Sunday, September 14, 2008

Controversial Iran-Contra Figure Utilized as Pentagon Source

One of the Pentagon’s key “sources” for its denial of the death toll from the recent mass killing of civilians in the Afghan village of Azizabad has been revealed to be Fox News correspondent Oliver North. North was indicted and then later pardoned in the 1980s for lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra scandal.

And oh yeah...one of the Pentagon's key sources for the denial of secret CIA prisons in Poland has been revealed to be Fox News pundit and megalomaniacal supervillain Lex Luthor.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Gov. Palin calls Iraq War and gas pipeline "God's will"

To anyone still reading this, my apologies for being AWOL as of late. I've been extremely swamped with moving down here to Milledgeville for graduate school, etc. I'll try to keep posting on a regular basis, but my heavy workload will inevitably interfere. Regardless, here's a little something to make your head explode:

GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was recently quoted as saying that the war in Iraq is part of "God's plan:"

Palin: “Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan. So bless them with your prayers, your prayers of protection over our soldiers.”

What's that? Your jugular hasn't rupture yet? Wait, it gets better--during the same address, Palin said the construction of a new oil pipeline in Alaska is also God’s will:

Palin: “I can do my part in doing things like working really, really hard to get a natural gas pipeline, about a $30 billion project that’s going to create a lot of jobs for Alaskans, and we’ll have a lot of energy flowing through here. And pray about that also. I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that.”

Addressing the first quote, no one in their right mind should have any problem with prayers being said for our soldiers currently active in the Middle East. Besides having to come to grips with their participation in an increasingly unpopular, jingoistic, and unabashedly propagandistic war, these men and women likely face unimaginable challenges, both physical and psychological, day in and day out. To judge them would be irresponsible. I dare say, however, that to dub the war as "God's will" is infinitely more irresponsible, and is a volatile combination of psychosis and dogmatic naivete.

The second quote really doesn't merit the dignity of a response--if the governor of a state that contains both one of the nation's largest wildlife populations and one of its largest native presences cannot see how a $30 million pipeline through the heart of the land would upset that delicate balance, then...well, actually I can't think up a line acerbic enough to do that level of stupidity justice.

So yes, pray for our soldiers. And light a candle for Sarah Palin; that quick whiff of sulfur would do her sinuses some good if she ever pulls her head our of her ass.

Source: democracynow.org