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Wednesday, February 26, 2003
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Some good news for a change The Supreme Court ruled today in favor of pro-life protesters who had been slapped with civil lawsuits under the 1971 RICO law, which was originally designed to break up the Mafia. Whatever your opinion on abortion, it's good news because this means that the RICO laws can't be used to stop any kind of protesters, whether they're protesting abortion or the coming war in Iraq.
Big hat, no cattle Texas Gov. Rick Perry has canceled in his membership in the national governor's association partly because it's too anti-Bush. I'm sure that will come as a comfort to the inhabitants of the majestic Lone Star State, which currently faces a $9.9 BILLION deficit, for which federal aid will be paltry and slow to arrive.
Little John warns of "Armageddon" in Iraq Man, now even John Major is making more sense on Iraq than Tony Blair! Does Bush have pictures of him skull-fucking Queen Victoria's remains or something? Has Cheney promised to make Great Britain the 51st state at last? Why the hell is Blair so gung-ho about this war in Iraq?
The "Just Folks" Appeal of the Bush Family At last! After enduring 8 snooty years of those Ivy League Clinton snobs, finally there is a family in the White House whose values mirror those of the Average American. This item relates how Laura Bush's security guards forced handicapped people to use the stairs while she attended the opera. Like you do.
The British: Still Bastards A British spy whom prosecutors suspect used Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland as unofficial death squads in the British government's war against the Irish Republican Army has been promoted: he's now in charge of spying in the Middle East in preparation for the Gulf War. An upside of this promotion for him is that he is now immune from prosecution for the war crimes he is accused of committing in Ireland.
Celebrate Your Freedom By Preventing Others From Expressing Their Thoughts The North Carolina Highway Dept. has taken down some antiwar banners hung on overpasses. Technically, no signs are allowed on overpasses, but the story points out that a sign from an election last fall was still hanging after the antiwar banners were removed. The highway department's explanation? "Nobody complained about those." Freedom fries, anyone?
The British: Not Total Bastards 100 members of Tony Blair's own party are expected to vote against a motion approving of the second UN resolution on Iraqi disarmament. With even John Major sounding warning bells about the war, Tony Blair's remaining support must consist entirely of Rupert Murdoch, Ian Paisley's barber, and the angry ghost of Airey Neave. Good luck with that, Tony!
- Consider Arms
12:42:46 PM 
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Watch this movie, but don't have an opinion of it.
It seems that for the first time in 15 years the Israeli government has banned a film, this time a documentary about the April 2002 IDF incursion into the Jenin refugee camp. For those viewers at home who don't remember, the UN attempted to investigate alleged war crimes perpetrated by the IDF during the operation until the Israeli government stymied efforts by demanding the fact-finding team not come to any "conclusions."
"Just don't ever go to Texas. EVER." In the punk rock spirit of making fun of everything, some creative types out of Philly put some hilarious captions on the Office of Homeland Security's new terror warning graphics. Kudos to those wacky Illadelph kids.
- The Fifth Columnist
11:36:44 AM
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This is what the Associated Press (http://www.ap.org) says is news on this final hump day of February, 2003. Before I get into the Roundup, I'd like to offer my condolences to the family of the late Christopher Hill, whose death at age 91 was announced today. Hill was one of the foremost British historians of the 20th century, and his book "The World Turned Upside Down" is one of the very best written on the English Revolution of the 17th century. His radical, critical perspective is sorely needed now, and his death leaves us all poorer.
The Big News: Tune into 60 Minutes II tonight and watch Saddam Hussein dig his own grave! Dan Rather's big scoop with the former US chum and current Butcher of Baghdad has been advanced in most press outlets, with everyone seeming to agree that Saddam's foolhardy announcement that he isn't going to destroy his illegal missiles is all the Bush gang needs to invade. The current invasion timetable looks like the shooting starts in March, after 60,000 US troops are settled in Turkey. It's just a shame that Saddam's proposed televised debate with Bush will never happen; that would be some quality TV, right on the level with Joe Millionaire.
The Roundup: France says it will oppose the second UN resolution this week, no doubt prompting some Americans to contemplate renaming more food products. . . state elections in India, a test for the ruling BJP, involved "a gun battle, kidnappings, ballot theft, and destruction of voting machines." Reports that Katherine Harris was spotted in the vicinity could not be confirmed at press time. . . North Korea urged its people and armed forces to prepare for war . . . The death toll from the South Korean subway fire is now 189. . . Hugo Chavez says that recent embassing bombings in Venezuela are the work of the right-wing opposition. I myself suspect this, based on the fact that the bombers left pro-Chavez literature at the crime scenes. That's a little too much like finding Mohammed Atta's magical passport for me. . . The first of 40,000 genocidaires have been released in Rwanda to participate in that country's reconciliation project. . . The Turkish parliament is showing signs they might reject the cabinet's approval of US troop location there. But guys: There's a generous bribe in it for you!. . . In my family's ancestral homeland of Chicago, Richard Daley won a 5th term as mayor, winning all 50 city wards and 80 percent of the vote.
- Consider Arms
11:04:56 AM
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With all this to do about the looming war in Iraq, it is sometimes hard to focus on what’s going on domestically (which, of course, is by design). This is a great web page from the House Democrats’ Appropriations Committee which provides an itemized list of domestic issues about which Bush has blatantly lied at some point or another. I bet those folks from the Election 2000 TV focus groups that voted for Bush "because he is more trustworthy" are going apeshit.
- Marcus-Marcus
10:02:06 AM
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© Copyright 2003 Marc Hatfield.
Last update: 02/28/2003; 9:39:03 AM.
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