This could be MY political commentary for the month.

I kinda like the song.

ASSHOLE

Did nobody not notice and go HMMMM how Bin Ladin managed to pop up precisely before the election, as predicted?

The US will lose its status just like Russia did fighting Afganistan if we aren't careful.

Bin Ladin - give him the finger if you want, but jeez don't let your fear of him bankrupt us.

Elonka wrote:
] ] When he [Osama Bin Laden] said, 'Every
] ] state will be determining its own security, and will be
] ] responsible for its choice,' it means that any U.S. state
] ] that will choose to vote for the white thug Bush as
] ] president has chosen to fight us, and we will consider it
] ] our enemy, and any state that will vote against Bush has
] ] chosen to make peace with us, and we will not
] ] characterize it as an enemy. By this characterization,
] ] Sheikh Osama wants to drive a wedge in the American body,
] ] to weaken it, and he wants to divide the American people
] ] itself between enemies of Islam and the Muslims, and
] ] those who fight for us, so that he doesn't treat all
] ] American people as if they're the same. This letter will
] ] have great implications inside the American society, part
] ] of which are connected to the American elections, and
] ] part of which are connected to what will come after the
] ] elections."
]
] Okay. I'm going to ramble here a moment...
]
] Speaking as a game designer, and an avid gamer, there's a
] philosophy I often keep in mind when faced with a difficult
] decision during a game. If I have different choices of how to
] play my hand, and I can't decide which action to take, I ask
] myself, "Which play will annoy my opponent more?" That way,
] even if the play doesn't give *me* a specific gaming
] advantage, the fact that I've done something that messes up my
] opponent's hand in some way can't hurt.
]
] So, this helps. The head of Al Qaeda would clearly rather
] have Kerry in office than Bush? Osama would be annoyed, or
] even afraid, if Bush won?
]
] I had already decided that I was voting for Bush. But now, I
] get frosting on the cake. By my vote, I can clearly do
] something that gives the finger to Osama? Well cool, that
] makes my decision even easier. :)
]
] Elonka

This is a line of reasoning that I would agree with, except for one niggling problem. It is based on the premise that I'm not going to win. Pissing off the other guy works just fine if you're doing to set them up for something later. Pissing off the other guy AND losing to him at the same time is really not the way to go.

You got played by one of the better geopolitical strategists of our time. George W. Bush is the best recruiting tool that terrorists have ever had. He offends the national pride of most other countries, offends the religious sensability of most everyone who is not a fundamentalist Christian, and offends intelectual sensabilities worldwide with his poor decisionmaking and dishonest presentation.

I guess if we don't demand better than this, we don't deserve better.

RE: MEMRI: Osama bin Laden Threatens U.S. States Not to Vote for Bush

Metallica said Kill 'Em All not Sue 'Em All! (Or did they?)

"This latest wave of federal litigation targeted 750 computer users across the nation, including 25 students at 13 universities, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the largest music companies. "

RIAA sues another 750 computer users

Red states that vote for Bush should fear?

Like Georgia....

I worry about Georgia being a red state, but not because of Osama.

NY POST article states that Bin Ladin specifically is warning RED STATES

] According to family members, the convoy was being asked
] to go much farther than usual from its southern base --
] on a more than 200-mile trip through and around the
] extremely hostile Baghdad area. The tankers lacked
] bullet-resistant armor and, lumbering along at 40 miles
] an hour, would have made an easy target for insurgents
] lobbing bombs or grenades. The supply trucks are in
] disrepair and prone to breakdown. Many of the soldiers
] hadn't had enough sleep. And %u2013 astonishingly -- no
] armed escort or air protection was to be provided, the
] family members said.
]
] Most absurdly, though, the jet fuel that these members of
] the 343rd Quartermaster Company were risking life and
] limb to transport wasn't even usable. It was contaminated
] with diesel and had already sensibly been rejected by one
] base and would undoubtedly be rejected again in Taji --
] if the convoy managed to make it to its destination at
] all.

An interesting read and certainly there should be more investigation into the matter, but I don't know how much is hype versus how much is swept under the rug. CNN had a headline about this the other day as well, but I just heard it in the background while working around the house. I'm sure we'll see more about this story next week.

Revolt in the ranks in Iraq

Go Kerry, Go Kerry, uh huh, uh huh

Defense Minister Peter Struck said the German government welcomed Kerry's proposal to convene an international conference on Iraq including countries that opposed the war if he were to win next month's election.

Struck said it was "a very sensible proposal,"

Spank me, Vile. You goin' dressed as Superman in a wheelchair for Halloween this year? :P

Germany to Iraq if Kerry is elected

] (From the [Senate] diaries, Cheney presided over the Senate a
] grand total of two times the past four years -- just as
] many times as Edwards, who also did so twice. Slightly
] edited -- kos)
]
] "Now, in my capacity as vice president, I am the
] president of Senate, the presiding officer. I'm up in the
] Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session."
]
] --Dick Cheney
]
] The extended entry has the presiding officers over the
] last four years for every Tuesday session.

Cheney Attendance at Senate

] Before this year [2003], Edwards missed just seven votes out of
] 1,307 in his first four years in office, Briggs said.
] During his five years in the Senate, Edwards voted 1,551
] times out of 1,626 roll-call votes, Briggs said, or 95.4
] percent.

Winston-Salem Journal | Edwards tops most hopefuls in Senate attendance record

Links have been discovered between senior American military officials and the failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea that has left Sir Mark Thatcher facing trial in South Africa.

....oil....the new Kuwait....

Pentagon link to Guinea coup plot

This is no longer an interesting coincidence. It is an unmistakable message from God. I hope everyone is listening.

[ Heh. Funny. -k]

message-from-God.gif (GIF Image, 744x900 pixels)