To spread Democracy. By force.

Granted - Democracy is a wonderful political system. However, it is not the responsibility of America to force Democracy on other nations. Democracy is simply a political system. However it has nothing inherent that demands it be the only political system. There is no mandate from God or otherwise that says Democracy must be the Way fo the World. More important, any justification to force Democracy on another nation can be equally applied to any political, economic, or religious system. Bush uses the justification of Freedom - that Democracy equates with Freedom. But other political systems can also equate to Freedom - it depends on your definition of Freedom. Socialism can equate to Freedom from Uncertainty - that you will receive what you need to survive. Communism (true communism) can equate to Freedom of Fairness. And all the -isms can peacefully co-exist with concepts like Freedom of Speech - really! That they haven't, that these -isms and -ocracies get perverted is due to the people in control, those in charge. Power corrupts.

Consider: Our system of Democracy has been severely perverted away from being for the People and, instead, regularly kowtow to Business, Religious groups, and other Special Interests. Is this a function of Democracy? No, it's due to Bush and cronies, and the choices they have made while in power. To foist this system on other countries brings the question of whether a situation like the invasion of Iraq is nothing more than a way to siphon monies from our Government to those companies who pushed for and profited from an invasion. Conflict of interest sort of thing. Expansionism for profit.

Fact is, Bush said we'd go into Iraq, depose an evil bastard, be welcomed with open arms and cheering Iraqis, and they'd embrace Democracy. Fact is, we could of gotten rid of Hussein by other means that wouldn't have cost $100 billion, that wouldn't have resulted in over a thousand American lives lost, that wouldn't have destroyed the Iraqi infrastructure. Yes, by removing Hussein and Sons, a civil war could have resulted but guess what? A civil war could still erupt.

Bush had a plan to invade and that's it. No plan for maintenenace. No exit strategy. He sought and got the glory of invasion, of "Mission Accomplished!" and nothing more. Now he's about to ask for $100 billion more while underfunding Education, Health, Science, and other departments. The death of Arafat has done more for the prospect of Middle East peace than Bush. For Democracy to spread around the world it has to stand as an untarnished, unparalled political system free from voting "irregularities". Our version doesn't meet that standard.

But I could be wrong. When Jeb Bush is in his second term as President and the yearly tithing to Iraq is $300 billion, when the body count is over 10,000, then, maybe, Democracy will come to Iraq. But by then America will be in ruins.

Kobe Out
Wouldn't it be funny if the Lakers went on a winning streak with Kobe out injured?

Bush Admits Misgivings About Famed Phrases

WASHINGTON - President Bush says he now sees that tough talk can have an "unintended consequence."

So can stupid talk, lies, and stretched truths. So why did we go into Iraq? WMDs? And they are where?

During a round-table interview with reporters from 14 newspapers, the president, who not long ago declined to identify any mistakes he'd made during his first term, expressed misgivings for two of his most famous expressions: "Bring 'em on," in reference to Iraqis attacking U.S. troops, and his vow to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive."

Does this mean you're not going after Osama now? Is that the regret - that you implied you'd get the guy one way or another?

"Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean," Bush said Thursday. "'Bring 'em on' is the classic example, when I was really trying to rally the troops and make it clear to them that I fully understood, you know, what a great job they were doing. And those words had an unintended consequence. It kind of, some interpreted it to be defiance in the face of danger. That certainly wasn't the case."

On other points, Bush said:

_He wants Congress to approve major changes in the Social Security program before the end of May. Many Democrats and some Republicans in Congress oppose Bush's proposal, which may entail steep reductions in future benefits.

_Baseball's new policy for steroids and other drugs is "a very strict policy and I want to congratulate both parties."

It's very strict. Very, very strict and that's good because strict is good especially when backed up by a platoon of Marines.

_Four years as president have changed him. "They say my hair is grayer. But I come from a pretty white-haired gene pool. At least half of it."

Don't you mean white-skinned?

On July 2, 2003, two months after he had declared an end to major combat in Iraq, Bush promised U.S. forces would stay until the creation of a free government there. To those who would attack U.S. forces in an attempt to deter that mission, Bush said, "My answer is, Bring 'em on."

They sure did, Boy, didn't they?

In the week after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush was asked if he wanted bin Laden, the terrorist leader blamed for the attacks, dead.

"I want justice," Bush said. "And there's an old poster out West, that I recall, that said, 'Wanted, Dead or Alive.'"

Recalling that remark, Bush told the reporters: "I can remember getting back to the White House, and Laura said, 'Why did you do that for?' I said, 'Well, it was just an expression that came out. I didn't rehearse it.'

Meaning if you don't get a chance to rehearse with your advisors, you say stupid things. Excuse me, you say plain things.

"I don't know if you'd call it a regret, but it certainly is a lesson that a president must be mindful of, that the words that you sometimes say. ... I speak plainly sometimes, but you've got to be mindful of the consequences of the words. So put that down. I don't know if you'd call that a confession, a regret, something."

Plain = stupid.

During his second debate last year with presidential challenger Sen. John Kerry, Bush was asked to name three instances in which he had made a wrong decision. At the time he declined to identify any specific mistakes.

Reporters at Thursday's round-table also asked Bush about the high price tag for his second inaugural celebration and suggestions the $40 million gala, which is being paid for by private donations — much of it coming from lobbyists and corporations — be scaled down.

"The inauguration is a great festival of democracy," he said. "People are going to come from all over the country who are celebrating democracy and celebrating my victory, and I'm glad to celebrate with them."

That is, to those who can afford it but keep away from Bubba's private keg...

Search for Banned Arms In Iraq Ended Last Month

By Dafna Linzer, Washington Post Staff Writer

The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered U.S. troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley.

In interviews, officials who served with the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas.

Four months after Charles A. Duelfer, who led the weapons hunt in 2004, submitted an interim report to Congress that contradicted nearly every prewar assertion about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials, a senior intelligence official said the findings will stand as the ISG's final conclusions and will be published this spring.

President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top administration officials asserted before the U.S. invasion in March 2003 that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program, had chemical and biological weapons, and maintained links to al Qaeda affiliates to whom it might give such weapons to use against the United States.

Bush has expressed disappointment that no weapons or weapons programs were found, but the White House has been reluctant to call off the hunt, holding out the possibility that weapons were moved out of Iraq before the war or are well hidden somewhere inside the country. But the intelligence official said that possibility is very small.

Duelfer is back in Washington, finishing some addenda to his September report before it is reprinted.

"There's no particular news in them, just some odds and ends," the intelligence official said. The Government Printing Office will publish it in book form, the official said.

The CIA declined to authorize any official involved in the weapons search to speak on the record for this story. The intelligence official offered an authoritative account of the status of the hunt on the condition of anonymity. The agency did confirm that Duelfer is wrapping up his work and will not be replaced in Baghdad.

The ISG, established to search for weapons but now enmeshed in counterinsurgency work, remains under Pentagon command and is being led by Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph McMenamin.

Intelligence officials said there is little left for the ISG to investigate because Duelfer's last report answered as many outstanding questions as possible. The ISG has interviewed every person it could find connected to programs that ended more than 10 years ago, and every suspected site within Iraq has been fully searched, or stripped bare by insurgents and thieves, according to several people involved in the weapons hunt.

Satellite photos show that entire facilities have been dismantled, possibly by scrap dealers who sold off parts and equipment to buyers around the world.

"The September 30 report is really pretty much the picture," the intelligence official said.

"We've talked to so many people that someone would have said something. We received nothing that contradicts the picture we've put forward. It's possible there is a supply someplace, but what is much more likely is that [as time goes by] we will find a greater substantiation of the picture that we've already put forward."

Congress allotted hundreds of millions of dollars for the weapons hunt, and there has been no public accounting of the money. A spokesman for the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency said the entire budget and the expenditures would remain classified.

Several hundred military translators and document experts will continue to sift through millions of pages of documents on paper and computer media sitting in a storeroom on a U.S. military base in Qatar.

But their work is focused on material that could support possible war crimes charges or shed light on the fate of Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, a Navy pilot who was shot down in an F/A-18 fighter over central Iraq on Jan. 17, 1991, the opening night of the Persian Gulf War (news - web sites). Although he was initially reported as killed in action, Speicher's status was changed to missing after evidence emerged that he had ejected alive from his aircraft.

The work on documents is not connected to weapons of mass destruction, officials said, and a small group of Iraqi scientists still in U.S. military custody are not being held in connection with weapons investigations, either.

Three people involved with the ISG said the weapons teams made several pleas to the Pentagon to release the scientists, who have been interviewed extensively. All three officials specifically mentioned Gen. Amir Saadi, who was a liaison between Hussein's government and U.N. inspectors; Rihab Taha, a biologist nicknamed "Dr. Germ" years ago by U.N. inspectors; her husband, Amir Rashid, the former oil minister; and Huda Amash, a biologist whose extensive dealings with U.N. inspectors earned her the nickname "Mrs. Anthrax."

None of the scientists has been involved in weapons programs since the 1991 Gulf War, the ISG determined more than a year ago, and all have cooperated with investigators despite nearly two years of jail time without charges. U.S. officials previously said they were being held because their denials of ongoing weapons programs were presumed to be lies; now, they say the scientists are being held in connection with the possible war crimes trials of Iraqis.

It has been more than a year since any Iraqi scientist was arrested in connection with weapons of mass destruction. Many of those questioned and cleared have since left Iraq, one senior official said, acknowledging for the first time that the "brain drain" that has long been feared "is well underway."

"A lot of it is because of the kidnapping industry" in Iraq, the official said. The State Department has been trying to implement programs designed to keep Iraqi scientists from seeking weapons-related work in neighboring countries, such as Syria and Iran.

Since March 2003, nearly a dozen people working for or with the weapons hunt have lost their lives to the insurgency. The most recent deaths came in November, when Duelfer's convoy was attacked during a routine mission around Baghdad and two of his bodyguards were killed.

No, not in Iraq but in Washington D.C. - an entire World of Mental Deficients. Two years ago, Bush and cronies told the world that the U.S. *HAD* to invade Iraq because Hussein had WMDs and was an immediate to National and World security. And they claimed they had proof! Many people in the world, including myself, felt that this was a trumped up excuse to go charging into a country, mainly in order to control oil. Many people, including myself, felt that to take away focus from bin Laden was a mistake. But Bush paraded out the "proof", invaded Iraq, and 100 days later - 'Mission accomplished!"

Except the "proof" proved kind of phony. But, Bush said, Hussein did have WMDs but they're now hidden and we'll find them! No, wait, Hussein had the makings of WMDs and we'll find the paperwork. No, wait, the weapons were secreted out to Syria when we weren't looking.

Well, after two years, they haven't found jack. Two years and we're up a (dry) creek in Iraq, funneling billions of dollars into rebuilding a country that didn't need to be destroyed in the first place. Remember Bush claiming that the oil would fund the cost of rebuilding? Remember Bush claiming that the Iraqis would welcome us with open arms? Instead, the oil money and our money seems to disappear and the welcome with open arms turned out to be a welcome with small arms.

This is the same Bush who told us that Hussein supported al Qaeda. No, make that Hussein supported al-Qaeda-lie groups. No, change that to supported terrorist-like groups. No, fix that to...

Folks, we invaded Iraq for one of two sets of reasons:

And, sadly, we have proven ourselves better at killing and torturing Iraqis than Hussein.

And while we're on the topic of the election ceremonies...read this and try not to puke.

Inauguration to Get Unprecedented Security

By KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Security for President Bush's inauguration — the first swearing-in since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — will be unprecedented with some 6,000 law enforcement personnel, canine bomb teams and close monitoring of transportation.

In describing the plans for the Jan. 20 event, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said that while the decibel level was down on terrorism chatter, the 55th quadrennial presidential inauguration was such a high-profile event that security would be at its highest level.

"This is the most visible manifestation of our democracy," Ridge said at a news conference near the Capitol, where Bush will take the oath on the West Front.

Ridge detailed some of the security plans, including patrols of harbors, mobile command vehicles, round-the-clock surveillance of the key facilities, a record number of canine bomb teams and thousands of security personnel. He likened the resources to those used during the political conventions last year.

"Security will be at the highest levels of any inauguration," Ridge said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will expand the no-fly zone, now a 15- 3/4-mile radius around the Washington Monument, to a 23-mile radius around Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International airports. The temporary flight restrictions will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 20.

Roughly 2,500 military personnel will also be on hand to bolster security, with another 4,700 involved in ceremonial duties, said Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman, who commands the Army's military district of Washington.

Jackman said he did not think all the security would detract from the experience of the 250,000 people expected to watch the swearing-in and the estimated 500,000 expected along the parade route from the Capitol to the White House.

"I don't think people will notice kind of an encampment mentality here," Jackman said. "I think they'll feel very comfortable with what we've arranged."

Ridge noted that intelligence picked up in March and April suggested terrorists may be interested in attacking during the election year. He and other counterterrorism officials have said that threat could extend through the inauguration.

On Tuesday, he sought to play down the warnings issued last year. "There is no specific threat directed toward the inaugural or inaugural activities," he said.

City officials in Washington are still working with the Homeland Security Department to sort out who will pay some of the bills. The district's total cost for the event is expected to be $17.3 million, which includes overtime for members of the more than 60 law enforcement agencies that will be brought in to help.

Among other charges: almost $3 million to build viewing stands and $43,260 to develop special license tags, according to a letter Washington Mayor Anthony Williams sent to federal officials late last month.

City officials are seeking permission to dip into the district's $240 million allotment from the federal government to pay for other costs it will incur during the inauguration.

When asked if he thought it was appropriate to use city dollars for basics such as bleachers, Ridge said he was not aware of city money going toward infrastructure improvements, but said the district is eligible for federal reimbursement for overtime expenses.

"We believe there are significant resources available to help the district with costs associated with increased security," Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

I like how the Feds are trying to get Washington D.C. - the city - to foot most of the bill. If I were mayor of that city I'd say forget it. That we will use the money as it is planned for the city and not for Federal purposes. If security is such a concern, have the ceremony indoors and don't have any festivities, skip the parade. Believe me, we'll understand, we've had enough of Bush parading around.

My work is fairly technical: data analysis, web development, Oracle reporting and so on. Every year we get a job review on what we did right, wrong, the usual. Up until last year my reviews were pretty solid. Last year my review stressed a concern regarding customer service. Huh? I've always had good customer service but apparently ONE customer complained - not to me - but to my supervisor that I sighed when receiving a request.

A sigh. And that what the supervisor focussed on and what my eventual raise reflected. A sigh of exasperation. The supervisor didn't do much in background checking - was I overloaded that day? Was the request stupid and simplistic? Worse, my review didn't cover any technical aspects of my work. Was my code efficient and accurate? Nope, the supervisor looked at the non-technical side of things. And that's what bugs me - Supervisors who can't understand or do the jobs of their peons.

You'd expect a supervisor of a technical group to be able to sub in for an absent employee. I've worked under both situations: one, where the supervisor could and did sub in for an absent employee, and, two, the current situation where they can't. I prefer the former. It's healthy to be able to talk shop with one's supervisor, to have a highly technical meeting where the supervisor isn't judging things on style of presentation because they can't judge the information. Granted, the downside is when your supervisor thinks they know analyses better then you and insist on micro-managing all of your projects.

No, my ideal supervisor is one who says "You were hired as a Professional to do a job. Do it. I respect your abilities. If you need help, here I am. Put in your 40 hours however is best for you."

But, no, my supervisor spends most of the day going to meetings, responding to emails (because we have to CC: all of our email over as a measure of project status), paper shuffling, and making sure we have presentations and handouts available whenever we call meetings. No technical help or advice.

So this year, I've played the game. I've taken a class in Presentation Skills and will be taking a class in Business writing*. My customer service has been excellent - 'Yes Sir!', "Right away, Ma'am!!" - so I should get a decent raise, maybe 4.0%. Wow! From turkey hash to meatloaf!!

*Business Writing for the Idiot.

Any other hints?

Lottery
Our California Lottery is getting up there - $80 million plus. But, really, with a lump sum payout and taxes, you're really looking at about $23 mil. But don't bother buying a ticket. I have the winning ticket hidden away. I think the most appealing aspect of winning is being able to go to work and knowing you don't have to put up with any more bullshit because you can (and will) leave. But for fairness I'd resign quietly and tactfully, citing "Other" reasons for leaving.

Dreams. The last resort of the Oppressed.

Manga
My kids have discoverered managa graphic novels like "One Piece", Rave Master, and, of course, Yu-Gi-Oh. I'll admit I've gotten into a series as well. I like mysteries and found Case Closed, about a teenage detective who gets transformed into a kid. His adventures mix mysteries with the hazards of being a teen in a kids body (think hormones without release). Each book has a handful of mysteries. It's a cute series but some of the situations are a stretch. A better, more complex mystery series is Kindaichi Case Files. These feature a teen detective who battles his "urges" for any pretty girl while solving murders. Most enjoyable. However, graphic novels run about $8-$10 per book and a series can put you back a pretty penny.

Monday
It's a monday. A bedroom in the house got a little soaked. Apparently we had a hairline crack in the wall from an earthquake many years ago. The water capillaried into it and the carpet kept the water coming in. We didn't discover it because we had a bed over the whole scene but after the last downpour we wondered why #3 kid's bed was all wet. He couldn't have peed that much. So now we have to see how extensive the wall repair will be - is the wood rotted? Is the house off the foundation? Patch and paint? The joys of home ownership! When the kids want to go to college I'll tell them to stare at the wall.

Gonzales Disavows Torture Tactics

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales drew scorching criticism from Senate Democrats on Thursday for his role in Bush administration policies on the treatment of terror suspects. He repudiated torture tactics and vowed at a contentious confirmation hearing to abide by international treaties on prisoner rights.

"I will no longer represent only the White House. I will represent the United States of America and its people. I understand the difference between the two roles," President Bush's counsel told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

So he is confirming then that the White House knows of and approves the use of torture. More importantly, combining this information with the Abu Ghraib incident validates that the White House knows that it doesn't represent the morality and ethics of the American people and, in fact, is doing whatever the hell it wants with absolute arrogance and hubris.

Gonzales again illustrates that the Bush Administration is rife with people who will gladly say anything in order to gain or retain power. What is Gonzales going to say? The Truth - that torture is just fine with him?!? C'mon folks, no one is fooled. This is all horse manure.

The Lakers suck. The Clippers suck. The Dodgers suck. The "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" suck because the name is beyond stupid. UCLA football sucks. UCLA basketball is borderline suck. That L.A. doesn't have a pro football team doesn't suck but that our pro "football" team - the L.A. Galaxy - didn't do jack this year sucks.

Schwarzeneggar sucks for having an annoyingly long name, a scary-looking wife, and doing jack as Governor. With his budget cuts to Education, Schwarzy is doing his best to make California kids as dumb as Texas kids.

Bush sucks...period. Paris proves she sucks. No tacky remarks about Condi.

But I got a meganumber and a meganumber plus one on the lottery!!! Three dollars!!! Wow! No one won the big one so I'll reinvest my winnings and start my lottery ritual of omni-deist prayer, animal sacrifices, and virgin deflorations. Or was it virgin sacrifices and animal deflorations?!? Crap. This religion things sucks too.

Here are my predictions for 2005 and beyond:

Little Miss Attila (no link intended - she gets enough exposure) crows, in a comparison of European and American workers, how we like to work hard in order to do things right. As always, she's wrong. We work hard because we can't afford not to. One financial slip-up and we're on the streets. And we can't expect the Government to help out. Look at the tsunami fiasco. Bush initially pledged $35 million. After a public ruckus, it's up to $350 million. If the Bush Admin doesn't give a crap about that, you can't expect them to care about American homeless. Oh wait, the homeless are supposed to go to the nearest religious shelter for food and religious indoctrination - my bad.

Anyway. Miss Attila seems to say that people want to work. Fine! She can work until she drops. I'd love to have the European 40 days of vacation per year instead of my 12. Worse, I'm sitting on 40 days of vacation but the company would collapse if I took it (translation, I take it at my own risk and yearly review is coming up). Europeans have the right idea. There is more to life than work, work, work. There's friends, family, the World to explore. The American public has been suckered into believing that the Puritan work ethic is a fact for all of us. It's not. Folks, take off the blinders and live a life.

And with that, Happy New Year!