Episode #456: Scream Some More
First Broadcast: 9/17/07
Unsurprising to no one but the most clueless, George W. Bush made his latest speech in which he insists the "surge" of American troops in Iraq is "working"; the number of American troops in Iraq can be reduced next year--to pre-surge levels, bringing us right back to where we started; and a single "ally" in Iraq is fighting a single "enemy", namely "Al Qaeda", which apparently goes around "plant[ing] its flag" when it finds a sympathetic town someplace. These and a few dozen other inaccuracies (or, as The Washington Post put it, statements which "contradicted" Bush's own words) annoyed me to no end, and I got around to talking about them after a brief discussion of Russia's new oil wealth (which also seems to be responsible for Russia's new love of the TV sitcom, especially "Married... With Children"). Isn't anyone else paying attention?
Episode #457: Two Frickin' Junkyard Dogs
First Broadcast: 9/23/07 Transmission began around 2:01:40 AM, with program already in progress, cutting off all our opening credits and "Free New York" title. Transmission ended at 2:28 AM, and still managed to cut off some of our end credits.
After the usual chit-chat (this time, about O.J., his book, etc.), we predict the story everyone will be talking about today will be the visit to New York by the President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and specifically his request to visit the World Trade Center site (which was rejected by the NYPD, the Secret Service, and the Port Authority) and his scheduled visit to Columbia University (which hasn't been cancelled at the moment). Now, regardless of how you feel about the current government of Iran--and we know they violate human rights just as badly as several other nations in the Middle East--what harm could it actually have done to allow Ahmadinejad to view "Ground Zero" as it is now, or place a wreath there, as he was reported to have wanted to do? Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani opposes Ahmadinejad's visit, of course, saying that for him to be "touring Ground Zero - hallowed ground for all Americans - is outrageous." Aside from over-using the phrase "hallowed ground" (which, even if the religions of all the people who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, were in agreement on the concept, if it were to be applied to every part of Manhattan where someone died tragically, would probably render a great deal of the island uninhabitable), Giuliani's vehement opposition to Ahmadinejad's presence in New York makes me wonder: whatever happened to Lincoln's policy of "With malice toward none, with charity for all"? Is Giuliani's reaction another clue to how intransigent his foreign policy would be if this country suffered through the misfortune of making him President? Thankfully, there are much saner choices out there for everyone.
Episode #458: Lawless Army
First Broadcast: 10/8/07
Does it matter that Hillary Clinton received more donations this past quarter than Barack Obama? Will the Congress figure out that most Americans want to cut the funding for the war in Iraq? Will anyone be able to drag Blackwater under the rule of law, and prosecute their employees for killing people indiscriminately in Iraq? Only time will tell for all the above, apparently.
Episode #459: Zombies Keep Getting In
First Broadcast: 10/15/07
The Congress moves towards declaring Turkey's actions against Armenians almost a century ago a genocide. Will this cause Turkey to stop aiding the United States in its continuing illegal war against Iraq? Will this affect Turkey's possible military actions against the Kurds in northern Iraq, whom the United States claims to be protecting? Will Congress ever pull American troops out of Iraq? Will Republican Presidential candidates rely on their lawyers for foreign policy decisions, or will they start reading the Constitution, like Ron Paul? I prefer a much saner candidate, thank you very much.
Episode #460: You Sir, You Suck
First Broadcast: 10/22/07
We start off with a quote from George W. Bush:
"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."We then dive into a history lesson, detailing the United States' long history of interference with Iran, not the least of which is the U.S.'s unqualified support of the Shah, whose CIA-trained secret police ("SAVAK") helped earn Iran this distinct condemnation by Amnesty International in 1976: "No country in the world has a worse record in human rights than Iran." Today, the situation in Iran isn't quite as bad (though there is still plenty of room for improvement), and certainly not as good compared to neighbors like Dubai (home of Al Burj, which will become the tallest building on Earth, when complete) and Qatar (home of Al Jazeera, possibly the most independent Arabic news channel in the Middle East), but it's definitely no reason to start "World War III", as Mr. Bush implies might happen. And, given that Iran would face certain retaliation from either Israel (which own nuclear weapons) or the U.S. (which owns nuclear weapons) if Iran attacked either one of those nations, and since it doesn't make sense for Iran to start "World War III" in the face of certain doom, what else could Mr. Bush mean, except for implying that Bush himself would start World War III if Iran doesn't do things to his liking? Isn't there anyone in Congress who will oppose this nonsense?
-- October 17, 2007
Episode #461: Levels Of Hypocrisy
First Broadcast: 10/29/07
Repeated: 1/7/08
So, if Iraq's court system was considered good enough to try, convict, and sentence Saddam Hussein to death in 2006, why did Blackwater Chairman Erik Prince say earlier this month that "We will not let our people be taken by the Iraqis," and "That is not the case right now," that westerners could get a fair trial in Iraq? Why is it that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld insisted that the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were there because they were "unlawful combatants," but the Blackwater employees who killed unarmed civillians in Iraq who could also be considered "unlawful combatants" are not being held prisoner anywhere? Why is it that weapons found in Iraq, allegedly of Iranian origin, mean that Iran needs to be confronted "before it's too late," but the 190,000 missing American small arms in Iraq are no cause for concern? Why is Turkey allowed to fly planes into Kurdish regions of Iraq and bomb targets there, but any Iranian actions regarding Iraq are considered "meddling"? And how on earth could White House spokesperson Dana Perino feel justified in saying this on January 11, 2007:
"Surely the United States is not the one being threatening. We are not the ones being meddlesome and troublesome in Iraq."Oh, sure. That whole invasion and ongoing occupation thing is just a pat on the back, right?
Episode #462: All Things Old Are New Again
First Broadcast: 11/19/07
Rudy Giuliani, "Mr. 9/11", gets an endorsement from Pat Robertson, the man who once agreed with Jerry Falwell that "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, [and] People For the American Way" were the ones responsible for the events of September 11, 2001. Even though the majority of the country disapproves of what George W. Bush is doing as President, Representative Dennis Kucinich's calls to impeach Bush and his bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney are treated with contempt by the mainstream media. And Senator Chuck Schumer caves in and votes in favor of confirming a nominee for Attorney General who claims to not know whether waterboarding--an act of torture since the Spanish Inquisition--is torture or not. Can we just throw everyone out of Washington and start over?
Episode #463: Three-Piece Suit
First Broadcast: 12/3/07
Repeated: 4/21/08
John Ashcroft says it's OK to waterboard him. The "standard operating procedure" manual for the internment camp at Guantanamo Bay says it's OK to stop the Red Cross from visiting some inmates. And the government of Sudan says it's OK to throw a teacher in jail if their students name a teddy bear after Mohammed. Just another week here at the ranch.