to stump for Kerry with veterans groups, who have been largely supportive.)

Addendum: Looks like there's a petition/letter urging the Bush campaign to admit its ties to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and/or condemn their tactics. Unlikely to happen, but it never hurts to ask, I guess.

More fun from The Daily Show (the only real fake news I believe...), here's the Scandal Generator.

Thanks Akeisha for the daily fun.

Thanks, Alyssa, for this gem from Yahoo! News: New 'Bushism' Born at Bill Signing.

WASHINGTON - President Bush offered up a new entry for his catalog of "Bushisms" on Thursday, declaring that his administration will "never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people."

Bush misspoke as he delivered a speech at the signing ceremony for a $417 billion defense spending bill.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

...White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush's misstatement "just shows even the most straightforward and plain-spoken people misspeak."

"But the American people know this president speaks with clarity and conviction, and the terrorists know by his actions he means it," McClellan said. [emphasis mine]

Er, means what, Scott? To harm us? You better get your own misplaced modifiers in order before you go on TV, too.

...is proved by the new title we just got in at my library:

"Michael Moore is a Big, Fat, Stupid White Man"

Sigh. I'm sure it'll fly off these affluent suburban (read: Republican) shelves like $1000-a-plate hotcakes.

I just got this email from the folks at Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. Seems we're about to get invaded by a special form of legal terrorist:

This week an anti-choice campaign by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform will hit Iowa in the form of offensive, inaccurate imagery plastered on trucks that will travel across the state in an attempt to “educate� Iowans.

The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform’s truck/plane campaign includes a caravan of semi-trailers painted with pictures of aborted fetuses as well as airplanes which tow flyby banners. This is an anti-choice extremist organization that is targeting swing states for the November elections. The images featured on the sides of the trucks and banners are very graphic. The group historically targets highly populated areas such as shopping malls, downtown areas, middle schools and high schools. ...They will be in Des Moines Monday August 2nd through Friday August 6th and throughout various locations statewide the following week.

And if you don't think this is 'terrorism', ask a woman who has had an abortion about how these images make her feel. They are meant to harass, bully and shame women in the most offensive way possible.

As if this week wasn't going to be annoying enough. One PPGI member suggested donating $10 every time you see one of these trucks. Sign me up!