I CAN SING A RAINBOW, SING A RAINBOW TOO

FOILED BRITTISH TERROR PLOT HAS AMERICANS SEEING RED Here we go again. Just as the Senate primaries are starting to heat up, and Joe Lieberman (a “war on terror” supporter) lost the Connecticut Democratic nomination to Ned Lamont (who has taken a stance against the war) the color coded terror alert chart has made it’s triumphant return! We all remember the good old days of elementary Bert (yellow) and Ernie (orange) fear. “Be afraid, but not too afraid, and stock up on duct tape”. Republicans in recent years have relied on fear to win elections. The color coded terror chart is a major weapon in their arsenal. The sad part is, the colors don’t correspond with how fearful Americans should be of a terrorist attack, but with how fearful Republicans are of losing an election or their stranglehold of fear on the public (see chart at top of post from 2004 election). So it comes as no surprise to those of us with a brain that today, just days after Joe Lieberman (who has been so close to Bush that he could lean over and kiss him, literally) lost the Connecticut primary, the terror alert was raised to red. It is the first time the red alert level in the Homeland Security warning system has been invoked, although there have been periods in the past when the orange level was applied (green and blue, have never been used). Homeland Security defines the red alert as a “severe risk of terrorist attacks”. “We believe that these arrests (in London) have significantly disrupted the threat, but we cannot be sure that the threat has been entirely eliminated or the plot completely thwarted,” head of the department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said. He added, "However, there was no indication of current plots within the United States". It’s more of the same old GOP rhetoric. “Be afraid! Not of any specific threat, but just to be safe, we want everyone constantly on edge and scared all the time. We’ve been focusing too much on Iraq and Israel and Lebanon. It’s time to bring the fear back home where it belongs. We might have disrupted the latest terror attack…but who really knows for sure?” As an added indication of just how low the GOP is willing to sink, Dick Cheney criticized voters in Connecticut for voting against Joe Lieberman. Cheney went so far as to suggest that the ouster of Lieberman might encourage al Qaeda types as Republicans began a concerted effort to use Lieberman's defeat to portray Democrats as weak on national defense. You know what really makes us weak when it comes to National defense? A loose cannon President who blindly starts a war with Iraq that totally destabilizes the mid-east and gives new fodder to our enemies. This is the same clown who sat frozen in a classroom full of children while planes were being flown into skyscrapers in New York City. Our government had been warned about the events of 9/11 and chose to ignore them. Why? So they could scare Americans into letting the Patriot Act pass (giving Bush the power to break the law in the name of defense) and starting a war with Iraq that has made Bush and his friends very, very rich. What's a few thousand lives when compared to a few billion dollars? When a Democrat like Ned Lamont takes a stand against the war, the GOP calls him weak on defense. Part of me doubts whether there was actually a thwarted plot in the UK. It all seems a little too well timed. We all know that British Prime Minister Tony Blair, (vacationing in the Caribbean) and George Bush (vacationing on his ranch in Crawford, TX) are in bed together. We all know they’ve been taking a lot of heat lately for their actions in Iraq and with the situation on the Israel/Lebanon border. With a broad and open ended term like, “war on terror,” a foiled terror plot is just what they need to give credence to their actions. The foiled terror plot can help further their agendas here at home (keeping the GOP in power in the Senate) and in the Middle East (keeping troops in Iraq and proving that the war was not a mistake). What can we do to prevent this? Be brave. We’re not the ones who should be afraid, Bush and his goons are. We cannot let an alleged foiled terror plot and a little red color coding keep us from recognizing what is really going on. We are all being duped. Even some of these idiots in the red states are starting to realize the war in Iraq was a mistake (some of us have known since before it began) and that could mean election year woes for the GOP. It could also mean (gasp) that there could be public outcry to bring our troops home before anymore lose their lives. This has Dubya, Cheney, and the rest of the goon squad, seeing red. MASSACHUSETTS TEACHES SOLIDERS A HARSH LESSON IN HIGHER EDUCATION What would be enticing enough to convince someone to join the U.S. military these days? A college education. Army and Air National Guard soldiers expecting to be rewarded for their war duty under Massachusetts’ Gov. Mitt Romney’s “Welcome Home” bill found that welcome mat ripped out from under them last week by the Legislature as it ended its formal session without approving money for the waivers. “One of the main reasons I joined the Army was to get money to go to college,” said David Cowing, 23, of Rockland, an Iraq war veteran who is taking out at least $3,500 in loans to cover tuition for his first year at UMASS-Boston because his benefits won’t take effect in time to pay the first round of bills. “I went and fought in Iraq. I shouldn’t have to worry about tuition. I should be able to go wherever I want,” he added. The Legislature did find the time to vote on much more important issues like tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. They also have found plenty of money to fund the “Big Dig” (the most expensive highway project in American history). The Big Dig, which was originally estimated to cost $2.5 billion in 1985, has ballooned to a cost of over $14.6 (in federal and state tax dollars). Just last month, part of this construction project collapsed, killing a woman passenger in the car that it crushed. So where is the welcome home for these brave soldiers? National Guard officials say the bureaucratic red tape has left some soldiers scrambling to meet tuition costs. “It appears that some schools are honoring the tuition fee waivers and some are not,” said National Guard spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson. “We remain hopeful that the Legislature will fund the tuition waiver in an informal session.” If someone is so desperate to go to college that they are willing to join the Army or Air National Guard and become a slave to George Bush and his self-righteous agenda, they shouldn’t be denied it after serving their tour of duty. As an added slap in the face, Massachusetts was able to approve money for a construction project that will be outdated by the time it’s finished and had the time to vote on tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. Who’s running this state? I attended University in Massachusetts and I can tell you, it’s a bunch of morons. I urge all of you voters in Massachusetts to get out and support your hometown heroes by making sure that these members of the Legislature do not get re-elected (or at least are forced to take classes in prioritizing). Maybe then, “no mah” soldiers will be denied what they have fought so hard to earn. THANK YOU, AND GOOD NIGHT I hope you all enjoyed your truth today. I know sometimes it can be a little hard to stomach it all and that’s why it’s best to digest it one Spoon, Full of Truth at a time. I look forward to continuing to provide you with all the truth I can, and I hope you all look forward to returning to the Spoon. As always, the power to share the Spoon and the truth is in your hands. Please forward the link to everyone you know. They might enjoy it so much that they take you out for ice cream.