Dear Ernie . . .

Jackleg Thinktank
Admiral Jackleg

August 30, 2005

Ernie Fletcher, Governor
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601


Dear Governor Fletcher,
Although I am a lifelong Democrat, I think you did exactly the right thing in pardoning all your subordinates. I know you ran for governor promising to "clean up the mess in Frankfort," but surely everyone knew the mess you were talking about included Kentucky's inconvenient merit system. Hiring people because they are qualified sure gets in the way of hiring people who have the right ideas and the right connections.

I cannot tell you how many times I myself have been frustrated by the Kentucky Merit System. It is very annoying to be denied a job just because you are not qualified to do it. Life would make more sense to those of us who are filthy rich if we could have State jobs just because of who we know down at the Country Club.

Tomorrow, I am going down to the Courthouse and changing my registration to Republican and coming straight home and making a contribution to the Republican Party. I have two requests. First, I need a State job that pays about $100,000 and includes an automobile, preferably an SUV. Second, I need a pardon, because since they are so easy to come by, I probably will forget to come to work and might even cheat on my Kentucky taxes.

Finally, I admire your restraint, but you might consider Lt. Gov. Pence's approach in this matter. Is there any possibility that you might be able to arrange castrations for Stumbo and his minions if they continue to investigate Merit System violations?

Sincerely,
Admiral Jackleg

The NRA's Enemies List

The National Rifle Association is POWERFUL and paranoid. They have an enemies list. When I look at the organizations and individuals that the NRA considers enemies, I have to seriously consider whether the NRA has MY best interests in mind. The legislation Frist sneaked through the Senate at the end of July is truly frightening. I decided that I wanted to be on the NRA's blacklist, too. I might be in better company there than with their friends.

Swiftboating Cindy Sheehan:O'Reilly's BIG Lies

On his radio show and on his "Talking Points Memo," Bill O"Reilly, spinmeister and smug but angry rich Republican white man, presented his claim that HE did not "swiftboat" Cindy Sheehan, but only presented the truth. Well, he has presented some facts, but those facts have been fashioned around two unfounded and heretofore (in my opinion) uncontested assertions. Mr. O'Reilly repeated both assertions in description of Mrs. Sheehan at least four times on his radio program today.

The first is the claim the Cindy Sheehan (as well as Michael Moore, Al Franken, and several others who have the temerity to question Bush foreign policy) "hates America." Now, what could possibly be the basis or proof of such a claim? I could with much more validity, in my own opinion, make the claim that anyone who would avoid military service "hates America." It is not necessary to mention all those, called chickenhawks by some, who avoided going into harm's way who are now advocates of the war. There are probably Americans who hate their country, but I think Mrs. Sheehan loves her country and that is part of what drove her to Texas and her stand against the quagmire in Iraq.

The second unfounded assertion about those who dissent with administration action in Iraq is that they want the United States to "lose the war." Again, there are probably Americans who want their country to lose this war, but objecting to a misguided, poorly executed, and futile war does not equal wanting America to lose. When a yakker refers to someone's desire to "cut and run"--It's hilarious when I hear that out of the mouth of 4F Rush Limbaugh--, it should be incumbent on that yakker to define victory and to also identify what "cutting and running" look like. If we stay in Iraq until the Shiites establish a theocracy, is that "victory?" If we "stand down" when the Iraqi's "stand up" (in the words of a national leader who did NOT stand up), and then the Shiites later take over or the Kurds latere secede, is that a victory or a defeat? We have truly walked into a MESS-opotamia, apologies to the Daily Show.

Is Democracy Possible in an Islamic Country?

If you don't ask yourself that question, you may think that President Bush and his neo-con advisors are pursuing an idealistic, but hardnosed policy. If you have looked at all the countries on the globe that are majority Muslim, you have probably noted that none are at all democratic. Well, the secular government of Turkey may be a shakey exception. This article by Andrew Greeley is a compelling dissection of our policy in Iraq. Extrapolated, it is an indictment of our many experiments in "regime change" from Chile to Nicaragua to Cuba to South Vietnam to Iraq and even Afghanistan. In every one of those instances we deposed a regime only to find that what came afterward was as bad or worse. And, right now, our leaders are thinking that it would be good for the United States if there was regime change in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea, to name the obvious few. My not-so-dramatic prediction is that whatever government is installed as a result of our meddling will be as bad or worse than the regime we found inconvenient.

Perspective on Gaza Pullout

Charley Reese has been around a while. He thinks and writes with a clarity that leaves bruises. His most recent article sheds perspective on the American corporate media and the evacuation of Israel's Gaza settlements. I want fairness for Israel, I am proud that the United States is Israel's friend, but this shows how out of balance we are in our actions and goes a long way explaining why we are so hated by Arabs and Muslims, which are not one and the same, incidentally.

Who Is May Hasan Lamotte?

Is the woman who appeared on Hardball to thank Casey Sheehan for being dead and tell Cindy Sheehan to stop opposing the President the wife of an employee of the United States of America? Has she ever been to Iraq? Was she sent to Crawford by the Bush administration or by the Republican Noise Machine?

It seems that she is married to Greg LaMotte, an employee of Voice of America. Voice of America may refer to him as a journalist, correspondent, or reporter, but U. S. law views him as a propagandist and it may not be legal for him to be "reporting" here. So, did he send his wife to Texas or did he go with her? If he went with her, is he on the payroll, on vacation, or taking days off without pay? Shouldn't MSNBC answer these questions? Was Chris Matthews duped by the administration or is MSNBC part of the aforementioned Noise Machine?

Death Tax Irony

It just occurred to me that this administration has repealed the Death (Well, actually, we common folk called it an estate or inheritance tax.) Tax on the rich and replaced it with a genuine death tax, the Iraq War, on working folk. If you truly believe that the Democrats are a motley crew, you still have to do some tall talking to justify voting for this band of crooks and liars. By the way, what a great idea for a blog!

Cindy Sheehan, American Hero

Today in Crawford, Texas, there are thunderstorms, the high will be 87 degrees, and relative humidity is 94%. Our President will probably be air-conditioned and certainly under shelter. Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed last year in Baghdad, is camping outside W's gate waiting to talk with him about his war. She and her friends have been warned that they will be deemed a threat to national security and arrested if they have not left by Thursday.

Whether you agree with Cindy or not, surely you will concede that she has paid a greater price for "fighting the terrorists over there" than most of the rest of us. By the way, my new favorite blogger has several links to information about Cindy. Good reading. Green Dog Democrat is welcome to write on my blog and immediately invited to serve on the Board of Jackleg Thinktank.