Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Majority Disapproves of Bush on Ethics in Government
A clear majority of Americans now disapprove of President Bush's handling of ethics in government, and three-quarters say the administration should disclose all contacts between White House officials and disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The administration has declined to release records of Abramoff meetings, saying it will not "engage in a fishing expedition." But in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 76 percent said the White House should produce such a list. Even 65 percent of Republicans said so.
Perhaps Americans' negative view of the U.S. economy has to do with the unpleasant facts.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Bush's trillion-dollar problem
During the first Bush term, Washington's finances fell to pieces thanks to the mild 2001 downturn, the costly wars on terror and Iraq, and the Republican Party's combination of superb discipline at driving through huge tax cuts and utter recklessness whenever voting on spending.
Between 2000 and 2005, federal outlays rose from $US1.8 trillion to $US2.7 trillion - an annual growth rate about three times faster than inflation, and the fastest run-up in spending since the Great Society programs launched by Lyndon Johnson in the mid-1960s.
Higher national security outlays - including both defence spending and other costs arising from the post-September 11 events - account for only a quarter of the increase. The largest areas of growth have been interest payments on the US federal debt and so-called entitlements - defined health and welfare benefits indexed to inflation.
This is quite remarkable given Bush came to office as a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative and the bulk of the GOP (Republican) members of Congress would make similar claims. And while the GOP's core economic doctrine remains an unquenchable reverence for tax cuts (whatever shape or form they might come in), its ranks still include a few senior figures who feel slightly uncomfortable that since recapturing the White House five years ago, federal spending has grown by almost a trillion bucks.
Methodist group calls Iraq war 'unjust, immoral'
A statement of conscience calling the war "an unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq" has been signed by 99 bishops and more than 5,000 members of the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the land.
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are both Methodists, but leaders of the 11-million-member church say they have had no response from the White House.
The largest single U.S. Protestant body, however, the 18-million-strong Southern Baptist Convention, says Bush has "shown courage and leadership in his valiant opposition to terrorism" and deserves the "deepest gratitude and respect."
What would Jesus do?
"Love your enemies." Well, it's a nice thought. But it seems strange coming from someone who damns his enemies to hell. (Mk.16:16) 5:44 "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." 7:12
Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely. 3:14 Love you enemies; do good to those who hate you. 6:27 The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. 6:31-34 "Love your enemies." Well, it's a nice thought. But it seems strange coming from someone who damns his enemies to hell. (Mk.16:16) 6:35 Jesus warns against hypocrisy. The Christian right should pay more attention to this verse. 6:41 Love thy neighbor as thyself. 10:27 The story of the good Samaritan gets my vote for the best bible story. We should all "go and do likewise." 10:30-37
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Iraq War Statistics as of January 2006: "Darker" and More "Dire" Than White House Accounts
In the process of updating Iraq War Results & Statistics as of January 2006, I learned some new, expectably horrifying facts:
-- About 20% of the 16,472 (3,294) seriously wounded US troops are victims of devastating brain and/or spinal injuries
-- About 30% fo all US troops in Iraq develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home
-- A secret Defense Department study found that up to 80% of US soldiers in Iraq killed by upper body wounds from 2003 to 2005 could have been saved by more extensive body armor than that provided by the Pentagon. The better body armor was readily available for purchase.
-- The average daily hours Iraqi homes have electricity has fallen in recent months from almost 14 hours in early autumn to 10 hours in December. And homes in Baghdad now receive only 3 hours daily of electricity to meet all family needs.
-- A recently released GAO report states that the Army can't account for or "reconcile" $549.5 million in spare parts shipped to US contractors in Iraq in 2004.
(Bear in mind that Halliburton Corp. and its subsidiaries, for which VP Cheney was CEO until 2001, has been awarded more than 50% all contract work in Iraq. Halliburton is also known to have overcharged the US government at least $212 million...overcharges that were paid by the Bush Administration.)
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
“International terrorism does not exist”: September 11 attacks were the result of a set-up
According to Russian General, 9/11 was a Globalist Inside JobToday’s international terrorism is a phenomenon that combines the use of terror by state and non-state political structures as a means to attain their political objectives through people’s intimidation, psychological and social destabilization, the elimination of resistance from power organizations and the creation of appropriate conditions for the manipulation of the countries’ policies and the behavior of people.
Terrorism is the weapon used in a new type of war. At the same time, international terrorism, in complicity with the media, becomes the manager of global processes. It is precisely the symbiosis between media and terror, which allows modifying international politics and the exiting reality.
In this context, if we analyze what happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States, we can arrive at the following conclusions: 1. The organizers of those attacks were the political and business circles interested in destabilizing the world order and who had the means necessary to finance the operation. The political conception of this action matured there where tensions emerged in the administration of financial and other types of resources. We have to look for the reasons of the attacks in the coincidence of interests of the big capital at global and transnational levels, in the circles that were not satisfied with the rhythm of the globalization process or its direction. Unlike traditional wars, whose conception is determined by generals and politicians, the oligarchs and politicians submitted to the former were the ones who did it this time.
2. Only secret services and their current chiefs – or those retired but still having influence inside the state organizations – have the ability to plan, organize and conduct an operation of such magnitude. Generally, secret services create, finance and control extremist organizations. Without the support of secret services, these organizations cannot exist – let alone carry out operations of such magnitude inside countries so well protected. Planning and carrying out an operation on this scale is extremely complex.
3. Osama bin Laden and “Al Qaeda” cannot be the organizers nor the performers of the September 11 attacks. They do not have the necessary organization, resources or leaders. Thus, a team of professionals had to be created and the Arab kamikazes are just extras to mask the operation. The September 11 operation modified the course of events in the world in the direction chosen by transnational mafias and international oligarchs; that is, those who hope to control the planet’s natural resources, the world information network and the financial flows. This operation also favored the US economic and political elite that also seeks world dominance.
“The organizers of the 9/11 attacks were the political & business circles interested in destabilizing the world order
Ivashov hits the nail square on the head. “The organizers of [the nine eleven] attacks were the political and business circles interested in destabilizing the world order” because they “were not satisfied with the rhythm of the globalization process or its direction.” As others have explained—most notably Andreas von Bulow, Bundestag member of a parliamentary commission which oversaw the three branches of the German secret service—only “secret services and their current chiefs” (or retired staff with “influence inside the state organizations”) have the “ability to plan, organize and conduct an operation of such magnitude. Generally, secret services create, finance and control extremist organizations. Without the support of secret services, these organizations cannot exist—let alone carry out operations of such magnitude inside countries so well protected.” Thus the obvious patsy “Osama bin Laden and ‘Al Qaeda’ cannot be the organizers or the performers of the September 11 attacks” because they “do not have the necessary organization, resources or leaders” (or the military and intelligence experience and knowledge required). Instead, “a team of professionals had to be created and the Arab kamikazes are just extras to mask the operation.”
According to General Ivashov, the covert operation nine eleven was effective because it turned “the people’s demands to a struggle of undefined goals against an invisible enemy … destroying basic international norms and changing concepts such as: aggression, state terror, dictatorship or movement of national liberation” and also depriving “peoples of their legitimate right to fight against aggressions and to reject the work of foreign intelligence services.”
Halliburton gave US troops foul water, workers say
Latest Halliburton scandal: Water contamination in IraqA Halliburton Co.
The subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root, also blocked employees' attempts to inform the U.S. military at Camp Junction City in Ramadi that the water was foul or tell them that water tanks should immediately be chlorinated, the workers said.subsidiary provided water to U.S. troops at a camp in Iraq that was twice as contaminated as water from the Euphrates River, former employees of the company said on Monday. They cited KBR's failure to test or treat the water in the latest in a series of hearings Senate Democrats have held on Halliburton, which was once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney and has huge contracts to provide services to the U.S. military in Iraq.
Halliburton said in a statement it had found "no evidence to substantiate allegations made by these former employees."While bottled water was provided for drinking and cooking, the soldiers at the camp used the contaminated water for bathing, shaving and laundry.
"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said an internal e-mail from Will Granger, who was KBR's water quality manager for all of Iraq and Kuwait."The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," continued the e-mail dated July 15 of last year and released at the hearing. It said the exposure lasted for up to a year.
First time the problem was reported was by water expert, Ben Carter, to Halliburton officials on March 24, 2005 - an "incident report" from tests he performed the previous day.
"It is my opinion that the water source is without question contaminated with numerous micro-organisms, including Coliform bacteria," Carter wrote. "There is little doubt that raw sewage is routinely dumped upstream of intake much less than the required 2 mile distance."Therefore, it is my conclusion that chlorination of our water tanks while certainly beneficial is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure."
Carter submitted his resignation in April after Halliburton officials refused to take any action to inform the camp population.He told company workers at the base in Ramadi that they would have to notify the military. "They told me it was none of my concern and to keep my mouth shut," he said.
Carter asked the chief military surgeon whether he was aware of stomach problems afflicting people. The surgeon told him he would look into it."They brushed it under the carpet," Carter said. "I told everyone, 'Don't take showers, and use bottled water."
Sunday, January 22, 2006
US is a leading terrorist state, Chomsky tells Irish audience
Professor Chomsky, described by Bono as the "Elvis of Academia", said that in examining the guidelines by which terror is established it followed "that the US is a leading terrorist state".
He began by telling his audience that terror was "a term that rightly arouses strong emotions and deep concerns," and added: "http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifThe primary concern should naturally be to take measures to alleviate the threat, which has been severe in the past and will be even more so in the future."But he said guidelines were needed and there were three simple ones: "Facts matter, even if we do not like them; elementary moral principles matter, even if they have consequences that we would prefer not to face; and relative clarity matters. It is pointless to seek a truly precise definition of terror or of any other concept outside of the hard sciences . . . But we should seek enough clarity at least to distinguish terror from two notions that lie uneasily at its borders: aggression and legitimate resistance."
Chomsky: Ireland may be complicit in US war crimes
When answering questions from the floor, Prof. Chomsky suggested that the passage of US soldiers through Shannon Airport could amount to participation in a war of aggression, which the Nuremburg Tribunal declared to be "the supreme international crime which encompasses within itself all of the evil that follows".
search "Chomsky" @ CaseAgainstBush.com
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Google fights Bush on search data
Google is resisting Bush Administration attempts to force it to hand over records about the behaviour of millions of people who use its search engine.
The Justice Department wants data about every internet search during a one-week period. It claims the information is vital to restore online child protection laws the US Supreme Court struck down.
But Google said the White House demands were too broad. It said to comply would give the impression it was willing to disclose personal information about those who use its services, "not a perception that Google can accept".
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Bin Laden offers Americans truce
In an audio tape broadcast on Aljazeera, Osama bin Laden has warned that al-Qaida is preparing an attack very soon, but also offers Americans a long-term truce.
The voice, attributed to Bin Laden and apparently addressing Americans, said: "The new operations of al-Qaida has not happened not because we could not penetrate the security measures. It is being prepared and you'll see it in your homeland very soon."
But the voice on the tape, which appeared to be aimed at the American public, also offered a truce: "We do not mind establishing a long-term truce between us and you."
The tape, broadcast by Aljazeera on Thursday evening but dated to December last year, comes after a year of silence from the al-Qaida leader.
"This message is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end those wars," it began.
"It was not my intention to talk to you about this, because those wars are definitely going our way.
"But what triggered my desire to talk to you is the continuous deliberate misinformation given by your President [George] Bush, when it comes to polls made in your home country which reveal that the majority of your people are willing to withdraw US forces from Iraq.
Americans want peace
"We know that the majority of your people want this war to end and opinion polls show the Americans do not want to fight the Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their [US] land.
"But Bush does not want this and claims that it is better to fight his enemies on their land rather than on American land.
"Bush tried to ignore the polls that demanded that he end the war in Iraq.
"We are getting increasingly stronger while your situation is getting from bad to worse," he told the US, referring to poor US troop morale and the huge economic losses inflicted by the war.
"The war in Iraq is raging and the operations in Afghanistan are increasing."
Truce offer
"In response to the substance of the polls in the US, which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their land, we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to.
"We are a nation that Allah banned from lying and stabbing others in the back, hence both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war.
"In response to the substance of the polls in the US, which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims ... we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to"
Bin Laden
"There is no problem in this solution, but it will prevent hundreds of billions from going to influential people and war lords in America - those who supported Bush's electoral campaign - and from this, we can understand Bush and his gang's insistence on continuing the war."
Addressing Americans again, he said: "If your desire for peace, stability and reconciliation was true, here we have given you the answer to your call."
"Clearly the al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists are on the run, they're under a lot of pressure. We do not negotiate with terrorists, we put them out of business," White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Not the First Refusal of Peace Offer
"You can't make a deal with somebody like bin Laden," Powell said. "How can you make a deal with a terrorist?" - 2004
U.S., Allies Will Not Negotiate With Terrorists
U.S. Talks With Iraqi Insurgents Confirmed"The free world cannot be intimidated by the brutal actions of these barbaric people," President Bush said following news of the beheading.
The militants are "trying to shake our will and our confidence. They're trying to get us to withdraw from the world so they can impose their dark vision on people," Bush said. "The United States will not be intimidated by these people. ... I believe [South Korean] President Roh understands that."
The U.S. military in Iraq has been holding face-to-face meetings with some Iraqi leaders of the insurgency there, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the U.S. commander in charge of Iraq confirmed yesterday.
"No nation can negotiate with terrorists. For there is no way to make peace with those whose only goal is death."
"Our immediate task around the world and in Iraq and Afghanistan is to bring those terrorists to justice. See, you can't talk sense to them. You can't negotiate with terrorists. You can't sit back and hope that somehow therapy will work and they will change their ways. (Laughter.) That's just not the way it is. We must engage the enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the world so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)"
"I know it is difficult, but the coalition must stand firm. When governments negotiate with terrorists, everyone in the free world suffers. When political leaders sound the sirens of defeatism in the face of terrorism, it only encourages more violence."
"We cannot negotiate with terrorists. In this post-9/11 world, we cannot simply hope for the best. We must aggressively pursue them and defeat them in foreign lands."
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
New Zogby Poll Shows Majority of Americans Support Impeaching Bush for Wiretapping (search)
By a margin of 52% to 43%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
The poll was conducted by Zogby International, the highly-regarded non-partisan polling company. The poll interviewed 1,216 U.S. adults from January 9-12.
The poll found that 52% agreed with the statement:
"If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment."
43% disagreed, and 6% said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a +/- 2.9% margin of error.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Chomsky: 'There Is No War On Terror'
The fact of the matter is that there is no War on Terror. It's a minor consideration. So invading Iraq and taking control of the world's energy resources was way more important than the threat of terror. And the same with other things. Take, say, nuclear terror. The American intelligence systems estimate that the likelihood of a "dirty bomb," a dirty nuclear bomb attack in the United States in the next ten years, is about 50 percent. Well, that's pretty high. Are they doing anything about it? Yeah. They're increasing the threat, by increasing nuclear proliferation, by compelling potential adversaries to take very dangerous measures to try to counter rising American threats.
This is even sometimes discussed. You can find it in the strategic analysis literature. Take, say, the invasion of Iraq again. We're told that they didn't find weapons of mass destruction. Well, that's not exactly correct. They did find weapons of mass destruction, namely, the ones that had been sent to Saddam by the United States, Britain, and others through the 1980s. A lot of them were still there. They were under control of U.N. inspectors and were being dismantled. But many were still there. When the U.S. invaded, the inspectors were kicked out, and Rumsfeld and Cheney didn't tell their troops to guard the sites. So the sites were left unguarded, and they were systematically looted. The U.N. inspectors did continue their work by satellite and they identified over 100 sites that were systematically looted, like, not somebody going in and stealing something, but carefully, systematically looted.
search "Chomsky" @ CaseAgainstBush.com
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Blair Should Be Impeached Over Iraq War: UK General
British Prime Minister Tony Blair should be impeached for his role in the Iraq war, a leading British Army officer was quoted as saying by Britain's the Mail on Sunday.
"I think the politicians should be held to account ... my view is that Blair should be impeached," General Sir Michael Rose, a former UN commander in Bosnia, said in a television documentary to be aired on Channel Four television on Friday, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"That would prevent the politicians treating quite so carelessly the subject of taking a country into war."
US President George Bush and his war alley Blair invaded Iraq in March 2003 without a mandate from the UN Security Council on claims of possessing weapons of mass destruction, none of them had ever been found.
"I would not have gone to war on such flimsy grounds," Rose said.
Iraq war could cost US over $2 trillion, says Nobel prize-winning economist
Pentagon Conspiracy: Iraq War Costs $1-2 TrillionThe real cost to the US of the Iraq war is likely to be between $1 trillion and $2 trillion (£1.1 trillion), up to 10 times more than previously thought, according to a report written by a Nobel prize-winning economist and a Harvard budget expert.
The study, which expanded on traditional estimates by including such costs as lifetime disability and healthcare for troops injured in the conflict as well as the impact on the American economy, concluded that the US government is continuing to underestimate the cost of the war.
A new study by two leading academic experts suggests that the costs of the Iraq war will be substantially higher than previously reckoned.
In a paper presented to this week’s Allied Social Sciences Association annual meeting in Boston MA., Harvard budget expert Linda Bilmes and Columbia University Professor and Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz calculate that the war is likely to cost the United States a minimum of nearly one trillion dollars and potentially over $2 trillion.
The study expands on traditional budgetary estimates by including costs such as lifetime disability and health care for the over 16,000 injured -- one fifth of whom have serious brain or spinal injuries.
It then goes on to analyze the costs to the economy, including the economic value of lives lost and the impact of factors such as higher oil prices that can be partly attributed to the conflict in Iraq.
The paper also calculates the impact on the economy if a proportion of the money spent on the Iraq war were spent in other ways, including on investments in the United States.
"Shortly before the war, when Administration economist Larry Lindsey suggested that the costs might range between $100 and $200 billion, Administration spokesmen quickly distanced themselves from those numbers," points out Professor Stiglitz.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Legacy of George W Bush 2005
| The Legacy of George W Bush as of 12/31/05 | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Human Cost of Iraq War: 2,177 Dead, 16,155 Wounded source: AntiWar.com | |||||||||||||
| National Debt: $8,087,357,559,005.85 up 42.53% source: U.S. Department of the Treasury | |||||||||||||
| Bush Unemployment Rate up 16.67% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.06 |
| 2004 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.53 |
| 2003 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.99 |
| 2002 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 5.78 |
| 2001 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.75 |
| begin 4.2 Jan 2001; end 4.9 Dec 2005; up 16.67% source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Bush Average Retail Price per Gallon of Gasoline up 33.55% adjusted for inflation | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 183.1 | 191.0 | 207.9 | 224.3 | 216.1 | 215.6 | 229.0 | 248.6 | 290.3 | 271.7 | 225.7 | 218.5 | 226.82 |
| 2004 | 157.2 | 164.8 | 173.6 | 179.8 | 198.3 | 196.9 | 191.1 | 187.8 | 187.0 | 200.0 | 197.9 | 184.1 | 184.88 |
| 2003 | 145.8 | 161.3 | 169.3 | 158.9 | 149.7 | 149.3 | 151.3 | 162.0 | 167.9 | 156.4 | 151.2 | 147.9 | 155.92 |
| 2002 | 110.7 | 111.4 | 124.9 | 139.7 | 139.2 | 138.2 | 139.7 | 139.6 | 140.0 | 144.5 | 141.9 | 138.6 | 134.03 |
| 2001 | 144.7 | 145.0 | 140.9 | 155.2 | 170.2 | 161.6 | 142.1 | 142.1 | 152.2 | 131.5 | 117.1 | 108.6 | 142.6 |
| source: Energy Information Administration Gasoline Components History | |||||||||||||
| "The national average retail regular gasoline price was 147.1 cents per gallon on January 22, 2001." - EIA | |||||||||||||
| What cost $1.47 in 2000, 20 days before Bush took office, would cost $1.67 in December 2005 - CPI Inflation Calculator | |||||||||||||
| Bush & NYMEX Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures Prices up 88.34% adjusted for inflation | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 48.35 | 52.38 | 57.09 | 52.93 | 53.25 | 58.80 | 62.86 | 69.71 | 66.63 | 61.00 | 59.01 | 61.72 | 58.64 |
| 2004 | 30.98 | 33.80 | 34.07 | 36.24 | 38.85 | 36.84 | 41.99 | 41.37 | 47.96 | 50.86 | 48.91 | 43.32 | 40.43 |
| 2003 | 30.86 | 31.98 | 27.64 | 25.14 | 27.28 | 28.83 | 29.32 | 30.28 | 28.08 | 28.29 | 29.45 | 31.30 | 29.04 |
| 2002 | 20.23 | 21.99 | 26.13 | 26.38 | 25.07 | 26.23 | 26.03 | 28.27 | 29.16 | 26.21 | 26.13 | 28.50 | 25.86 |
| 2001 | 26.99 | 27.11 | 26.49 | 28.65 | 28.23 | 26.06 | 25.59 | 27.04 | 23.84 | 21.53 | 19.99 | 20.41 | 26.83 |
| begin $28.56 19Jan01; end $61.72 31Dec05; raw price up 116.11% high: $70.41; low: $18.27 source: EIA | |||||||||||||
| Bush & the S & P 500 down 7.02% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 1,181.27 | 1,203.60 | 1,180.59 | 1,156.85 | 1,191.50 | 1,191.33 | 1,234.18 | 1,220.40 | 1,228.81 | 1,207.01 | 1,249.48 | 1,248.29 | 1,207.78 |
| 2004 | 1,131.13 | 1,144.94 | 1,126.21 | 1,107.30 | 1,120.68 | 1,140.84 | 1,101.72 | 1,104.24 | 1,114.58 | 1,130.20 | 1,173.82 | 1,211.92 | 1,133.97 |
| 2003 | 855.70 | 841.15 | 848.18 | 916.92 | 963.59 | 974.51 | 990.31 | 1,008.01 | 995.97 | 1,050.71 | 1,058.20 | 1,111.92 | 967.93 |
| 2002 | 1,130.20 | 1,106.73 | 1,147.39 | 1,076.64 | 1.067.14 | 989.81 | 911.62 | 916.07 | 815.29 | 885.77 | 936.31 | 879.82 | 988.57 |
| 2001 | 1,366.01 | 1,239.94 | 1,160.33 | 1,249.46 | 1,255.82 | 1,224.42 | 1,211.23 | 1,133.58 | 1,040.94 | 1,059.01 | 1,139.45 | 1,148.08 | 1,185.69 |
| begin 1,342.54 19Jan01; end 1,248.29 31Dec05; down 7.02%; high: 1,383.370, low: 768.630 source: Yahoo! Finance | |||||||||||||
| Bush & the NASDAQ down 20.40% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 2,062.41 | 2,051.72 | 1,999.23 | 1,921.65 | 2,068.22 | 2,056.96 | 2,184.83 | 2,152.09 | 2,151.69 | 2,120.30 | 2,232.82 | 2,205.32 | 2,100.60 |
| 2004 | 2,066.15 | 2,029.82 | 1,994.22 | 1,920.15 | 1,986.74 | 2,047.79 | 1,887.36 | 1,838.10 | 1,896.84 | 1,974.99 | 2,096.81 | 2,175.44 | 1,992.87 |
| 2003 | 1,320.91 | 1,337.52 | 1,341.17 | 1,464.31 | 1,595.91 | 1,622.80 | 1,735.02 | 1,810.45 | 1,786.94 | 1,932.21 | 1,960.26 | 2,003.37 | 1,659.24 |
| 2002 | 1,934.03 | 1,731.49 | 1,845.35 | 1,688.23 | 1,615.73 | 1,463.21 | 1,328.26 | 1,314.85 | 1,172.06 | 1,329.75 | 1,478.78 | 1,335.51 | 1,519.77 |
| 2001 | 2,772.73 | 2,151.83 | 1,840.26 | 2,116.24 | 2,110.49 | 2,160.54 | 2,027.13 | 1,805.43 | 1,498.80 | 1,690.20 | 1,930.58 | 1,950.40 | 2,004.55 |
| begin 2,770.38 19Jan01; end 1,248.29 31Dec05; down 20.40%; high: 2,892.3601, low: 1,108.4900 source: Yahoo! Finance | |||||||||||||
| Bush & the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.23% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 10,489.94 | 10,766.23 | 10,503.76 | 10,192.51 | 10,467.48 | 10,274.97 | 10,640.91 | 10,481.60 | 10,568.70 | 10,440.07 | 10,805.87 | 10,717.50 | 10,529.13 |
| 2004 | 10,488.07 | 10,583.92 | 10,357.70 | 10,225.57 | 10,188.45 | 10,435.48 | 10,139.71 | 10,173.92 | 10,080.27 | 10,027.47 | 10,428.02 | 10,783.01 | 9,478.16 |
| 2003 | 8,053.81 | 7,891.08 | 7,992.13 | 8,480.09 | 8,850.26 | 8,985.44 | 9,233.80 | 9,415.82 | 9,275.06 | 9,801.12 | 9,782.46 | 10,453.92 | 9,017.92 |
| 2002 | 9,920.00 | 10,106.13 | 10,403.94 | 9,946.22 | 9,925.25 | 9,243.26 | 8,736.59 | 8,663.50 | 7,591.93 | 8,397.03 | 8,896.09 | 8,341.63 | 9,347.63 |
| 2001 | 10,887.36 | 10,495.28 | 9,878.78 | 10,734.97 | 10,911.94 | 10,502.40 | 10,522.81 | 9,949.75 | 8,847.56 | 9,075.14 | 9,851.56 | 10,021.57 | 9,383.66 |
| begin 10,587.59 19Jan01; end 10,717.50 31Dec05; up 1.23%; high: 11,027.1504, low: 7,181.4702 source: Yahoo! Finance | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Value | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate Against the Euro; down 20.20% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 0.7673 | 0.7553 | 0.7744 | 0.7772 | 0.8020 | 0.8290 | 0.8247 | 0.8182 | 0.83040 | 0.82930 | 0.85330 | 0.8444 | 0.8088 |
| 2004 | 0.8026 | 0.8006 | 0.8215 | 0.8348 | 0.8170 | 0.8277 | 0.8319 | 0.8298 | 0.8114 | 0.7818 | 0.7536 | 0.7331 | 0.8038 |
| 2003 | 0.9248 | 0.9296 | 0.9264 | 0.9024 | 0.8490 | 0.8746 | 0.8817 | 0.9107 | 0.8625 | 0.8596 | 0.8343 | 0.7967 | 0.8794 |
| 2002 | 1.1612 | 1.1554 | 1.1494 | 1.1067 | 1.0675 | 1.0090 | 1.0170 | 1.0185 | 1.0193 | 1.0161 | 1.0058 | 0.9541 | 1.0567 |
| 2001 | 1.07970 | 1.0899 | 1.1380 | 1.1241 | 1.1669 | 1.1778 | 1.1438 | 1.0913 | 1.0994 | 1.1056 | 1.1261 | 1.1289 | 1.2138 |
| begin 1.0582 19Jan01; end 0.8444 31Dec05; down 20.20%; high: 1.19770 low: 0.7315 source: Oanda FXHistory | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate Against the British Pound down 14.36% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 0.5299 | 0.5213 | 0.5323 | 0.5244 | 0.5486 | 0.5483 | 0.5689 | 0.5598 | 0.56740 | 0.56370 | 0.58390 | 0.5813 | 0.5525 |
| 2004 | 0.5506 | 0.5353 | 0.5477 | 0.5637 | 0.5452 | 0.5534 | 0.5492 | 0.5569 | 0.5559 | 0.5426 | 0.5282 | 0.5192 | 0.5457 |
| 2003 | 0.6048 | 0.6329 | 0.6354 | 0.6274 | 0.6115 | 0.6065 | 0.6189 | 0.6341 | 0.6001 | 0.5897 | 0.5808 | 0.5625 | 0.6087 |
| 2002 | 0.7071 | 0.7041 | 0.7015 | 0.6854 | 0.6826 | 0.6526 | 0.6354 | 0.6450 | 0.6406 | 0.6421 | 0.6426 | 0.6235 | 0.6635 |
| 2001 | 0.6838 | 0.6932 | 0.7061 | 0.6949 | 0.7010 | 0.7070 | 0.7011 | 0.6863 | 0.6782 | 0.6892 | 0.7007 | 0.6892 | 0.6942 |
| begin 0.6788 19Jan01; end 0.5813 31Dec05; down 14.36%; high: 0.73080 low: 0.5114 source: Oanda FXHistory | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate Against the Japanese Yen down 0.17% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 103.510 | 105.240 | 107.550 | 104.880 | 108.000 | 110.580 | 112.500 | 111.300 | 113.010 | 115.680 | 119.715 | 117.868 | 110.819 |
| 2004 | 105.960 | 109.210 | 105.640 | 109.820 | 110.360 | 108.380 | 111.210 | 109.940 | 110.920 | 105.790 | 102.870 | 103.100 | 107.7667 |
| 2003 | 119.090 | 117.570 | 119.850 | 119.780 | 119.350 | 119.640 | 120.310 | 116.980 | 110.820 | 108.760 | 109.680 | 107.100 | 125.7317 |
| 2002 | 132.870 | 134.370 | 132.650 | 128.070 | 123.450 | 119.580 | 120.230 | 118.350 | 122.600 | 122.940 | 122.580 | 118.540 | 124.6858 |
| 2001 | 115.921 | 116.178 | 126.330 | 124.120 | 120.408 | 124.770 | 125.101 | 119.479 | 119.560 | 121.990 | 123.820 | 131.140 | 122.4014 |
| begin 118.070 19Jan01; end 117.868 31Dec05; down 0.17%; high: 135.180 low: 101.660 source: Oanda FXHistory | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate Against the Canadian Dollar down 22.93% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 1.2394 | 1.2395 | 1.2173 | 1.2586 | 1.2565 | 1.2287 | 1.2238 | 1.1917 | 1.1713 | 1.1771 | 1.1693 | 1.166 | 1.2116 |
| 2004 | 1.3305 | 1.3360 | 1.3081 | 1.3710 | 1.3628 | 1.3453 | 1.3296 | 1.3194 | 1.2699 | 1.2190 | 1.1866 | 1.2048 | 1.2986 |
| 2003 | 1.5285 | 1.4943 | 1.4716 | 1.4424 | 1.3656 | 1.3475 | 1.4014 | 1.3865 | 1.3536 | 1.3158 | 1.2993 | 1.2946 | 1.3918 |
| 2002 | 1.5890 | 1.6096 | 1.5953 | 1.5669 | 1.5351 | 1.5190 | 1.5755 | 1.5591 | 1.5785 | 1.5661 | 1.5652 | 1.5769 | 1.5597 |
| 2001 | 1.5039 | 1.5299 | 1.5767 | 1.5420 | 1.5460 | 1.5145 | 1.5300 | 1.5455 | 1.5775 | 1.5782 | 1.5808 | 1.5911 | 1.5513 |
| begin 1.5130 19Jan01; end 1.166 31Dec05; down 22.93%; high: 1.6190 low: 1.1714 source: Oanda FXHistory | |||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate Against the Swiss Franc down 18.66% | |||||||||||||
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 2005 | 1.1877 | 1.1623 | 1.2002 | 1.1955 | 1.2391 | 1.2829 | 1.2898 | 1.2691 | 1.2929 | 1.2814 | 1.3198 | 1.3159 | 1.2531 |
| 2004 | 1.2591 | 1.2626 | 1.2817 | 1.2903 | 1.2495 | 1.2662 | 1.2811 | 1.2797 | 1.2600 | 1.1955 | 1.1425 | 1.1318 | 1.2417 |
| 2003 | 1.3576 | 1.3599 | 1.3683 | 1.3618 | 1.2985 | 1.3498 | 1.3665 | 1.4032 | 1.3271 | 1.3333 | 1.2920 | 1.2423 | 1.3384 |
| 2002 | 1.7100 | 1.7057 | 1.6856 | 1.6198 | 1.5623 | 1.4813 | 1.4821 | 1.5006 | 1.4938 | 1.4883 | 1.4833 | 1.3875 | 1.5500 |
| 2001 | 1.6469 | 1.6770 | 1.7438 | 1.7273 | 1.7779 | 1.7940 | 1.7276 | 1.6539 | 1.6210 | 1.6253 | 1.6551 | 1.6732 | 1.6936 |
| begin 1.6178 19Jan01; end 1.3159 31Dec05; down 18.66%; high: 1.8216 low: 1.1258 source: Oanda FXHistory | |||||||||||||
Wonder how merry this Christmas was for these four brave young Americans? They are but 4 of the over 16,155 that have suffered injuries in the war in Iraq. Is there anything in Iraq or the entire Middle East worth this sacrifice?
These are just a few of the more than 2,177 Americans who died for Bush's Iraq lies.
"Bring 'em on!" George W. Bush, former prep school head cheerleader and 43rd President of the United States of America.
Spending one's college years dying or being dismembered is for the little people.
Bertrand Russell: Freedom, Harcourt Brace, 1940
The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other.
