My head feels like it might explode - I've had a four alarm banger going on all day. Seizures do this to me, casting a tight net over my brain, then drawing it close until gray matter begins squeezing out through the holes. This headache is exacerbated by the suspicion that the current anti-convulsant meds I'm eating are having little, if any effect on the frequency and severity of the seizures that routinely scramble my brain. Never mind those meds are costing me dearly, even at the deeply discounted and civilized prices available from our kinder, gentler neighbors to the north.

Following the news fuels the throbbing jackhammer. Not since Nixon has the White House used its considerable powers to savage a political opponent in the manner the Shrubbies are doing to Richard Clarke. Selectively declassifying documents to paint a very narrow, somewhat contradictory picture of Clarke is indicative of the overall desperation driving the Shrubites. This administration has consistently been one of the most secretive in US history, making classification of everyday documents into a normal procedure. To open the gates even a little speaks to their burning desire to crush this man who dare criticize policy decisions.

Most, if not all, of this blatant smear campaign has been carried out by the office of the National Security Adviser, Condoleeza Rice, herself willing to make time to appear on numerous television shows to excoriate Clarke while refusing to appear in front of the 9-11 commission to testify publicly and under oath, as Clarke has already done. In a crass political calculation Rice and the White House have tossed away their original rationale for her refusal, executive privilege, in favor of a public appearance where, by assertion alone, it is hoped she can either directly refute Clarke's testimony, or sufficiently cloud the waters. Though under oath, Rice has considerable leeway if she is careful - the commission has not had unlimited access to classified documents, not by any measure.

In other words, she can lie to her heart's content. Coupled with the selective declassification of a few documents, she ought to make short work of Clarke's testimony.

Understand I am no fan of people like Clarke, who is an old style Cold Warrior remade in the modern age (though not a Neocon, which is a completely different species), willing to use military force in secret to eliminate the enemies of the United States. In his testimony, I heard the voice of my father, a post World War II Republican and ardent Cold Warrior. Unlike my father, who saw everything in terms of the Soviet Union and the terrifying assumptions of Mutual Assured Destruction, Clarke has adapted to the more nebulous circumstances of stateless warfare. Some of his Republicanism is of the throwback variety - he made mention several times of the necessity of improved intelligence services that are restricted enough to protect civil liberties. This is in stark contrast to the Shrubites, who believe civil liberties are reserved for those who can afford to pay for them.

CSPAN is more than a little educational. Sure, those who watch it at three in the morning are often ridiculed for being nerds and policy wonks, but amazing things happen on CSPAN that are not seen or reported widely or accurately in the mainstream slap-dash corporate press. I happened to be watching the night the Medicare legislation came to the House floor for a vote, and wondered why it took three hours as opposed to the usual fifteen minutes to record all of the votes. Turns out administration officials, who have no business on the House floor during debates or votes, were twisting arms and the compliant House leadership kept the vote open far longer than is normal.

Come to find out the budgetary numbers were cooked and a Medicare actuary threatened with reprisal should he give to Congress the actual figures, as he is required to do by law. A Republican House member due to leave office after his current term was similarly threatened that his son, preparing to run for his father's seat, would face stiff opposition from his own party if he refused to change his vote so the measure would pass.

But that isn't why I laud the educational and public service functions of CSPAN. I sing its praises this night because it provides context for events later portrayed in the media stripped of same. I speak specifically about the case of Richard Clarke, formerly Counter -Terrorism Coordinator for the Shrub Ministries. Clarke held the same position for Clinton, Shrub the Elderberry, and worked in the Reagan administration as well. (A full video of his appearance can be found at CSPAN. Look for "Sept. 11 Commission Hearing, Day 2, afternoon" and click on the link.)

What transpired in open testimony and what has appeared in the news media are two very different things. In the latter, Clarke is framed as a man of questionable intent, perhaps a "disgruntled former employee" as Paul O'Neill was characterized by the Shrubbites. He is cast as a guy just trying to sell a book, to be famous, get his fifteen minutes, as it were.

The Shrubsters ran around all day Tuesday and Wednesday refuting anything and everything this man said, is alleged to have said, and might utter some day in the far flung future. To call their shrill denials desperate is to be kind. He is said to have been out of the loop, misinformed, and a liar. That last comes from the central figure who has steadfastly refused to answer in public for her role in the September 11 attacks, Condoleeza "oil tanker" Rice. She has played it safe, lobbing spitballs at Clarke every chance she gets, but only in forums where hard follow up questions cannot be asked. Unlike Clarke, she was not under oath when making her comments.

Watching the entire period of Clarke's testimony revealed to me several things. He is a serious and thoughtful man in his professional capacity, well spoken, and willing to admit not having answers to some questions due to a lack of knowledge. He strikes me as a hawkish, cold warrior type of guy, advocating the aggressive use of military and covert options in the fight against terrorism. I disagree with some of his assumptions and probably all of his methods, but I took him to be truthful and consistent in his testimony.

And in a classy move, he opened his remarks with a public apology to the families who lost people on 9-11.

Contrast his hours in front of the committee with the hatchet job being done on him by the White House in the form of Rice, Cheney, Shrub, and Scott McLellan, the press secretary who has led the charge. To listen to these people, Clarke was incompetent, lazy, uninformed, out of the loop, and disloyal. That last one stings the most for this secrecy obsessed crowd, that a former official cuts the cord and speaks his mind in public.

The Shrubministeries even went so far as to release Clarke's resignation letter, then fed the wolves at Faux News a briefing Clarke gave, on background (which means unattributed and unquotable), at the express request (order) of his higher ups. That it does not exactly jibe with what appears in his book casts a bright lie on the routine practice of trotting out officials to "put a good face" on lousy policies or mistakes. That the Resident's minions would feed this directly to Faux ought to enrage reporters everywhere, for background briefings are essential to their daily jobs, and no one is likely to perform even this off the record task if the risk of being named is so high.

It is a truism, that he who doth protest, and all that. In this case, the big guns are out in a way they have not been for anyone else who has publicly questioned the Shrubberites and their policies. A tip of the hat to Clarke for taking the heat, even though he already knew what was in store for him.

And for those who ponder such things, let us consider:

Outing Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife, a CIA operative, then refusing to reveal who committed this crime.

Bashing Paul O'Neill, formerly Secretary Of The Treasury, for noting in his book that Iraq was in the cross hairs from the earliest days of the Shrubberites.

Intimidating and threatening at least two public servants and bending the rules to the breaking point in order to score a political victory in the Medicare legislation.

Refusing to allow key officials to testify in open session about the 9-11 attacks. In truth, what they could actually testify to in public is far less important than the mere act of doing so.

Manufacturing a war by intentionally lying about the nature and severity of the threat posed by Iraq. According to Clarke, this egregious action disrupted our declared war on terrorism.

The list literally goes on and on, and I contend that the viciousness of the Shrubberites is due in large part to their underlying belief that the American system of government, as described in our Constitution, is not a legitimate constraint upon their agenda to remake America into something it is not: a corporate dictatorship.

One of my brackets is completely blown up. Yes, the one where Gonzaga and Stanford play for the national championship. Sadly, they have both been booted from the tourney, and I should have known better. Gonzaga, while very talented, is a victim of parity. Stanford, well, I really should have known better. Yes, only one loss, but their schedule, compared to say, any team in the ACC, was weak, and those sorts of teams always get spanked come tournament time.

Alas!

I may still be ahead on that blown up bracket due to other picks made in it, and the collapse of several other high profile teams.

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The Shrub & pony show is underway on Capital Hill and the CableSpews channels. Colin Powell, who traded any shred of credibility he once had in exchange for our belief during his UN presentation before the Iraq war, is talking around the truth in front of the commission. No surprise, so is everyone else from the administration. Ms. Rice won't even be testifying, sending a deputy stand in to dodge questions. All of this in light of former Terrorism Czar for Shrub (and two other Republican presidents) Mr. Richard Clarke's allegations that the Shrubberies intentionally conflated Iraq with Al Qaeada to manufacture a war they wished to prosecute from the very day they took office.

The commission, hamstrung already by the Shrubsters' refusal to cooperate in timely manner, will wind up issuing a watery report stating that all recent administrations were unprepared for terrorist attacks upon the United States, and it was all due to a "failure of intelligence," the catch-all vague blame phrase these people rely on to get away with extraordinary lies.

Makes me want to puke.

The terrorists are coming. Daddy Dick Cheney says so. Shrub says so. Colin says so. And they all reassure me that John Kerry is unable and unwilling to defeat them.

Yes, they are coming. As they came to Turkey to bomb the British. As they came to Spain to bomb the Spanish. as they will to Poland, or to Japan, or to the Red Cross, or to poor soldiers in powder blue helmets when our lying leaders turn this mess over to them.

They will come strapped in explosive laden automobiles, flak jackets, "improvised devices" by the side of the road. They may come again in airplanes loaded with fuel and pilots content to burn themselves up to make a point we cannot understand.

They are alleged to have come to Iraq already. As if those who never threw flowers and candy could not elect to throw bombs instead.

The terrorists are coming. My esteemed leaders tell me so, night after night on the evening news.

They come as they once did to Guatemala, Indonesia, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iraq...

"And when the band plays Hail To The Chief, ooh they're pointing the cannon at you."

(Fortunate Son
Creedence Clearwater Revival.)

I just finished my sheets for the NCAA tournament that begins on Thursday. I'd tell ya my picks, but then I'd have to claim them if they lose.

Ok ok, I took Duke on one sheet, and Stanford on the other. I'd love to see Maryland replicate their stunning success in the ACC tourney and win it all, but I think not.

And a note of television pique: During that extraordinary defeat of Duke for the ACC title, ESPN here in the southern plains chose to leave that game, just entering the overtime period, for the very start of the OK State game. I know how important OSU basketball has been in this part of the world this year in light of OU's total collapse, but I can't imagine that any other than the most die hard Okie fans wouldn't want to see the end of a stellar game. Coming on the heels of the amazing comeback Maryland pulled off against NC State just the day before, this was a matter of quality over loyalty.

At any rate, a two cheek moon to ESPN and /or Cox Cable for denying basketball fans everywhere (and especially me!) the end to a spectacular game.

Representative Barney Frank is one of the sharpest guys in Congress, a true parliamentarian. In a recent speech on the House floor, he dissects the current state of the American economy and the reasons recent growth has not, and will not translate into more jobs. The speech is a little long, but very well worth reading.

I was going to prattle on about college hoops, but I read this and thought it was a tad more important.

From a Washington Post article:

Easier Internet Wiretaps Sought
Justice Dept., FBI Want Consumers To Pay the Cost

"The Justice Department wants to significantly expand the government's ability to monitor online traffic, proposing that providers of high-speed Internet service should be forced to grant easier access for FBI wiretaps and other electronic surveillance, according to documents and government officials.

A petition filed this week with the Federal Communications Commission also suggests that consumers should be required to foot the bill.

Law enforcement agencies have been increasingly concerned that fast-growing telephone service over the Internet could be a way for terrorists and criminals to evade surveillance. But the petition also moves beyond Internet telephony, leading several technology experts and privacy advocates yesterday to warn that many types of online communication, including instant messages and visits to Web sites, could be covered."

Somebody needs to take the car keys away from these guys.

{See also a CNet article.}

Candidate John Kerry tells it like it is. A supporter urged him to take on Shrub, and Kerry replied into a still-open microphone:

"Let me tell you, we've just begun to fight. We're going to keep pounding. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary."

This is a straightforward assessment of the Republican Party as presently constituted. Too bad the only time Kerry has said this is when he didn't realize the mic was hot.

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This Washington Post article is worth reading, even with the hassle of free registration. The subject is the small but growing minority of families of service members killed in Iraq or serving there currently. The central focus of those beginning to speak out against the war is the complete lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the original and central focus of the Shrubster's campaign to invade.

An organization of military family members opposing the war can be found online. They are organizing a number of protest actions, including a " Dover to D.C. Memorial Procession: A trail of mourning and truth to honor those killed and wounded in Iraq" on March 14 & 15, which will begin where US soldiers killed come home - Dover Air Force Base.

I'll miss Spalding Gray. A guy who made a sly joke out of his own life has come to an uncertain end, pulled from a river after going missing for almost two months. If the concept of seeking the "perfect organic moment" intrigues you, rent Swimming To Cambodia and drink your fill of Gray's peculiar humor.

Thank God for the wisdom of the Supreme Court. The judges who brought you election-by-judicial-fiat have acted to further expand the rights of defendants.

Not!

Little by little, in dribs and drabs, the Supreme Court and our esteemed legislators are tightening the noose around our collective necks.

Another book well worth reading - I'm on a tear lately. This time, economist and New York Times op ed writer Paul Krugman has gathered many of his columns thematically into a book length critique of the Shrubster's administration. It is entitled "The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century." In some ways this book is especially instructive in that each column is reproduced and dated as it originally appeared in the newspaper, giving us little windows of Krugman's thinking on Shrub-o-nomics, politics, and social policy. I have to confess to being tickled by an economist describing the current crop of Neowackos as a "revolutionary power."

He isn't wrong about that, by the way. Read the book and find out why.

Joe Conason has written two books well worth reading. The earlier of the two volumes is entitled "The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton." It covers the decade long assault upon Clinton by right wingers intent upon destroying his presidency. I have a lot of trouble with Clinton, as does Conason, which makes this even more eye-opening. The events and hectics outlined in this book make even more sense given the current administrations operating procedures.

The second book is "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth." Lots of little media gems in this one, plus a straightforward and coherent defense of liberalism.

The Resident, Shrubmeister himself, is predictably and revoltingly kicking off his re-election campaign with a glossy ad extolling his virtues as Leader against a backdrop of images of destruction and death on September 11, 2001. It has been no secret that the Republicans intended to work 9/11 for all they could, scheduling their national convention in New York very late in the campaign season and appropriating the anniversary of that awful day.

From September 12, 2001, Shrub has been exploiting the gruesome deaths of nearly 3,000 people and the terror all of us experienced in order to drape himself and every single one of his regressive policies in the warm wrappings of the American flag. The war in Iraq was predicated on false assertions about weapons of mass destruction (-program related activities and so on) and an unproven link to Al Qaeda, and finally, when all else was failing, on September 11 itself. Time and again administration officials drew a connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11 they knew to be false, so they could pursue their war of vengeance and oil.

Sickening, no?

And if that isn't enough to condemn these ads as the basest of political propaganda, consider this: Shrub opposed the 9/11 commission charged with finding out what our intelligence services and political leaders were, or were not doing about terrorism prior to that day. Shrub, under pressure from the surviving family members, finally did allow for the creation of the panel, then stonewalled it by withholding mountains of documents, encouraging administration officials not to testify, and when the commission complained they were running out of time because of the Resident's obstructionism, opposed an extension. Further pressure and the coming campaign forced Shrub to relent, and a two months extension is in the works.

Firefighters have come out in force to condemn these ads, as have many surviving family members. A few find no problem with the ads, saying they are happy the events of that day are out in front of the public, lest we forget. I don't know about you, but I haven't forgotten. Nor am I likely to for the rest of my life. Respectfully, I find that reasoning hollow in the face of the naked political opportunism these ads represent. They are not history, they are advertising on behalf of a pathological liar seeking to remain in power.

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Ok, so I was wrong, and my house is still standing. :)

But there were spectacular storms across northern Texas and all of Oklahoma, spawning several tornadoes in both states. Lucky for me, none of them occurred in my neighborhood.

I must be prescient - Norman has its first tornado watch of the year today. Outside it feels like storm season - cloudy, strong winds, and very humid, all the ingredients necessary for some real fireworks. The National Weather Service map for Oklahoma looks like a crazy patchwork quilt done by a band of drunken grandmothers.

Ok, it's true, I'm a bit of a weather geek. :)

I'm declaring today the beginning of Oklahoma's storm season. We've had thunderstorms and very heavy rains since last night, and they are forecast to continue through tomorrow. There really isn't an official start to the storm season here - it can be anywhere from mid-February to Late March or even early April. It all depends upon the weather patterns in play any given year.

While I have experienced some fantastic, powerful storms in my three and a half years here, I have not seen a tornado. The closest was the Moore tornado of May 2003, which tore up businesses and homes just six miles or so from here, following a track close to the monstrous tornado of May 1999. I watched it live on television while the wind whipsawed outside, changing directions every minute or so, spitting rain all over the place. A few days later, I drove past the area where it crossed highway 35. On the left was a motel missing all of its top floor. On the right side of the highway a wide track of demolished houses and trees snapped off at the ground were visible. It literally looked like bombs had been dropped.

Incredible.

I have no idea what this year holds in store weather wise. I'm thinking now about the Oklahoma Home and Garden show Rachel and I went to last month (her mom was working a booth for a friend) where we saw safe rooms made of thick steel you could purchase for inside your home. The likelihood of being hit by a strong tornado is very, very small, but if you are at home when it happens, your likelihood of surviving isn't all that high without at least a basement to take cover in, much less a full fledged storm shelter. I love our house, but it isn't particularly solid, and sits on a concrete slab.

Yikes!

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council and a cogent critic of the Shrub's environmental policies. This article illustrates Shrub's willingness to create his own "science" to further his corporate agenda. Kennedy also gave a speech to the National Press Club some months back that laid out a defense of the environment that not only fits the true definition of "conservation" but also has the potential to appeal to a wide range of voters. A written version of it can be found here.

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How Shrub and his foreign policy geniuses are accommodating Haiti's slide into further chaos.

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John Kerry is the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States. In a foreshortened primary season, Kerry proved the safe choice, the "electable" Democrat to face the Shrub and his Republican character assault machine in the November general election. Next up: Eight long m months of bitter invective, sleazy ads, anonymous "leaks" to the media, and so on. The prospect makes me tired, and angry.

As Democrats, we have chosen the wrong man, a candidate who squandered his considerable political and military credentials by casting a vote authorizing Shrub to make war in Iraq when and how he saw fit to do so. That vote was the height of irresponsibility, a choice to abandon the advise and consent function of the Senate and colluding with the House to give up the Congressional power to craft a declaration of war after the president has requested it. Kerry, a would be statesman, proved all too willing to ride along with Shrub in a virtual tank across the desert, blowing up hapless Iraqis along the way. Kerry's modulated stance on the vote he cast is that it came "with conditions," among them a requirement that Shrub exhaust all manner of diplomatic solutions. By the time of the vote it was painfully clear Shrub intended to have his war, and the vote was the closer, providing political cover domestically.

As Democrats, we have taken the easier choice, a Senator with some military credentials and a record of opposing the very in which he fought. That Senate vote rendered those bona fides irrelevant, and Kerry honestly has nothing else to offer us. Many of his votes went against the little guy, so to speak, embracing runaway globalism that is tearing apart our work force and lowering environmental standards across the country. He was also a supporter of Clinton's welfare reform which has pared down welfare rolls across the country by punishing poor people for their poverty. He has yet to articulate a coherent plan for the health care crisis facing the 40+ million people lacking any health coverage at all, nor for those who will soon be priced out of insurance as costs continue to rise well ahead of inflation. He has yet to tell us how he can solve the Iraq mess, or stimulate employment. For all of the media bluster about Howard Dean's unfitness for president, he at least had a comprehensive legislative plan, and was willing to speak plainly about some ugly realities facing voters and legislators both in the coming years.

As Democrats, we wimped out this time around, as we do every time out. Frankly, Kerry is little better than our current Resident, with a single glaring exception - he isn't George W.

And that is the crux of it. and the sole reason I am casting a reluctant vote for Kerry in the November election.

So a guy in an SUV hits and kills a man on the highway, then drives more than 8 miles to his house, where he finally realizes a body is lodged in the front end of his car. Are you fucking kidding me? Never mind the guy was intoxicated - he had enough awareness to keep from driving off the road on the way home, but didn't know he'd taken on an extra passenger?

Hmmmm. Could be the start of a new SUV ad campaign.

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That grocery strike has come to an end. Workers will shoulder some of the cost of their own medical care, and no raises are written into the contract. New hires will have capped salaries, and take up to four years to reach those caps, which are lower than top pay earned by current employees. New hires will also have to pay more for their health care. The only "victory" the union can declare here is that the employees weren't locked out permanently. In the future, those new hires will become old hires, and wonder why, at their diminished salary, they are paying union dues at all.

Look for many of them to be fired or harassed off the job as Walmarts begin to open up.