Category: Politics

The Boys From Paraguay

Is the Bush administration preparing an escape to Paraguay? Say what Barry? The Cuban news service reports that George W. Bush has purchased 98,840 acres in Paraguay, near the Bolivian/Brazilian border.

Wonkette (via):

Now, Prensa Latina is a Cuban-government operation that is not exactly friendly toward Washington, what with Washington trying to kill Castro for 50 years and all. But Prensa Latina didn’t invent the story. It’s all over the South American press — and not just Venezuela and Bolivia. Here’s a version from Brazil. Here’s one from Argentina. And here’s one from Paraguay itself.

… and:

Here’s a fun question for Tony Snow: Why might the president and his family need a 98.840-acre ranch in Paraguay protected by a semi-secret U.S. military base manned by American troops who have been exempted from war-crimes prosecution by the Paraguyan government?

Habeas Corpus, anyone?

The World League Of Despots Newest Member

In his capacity as secretary of the World League of Despots, Terry Jones welcomes George Bush to the ranks of despots.

I cannot, however, disguise the fact that we adjudicators were extremely anxious when you announced your intention to remove from office one of our most stalwart members, Mr Saddam Hussein. However, we need not have worried. According to a recent UN report, you have ensured that there are now even more human rights abuses in Iraq than there were under Saddam. No less than 10% of those in custody are being physically or psychologically abused. Well done!

Congratulations on a job well done indeed!

Gods Of Guitar

… and why we need them:

Passion and creative freedom directly threaten the executive’s grip on airplay and record sales. The music biz marginalizes any trend that doesn’t lead directly to merchandising profits, big money. What do you think they’ll do if they see that dollar slipping away? A single note can evoke so many feelings: joy, triumph, pain, anger, rebellion… how long before musical expression comes under the jurisdiction of the Patriot Act?

One Person One SUV

Speak Up has a great post about wartime propaganda posters — both real and parody.

SU war

Much of the conservation messages during the World Wars was brought about by actual need. Those wars devastated trade between western nations, and the need to conserve and to be as self-sufficient as possible was real. Times have changed, and it would take a truly global war to put the pinch on North America’s supply chains in a similar way. However, the parallels with the supply of fuel are obvious, and the lack of a major government-funded conservation movement, curious. Surely it is the most “patriotic” thing to do?

X-Ray Sound

A different type of bootlegging: in the USSR and Eastern Europe in the 1950s underground night spots would play music pirated from the west. The only media they had were records etched into discarded X-ray film.

(…) enterprising young people with technical skills learned to duplicate records with a converted phonograph that would “press” a record using a very unusual material for the purpose; discarded x-ray plates. This material was both plentiful and cheap, and millions of duplications of Western and Soviet groups were made and distributed by an underground roentgenizdat, or x-ray press (…)

Further reading on underground music in the Soviet era.

Tide Turning

Yes it’s a cheap shot, and yes, it’s too funny: the George Bush Quotes Library. Couple of gems:

  • Rarely is the question asked, ‘Is our children learning’?
  • You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you’re gone.
  • I think — tide turning — see, as I remember — I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of — it’s easy to see a tide turn — did I say those words?