Fairest and Balancedest

You may have seen the Pentagon’s pictures of what Saddam might look like in disguise. Here are some more.

Here’s an article about a documentary playing in Britain about a guy in Iran who murdered 16 prostitutes, thereby becoming a folk hero.

If the recall is a case of multiple personality disorder, our poor lite guv has a serious schizophrenic problem, affecting even the name of his website: http://www.noonrecallyesonbustamante.com/

Searching for an actual piece of malfeasance by Davis to justify a recall, R’s always say that he lied about how bad the economy/state finances are. Of course that was before Bill Simon promised to solve the $38 billion deficit entirely through the elimination of waste, fraud and abuse, and McClintock, I believe, thought it could be done through Medical fraud. Eliminating it, not committing it. I think. Maybe if every Californian fakes whiplash...

And of course they will all reverse the increase in car registration. Simon is pressing The Arnold (who he calls a “liberal”) to sign a “no new taxes” pledge. I’d like to recall Simon even if he doesn’t win.

Speaking of pledges, Tom DeLay says that the Texas legislators, whose parking spaces are currently being threatened, are violating their oaths to the Constitution. That is, to the provision calling for redistricting every 10 years. OK, I don’t think I’ve ever explained exactly what’s happening, and no one else is doing it, so here goes. The R’s claim there was no real redistricting because it was done by a federal court rather than the Lege. Why wasn’t it done by the Lege 2 years ago? Because the D’s were in a majority they weren’t expected to have much longer. So the R’s used the 2/3 rule to prevent any action, forcing it into the courts. That was always intended by the R’s as a place-holder, until they regained control, scrapped the 2/3 rule, and undid the previous redistricting. This is how it is now: any decision, any election, that does not go their way is to be considered provisional and illegitimate. As the Daily Show described the Calif. recall process, the founding fathers saw that one day people would rise up and say, The elected governor is not a member of my party, and that ain’t right!

The Texas Republican Party has taken out radio ads attacking the record of one of the 11, Juan Hinojosa, featuring actors using cartoony thick Mexican accents. Can’t find it online. Anyone?

US soldiers kill a Reuters cameraman, not for the first time. They claim they thought his camera was a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher. I have yet to see a newspaper do a side-by-side of his model of camera, and an RPG launcher, which seems an obvious thing to do. Also, he was shot at close range, in daylight. Also, he’d been there a half hour, with other journalists, and the soldiers knew it, and had given permission to film. What the hell is going on?

Speaking of DeLay, I just ran across an old story that in 1988 he explained why he didn’t go to Vietnam (but opened an exterminating business instead): so many minorities from the ghetto had volunteered, to get those high-paid military jobs and escape poverty, that there was no room left for patriots such as himself (and Dan Quayle).

Speaking of chicken hawks, GeeDubya admits for the first time that combat is still going on in Iraq. The Post says it is also the first time he’s even mentioned the guerilla fighting in Iraq in a speech.

The Post makes what I believe is the first mention of the family killed at the roadblock 10 days ago, in the 23rd paragraph of another story. It also mentions a looter being killed. Still nothing in the NYT.

Over a month ago, but the press (and I) only just heard about it, the White House held a secret briefing, trying to convince evangelical Christian types to support the “road map” and get them to support the ungodly two-state solution. They weren’t buying. I want more details.

I’m told the Alabama Supreme Court monument to the 10 Commandments also features quotes from the founding fathers and others, taken out of context to support the merger of church & state. And it’s copyrighted by the chief justice. I want more details.