:: Naked Brunch: Dinosaur Flatulence just about sums about every possible thing, except Global Warming ::

+ Brunch:  Extremely strong java, a frozen, but homemade waffle, and a Fiorinal for my oncoming migraine.

Rohrabacher's Flatulence

+ Wait for it!!!! Dinosaur Flatulence caused Global Warming ... I kid you not.  Some people should just be put out of our their misery. 

+ On Tuesday, the House will begin it's debate on the Iraq conflict (I'm going to stop calling it a war since Congress didn't actually declare war).  There is a movement within the Democratic Party to "de-escalate and investigate" this mess we are in with Iraq.  Call your Congressional Representative and tell them to oppose any escalation in Iraq and to support McGovern, Woolsey, or Nadler's Bills.  And, while you are there, read Bob Fertik's piece on why we should impeach Dick Cheney first.  Frankly, Bush and the entire cabinet should be removed (and, some of them thrown in jail).

+ Some Democrats are attempting to limit our involvement in Iraq, which is good.  This conflict must end.  Republicans should take note, as they didn't listen to the voters:

Americans overwhelmingly oppose the war in Iraq and believe that it was a mistake for Bush to commit U.S. troops, the president's decision to boost troop levels and seek billions of dollars more in spending clearly constitutes the most important issue facing Congress this year.

+ Dohiyi Mir:  General Odom on the conditions for real change in Iraq.  Josh Marshall on same.

+ Victory is Not an Option

The new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq starkly delineates the gulf that separates President Bush's illusions from the realities of the war. Victory, as the president sees it, requires a stable liberal democracy in Iraq that is pro-American. The NIE describes a war that has no chance of producing that result. In this critical respect, the NIE, the consensus judgment of all the U.S. intelligence agencies, is a declaration of defeat.

Its gloomy implications -- hedged, as intelligence agencies prefer, in rubbery language that cannot soften its impact -- put the intelligence community and the American public on the same page. The public awakened to the reality of failure in Iraq last year and turned the Republicans out of control of Congress to wake it up. But a majority of its members are still asleep, or only half-awake to their new writ to end the war soon. [No shit!]

+Buzzflash Commentary:  Whiplash: Bushevik Iran War Preparations Buried in Between Big Breasts and Diapers

[snip]   It was a week of startling revelations that included:

• The Pentagon issuing a report admitting that they had a department set up that helped create lies to convince America to go to war with Iraq.
• The Libby trial further revealing that Cheney orchestrated a campaign, with the approval of Bush, that included outing a CIA operative who specialized in tracking the illicit sale and possession of WMD’s, the very reason Cheney and Bush claimed that we went to war with Iraq over, but lied about.
• Congressional hearings unearthed multiple Bush Administration betrayals and deceptions including that the Iranians had offered awhile back to have comprehensive negotiations with the U.S. to help stabilize Iraq and even potentially recognize Israel. The Bush Administration ignored their offer.
• Among the many other Congressional hearing bombshells, we learned that the Bush "Viceroy" for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, allowed the distribution of $12 billion in cash without requiring any record keeping.
• The Bush Administration continued putting naval and military resources in place to launch a nuclear airstrike on Iran.
  

+ Playing their game of demonizing the supposed enemy, Bush again uses the same tactics with Iran as he did with Iraq.  And, we appear to be letting him get away with it, while his administration continues to spread inaccuracies and lies, as well as cooked intel, yet again.  Glenn Greenwald's article in Salon goes after the New York Times for parleying these bullshit Bush tactics yet again:

Over the past few weeks, The Los Angeles Times has published several detailed and well-documented articles casting serious doubt on the administration's claims that Iran is fueling the Iraqi insurgency with weapons. A couple of months ago, The Washington Post published a very well-researched article reporting that extensive searches by British military brigades in Southern Iraq -- specifically in the areas where such weapons would almost certainly be transported and maintained -- have turned up nothing. It seemed as though the media was treating the war-inflaming claims of Bush officials against Iran much more skeptically, refusing to simply pass along accusations without first conducting an investigation to determine if those claims were true.

But today, The New York Times does precisely the opposite -- it has published a lengthy, prominent front-page article by Michael Gordon that does nothing, literally, but mindlessly recite administration claims about Iran's weapons-supplying activities without the slightest questioning, investigation, or presentation of ample counter-evidence. The entire article is nothing more than one accusatory claim about Iran after the next, all emanating from the mouths of anonymous military and "intelligence officials" without the slightest verified evidence, and Gordon just mindlessly repeats what he has been told in one provocative paragraph after the next.

Thank goodness Bush can't declare war on his own.......oh, wait, I forgot......he says he has that power.  Read Chris Floyd, too, on the supposed Iranian bombs propaganda pushed by the New York Times.

+ Yet another reason I will not vote for the disappointing Hillary for President. 

+  What I already said:  The Republic Party

ALL SPIN ZONE

The Republic Party
Why aren’t we using that term? The Republics and their President eroneously refer to my party as the “Democrat Party.” So why aren’t some of us returning the volley. “The Republic Party” arguably sounds even more awkward. Are members of the Democratic Party simply too nice to stoop to the petty and childish level that members of the Republic Party do? There’s evidently evidence that Anthony Weiner is using the “Republic Party” term, even in speeches on the House floor.

+ On the Koolaid Patrol - Powerline is as Full of Shit as Doug Feith:  "What will be lost in news accounts of the IG report and Levin's fulminations is that Feith's group was right."  Surely, you jest!???  In contrast, read what Tristero has to say on Feith.  And to think, this horse's ass now teaches at Georgetown University.  Sacre Bleu!!!

+ Cripes!  Now Tucker Carlson is claiming Obama's church isn't Christian enough because they denounce materialism.  Give me a fuckin' break.  Just about every religion denounces materialism you moron.

The Doors, The Grateful Dead and President Bush's favorite, Joan Baez honored with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards & Tributes.

+ It's About Time:  

Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars was one of the biggest selling singles of 2006. On sales of CDs and downloads it went as high as number six in the UK charts.

As is standard practice, a few weeks later the record company deleted the CD and removed it from the shops.

With no physical format available to buy, the song no longer qualified for a chart position and disappeared from the top 40.

But with music download sites now the UK's favourite place to buy singles, each with massive back catalogues of songs, it was decided that just listing the singles currently on release may not reflect the way people were actually buying songs.

So from 1 January 2007, every song that is available to download is now allowed to chart.

+ From Crooks and Liars:  AlterNet: American taxpayers are now spending more than a billion dollars per year to incarcerate its citizens for pot.  Nearly 800,000 people were arrested on marijuana charges in 2005.  When will the insanity stop?  [Also read "HOLY CRAP"]

+ Female Genital Mutilation in the U.S.  Can the world get any sicker?   This article is right on target.  Individuals have rights in the U.S., not cultures. 

+ Another Excellent Post by Austin Cline:   Fear as a Political, Social, and Cultural Tool: Using External Enemies to Crush Domestic Dissent 

+ Mixter's Mix:  Camming, Sex on the Road and Married Conservative Republican Catholics

+ Norwegianity:  High Crimes and Misdemeanors

+ Pushing Rope:  The National Review Gay Bashes

+ Hit & Run:  I have no words.  This is just....sad.

+ Shakespeare's Sister:  Rude Ghouliani

+ Straight White Guy:  I'm Dining With Eric Tonight 

+ The Anonymous Liberal:  The 2008 GOP Primaries, Pass The Popcorn

Mark my words: the 2008 Republican presidential primaries are going to be unlike anything we have ever seen. The GOP has a long tradition of relatively uneventful presidential primary races in which the party coalesces around a front-runner relatively quickly. But with the current slate of GOP presidential hopefuls, it seems far more likely that the 2008 primary race will resemble a circular firing squad. This is especially true now that Rudy Giuliani has entered the race.

+ The Liberal Avenger:  TAS on Hilary's lack of blog....wait, didn't she hire Peter Daou last year? 

+ Get this:  Haggard says he is completely heterosexual after three months of treatment.  Criminy.  When will these people learn?

+ The Poor Man Institute:  Obama and Obama  (I'm not sure I agree with the second links prognosis, but, then again, I'm naive and always appalled by prejudice and ignorance.)

+ The Rude Pundit:  Family Research Council: "Muslims and Gays Will Silence American Christians"

(Part of the "Christ Weary" Series):
Sweet tender fucking mercies, the Rude Pundit's received his latest bunch of prayin' orders from the Family Research Council, and, Lordy, Lordy, oh, Lordy-Lord-Lord, is it a big ol' list. The Rude Pundit belongs to the FRC's Super-Duper Prayer Team, and once a week, we superprayifiers get our prayerification lists from FRC President Tony "No, Not the Gay One, Although These Days, Who Knows?" Perkins for all kinds o' shit we gotta be implorin' Jeeeezus about.

This week, we gotta give God the high, hard holler about America's Spiritual Health. See, it seems that 43% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans (and 13% of godless independents) believe that spirituality is at least a smidgen important to the national health. So we gotta, gotta pray, good people, and get that number bigger: "May America's churches grow in their fidelity to Christ and His Word. May they arise to disciple the multitude of Americans who profess faith. May God stir a great army of believers to live, pray, vote and exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens to help bring a godly transformation of American culture." A goddamn godly army of godlovers. Glory Halle-fuckin'-lujah.

+ Zen Cabin:  Sunday Jazz Brunch (sweet!) and on the Blogroll Amnesty mayhem

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but, since it began I have lost 20% of my links, which, pisses me off.  So, I can see this turning into a vendetta if people were so inclined - not that I would be vindictive, but it does anger me.  On the other hand, I have no blogroll policy other than linking to sites I am interested in.  There are sites, like everyone, that I read daily, and those I may not check for three months.  Doesn't mean I am not interested, it just means, so many good blogs, so little time.  On the other hand, as Rip says, I'd rather get a link in a post. 

Rips Jazz Brunch reminded me of this Bill Wither's classic and favorite of mine: "Ain't No Sunshine"

And, an updated cover by a favorite of mine, Lenny Kravitz:

+ Girlspoke: I love the "Sexual Out Thereness" of these women. I'm gonna have to get me a backup.

+ BTW, I will begin the process to stop smoking tomorrow by taking a new drug to combat those cigarettes.  I decided in late October that I had enough cigarette tar and nicotine in my system for 4 people and it was past time I gave up this habit.  Plus, I'm sick of it.  Nothing tastes good, my lungs hurt, I smell like cigarettes, and well, I promised myself 10-years ago I would stop.  I did, at the time, for 6-months.  It was glorious.  But, I prepared well ahead of time, just like I have this time, to stop.  Unfortunately, all it took was a friend who smoked, a bar, and too many drinks.  I'll be better.  I'm trying Chantix this time around.  I've already tried everything else.  Supposedly it is supposed to take away the hell you go through the first couple weeks of withdrawal.  They say, withdrawal only lasts 3-days.  But, the human mind doesn't think so.  Plus, I will have support at work with everyone else quitting as well.  With Chandra, you take the drug a week plus ahead of time, then stop.  On the 20th, I will stop.  After my birthday weekend indulgences are concluded during that holiday weekend.  Wish me cigarette free.  I'll give everyone a daily blow by blow in case you are considering doing the same and let you know how Chandra works.

tag: naked brunch, dinorsaur flatulence, global warming, climate change, iraq, escalation, dick cheney, impeach, bush, general odom, NIE, intelligence, republicans, congress, democrats, iran, greenwald, gates, new york times, media, hillary, obama, president, 2008, the republic party, doug feith, doors, grammy, snow patrol, marijuana, female genital mutilation, fear tactics, sex cam, gay bashing, rudy guiliani, haggard, heterosexual, prejudice, ignorance, muslims, christians, blogroll amnesty, jazz, quit smoking, chantrix