Damned Lies: The Gulf of Tonkin

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that a newly released NSA report demonstrates that the United States government lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident in order to escalate US intervention in the Vietnamese civil war. The official story was that North Vietnamese torpedo boats launched an "unprovoked attack" against a U.S. destroyer on "routine patrol" in the Tonkin Gulf and that North Vietnamese PT boats followed up with a "deliberate attack" on a pair of U.S. ships two days later. The truth was very different. Rather than being on a routine patrol on Aug. 2, 1964 the U.S. destroyer Maddox was actually engaged in aggressive intelligence gathering maneuvers coordinated with attacks on North Vietnam by the South Vietnamese commandos, navy and the Laotian air force under OpPlan 34A. One of the Navy pilots flying overhead that night was squadron commander James Stockdale, who gained fame later as a POW and then as Ross Perot's vice presidential candidate. "I had the best seat in the house to watch that event," recalled Stockdale a few years ago, "and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets — there were no PT boats there....There was nothing there but black water and American fire power."

Nevertheless, then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara told Congress that reports of attacks on US destroyers in the gulf by North Vietnamese patrol boats were "unimpeachable". Classified signals intelligence shows that there were no such attacks on US naval forces. President Lyndon Johnson used the alleged incident to persuade Congress to pass authorization for direct armed US intervention, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, at the subsequent cost of some 55,000 American military personnel killed in action. The resolution passed Congress with only two dissenting Senators voting no. The media shares some of the responsibility for the propaganda succeeding because journalists were in possession of information which cast doubt on the military version of events, but chose not to expose the lies. In a moment of truth, Johnson later said, "For all I know, our sailors were shooting at flying fish out there."

DEJA VUE DEPT.: After inconveniencing the residents of Jerusalem so he could view the sunrise undisturbed by city lights, the Charlatan resumed provoking Iran today after US warships in the Strait of Hormuz allegedly warned off Iranian patrol boats which dared to come close to the American ships. He repeated his assertion that Iran is "a threat to world peace." He did not mention the US invasion and occupation of formerly sovereign Iraq in his remarks.

Le Shorter: The McCain Resurrection

New Hampshire Republicans desperate for a viable national candidate turned to an old and familiar war horse, John McCain. Romney is too liberal and a Mormon, Giuliani is too corrupt and Huckabee is too low church and unknown. McCain, who claims to put the country above self interest and constantly refers to his service in a costly, failed foreign adventure, is the man who would bring us another Korea. McCain on a Sunday talk show said he did not think Americans cared if we stayed in Iraq for "one hundred years or a thousand years or ten thousand years" as long as fewer Americans are dying.[1] The cost of both wars is estimated to rise to $8000 for every American over the next decade and cause serious economic dislocations according to the Congressional Budget Office. [2]
[1]http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/01/06/mccain-permanent-presence-in-iraq-is-fine-as-long-as-iraqis-are-the-ones-dying/
[2]http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/24/428884.aspx

An Emigrant's Lament

Through spacious skies over amber waves of grain I fly, leaving for
another land unknown to me,
Save reports of peaceful beauty and the outlines of an old cartograph;
Not knowing if those gone before will share that distant land's grace,
'Neath a star spangled azimuth imagined
To be awed in silent reverie?

Ill from this land's numbing digital clang and hum,
Where all not new is waste;
Tired of the refrain, 'you have no place',
For there is no profit in fraternity;
Leaving for another land.

A man's past may be his own disgrace,
Yet his sins are traded in the marketplace;
As would grave diggers upon Caesar's bones discard the good
Also buried in the case;
The hateful minds and envious lies are left behind,
Near the majestic purple mountains fading past;
Leaving for another land.

Pledge allegiance to a bloody flag,
and the hypocrisy for which it truly stands?;
A nation that sells it's own integrity will fall,
While the tribunes witnessing the profligacy claim to be appalled;
Carry me onward to future's promise winged vessel,
Over the cleansing blue expanse;
For the care and regret will not last,
Another life I hope to claim;
Leaving for a new homeland.

At the Barricades

The Regime is fighting on all fronts now as the American people make it increasingly clear that they are fed up with laissez faire capitalism at home and neoimperialism abroad. Another example of its efforts to stem the tide is it's directive to HHS to limit the availability of Medicaid for families of modest means. It has already vetoed expanding the popular SChip insurance program for poor children. Now state officials in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ohio are finding that the agency intends to apply an August 17 directive limiting SChip benefits to families with children that have incomes less than 250% of the federal poverty level to Medicaid too. Ohio wanted to expand Medicaid coverage to families with incomes of 300% to include an additional 35,000 children. The Regime rejected that initiative saying it would take business away from for profit health insurers. Please Sir, may I have some more?

'Toontime: Ducking in the Halls

[cartoon credit: Rex Babin, Sacramento Bee]

Le Shorter: No Questions in Iowa

The Divine Ms. H is not taking any more questions from the audiences in Iowa. Could be nerves or the realization she is passing into history with her husband.
www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS/71231010/-1/NEWS04

UPDATE: Obamanon won going away in the stretch of the Iowa distance contest before a big crowd. The pre race favorite, Heartbreak Lady, led in the early going, but faded after stumbling on the inside at the three-quarter post. The three in the money now face a sprint in New Hampshire. The onus is on the place finisher, Favorite Son, to win that one. South Carolina, known for it's sloppy track and big electoral purse, will be the deciding race in the 2008 Democratic triple crown of politics.

Le Shorter: Saudi Blogger Arrested

Its a sign that the thought police are reading your scree and taking you seriously. But that kind of attention you do not really want. Saudi blogger Fouad al-Farhan is being held for interrogation by the Kingdom's Interior Ministry. He was arrested December 10th in Jidda, and he wrote friends two weeks before he knew his detention was coming. You can check out his letter in English at his Web log http://www.alfarhan.org/ . Apparently Fouad went too far in criticising the authoritarian government for it's treatment of political prisoners. He has been asked to sign a letter of apology. A government spokesman said he did not believe the blogger will remain in detention long, once they get "the information they need from him". Ouch.