July 9, 2002

So George W. Bush is now going to lead the charge regulating American business?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

That's like making Keith Richards the drug czar.

July 9, 2002 - Oh, it just keeps getting better.

What a news day today is. The only thing left now is for us to invade Iraq.

George W. Bush handed out 12 Medals of Freedom today. This is the highest civilian award the U.S. Government has. This is the Government of the United States, hence the People of the United States, in this case honoring the 12 most deserving individuals.

Nancy Reagan?

Most of the choices are defensible, including A.M. Rosenthal, Irving Kristol, D.A. Henderson, and most of the others. Even Bill Cosby and Fred Rogers can legitimately be said to have contributed significantly to the American way of life. But Nancy Reagan? Oh, please. Check the official announcement. Among the achievements of the other recipients, like eradicating smallpox, ending apartheid, forever changing the face of conservative political discourse, inventing the infrastructure of the information age, and establishing the definitive Gold Standard for truth and responsibility in the press, not to mention an entire life dedicated to teaching decency, respect, and responsibility to children (on public television, precluding any real money-making in the process), we have Nancy Reagan. Read the explanation of what she did to "deserve" this: She wandered around the country hawking the statistically ineffectual "Just Say No" program (in the process taking precious resources away from the community-based DARE program, by the way), "promoted" the Foster Grandparent program, and wrote a book. Oh, and was a good wife. I kid you not, the material was so thin that during the presentation they had to fall back on that.

In 1993 George senior gave the award to Ronald Reagan. Being elected President twice wasn't enough? Isn't giving the award to your previous boss, who made you Vice President, just a little incestuous in the first place? Then George's son gives the thing to Ron's wife? Incestuous doesn't even begin to describe it. I pity the other worthy receipients, even the dead ones, for the degree to which the choice of Nancy Reagan demeans the award, and further undercuts the credibility of the presenter.

July 9, 2002 - And furthermore...

While we're on the topic of Caesar Bush... Where does the President of the United States get off picking and choosing the leaders of other countries? Yes, political pressure has always been a cornerstone of international foreign policy, particularly for the wealthier, more powerful nations, but it's always been done in a subtle way, with a certain finesse. It's always been a matter of trying to encourage (entice seduce strong-arm, you choose your own word) other countries to take the direction we want them to take, elect who we want them to elect, etc. But not W. W thinks it's his right as Emperor to announce point-blank that not only Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein must be removed from power (in Saddam's case, he's threatening to directly cause it to happen), but even a fairly democratically elected Yassar Arafat. The Palestinian people are free to choose their own leader, as long as it's one that W approves of. Now there's diplomacy in action.

Don't get me wrong. If Castro, Hussein, and Arafat were all sitting together in my hot tub, I'd be the first to throw them a plugged-in toaster. But the point remains that the leader of the most powerful democracy in the history of mankind doesn't seem to believe in democracy at all. His post-9/11 rush to glory has lit a fire of ambition and a sense of omnipotence and righteous mandate in him that are sowing the seeds of a presidency run truly amock. George W. Bush may well test the strength and resolve of our fundamental principles of balance of power in ways that haven't happened since the constitution was ratified.

Kind of makes me wish Colin Powell was still Secretary of Defense. At least there'd be a voice of reason standing between W and the military.

Oh, and one more thing. About that "under God" thing:

I had an interesting AIM chat with a friend today about that (while we should have been working) and it so accurately and effectively summed up my point of view that with permission I changed the AIM names and posted it. It's good reading. Read it Here.

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