“I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our overextended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today.”
— Tom Delay

“So what they are doing here is they are voting to continue an unplanned war by an administration that is incompetent of carrying it out. I hope my colleagues will vote against the resolution.”
— Tom Delay

(via Philosoraptor)

That’s right, the president has finally admitted that the tax code is set up so that the rich don’t really pay taxes.

Just remember, when you’re talking about, oh, we’re just going to run up the taxes on a certain number of people — first of all, real rich people figure out how to dodge taxes.

For more, see here.
(via Norbizness)

May I once again repeat how unChristian this president actually is?

ADDENDUM the First: And then there’s things like this.

If you grew up in West Virginia, regardless of what your family actually did/does, you probably have very strong opinions about coal mining.

Mining is a dangerous occupation, with rates for black lung decreasing over time, but there are still too many cases.

There is no easy solution to the quandary over coal mining. Coal mining has been for years the main industry here in WV. The decline of the mines has led to massive unemployment in counties where mines were the main employers.

The alternative to the underground mines is the controversial “Mountain top removal” mining. If you’ve never driven in WV, it may be hard to understand the horror that many of us feel looking at pictures of these sites. The fact West Virginia has attempted in recent years to promote tourism as an alternative to coal mining makes the appearance of this new form of strip mining even more loathsome, and has been linked by many to the severe flooding suffered in recent years.

The relationship between miners and mine owners has never been an easy one. The coal mine wars of the early 1900s were probably the lowest point, but operators have taken advantage of miners even in the present day.

It is with this history in mind, that I read the latest news regarding the Bush administration plan to change coal dust regulations.

WASHINGTON – In 1997, as a top executive of a Utah mining company, David Lauriski proposed a measure that could allow some operators to let coal-dust levels rise substantially in mines. The plan went nowhere in the government.

Last year, it found enthusiastic backing from one government official – Mr. Lauriski himself. Now head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, he revived the proposal despite objections by union officials and health experts that it could put miners at greater risk of black-lung disease.

The reintroduction of the coal dust measure came after the federal agency had abandoned a series of Clinton-era safety proposals favored by coal miners while embracing others favored by mine owners.

That mine owners and operators who have, for centuries, taken advantage of those who actually mine the coal, should actually be trusted with the health and safety of those in their employ strikes me as the fox guarding the hen house. I’m not saying that all mine owners are cold and callous about their employees, but history has shown us that profit usually comes before safety. In an occupation as dangerous as mining, forgetting this seems deadly folly.

Sgt. Bobby E. Beasley, 36, of Inwood, W.Va. died Saturday August 7th in Iraq.

As of 5 August 2004 921 U.S. service members have died in Iraq.

Chronological list of soldiers killed
(If the above link does not work, go to this section of the Baltimore Sun and click on ‘US troops killed’)

Fallen Heroes Memorial

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,” Bush said. “They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”

Right.

…I’m married.

Cingular Wireless now offers a new wrinkle on this strange social effect called “Escape-A-Date.” If you’re going out on a date, you can arrange to have your cellphone ring at a specified time. The call guides you through a script that makes it sound, to the gullible party across the table, as if you’ve got to rush off. Think of it as a wake-up call with benefits. If the date’s going well, just don’t answer.

Just got an e-mail forward from Andy, which I think he expected to set me off. I’m pretty sure I gave him a far different response than he expected.

Online Privacy “Eviscerated” by First Circuit Decision

The First Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a grave blow to the privacy of Internet communications with its decision today in the case of U.S. v. Councilman. The court held that it was not a violation of criminal wiretap laws for the provider of an email service to monitor the content of users’ incoming messages without their consent. The defendant in the case is a seller of rare and used books who offered email service to customers. The defendant had configured the mail processing software so that all incoming email sent from Amazon.com, the defendant’s competitor, was copied and sent to the defendant’s mailbox as well as to the intended recipient’s. As the court itself admitted, “it may well be that the protections of the Wiretap Act have been eviscerated as technology advances.”

My response to him was thus:

It’ll probably end up at a higher court, but I think the ruling was correct.

Just as a landlord has the right to enter your apartment or house, so, I think, should an e-mail provider retain the right (unless otherwise stated in a privacy policy) to read your e-mail messages. Is this a wise business decision? Hell no! But caveat emptor! It is, I believe, up to the consumer to scope out products they purchase or buy. For these same reasons I have no problem with g-mail. After all, if I don’t like the service, I can switch to another, that does not violate my privacy.

This makes it far different, I think, from a wiretap run by the government, where you do not have the option switching to another provider with a privacy policy.

—

On further reflection, it’s stupid on other grounds, as it would then, I believe, make the e-mail provider legally responsible for the content of messages.

But as usual, feel free to explain to me how I’m wrong.

To make up for how depressing my last post was, I recommend Philosophoraptor, on the word count of Kerry’s speech to the Democratic Convention.

(If you haven’t read the last post, on Iraq, read that first, so you’ll have something to look forward to.)
(more…)

George Bush, as he has flaunted in the past, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Thus, he must take responsibility for our military forces. It is he who has lead them to this low point, and it is he who must ultimately be responsible for any atrocities committed.

It sickens me beyond measure to know that American soldiers have been responsible for the abuse and rape of children in Iraq.

I must admit that I had heard about this several weeks ago, but was truly hoping that it was simply a rumor that would prove to be unsubstantiated. I sickens me to find that rumor was in fact truth.

Those who committed such crimes must be called to account, as must those who allowed such crimes to be committed on their watch.

(via Body and Soul [as usual, make sure to read Jeanne’s post.])

Anyone whose listened to me babble about WV politics for any length of time, knows that I really like Ken Hechler.

Thus, I was pleased to see he had an op-ed piece in the NY Times. It’s quite nice, although to be honest I’m not sure why it’s there.

Ah well, enjoy it anyway.

Sgt. DeForest L. “Dee” Talbert of the Dunbar-based 1st Battalion of the 150th Armor Regiment was killed Tuesday in Iraq.

Talbert was a star running back at T.C. Williams High School, the school that served as the setting for the 2000 movie “Remember the Titans.” During his high school grid career, he picked up the nickname “Touchdown Talbert.”

He enrolled at West Virginia State in 2000, but did not play football. The Alexandria newspaper quoted Talbert’s girlfriend, Frances Hamilett, whom he met at State, as saying that “he just wanted to get away from his environment and do something with his life.”

According to the radio this morning, he was schedule to return 19 August.

Chronological list of soldiers killed
(If the above link does not work, go to this section of the Sun, and click on the link for ‘US troops killed’.)

Fallen Heroes Memorial

Danny B. Daniels II, from Varney, W.V., was killed July 20, 2004, in in Baghdad, Iraq.

As of Monday, 906 soldiers have died in Iraq. 133 soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

Fallen Heroes Memorial

From the NY Times

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that hourly earnings of production workers – nonmanagement workers ranging from nurses and teachers to hamburger flippers and assembly-line workers – fell 1.1 percent in June, after accounting for inflation. The June drop, the steepest decline since the depths of recession in mid-1991, came after a 0.8 percent fall in real hourly earnings in May.

Coming on top of a 12-minute drop in the average workweek, the decline in the hourly rate last month cut deeply into workers’ pay. In June, production workers took home $525.84 a week, on average. After accounting for inflation, this is about $8 less than they were pocketing last January, and is the lowest level of weekly pay since October 2001.

I have not received a cost of living increase or years of service salary increase in two years. Despite the fact that years of service increases are supposed to happen automatically. Despite the fact that I am paying more for my health insurance, and just about everything else.

We’re supposed to get a 2 to 3% increase in October, but I’ll believe it when I see it in my paycheck. The state still has a hiring freeze and the university is still facing budget cuts.

On the other hand, I count myself lucky that I have a job with benefits–it could be far worse and I know it. I’ve done my time working minimum wage, and it wasn’t fun.

Given the choice of no job, or a job with no COLA or YOS adjustment, I’ll take the unchanging paycheck, but I find it more than a little irritating to hear claims of how the economy is better, and how the tax cuts are helping the economy. Sure, if you’re already in a higher tax bracket things may be looking up, but from where I’m standing, things are none too impressive.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming I’m in financial trouble; Michael and I are doing fine, due to the fact that we’re careful with our money (Rule 1 Never, ever, ever carry a balance on the credit card), and he has a second (part-time) job. Our financial stability is despite, not because of, the national economy.

What I don’t understand is how people can brush things like this off; how they can claim the economy is doing better when, in fact, the majority of Americans are not in fact doing better, but are in fact doing worse.

For me, it’s summed up here:

The upper echelons of consumer spending, at places like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom department stores, are reporting gangbuster business. “I’m surprised by how well we’ve sold high-priced fashion at this stage,” said Pete Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom’s full-line stores.

But at the other end, sales at stores open at least a year at big-box discounters like Target and Wal-Mart have disappointed, while sales of used cars are declining year over year, government figures show. “We’re not seeing the traffic, not even the same volumes of sales calls,” said Richard Cooper, a sales manager at Jones Ford in Charleston, S.C.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Guess W is just doing his best to help the rest of us get to heaven.

Rules for Flying the American Flag

• It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
• The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.
• When the flag is displayed in a manner other than by being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window it should be displayed in the same way, that is with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street. When festoons, rosettes or drapings are desired, bunting of blue, white and red should be used, but never the flag.
• When the flag is displayed on a car, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
• When hung in a window, place the blue union in the upper left, as viewed from the street.
• Section 8k of the Flag Code states, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
• Is it okay to have a flag t-shirt with words written on it?
  No, the flag should never be worn and no, the flag should never have marks or words written upon it. Section 8d (see below): “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel.” Section 8g: “The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.”

• Is it okay for an advertisement to use the flag?
  No. Section 8i (see below) reads, “The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.”