Freedom Villian of the year

[alkemical]

George W. Bush

Dick Cheney

Tony Blair

Ariel Sharon

Donald Rumsfeld

John Ashcroft

neocons

the voter

none of the above (if you vote this, please explain below)

[ClevelandBronco]

"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - a man notorious for his alleged ruthlessness - is suspected of direct involvement in the kidnap and beheading of several foreigners in Iraq - even of wielding the knife himself."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3483089.stm

This thread is based on a laughable worldview.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

I have the monkey in first place, followed by GoFyourself, with Rummy and the neo-coms tied for third place.

"There's a body of sociological literature which shows that when the world does not come to an end on the day prescribed by this or that messianic cult, the cult usually does not fall apart. Rather, their belief only tends to intensify to still greater levels. Safire seems to be an example of the same phenomenon only applied to Iraqi WMD cult."

--Josh Marshall, on William Safire's (R-Congenital Liar) defense of Bush's claims about WMD's in Iraq

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_06_27.php#003111

http://www.bartcop.com/grand-lake-theater.jpg

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

http://www.bartcop.com/oil-tree.JPG

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Quotes

"...nearly all of us who served in WWII were proud, determined and properly
armed and equipped to help defeat Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito.

At age 80, I'd gladly volunteer for such highly moral duty again. But if I were eligible for service in Iraq, I would do all I could to avoid it.

...the best way to support troops thrust by unwise commanders in chief into
ill-advised adventures like Vietnam and Iraq is to bring them home. Sooner rather than later. That should be our New Year's resolution."

-- Al Neuharth

http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+They+can+only+dream+of+holidays+at+home&expire=&urlID=12678881&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fopinion %2Fcolumnist%2Fneuharth%2F2004-12-22-holidays-troops_x.htm&partnerID=1660

[ClevelandBronco]

Ladies and gentlemen, fresh from their engagement at Eastside Lanes in Muncie, the comedy team of L.A. BRONCOS FAN and amesj523. Let's give them a big hand...

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Is there humor in the truth about the bush crime family?

Apparently Cleveland Bronco thinks so.

How whacked is a guy who thinks WMD lies, record deficits, net job losses, and a plummeting dollar are funny?

[W*GS]

Is there humor in the truth about the bush crime family?

You're plenty humourous.

Bitter New Year, LABF.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Another year of shilling for the guy you "couldn't vote for," eh W*GS?

History will show Bush lusted after oil

Decades from now, historians will likely calmly discuss the war currently raging in Iraq, and identify oil as one of the key factors that led to it. They will point to the growing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, the importance of oil in the rising competition between the U.S. and China, and the huge untapped store of oil lying unprotected under the Iraqi sand. It will all probably seem fairly obvious. Just don't expect to hear this sort of discussion now, however, when it might actually make a difference…Perhaps it simply
sounds too crass. It implies that those at the very top of the U.S. government Bush willingly sacrificed countless lives to further a cause that has nothing to do with liberty or democracy."

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1103802174249&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Powell: Insurgency in Iraq 'will not end'

Colin Powell said that the insurgency in Iraq "will not end," as insurgents are determined
to derail the country's democratic transition. Powell reiterated that Iraq's January 30 elections will take place and that the US and Iraqi forces are working to have security in place for the polls. But, he told CBS television, "the insurgency will not end."

"These insurgents are determined to have no representative government. They want to go back to a tyranny," Powell said. "And so the insurgency will continue and the insurgency will have to be defeated by coalition forces, but increasingly the insurgency will be defeated and brought under control, if not completely defeated, by Iraqi forces that we are building up as rapidly as we can," he added.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041228/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqpowell_041228172000

How many more days of pimping that "we're only here to free the Iraqi people" bullsh*t for Team Chimp left, Colin?

[W*GS]

Another year of shilling for the guy you "couldn't vote for," eh W*GS?

New year, same ol' bitter, hateful, utterly silly LABF.

The earthquake and tsunami were Bush's fault, too, eh?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The selection of George W. Bush as Time Magazine person of the year is not surprising; editors select the person they believe had the greatest impact on world affairs. Impacting world affairs is not synonymous with making the world a better place, previous selections include Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Nikita Khrushchev and Ayatollah Khomeini.

What Bush devotees see as accomplishments others see as a plunge into a surreal world dominated by theocratic loyalties and denial of fact over fantasy fulfillment. The truth of the matter is that about the only accomplishment in Bush’s historical treasure box thus far is election to a second term, even this is being questioned in several states and may linger to haunt an administration already taking on the aura of a lame duck before the inauguration.

On the eve of a second Bush administration it is reasonable to ask; Who is this man, what is happening to the United States under his leadership and why?
A superficial examination of the Bush administration is simple; the U.S. was attacked by elements of Al Queda headed by a Saudi named Osama Bin Ladin. The U.S. responded by bombing his bases and allies in Afghanistan.

Bush and his cabinet then targeted Saddam Hussain claiming he had weapons of mass destruction and an alliance with bin Laden. There were no WMD’s and it now appears the administration and its intelligence branch knew these claims were false.

What was expected to be a lightning attack followed by jubilation of a downtrodden populace has turned into a fiasco. The war still rages as more and more Iraqis and U.S. service personnel die. There has never been an accurate count of Iraqi causalities and what numbers do exist are closely guarded by the U.S. military command.

The U.S. dollar, while not in free fall, is tumbling on world markets as the deficit rises to previously unheard of levels. More U.S. jobs have been lost under Bush’s administration than any other presidency.

The fight against terrorism has spawned more attacks and virtually gutted portions of the U.S. constitution by virtue of the “Patriot Act.” Under this act the U.S. can, and does, detain people indefinitely, without charge or access to legal council. The U.S. is also operating prisons in foreign countries and is suspected of running or approving secret prisons in as yet undisclosed locations.

So why, in the face of so many wrong decisions does Bush continue on a journey from misadventure to disaster? According to one psychotherapist the answer lies within Bush himself.

Dr. Justin Frank, author of “Bush on the Couch,” says, “This man has fundamental character flaws in his ability to lead the nation and specifically an inability to think clearly. He’s a person living his own fantasy: that everything is going to be okay.

He likes to break things, such as coalitions his father built, like he did with Baghdad by bombing out a five thousand year old source of civilization, like the Geneva Convention and the long history of respecting prisoners of war.”

Dr. Frank adds, ”This is the first time we have been led by an untreated alcoholic. Just quitting only means you have stopped drinking. Bush has not gotten rid of the alcoholic way of thinking. He is saying, I’ve quit drinking, I’m born again.”

According to Dr. Frank, Bush has captured the fear within the swing vote of America, “They want to proceed down a path where gay marriages are bad, family values are good, that fear means we should stay with the person we have, they don’t think about deficit spending or the environment, they don’t think about their own economic well being or the fact that more terrorists have been created by Bush policy or that he lied about WMDs. There are a lot of people in this country who put their spiritual fantasies and spiritual ideals ahead of their economic needs.”

Commenting on a statement by Peter Weiss, Center for Constitutional Rights vice president, that the judicial system was having a nervous breakdown Frank said, “People on the right, while not having a nervous breakdown are defending against their fear of having a nervous breakdown. They emphasize, certainty, clarity and calm, the last ditch effort to defend against chaos is to have massive tyranny over themselves and others, where everything is certain and clear. When Bush says I don’t care what the facts are I know the right thing, that’s an attempt to have certainty to triumph over anxiety. The problem with Bush and his followers is that people confuse belief with facts.”

Asked what he felt Bush is afraid of Dr. Frank said, “Maybe what goes around comes around, that the people he has harmed are coming back to get him, this is a guy who has a long history of cruelty, people with a history like that are afraid of being attacked, he becomes so frightened he almost becomes inarticulate. We have a fear based president.”

New York University Journalism professor and author of two books on Bush, , “The Bush Dyslexicon” and ”The Cruel and Unusual; the Bush/Cheney new world order, Mark Crispin Miller, shares Franks' views, "The America system can no longer be accurately termed a democratic republic. The primary reason is that the media has become all but dysfunctional, well paid people now mingle with those they are supposed to cover.”

As for Bush the person Miller says, “I think he has lost touch with reality. I see a guy trying to make the people around him even more loyal, the new cabinet being even more “like minded” than the first one, it is absolutely right to invoke Caligula and Stalin, you’re seeing the paranoid mindset of the power mad. You’ve got a paranoid logic that you’re either with us or against us.”

Miller says the Bush base believes him to be “speaking with God,” “This movement represents an absolute distortion of Christianity, it’s all about the amassing of wealth and the pursuit of endless war, this a theocratic movement.”

He also agrees with Michael Scheuer, the former CIA officer who studied bin Ladin and author of “Imperial Hubris,” who said both Bush and bin Laden are like minded evangelicals, “they’re cut from the same cloth, God is on our side, God loves us, God hates them. Iraq is swarming with missionaries, this is only covered in the evangelical press; torture is condoned by an element within the military that is fervently Christian.”

Dr. Frank, agrees with Miller regarding press coverage of Bush, “we don’t get any of the information that people in Europe have because of our controlled media. I know much more about what’s going on by reading Al Jazeera or the Guardian or other news papers than I do from following the American media.”
Where will the next four Bush years lead the U.S.? Miller says, “The media is in the tank with Bush, the democrats utter not a peep. We are in danger of losing the republic, take a look at the patriot act, these people do not believe in democracy, they don’t believe in disagreement, they don’t believe in anything but their own self righteousness, watch the evangelical movement.”

Dr. Frank says of Bush, ““It’s not going to change, its going to get worse. It’s going to be an attack on history, an attack on children, an attack on the future. People who are not able to take responsibility for their own destruction project it on the next generation. There’s no line they won’t cross.

- Richard L. Fricker

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

http://www.bartcop.com/mmail12.gif

New year, same ol' bitter, hateful, utterly silly LABF.

Isn't it funny how, just like the bush faithful, W*GS is unable to distinguish between criticism of one's "elected" officials and personal hatred?

W*GS sure does get flustered whenever anyone criticizes the boy king.

Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

The earthquake and tsunami were Bush's fault, too, eh?

Um, and I stated this where/when? (Quotes would be nice.)

http://www.bartcop.com/completely-lost.JPG

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

-- Einstein

http://www.bartcop.com/by-fallujah.jpg

[W*GS]

Isn't it funny how, just like the bush faithful, W*GS is unable to distinguish between criticism of one's "elected" officials and personal hatred?

Your "criticism" has long been unadulterated hate.

Um, and I stated this where/when? (Quotes would be nice.)

You haven't. Yet.

[Maximus]

The American Voters who voted for the chimp!

[azbronco]

LAB, dems and libs-who have for years attempted to gut the military-and now proclaim themselves as experts. Essentially critisizing their own ability to understand operating from a positio of strength in international affairs and holding on to those views desperatly even as their precious UN is exposed as the most corrupt organisation in history. Pretending to have the worlds interests in mind while lining thier pockets with cash. Fools.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

LAB, dems and libs-who have for years attempted to gut the military-and now proclaim themselves as experts. Essentially critisizing their own ability to understand operating from a positio of strength in international affairs and holding on to those views desperatly even as their precious UN is exposed as the most corrupt organisation in history. Pretending to have the worlds interests in mind while lining thier pockets with cash. Fools.

You have it bass-ackwards again.

The crooks you're backing gutted the military by squandering hundreds of billions of dollars, countless resources, and thousands of American lives in their stupid Iraq fiasco. And if you honestly believe BushCorp has placed America in a "position of strength" (either militarily or economically) then you live where Tinker Bell lives.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The American Voters who voted for the chimp!

Good call.

:thumbs:

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

LAB, dems and libs-who have for years attempted to gut the military...

Meanwhile, here in reality:

Cheney Proposed to Cut Defense Programs Vital to Recent Military Operations

Cheney Proposed Cutting F-16 Aircraft. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "If you're going to have a smaller air force, you don't need as many F-16s...The F-16D we basically continue to buy and close it out because we're not going to have as big a force structure and we won't need as many F-16s." According to the Boston Globe, Bush's 1991 defense budget "kill[ed] 81 programs for potential savings of $ 11.9 billion...Major weapons killed include[d]....the Air Force's F-16 airplane." [Cheney testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 2/7/91; Boston Globe, 2/5/91]

Cheney Proposed Cuts to B-2 Program. According to the Boston Globe, in 1990, "Defense Secretary Richard Cheney announced a cutback... of nearly 45 percent in the administration's B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to 75..."

[b]Cheney Proposed Cutting AH-64 Apaches. In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, Cheney said, "This is just a list of some of the programs that I've recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera." In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "The Army, as I indicated in my earlier testimony, recommended to me that we keep a robust Apache helicopter program going forward, AH-64...I forced the Army to make choices...So I recommended that we cancel the AH-64 program two years out." [Cheney testimony, Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 6/12/90; Cheney Testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 7/13/89, emphasis added]

Cheney Proposed Cutting M-1 Abrams Tanks. In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, Cheney said, "This is just a list of some of the programs that I've recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera." The Boston Globe reported on the impact of Cheney's cuts to armored tanks: "The Army's cupboard is left particularly bare. Coming in the wake of last year's killing of the M-1 tank and the Apache helicopter, the death of the M-2 means the Army will soon have virtually no major weapons in production." [Cheney testimony, Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 6/12/90; Boston Globe, 2/5/91]

Cheney Proposed Cutting B-52 Bombers. In 1990, Cheney proposed cutting 14 B-52 bombers. Cheney also sought the retirement of two Navy battleships, two nuclear cruisers, and eight nuclear-powered attack submarines. In 1991, Cheney scrapped the Navy's A-12 Stealth attack plane, a fighter that was proclaimed to be a key part of the future of navy aviation in advanced stealth technology. [Newsday, 2/5/91; NY Times, 1/8/91; Boston Globe, 4/27/90; Boston Globe, 1/30/90]
Cheney's Record as Secretary of Defense Includes Cutting Troops and Bases

Cheney Cut Thousands of Active-Duty, Reserve, and Civilian Forces. In January 1990, Cheney banned the hiring of any new civilian personnel in the Defense Department through the end of September, which left more than 65,000 jobs vacant. Under the budget proposed in 1990, the Pentagon would have reduced active military personnel by 38,000; selected reserves would have fallen by 3,000. The budget called for the deactivation of two Army divisions. Long range, the Pentagon planned to reduce its work force by 300,000, including about 200,000 military personnel and 100,000 civilians. In 1991, he called for reduction of 200,000 active and reserve military personnel over two years. In 1992, Cheney called for cutting 500,000 active-duty people, 200,000 reservists, and 200,000 civilians over five years. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 2/2/92; Chicago Tribune, 2/20/91; 1990 CQ Almanac, p. 672; Washington Post, 1/13/90; Boston Globe, 1/30/90]

Active-Duty and Reserve Forces Endured Huge Reductions Under Cheney. The LA Times reported in November 1991 that the number of active-duty military personnel had decreased by over 106,000, or 5 percent of the total forces. The National Guard and Reserves had been cut by nearly 38,000, instead of the 105,000 the Bush Administration sought. [LA Times, 11/2/91]

Cheney Proposed Over 70 Base Closures. In 1990, Cheney proposed the closure of 72 domestic military installations and 12 overseas facilities. On April 12, 1991, Cheney proposed to close 31 major domestic military bases. The plan also called for shutting 12 smaller bases and reducing operations at 28 others. He submitted his list of closures to a commission on base closings on April 15, 1991. In 1992, Cheney proposed 70 overseas military base closures, three of which were in Turkey. [Aerospace Daily, 8/17/92; 1991 CQ Almanac, p. 427; Chicago Tribune, 1/30/90]

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Quotes

http://www.bartcop.com/chimp-special10.jpg

"Is this president interested only in killing people, but can’t be bothered when given
the chance to help save them? His morally callous parsimony in the face of this,
the greatest natural disaster in modern history, seems determined to give the rest
of that world exactly that impression. George W. Bush shames our nation with large
talk and small deeds; with his want of character and smallness of spirit."

--Eric Alterman

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/

[alkemical]

Max picked up on it slightly on what i'm going after here....

I love watching peoples reactions though -

In our country we dont' have a real choice to vote for - I mean hell look at the past few elections. Clinton was the last president to 'show' he cared for us (i do mean 'show'... :) - as in dog & pony) - he understood that selling hope to the middle class and showing how much he cared for everyone - is maybe a great example of charisma....

Honestly, those who are in power to serve us do not care of us. We vote for our oppressers.

[errand]

AMESJ523....

Feeling oppressed? Then pick a better country to live in.........you do still have the freedom to leave don't you? Or do you think that the Patriot Act will stop you from leaving?

[alkemical]

Errant -

I'm trying to save this country by starting with my hometown. People like you & other intolerant pricks are ruining it faster than anything i've ever seen.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

AMESJ523....

Feeling oppressed? Then pick a better country to live in.........you do still have the freedom to leave don't you? Or do you think that the Patriot Act will stop you from leaving?

Apparently, "America - love it or leave it" bumper sticker-having rednecks like errant don't evolve. Their schtick hasn't changed since the 1960s.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Speaking of "freedom villains..."

Fox News Tanks

According to the latest Neilsen Ratings, not one fox show, not even our dear friend Bill the fondler, cracked the top 40 this past week.

As for average daily audience, only 913k tuned in regularrly to watch the fox kids and thier hoary antics......

http://www.top5s.com/tvnews.htm

So, maybe swerving to the right so hard and fast wasn't such a good idea afterall....

CNN and MSNBC are now all competeing for the less than 2 million people out there who want their news spoonfed, cliche-riddled, and hyperbole unchained.......

http://www.bartcop.com/ho-orielly.jpg
"It's a liberal conspiracy, I tell ya!"

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Freedom villain of the year?

It's the Media, Stupid!

The reason that negative attacks could work so well for the Bush campaign was the preexistence of a vast conservative media infrastructure that serves as both an echo chamber for Republican messages and a way to protect George W. Bush and other Republicans from attack.

Indeed, the conservative investment of tens of billions of dollars in media over the past quarter century may be the biggest – and least reported – money-in-politics story of modern American history.

The conservatives’ ability to saturate the airwaves with their version of reality has changed how millions of Americans understand the world.

So, even when the Democrats can roughly match the Republicans in election fundraising – as occurred in 2004 with each side spending about $1 billion – the Republicans have a huge, built-in advantage because the conservative media reinforces their messages. This infrastructure also works between elections– day-in-day-out, year-in-year-out – to keep the Republican base engaged and the Democrats on the defensive.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/010505.html

http://www.bartcop.com/full-speed-lower.jpg

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Quotes

"You Know You're a Republican When...You fire someone for supporting the troops.

From a North Jersey Record editorial: Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., lost his post as chairman
of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs this week for the worst possible reason:
He spoke out loudly against cuts in veterans programs at a time when House GOP leaders - and President Bush - were touting the party's wartime support for the troops.

Next time you see someone with a "support the troops" ribbon on their car, let them know what Republicans think of the troops."

http://www.boldprint.net/2005/01/you-know-youre-republican-when.html