(noon – promoted by ek hornbeck)
Crossposted Sunday May 25 at Big Orange
On December 12, 2000 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court’s plan for recounting Florida’s ballots was unacceptable, and that no constitutionally valid recount could timely be completed by the December 12 deadline. This decision ended the recounts, and effectively installed the loser of the popular vote as President of the United States of America. The vote was certified according to Florida state election law by Katherine Harris, the Republican Secretary of State who had been the Florida co-chair of Bush’s campaign. Bush’s younger brother, Jeb Bush, was the governor of Florida. Though it was obvious to all that Harris and Jeb Bush had manipulated the election to favor the governor’s brother, it was too little, too late. Gore was eventually found to have won Florida by 543,895 more popular votes than Bush.
Below the fold is a graphic account of the tragedy and legacy of the worst president in history.
Justice Stevens was harsh in his dissent:
What must underlie petitioners’ entire federal assault on the Florida election procedures is an unstated lack of confidence in the impartiality and capacity of the state judges who would make the critical decisions if the vote count were to proceed. Otherwise, their position is wholly without merit. The endorsement of that position by the majority of this Court can only lend credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the land. It is confidence in the men and women who administer the judicial system that is the true backbone of the rule of law. Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today’s decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.
I respectfully dissent.
Bush spent months of doing little but purging the federal government of any and all things related to the Clintons, including ignoring warnings of an eminent attack on the United States by using aircraft.
On September 11, 2001, the unthinkable occurred.
Apparently struck dumb by the news, Bush sat on his ass for 10 minutes. To this day nobody knows what the fuck he was thinking.
The little emperor began his descent into madness with earnest. Revenge, Hatred, Lies. Mushroom Clouds.
Smoke’em out of their caves. It’s my belief that Bush had a plan for Iraq and the middle east long before
9/11 but that is irrelevant. Most of America, and ALL of Amurka, was whipped into a frenzy of vengeful retribution.
We were going to kill some brown people, and goddammit, it was going to feel good.
The trouble with combining malicious neocon ideologues with a sociopath like Bush, a mean spirited, mama’s boy, feeble minded, narcissistic sociopath at that, is that no matter what they do it is going to be a clusterfuck of monumental proportions. Shock and Awe turned into Murder of Civilians.
In Fallujah, American soldiers were given orders to use White Phosphorus, Willy Pete.
This is a bad idea because it results in the Melting of skin off of children
The realities of waging War on civilian populations is not pretty. I wonder how long it would be allowed go on if the images of that truth were shown to America. Instead we are given the pablum of really real reality shows, and the lies of a fourth estate who have gone AWOL in favor of corporate directives.
While we were busy watching Survivor, the streets of Fallujah and other cities, literally ran red with the blood of it citizens.
There is no way I can reach out to this man, there is no way I can repair this. No remedy for his pain.
What did his child do?
While untold numbers of Mothers and Fathers wept for their children, their brothers, their sisters, George Bush and his cabal made sure that even if you survived the bombing and incinerating, you could at least look forward to having a conversation with your occupiers.
After the scandal of Abu Ghraib, the neocons decided torturing people wasn’t going to cause enough of an uproar to slow them down. Emboldened by their success, they made it legal.
Caught in the middle of their sworn oath to obey orders from the Commander in Chief, and the common thread of decency they carry with them everywhere, our brave soldiers paid the price. It is a lose/lose situation.
Soldiers coming home were welcomed by a broken Veterans Administration, unable to cope with the numbers of soldiers who returned home needing care. Little has been done to correct this.
Homelessness and suicides among our vets are at an all time high. None of this is reported in the traditional media. You can read more about helping homeless vets in a dairy I did several weeks ago. There is some good information there if you are so inclined to help.
Homeless Vets. Don’t you Dare Look Away.
One word: Katrina.
Bush missed most of this, he was busy eating cake with John McSame, and playing a little guitar with some redneck fuck I won’t mention. Did I mention he often speaks of his love of fishing?
Heck’of’a job Brownie, Heck’of’a job.
Help from Bush never came, to this day the region is still devastated. The national guard unit responsible for help and protection of NOLA is slated to go back to Iraq at the start of hurricane season this year.
How’s that for a kick in the ass.
Like Mother, like Son.
“What I’m hearing which is sort of
scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is
so overwhelmed by the hospitality.“And so many of the people in the arena here, you
know, were underprivileged anyway, so this–this (she
chuckles slightly) is working very well for them.”
Barbara Bush
This diary chronicles only the tiniest tip of the iceberg of the Bush Administrations crimes against humanity.
It is my most passionate desire that after Barack Obama is elected, along with veto proof majorities in the halls of Congress, we will see a new Department of Justice that is ready, able, and willing to do it’s job.
America desperately needs to restore our constitution, return to the rule of law, and comply with the precepts laid out in the Geneva Conventions. Those who chose to violate these sacred trust should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I hope.
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Let us hope that 2009 brings a new direction. We have a lot of work to do.
Missed it at the Orange Obama yesterday; glad you posted it here.
the legacy is just too awful, isn’t it? But I’m glad I did and I thank you.
What I think might need to happens someday is a REAL Bush library…you know, one that includes everything. Lest we forget.
From what I have read even James Baker like the movie, although some of the “real people” took issue with a few things. I don’t know that it was supposed to be seen as an actual dramatization.
Made me think a few things… The 2008 GE could end up being a close one. And the problems were never actually resolved ( voter list purging, varying standards for recounting, the most accessible way to have voters vote, challenging voter lists) so…There is no reason not to suspect these same issues could influence the outcome of the next election. Add to that several states are making changes in their voter ID laws. Poor people and seniors are often less likely to have state sanctioned ID.
I do wonder this. Did the Dems learn anything from eh last 8 years? Will they fight and fight hard? A McCain presidency will look awfully similar to the last 8 years. I am not advocating “playing dirty” but this whole turn the other cheek deal really doesn’t work with the Repubs either.
By the way, Bush’s ranch in Paraguay won’t be a ranch at all if it’s anything like his little spread in Texas, which is actually a former pig farm and not even in a ranching part of the state. (It was bought just before he declared for the presidency the first time, so Bush could run around and be photographed in LBJ-style ranch khakis and generally shore up his phony Texanhood.)
They know they’re all going to walk on this one. Bush will get his presidential library and speaking engagements, book advances, life-long health care. No big deal. No one is going to stop him.
He’s used to being at the bottom of every class or school he’s ever attended. Worst president ever? So? He’ll still get all the perks and millions. No one can stop him now. He’s already won.
Kind of pisses you off, doesn’t it? What are you going to do about it besides post complaints?
Just saying.
You’re right in everything you say about him. But I’m afraid this isn’t the only administration you can say this about. Every U.S. administration since WWII could be charged with war crimes. Part of the problem with what we’re going through in this era is that we’re distracted from that fact.
The National Assembly
essay for Memorial Day. It’s strange that even as we are going through this nightmare, even as people wake up to the reality of what has happened, were asked to not believe what we have lived through. The powers that be are still pumping out the rational of national security. Our Goldstein is still at large and all candidates promise to capture him, as though this will make us all ‘safer’. Were still taking bomb brown people, the next in line, the next war. When you read the news or listen to the Big Heads it’s as though the made up story is the real one.
We don’t see or hear about the one you showed here. The reality is too trying and our memories are so distorted that a lot prefer to think that we are the good guys that our world id threatened that our actions are noble or necessary. The truth of the ruthless supremacy of Empire lies at the bottom of the memory hole, we’re the heroes is much more palatable. Thanks for the memory Firecrow the real memory that no one should forget. Sadly were all required to do just that. Forget and get ready for the next ‘Obliteration”.