Mutiny on the Gordo, Part III

Victoria, B.C.
48° 39' West; 123° 26' West


If you were to pay attention only to the mainstream media including, sadly, the CBC, you might come to the conclusion that today's release of the report by the 'Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services' (warning: pdf) is an indicator that the SS Gordon Campbell has battened down the hatches in preparation for a concerted, all hands on deck, change of course.

But if you dig a little deeper, or read Schreck, you might come to a slightly different conclusion, especially given the fact that Joy McPhail was a contributor to the report.

Because clearly there are a significant number of Liberal backbenchers, particularly those outside the Lower Mainland, that are scared crapless about being thrown overboard come May 2005. As such, they are screaming for the skipper to ignore the owners of the Cruise Line, at least for the time being, and pull hard to port (ie. left) to save their skins. Why else would they say that:

"....the government spend more on a wide range of social programs, health care and education in the next provincial budget."

Of course, this type of talk is nothing short of mutiny for a Commander bent on the total dismantling of the social safety net.

So the question is, will Gordo keep up the Cap'n Queeg act, or does he order the Ferret to fire up the $30 million Whirlitzer and start doling out dollups of very little substance that do nothing but grab headlines without actually helping anybody or anything?

Call us cynics, but we figure our Fearless Leader, or more precisely his surely soon to be hired U.S. Republican battle-hardended Handlers, will surely find a way to bash social programs while simultaneously using them as a feel good success story in the run-up to the campaign.

Example.....can't wait to find out what our not-quite homegrown version of the 'No Child Left Behind' act will be. Perhaps having today's grade 7 students take yesterday's grade 4 evaluation exam all over again to demonstrate just how much they've progressed in the three years they've been in Gordo's bareknuckle, bootstrap school system?

Evil Will Triumph If....

Ottawa, ON
45° 19' North; 75° 40' West

Sometimes a country has gotta do what a country has gotta do.

One Nation Under Godzilla

Spokane, WA
47° 40' North; 117° 23' West

Because if it was, there would be no reason for holy wars.

Which is one of the reasons why the folks who came up with American Constitution worked so hard to keep church and state truly separate.

Who's Sorry Now?

49° 00' Horizontal and Down
(not including the stuff on the edges)

Matthew Good is taking things to the mat on the We're Sorry vs. We're Not Sorry website issue.

The question is, what kind of society produces examples of the latter, particularly a society that contains a significant proportion of the population and an entire government that finds such displays moral and just?

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Update: Mr. Good got tired of the gun barrels and took his post down, so you'll have to make do with some very manly satire from the General if you wish to pursue this matter further.

Collective Punishment

Fallujah Iraq
33° 28' North; 48° 48' East

Pepe Escobar, writing in the Asia Times, has an interesting take on the situation in Fallujah:

" ...Whenever a neo-colonial power - or a puppet politician like interim Iraqi Premier Iyad Allawi - orders the widespread bombing of civilian areas, as in Fallujah, the rationale invoked is 'regrettable necessity'. What is never mentioned is the real objective: collective punishment."

It's a harsh conclusion because, if it is true there is little separate the current American administration and their 'Saddam without a mustache' Mr. Allawi from the worst of history's tyrants which is why it is forbidden by article 33 of that quaint little document, the Geneva convention, which states:

"No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed," and "collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited."

Note how the term terrorism has been turned on its head by BushCo and its minions.

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For more Escobar, which is very good, go here.

A 'significant' number....

Fallujah Iraq
33° 28' North; 48° 48' East

The first fuzzy reports on the dead and the maimed are finally starting to trickle out....

"The full cost of the battle of Falluja emerged last night as large numbers of wounded civilians were evacuated to hospitals in Baghdad, as insurgents stepped up retaliatory attacks in other cities.

As the first Red Crescent aid convoy was allowed into Falluja, Iraq's Health Minister, Alaa Alwan, said ambulances had begun transferring a 'significant number' of injured civilians out of the battle zone, although he did not specify how many...."

So, just what is significant?

Tens?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

We would like to suggest that one is a million too many for something as useless as shock and awe footage on FOX News.

Public Service Announcement #1

Rabbleville, Canadiana
49° 00' North and Above, On a Line

Hate those bloody subscription firewalls that keep you from finding columnists that matter?

Or just want to be able to find the good ones all in one place.

Then check out the the Rabble's columnist page.

Ms. Mallick is there now too.

And Naomi Klein's latest is required reading. Who knew that a Canadian would become the next Sy Hersh?

Quaintness In Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland
46° 20' North; 06° 01' East

Looks like somebody has decided to try and hold the Butchers of BushCo accountable:

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 - Human rights experts said Friday that American soldiers might have committed a war crime on Thursday when they sent fleeing Iraqi civilians back into Falluja.

Citing several articles of the Geneva Conventions, the experts said recognized laws of war require military forces to protect civilians as refugees and forbid returning them to a combat zone....

....James Ross, senior legal adviser to Human Rights Watch, said, "If that's what happened, it would be a war crime."

Apparently, however, butchery is non-issue due to the 'research and vetting' edict:

"...A Defense Department spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, defended the actions of American troops in Iraq, saying: "Our forces over there are not haphazardly operating indiscriminately, targeting individuals or civilians. The rules of engagement are researched and vetted, and our forces closely follow them."

So, our question is, does the research and vetting edict have anything in common with the memo about the quaintness of the Geneva Conventions?

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Thanks to sic transit gloria USA posting on moonofalabama for the link.

He Loves the Stench of Death On a Saturday

Washington, District of Columbia
38° 53' North; 77° 02' West

From the faithful waterboys over at the Associated Press via Atrios:

"In his weekly radio address, Bush applauded the assault on Fallujah, west of Baghdad. About 80 percent of the city was said to be under U.S. control, with insurgents pushed into a narrow corner. But the battle has claimed 22 American lives and wounded about 170 U.S. troops and violence has now spread to other Sunni Muslim areas of Iraq."

Still no word on, or names of, the dead Iraqis caused by the targetting of hospitals, first aid stations or ambulances.

Temperature Sensitive Mutant

Vancouver, British Columbia
49°15' North; 123°08' West

Good to see that former Vancouver Scrum proprietor Ian King is back at it, this time with a story on David Suzuki's past life chasing flies and his current feelings re: America.

Question is, given that Suzuki's claim to fame in the real (ie. pre-media) science world was the development of temperature sensitive gene mutations in the fruit fly D. Melanogaster, does this mean that the no longer icy polar caps are soon to be overrun with red-eyed, codpiece-wearing, pretzel-sucking fruit flies?

Helen Has Questions....

Washington, District of Columbia
38° 53' North; 77° 02' West

Helen Thomas is the grand dame of the Washington Press Corps and an Octagenerian.

And George Bush is afraid of her, because she asks questions like this:

"...Do Americans of good conscience really believe that we are making the United States more secure by bombing and killing the people of Fallujah?

......And why are our forces being killed?

......Does anyone believe that hand-picked interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, on the CIA payroll for years, is a free soul?

....Did we really make war against Iraq out of the goodness of our hearts to ensure free elections for Iraqis?"

And the big one....

"..........Why are we killing Iraqis in their own country?"

Indeed.

No wonder the Twig never takes Ms. Thomas' questions during press conferences anymore.

But we have a question of our own.

When, exactly, did the Marlboro Men of BushCo become so scared of little old ladies?

Douglas Still Leads

Weyburn Saskatchewan
49° 40' North; 103° 51' West

There's still time to freep the poll for Tommy D.

Do it.

Mosul

36° 20' North; 43° 08' East
Mosul, Iraq

Looks like it's Mosul's turn to shine.

These people really are utterly contemptible and totally incompetent.

Because while BushCo and the Rovians may be able to control the Waterheads on Sunday morning TV, they absolutely cannot do anything in the real world without screwing it up totally. Hell, they can't even make a goddamn wedding cake correctly.

Wolcott gets it right. They are nothing but little big men, only picking fights they know they can win.

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Update: More from Josh Marshall on the swine, which is perhaps a slur to pigs everywhwere, that are really running this operation.

Bonus Update: Our protector from the 5th column has the story on the swinelet sucking at the teat with a gun in his hand down on the killing floor.

Where's Judas Now?

Fallujah Iraq
33° 28' North; 48° 48' East

"I don't want your blood money!"
Judas to Caiaphas in JC Superstar

The question is, does anybody in Fallujah want it?

Because BushCo is ready to pony up with a quite a few pieces of silver to get the natives to shut up and join the occupiers, those that aren't dead that is.

"The administration of U.S. President George W Bush has set aside $90 million to rebuild the stricken Iraqi city of Fallujah, which has come under devastating assault from U.S. forces seeking to oust insurgent fighters."

Maybe I missed it amongst the terror/murder memos, but did Alberto Gonzales already put a price on human life?

The Death of American Exceptionalism

Fallujah Iraq
33° 28' North; 48° 48' East

It seems that Americans on both side of the divide are finally waking up to the disaster that is the Iraqi occupation.

In fact, we've noticed that even freeper leaning sites are starting to post lists of the dead and mutilated from the unbelievably stupid Operation Phantom Fury.

And they are terrible lists indeed.

Unfortunately, they only include American casualties.

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As we've noted in the last three posts there is absolutely nothing Phantomagoric about the latest seige of Fallujah.

Because it's all in your face, stand on your neck, shock and awful.

But there are no long, long, long lists of the Iraqi dead and mutilated (or even short ones).

And little Scottie McLellan, George Bush's mouthpiece, tells us why.

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And the true Fury is not coming from the stupid swagger of American generals whipping the troops into a faux 'Onward Christian Soldier' rage of moral blindness and abject hubris.

Instead it's coming from the Iraqi population. And this is the general population, not the theocrats, the dead-enders, the terrorists or the insurgents.

Riverbend will give you the latter story. Her latest post is worth reading very slowly, but if you're pressed for time you need only read the last bit:

Rumsfeld: "The Rule of Iraq assassins must end..."
Riverbend: "I couldn't agree more: Get out Americans."