DIVIDED WE STAND, UNITED WE FALL

STAY THE FARCE Here we go again. Today members of the GOP-led House passed a non-binding resolution that praises U.S. troops, labels the Iraq war part of the larger global fight against terrorism, and says an "arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment" of troops is not in the national interest. Let's break this down. We need a resolution to praise troops? This went to a vote? Every last member of the House had better praise these troops that they sent to lose their lives in Iraq. Global fight against terrorism? George Bush is the biggest terrorist out there. The pot needs to stop calling the kettle black. If they made a deck of playing cards for world-wide terrorism (as we did for Iraq) and it went to a world vote, Dubya would be the Ace of Spades (or perhaps the Joker). The Republican stance on the war is the usual rhetoric, "stay the course". "Retreat is not an option in Iraq," declares House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Achieving victory is our only option, for the American people and our kids". If acting without rational thought had its own credo, it would surely be, stay the course. If you're driving down a road, and you find that the road is flooded out, and you stay the course (too stubborn to change direction), you're going to be swept away and drown. When you are already well on the road to disaster (as the U.S. led invasion of Iraq clearly is), staying the course does not signify strength, it highlights ignorance. With the upcoming elections, it gets even worse. Afraid that Republicans would use a vote against this latest measure to claim that they do not support U.S. troops, forty-two democrats broke ranks and voted with the Republicans to pass the measure (256-153). Let's clear something up for all of you idiots out there that can't figure this out on your own. Supporting U.S. troops, and supporting the war in Iraq are two TOTALLY separate things. I support U.S. troops. I support them living. I want every single one of them to come home safely before one more of them needlessly loses his or her life. I say needlessly because I do NOT support our troops being in Iraq. I support the troops and because I support the troops I say bring them home. For the GOP to say that anyone who wants a time-table for troop withdrawal is against the troops is a sham. They are not fighting for our freedom, if they were, they would be right here at home removing Bush and his goons from power before they shred the constitution any further. They are fighting to achieve the selfish agenda of the Bush regime to control Iraqi oil and to build military bases in Iraq to replace the ones we lost in Saudi Arabia. Period. It's time the Democrats stand up and make this clear. In case they need some help, I'll spell it out for them. "We are voting for a time-table for troop withdrawal because we, unlike the GOP, SUPPORT the troops. 2,500 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives. To stay the course is to condemn the lives of countless other soldiers. This war is wrong. To admit wrong-doing and stop it now shows that we are strong. To press forward shows we are mindless". If you Democrats really want to win back the House, grow a spine, take a stand, and people will follow you. I'll be leading the charge. JUDGE ROCKS LEGAL SYSTEM, PAPER AND SCISSORS FOLLOW SUIT Forget the old days of deciding a court debate with well thought out legal arguments. Last week in Tampa, Florida, a federal judge ordered lawyers to settle an argument over the location they should use to take the sworn statement of a witness in an insurance lawsuit, with a game of rock-paper-scissors. The winner would get to pick the location of the deposition. U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell scolded both sides for the inability of opposing attorneys to agree on even the slightest details of the lawsuit, and ordered them to meet at a neutral location at PM, June 30, to play a round of the hand-gesture game. "If they can't agree on the neutral location," he said, "they'll play on the steps of the federal courthouse". Is this really what our legal system has come to? Will the losing side object and attempt to bring in a paper expert to rebut the claim that paper can actually beat a rock? Or will they introduce a witness who tried to cut paper with finger-scissors and found that they are so dull, it made the task all but impossible? I wonder how the judge settled on the method of rock-paper-scissors, perhaps he spent sometime as a 1st grade teacher. Another judge might have opted for the equally fair method of "Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Mo". How are we supposed to feel that the judges entrusted with interpreting the law and upholding our society, rely on the same methods of dispute resolution as a class of six year olds? What's next? Parents will have to play rock-paper-scissors for their children in child custody cases, or if a husband's rock beats his wife scissors he gets the car in their divorce? Watch out for those scissors everyone, our legal system's integrity is paper-thin. GOOD GAME EVERYONE, HIT THE SHOWERS Good job! You've made it through another work week and now, fresh off a Spoon, Full of Truth, to tide you over until next week, you're ready for the weekend! It's going to be a hot one here in Philadelphia this weekend, I'm going to try to keep my brain from frying, and work on some more brain food to expose you all to next week. Have a great weekend everyone!