Bush tries to be Bartlett, pardoning Ziegler

Dubya may have recently seen the West Wing episode where President Bartlett pardons Communications Director Toby Ziegler. Bartlett struggled with the moral implications of a pardon, but at least in the TV show Ziegler's infraction had a moral undertone (trying to prevent the militarization of space, a theme of Rumsfeld Invaders). I doubt Dubya thought for 2 seconds about the decision. He just went with his gut. Being a loyal Bushie trumped honesty, ethics, and the law. Scooter Libby made no attempt at morality, he simply lied to protect Rove and Cheney's role in outing CIA agent Valerie Wilson. Dubya is sending a signal that political hits are worthy of reward. Happy July 4th everyone!

Adios Wolfie!

Rumsfeld's protege Paul Wolfowitz was forced to resign in disgrace from the World Bank refuge he fled to when he sensed that the Iraq quagmire he created would soon engulf the flailing neo-con agenda. Sorry, Wolfie, you can run, but you can't hide. The Europeans are draining the swamp you were hiding in. Now it's time for you to write your memoirs, and whine about how abused you were and are. The question is: will you come to regret your actions, or will you cover them up? Will it be "Fog of War II"? Or will it be "Neo-Con's intellectual perspective led to lots of destruction, but he can't face up to it, and is in denial about his messed up world view." C'mon, Wolfie, even Fukuyama says that neo-cons are messed up. Time for a neo-con 12-step program. You can join Thomas Friedman and become a "geo-green." It almost rhymes with neo-con, and it has a cool hyphen too. (Although, I don't know, if you became a geo-green, then people would run the other direction, so you better not.) The other aspect I've always been interested in is Wolfie's personal life. After the comb thing in Fahrenheit 911, you got to wonder about Wolfie's girlfriend. Sounds like a Condoleeza Rice-type. Black stilletto heels, gritted teeth, and a frown. But I don't know, maybe she's a nice woman. Idealistic to work for the World Bank, with the mission of lifting the poorest nations out of poverty. And it's true that women in Muslim countries need some advocates. (Sad record of accomplishments for the World Bank, funding dams and deforestation, causing climate change, and linking to harmful IMF policies- see Stiglitz and Sachs for references on that.) And poor choice in men. Wolfie was the worst one since McNamara. Another one bites the dust.

Billions wasted

I've been working on climate change policy, and encouraging a cap and trade system which auctions (sells) permits to companies, and uses the money for public goods (renewable energy, transit, research and development of new technologies), and to compensate consumers for fuel price increases on a per capita basis. Sounds good, right? It could raise $2 or $3 billion per year.

Other people are emailing me, saying, "Oh, we need a carbon tax, it'll solve all of our problems." It'll raise all this money and help with the transition. Well, a carbon tax would have to be very steep to change any behavior. Politicians are not into raising taxes, they lose elections for doing that. But even more important, let's look at a few numbers:

$504 billion. This is the money spent on the war on terror and Iraq between 2001 and 2007.

$344 billion. This is money spent on the Iraq war. Not counting the current $100 billion pending before Congress.

$213 billion. Cost of the War on Terror in 2006 alone (Rumsfeld's last year in office).

$2 trillion. Possible total long term cost of the Bush wars, once you count veteran's benefits, health care for all the soldiers with injuries, disabilities, Gulf War II syndrome, etc.

(These figures come from a USA Today article "Researchers weigh war's other costs", January 31, 2007)

In some ways, we don't need a cap and trade system, or a carbon tax. All we need to do is move all those war costs into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a new war on climate change. Yeah, let's use the National Guard for its true purpose, to guard the nation (climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity and 50% of all species on the planet). Of course, a cap and trade system that refunds money to consumers through a rebate/dividend/share would be nice too. But the $3 billion versus $300 billion gives us a little perspective about how we do things when we think they are really important (the military-industrial complex) versus just give lip service, so that the Rumsfeld Invaders Blog will go away and leave us alone.

I want to hear 2008 candidates say, "Capitalism 3.0."

B-town steps up to Rumsfeld

Ah, B-town, for all your flaws, you still have some life left in you. If the resolution passes, it may qualify for a High score on Rumsfeld Invaders.

BERKELEY, Calif. Berkeley City Council members are set to consider signing on to an international lawsuit seeking a war crime investigation of Rumsfeld.

The suit was filed last November in Berlin by lawyers for inmates of Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo Bay. It alleges former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered and condoned torture.

Abramoff and Borat?

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the focus of the video game JackAsstroids, wrote that he wished he could have hired Borat for a lawyer when he was under investigation.

Abramoff: 'Perhaps I could have hired Borat to represent me.'

Yag shamesh...

Rumsfeld's Last Day- 6 years too late. His next career move: Lurking in the shadows with Kissinger

Today is Rumsfeld's last day at the Pentagon. For Rumsfeld Invaders, it is the end of an era. Like when Jerry Rice retired from the 49ers. Except way, way better for the country and the world. Apologies to Jerry Rice, he does not deserve to be compared to Rumsfeld. The only person who really deserves that is Henry Kissinger.

Is Rumsfeld really going away? Or is he just changing jobs. Until he publicly repents and repudiates his positions of the last 6 years, and those of the military-industrial-empire complex of the last 50, he will still pose a threat to the possibility of world peace. Like Henry Kissinger, he will cling to beliefs which make sense only to him, while the rest of the world has weighed the evidence, drawn the obvious conclusions, and tried to move on (as I thought we had after Vietnam).

I read on another blog that the U.S. is spending around $200 billion a year to fight less than 5,000 jihadi-type terrorists and their worldwide network of supporters. This works out “to roughly $40 million per year, per terrorist." That doesn't even account for the money spent to employ people to take my toothpaste and my shaving cream away from me (which really pissed me off), and my hair gel when I'm trying to get on a plane. Is the country safer because my hair is sticking up? These people see every American citizen as a potential threat to empire, and want to anally probe grandmothers in public. They are sick people and need therapy, not jobs at the airport. I'll look for an accounting of how much money is wasted by Homleand Paranoia and get back to you. The money is spent only to ensure that more money gets spent. The purpose of spending this money is so that more money must follow down the rat hole. Hegelian economics: Thesis-Antithesis. War-Insurgency-counterIntersurgency-countercounterInsurgency. Homeland Security-Paranoia.

What we need is Hegelian economics for good: Sustainability-The Commons-Social justice- education- Water quality for all- economics as if people mattered- investing in human capital- peace dividends. This money would follow more money and the more money invested in these things, the more money would continue to be invested.

The Homeland is not secure when the military is halfway around the world, violating human rights, and inflicting civilian collateral damage on a daily basis in order to steal oil out from under the Middle East. It is another reprise for White Man's Burden and Manifest Destiny. Our missionaries are in fatigues and driving Hummers, but it's the Crusades of the Middle Ages all over again, and the flashy graphics of television and the Internet can't mask the Iraq War's basic nature.

Rumsfeld's next career move: Lurking in the Shadows with Henry Kissinger. He already has the veneer of Rasputin. So, Rumsfeld Invaders isn't going away. We've still got a mess to clean up.

Congratulations, Rumsfeld, on instigating Jihad versus McWorld. Your legacy will be proving Benjamin Barber right.

Post-Rumsfeld Nostalgia

Online documentary about Rumsfeld and how he invaded.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/

Still getting over the shock of Rumsfeld's tenure coming to a close.
Will the world suddenly be a peaceful place? Rainbows will come out, and we'll all start singing Kum-ba-ya?

(please let the euphoria continue a little while longer, I'm not ready for the years of crushing cynicism and pessimism to return yet)

Post-election Afterglow

Congratulations, fellow Rumsfeld Invaders!

After 6 years of struggle, against adversity, in the face of American flag stickers in the back windows of Hummers, when the media had been infiltrated by gay Republican operatives and worshipped the devil, when only violence and Constitution shredding were seen as patriotic and Murtha was still waiting to see how things would go, when the Senate Intelligence Committee was acting like an oxymoron...you stood your ground.

You supported Rumsfeld Invaders, because you knew that only by making fun of Rumsfeld by playing a version of Space Invaders on the Atari 2600 featuring Rumsfeld would America awaken to the stupidity of his policies and save our country from further disaster.

Well, it took 6 years.

But on November 8, 2006, Donald Rumsfeld resigned as Secretary of Defense.

It is a new day for America.

Let's not celebrate too soon. The war in Iraq is still quagmiring along. Death every day. The U.S. Treasury is being drained (if there's anything left), and the no-bid contracts are still being awarded to Halliburton. Cheney is still #2 (and smells like it too), and I wouldn't be suprised if he still talks to Rumsfeld every day on the phone. Prisoners are being rendited, and probably tortured, with no American provision for humane treatment, the Geneva Conventions, or habeas corpus. Mark Foley and his kind still garner close to 48% of the vote, even after resigning in disgrace and acknowledging their disgusting corruption. The two party system still chugs along squelching democracy wherever it tries to break through the concrete with real ideas and ecological perspectives.

But still, it was a nice election result. Pombo is gone. Santorum - out! unTalent from Missouri, sent home with no dessert. Close elections in Montana and Virginia went the right way, amazingly. California voted for a Secretary of State who will take action on the voting machines situation, finally. Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell have rigged their last election, and are consigned to the post-political backwaters. It's been a long, dark time, but it is nice to have a tiny bit of hope again.

As one Rumsfeld Invader observer noted, it is back to 1998 again. Sure, it's better than 2005. But it's certainly no utopia. We were out on the streets in 1998, preparing for a showdown in 1999 in Seattle over the WTO's anti-environmental, anti-labor policies. Maybe the blue-green alliance will return. Maybe 2007 will be the next 1999, and we can shut down the 21st century threat to global democracy, the United States War Machine. It was until recently piloted by Donald H. Rumsfeld. Now it needs a new direction. More humanitarianism and less bombs. More healthy people, clean water, and Millennium Development Goals, and less threats, lies, and swagger.

We'll be sending notes and encouragement to House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi. A woman's place is in the House...and the Senate! Kick Rumsfeld Butt! Nancy, feel free to subpoena Rummy, and ask him the tough questions. He cut and ran before you could get him to testify, but it's not too late for a War Crimes Tribunal. Maybe we'll even let him have access to an attorney and due process of the law. Maybe.

Rumsfeld Invaders will be evaluating its mission over the next month or two. We will stay active and engaged. And we will be blogging and enraged. Let us know what you think.

Now, on to Level 2: Cheney.

Saddam Verdict Timed to Coincide with Midterm Elections

Was it coincidence that Saddam's verdict was given out two days before the U.S. midterm elections? After 6 years of "staying the course", with Karl Rove trying to milk every angle he can out of the disastrous Iraq war? The "court" was created and paid for by the U.S. taxpayer, and governed by Rumsfeld. The Iraqi government is still a puppet of the U.S. government. And the U.S. government is a puppet of Cheney and Rumsfeld. If not, then why did the verdict happen in such a convenient way for the Republicans? The entire Iraq adventure aims to vest Dubya with a "war president" image to cover for all his other inadequacies. Dubya is now stalling in a State of Denial to keep running up the debt to hamstring all domestic social programs for the next decade. If the Democrats, when they take the House, don't immediately call for an end to the war in Iraq, with the threat of hearings and impeachment proceedings against the President for lying to them about Weapons of Mass Destruction, then the Democrats are part of the Republican plan, and it doesn't matter who runs the House.

I'm still looking for evidence that the Saddam verdict was timed by Rove. Or evidence of any media speculation of this. Tony Snow said "preposterous," and that put the issue to rest? Oh, if only Nixon had said the magic word! And, I'm still looking for evidence that Cheney did the Anthrax mailings.

Plundermaxx Plots Demise of Securities Laws

Secret backroom deals. Are we talking about more Republican repressed homosexual stalking of 16 year old boys? Sadly, not this time.

Plundermaxx, a corporation whose purpose is to maxximize Plunder, is combining the worst aspects of the public and private sector, subverting democracy, and slyly undermining laws meant to protect Americans. Their Press Releases show what evil they are up to.

http://www.plundermaxx.com/secsucks.pdf

Yes on 87, no on 90

Rumsfeld Invaders endorsements for California for the November 7 election (abridged):

Yes Prop 87. Tax the oil companies to fund renewable energy technologies. Don't believe Chevron's anti-87 propoganda. Prop 87 is a good measure and will reduce greenhouse gases.

No on Prop 90. This is an attempt to roll back planning and environmental laws across the state. They use sneaky language like "eminent domain" to mask their intent to overturn smart growth planning and zoning.

Laughing at the losers

Here are some highlights from
http://www.thefrown.com/frowners/becomerepublican.swf:

"We can't be spending money on wussy, boring crap like health care. We've got wars to fight! Would you rather have a million stupid mammograms, or one kick-ass Tomahawk missile?
...
Animals belong in a zoo, in your closet, or on your plate. If you want to see Nature as a majestic Circle of Life, just order a meat lover's pizza.
...
Forests are much better off without trees, according to a new study by the best scientists in the Lumber Industry."

New game on Rumsfeld Invaders: JackAsstroids

Rumsfeld Invaders presents a new game: JackAsstroids, based on the Atari 2600's famous Asteroids game.

Your objective is to clean up Washington's culture of corruption starting with lobbyists, then moving on to the politicians and their lackeys (including Rumsfeld of course).


Level 1 is disgraced corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Level 2 is disgraced corrupt Texas Republican leader Tom Delay. Level 3 is Rumsfeld. You'll have to play the game to find out who's next.

http://www.rumsfeldinvaders.com/jackasstroids.php

Rumsfeld on Political Friendster

I thought this was pretty funny. He's got a lot of friends...if you count scandals and national embarrassments as friends. Which I do.

http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=56&name=Donald-Rumsfeld

Press Release: Pentagon Worst Polluter on Planet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Department of Defense: ‘Worst Polluter on Planet’ Cites Green US House Candidate Byron De Lear

California Green Party congressional candidate Byron De Lear takes ‘Military Tour’ with the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in Southern California; Inspects military industry and its disastrous impact on human health, the environment.

• Corporate handled global system of war imminent threat to human survival• DoD produces more hazardous waste than the five largest US chemical corporations combined

• Los Angeles is home to sixteen military related toxic contaminated sites

• Cancer clusters among workers and residents have been found in surrounding communities linked to the contaminated sites

LOS ANGELES, CA. On June 10th, 2006, the Physicians for Social Responsibility sponsored the first ‘Military Tour’ of defense industry-laden Southern California. Facilities toured included a Rocketdyne site in Simi Valley, Boeing, Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, North American Aviation and the Navy’s primary west coast weapons depot located at Seal Beach. “For decades through the 1950’s until the late 1960’s unsuspecting residents have been subjected to deadly toxic poisons and radioactive heavy metals produced by open air testing of military hardware and reckless burning and disposal of reactor waste,” said Byron De Lear, running for the US House seat representing a district in Southern California (www.DeLearforCongress.org).

The Santa Susanna Field Lab operated by Rocketdyne and owned by Boeing Aircraft in affluent West Hills was the first stop on PSR’s Military Tour. “I was shocked to learn that right in my backyard is home to the world’s only uncontained partial nuclear meltdown”, said De Lear. “It’s a ‘Three Mile Island’ right here in LA – and it’s still radioactive,” he declared. Nuclear expert and specialist, Dan Hirsh tells the story, “They had four reactors that we know of that had serious accidents.” To save money, Rocketdyne, like most other defense contractors, conducted monthly burns in open pits of radioactive and chemical waste affecting not only the four-square mile Santa Susanna site but also throughout the Southland. Hirsh continues, “Years later, under EPA guidance, measurements were taken at a nearby children’s summer camp and high levels of Strontium 90, Plutonium 238, Tritium, Trichloroethelene (TCE) and various heavy metals were found at the children’s camp obviously having migrated off the Rocketdyne property.” Residents of the field lab's surrounding communities were never notified of the activities taking place at the open field lab, nor were they ever made aware of the nuclear materials that they were exposed to during spills, accidents or releases. Boeing has denied any deleterious health effects such as increased cancer rates by workers and residents and yet has settled out-of-court with over 100 neighbors of the testing facility. Terms of the settlements were not released.

“The Bush administration has sought to minimize the perception of the human costs of its illegal war in Iraq, and now equally directs the Department of Energy to deflect any criticism of lame cleanup attempts of these contaminated sites,” proclaimed US House candidate Byron De Lear. “This shows a complete disregard for the better interests of Americans and speaks of dereliction of duty – the DoD and it coterie of defense contractors must be put in check.” When queried, a high level EPA official who wishes to remain anonymous stated that the ultimate solution will be the formation of an independent agency to oversee the environmental impact of the Pentagon -- not to continue to have the Pentagon regulate itself.

FOR MORE INFO: http://www.psrla.org/militarytour.htm and http://www.greencommons.org/node/333

The Horned Chicken Man Rant

Photo caption: The Horned Chicken Man rants and struggles with the bailiff at the Rant-a-thon

The following rant was delivered, in part, at the 1st ever Rant-a-thon on July 28th, 2006 by Shepherd Bliss, sb3@pon.net, accompanied by musician Russell Sutter. Allies—Jack, John, Jeff, Leslie, Maggie, etc. adding chicken sounds.

(Props—chickens, cages, blanket, shofar, mask, black coat, cane.)

*This is not a poem. The line breaks make it easier for old eyes to read at the Rant-a-thon and helps me remember when to pause, pause, pause.

BLOW SHOFAR LOUDLY (bringing in animal presence with the ram’s horn, to which Russell adds whistle and flute sounds.)

I attended a Council of All Beings on the land I share with other creatures.
Most didn’t want a human at the Council.
The critters complained about the damage humans do.
They want us off the Earth.

Chicken spoke up for me personally,
So they let me observe.
Chickens are my allies.
If you consider chickens as your allies,
Let us know by sounds or movements of solidarity.

The Council assigned me the task of translating into your arrogant human talk.
I was given these notes—so I might get the Council’s
Collective thinking correct.

The flock where I live likes music,
And refer to themselves as the Dixie Chicks.
This is Lacey, a little nervous among so many humans
And 2 bantams new to the flock.

The critters call me Horned Chicken Man—Or Horney for short.
The horns help me protect animals and plants from predators—
mainly humans,
Who prey on them, eat them, destroy their habitat.
Gopher and badger were at the Council,
Digging holes to get away from you.

Cougar kept her distance.
Many insects—buzzing, crawling, creeping.

Berries were vocal.
They want more water.
You take too much water.
You pollute it for the rest of us.

Apple said she wants water also—
No more of your dry farming.

Quail bobbed around,
Lichen and fungus listened.
Oak was sturdy
Redwood kept dancing with wind.

Chicken was elected to represent the Council as Power Animal.
So I offer you a chicken perspective on humans.
Chicken Wisdom you might call it.
The Council sent chickens to observe

This Human Council
The Council of All Beings was real democracy—
Not American democracy.
One creature—one vote,
Regardless of color, size, age, or whatever.
No Diebold machines…No millionaires…No movie stars.

You think that chickens have a pecking order.
Check out the human pecking order—
By gender, class, race, nationality.

At least chickens have real cocks,
Not like that imitation cock that Americans have as president.

He’s a bully.
Chicken hawks they call the Neo-Cons.
Don’t take our good name in vain. (wave cane)

Remember that classic question.
“Which came first—the chicken or… the human?”
Chickens were here before you arrived.
They are our ancestors.
Chickens will be here long after humans destroy ourselves,
Unless we blow everything up.
Chickens and their allies
Are ready to come home to roost,
So move aside,
Unless you can behave yourselves,
Which we doubt.
So fly your Earthly coup in some space ship
And leave the planet to the chickens and other creatures.

Avian Flu…and other little creatures,
viruses like AIDS--were honored guests at the Council.

Perhaps they can clean the place
Of you foul creatures without damaging all of us.

You spoil your nest,
Which is also our nest,
And then talk down to us.
You smug environmentalists,
Climate change activists, Peak Oilers, liberals, and radicals--
You’re all part of the problem.
You think you are so good—with your Priuses.
Give us a break.
Piss on your phallic Prius hybirds
And those silly bio-diesel fuels.
Give me a low-bird any day.

WHEN THEY TRY TO GET ME OFF

Our 3 human minutes are up.
No, your time is up.
We’re not gonna willingly get off this soap box.
We’ve got a few more things to say to you humans.
You seldom listen.

(Use cane to fight off bouncers.)

I want to get to the sex part,where we talk about real cocks.
Can you give me another minute?

You think you’re so smart.
Zeno, for example—with his European pedigree and degree in logic.
He doesn’t even like Caribbean music.
What does he know about worms—that’s what’s important.
Chicken Little was right--the sky is falling.
Cowardly state terrorists drop bombs from the skies
On innocent brown-skinned civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq & Lebaonon,
Including deliberately targeting UN peacekeepers & Red Cross vehicles.

Chicken asked me to add a personal note about sex—
“What do humans know about sex?” she said.
“Big Red mounts me all day—what a cock.
Every time I shake, it’s a multiple orgasm.”

“Meanwhile, your cocky president
Struts about destroying the world.
And millions of you voted for that rooster.
How smart was that?”

The hens all agree that humans need more sex
And less shopping.
Make love, consume less.

Humans aren’t even good ranters,
Myself included.
Chickens, on the other hand….

Come on, let’s hear your inner chickens rant.
Let it out.

OK, Lacey and you little bantam friends,radiate your love and aloha.
Chickens are love birds,
We need their Prey Wisdom.
Act like a flock,
Not only like individual humans,
And maybe we will make it.

Or as the great ecologist Aldo Leopold writes,
“Think like a… Chicken.”

Alooooha.

-Shepherd

The Rant-thon Theme Song: "You Need to Rant"

Special thanks to Larry H. and Kimberly B. for this excellent song which led off the Rant-a-thon on July 28th:

You Need to Rant

(Intro: Harmonica)

Are you an avid Eco-Activist?
Or are you an old closet Socialist?

If so, you need to Rant, Rant
And don't tell me you can't.

Do you have pent up hostility?
Or deep feelings of futility?

If so, you need to Rant, Rant
And don't tell me you can't.

Do you have political frustrations?
Or have no more Bush regime patience?

If so, you need to Rant, Rant
And don't tell me you can't.

It's a healthy thing to get it all out
It will make a difference without a doubt

If so, you need to Rant, Rant
Don't tell me you can't.
So just Rant, Rant
And don't tell me you caaaaan't.

Sandlerbrau's Rant

The following rant was delivered, in part, at the 1st ever Rant-a-thon on July 28th, 2006 (rules for ranters are here).

Sandlerbrau’s rant:

Shouts out to Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Gonzo from the Muppets, Randi Rhodes from Air America, Lynn H.- who has ranted at me for 365 days times 4 and half years- and to the poor young interns I’ve ranted at, who came in to my office peaceful and happy and left with a burning righteous anger, ready to form non-profits, run for office, and deliver public comment with their middle finger and a fax machine. Here we go…

Topics:

Rumsfeld’s sexual dysfunction
- could have taken Viagra instead of invading Iraq. Sex got us through the 90s with Bob Dole and Clinton. Thats the main difference between this decade and last. Ironically, they didn’t have Viagra last decade…hmmm…
- Hummers mirror American foreign policy -
- simplistic American culture= broadcasting insecurity
- invading Iraq was Rumsfeld’s version of Tom Cruise bouncing on the couch

$500 billion military budget
- This pisses me off
- Imagine what we could do with $50 billion for any of our causes
- The largest single entity in our country is the Defense department, bigger than any company, and university, and organization
- ½ of the total Federal budget, the other main parts are entitlements and they are being whittled away by Repubs, but why isn’t anyone whittling away at the Rumsfeld budget? The only fuckin consensus item in this country is that killing people overseas is a high priority. Guns, Germs, and Steel.
- I don’t want to whittle the $500 billion, I want to dismantle it, because I have plans for that money and it doesn’t involve guns and bombs.
- Imagine what we could do at the local level with $500 billion.

Cheney was behind the Anthrax mailing
- he had the motive
- who was it sent to- Daschle and Leahy and the liberal media
- why haven’t we found the perpetrator?
- It was a cover up
- Why doesn’t anyone remember it and ask the question?
- The movies 'V for Vendetta' and 'Resident Evil' both proved that Cheney did it. Natalie Portman and Milla Jovovich are the key witnesses. I’d like to head up that investigation. I'd subpoena them (sp?).

Weakness in the Democratic party
- don’t take it out on the Greens- our job is to show the Dems their weaknesses. We’re like the scale when you’re on a diet, or like a mirror- this should be a call to action, not denial
- why do Dems hate Greens more than Republicans hate greens? It’s like you’re taking out your aggression on the messenger, but what you need to do is ask the messenger to help you get into the boss’s house and free the slaves.
- Can the Greens and Dems figure out a way to cooperate? I mean, I like Lynn Woolsey and in early 2004 I liked Howard Dean.
- But I hate Dianne Feinstein. We must take her out, no doubt.
- We need to focus on changing the system not keeping each other down. Is that ranty, or just preachy?

Why do Dems hate Greens so much?
- shouldn’t they hate Repubs more? Repubs have actual power, and are doing bad things. Greens have no power (except in Seb) and if they did, they would be using it to advance a progressive agenda.
- Nader is not the devil- Dick Cheney is.
- Doesn’t a progressive agenda mean being inclusive and liking diversity? Apparently not in electoral issues.
- 3rd parties are accepted in Latin America and Europe
- Instant Runoff voting and proportional representation needs to be a priority. Whether ballots are rigged by Choicepoint, if I have to write in my candidate and my candidate is not allowed into the debates, then I’ve been excluded from the process even before the vote is rigged.
- Now for the kicker, where I reach out to the Dems for solidarity: My real goal is to make the Repubs a 3rd party, and have the Greens and Dems the oppressive 2 parties in a 2 party system. (This sort of happened when the Green candidate for CA Superintendent of Schools Sarah Knopp received more votes than the Repub candidate- just recently on June 2, 2006)

The media- see 'America: the Book' page 131

Homeland security- aka butt raping
- Instead of airplane security anal probing me, why don’t we have health care workers who give out literature about heart disease, the #1 killer in America, even ahead of Osama bin Laden. Heart disease is the real killer. Look at the numbers. We need to put a turban and a beard on heart disease.
- 3,000 people. That’s a small number. It was sad, even ask Oliver Stone. I cried, no doubt. But guess what? More people just died in the past few minutes of malnutrition and lack of sanitation and clean water in the 3rd world. Millions of species are dying from climate change. That is even sadder, but way less is being done, and the nation is not being mobilized to do anything about it. Except go shopping and buy more stuff produced in sweatshops.
- National priorities- oops, an oxymoron.

And final shouts out- to Ann H. for being the Samuel Alito of the Rant-a thon; I think Sam P. was the Scalia- writing the majority opinion every time. You’re welcome, it’s a compliment, no it isn’t, I hate Samuel Alito, let me tell you why in the next 3 minutes, what, my time is up? I’m just getting started. OK, more shouts out. My 6th grade teacher who made us watch the movie Ghandi, which showed me how to do civil disobedience like continuing to rant even though my time is up...and...mmmpph...

At this point, Sandlerbrau was forcibly removed from the stage.

A Rant-a-thon Preview

Coming soon to this Blog...
The Rant a thon!

A grouchy festival of political frustration.
What has been bugging you for the last 4-8 years? OK, tell us in 3 minutes or less.

We'll be hosting a rant-a-thon on Friday July 28th, so to boost the anticipation, here are the Rules for the Rant a thon (sounds like a Saul Alinsky book- Rules for Ranters?)
Participants compete for prizes by giving a 3 minute rant on the state of the world, and why things are messed up.
Participants will be judged by an impartial panel based on the following criteria:
- Passion (Swearing? Yelling?)
- Content (current affairs preferred over the fight between Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, though lost points here could be made up in nonlinearity and creative blaming)
- Humor (take it seriously, but give it some zing- i.e. Chihuahuas versus Hummers)
- Ridiculous metaphors (i.e. Bush’s foreign policy is _____)
- Esoteric References (naming the specific guard you hate at Abu Ghraib is better than just mentioning Abu Ghraib)
- Relevance (Botswana’s export tariffs are upsetting, but remember to bring it back to the main point)
- Creative blaming (Dubya is indeed responsible for Hurricane Katrina, but little did you know that Jenna Bush is even more at fault)
- Nonlinearity (ex: how is the wine factory proposed on Gold Ridge Road related to Rupert Murdoch’s consolidation of the media)
- Satire/ Parody (ex: facial expressions and impressions of the usual evil suspects)
- Gestures (Scalia-type performance art, foam middle fingers welcome)
- Density (how much of the above can you pack into 3 minutes?)

Tips: Remember to alternate between bile, venom, and humor. Like a fine souffle, a quality rant needs just the right amount of ingredients to turn out right. The difference between bile and venom is subtle, but can be discerned during public comment at your local City Council meeting. It is also an art to be able to rant like Greg Palast without falling into regrettable Jenkel-ism. If you are going to have a written, prepared rant, it will be posted here in a special Rant-a-thon section on the RumsfeldInvaders blog. Stay tuned.

Ranting- coming to a blog near you. Yes, Rumsfeld Invaders, always innovating. We should patent the Blog Rant. We'll make millions. No one has ever ranted on a Blog before. Genius!

New American Century already over in just 6 years

I read today that the Project for a New American Century is closing up shop.
Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and many of the characters portrayed in the Rumsfeld Invaders video game shared letterhead back when they were powerless critics of Clinton's humanitarian focused foreign policy in the late 90's. Now that they have taken power and shot their load (of bombs...what?) in Iraq, and the neo-cons' power is on the decline, the Project for a New American Centuryis coming to an end. Apparently the staff wonk guys went upstairs to the American Enterprise Institute, where they will scheming otherways to initiate the downfalls of civilizations as described in Jared Diamond's Collapse.
I guess the rest of the Century belongs to Europe, China, and India.