Keywords For the Bush Administration: 911, Aristocracy, Corporate Interests, Criminal, Despicable Behavior, Environment, Honor and Integrity, Hypocrisy, Iran-Contra, Lies, Oil, Secrecy, Stupidity, Taxpayers' Money, Terrorism, Ulterior Motives, Un-American, Women's Rights

KEYWORDS: No Mandate

MESSAGE: This is THE most corrupt administration since Iran-Contra-Reagan and they brazenly wag the dog with their fear mongering at the slightest hint of any bad press (Read Harkin, Halliburton, Enron, Worldcom, Energy Policy, 911, Bin Laden, AWOL, Election 2000, Rangers, drug use, DWI, Tribunals, invasion of privacy, censorship, first ammendment zones and on and on).

NICKNAMES: Bush Inc.

(Lies, Taxpayer's Money) 06/2002

FACT: The GAO released its final report on the matter which basically said that the damage left behind by Clinton staffers was not any worse than the damage left behind by Bush staffers in 1993. The cost of damage was estimated at $13,000-14,000, Meanwhile the investigation is estimated to have cost the taxpayer around $200,000.

(Anti Environment, Ulterior Motives) 06/2002

FACT: With today's computerized simulation systems and high-tech weapons testing protocols, bombing exercises are nearly obsolete. Unfortunately, Bush and House Republicans claim bombing islands and beaches where migratory birds and endangered species are clinging to a toehold on life is necessary to "protect our troops." They are lying. The truth is that they want the land for future development. Land where environmental laws have been eased and endangered species have already been wiped out is very attractive to developers (i.e. Friends and contributors). 
http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/05/05022002/ap_47096.asp

(Corporate Interests, Un-American) 06/2002

FACT: Democrats in Congress have proposed a plan which would prevent US companies from dodging taxes by moving overseas. However, the Bush administration told Congress that not allowing companies to reap the benefits of the American market despite not having to pay American taxes would have "harmful effects on the US economy." 

(Women's Rights) 

FACT: The Bush Administration took the position that girls in war zones don't deserve recognition for the abuse they suffer. The U.S. delegation for an upcoming UNICEF conference has sided with Sudan, Libya, and Iran on these human rights issues, apparently over fears that any recognition of abused girls would lead to counseling on birth control and abortion. The U.S. has said they won't support a conference resolution because it "encroaches on parental rights," and they "object to provisions against capital punishment or life imprisonment without parole for minors." Since the start of negotiations in February, the U.S. delegation has insisted on removing references to the 1989 Convention of the Rights of the Child, which has been UNICEF's driving force for the last ten years. The treaty was originally signed by Bill Clinton in 1995, and has since been ratified by all countries except the United States and Somalia. 

COMMENT: People wonder why the U.S. was removed from the UN Human Rights council. Well, here is at least one reason. Unfortunately, it seems that the importance of sending the message to the world that "freedom of choice is murder," supercedes that of young girls being raped and tortured .

(Anit-Environment, Corporate Interests) 05/2002

FACT: Bush's "Environmental Protection Agency" tried to create a new rule which would allow coal mining companies to fill streams, rivers and wetlands with industrial waste. The rule would overturn Army Corps of Engineers regulations that prohibit mining companies from dumping waste in nearby waterways. Fortunately a federal judge blocked the rule, calling it a violation of the 1977 Clean Water Act and saying that, "Only the United States Congress can rewrite the Act to allow fills with no purpose or use but the deposit of waste." 

(911, Oil, Saudi Arabia) 05/2002

FACT: Most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis, fortunately for them, they had the Taliban in Afghanistan to take the blame while they killed schoolgirls and homosexuals in their own country, and held telethons for suicide bombers. Last week they added to their string of hits by cracking down on indecent women's clothing. (e.g. a thick and non-revealing black cloak with "sequins on the cuffs or a jeans pocket sewn on the back."). Now, the embassy of Saudi Arabia has signed up some DC Lobbying and PR firms, including some with close ties to the GOP. The result: a bunch of disgusting commercials touting the Kingdom as our ally in the War on Terrorism. 

(Lies, Aristocracy)

FACT: The Bush Administration wants the American people to know that the skies are safe, and in a public display of confidence, they've been sending various cabinet officials on commercial airline flights around the country. However, it was discovered last week that they've been pressuring the FAA to re-assign air marshals to the commercial flights with cabinet officials on them - in some cases removing marshals from other flights considered to be at a greater risk of hijacking. 

(Lies) 

FACT: Immediately after seizing control of the White House, Ari Fliescher and Karl Rove claimed that former Clinton staffers had trashed White House offices. The Media jumped on this and played it 24 hours a day. Enraged, Senator Bob Barr demanded that the General Services Administration conduct a full investigation into the matter. Last week the GSA released their report, which concluded that the rumors of vandalism were completely and utterly false (i.e. a lie). 

COMMENT: After the release of the results and the exposing of the administration's blatant lie, both the media and the administration were unapologetic. Very little was mentioned of this revelation. What was mentioned was relegated to the back pages of the paper or in 10 second clips on radio/TV. 

(Hypocrisy)

FACT: The Administration announced last week that the elections were marked by "numerous and profound irregularities," that the president may "claim victory but not democratic legitimacy," and that the outcome did not reflect the will of the people. 

COMMENT: Of course they were referring to recent elections in Zimbabwe, not the Coup of 2000. 

(Honor and Integrity, Illegal Contributions, Criminal, Corporate Interests)

FACT: Recently, news broke of a secret NT$3.5 billion slush fund which was used to buy favors for Taiwan in Washington, DC, and elsewhere around the world. Leaked documents indicate that two Bush Administration officials received payments from the slush fund before they were tapped to join the administration. One official, Carl Ford, is now the assistant secretary of defense for intelligence and research, and the other, James Kelly is the assistant secretary of state of East Asia. Online Journal reports that Carl Ford was responsible for millions of dollars donated to the Bush campaign and the RNC. 

COMMENT: This raises questions of possible indirect foreign campaign contributions, something that the GOP tried to pin on Al Gore. We'll see how much face time these illegal Chinese campaign contributions receive.

(Secrecy, Criminal) April/2002 

FACT: The administration released 11,000 of 36,000 pages of documents relating to Dick Cheney's super-secret energy policy meetings. But no smoking gun hear. The administration heavily edited all smoking guns from the papers before they were released, in some instances censoring entire documents except for the subject line. 

COMMENT: If this isn't the "appearance of impropriety" that Bush was proclaiming to be unacceptable at the beginning of his term, then what could he possibly have meant. 

(Lies, Stupidity, Corporate Interests)

FACT: "EPA says toxic sludge is good for fish" announced the Washington Times. Indeed, an EPA document concluded that it is not a "ridiculous possibility" that toxic sludge "actually protects the fish in that they are not inclined to bite [fishing lines] ... but they go ahead with their upstream movement and egg laying." 

COMMENT: Rep. George P. Radanovich, in response to the EPA's conclusion said, "To suggest that toxic sludge is good for fish because it prevents them from being caught by man is like suggesting that we club baby seals to death to prevent them from being eaten by sharks." 

(Supporting Terrorism, Oil, Hypocrisy)

FACT: It was announced that Saudi Arabia (our "allies") in the "War on Terror" are refusing to hand over 13 Al Qaeda suspects who have been accused of plotting to blow up a US plane at a military base near Riyadh. This is the exact reason that led the administration to bomb Afghanistan in the first place. 

COMMENT: "You're either with us or against us!" was Bush's mantra regarding the "War on Terrorism". Obviously, this does not apply to Saudi Arabia, which seems to be the one country that can defy the US without threat of retribution. Remember, however, that the Taliban, although offered a "Carpet of Gold" from the Bush administration in exchange for their oil and an oil pipeline, refused to cooperate and instead received the other Bush promise, " a carpet of bombs". Saudi Arabia seems happy to accept the carpet of gold. I don't blame them.

(Corporate Interests, Aristocracy, Despicable Behavior) 

FACT: Soon after 911, the Senate recently voted 100-0 to federalize airport security. The House Republicans and Bush, however, think that private companies should provide airline security, which makes sense since it has obviously worked flawlessly up to this point. 

COMMENT: Unfortunately, it seems that the Republicans paranoid fear of  "big government" trumps any need for public security via decent airport security.

(Lies, Cover up, Scrubbing the record, Stupidity) 

FACT: According to the Washington Post, the White House has been systematically scrubbing speeches by Bush (and by his staffers) to expunge all of the made-up words, mangled syntax, and other misstatements and Freudian slips. For example, Bush asked each American to volunteer "4000 years" (Meant to say "4000 hours") and called the lieutenant governor of the state by the incorrect name. But in the official transcript, all mistakes were corrected. In Knoxville, he got a hard time from some hecklers. Again, no mention in the transcript. In fact, the official record was edited when he called for a permanent extension of the estate tax (which he opposes), and it happened again when he made some bizarre comments about "devaluation" of the Japanese Yen. Even Ari Fleischer got scrubbed when he said that people "need to watch what they say." 

COMMENT: Like it or not, what the president says is a matter of historical record. These scrubbings are not simply corrections of innocent mistakes of grammar. They are covering up the real George W. Bush (and administration). Often, his slips are unintentional truth telling from a guilty mind that aches to spread its toxic thoughts throughout the land. It is these gaffes that will mark Bush's place in history and for that reason, their erasure from the record is criminal.

(Undermining Democracy, Lies, Coup, Corporate Interests, Oil)

FACT: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (the fourth largest exporter of oil in the world) has serious problems with his country's oil industry, which causes prices to rise. Next, administration officials meet clandestinely with Venezuelan military leaders and opposition activists, including an oilman named Pedro Carmona. Suddenly, dozens of Venezuelan military personnel working in various embassies around the world return to Caracas without explanation. There is a military coup, and the pro-Bush, pro-oil Pedro Carmona is installed as interim leader. Hugo Chavez is sent to an island prison where he sees an American plane, which he presumes is there to take him into exile. Venezuela's neighbors denounce the coup, but the Bush Administration quickly recognizes the new government, announces that Chavez has resigned and calls his actions undemocratic. Much glee and rubbing of hands at the thought of all that lovely oil ensues. Surprise - two days later there is a countercoup and Chavez is reinstalled as President. George W. Bush's response? Sickeningly, to tell Chavez that the US had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, and that Chavez must "embrace democracy" if he wishes to be a successful president. 

(Corporate Interests, Oil, Pro Terrorism, Personal Interest, Aristocracy) 

FACT: According to the Boston Herald, Saudi Arabia is, "perhaps the biggest incubator for anti-Western Islamic terrorists." The Bush administration seems skillfully able to overlook this minor detail, what with all the money flowing into their pockets and all. W may like to "root out the evil-doers" but certainly not if they're lining his pockets. Take for example former president George H.W. Bush, senior adviser with the Carlyle Group, an organization which has deep ties to the Saudi royal family. Or Dick Cheney, who as head of Halliburton, Inc. worked to secure several large contracts with Saudi companies. Or Condoleeza Rice, who was a member of the board of directors of Chevron, another company with numerous Saudi business connections. 

(Lies, Despicable behavior) 

FACT: Ari Fleischer and other White House officials spread the deliberate lie that outgoing Clinton Administration staffers have vandalized the White House, although no-one is allowed to see the damage. Office Depot donates thousands of dollars of computer keyboards to replace those supposedly damaged. Congressman Bob Barr demands a General Accounting Office Investigation. The GAO investigation turns up nothing but the Bush administration never returns the donated keyboards.

(Aristocracy) 

FACT: The Sunday Telegraph reports that the Bush cabinet is the wealthiest in US history, averaging $11 million each. 

(Lies) 

FACT: The Bush Administration refused to confirm or deny rumors that former Clinton staffers had trashed White House offices. Conservative hacks from Limbaugh to Chris Matthews and even the major media devoted hours of airtime to the story. Luckily, Republican Bob Barr got in on the action, demanding that the General Services Administration conduct a full investigation into the matter. Last week the GSA released their report, which concluded that the rumors of vandalism were completely and utterly false.

COMMENT: Of course any of the media who bothered to address the report relegated it to the back pages. No one issued apologies.

(Unilateralism, Isolationism, Foreign Policy) 

FACT: Upon entering office, Bush's Middle East Policy has consisted of shutting down peace talks, firing the Middle East special envoys, and supporting Ariel Sharon, who has announced that the agreement to give the  Palestinians control of the West Bank and the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem is void. All this despite the fact that the US Arab allies pleaded with the US to maintain the peace processes established by Bill Clinton.