Spring Break Locally, After Health Reform...

Fareed Zakaria
Eleanor Clift
David Sanger


The Daily Beast rated 57 metropolitan cities on how wonderfully crazy they are, in the sense that a bit of eccentricity keeps you sane. Denver was the only Colorado city to be rated, and though we didn't make the top ten, we were in the first 20 rankings. The numbers show where Denver ranked as compared to the other 57 cities:

                      #16 Denver 

          Psychiatrists per capita: 16
          Stress: 24
          Eccentricity: 38
          Drinking: 14 (tie)
          Crazy Law: It is illegal to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor.



Spring is just around the corner, and that means it is party time for all you wild college kids and high school kids with fake id's. Mom and dad: whatever you do, DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS TRAVEL TO MEXICO THIS SPRING BREAK! Not Cancun, not Acapulco, not even Rosarito. Especially keep them away from South Texas and anywhere near the Mexican border. Remember, there is a drug war going on between the cartels and the police, and it looks like the cartels are winning.

And if you are some dewey eyed journalism major or blogger who thinks that the combination of tequila, Spring Break, and the sound of automatic rifle fire go seamlessly together in the morning, please think again. They are especially killing reporters: "The Mexican government’s drug offensive, employing tens of thousands of soldiers, marines and federal police officers, has unleashed ever increasing levels of violence over the last three years as traffickers have fought to protect their lucrative smuggling routes. Journalists have long been among the victims, but the attacks on members of the media now under way in Reynosa and elsewhere along a long stretch of border from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros are at their worst.


Traffickers have gone after the media with a vengeance in these strategic border towns where drugs are smuggled across by the ton. They have shot up newsrooms, kidnapped and killed staff members and called up the media regularly with threats that were not the least bit veiled. Back off, the thugs said. Do not dare print our names. We will kill you the next time you publish a photograph like that." I know that it's weird, but vacationing in Compton is safer right now.

I think that the invention of Spring Break vacation was concocted by Midwestern college kids. Living out along the California coast like I did, every weekend was Spring Break. I could ride my bicycle to Venice Beach and watch the crazies or take in a great jazz jam session in the afternoon. I could stay home at Hermosa or Manhattan Beach and bodysurf all day, go to clubs at night, everywhere from Hollywood to Laguna Beach. In fact, I'm reading Thomas Pynchon's new book Inherent Vice, and having a great time identifying all of the locations he is mentioning. in it.

Anyway, in the interest of saving the lives of our children, do not let them be fodder for massacres or drive-by shootings down south of the border. Print out this bumpersticker and pass it around:

- Spring Break -

Drink Globally, Party Locally

It looks like Congress will pass the health care legislation next week. Then, all of this fake tension and fighting can stop, the media blitz will subside, and the Republicans can take a few deep breaths, unless they've whipped themselves into a frenzy and went completely over the edge. Then, we'll have to hunt them down and shoot them, poor things. Good thing we still have our gun rights can strap our pistols to our hips and chase the old bastards into the National Parks. Wait, I think that one is trying to take the Appalachian Trail...

And the newly minted fascist federal government will issue special hunting permits... After all, perhaps the kindest thing we can do for the burned-out husks of right wing politicians is to recycle them, yes, Chuck Grassly, and you Lindsey Graham, are our next Soylent Green! It gives a new twist when we ask our Congressperson what's on their plate for next session... After a good meal and plenty of rest, we can contemplate the next tasks that Obama is going to tackle: financial reform and immigration reform! Boy, Obama really doesn't want to get re-elected, does he? On the other hand, if he resolves all of the major issues that have been undermining our society for so long, then maybe it will be safe  and tamper-proof enough to let  some Republicans win more seats come 2012. There won't be anything left for Sara and Newt to screw up bigtime, and we can treat them like the mind-candy that they really are... now that's what I call a real Tea Party...

Prescription Drug Rings, Reaction to Biden in Israel, Next Big Scandal

California's State Attorney General Jerry Brown made an announcement that the recent death of actor Cory Haim maybe linked to a Southern California prescription drug ring. The LA Times reports that the drug ring: "... operates by using stolen doctor identities to order prescription drug pads from authorized sellers. The prescription forms are then sold on the street to addicts or drug dealers who have them filled at pharmacies. Doctors whose names are used on the prescriptions are usually unaware that their identities have been stolen." Mr Haim may have been addicted to prescription drugs and an overdose may have caused his death. Investigators have found over 5000 cases so far of the fraudulent use of doctor's script pads so far.

I remember growing up in Southern California in the late 1960's, the news traveled quickly by word of mouth which quack doctors you could go to to get a prescription. Quaaludes were popular for downers, and black beauties were the best for speed. Pills were more popular among women, though guys enjoyed mixing downers with alcohol, too. Kept you out of fights... I really don't want to know what is popular these days, although I know that even kids in the sixth and seventh grades can score drugs at school if they want to. I assume that if it can happen here, in the middle of evangelical country, it occurs more often throughout the rest of the country. Since we legitimately give prescription drugs to kids anyway, it must seem a natural extension to keep on using them throughout their adult life. Unfortunately, this is one aspect that the health care reform does not address, along with how to get rid of quack doctors in our midst.

I will be so glad once Congress votes on the damned health reform bill. It looks like it will pass if Nancy Pelosi brings it to a vote. She has been the most effective Speaker of the House ever, and has never lost a vote. That explains all of the vitriolic attacks on her that seemed to go way beyond fairness and her being a Democrat. Her opponents wanted her gone because she is so effective, which shows the weird logic of politics. If she were bumbling and ineffective, let's keep her as the Speaker... which would then be an extension of the Bush policies... it might also explain why Newt Gingrich disparages her. Each of her successes grinds home what an utter failure he was when he was Speaker and dismissed by his own Party for being corrupt, ineffective, immoral, and a liar. And yet, people still come to him for political strategy and advice, go figure. Yeah, people also venerated Richard Nixon at the end of his life, he became the grand old man of the GOP, but still, nobody came to him and asked for his advice...

reaction's to biden's israeli visit...
Joe Biden left Israel with a bunch of fingers pointing at each other in the wind. The Arab press seemed bothered by his expressed love and binding ties to Israel. But that was his sole purpose for going there, to try and ease Israeli concerns that the US was drawing away from them. It was meant as a massage to their paranoid egos so they would feel better about entering negotiations. Of course, the Palestinians felt left out because they wanted a massage, too. Work those magic fingers, Joe...

Then, the damned Israeli government had to go and spoil everything by making the announcement of plans to build over 1,600 more housing units in East Jerusalem. Despite the Prime Minister's statements to the contrary, Mr Netanyahu planned on this indirect slap to the face, just like he ok'd the assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai, because he is a right winger and has a mean streak. And Joe had to take the hit and let it roll by, then point out the rude behavior to his unruly hosts.

Of course, Hillary couldn't let this incident go by, and called Netanyahu on the phone and reamed him a new one, in the blunt, diplomatic way that only she seems to get away with. She had to stand up for her proxy, especially when his effectiveness was ruined with that cheap shot.

And now, stupidly, because they are old school, getting awfully old and senile, the Anti-Defamation League threw itself into the fray, issuing a rebuttal to Hillary, saying that they never have heard such harsh criticism being waged towards a US ally. That's because where they have retired to there is never a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day...

Our current mess began over a year ago when talks were halted because Israel invaded the Gaza Strip tp stop some missiles from being fired towards them. Then, Israel said it would resume talks, and Abbas said not until you stop building more housing in the West Bank. Israel said no, we won't. Then, Israel said it would issue a 10 month moratorium of building. The US finally got the Palestinians to agree to third-party negotiations, where George Mitchell gets to pass notes back and forth, and now the Israeli announcement of more houses in Jerusalem, protesting by Palestinians in the West Bank, and Israel shutting down the Bank's barrier crossings.

The next prong trying to influence these two groups to sit down and negotiate in good faith, is the European Union using their economic ties to the region to influence Israel to stop playing mean tricks and and get serious about this process. Because in reality, Israel has the power right now. They could have already drawn up an equitable agreement and handed it over to the Palestinians, with only small details to quibble about. If that plan were based on the Saudi peace template, all of the Arabian nations would be in agreement with them. Damned thing would be done by next Christmas, if you'll pardon the Christian reference being inserted into the argument... If that doesn't work, the UN will pile on...

I certainly can understand why all of our diplomats burn out at such a high rate. It seems as if our current crop are traveling constantly around the globe, next week Hillary will be in Russia, and has Bill left Haiti yet?

next scandal...
It looks like the next big scandal to emerge will be over the ripping off of billions of dollars by Americans engaged in the reconstruction of Iraq. Yes, military officers were just as guilty. More will be written in the news next week, but here's the blurb from The Daily Beast: "Follow the money. That’s what federal investigators did in the case of the $150 billion spent on Iraq’s reconstruction. In the past six months alone, they’ve uncovered more than 50 instances of fraud or bribery on the part of Americans, resulting in fresh indictments. Many of the cases appear to be shameless, with some suspects simply mailing thousands of dollars home or smuggling money out of the country in duffel bags. Others sent millions via wire transfers. Officials found the cash was used to buy BMWs, plastic surgery, or pay down casino debts. “I’ve had a continuing sense that there is ongoing fraud that we have not been able to nail down,” the head of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction told The New York Times. “This spate of new cases is evidence that that sense was reasonably well placed.” So far, there have been 58 fraud cases put forth by the government involving reconstruction funds that have led to successful convictions." Hopefully, we'll be able to bring back Paul Bremer and waterboard him on public television. It's pay-per-view that I'd watch...

Pakistan Bombs For Terrorism, New Texas Schoolbooks, Earmark This

David Brooks
Eugene Robinson
Joe Biden

"Political partisans always imagine the other side is ruthlessly effective and that the public would be with them if only their side had better messaging." - David Brooks

"Anyone who claims to be able to identify a potential terrorist by appearance or nationality is delusional. There's a reason all of us have to take our shoes off at the airport." - Eugene Robinson

A few days ago, an influential Pakistani cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, issued a 600 page fatwa against those who would commit terrorism. It has sparked a lot of debate throughout the region, and this week the terrorists answered back, unfortunately aimed at hurting innocent civilians. There have just been two suicide bomber attacks, one this morning aimed at an army convoy near a crowded bus stop at the edge of a popular and busy bazaar. Several other bombs were set off in Lahore, and another severe one that injured 39 happened earlier this week. Makes me wish the pen really was mightier than the sword, or at least, fertilizer bombs.

The NY Times suggests some other reasons for the attacks that are more secular in nature: "Lahore is the biggest city in of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province. The attacks here this week seemed a direct challenge to the authority and effectiveness of the military, which recruits heavily in Punjab and has sought to move against militants in recent months in Pakistan’s mountainous and often lawless areas near the border with Afghanistan.


The surge in violence follows a Pakistani crackdown on militants linked to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, including the arrest of the Taliban’s No. 2 commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. No group immediately took responsibility for the latest attack on Friday."
Pakistani Taliban have also been regrouping in South Waziristan, where the Army had finished a campaign to wipe out their strongholds. Maybe next time the Army won't give notice of their advancement on radio and television first, just keep it to a couple of YouTube videos...

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Navy has been testing some new missiles and torpedos, aimed at impressing their arch-enemy, India. This paranoid saber-rattling between the two countries has been going on ever since Pakistan was formed, I think they are scared that India will demand they become part of their country once again because they are ruling Pakistan so poorly.  Of course, India feeds into and fuels the fire by tweaking their noses every once in awhile. Like the pact India just signed with Russia, allowing Russia to help upgrade their nuclear systems. And the ruler of Dubai went to India to check out the new Russian toys, to see how they compared with the US's technology. Oh, what a wonderful world...

"President Obama has signed a bill to increase tourism to the United States. Tourism is way down, which is surprising. You'd think people from foreign countries would want to come here to see where their American jobs originated." –Jay Leno

I can see that many future homework assignments in Texas schools will be asking students to research and point out the lies printed in their textbooks. In an 11-4 vote, the Texas Board of Education approved to include all of the 160 amendments emphasizing Conservative Christian beliefs and ways of thinking over all others: "After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday voted to approve a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the role of Christianity in American history and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light.


In recent years, board members have been locked in an ideological battle between a bloc of conservatives who question Darwin’s theory of evolution and believe the Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and a handful of Democrats and moderate Republicans who have fought to preserve the teaching of Darwinism and the separation of church and state.


Since January, Republicans on the board have passed more than 160 amendments to the 120-page curriculum standards affecting history, sociology and economics courses from elementary to high school. The standards were proposed by a board of teachers." Because Texas buys so many textbooks from academic publishers, it used to be that what was put into their textbooks would influence children in other less populous states, but in this digital age most publishers can tailor the text to each state's needs. What this means in Texas is that Conservative Christians no longer have to keep their kids at home to be home schooled, now it will be the moderates, liberals, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, and Muslims who will invest in home schooling, leaving the public schools to wither and die from any Federal funding. when my sister's grandkids moved here to Colorado from Texas, they had a hard time academically, they were barely getting by. And they are smart kids. Now that they are back in Austin, they are getting all A's and B's, happily coasting along without really being challenged intellectually. Honestly, I now despair if they ever will go to college and find a way to better themselves. I think I will counsel them to join the Armed Forces... A set of national textbook standards is now being debated.

Why not let those Texans believe what they want to? Does it matter if a majority of people never pick up and read a book after they graduate from school? Maybe these will be the folks who will move to Costa Rica along with Rush Limbaugh after the health care reform bill passes. Then, you could go and visit on your next vacation, arrive at DittoHead Airport, drive down Oxycontin Drive to stay at the Kristol Arms Hotel, reading the occasional billboard plastered with the sayings from Chairman Newt... Of course the major flaw in this scenario is that Rush is not a religious man, he only worships money and isn't very generous with it, so I doubt that any evangelicals would seriously follow him anywhere after they got to know him in person...

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee announced that it would no longer consider putting earmarks on legislative bills from any for-profit corporation. Not to be outdone, House Republicans announced that they would not propose any earmarks at all for one year, this election year...

Already lobbyists are trying to find ways around, since they also had over $1.7 billion in orders for earmarks last year from their clients: "Some firms talked of partnering with hospitals, universities and other nonprofit organizations in seeking federal money, an idea that Congressional officials said might not be allowed under the new rules. Others said they planned to become more aggressive about applying directly to the Pentagon and other federal departments and agencies, and not Congress, for grant money. Still others are warning their clients to diversify their financing sources and become less reliant on Washington." Earmarks are essentially no-bid contracts added onto a bill at the last minute by a Congressperson, usually in return for a campaign donation.

So far no members of the Senate have jumped on board the bandwagon, so there will be some conflict down the line, probably when the two appropriations bill have to be reconciled. I don't know what bitter experience Arizona had with earmarks, but so far the champions for getting rid of them have been John McCain and Rep John Flake, who was very happy with the current outcome. Many lobbying firms may dry up and leave town, especially the ones who only had defense contractors as clients.

We'll have to wait and see if these new rules will have any effect. One defense lobbyist says that earmarks gives transparency to a project, but there is no review process to evaluate if an earmarked project is a good one or a waste of taxpayer's money. We'll also have to watchdog the industry and see what dirty little tricks they produce to earn their billions in fees...

Biden's Successful Diplomacy, Gates Plan To Isolate Iran, Goodbye Mr Rush

Dana Milbank
Matt Latimer
Michael Young

"Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid is in trouble again for saying it's really good news that America only lost 36,000 jobs in February. Well, think how happy he'll be when November comes and he loses his job." – Jay Leno

"And I love this. Radio host Rush Limbaugh says he will leave the United States if health care reform passes. Well, if that doesn't get the Democrats to rally, nothing will." – Jay Leno

"David Letterman spent ten minutes making fun of Rahm Emanuel last night. This kind of stuff just doesn't happen." - Rush Limbaugh

Top Ten Signs Rahm Emanuel Is Nuts

10. Every morning he takes a leak off the Truman balcony
9. President Obama smokes cigarettes; Rahm eats them

8. Spotted today at Toyota dealership

7. He's leaving Obama to become a special adviser to Richard Nixon

6. In a fit of rage, he snapped Dennis Kucinich in half

5. Changing his name to Rahm Emanuel Lewis

4. Refers to every Cabinet official as 'Clarkie'

3. Recently got into a heated policy debate with his stapler

2. You mean, besides walking around D.C. naked?

1. Even Andy Dick is telling him to chill

Boy, I hate getting half of a story, clearly missing the best part. Yesterday I wrote about the dueling press conferences between Robert Gates and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Kabul. Maybe our world leaders all have the travel bug, because even Hamid Karzai left to go shmooze with leaders in Pakistan shortly after Mahmoud went back home. Karzai is trying to get Pakistani help in starting dialogues with the Taliban. Pakistan wants better links because it doesn't want Karzai to forge s relationship with India. And India suddenly realizes this and will now send ambassadors to Afghanistan. So it goes.

I have also not been sufficiently paranoid because I didn't think about the theory floating around that Gates, Karzai, and Ahmadinejad had actually all secretly met together for some kind of negotiations on the future of Afghanistan. Gates even commented on it before he left: "Asked for his reaction to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s visit so close to his own, Mr. Gates at first said that “it’s clearly fodder for conspiratorialists... We think Afghanistan should have good relations with all of its neighbors, but we also want all of Afghanistan’s neighbors to play an up-front game in dealing with the government of Afghanistan.” If Ahmadinejad were a saner person, a meeting of this kind could have been beneficial... Iran and Afghanistan share a lot of borderland that serves as a smuggling route, both for al-Qaeda and for drugs. Based on their mutual co-operation in capturing Abdulmalik Rigi, Asia Times notes: "Iran wants to extend this multilateral cooperation to the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. This would involve closer cooperation with the United States and foreign troops in Afghanistan, and therein lies the problem..."

Gates then flew to Saudi Arabia, to for private talks about the plans forming to isolate Iran if it starts getting belligerent. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Gen. David H. Petraeus, who oversees the United States Central Command, all had previously made the rounds, so we know that something important is up. We already have agreements with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait to put in anti-missile systems to go with a possible naval blockade. Negotiations with the Saudis are to help keep a US presence in the region after we withdraw troops from Iraq.

The best way to de-escalate the situation with Iran may be to accept their claims and are being honest about wanting nuclear plants to produce energy. We have the capacity to tell if they are weaponizing, and if we worked more intimately with the International Atomic Energy Committee in monitoring their programs, we might get more information with honey than the fly-swatter. Iran doesn't have enough uranium to do what it wants right now. If they build more reactors they are going to have to get more somewhere, as well as upgrade the US built centrifuges they have now. Also, with the unrest after their last election, Iran doesn't have much credibility with its neighbors and poses less of a threat than it ever has in the past.

The reactions to Joe Biden's trip to Israel, and how he handled being blindsided is a good lesson in diplomacy. He was able to express support for Israel and also show concern for Palestinian interests with his condemnation of the announced housing units to be built in East Jerusalem. He got a standing ovation in Tel Aviv for his honesty and compassion for the situation, with pundits asking if he could be the catalyst to get talks back on the productive path, something everyone has been giving lip service but nobody being brave enough to lead in action. Even though it's clear that the Israelis are going to have to create a Palestinian state, and the details should begin to be hammered out, Joe ended his speech with a touch of world weary precaution:  “I can’t tell you that peace will come easily,” said the vice president. “You know better.” But right now there is a lot more optimism than before he arrived...

It used to be a popular refrain back in the sixties and seventies "If so-and-so gets elected, I'm leaving the country!" Then, Nixon, or Reagan, or Carter got elected, and the person never really left, just stayed around and groused.

Now, Rush Limbaugh has announced that "If health care reform passes, I'm leaving the country!" Well, don't let the door hit your butt on your way out... If Rush does leave and tries to broadcast from outside of the country like Wolfman Jack did with XERB in Mexico, would he then be considered a pirate radioteer, and we would have the FCC jam him and put out a warrant for his treasonous ass? Just asking...

While I am in a wondering mood, there are accusations floating around that our own James Dobson was forced out of his own organization Focus on the Family because he was too far to the right for the newer, kinder, gentler Board of Directors? "[T]the board of directors voted privately on Wednesday -- before we got there -- to ask for my resignation, although their request was made with kindness and respect. We can only guess the reason for their decision because frankly I don't fully know,"

It's not like they kept him on a yacht at sea, drugged and drunk all of the time while they slowly took over his organization, then dumped his sorry old butt into a nursing home in San Luis Obispo, oh, sorry, I thought we were talking about Scientology for a moment... of course, James has retired in the heart of medical marijuana land, so maybe the plan is to keep him herbally medicated to thwart his new planned radio show...

Mahmoud in Kabul, Gurus Are My Favorite Frauds, Death To For-Profit Earmarks

Dana Milbank
Lee Siegal
David Harris

"If ever a political mentality cried out for analysis, it’s the toxic gray matter lying between the ears of Liz Cheney" - Lee Siegal

As Defense Secretary Robert Gates was leaving his tour of Afghanistan, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was arriving for some economic talks between their two countries. He gave a press conference that was attended by Western reporters. I never thought I would be saying this, but he actually said something that made sense, mostly because it parrots the current counterinsurgency strategy employed by the US, of course coupled with a sharp criticism: "Asked at a news conference with Karzai about Gates' comments, Ahmadinejad responded: "The question is what are you [Gates and troops] doing here in this region?


"You are 12,000km away on the other side the of the world. What are you doing here? This is a serious question.

"They are not successful in their fight against terrorists, because they are playing a double game. They themselves created this excuse of terrorism themselves, and now they say that they want to stop them. It is not possible.


"The fight against terrorism is not a military one it requires the work of intelligence, through respecting nations and to separate people from terrorists." Actually, this is the course of action  being taken by most Muslim countries, now that the military threat of al-Qaeda has been minimized, and people get tired of being bombed, beheaded, dismembered, maimed, crippled, raped, robbed, and had acid thrown in their face. There have been so many suicide bombers who have gone on to Paradise, that  they have transformed those 72 virgins into working prostitutes, as they take a number and stand in line... In the meantime, a report was released saying that the largest amount of inept handling of funds and lack of oversight is located at the US embassy in Kabul... and the embassy agreed.

David Harris, in his opinion piece above, makes a good point, that the entire Arabian Peninsula has a history of Jews and Muslims living together. In fact, include groups of Christians, Copts, and several other religious groups. Except that since the date when we invaded Iraq, many Christian groups have fled the region, and those who have stayed have faced intense persecution from both Sunnis and Shiites. In Iraq, there aren't many groups as strong as the Kurds who can stand up to the bullying in the midst of a religious civil war. And if you look in Jerusalem, Christians have steadily been leaving the city, with the ones staying keeping their heads down and creating a low profile. Which is weird, because you would think that the wrangling over which site is holiest to each religion would be between Christians and Jews, the Muslims being the late-coming interlopers here. Most holy sites have been torn down by one group and rebuilt over it so many times since the Crusades, that you might think they could acknowledge that the sites are holy to all humans, no matter what faith they believe in, and it is our duty to preserve them and share them. To really achieve peace, we need to take the blindfold off and look outside of the cave...

My very favorite group of frauds are the self-proclaimed god-men, who come out of Indian tadition to prey upon the gullible and foolish among us who would give them money and power. Shri Rajneesh comes immediately to mind, who came to the US and tried to take over a town in Oregon from a militaristic fortified compound. After he was deported back to India, he changed his name to Osho, as if that magically erased his past.

Now there are several such scammers being investigated and put on trial in India, who should have started doing this 200 years ago, but they have been too busy building up their nuclear arsenal to bother. The crimes span from murder to pimping to extortion: " The murder cases relate to the killings of Ramchander Chhatrapati, a local journalist, and Ranjeet Singh, a former disciple.


Chhatrapati would criticize Gurmeet's alleged misdeeds in his news reports, while Ranjeet Singh had accused Gurmeet of raping his younger sister. The CBI has charged Baba Gurmeet with arranging their deaths through his henchmen." It's not every journalist that would the word "henchmen" in a report, I love it. This guru has millions of followers that have rioted before, trying to protect him, even threatened self immolation which caused a mass handing out of fire extinguishers to the police. Politicians snuggle up to these men to woo the votes of their disciples, much the way that James Dobson was coddled in America.

A couple other gurus under suspicion are: "Besides Gurmeet, other religious gurus have recently been implicated in unsavory episodes that purportedly involved police and politicians.

Swami Nithyananda, a god-man who has a large following in the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was last week filmed cavorting with an unidentified Tamil actress in a television sting operation - he is now on the run. His ashram has said the video footage, run by a television channel, is "fake".


Swami Bhimananda, a follower of the legendry guru Sai Baba, was arrested by police in February for allegedly running a high-end call girl racket in the city. Bhimananda allegedly used a temple in south Delhi for operations allegedly involving about 200 prostitutes, including air hostesses from a foreign airline and students. Bhimananda has been arrested on similar charges in the past."

It gives a warm feeling to know that not only old hippies and starry eyed college kids can fall for a charismatic fraud, give up and devote their lives to perpetuating a god-like ego, walk around wearing silly orange pajamas. And then there was the Creative Consciousness Community, a scam started by the Reverend Moon, who owns the Washington Times newspaper and lives in Korea. I don't think he's allowed back into the US, either... Besides, these guys give someone like Sean David Morton someone to look up to, a goal that he can psychically aspire to...


another small step forward...
The House Appropriations Committee announced some good news today: "... it will no longer approve earmarks for for-profit companies.


Agency inspectors general will also be required to audit at least 5 percent of earmarks for nonprofits to protect against corporations hiding behind a nonprofit veil, according to an announcement from Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.) and Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the head of the defense appropriations subcommittee." This is aimed primarily at defense contractors, who spend millions lobbying for projects while their executives contribute to political campaigns. It's another small step in reform, next should come banning all earmarks, make them go through a vetting and normal legislative process. Then, either ban all lobbyists, or make them fair game for the guys who like to wear their guns around on their hips, give them something constructive to do...


And now, a word from my PEEPS:

Biden Embarrassed By Israel, Nuclear Report, Silver Lining in Texas

Dana Milbank
Anne Applebaum
Zainab Salbi

"Representative Charles Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has temporarily surrendered his post pending an ethics investigation. They've been investigating him for three months now. And so far, they have not found a single trace of ethics." – Jay Leno

"Hey, how about this? President Obama had a meeting at the White House with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. And, in fact, they hit it off so well, Jay-Z gave the president his own rap name, 'Biggie Deficit.'" – Jay Leno

"I'm not sure if you guys have heard the latest update on healthcare reform, but Democrats are saying they hope to get a final healthcare vote before Easter. Well, I don't know. Two resurrections is a lot to hope for, don't you think?" – Jimmy Fallon

I wonder how I would feel if I braved going to my polling place to vote, then coming back home to find my house in rubble, bombed while I was away. The fact that so many Iraqis did vote for one of more than 350 candidates is a testament to their fortitude and determination to forge an identity. The doom-sayers are predicting that this may be the last free election in Iraq, because it will fall apart in sectarian violence after the US pulls out all of its troops in 2011. Of course Iraq can always replace them by hiring Blackwater mercenaries to take their place, think of it as sweet revenge...

Most other pundits in the region view Iraq as that couple down the street who are always arguing and at each other's throats, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, so that you can never get to sleep on a Saturday night: “People in the region are definitely interested in democracy and in practicing their own rights,” said Mr. Abdullah, the political science professor from United Arab Emirates University. “But the Iraqi experience will have an impact on the region only once it stabilizes. Right now, it is so sectarian and unstable that it turns people off. If it becomes a stable democracy, then it will have some impact.” It's predicted that Mr Maliki will have retained his crown, and the emerging influential opposition will be the Allawi coalition, both campaigned on uniting Iraq in a secular way.

Joe Biden was in Israel, hugging and confirming his big love. In response, Israel announced that it was going to build 1,700 new houses in East Jerusalem, to pack in more Jewish settlers into what is considered the Palestinian section of the city. Thoroughly embarrassed, Joe had to make a statement condemning them. The criticism is that the Obama administration has not been as supportive of Israel as they should, in retaliation the right wing faction planned this piece of street theater. If Israel continues its juvenile pranking and biting the hands that feed it, it may become as isolated as Iran is on the global scene...

Not to be outdone by Iran's recent announcement that they were building more nuclear plants, both Israel and neighboring Syria today announced their plans to build another reactor. It will be Israel's third nuclear plant, and Syria's first. Both countries are immediately suspected of wanting to build nuclear weapons with the new plants, especially Syria, who has greater ties to Iran, and had their last attempt at building a facility bombed by Israel in 2007.

Interesting to note that Israel is contracting with France to build their reactors, Syria had used South Korea before and probably will again. South Korea is already contracted to build a reactor in the UAE, while Russia will do the honors in Iran. Iran's first centrifuges, which they still use, were bought from the US by the Shah, and the US was able to monkey-wrench them once when the Ayatollahs took over, which delayed their program for several years. No word on where each country plans on placing its nuclear waste, probably in rusty barrels dropped off the coast of some poor African country late at night, or in the harbor facing Gaza...

Every time I get depressed reading about the weird and drug-like induced behavior of right wingers, I get cheered up when us moderates strike a win for truth and justice for all. This happened in last week's Republican primary election for the Texas Board of Education. A moderate beat out Don McLeroy, who had served on the Board since 1999, and has been involved in an acrimonious debate over revising school textbook standards. This is important because Texas buys so many textbooks that the publishers use them as a standard for books sold to many other states, being cheaper than having a standard for each state. From Don's website:

"I believe God created the Heavens and the Earth millions and millions of years ago. I do not believe, as my opponent does, that the Earth is a mere few thousand years old, nor do I believe, as my opponent does, that dinosaurs and mankind lived at the same time."

As you might have guessed, Don is a bit of an evangelical, but in an ignorant way. He is trying to get science kicked out and creationism put in, along with glorifying Ronald Reagan, though I think he has backed down on the greatest quotes from Newt Gingrich. A few other tidbits that he has espoused are:

"He said during a 2008 debate over science standards: "Is understanding of evolution 'vital' to the understanding of biology? No."


Last year he instructed curriculum writers to "read the latest on [Joseph] McCarthy -- he was basically vindicated."


He described his textbook evaluation process this way to the Washington Monthly: "The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel. Then I see how they treat Ronald Reagan--he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last twenty years because he lowered taxes."


Finally, McLeroy successfully offered an amendment to U.S. history standards to require students to be able to "describe the causes and key organizations and individuals of the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schafly, the Contract with America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority, and the National Rifle Association." There is no liberal counterpart clause in the current draft of the standards." Because their are no Democrats running in his district, his opponent who won the primary will take his place.

Perhaps the diaspora of Californians into the surrounding states is beginning to have a mellowing influence on the population. I can hardly wait to see what happens when the virtual California good-old-boys, with their guns strapped onto their hips, swilling their Starbuck's lattes, and eating their Chuck-E-Cheeses, go out to meet their brethren in Dallas and Austin. What kind of cross-cultural hoedown will occur? How many Ford 150's can rev on the head of a pin? What is the sound of one chap clapping? Sierra Nevada or Shiner?... or maybe the narrow minded right winger's children have all grown up and began voting in some sanity... I know, I shouldn't make fun of Texas when I live in an ever more deeply conservative community. But in a recent poll that asked the question if James Dobson had made an important impression on the American landscape, 97% responded that no, he had not. Which gives me hope for our grandchildren, if there's anything left for them to inherit...

Third Party Peace Talks Resume, Too Much Caffeine and Guns, Man...

Jackson Diehl
Trita Parsi

"Iran is the 21st century equivalent of 1930s Russia — a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The Iranians haven't stumbled upon this mystifying state coincidentally, and the enigma isn't the result of outsiders' failure to try to understand them. Rather, the Iranian government has a deliberate policy aimed at confusing the outside world about its goals and decision-making processes." - Trita Parsi

Turns out that the American the Pakistanis caught in Karachi may not be Adam Gadahn after all, who can tell? After all, we all look alike in our long hair and bushy beards...

Joe Biden is beginning a Mid East tour today, hoping to get the negotiations process started again, after it was halted when Israel tanked on into Gaza 14 months ago. The PLO has agreed to restarting indirect negotiations with the US as one intermediate role, giving a time line of four months to produce something concrete. Some little thing, like the reduction of a blockade.

Israel has also agreed, but instead of announcing their participation, they have made a press release that they are starting a new housing project in the West Bank area, right where they had previously announced a building moratorium. "Oh, did we say that?" an official asked, looking coyly into the camera... I guess what they meant was that the Mossad would not try to assassinate anyone in the West Bank for the next 10 months...

The Palestinian question can be answered in six months. Like it or not, the side with all of the power to grant are the Israelis. If they ever had been serious, this could have been finished and done with 20 years ago and the world would have been a different place. No al-Qaeda, for instance, and a healthier economy with a Palestinian state working with the Israeli state... You have to wonder who has been befitting from this horrible status quo. Granted, both the Israeli military and politicians get lots of money from the US, as does the PLO. Hamas would loose influence once a state has been negotiated, to be replaced by a more moderate business class interested in getting rid of all older,corrupt politicians. It also would take the wind out of the sails of the right wing extremists in Israel, and the next elections would see the end of nationalistic fervor in exporting all of those with dark skin... It could only better relations with every other Mid Eastern country, and strengthen existing business ties for Jewish businesses that already have quite a bit invested, albeit quietly, in places like the Gulf states.

there's a storm a'brewing...
A lot can be made over those wacky Californians. In the melting pot of Hollywood make-believe,Silicon Valley inventiveness, runaway youth, and silver-haired MILF's, trends are often born and relayed out to the nation past each Oscar season. But the latest craze is for a bunch o' guys putting on their camos, getting together and meeting in solidarity. It ain't fashion, but it sure is fun.

Yep, I'm talking about those virtual cowboys strapping guns on their flabby hips and strutting into the nearest Starbucks or pizza parlor, some 148 times so far: "You gotta problem with that!?" "A grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right to carry unconcealed weapons in the 38 or more states that have so-called open-carry laws allowing guns to be carried in public view with little or no restrictions. The movement is not only raising alarm among gun control proponents but also exposing rifts among gun rights advocates.


In recent weeks, the practice has expanded as gun owners in California and other states that allow guns to be openly carried have tested the law by showing up at so-called meet-ups, in which gun owners appear at Starbucks, pizza parlors and other businesses openly bearing their weapons."

“Our point is to do the same thing that concealed carriers do, We’re just taking off our jackets.”

I am of mixed emotions on this. The John Wayne, fictitious cowboy part of me says, how cool is that? While the unarmed part of that is now a senior citizen is more frightened by it. The only problem with carrying a gun is that sooner or later you will find an excuse to use it. The more off-kilter among us will manufacture a reason. And since the latest uses of citizens shooting at others have come in the form of right wing extremists shooting at doctors, security guards or middle school pre-teens. I'm leaning towards  it isn't a good idea...

We would have to drastically change our laws, making it so that shooting a gun in public is not a jailable offense. Killing someone would have to be seen in a different light, perhaps we could color code them like we do with Homeland Security Threats. I would rather that everyone had tasers or something that would make the other person instantly fall asleep, thinking outside of the box and not escalating or provoking more violence in our culture. These guys are enjoying the in-your-face confrontations, and enjoying the intimidation they are creating, telling me that they are latent sadists rather than someone interested in freedom. It's ringing suddenly has a hollow sound... Hey, since it is coming out of Cali, it's really a new kind of porn, giving new meaning to the term of strapping one on... hold still, you wascally wabbitt...