GOP HOPES "RUBBERSTAMPING" WILL GET ITSELF RE-ELECTED

The "Do Nothing" 109th Congress proudly upholds its tradition of "doing nothing" up until the last minute, by 'rubber-stamping' bills through--in a blind rush to hold onto something that will most assuredly get them re-elected in November.

But what has the Republicans been doing this last year which will make the average voter vote for them in the upcoming mid-term elections?

Bread and butter issues which matter to Americans the most like healthcare and wages? Jobs? National security issues?

Anyone remember?

I'm sure you've just heard that they've just approved a bill to start on a "wall" across the southern border which only cover one-third (or 700 miles) of the needed measure--at the cost of $1.2B for the next 10 years.

This in a stagnant effort to slow down illegal immigrants.

The GOP is hoping that this (along with dropping gas prices) will get them re-elected. To show that they are tough on national security issues.

But before you cast your ballot for those Greedy Old People (GOP), maybe you should recall that this is the same Party of Corruption whom did nothing over the last five years in terms of national security. They balked over the formation of the Homeland Security Department, they balked over the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission, and killed every proposal and piece of solid legislation brought forward by the Democrats in that time--all the while, 'rubberstamping' bills that have brought more pain and misery to the average American in recent memory.

And even when they got something going, it ended up being more costly and ineffective--because of their rush to get it into law.

Or an election.

Is this what you want in our American government for the next decade? Laziness and last-minute procrastination?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

WITH NO HABEUS CORPUS, US HAS LOST GROUND.

As an American, this passage of the Detainee Bill for Prisoners, spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e for the rest of us.

Why?

Because it contains nothing which will allow a prisoner who is either imprisoned justly or unjustly in this war on terror to challenge his imprisonment in court.

Republicans claim all the right to habeus corpus will do is weigh down federal courts, just like Bush said that getting a warrant to spy on people would "take up too much time and paperwork".

Of course, Bush's followers are more than eager to allow this happen. But this bill has effectively put the world on notice that the US no longer abides by or cares about human rights.

Even the basic ones like having the right to challenge your own imprisonment in an equally unjust military tribunal.

However, if you think this bill only applies to terrorists, you might just want to re-think that again.

Cause now Bush can turn this bill on our own people. Think I'm joking?

Isn't Jose Padilla an American whom is accused of being a terrorist?

Gotcha!

Didn't see this one coming, now did you?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

DEMOCRATS AREN'T THE ENEMY.

A letter to the Herald suggested that the Democrats smugly cheered on the Iranian President and Chavez's ripping of our President.

Contrary to what the writer thinks, the Democrats never did cheer on either man. In fact, several high-ranking Democrats called them out in defense of Bush!

Now why would they do that? Strange twist, don't you think? The Democrats defending a failed US President? Where was the GOP response to this, I wonder?

However, let's not forget how Bush has allowed our enemies and rogue-nation states to become more emboldened since he decided that some countries belong to the Axis of Evil only club--just because of their past diplomatic record with the world and with the US.

Let us not forget how Bush's failed plan to spread 'democracy' across the Middle East has caused all sorts of instability now--then we ever had since the Middle Eastern oil embargo of the 70s.

Let us not forget that this war in Iraq has allowed terrorism to flourish in more ways than we could ever possibly imagine.

But I will agree with the writer on this one point though: Republicans are a joke!

They were a joke 12 years ago, and they are a joke now! And some people still think that we should allow this buffoons (and the only baboon in office) to continue running this country for another 10 years unobstructed and unchecked?

I'd rather take my chances with the Democrats than with the way the GOP and Bush are running things now--thank you very much.

I've had enough!

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

(This letter was published. But not in its entirety. Editor's choice--mind you. :0) )

MUST WE SACRIFICE EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO WIN?

A short time ago, I posed this question: Why does Bush believe that torturing prisoners will win the war on terror?

And the answers I got were stunning. So I turned what I had into a generic poll:

80% believes the United Statess must torture prisoners no matter what.

20% says the United States must not stoop to the same level as the enemy.

So if we can torture prisoners, does this mean that other countries can do the same to us in return--without any backlash?

What does this mentality say about our morals and values as a nation? What does this say about America as a democratic and free nation?

It says that we can now torture prisoners.

The Constitution and the Supreme Court? Who needs them! We can torture!

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S CONFUSED!

16 intel agencies had a classified report on Iraq leaked to the media--painting a stark and dire picture on how terrorism is on the rise because of the war.

What's odd is how Negroponte signed off on the report and Bush backed parts of it--which said that AQ was severely damaged by the war on terror. (What the report conveniently left out is how AQ is resurging in Afghanistan--thanks in part to the strong opium trade.)

Recently, Negroponte disputed the validity of his own report--desperate to make it look like it was something else entirely.

And here's the kicker:

Today, Bush said that those parts of the leaked report was only meant to "confuse" Americans, not inform them.

So here's my questions: Who in our government has the actual 411 on what the report really said? Negroponte or Bush? Who is telling the truth? And who here isn't already confused by this?

Stay tuned though: Bush plans on "declassifying" the already leaked report.

Kind've stupid though--declassifying something that the public already knows about. (Just like Bush's attempt to keep the wiretapping program a secret--even though we already knew about it last year!)

But this is Bush we are talking about here.

The Man of Utter Perplexity and Confusion.

Schuyler Thorpe

BILL ENDANGERS US ALL AS A NATION.

The latest attempt by Bush and the GOP to show they are "tough on terrorists" and "strong on national security"--by passing the Bill of Detainee Rights--just shows that are government and the majority party in power cares little for habeas corpus rights, and just wants their pound of flesh no matter who is a terrorist (and this extends to Americans as well), and their equal 15 minutes of fame.

But just remember three things after this bill is passed:

1) Our rights, dignity, and image as a nation, are forever destroyed by Bush and the GOP.

2) The Bush administration has now made a point that we the people must now fear our own government--not the other way around anymore.

Because if we don't fear our government and tow the line, it's--"Hey!: Does anyone know where Frank disappeared to?"

3) The next President and party in power gets to do what the GOP and Bush have set into motion. (And you wonder why Bush supporters are so afraid of Democrats taking over?!? You get three guesses, but you're only going to need one.)

Just remember people: What goes around, comes around.

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

BUSH--LIKE HIS FOLLOWERS--ARE AT WAR WITH ISLAM. NOT AMERICA.

Today, Bush said that the US isn't at war with Islam. But everywhere you look, we have secret prisons, internment camps, lampooned military trials, and of course, the torture question--all aimed at Muslims.

By definition, we are at war with not only anything Muslim these days, but we are also at war with anyone who speaks of the Islamic faith as being anything but peaceful.

And according to Bush's loyal followers, we (as a nation of democracy) have every right to wipe out every Muslim off the planet using tactical nuclear weapons, or any other means of force.

They also say that we should construct concentration camps inside this country, and jail all Muslims and anyone who sides with them. (Liberals too.)

But should we be really surprised by Bush's behavior? No.

He himself insinuated that everyone who fights against are nation is an "Islamo-fascist", and that it is the sworn duty of the United States to 'destroy those who would strike fear and terror in the hearts of those who only love freedom and democracy'.

But Islam isn't the enemy here. And neither are liberals. It's those people in power who use fear and unwarranted aggression to achieve their goals.

And I'm not talking about the terrorists here.

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

W'S "SUBJECTS" DEMAND THAT WE BE LOYAL! NO EXCUSES!

I saw the 9-11 "tribute" to the victims. And all I saw is how Bush acted like it was some kind of gala event...where Republicans were once again overjoyed at being able to trumpet a tragedy for political gain--leaving Bush to warn people that we cannot leave our own nation's security in the hands of the Democrats--lest we become attacked again--and we must all vote Republican this November!

So how can the writer of a recent letter ("Standing united is still our best defense"), still proclaim himself to be an American citizen and yet demand that we be loyal to the President in order to be a more united nation?

Is there something that I'm missing here? Because last I checked, this isn't Great Britain!

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

BUSH PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME WITH AMERICA'S SECURITY

The Third Geneva Convention was ratified by 128 nations in 1925 and officially adopted in 1929. In 1949, it was revised and adopted in regards to the treatment of prisoners captured during war.

Under Article 3, it says that each country shall "humanely treat prisoners captured during any war, regardless of the circumstances".

But if Bush wants to rewrite the Geneva Accords with this bastard legislation of his--claiming that it will protect America--it'll only tell the world that we think less and less about the fair treatment of prisoners, and more about our own loose "interpretation" of international law.

In essence, what Bush is doing, is setting a dangerous precedent for our troops. This isn't just about Al-Qaeda beheading our troops. This new dictate will also allow any other country we get involved in a future conflict to say: "Well, we can do whatever we want to your captured soldiers, because of how we interpret Article 3. After all, you did the same. So why can't we?"

I for one am glad that the GOP is finally waking up to this fact and opposing Bush. But unfortunately for Bush...?

He's still breaking the law!

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

BUSH: THE PRESIDENT OF MAKE-BELIEVE

In Bush's televised speech, Bush begged us to put aside our differences and work towards a common goal. (Plausible, if only he didn't decide to become the Decider, and decide that the people's voice and opinion didn't fit with his own little schemes of world domination--er...world liberation.)

His second pitch was (once again) trying to connect Iraq to the world on terror--even though he acknowledged (a shocker--yes, I know!) that Saddam had nothing to do with 9-11, and didn't have any connections to Al-Qaeda--and that we must 'stay the course'. (Cliche, cliche, sooo cliche!)

But here's the kicker: He says that even though Saddam didn't have any WMDs (his main justification for going to war), the man still posed a grave threat to the world and needed to be removed!

Which brings me to these questions:

How can a disposed dictator without any WMDs--or an army which was blown back into the Stone Age--possibly pose a grave threat to the world? What makes Saddam still a threat to anyone?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

9-11 A TRAGIC REMINDER OF OUR FAILED GOVERNMENT

Let us not forget those who died so horribly on 9-11.

But let us also not forget who brought us to this day: Bush.

Let us not forget that he had plenty of warnings from the departing Clinton adminstration, but felt that a vacation one month prior to 9-11 was more important than protecting our country!

In light of the 5th year anniversary, Bush has no right to say that we are more safer than we were 5 years ago. Thanks to his incompetence and failures, this nation will most likely sustain another 9-11 type attack.

And when that happens, will we still be blaming Clinton like always?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

CHANGE HISTORY TO EMULATE FANTASY--PLEASE!

The upcoming "mock-u-mentary" about "The Path To 9-11" just goes to show how far the news organization will do to slander and distort a tragedy by footing the whole blame on who is at fault with the Clinton administration.

Will history also show that Bill was President when 9-11 happened? And that he happened to be caught with his pants down when the planes hit the towers?

It could happen!

I mean, if the Bush administration is darned determined to revise history on pretty much everything these days, why not just say that Clinton was President on 9-11-01, and get that over with?

Why not just revise everything else from the moment Bush became Emperor and then we can all live in our own fantasy worlds like ABC, Fox News, and Bushco wants us to?

I'm sure future generations would be eternally grateful that we no longer have to deal with reality these days.

Such a pesky concept if you ask me: Reality...

Who needs it?

Schuyler Thorpe

xxxth Streetxx #X001

Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

OSAMA IS NO HITLER OR MUSSOLINI

As a student of the second world war, I can tell you now that what we face in the so-called "war on terror" is nothing more than a political ideology of "good vs. evil".

It has nothing to do with fighting the real causes of terrorism, but trying to wield brute force against another such ideology in hopes of wiping it out.

But if the last three years has been of any guide, the use of military might has been an essential failure against the forces of terrorism itself.

So what is the Bush administration doing?

Trying to conjure up images of a war one or two generations removed in hoping that it can also be linked to the war on terror in some form or another.

And trying to put Osama in the same league as Hitler or Mussolini is beyond laughable.

Osama may be a killer, but compared to Hitler and Mussolini, he's a rank amateur in the grand scheme of things. He doesn't even rate a blip on the world's worst killers in all of history!

But that hasn't stopped Bush from trying to revise history time and again. And he's not alone in this latest PR endeavor.

Rumsfeld recently called anyone who didn't see the war that we are fighting as the same kind of appeasers whom allowed Hitler and Nazism to flourish longer than anyone thought.

In other words, he's calling out all the war's critics, liberals, and Democrats, and painting them as the same type whom kissed up to Hitler prior to the onset of World War II.

But again Osama is no Hitler.

Maybe someone should tell these two this?

Schuyler Thorpe
xxxth Streetxx #X001
Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

BUSH'S TAKE ON REALITY COULD USE MORE SALT

Bush says that we've disrupted terror cells and terror groups from inside America to all around the world, captured or killed top terror operatives, and dealt blows to terrorism everywhere.

And for that, America is more safe than we were in the five years since 9-11.

What he fails to mention is how we've also been spinning our wheels in Iraq and Afghanistan since then--creating more than enough terrorist replacements than we could ever possibly kill all at once.

What he fails to mention is how lax our border security still is, despite the introduction of 600 Nation Guard troops since the beginning of the summer.

What he fails to mention is how our port security is still open and vulnerable to terror attacks--despite the fact that he almost sold our port security to a known terrorist nation back in January

What he fails to mention is how the Taliban has seen an unprecedented resurgence in the last year in Afghanistan--thanks in part to the booming opium crop production there.

What he's failed to mention is how the new national unity government in Iraq has failed to quell the sectarian civil war going on in Iraq.

In fact, he's failed to mention a lot of things these days.

So whatever Bush is spinning these days, it could certainly use a cold dose of truth and reality!

Schuyler Thorpe
xxxth Streetxx #X001
Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

VOTE TO KICK OUT ALL CAREER-MINDED POLITICIANS

My fellow Americans:

Nevermind the hype, the fear, and the party rhetoric, when you go to the polls this November.

You want change of pace and a change in government thinking?

Then stop voting in the same selfish career-minded fools who will only be so glad to undermine both your rights and this country's foundations through their petty ignorance and incomptence!

Vote in people whom you don't know, instead of the familiars that you do!

It's the only way we can take back our country and our ruined pride!

Consider third-party alternatives!

Schuyler Thorpe
xxxth Streetxx #X001
Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

DUDE! WHERE'S MY DEMOCRACY???

America, it's sad to say, but you are no longer are a democratic country.

You've stolen away the rights of your own citizens through secret programs, abusive power, and warrantless spying.

You've openly embraced torture as a way of professing "humane" interrogation--but in reality, it's not.

You have internment camps and secret prisons from which both citizen and enemy alike can be spirited away to and never heard from again.

Your elections are rigged to favor the rich, the powerful, and the corrupt, but not the people whom you claim to represent.

You've tried to deny people the right to dissent openly without calling them 'Nazi appeasers' and all sorts of post-World War II jargon.

You've demeaned your Constitution as a 'damned piece of paper'.

You've charge your opponents as 'weak' and 'soft' when the results of the last six years has proven you to be just that--'weak' and 'soft'.

You've used fear and terror to gain control of the people in past elections, while attacking your own media for doing their jobs in reporting the truth.

So I ask you thus: "How are these actions considered 'democratic'?"

Schuyler Thorpe
xxxth Streetxx #X001
Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

'ISLAMO-FASCISM' IS NOTHING MORE THAN A FANCY CATCH-PHRASE

A new catch-phrase has emerged in recent months. First it was 'Islamo-terrorists', and then 'Islamo-fascists', and now it seems to be 'Islamo-fascism'. (Along with the spit-polished word 'global'--just to give it that added zing--making it more important than it actually is.)

But what is it? Do we know what it is when we speak it? Or is it just something made up to pin a name on something we don't understand?

The very definition of 'Islamo-fascists' and its surname 'fascism' is more hypocritical and racially demeaning (not to mention ignorant), than the truth it represents.

With the war on terror, politicians on both sides of the aisle have always had trouble identifying who the enemy is. Because terrorism wears so many faces.

So now in light of the elections, Republicans are now calling them 'Islamo-fascists', and sounding the alarm that they are ready to conquer the world and kill us if we don't submit and convert to Islam!

That in itself is a load of bull.

Not one country has fallen to these so-called 'Islamo-fascists', and there is no movement presently happening which is threatening the very fabric of our international community.

There is no base of operations for these 'Islamo-fascists' from which to operate from (well, Iraq is becoming more and more of a terrorists safe-haven these days. But still...).

What we do have though is two sides trying to rally the other and making things much bigger than they appear.

One side says "Death to America!", and the other side is saying "Death to Islam!"

Sounds a bit funny, but it just illustrates how infantile we all have become as a people--using words that have no relation to each other.

And fear.

Schuyler Thorpe
xxxth Streetxx #X001
Everett, WA 98204

(XXX)-XXX-XXXX

starchildalpha1@yahoo.com