Ben’s Musings

So, Condoleezza is going to testify publicly and under oath about terrorism policy before and after Sept 11th. See my \”Unrepentant Politicians\” blog for the White House\’s previous stand on the issue.

\”The BBC\’s Justin Webb, in Washington, says the move is a U-turn of breathtaking proportions executed by a White House which is focused above all else on winning the president\’s re-election in November.\”

One thing i do know is that i wouldnt like to ask her anything if she\’s in this kind of mood!:

Since Mary-Lou, my girlfriend, is Filipino, I was interested in this article on GNN.tv. Once i had read it, i was disgusted.

It explains the American policy of \”low-intensity conflict\” which it implemented in the Philippines after its invasion in 1899. It basically means that the Americans hire as many native people to be part of a police force or army for them so that the conflict is carried out on these natives, not the American soldiers.

Here are some quotes from the article:

Bush referred to the Philippines as a model for the U.S. relationship with Iraq and I would like to briefly describe that model. It was and remains a fiasco and tragedy.

The invasion of the Philippines by the U.S. was a preemptive, unprovoked war against a sovereign nation, as was the case in Iraq. As the Americans chose to occupy the Philippines for access to its raw materials and other markets, so too are they wanting access to Iraqi oil resources, markets and other resources of the Middle East. As Filipinos immediately began a resistance campaign against the Americans, so too are the Iraqis. McKinley launched an LIC policy in the Philippines, and George Bush is about to utilize the same policy in Iraq through what he is referring to as \”Iraqification.\” \”Iraqification\” calls for the selection of former Iraqi military and/or police to serve at the behest of the Americans. Iraqi\’s hired by the U.S. will strike against those reacting against the U.S. military occupation and as a consequence will suffer the blows. It will be Iraqi\’s against Iraqi\’s with the United States pulling the strings.

All the following links I got from a simple search for \”george bush\” on google. Don\’t get me wrong, I don\’t hate the guy, I just think that he has said some stupid things, made some horendous descisions and is personally responsible for thousands of innocent people dying.

But its alright cos he looks like a chimp:

Unknown to many, George is a funky-funky-get-down-with-the-funk-funk dancer!

Some stickers for sale at gwbush.com:

Here are 10 of the best examples of Dubya Speak!

10. I\’ve been to war. I\’ve raised twins. If I had a choice, I\’d rather go to war.
9. I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.
8. You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.
7. No, I know all the war rhetoric, but it\’s all aimed at achieving peace.
6. My mom often used to say, \”The trouble with W\” — although she didn\’t put that to words.
5. In 1994, there were 67 schools in Texas that were rated \”exemplorary\” according to our own tests.
4. I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.
3. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.
2. I understand small business growth. I was one.
1. Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.

At The G W Bush Conspiracy Generator, my theory was: George W. Bush gave Iraq reconstruction contracts to his friends so that oil companies, white men, and gun owners could kill Iraqis. Not too far from the truth!

Finally, some people think that Bush is the Antichrist!

Just a bit of fun…honest!

Richard Clarke, ex-counterterrorism chief at the White House made history for being the first high-ranking former or current government official to offer an apology to loved ones of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept 11th terrorist attacks. This was at his grilling before the independent panel investigating 9/11.

\”Your government failed you, and I failed you,\” he said. \”We tried hard, but that doesn\’t matter because we failed you. And for that failure, I would ask, once all the facts are out, for your understanding and for your forgiveness.\”

While UN Weapons Inspector David Kay says: \”The cost of our mistakes . . . with regard to the explanation of why we went to war in Iraq are far greater than Iraq itself…. We are in grave danger of having destroyed our credibility internationally and domestically with regard to warning about future events. The answer is to admit you were wrong, and what I find most disturbing around Washington . . . is the belief . . . you can never admit you\’re wrong.\”

Micheal Moore says: Three thousand people died, two wars were launched as a result, it\’s being used as key to the re-election campaign, yet still Bush and Rice have no time to discuss September 11th with the commission investigating it.

After hearing a fastinating debate on Radio 4\’s Moral Maze about what we as the west can do to stop terrorism, i know that Bush\’s approach is morally wrong and ineffective, as does former White House security expert Richard Clarke.

At least someone is benefiting from this war:

Get your war on

This afternoon has been very boring. So i decided to draw a vector based picture of myself when I was a baby. TaDa:

This is a MUST WATCH video. Donald Rumsfeld is caught with his pants down and still tries to squirm his way out!

I feel quite helpless.

Don\’t get me wrong here. I am sure that British politicians have said such stupidly scary things. When i find them, i\’ll post them!

Here are some of my favourite quotes from GNN. Laugh or be very scared:

\”Victory means exit strategy, and it\’s important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is.\” - George W. Bush, discussing Kosovo, Houston Chronicle, 04-09-99

\”I said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it\’s clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.\” - Bill O\’Reilly, on ABC\’s Good Morning America, 03-18-03

\”I don\’t understand how poor people think.\” - George W. Bush, confiding in the Rev. Jim Wallis, The New York Times, 08-26-03

\”Homosexuals want to come into churches and disrupt church services and throw blood all around and try to give people AIDS and spit in the face of ministers.\” - Pat Robertson again, The 700 Club, 01-18-95

\”And there is, I am certain, among the Iraqi people a respect for the care and the precision that went into the bombing campaign.\” - Donald Rumsfeld, defenselink.mil, 04-09-03

\”Probably nothing.\” - Jeb Bush, during his losing 1994 bid for Florida Governor, when asked what he would do for black people, quoted by Salon on 10-05-02

\”Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. Why is he there? And I tell you this morning that he\’s in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this.\” - Lt. General William G. Boykin, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, The New York Times, 10-17-03

\”I don\’t agree that you need an enormous number of American troops. Saddam\’s army is down to one-third than it was before, and I think it would be a cakewalk.\” - Kenneth Adelman, Defense Policy Board, to Wolf Blitzer on CNN, 12-06-01

\”The fact of the matter is that this (increased American casualties) is a sign of the success of our operation, not its failure.\” - Ralph Reed, GOP strategist, on MSNBC\’s program \’Hardball,\’ 10-28-03

\”There are some who feel that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring \’em on. We have the force necessary to deal with the situation.\” - George W. Bush, The Chicago Tribune, 07-03-03

\”Why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it\’s gonna happen? It\’s not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?\” - Barbara Bush, said on \’Good Morning America\’ the day before the Iraq war started, The New York Times, 01-13-03

\”I\’m the commander