Illegal Immigration hits New High

According to MOJO's Blog discussing a PEW Research study on immigration.

The number of undocumented immigrants has reached 10.3 million and keeps on growing; Mexicans account for the largest chunk, at 57 percent, or 6 million; undocumented migrants now represent about one-third of the total foreign-born US population; the most rapid growth of illegal immigration occurred in states without a long tradition of immigration, especially North Carolina and Arizona.

One has to wonder if this large bloc of potential voters would vote democrat or republican? Of course, perhaps first they need some basic citizen rights given to them first. And decent health care. And maybe Clean air and water. Who doesn't want good quality education for everyone. Wha? Who am I kidding? They are not going to do anything because the American government is too busy working the Schiavo case.

And Another Thing...

Can someone please explain why Terry Schiavo's *loving* family wants to see her pathetic life maintained by use of a feeding tube, without means of communication or cerebration? Does anyone think of Terry?

New Member of the Axis of Evil!

From MSNBC:

Iceland's parliament granted citizenship to fugitive U.S. chess star Bobby Fischer on Monday, the latest twist in a lengthy legal process for the reclusive chess master.

Oh-Oh!


Bush is gonna borrow Ted Stevens "Incredible Hunk Tie"!

Rapture Anyone?

There's something about seeing Tom Delay choking back tears as he discussed the "starvation" of Terry Schiavo that made me want to vomit. I didn't vomit but did find myself swearing at the television. These people, Delay, Frist, Bush, and all the people that voted in support of the bill that throws Terry Schiavo's fate to a federal judge have really screwed us all. In so many ways they have screwed us all.

And they have done it despite the fact that all of the polls indicate anything but support for having the United States government, all three branches of it, intervening in the case of one person who has lived most of the last fifteen years completely incommunicado and without brain function. They really must like Ariel Dobson and his merry band of rapturists. So please, somebody, tell them all where is the next spaceship to intergallactic peace, so we can have some. Peace that is.

Fun with Condi Pictures

Condi tries to explain where her heart would be if she had one.

"I used to cup Dear Leader just like this."

"Pardon me, I had the chili for lunch."

"So... you can see, uh, how we can easily, without hesitation, um nuke your asses into the... um, stone age."

I so could ruin the world! Are you callin' me out? You want me to show you! I so could destroy the world."

"Yes, really... I used to have a penis right here."

Condi responds to questions that she did not out do Michael Jackson...

Any other caption suggestions?

"Now, on to the important business."

"Well, I've just completely fucked with the State's Rights provisions of the Constitution that I proclaim to love so much by intervening to save one particular white person in an attempt to placate the Wingnut base and be Tom Delay's little bitch...So, who else feels like hittin' the buffet?!"

Gov't Targets groups it Does Not Like

In a move that none of us here at the Hegemon find surprising, the big stick of government is being used to beat back those uppity social movements who dare to ask questions of the imperial presidency of hizz Bushnezz.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is locked in a standoff with the Internal Revenue Service, preferring to risk its tax exemption rather than hand over documents for an I.R.S. review that the civil rights group contends is politically motivated.

While it is rare for an organization to defy the I.R.S. openly, the N.A.A.C.P. is not the only group that believes it is being made a government target for its positions on issues.

Roughly a dozen nonprofit organizations have publicly contended that government agencies and Congressional offices have used reviews, audits, investigations, law enforcement actions and the threat of a loss of federal money to discourage them from activities and advocacy that in any way challenge government policies, and nonprofit leaders say more are complaining quietly.

"In previous administrations, there's been the occasional instance of what might appear to be retaliation, but when it started happening in a serial way, it began to look like a pattern to us," said Kay Guinane, counsel for the nonprofit advocacy project of OMB Watch, a government watchdog group that has published two reports on the issue.

Condi and the Janus faced Foreign Policy

Let me see if I have this correct. We are telling North Korea that we want them to talk with us or more correctly intermediaries who may or may not share our world concerns or we will "have to do something." We want to talk one minute then we constantly remind everyone that "all options are on the table." Strange table. Strange policy.

What is it that the Bush administration wants? North Korea to focus on its nuclear ambitions because that is the only card they have to play at the World Poker Tournament of foreign policy. Yeah, threats always work so well on the world stage when you are dealing with an isolated, xenophobic, militaristic, starving new nuclear power. Sounds good, doesn't it? "We don't want you to sell any nukes to anyone so we tell you to talk damn it, or we will do something. Something you will not like. Got it punk?!"

Brilliant. Brinkmanship gone wild. Could it get any worse?

Then I remind myself that Condi Rice is the new secretary of state. Oh shit, it can get worse. Someone who defends Bush misadministration policy even if she doesn't know what it is and is willing to use irresponsible scare tactics to pull a fast one on the American public. Mushroom cloud anyone?

Maybe Condi is crazy? Could be that she is trying to construct a coherent foreign policy from president I-like-to-blow-stuff-up. I wonder if she is really willing to do the necessary give and take of a sound foreign policy? Then I read in today's NYT that Condi is making a big deal about going to church in China.

Condi makes nice with the "little people"

Now, what would these people do if they are faced with a real crisis? Threaten to push the button. "Halleujah the bombs are flying." Given the actions of this group of thugs, would any of us really be surprised?

Culture of Life!

Just when my contempt for the GOP Death-Cult has plateaued at "Stroke Level" they manage to kick it up a notch.

I must now feel my cranium each morning to make sure my head hasn't exploded.

Now, indeed, is the Winter (turning into Spring) of our Discontent.

The Rapture brigade language of the "Culture of Life" is thrown about by the Bush and the GOP with all the simplistic hypocrisy of any mantra.

Atrios has noted, and the mainstream press too busy giving the White House their lubed and ready assholes, has not; Bush certainly is one fucked up vessel for such language. Having signed a law while Governor of Texas allowing hospitals to kill those too inconvenient to keep alive on machines, their family members be damned.

I'm just going to quote Digby in full just as the main man did because every goddamned word sums up my feelings (actually my utter loathing):

By now most people who read liberal blogs are aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are also aware that Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug (no pun intended) on medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country.

Those of us who read liberal blogs also understand that that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far.

Those of us who read liberal blogs are aware that the bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schivos because they will not be able to declare chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming.

And those of us who read liberal blogs also know that this grandstanding by the congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative.

Those who don't read liberal blogs, on the other hand, are seeing a spectacle on television in which the news anchors repeatedly say that the congress is "stepping in to save Terry Schiavo" mimicking the unctuous words of Tom Delay as they grovel and leer at the family and nod sympathetically at the sanctimonious phonies who are using this issue for their political gain.

The "Texecutioner" was certainly all into the "Culture of Life" enough to execute as many people as possible. Oh, "Culture of Life" advocate certainly believed in it for Carla Faye Tucker:

The case concerned a woman named Carla Faye Tucker. Tucker was a convicted killer on death row, but she was also, like George W. Bush himself, a reformed drug addict and a born-again Christian. She plead for clemency, begged for forgiveness.

Bush, however, was not sympathetic. According to Talk magazine writer Tucker Carlson, Bush mimicked Tucker's plea for her life. "'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'Don't kill me.'" (quote from Time Magazine) During the same interview, then-governor Bush reportedly used the word "f***" repeatedly throughout the conversation.

And, of course, there is the ultimate expression of their believe in the "Culture of Life" -- the application of of the implements of mass death:

Based on the number of Iraqi fatalities recorded by the survey teams, the researchers calculated that the death rate since the invasion had increased from 5 percent annually to 7.9 percent. That works out to an excess of about 100,000 deaths since the war, the researchers reported in a paper released early by the Lancet, a British medical journal.

The researchers called their estimate conservative because they excluded deaths in Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad that has been the scene of particularly intense fighting and has accounted for a disproportionately large number of deaths in the survey.

"We are quite confident that there's been somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 deaths, but it could be much higher," Roberts said.

When the researchers examined the causes of the 73 violent deaths collected in the study, 84 percent were due to the actions of coalition forces, although the researchers stressed that none was the result of what would have been considered misconduct. Ninety-five percent were due to airstrikes by helicopter gunships, rockets or other types of aerial weaponry.

Forty-six percent of the violent deaths involving coalition forces were men ages 15 to 60, but 46 percent were children younger than 15, and 7 percent were women, the researchers reported.

Also of depressing note is this:

At least 108 people have died in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of them violently, according to government data provided to The Associated Press. Roughly a quarter of those deaths have been investigated as possible abuse by U.S. personnel.

The figure, far higher than any previously disclosed, includes cases investigated by the Army, Navy, CIA and Justice Department. Some 65,000 prisoners have been taken during the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although most have been freed.

108 Dead. Wonder what the comparison of deaths of those Americans in captivity in North Vietnam during the near decade long, Vietnam conflict:

So how many American POWS died while captured by the insane and lawless North Vietnamese during the entire Vietnam war? One hundred and fourteen. From all causes. What killed the 108 (so far) reported in our custody?

Mostly "violent causes".

Care to fucking comment Senator McCain?

I suppose not!


Culture of Life!


Culture of Life!


Culture of Life!


Culture of Life!

The Headline that keeps Giving: More Bush Lies

Well, what a shocking twist: In order to create support around a bad foreign policy, the Bush misadministration lied about the extent of North Korea's attempt to export nuclear technology.

In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration told its Asian allies in briefings earlier this year that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material to Libya. That was a significant new charge, the first allegation that North Korea was helping to create a new nuclear weapons state.

But that is not what U.S. intelligence reported, according to two officials with detailed knowledge of the transaction. North Korea, according to the intelligence, had supplied uranium hexafluoride -- which can be enriched to weapons-grade uranium -- to Pakistan. It was Pakistan, a key U.S. ally with its own nuclear arsenal, that sold the material to Libya. The U.S. government had no evidence, the officials said, that North Korea knew of the second transaction.

I wonder what else the Bush misadministration has lied about?
(1) Is Georgie really a member of the Bush family? Oh what do you mean just look at him? Oh.

(2) Bush saying he went to college and got good grades. Oh, check.

(3) Bush's history as a drug abuser. Maybe he has always been involved in the straight and narrow of the Religious Right but needed an outlaw badboy image to help him win elections.

(4) Bush's history as a born again. Could be that he is still using. I mean, just listen to him during a press conference or a speech for Christ's sake.

(5) Jenna and Not Jenna are not really his if you know what I mean.

(6) Bush lies about being a ladies' man. I mean, come on... Condi does not count. Although I bet George wants his own theme song sang by a Johnny Rivers sound alike too.

(7) Bush claiming to be alive. He is really an anitronic Disney robot thing that others in the misadministration operate via remote control. Think about it, could explain a lot.

(8) George cares. Recent events demonstrate how wrong that must be.

(9) Privitization Private accounts will save social security. Obvious lie if we bother to study the issue.

It seems to me that anything the Bush misadmininstration says; we must assume lies until proven otherwise.

For those of us who picked Brackets

Oh no... My brackets... no...

I imagine that for those of us who picked NCAA Tournament brackets that the past few days have been quite an exercise in frustration and surprise. For those of you who have picked well so far, how did you do it?

Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled does of politics with a side of snark.

The Tide Must Be About To Turn

Drunk with their own power and moral superiority, the Repugnicans are too smug to notice just how servile, pathetic, and transparent are their attampts to re-write the Constitution to suit their own needs. There was a time the Democratic party was the morally bankrupt entity that gave way to Gingrich's Contract with America but it took a long time to get there. In every way the move to redefine federal court jurisdiction to review the fate of a single human being whose life was sustained by feeding tubes and round-the-clock care suggests poor judgment and desperation. And it only took a decade to get here.

Terry Schiavo's husband made an unpleasant judgment after what seemed to me to be too long, but he made the judgment and that should end the story. Now the Republican party, in its zeal to earn favor with its Christian base, is not only re-writing the Constitution, but as reader K.K. points out, is turning back the clock on thirty years of law on individual rights and self-determination.

This is an over-reach of Herculean proportions and suggests the end is near for the Republicans. If the Democrats can't get this one right then we are doomed. There is too much at stake to allow Bush, Frist, and Delay to maintain the high ground on this issue. Now is not the time for compromise; this is an issue worth a fight to the last vote.

And one more thing, with apologies to my mother, fuck them. Fuck each and every one of them. My holy week wish (as one who clebrated Palm Sunday) is that they all may know Terry Schiavo's fate for just one day. Happy Easter mother-fuckers.

Oh Jonah?

Steve Gilliard gives us this news that we all must pass on to the Doughy Pantload:

Moreover, military leaders are taking steps to ease stress on the troops by temporarily boosting ranks; rebalancing forces to add badly needed infantry, military police and civil affairs troops; and employing civilians where possible. Yesterday, defense officials worried about recruiting announced that they will raise the age limit, from 34 to 40, for enlistment in the Army Guard and Reserve. The Pentagon is spending billions to repair and replace battle-worn equipment and buy extra armor, radios, weapons and other gear.

Make sure you let Jonah know.

jonahnro@aol.com

Dear Leader Follies

Oh, this has NOTHING to do with craven politics I am sure:

President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday.

"Everyone recognizes that time is important here," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "This is about defending life."

As Atrios pointed out last night, that's rich:

In 1999 then governor Bush signed a law which allowed hospitals to withdraw life support from patients, over the objections of the family, if they consider the treatment to be nonbeneficial.

So Feckless Leader is going to stop his vacation to fly to Washington and closely monitor whether to forcibly keep a brain dead woman, with no hope of recovery, alive?

THAT is what he'd cut of his vacation for?

Gee, too bad that on August 6, 2001, the PDB did not say:

Bin Laden determined to deny one of his wives life support!

He'd have gotten right on that son of a bitch!

Fun with Pictures, Mama Bush Edition

Our good friend, Holden at First Draft started these captions but we felt the need to bring out the true nature of Barbara's inner um... you know.

Babs shows how her wittle Georgie will crucify destroy his emenies!!!

"Bab's tells Georgie to do to Paul Krugman what they did to that one other Jew!"

"You must be this tall to Ride the Barb"

"Barb demonstrates the dimensions of her restraining order against her kids."

"I don't care what Daddy says, he is not this big!"

"Fuck that Eleanor Roosevelt bitch, I'll show you cocksuckers how to fly!" (requires SNL knowledge)

Barb shows us how she is going to officiate as her new career in baseball is just starting to take off.

Anyone else got some caption suggestions?

Imax Theatres Beware

The Religious right has created a climate of fear... for Imax theaters.

The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen. Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.

The number of theaters rejecting such films is small, people in the industry say-perhaps a dozen or fewer, most in the South. But becausevonly a few dozen Imax theaters routinely show science documentaries, thevdecisions of a few can have a big impact on a film's bottom line - or avproducer's decision to make a documentary in the first place.

People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.

I wonder what else they will attack? We already have problems with textbooks in high schools and college... where will they attack next? Science stores in malls? Creeks that show evolutionary sediment? Just imagine the protests outside creeks near you... groups of Bible-thumpers screaming "Cover it up! Cover it up!"

Ask Dr. Atta J. Turk, March 19, 2005

Apparently the internets is broken, as there were no questions submitted at this time for him to answer.

That's okay, he needed more time in rehab anyway.

Food-tube-a-palooza

It's pretty much all Schiavo all the time over at the intersection of Have Another Doughnut K-Lo Street & Everything is better with Aerosol Cheese Avenue.

Kathryn Lopez furious fighting the notion that the braindead should be deprived of food!

Wonder Why?

Sometimes a picture explains it all...

And they say that the religious right doesn't use marijuana

Well, my friends I have proof that there is some strange chemical abuse among the religious right. You say, no D. DeD, that cannot be but how else can you explain this?

Is this the smell of God?

I am thinking that this is not just something to chuckle over but I believe that we have the makings of a first rate 500 foot Jesus kind of scam here. I have for sale today via the RisingHegemonGodCandles site the following:

Scent of Moses' Beard Candle

John the Baptist Head Candle

Jezebell (for those times when you wanna get Christian freaky)

Revelations Candle (for those sexy Christian nights during the apocalypse... Now, don't take off all of your clothes)

Power of Psalms Candle

immaculate Conception Candle (banilla scented)

Mother of God menstrual Candle (proves the immaculate conception)

Wine from Water (starts as a candle turns into a candelabra)

The Rising Hegemon division of X-tian commerce look forward to any of your suggestions.

Blogger: Flaw in the Matrix!!

We here at the Hegemon apologize for the more than necessary repetition of the several posts. Those at Blogger have been sacked. In fact, those who have sacked those at Blogger have been sacked. I guess we can blame it on Gary the Wonder Llama Blogger.
And if it has been fixed... well, nevermind.