Rising Rates on College Loans

More good news for the country. Not only have college tuition rates gone up dramatically over the last few years, but interest rates on the federal Stafford loan program are going to rise 1.93 percent - a record increase. This will make it even harder to pay for college.

Freedom Marching

Day 1357!

Looks like freedom marched right over the governor of the Anbar Province. Tough break.

Of course, Cheney says the insurgency is "in the last throes" and predicts that the U.S. will be out of Iraq by 2009. I don't believe anything that comes out of his crooked mouth anymore. He has been woefully wrong in the past, but we can dream.

Osama bin Forgotten

The guy who started our whole War on Terror seems to have been completely forgotten. Thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of injuries, billions of dollars and bin Forgotten is still on the loose.

If the math is correct, it is now Day 1356 since 9/11 - we now hear more about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq. In fact, when was the last time the president or the main-stream media talked about bin Forgotten?

Update on Iraq

Costs are mounting in terms of money and American lives. It was a tough week in Iraq with about 30 soldiers killed. Given that it is Memorial Day weekend, it would be nice for Americans to reflect and think about the casualties we are taking in Iraq every day. I think more Americans know who won American Idol than the number of American lives lost in Iraq - that is sad.

How long do Americans think we are going to stay in Iraq. I don't think "until the job is done" is a good enough answer. How many casualties are too many 2000, 4000, 6000, 10,000? Should we spend $1 trillion rebuilding Iraq?

We are going to be there for years if not decades and it is not clear what the benefit is going to be, especially given the costs.

Bush's secret searches

Looks like Bush is fighting yet again to take away the rights of Americans. But hey, for anyone who believes the government should have the right to compel companies to give information about their customers without a search warrant Bush's view is for you.

Sounds like secret police and government intrusion to me.

Arnie, You've Really Let Yourself Go!

If you want to know why Arnold is no longer making movies just check out the following picture. I don't think fans want to see a fat Arnold action hero - and I don't think he can carry a picture with his acting.

He has turned into a "girlie man."

Oops! Newsweek was right.

Last week, right wing nuts and the White House blasted Newsweek for "falsely" reporting that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a Quran down the toilet. This week we find evidence that it was true.

Poor O'Reilly and Hannity!

Fox News ratings are in a free fall. Their biased reporting is not playing well.

U.S. International Credibility.

Great job leading the country Bush! Amnesty International branded the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay a human rights failure Wednesday, calling it "the gulag of our time."

Freedom Marching Yet Again!

When will it end? Things are as bad now as they have ever been. Nine more of our guys killed in the last 24 hours.

More unbelievable government waste

This story is just too crazy, but it says something about the inefficiencies of government.

See my earlier post about Rep. Steve King's (R-Iowa) efforts to expand ED drug access through Medicaid. Does not sound like a very good idea now.

Sikh terrorists

Amazing (and sad) what people will do in the name of religion. Sikhs are like everyone else.

Save the Republic!

Frist must be stopped!

Lying just is not a big deal anymore.

Given the number of lies the Bush administration has thrown out to the American people, I guess people have just gotten tired of protesting or worrying about it. Pat Tillman's family is seething about the coverup of their son's death. Quoting:

"Pat had high ideals about the country; that's why he did what he did," Mary Tillman said in her first lengthy interview since her son's death. "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting."

The military and the administration knew he died of friendly fire before Tillman's nationally televised funeral, but they decided it was better for the country to have a hero story for propaganda than to actually have the truth. Sad!

"Building" our Military - Bush Style

The president likes to wrap himself in military garb and speak to troops, but he is decimating our military. Young captains in the Army are looking ahead to repeated combat tours, years away from their families and a global war that their commanders tell them could last for decades. Many officers, who until recently had planned to pursue careers in the military, are deciding that it's a future they can't sign up for.

It is especially troubling for Pentagon officials that the Army's pool of young captains, which forms the backbone of infantry and armored units deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, could be the hardest hit. But evidence is mounting that an exodus of young Army officers may be looming on the horizon.

Afghan fandango

Looks like we're wearing out our welcome in Afghanistan. I am not sure but has Freedom finished marching in Afghanistan?

Senator Norm Coleman is an Idiot

Senator Coleman (R-Minnesota) held a hearing in which he questioned George Galloway, a former British lawmaker, about alleged corruption in the U.N.'s Oil for Food Scandal. Coleman got a surprise when the Galloway tore him a new one. Read Galloway's opening statement.

Coleman is just another hypocritical Republican that is trying to cover up the mistakes of Iraq. For more info see the link on Al Franken's website.

Government Waste.

This is all you need to know about today's Republican Party when it comes to financial (mis)management of American tax dollars. We know about the financial sinkhole in Iraq, but a $1.5 million bus stop in Alaska really takes the cake.

No wait, the $2 billion that Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has secured for erectile dysfunction is a good one. Finally - Viagra for all!!!!!

OOPS!

Some people will do anything for publicity.

Yet Again "Freedom on the March"

Dozens of Iraqis killed again today. I really would hate to see what Iraq would be like if "Terror" were on the march" instead of "Freedom."

More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a result of the war. The majority of the civilian deaths have been women and children. This is truly sad. Most Americans don't pay any attention, but the realities are horrific.

Here is an example of the kind of thing that happens in war.

Bush Family Secrets

It is amazing that Bush is so revered by the Christian right. When you look at his family's "values" you really have to wonder.

Pentagon Conspiracy Theories

As much as the Bush administration lies and given the mounting evidence of major efforts by the Pentagon to cover up blunders and "create" heroes (e.g., Pat Tillman being killed by friendly fire, Jessica Lynch being saved by an Iraqi doctor rather than by a sophisticated rescue mission, Saddam not actually being caught in a "spider hole," the statue of Saddam was not torn down by jubilant Iraqis but paid actors in a photo op created by the U.S. military), here are two more that I have come to believe.

1. TWA flight 800 was shot down my an errant U.S. Navy missile. There is some fairly convincing evidence that a missile hit the plane.

2. United Flight 93 was shot down on 9/11 by the U.S. military. Again, plenty of eyewitness accounts and certainly plenty of time for the U.S. military to send an interceptor aircraft.

The bottom line is both cover stories (spark in the fuel tank and hero passengers rushing the cockpit) sound a whole lot better than the U.S. military shot down two commercial airliners. One on accident and one on orders of the Vice President (remember the President was reading to the elementary school class on 9/11 and could not be bothered.

The sad part is the Bush administration has frittered away the credibility of the U.S. and so now everything has to be questioned.

Man's Best Friend.

God truly works in mysterious ways. What a great story.

1600 Americans killed

Just passed another horrible milestone in Iraq - 1600 American soldiers and Marines killed. Add to this, over 12,000 U.S. troops have been injured. Insurgency appears to be just as strong today as it was a year ago. The costs are just continuing to rack up and with Congress approving another $82 billion this past week for the next year there is no end in sight. It is not looking good.

But hey, freedom is on the march! Thank you W!

Church and State Issues

Red State, Republican churches are doing what they can to push the Bush agenda. I did not realize that Jesus was a Republican.

Of course, Kansas wants to dispel the notion that evolution is junk science and that creationism (referred to as "intelligent design) is just as likely.

While they are at it, the right wing Christians are saving our kids from Sponge Bob because Sponge Bob wants to turn them gay. Is it just me, or do these folks think about sex too much. I mean really, who thinks about whether Sponge Bob is gay or not? A freak that's who.

Moss wins! Redskins lose again

Six years, $31 million, $11 million in guaranteed bonuses. What a waste, should have kept Coles.

Man, this would suck.

I guess the lesson is, never get help from strangers!

Government lies!

Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire caused by commander negligence, not in a firefight with Taliban fighters. Not many Americans know the truth.

This is just one lie in a long string of lies by our government, Iraq has WMD (we know that is not true), WMDs were moved to Syria before the war (untrue), Jessica Lynch was rescued by American soldiers in a daring mission (an Iraqi doctor drove her to American forces), Saddam Hussein was captured cowering in a spider hole by Americans (Kurds caught him at an apartment the day before), the statue of Saddam being taken down by jubilant Iraqis was staged by the U.S. military.

I know we want to win a psychological ops battle and deflate the enemy, but when the lies are exposed it really hurts our credibility. When are Americans going to wake up and feel some outrage about constantly being lied to.

We want you!

The military is not meeting its recruiting goals. The Army missed its goal for the third straight month and the Army National Guard has not met its goals since December 2004. I wonder why?

It is now clear that the military is strained and cannot be effective if we have to go to war against another enemy. George Bush truly is a president for the military!

Cost of the Iraq War

If you are interested, just click here to see a running total of the money spent in Iraq. It is truly sickening.

It's baaaaaaaaccccckkkkkk!

The finger has popped up again!

Bummer . . .

I wonder if he consulted his doctor before such rigorous exercise.

The world is actually flat!

It is hard to believe that a school board in the U.S. in the 21st century is actually seriously considering teaching creationism as a legitimate alternative to evolution.

The attorney who is defending evolution said "To debate evolution is similar to debating whether the Earth is round. It is an absurd proposition." I totally agree, but the right-wing Christians want to turn back the clocks and undo science. What about the kids!!! (imagine I said that in a loud, "Dickie V" irritating voice).

Keep this nonsense out of schools. If you want to teach it to your kids do it at home or in church.

Capitalism at its finest!

A second tsunami for survivors . . .