US Stem Cell Policy Inspired by Anti-Authoritarian Scifi

I have no idea if this is factual, but I love the idea of Bush sitting there enraptured during "story time." The below clip asserts that a Bush aide read a part of "Brave New World" to W, freaking him out and this informed his decisions on stem cells.

"What was it in the novel that made Bush change the course of the nation's scientific research, putting the U.S. several years behind Europe and Asia? Apparently Bush adviser Jay Lefkowitz read the President a passage from the novel about genetically-engineered babies being grown in womb factories and Bush got really quiet and upset. He seemed to think there was a direct connection between stem cell research and wholesale government control of future generations' genetic code. What he didn't realize was that the genome hacking in Brave New World is actually done to prevent the need for welfare and other pesky social programs that Bush hates -- all the working class people are designed to be strong, stupid, and enjoy manual labor so they never get annoyed by working at McDonalds. And they never demand libraries or healthcare."

Hey, George, they have Cliff Notes for it! It got you through Yale, it can get you through policy decisions!

Read the rest at io9.com.

You taxes at work... it's fun to find out!!!!

A highly trumpeted part of the "success" of the recent surge in Iraq has been the Iraqis who are now working with the Army and driving back the insurgents. These include groups under the banner "Awakening."

BY THE WAY... WE ARE PAYING THEM. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE STOP PAYING THEM?

Glad they are shooting at something other than Americans, but most of these people we shooting at us last year.

Learn more about the Awakening movements in Iraq

Dick Cheney doesn't care what you think, and isn't afraid to say so.

ABC's Good Morning America had Dick Cheney on...

Reporter to Cheney: "Two thirds of Americans say [the war] is not worth fighting."

Cheney (smirking): "So?"

Reporter: "So? You don't care what the American people think?"

Cheney: "No."

Don't believe me? Here it is:



NOTE: A CNN recent poll states 2/3 of Americans oppose the war and 7 out of 10 think it's hurt the economy.

I will personally through a party when that diseased rotten heart of his finally craps out and he's sent to hell where he belongs. Fuck off Cheney, and fuck off everyone that was stupid enough to re-elect you.

Petraeus seems like a good guy in a shitty job

Above: David Petraeus tries to approximate how high the political bullshit is piled up around his desk.

With all the comparisons between VietNam and Iraq, one thing seems to be blissfully different... no one is giving the soldiers a hard time when they return. Just about everyone is in agreement that the majority of our soldiers are trying to do what the President wants them to do, even if the whole thing was planned by "Fortunate Son" military side-steppers in that former war.

One very high profile example is David H. Petraeus, the current commander of Iraq Forces, the so called "Architect" of "The Surge." According to Boston Globe reporter Charles Sennott he has brought an imaginative and intelligent plan to help solve the snafu the small-minded cluster fuckers created.

According to Sennott, one of the Generals skills is to take the best of his soldiers and encourage them to be inventive in problem solving, which can go into such minutia as helping groups solve small issues within Iraqi neighborhoods. They help pose questions to these groups and step back and let the people solve their issues.

He also appears to be a student of history's successes and failures... is that even allowed? He even wrote at length on the failures in VietNam. What the hell is he even doing taking orders from W?

Anyway, good luck General. You have a crappy gig, and seems like a smart fellow and an exceptional soldier. It sounds like you are on your way to NATO after Iraq. With a little luck the gains you made will be meaningful.

HERE'S THE INTERVIEW WITH THE REPORTER. WORTH A LISTEN.

Bring your daughter to war day

From the Onion:


Army Holds Annual 'Bring Your Daughter To War' Day

Dick Cheney is a pig fucking god damn pig fucking pig fuck.

"If you look back on those five years it has been a difficult, challenging but nonetheless successful endeavor ... and it has been well worth the effort," Cheney told a news conference in Baghdad after meeting Iraqi leaders.

Here's one of the few times he's received any feedback... who could forget this classic moment.

Bush Intervened to Weaken EPA Smog Rules

The Washington Post has revealed the Environmental Protection Agency weakened a key section of its new smog rules after a last minute intervention by President Bush. The rules deal with the level of protection given to wildlife, parks and other open areas from smog. The EPA’s initially proposed limits were already less restrictive than government scientists had recommended. But according to newly disclosed documents, President Bush ordered the EPA to increase its allowed smog limits even further. The intervention was so last-minute that it forced the EPA to delay its announcement of the new rules by five hours. To accommodate the weakened regulations, government lawyers rushed to change public welfare guidelines set by previous submissions to the Supreme Court. The National Resources Defense Council calls the White House intervention “unprecedented and unlawful.”

SOURCE