I think when historians look back on American history and discuss where we made a wrong turn I think they will begin with President Bush, his so-called “war” on terror, Iraq, and legislation like the Military Commissions Act of 2006 passed by a weak-kneed and pathetic Congress of lapdogs.  Our country is now officially in the business of torture, of warrantless wire-tapping, and the detention of anyone the president deems a so-called “enemy combatant,” including natural born American citizens.  These are frightening powers for any president to have, no matter the party, and I think Republicans will rue the day they gave so much power to the Executive Branch.  I think our nation will regret it for a very long time.

UPDATE:  No one really cares what the New York Times thinks anymore, but they write an excellent editorial on this disgusting piece of legislation.

So much for bring the American ideals of freedom to Iraq!

If it is true that Jerry Falwell’s “christians” fear Hillary Clinton more than the Prince of Darkness then I think there is something wrong with these people.  Something tragically wrong!

If there is a shining example of over-reaction by a flight crew it’s this!  So an airline now gets to dictate what is or isn’t good behavior among consenting adults?  Were these men putting the plane in danger by kissing each other?  Was their affection the trigger to a bomb?  What bullshit!  So, by American Airlines defintion if I see someone reading a Bible and find it offensive I can get the plane diverted?  If I was this man I would of told the asshole of a captain to divert the fucking plane if he wanted to and be prepared to look like a total fool when I spill it to the news.  This is just asinine and shameful behavior on the part of American Airlines and its employees.

So I guess all those treasonous liberals and moderate Republicans who spoked out against the invasion of Iraq, who said it would only make matters worse, are turning out to be correct.  You know, I will admit that I’ve gone back and forth on the whole Iraq debacle.  Part of me wishes America could be that shining beacon of freedom and that we could bring those freedoms to countries oppressed by SOBs like Saddam Hussein; the other part of me, the part that’s more vocal, thinks the invasion of Iraq was a huge mistake and has been nothing but a disaster since we set foot in Baghdad.  President Bush himself has admitted that Hussein had no ties to al Qaeda; that he had nothing to do with September 11 even though he used those very excuses to justify the invasion.  We’ve lost more men and women in this invasion than died on September 11; tens of thousands on both sides are horribly injured.  Our armed forces are stretched to the max and we’re being forced to accept people who are not suited to carry a gun and protect the lives of innocents.  We are not safer; no matter how many lame-ass commercials you see on television, we are not safer.  We would have been better off cocnentrating on Afghanistan, which is also becomming a disaster, and trying to capture bin Laden. Would that stop terrorism or al Qaeda? No, of course not; but we owe it to the men and women who died on September 11, 2001, to get the son of a bitch who caused it.  Iraq was a stupid decision and our country is paying the price in blood.

I’m not a huge fan of Noam Chomsky; he’s a little out there for me, but if I was him I don’t think I would be all that thrilled to have my book touted by the liked of Hugo Chavez.  Well, looks like Chomsky isn’t me because he seem quite taken with the idea.

I don’t know if anybody will watch, by Showtime may have finally put together a series worthy of some of the best HBO has ever had.  Based on on a series of novels written Jeff Lindsay, Dexter stars Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan.  Dexter is a blood spatter analyst working for the Miami-Dade police department.  He’s also a serial killer; not just any serial killer, but a serial killer who kills bad guys who, as he deems it, deserve to die.  Dexter is an orphan who was raised by Harry Morgan, also a police officer, with Morgan’s daughter, Debbie who went into the family business, as well.  The two novels, Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter, turn the serial killer genre on its head with a serial killer character you grow to like.  When I heard Showtime was going to turn the books into a series I was interested in what they would do.  I wasn’t all that thrilled when I heard Michael C. Hall would play the title character, but I have to say he inhabits the role well.  He gets the character and he plays it almost as it was written.  The supporting cast around Hall is also great:  Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter’s sister, Debra; Julie Benz as Dexter “girlfriend,” Rita; and Lauren Vélez as Lt. Laguerta.  They all inhabit the roles very well.  The great thing about doing a series like Dexter is that the writers of the show will have an opportunity really flesh out the character, delve into his background, uncover what makes him tick.  Unofortunately, Showtime is airing it on Sundays opposite network shows like Sunday Night Football and Desperate Housewives.  Thank goodness for TIVO.  If you want to see the pilot of Dexter before it airs, check it out on Showtime’s website; password “sneak peak.”

The little diatribe by Clinton I posted about below got me thinking:  how will history judge President George W. Bush when it comes to September 11, 2001?  Most of what we’ve read from bipartisan panels does not paint a pretty picture for the president.  Will Bush be vilified as President Clinton has since leaving office?  I really don’t know for sure.  There is an entrenched Conservatism in the press these days that began during the Clinton administration and has only gotten worse in the Bush II years.  Will a Democrat in office, and/or a Democrat-controlled Congress make that any better? First, I’m not holding my breath on a Democrat winning the presidency in 2008.  So far I see no one, not even Hillary Clinton, who would be a sure thing against people like Rudy Giuliani or John McCain.  Second, even though the popularity of FOX News is waning, it is still a loud right-wing voice and the Conservative press outlets like The Weekly Standard remain strong and vocal.  If there is a Democrat in office come 2008, I don’t see it getting any better and I don’t think George Bush will be judged as harshly as Bill Clinton has been judged.  At least not for several years when historical hindsight can look at September 11, 2001, without emotional and political bias playing a role.

Wow, former president Bill Clinton seems pissed.  Well, I think he has a right to be.  No one, not even the Democrats, are talking honest about what happened during the Clinton administration when it comes to bin Laden and fighting terrorism.  It seems Bill is little sick and tired of it.  I’ll give him credit for finally speaking his mind about a lot of things.  If he’s been this forthright during his two terms in office he would have been a hell of a lot better as Commander-in-Chief.

According to this story, Wal-Mart is threatening to “punish” studios if they make their movies available in iTunes new movie download service.  I winder if Wal-Mart may finally be overplaying it hand? Granted, they do control a large part of the DVD market, but there are now more outlets to choose from.  I can go into Target or K-Mart and get the same DVDs offered by Wal-Mart for the same or, sometimes, lower price.  Wal-Mart is no longer the only player.  Personally, I think the studios should turn it around on them.  If Wal-Mart is returning Disney’s DVDs to them, perhaps Disney should reach out to Target, K-Mart, and the other major chains set up lucrative deals that totally bypass Wal-Mart.  Would they lose sales?  I don’t think so.  If you add the sales of these stores to the  downloads I think the major studios will come out just fine.  It’s time someone stood up the heavy-handed tactics of Wal-Mart, and Disney is big enough to do that.  What would Wal-Mart do if Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was only limitedly available in their store?  They would be screwed and their competitors would clean up!