William K. Wolfrum Chronicles

In the case of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, President George W. Bush has a problem. He either must continue to defy to the call of all rational-thinking adults in the nation for Gonzales’ firing, or he must get rid of his human shield, and risk the possibility of having his own good name tarnished.

Gonzales’ recent testimonies were roughly as sincere as Jerry Falwell grudgingly admitting that, sure, God does hear the prayers of non-Christians. And just about as convincing. That Gonzales looks more and more like someone the mob would hire to clean up a crime scene, and less like the leading lawmaker is a problem that just isn’t going away.

For Bush, however, the answer to this problem exists:

Hire a Justice Czar.

Being as Gonzales has admitted being totally out of the loop when it came to many important Department of Justice functions, having someone actually in charge of the justice part of the department seems like a no-brainer solution.

Look at it this way: When faced with total chaos in the handling of all of America’s wars, the President - stuck with a Commander-in-Chief that was inept but wouldn’t quit and couldn’t be fired - went and hired a War Czar. Someone to Czar over the wars. It was a perfect solution. The job even came with its own bullseye.

Things would work exactly the same in the Department of Justice. Finally, the Attorney General will be freed from the exacting amount of legal work that come with being the AG, and then can focus on more important issues, like how to keep Republicans in office, and getting coffee for the big guy, and roughing up guys that are late on their payments.

As an added benefit, the new Justice Czar can announce a sweeping investigation, giving everyone involved the opportunity to again say their favorite line: “I just can’t talk about something when there’s an ongoing investigation.”

Justice Czar. It just feels right, doesn’t it?

–WKW

Crossposted at Shakesville

Been doing some reading:

–WKW

It seems the U.S. military has had enough of New Jersey. They had their chances.

Flare from fighter jet blamed for Pinelands fire

A massive wildfire that has already burned thousands of acres in the Pinelands and forced the evacuation of residents in two towns likely started this afternoon when an F-16 fighter jet dropped flares as part of a maneuver over a gunnery range, New Jersey National Guard officials said tonight.

The fire, fueled by dry conditions and gusty winds, has already consumed more than 12,000 acres, almost 19 square miles, along the border of Ocean and Burlington counties. Several highways were closed and as many as 2,000 homes in Stafford and Barnegat townships, including several retirement communities, had been evacuated.

Will Bunch wrote about this, and his readers quickly and effectively supplied the punch lines:

Update: Some timely rainstorms have given the insurgents in New Jersey a break from the fires. Here’s hoping everyone’s Ok up there.

–WKW

Doo-doo-doot, doo-doo-doot
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doot

–Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, “Get Dancin’”

–WKW

The U.S. has a War Czar. Let that sink in. Not only is the U.S. not a peaceful nation, it actually needs someone to organize how non-peaceful it is now.

Anyway, his name is Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, and in August 2005, he was talking about major troop-level reductions in Iraq. He dare not speak that way any longer.

Anyway, future history books will look at this with three possibilities:

1) This was when the military dictatorship started.

2) As a completely worthless leader, Bush surrounded himself with others to take the blame.

3) The Bush Administration was looking for a dupe that will help them waste time.

Ok, No. 1 is a little much. Nos. 2 & 3 are pretty much what future generations will think about the clueless, warmongering leadership the U.S. allowed itself to have.

Mostly, it’s as Atrios said:

“There will eventually be confirmation hearings. There will be pressure on Democrats to confirm him. Then Tony Snow and the president will say the Democrats have no right to criticize the plans because they just voted to confirm the guy who will implement them.

In other words, reboot the F.U. machine.”

A main reason that there are so many neocon pundits working at newspapers and Web sites these days is that most honorable people wouldn’t come within 1,000 feet of someone with such a twisted ideology, let alone hire them.

Luckily for neocons, they have a naked emperor all their own in President George W. Bush, who loves how they think, because it totally rebels against his dad. And he really doesn’t believe in actual democracy either.

It’s really come down to this, however: If someone is a neoconservative, or believes the PNAC mission statement is their gospel, then they are, in fact, corrupt scumbags. It has been too well documented. These people are simple, white-collared criminals, who have enjoyed a six-year reign because they have a rube in charge.

The latest example: Paul Wolfowitz, who continues to humiliate the U.S. and damage its already dwindling reputation by refusing to step down as President at the World Bank, after they’ve repeatedly told him that they think he’s ethics-free and that they don’t want him.

Now, of course, Wolfowitz is claiming that the reason he gave longtime companion, Shaha Riza preferential treatment at the World Bank was because she demanded it. Don’t look at him. It’s all her fault.

Bank Rebukes Wolfowitz On Ethics

A World Bank investigating committee sharply rebuked President Paul D. Wolfowitz, concluding that he broke ethics rules and undermined the integrity of the institution in engineering a hefty pay raise for his girlfriend.

“These actions manifest a lack of understanding for and a disregard for the institution as a public international organization,” declared the committee’s report, which was distributed to the bank’s executive directors yesterday and released publicly last night. It calls on the executive board to assess “whether Mr. Wolfowitz will be able to provide the leadership needed to ensure that the bank continues to operate to the fullest extent possible.”

In a written response, Wolfowitz maintained that he acted in good faith in seeking to resolve an obvious conflict of interest. He accused the bank’s ethics committee of forcing him to oversee the raise for his longtime companion, Shaha Riza, as compensation for her transfer to a different job. The ethics panel was afraid to confront her, Wolfowitz said, because its members knew she was “extremely angry and upset.”
…

Wolfowitz effectively blamed Riza for his predicament as well, saying that her “intractable position” in demanding a salary increase as compensation for her career disruption forced him to grant one to pre-empt a lawsuit. He is scheduled to appear before the board this afternoon. The board is expected to begin deliberating on how to respond as soon as tonight. Board members are inclined to issue a resolution expressing a lack of confidence in Wolfowitz’s leadership, senior bank officials said.

Wolfowitz’s actions should be expected, however. This is who he is. This is what the neocon movement is. It is anti-democracy, anti-citizens, anti-American and it works under the cover of dark. In essence, the neocons that have sprouted up over the past generation are little more than rats, scurrying for any crumb they can find, while hiding from any that would chase them out.

But the rats are still afloat in the U.S. because one of their own is captain. And if they aren’t all rooted out of positions of power after 2008, they could bring down the whole ship.

–WKW

The War on Terrorism can be confusing. There are rules, however. If you try and smuggle cell phones, you’re a terrorist. If you blow up a Cuban airliner and leave 70 or so innocents dead, you can settle comfortably in Florida.

To fry the smallest fish

A man accused of blowing up an airliner and killing 73 people, who has already admitted to bombing hotels with fatal consequences and who has a conviction for a failed assassination attempt on a head of state, was freed on a technicality in a Texas court this week, and can look forward to a quiet retirement in Florida.

In London a man accused of hacking into the computer system of the Pentagon and Nasa is waiting to see if the House of Lords will hear his appeal against extradition to the US to face a trial in which one prosecutor has already indicated he should “fry”. Blowing up an airliner is clearly regarded as less serious than causing major embarrassment to the defence establishment.

Luis Posada, a veteran anti-Castro militant and CIA operative under George Bush Sr, was told that he was free to go due to administrative errors in the case against him for entering the US illegally. Posada is wanted in Venezuela and Cuba for allegedly plotting to blow up a Cuban airliner in which 73 people died in 1976.

The US authorities have already indicated that they will not extradite him to either country, and all the other states to which they have sought to deport Posada have refused him entry. No wonder his lawyer remarked, without apparent irony, that “he is very gratified that the system has worked”.

Of course, the most important rule to note in the quest to decide who is a terrorist is this: If you have CIA backing, you can be as much of a murdering terrorist as you like. Just ask Luis Posada.

–WKW

Crossposted at Shakesville.com

The U.S. Postal Service, faced with an existential dilemma with e-mail, faxes, and text messaging eating away at its communications monopoly, has decided to go hari-kari and opt for doing itself in.

Size matters, so does shape under new postal rates

The postal rate increase that kicks in Monday is shaping up to be a big headache for many businesses.

Many companies say they are confused and frustrated as they try to adjust to the new rules, and some say mailings could be severely curtailed due to higher postage costs.

The new regulations mean larger envelopes and packages will automatically cost more than smaller mail. Currently, postage is determined by weight, unless it’s an especially large or odd-shaped package that warrants special handling.

If your solution come Monday is to stuff the same amount of material into a smaller envelope, the Postal Service could get you there, too: There are new thickness restrictions.

For first-class, letter envelopes, the allowed thickness is a quarter inch. If you go over a quarter inch, you run into more costly large envelope or parcel rates.

Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer said the new rates take shape into account because it requires more effort to process a larger piece of mail.

“Before, thickness didn’t matter,” he said. Now, “thickness does come into play. If it gets too thick you create a new shape.”

Cindy Golebiewski, an office manager in Wilmington, Delaware, said her company faces much higher postage costs under the new rules.

“The price is just doubling,” she said.

Many believe the Postal Service is taking a gamble by instituting a Soviet-style, keep-the-common-man-buried-in-nonsense-rules approach to the mail. Others believe the USPS is opting for a “death by confusion” culmination to its business.

The new rate for a first-class card or letter is now 41 cents for the first ounce. The cost for each additional ounce drops to 17 cents.

Details of the new rates are available at www.usps.com or you can call and leave your condolences at (800) 275-8777.

–WKW

WASHINGTON - In a move many have said is long overdue, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani openly repudiated the GOP and declared himself a pure breed Neoconservative.

“After a week of criticism for making contradictory comments about abortion, Giuliani also said he backs gay domestic partnerships that aren’t marriage and the right of states to restrict guns,” wrote Tom Brune for Newsday.

To be a neocon, one must be liberal on many social items like abortion and gay marriage, yet counter that by not really giving a shit what the citizenry does anyway, instead caring mainly about creating a one-party military dictatorship bent on world domination, reports say.

After describing a women’s right to abortion and gun control as “core issues” of his, Giuliani went on to say he envisions a day when the U.S. will be killing foreigners at much greater numbers that today.

“We have to be on the offense against terrorism,” he said. “And we have to be on the offense to preserve our private economy.”

Previously, neocons had worked under a cover of “don’t ask, don’t tell” as their core beliefs of uncontrollable government waste, no ethics, hatred of rule of law and military dictatorship have been scorned by nearly all people of voting age, or younger than 78. The neocons have long held an advantage in that they’ve never had to create their own political party, instead hijacking the Republican party. For their part, average Republicans have meekly rolled over and allowed a full neocon rule of their former party.

The neocon takeover of the Republican Party has created an interesting dilemma for the average Republican, as their party is now fully pro-war, pro-big spending, pro-small government, pro-big government, anti- and pro-abortion, and for and against gun control. They do all believe in tax breaks for the wealthy, however.

By becoming the first openly neocon candidate, Giuliani will likely get support from the 28 percent who still support President George W. Bush. Oddly enough, the U.S. has had a neocon as President long before one openly became a candidate. Bush, while closeted, is considered the “greatest neoconservative in history” as his programs of endless war, massive fiscal irresponsibility and corruption helps him receive 98 percent of his support from those who believe “America should rule the world by force” according to recent Shakesville poll.

Giuliani’s move puts a damper on the upcoming announcement of Newt Gingrich, who had hoped to become the first true neocon to join the fray. Gingrich, who shares other core beliefs of Giuliani’s like stifling free speech, unlimited presidential power and the belief that a real president can completely ignore Congress at his whim, also share’s Giuliani’s belief that the sacrament of marriage is for idiots and that adultery is “sweet.”

Giuliani will officially continue to campaign as a Republican, but many experts say that should be taken with a grain of salt.

“Rudy’s as much a Republican as Lieberman’s a Democrat,” said one source.

–WKW

Crossposted at Shakesville

As a player, David Beckham has always had a bad rap as being overrated. It’s really more that he’s overrated in comparison to his popularity, which is mind-boggling.

As a player, however, one need only to look at his teammates, who always have a high opinion of him, even when he is preparing to leave the club.

“We all know that is going to leave at the end of the season and we have to make the most of every moment that we have to work with him, because he wants to leave Madrid with a title to celebrate with the fans, and we have to make the most of all the training sessions and win every match so that can do this,” said Real Madrid’s right back, Cicinho.

Just something to keep in mind when you hear the “Beckham is overrated” card being played. He’s older, but still a marvelously talented and intelligent footballer. He’ll bring those skills to the U.S. soon, and it will be interesting to see if he has the effect Major League Soccer hopes he will.

In the long term, it will be difficult for Beckham to shine in a nation where the term “Bend it like Beckham” isn’t even understood. Be assured, however, that both on and off the pitch, Beckham will do everything he can to make the move a success.

–WKW