A Mosaic

...of soldiers who have died in Iraq.

As I write this, the death toll now stands at 652.
Even though their blood is all over his hands, the pResident has attended exactly 0 of the funerals. There is no record that I know of of him even calling families to express his sympathies.

And it's not because he's been too darn busy.
An article in yesterday's Washington Post reported that
Bush is on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, TX:

"This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since
becoming president. He has spent all or part
of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking
office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding
his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to
Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part
of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats,
or more than 40 percent of his presidency."

Meanwhile, Donny Rumsfeld seems to think this is sport. A good war.
Colon Powell has hitched his wagon to these beasts, and he justs keep saying "Yes" to everything, conscience not a concern.
Press Secretary Scott McClellan appears to be too fucking stupid to even talk about.

It is all so sad.

-M!

Rice Krispies

Condoleeza Rice testifies before the 9/11 commission today.

It will be as well-rehearsed a performance as what you see the Rockettes do at Christmastime. She and the pResident didn't want this testimony to happen, presumably because they're as guilty as sin and the truth hurts.

I've said it before, but I can't think of anyone sadder than Rice. Even myself.

An unremarkable nobody of a college professor, she probably knew she couldn't do it by singing or dancing, so hitching her wagon, selling her soul to these greedy Republican hatemongers, dividers and thieves was, I'm guessin', the only way she figured she could be famous and get some TV face time. Just about everyone wants to be a celebrity in our culture. Condi jumped on the gravy train before the advent of reality TV shows, and I doubt she has the personality to make the cut on Survivor of The Apprentice, anyway.

Almost 3,000 people died on September 11th 2001 and many believe she bears some of the responsibility for ignoring warnings that might have prevented it, presumably because she was busy working on ways to help the wealthiest, most selfish among us find new ways to despoil the environment, screw regular working-class folks and make even bigger money.

Shame on her.

-M!

Refreshment???

Soft drinks are one of those small-talk topics people seem to love to engage in. I'm not even sure way.

I'm a Coke person. I cannot stand the taste of Pepsi.

At the supermarket, ideally, I'll choose faves Diet Sprite, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper and maybe the occasional Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale. BUT, unless there's some special thing going on, I won't pay more than $1.00 for a two-liter bottle of soda pop. When the faves cost more, I'll buy what's on sale; there's always something, it seems.

A few weeks ago when that happened, I figured I'd try Diet Sierra Mist, what apparently is Pepsi's attempt at copying Sprite.

Let me say this, I have no idea what urine tastes like, but I cannot imagine that it tastes any worse than Diet Sierra Mist. Y'gotta wonder who could possibly enjoy the taste of that crap. Even how it could get to market. Were there test-markets? Focus groups? Could anyone possibly like this yucky product??? I'm thinkin' nope.

-M!

Two Families, Deeply Entwined

House of Bush, House of Saud: scary story, I've never heard it disputed, widely reported everywhere...except, of course, in the cowed, docile American media.

"How is it that two days after September 11, 2001, even as American air traffic was tightly restricted, a Saudi billionaire socialized in the White House with President George W. Bush as 140 Saudi citizens, many immediate kin to Osama Bin Laden, were permitted to return to their country?"

-M!