RMHH Blogs

Looks like the right-wing PR machine is starting to eat itself. They’re lacking proper guidance so it’s turning in to a free-for-all.

How can they attack John McCain and question his credibility on the issue of whether or not torture is effective? The man was a POW in Vietnam for (depending on the report) 5 years! He knows of what he speaks. Certainly more than those who are trying to discredit him.

Makes me think of Guatemalan and Salvadoran death squads. Established, allegedly, by the government to stamp out opposition and set loose with minimal guidance on who and what they were to be silencing. The longer they were allowed to operate without official oversite the more destructive and paranoid they became.. eventually turning on the ruling party.. the opposition.. the civilian population.. each other.

hopefully we’re seeing the beginning of the end of the Rove/Bush WH PR machine.

from NEWSMAX.com

“John McCain: Torture Worked on Me

Sen. John McCain is leading the charge against so-called “torture” techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal – they simply don’t work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information.

maybe it’s just me but i’m completely fascinated by totalitarian governments. their mechanics, the people who populate government, the citizenry. the whole thing.

Uzbekistan Interior Minister Zakirjon Almatov is currently on an extended visit to Germany. Nothing strange or particularly newsworthy about that, you might think – until you realise that Almatov has been declared persona non grata by the EU. He is officially prohibited from visiting the EU, and yet, he is here all the same.

On 14 November, the Council issued travel bans on 12 Uzbek officials “directly responsible for the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force” in the massacre of hundreds of unarmed protesters in the east Uzbekistan city of Andijan on 13 May, 2005. The name Zakirjon Almatov tops the EU’s travel blacklist.

The German Foreign Ministry defends its decision to allow Almatov to stay in the country despite the visa ban against him, saying it is acting “on humanitarian grounds”, because he is receiving medical treatment at a clinic in Hanover. That must seem a cruel joke to the victims of the Andijan massacre. They know Almatov as “The Butcher of Andijan”, a man who showed little humanity as he told protesters there would be no negotiations just before government troops started firing into the crowd.

if you’re a tough guy you can buy this t-shirt over at the Giant Peach.com

it’s been a good long run. 13 years in a row without posting a losing record. something no other team has managed to do in the free agency era. it was inevitable.

i know it would be asking too much but can’t people stop predicting the apocalypse? the team will not fold up shop in 2006 and move to Pierre, ND. Brett Favre will not commit suicide on the field. Lambeau will not burn down. the Packers had to re-configure at some point. it was bound to happen.

my biggest worry going in was that the defense would take a long time to gel and that our lack of talent would be exposed making for an inauspicious debut for Jim Bates. had anyone told me that our defense would play as well as it had i would have predicted, minimum, 10-6. even with the murderer’s row of a schedule.

but who can predict losing starter after starter. each week it seems like another vital piece of the offense goes down. this week it’s Bubba Franks and William Henderson.

So laughing, sneezing, being scared out of my mind by a rodent, walking on my left foot, and leaning on my left elbow all hurt like pluck. Similarly, leaning on my right elbow and twisting my body to reach something with me left hand also hurts like pluck. I’m not used to pain, I don’t like pain, and I’m really bad at dealing with pain. Weirdly, though, this thing is more like an annoying soreness that just refuses to go away. It’s not one of those “something’s really wrong” pains. It’s more like a “I just sprained my ankle and it’s healing” pain. So, on this Thanksgiving eve, I’m looking at staying home tomorrow when everyone is out eating and chillin’. Really, it may be a great time to relax, meditate, and pray. I don’t get many moments to myself and to just have. And I’m going to take this time to really reflect on some things that have been an issue for me lately.

So laughing, sneezing, being scared out of my mind by a rodent, walking on my left foot, and leaning on my left elbow all hurt like pluck. Similarly, leaning on my right elbow and twisting my body to reach something with me left hand also hurts like pluck. I’m not used to pain, I don’t like pain, and I’m really bad at dealing with pain. Weirdly, though, this thing is more like an annoying soreness that just refuses to go away. It’s not one of those “something’s really wrong” pains. It’s more like a “I just sprained my ankle and it’s healing” pain. So, on this Thanksgiving eve, I’m looking at staying home tomorrow when everyone is out eating and chillin’. Really, it may be a great time to relax, meditate, and pray. I don’t get many moments to myself and to just have. And I’m going to take this time to really reflect on some things that have been an issue for me lately.