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Category Archives: Al Swearengen
The Murder of Maher Arar
When years go by as they have, with nerve endings pounding out this sense of shame from encrusted workings inside, utterly unshakable without damning the thoughts that come about around the time of acceptance and future endeavors and mind over … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Justice, Military
16 Comments
A Few Bad Apple Trees
Task Force 6-26, a unit whose name and location changes based on how much heat they’ve got on them at a given time, whether it’s the Pentagon, CIA, FBI or the slabs of meat known to most of the world … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military
33 Comments
Pat Tillman’s Parents Abandon Script
In the days since I first read this story, there’s been a number of articles written that leverage Tillman’s parents’ statements to fit a larger argument against government secrecy. And while secrecy is part of this case, the larger problem … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military
19 Comments
Time to Discuss John Bolton
The stretching of intelligence to fit an ideological belief and the credibility of Bolton in his testimony before the foreign relations committee are both of incredible importance if this man is to represent America at the UN. He’s entering an … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics
9 Comments
The Eye of a Storm
The wind howls outside this drafty window rattling like it has something to tell me. Amidst this oasis of political compromise in the Senate, something stirs beneath it all. Like this cold stormy May evening in New England, there’s an … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Religion
5 Comments
A Nation of the People, by the People and For the Stock Prices
There’s an idea at play in President Bush’s nomination of Janice Rogers Brown that business is sacred and the worker is a negligible part of the whole. When a business bears responsibility for the mistreatment of their workers or an … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Justice
23 Comments
Democrats Must Protect Our Pensions
Legislation to make it harder for corporations to default on payment to pension plans must be a staple of Democrat campaigns in the upcoming mid-term and national elections. This dilemma impacts corporations, stockholders, employees and pension-fund managers. The only one … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Economics, Politics
4 Comments
Untitled Parody
Deep down in the sub-basement of Newsweek, the man in a really expensive suit broods over how he’s going to get back at the lowly Republican White House who had foiled his master plan of killing every soldier in Iraq … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Comedy
8 Comments
Operation Win The War
“The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world – except for the Jews. The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule because … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military, Politics
17 Comments
Big Government
The myth Republicans want you to buy into is that the idea of ‘big government’ is still all about taxes and your concealed weapon. Today though, it’s more about equal rights, privacy and most importantly the distribution of federal funds … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Words
16 Comments
Crosseyed and Painless
We’re all spun now in this never ending he said/she said battle, while being fed rations of gossip-ridden gumbo every day by the talking heads and print media. We’re urged to base the depth of our political knowledge not on … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Words
9 Comments
Perfect Judge for a Monarchy
“Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates, and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Justice
19 Comments
America’s Foreign Policy Filter
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan good, Iran and Iraq bad. To the country that reportedly houses Osama Bin Laden within its borders, Harpoon and Sidewinder missiles. To the country that raised it’s little boys to become suicide bombers on 9/11, a … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military, Politics
24 Comments
Rogue Judges and Religious Oppression
Republicans are drumming up support amongst their base with tough talk of ‘rogue activist judges’ and the incredible danger they pose to our way of life. Bill Frist informs us that the judicial filibuster is, “being used against people of … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Justice, Politics, Religion, Words
39 Comments
The O’Springer Factor
With the Iraqi government taking historic steps towards carving out a peaceful future and Congress in session, a hot topic of conversation across the country is the runaway bride of John Mason and whether he’s a fool for wanting her … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Comedy, Politics
18 Comments
A Minefield of Quotas, Recruiters Beware
Anyone whose been exposed to the story of a sting operation on a recruiter by a boy named David McSwane, might be wondering what kind of people these recruiters were. How could a soldier in the United States Army in … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military
15 Comments
‘No Catch’ Entitlements for Veterans
During September of 2004, the VA hospital in Walla-Walla, WA had a total of 25 patients who had to wait up to 1-30 days and 1 patient who had to wait 30-60 days for medical treatment. As of this very … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military, Politics
Comments Off on ‘No Catch’ Entitlements for Veterans
The Cowardice Behind Our Patriotism
Doesn’t the recruiting shortfall in this country indicate something about the mission? If every bumper sticker proclaiming ‘support’ for the troops equaled an enlistment, there wouldn’t be enough rifles to go around. Perhaps this is one of those unpleasant truths … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military, Politics
29 Comments
Fate of Humanity
Was said by the recently fallen Pope to be threatened because of our war in Iraq. If you’re watching the press conference of Scott McClellan (White House Press Secretary), he refers to the Pope and his belief in a ‘right … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Religion
Comments Off on Fate of Humanity
Democrats Must Protect Our Pensions
Legislation to make it harder for corporations to default on payment to pension plans must be a staple of Democrat campaigns in the upcoming mid-term and national elections. This dilemma impacts corporations, stockholders, employees and pension-fund managers. The only one … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics
1 Comment
Shiavo Smokescreen
As Congress winds down and their budget resembles the kind of hard work you and I would most likely get fired for turning in if we tried, Terri Shiavo has gone from being a woman on life support in Florida … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Religion
1 Comment
Minimum Wage
This issue is politicized and spun to pit us against one another, like most things. But the basis for the argument against raising the minimum wage is pretty much the opposite of everything in the Bible and the rhetoric of … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Economics, Politics
Comments Off on Minimum Wage
Saudi Terrorists
The number of Saudis taking aim at us in Iraq is reported to be 2,500. It seems as if the realities of life are getting in the way of our politics. The stated list of enemies is swiss cheese, similar … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen
Comments Off on Saudi Terrorists
What Happened to ‘Support the Troops’!?!
I just heard a 78 year old WW2 veteran on Limbaugh’s program who said that his prescription cost through the VA during the 90s was $32 dollars a month. Under Bush it has gone up to over $90, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Military, Politics
Comments Off on What Happened to ‘Support the Troops’!?!
Liberals and Conservatives
In the American political process these two words are mostly irrelevant in terms of what’s passed into law. Republicans are anything but conservative in any sort of a fiscal sense, and Democrats are not universally liberals. With this said, the … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Words
Comments Off on Liberals and Conservatives
Stock Prices Own Us
In a newsgroup recently I was confronted with the typical right-wing opinion that Gingrich had to chastise the Democrats for the pork they allowed into their bills, and the person writing it hadn’t a clue as to the fact that … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Economics
Comments Off on Stock Prices Own Us
Cleo the Brave
My cat is looking at me. She’s snuggled in beside me here on the couch in between me and the keyboard like she does. A not so subtle gesture letting me know that she is concerned by the lack of … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Words
Comments Off on Cleo the Brave
Cable News Kills Braincells
I was thinking today about the multitude of topics my mind has been consumed by lately. Now that I’ve banished cable news from my life, it’s like I’m finally able to change the channel in my head. Removal of CNN, … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Words
1 Comment
Wake Up and Smell the Motives
Not even a quarter century after the Cold War ends, the two great super-powers find themselves scratching their heads. In both cases the gruesomely attacked nations have had a deep history of exploiting and/or murdering the very groups of humans … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, History, Military, Politics
Comments Off on Wake Up and Smell the Motives
The Boy in the Bubble
The magical mystery jar of Vietnam history now has four hands grasping for the contents inside, with respective campaign riffraff of both the guilty fiends howling indictments at one another for stealing the classified cookies and exploiting their deliciousness for … Continue reading
Posted in Al Swearengen, Politics, Words
Comments Off on The Boy in the Bubble