DICK CHENEY IS A LOATHSOME LIAR

Dick Cheney says torture investigation "offends the hell out of me."

With all due respect, Dick Cheney is a vile loathsome liar with the ethics of a Gila monster. His lies helped us get into the Iraq War. "There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." Cheney consistently ridiculed dissent, strong-armed opponents, lined the pockets of his Halliburton cronies, and encouraged Gestapo tactics in our military.

It's not surprising that this vicious blowhard opposes the torture investigation. He has been howling against Obama for looking into the matter, though not as loudly as if an army field telephone to his genitals. That's an "enhanced interview technique," after all. Watch this interview.



Should we investigate torture and possible war crimes? Some people don't want to know--and they certainly don't want to be tried for war crimes. We will undoubtedly have more reports of torture if investigations are allowed to proceed. Back in the Vietnam days, the Cheneys of the time also stonewalled attempts for investigations. Sadly, Cheney isn't unique.

Just a few days ago, Lt. William Calley, who was held responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men, women and children at My Lai, made a public apology. At the time, the Cheneys of the day claimed the dead were combatants and stonewalled an investigation.

My Lai, Vietnam

“There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai,” William Calley told members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus today. His voice started to break when he added, “I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.” From the New York Times, Aug. 24, 2009

My Lai, Vietnam---"Q: And Babies? A: And Babies." From a CBS interview of one of the soldiers who participated in the My Lai massacre.

I remind you all that maybe we aren't aware of something on the level of My Lai in Iraq, but we wouldn't have been aware of My Lai either if the coverup had been successful back then. The Dick Cheneys of that era were also "offended as hell" that anyone would question the US military ops in Vietnam. Thank God some soldiers weren't only brave in battle but brave enough to speak up.

Abu Ghraib, Iraq

Could it be THAT bad? Maybe a little waterboarding, or sleep deprivation, but how bad could that be? According to Glenn Greenwald, writing in Salon, it's much worse then we know. Many deaths by US torture have been kept hidden.

"The interrogation and detention regime implemented by the U.S. resulted in the deaths of over 100 detainees in U.S. custody -- at least," says Greenwald. "While some of those deaths were the result of "rogue" interrogators and agents, many were caused by the methods authorized at the highest levels of the Bush White House, including extreme stress positions, hypothermia, sleep deprivation and others. Aside from the fact that they cause immense pain, that's one reason we've always considered those tactics to be 'torture' when used by others -- because they inflict serious harm, and can even kill people. Those arguing against investigations and prosecutions -- that we Look to the Future, not the Past -- are thus literally advocating that numerous people get away with murder."

Abu Ghraib, Iraq

Read the Salon story on the suppressed deaths by US torture here.
Read the NYT story on Calley here:

THE NIXON TAPES

Richard Nixon, the Archie Bunker of Presidents

The Nixon Tapes provide a rare glimpse into the mind of a small, sweating "unindicted co-conspirator" whose paranoia proved his undoing. Some of the tapes are chilling, with Nixon railing like Captain Queeg in "The Caine Mutiny," while others yield unintentional humor.

In this clip, Nixon discusses homosexuality and the liberal bias of "All in the Family" with his henchmen John Erlichman and Bob Haldeman.



"All in the Family" was a situation comedy that was originally broadcast on CBS from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. Produced by Norman Lear, the show broke ground depicting issues of class, race, politics, religion, homosexuality, rape and feminism. Carrol O'Conner played Archie Bunker, a conservative working stiff who despised the hippies and liberals and adored President Nixon.

a scene from the liberal situation comedy "All in the Family"

POP QUIZ

Q: What's the difference between the Hindenburg and Republican spokesman Rush Limbaugh?

A: One is a flaming Nazi gas bag, and the other is just an airship.

After an incendiary speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, gasbag Limbaugh is the de facto voice of the Republican Party. At CPAC, Limbaugh brought a cheering crowd to its feet several times praying for Obama to fail, slamming John Kerry's service in Vietnam, and calling on fellow conservatives to take back the country.

Limbaugh used his self-described "first national address" to hurl insults and snide remarks, and embrace all the tired old tropes of the Bush Administration. We have to ask ourselves: With Limbaugh at the helm, and a few token minorities pushed toward the cameras, do the Republicans have a snowball's chance in hell? We doubt it. (What's their secret weapon? Sarah Palin. Puh-lease!)

Bring 'em on!



More on the latest from Rachel Maddow:

SCREW YOUR RIGHTS!

With all due respect, do you remember these bums?

Previously secret memos written by the Bush administration outlined their reasons for why the military had the right to warrantless wiretaps and warrantless search and seizures of people in the U.S. they deemed to be terrorist suspects. The Obama administration released the memos. More secret memos are on their way. Don't be alarmed, but we might have been a doll's hair away from a police state.

Now that most right-minded people have wised up to George W. Bush (with the possible exception of Rush Limbaugh and my cousin Angie who blames liberals for everything including the high cost of cigarettes) it's time for an independent commission to investigate and make public what the Bush administration did in "the global campaign against terrorism." Things like tossing out habeas corpus, burning the Bill of Rights, giving the Geneva Convention the bum's rush, wiretapping citizens without a warrant, and basically setting up the possibility of martial law. Not to mention gutting the economy for personal gain and the enrichment of the already rich.

These bums had no shame!

Republicans, are you embarrassed yet for supporting these fools? You think Bobby Jindal can save you now? Admit you were wrong, and for a limited time only there will be a general amnesty for idiots.



"The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, said the revelations, together with the release of new information about the CIA’s destruction of 92 interrogation videotapes, had underscored the need for a commission that would have the power to subpoena documents and testimony." -Huffington Post

Read the secret documents here.

SAY GOODNIGHT, GEORGE

We're going to be celebrating January 20th when Barack Obama is inaugurated. We're not sure of the schedule, but at some point Obama will raise his sword and the Orcs will leave Mordor.

I'm just kidding.

Republicans are people, too. Dick Cheney may be evil, and Ann Coulter is certainly a heartless shrieking harpie, but they're still people. Technically. Let's be magnanimous enough to sympathize with their plight, just as we sympathize with the thousands of people who died as a result of the war they engineered, lied about, and profited from.

There I go again. Sorry, that's not the spirit of bi-partisanship we'll need in these troubled times. Troubled times the Republicans brought on with their greed and ignorance, I might add. Still, they're welcome to help with the clean-up of the mess they made of things.

Say Goodnight, Dick

After the plague in the 14th Century, survivors donned colorful clothing and danced in the streets. The inauguration will be more like that. The mead will flow and the music will play and people with good hearts will rejoice that the dark years have ended.

Republicans preparing to leave Washington, DC, January 20th.

THE FROST/NIXON INTERVIEWS

Up until very recently, Richard Milhous Nixon was probably the worst president in U.S. history. Before Nixon, you could have argued that Indian killer Jackson was our worst, but then Tricky Dick came waltzing up with a sweating upper lip and a brain squirming with Cold War paranoia and red-baiting anti-communist fear, with secret wiretappings and enemies' lists, with an escalation of the Vietnam war and the secret Christmas bombings of Cambodia, with the crimes of Watergate and the Kent State killings, with the CIA overthrow of Chile's elected government...and plenty more.


This ambitious, vindictive, petty crook from Yorba Linda went far--to the very top--and he nearly took the country down with him when he fell. Later, Republicans canonized him, rewriting history with a zeal that would have made Soviet revisionists seem like slackers. Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in American lives, but Fitzgerald was wrong in this case. In later years, after memory of his crimes had receded, Nixon playing the role of a respected elder statesman, bringing to mind the line from "Chinatown" spoken by the incestuous tycoon Noah Cross:

"'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough."

Two years after his resignation, Nixon was interviewed by British television journalist David Frost. These historic interviews are the subject of a recent film, "Frost/Nixon" (2008). Here are the original interviews.

Old school politics: Richard Nixon and Prescott Bush--two bastards in better days


For extra credit, click button to hear "Richard Nixon Died Today" by Negativland:

ART, TRUTH AND BEAUTY

Goodbye, Harold Pinter.



Nobel Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, actor and activist, Harold Pinter died Christmas Eve. In his plays people clash and search for meaning, as well as territorial dominance over one another, themes that carry through The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1965), and Betrayal (1978).

Although Pinter disliked the term "political theatre" he began writing overtly political plays in the 1980s. Like many highly intelligent people, he disliked Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair (whom he called "a deluded idiot") and characterized Blair's Great Britain as "pathetic and supine," a "bleating little lamb tagging behind [the United States] on a lead." He called the Bush Administration "a bunch of criminal lunatics" and compared them with Nazi Germany.

Anything else, Mr. Pinter?

“It's a scintillating stratagem. Language is actually employed to keep thought at bay. The words 'the American people' provide a truly voluptuous cushion of reassurance. You don't need to think. Just lie back on the cushion. The cushion may be suffocating your intelligence and your critical faculties but it's very comfortable.”

OK!
Harold Pinter (1930-2008)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BUSH FAMILY

This is what you've been waiting for: the official White House Christmas video--the very last video starring Barney the dog. Who says Bush hasn't been busy lately? The man is a dynamo. And not a half bad actor. (In fact, I suggest he quit his day job immediately).

So pull up a chair, and enjoy the holiday with the Bush Family. I suspect Barney's dream sequence has been doctored by subversives, but the film would be unwatchable without a little tampering. Even so, the warmth and blandness of the First Family shines through, and I guarantee your Christmas spirit will flare up like treacle in a cavity.

Can we go now?

TAKE THAT, IMPERIALIST DOG!

What really happened on George Bush's last trip abroad? The arrested man, Curly Howard, is being held at the headquarters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said one official who wished to remain anonymous.

Curly was immediately subdued, and remains in Iraqi custody.

Gif courtesy of the great blog Automatic Daddy.

THE KISS

Last night, in the East Room, while awarding the Kennedy Center Honors to this year's artists--president George Bush fearlessly kissed Barbara Streisand. And while the lion and the lamb didn't actually lie down together, we can't help wondering if this smooch signaled endtimes, a shift in the zeitgeist, or the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Probably not. Most likely it was just an impulsive mistake, an awkward moment in the ceremonial duties of an unpopular, outgoing president. Still, we'd like to think that for one brief sparkling moment there was love among the ruins.


Now that he expected nothing, the incident of the kiss, his impatience, his vague hopes and disappointment, presented themselves in a clear light. It no longer seemed to him strange that he had not seen the General's messenger, and that he would never see the girl who had accidentally kissed him instead of some one else; on the contrary, it would have been strange if he had seen her. . . .

The water was running, he knew not where or why, just as it did in May. In May it had flowed into the great river, from the great river into the sea; then it had risen in vapour, turned into rain, and perhaps the very same water was running now before Ryabovitch's eyes again. . . . What for? Why?

And the whole world, the whole of life, seemed to Ryabovitch an unintelligible, aimless jest. . . . And turning his eyes from the water and looking at the sky, he remembered again how fate in the person of an unknown woman had by chance caressed him, he remembered his summer dreams and fancies, and his life struck him as extraordinarily meagre, poverty-stricken, and colourless. . . .

--from "The Kiss" by Anton Chekhov

IRAQ WAR ENDS!

That's the headline of the New York Times, anyway. It turns out thousands of remarkable facsimiles of the newspaper were delivered this morning--nationwide--stunning readers with the news that the war was over. The paper also reported that Bush had been indicted for treason, and that columnist Thomas Friedman had confessed: "I have no business holding a pen, at least with intent to write."

The Yes Men: high concept anti-corporate pranksters

As far as we can tell, the parody is the work of brilliant satirists and pro-consumer pranksters, The Yes Men. You may have seen the 2003 film of the same name documenting their exploits (if not, I highly recommend it). These guys frequently pose as corporate or government spokesmen and lobby for shocking anti-consumer projects--and get the full support of the unwitting profit-seekers of the private sector. It's best to see for yourself. These guys have elevated guerrilla theater to an art form.

Jonathan Swift: don't believe him either

Original Yes Man Jonathan Swift punked the entire English-speaking world with his book--pamphlet, really--A Modest Proposal. In the essay, Swift eloquently, reasonably, suggested that Ireland's poor escape their poverty by selling their children as food to the rich:

"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food...”


The Yes Men documentary trailer

Watch these clips of their exploits. It's amazing how far they get! Like the secret agents in Mission Impossible (the television series) a suit and an official-looking letterhead seems to grant them complete access.


BBC: You've been punked!


The Yes Men proposing slavery...well, sort of


YES MEN links:

-Read their answers to "frequently asked questions" here.
-Follow their latest hijinks here.
-Get the fake New York Times at the fake Times website here.

GET YOUR WAR ON!

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

We've always been big fans of David Rees and Get Your War On. Political cartoons have a long and glorious tradition dating back to Thomas Nast, to Daumier, to Goya, hell, probably to cave paintings, and Rees takes his place with the masters lampooning his age and its politics.

In the Rees strip, office workers chat on the phone or kill time around the water cooler, but don't expect Dilbert. Rees has an ear for dialog, and the language is natural and harsh as he directs his poison pen at hypocrites, war profiteers, and neo-cons, especially Bush and Company, McCain and Palin, and other cheerleaders for the "war on terror."

Compared to Nast and the masters, the strip is crude--the artwork is basically repetitive clip-art--but for capturing the political timbre of these soul-killing Bush years nobody comes close to Rees. He's lassoed the zeitgeist.

The office chatter is pitch perfect--picture Dilbert crossed with, um, Elmore Leonard. Anyway, after years of enjoying the strip, now we have an animated version. Not for everyone, I'll admit, bit I'm delighted to see the clip-art move. The strips are also available in book form, and the royalties of the first book are donated to landmine clearing efforts.

In 2007, his work was included with Jenny Holzer and Goya in the DISSENT! exhibition of protest art at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Check out the Rees website for more strips here. Buy the new Rees collection here.

PAUL KRUGMAN WINS NOBEL PRIZE

In case you haven't heard, Paul Krugman, economist, columnist, and professor at Princeton, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics. For the non-econ layperson, Krugman is probably best known for his twice-weekly New York Times column in which he discusses trade theory and has been a constant critic of the George W. Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies.

Undoubtedly, Bush would've been happier if the Swedes had awarded a postumous prize to Milton Friedman, patron saint of the neo-cons and grand guru of the movement for unfettered capitalism. Friedman, to whom even a state-run educational system reeked of socialism, died in 2006 and now resides in the ninth circle of hell where everyone pays handsomely for ice water.

Krugman, on the other hand, is a liberal and progressive, though not in any narrow sense. Knowing very little about economics, we will believe the Nobel Committee when they tell us the good professor has "integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography." As the economy continues its dizzying tailspin and people make uneasy jokes about living in a bleak, Cormac McCarthy future world foraging for food with sharp sticks, this is somehow reassuring.

Krugman on the Bill Maher Show, on the current crisis:

THE REAL McCAIN? HE'S NO MAVERICK

First off, don't believe Sarah Palin. Five Myths about John McCain is a video by Tim Dickinson, contributing editor of Rolling Stone Magazine, extracted from his cover article, Make-Believe Maverick. This is a must-read essay in which Dickinson categorically debunks the "maverick" image McCain and his minions are trying to convey.

Dickinson's article, Make-Believe Maverick, is available here.

After McCain and Palin exaggerated Obama's connections with 60's radical Bill Ayers and claimed he was "palling around with terrorists," Obama hit back with information about McCain and the Keating Five scandal. If McCain wants to wrestle with the past, two can play this game. Actually, it's a different game entirely, because the Keating Five scandal has direct relevance to our current financial crisis.

This morning, the Obama camp directed people to a brand new web site, keatingeconomics.com, about McCain's involvement in the financial scandal. The website presents information and this 13-minute documentary called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis.''

You can watch it here:

BANK ROBBERS

In honor of the seven hundred billion dollar bail-out, otherwise known as welfare for the rich, we present the greatest punk rock band The Clash performing BANK ROBBER.

'Nuff said. Freddie Mac and Fannie May

AFTERSHOCK: NAOMI KLEIN ON BILL MAHER

What happened to the economy?

Commenting on recent economic events, Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine, argues with Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, and chats with Bill Maher on Real Time.

In The Shock Doctrine, journalist Klein focuses on the Bush administration and the neocons who profit from disaster, whether natural (Hurricane Katrina) or man-made (9-11; the Iraq War), by privatizing reconstruction and cashing in on calamity. Meticulously researched, Klein's book provides a convincing alternate history of capitalism run amok, and helps explain the current mess we're in. Impossible to dismiss as mere anti-corporate ranting, well worth reading. For more on the book, click HERE.



An earlier interview by Charlie Rose, in which Klein discusses The Shock Doctrine.

GREAT DEPRESSION? NO DEPRESSION!

The recent stock market nosedive has people feeling uneasy, so here is something that worked the last time this happened: pure escapist entertainment! Down about the market? Try this cheery little ditty called "We're in the Money!"

People are saying this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and that the Great American Empire is in its last days, but cheer up! Enough stinkin' thinkin.' What do you want, a government hand out? You only get those if you happen to be named Fannie May or Freddie Mac! (Or a few other massive corporations). Don't expect to be "bailed out" at the gas pump, loser! Don't expect a helping hand in the "ten items or less" grocery line!

Sure, times are tough. Use your imagination. Pretend you're a CEO with a golden parachute! Pretend you're a bailed-out big business! Pretend you own an oil company! What are we paying these lobbyists for?

I don't claim to understand economics, but maybe this downturn has something to do with "the good old days" of flimsy home loans and mindless deregulation (thanks, Reagan) when the almighty dollar was good for a few robber barons, er, I mean entrepreneurs, at the expense of the rest of us working stiffs. It's a grand old Republican tradition and a small price to pay to keep the wealthy corporate cronies rolling in dough, so buck up! Tighten up those belts and stop your bitching, do what you're told and there might be pie in the sky when you die.

click to enlarge

By the way, when the government "bails out" a corporation, YOU will pay for it. Each American family will chip in hundreds if not thousands of dollars for these "gifts" to beleaguered businesses. Funny, but I don't remember sharing in their profits when times were good.

In the meantime, here's Sheryl Crow performing that old depression hit, "No Depression."

NO END IN SIGHT

"No End in Sight" is an excellent documentary about the Iraq War. If you haven't seen it, by all means watch it. Here is the film in its entirety.

This is no cheerleading propaganda film for the war effort, so if you support the Bush war in Iraq without question, or want to continue on the same course with McCain and Palin at the helm, this film may challenge your opinions.

"Although Bush and the war continue to sink in the polls, I know from some readers that they still support both. That is their right. And if they are so sure they are right, let more young men and women die or be maimed. I doubt if they will be willing to see this film, which further documents an administration playing its private war games."
--Roger Ebert, from his review of "No End in Sight"

Send this link to any undecided voters you may know. Send it to your congressperson, your senator, and any other politician not beholden to the military-industrial complex. The makers of this film are keeping the film available for free streaming until the presidential election.

No End in Sight. The website is HERE.

PRISONERS OF WAR

John McCain was a POW, but you probably knew that since it seems to be the centerpiece of his presidential campaign. Some would even say he exploits that experience. While he may be a war hero, the question remains whether his wartime experiences qualify him to run the country. This interview with a former POW caught my attention.

Dr. Phillip Butler is a 1961 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former light-attack carrier pilot. In 1965 he was shot down over North Vietnam where he spent eight years as a prisoner of war.

Butler says John McCain is "not cut out to be President."

HOW WE GOT INTO THIS MESS IN IRAQ

This is an excerpt from "Bush's War," an excellent documentary that aired earlier this year on Frontline. This segment concerns itself with the pretext to war, and how it was pitched to the American public. This should be required viewing for all voters--especially the undecided.

As we watch the Republicans rewrite history in their pro-McCain convention speeches, and give their candidate credit for supporting Bush's war from the start, and continuously, it's good to remind ourselves what really happened back then.

The rest of the documentary is available here.