Da Hawg Frog Blog

This whole montage is mind-numbing. Her ignorance is breathtaking. Where do they find these people? And what does McCain think? He said she could be the next Clinton or Reagan.

“This is not the first time that I’ve seen a governor being questioned by some quote, ‘expert,’ ” McCain told CBS’ Katie Couric as Palin looked on. “I remember that Ronald Reagan was a ‘cowboy.’ President Clinton was a governor of a very small state that had ‘no experience’ either. I remember how easy it was going to be for Bush I to defeat him.

“But the point is I’ve seen underestimation before,” McCain added. “I’m very proud of the excitement that Gov. Palin has ignited with our party and around this country. It is a level of excitement and enthusiasm, frankly, that I haven’t seen before. And I’d like to attribute it to me. But the fact is that she has done incredible job. And I’m so proud of the work that she’s doing.” (Source: CNN)

To think this woman could be a heartbeat away from the presidency is truly amazing. We’ve just gotten through with one village idiot in the White House, I don’t think we’re ready for another one waiting in the wings.

I wanted to share with you a video sent to me by a former Marine, Roger Martino, 1967-1971. I think veterans will understand this better than anyone. Some things just do not change. Whether it was 40 years ago or four years ago in Iraq, we all share some common experiences.
Roger sent this video in response to a video I posted earlier. I think the similarities are striking and I appreciate his contribution. Welcome home Roger. And welcome home to all our fighting men and women today.

I want to thank Roger for sending me his video. I don’t think its significance is lost between the generations. If anything it draws us all closer together. We are all truly brothers.
Pray for our troops.
Semper Fi.

The trial of Charles Taylor Jr. is about to begin in the Miami. It is a test of a United States law enacted in 1994  banning torture of prisoners in foreign countries. While Charles Jr. is facing trial in Miami his father is standing before a court in the Hague for his own war crimes.

The trial of Taylor Jr. — whose father, Liberian ex-President Charles Taylor Sr., is standing trial in The Hague, Netherlands, on war crime charges — will present a unique challenge to prosecutors.

The case tests a 1994 United States law saying those accused of committing acts of torture overseas can be tried in a U.S. federal court. (Source: CNN)

These trials raise serious questions of hypocrisy in the American stand on the practice of torture.

The indictment alleges that under his father’s presidency, Taylor Jr. became the leader of the Anti-Terrorist Unit and the Liberian National Police. Both groups are accused of abducting, torturing and killing people. Court documents say people were brought to the presidential compound, where the acts occurred.

As part of jury selection, Prosecutor Karen Rochlin questioned prospective jurors about their opinions of the allegations of torture occurring at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“Is it OK for the U.S. to investigate torture overseas, if parts of the U.S. government, according to reports, have not behaved so well?” she asked.(Source: CNN)

I think we have a little dirty laundry to take care of right here at home. Like investigating our own activities at Gitmo. Whatever is decided in Miami at the trial of Charles Taylor Jr. is going to be tainted by our own activities in Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. We have violated the Geneva Conventions and put our own troops at danger in doing so. Some one has to answer for it.

Over the past decade we have witnessed the increased use of the pulpit to influence parishioner’s vote. It was the right wing Christian fundamentalist that endorsed the present disaster in the White House. The law states clearly that in order to maintain their tax exempt status churches are not allowed to endorse political candidates. Yet a blind eye has been turned towards this ban and organized churches across the country have been instructing their congregations about every thing from illegal immigration to gay marriage.
It is time we put a halt to this illegal political activity. We should begin taxing churches that violate the law and let everyone know that they have broken the intent of the law. If they want to play politics then let them pay for it.

Church interference into American political debate has crossed the line. Our constitution was written with a separation of church and state for a good reason. We are seeing the result of this violation of the constitution today. They are responsible for much of the mess we find ourselves in now.

Churches who harbor illegal aliens and extoll amnesty are threatening our national security. Churches, like those in Florida, who wish to write discrimination into our state constitution have no business writing their prejudice into the law. If they oppose Amendment 2 and see it as a threat to traditional marriage then they have a right to their beliefs. But to write their bigotry into the constitution is another matter. It is a matter of human rights, not religious belief. It is time to put a stop to their attempts to change this country from a secular state to a theocracy. Lord knows we’ve got enough of those already. They are countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

Lets keep religion out of state matters. If we can’t then it is time to revoke their tax status and treat them like any other business or Political Action Committee.

Last week liberals claimed Sara Palin assassinated Bullwinkle the moose. This week her murderous spree continues. According to the reputable folks at Weekly World News the fiesty VP wannabee bagged an elusive bigfoot from her chopper. (Source: Weekly World News)

A government helicopter was seen flying low over the Chugach National Park with what witnesses described as “a sexy librarian shooting out the side.” Employees at a local bait shop report seeing a similar woman only hours before carrying an infant in a camouflage Baby Bjorn.

The Bigfoot, or Sasquatch as it is known in scientific circles, was found dead on the outskirts of the park, just south of Wasilla, Alaska. Preliminary forensics reports confirm that an adult male Sasquatch was shot in the face with Palin’s trademark 5mm M4 Carbine Assault Rifle.

The nation’s first female Vice President hopeful finds herself envolved in one big cat fight. Now even the GOP lady pundits are trying to bring her down. Promenient and respected columnist Kathleen Parker said, “If bullshit was currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.” (Source: CNN)

Palin’s interview with Couric drew criticism when the Alaska governor was unable to provide an example of when John McCain had pushed for more regulation of Wall Street during his Senate career. Palin also took heat for defending her foreign policy credentials by suggesting Russian leaders enter Alaska airspace when they come to America. Palin was also criticized last week for appearing not to know what the Bush Doctrine is during an interview with Charlie Gibson.

“If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself,” Parker also writes. “If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.”

It is time we put a stop to this carnage and violence. Imagine what she would do if she ever made it to the White House. The whole world would be her hunting ground.

As a former member of the now defunct middle class I see no reason to bail out Wall Street and the financial geniuses that have brought the present crisis to our economy. The White House and Congress are attempting nothing more than saving their corporate backers from economic ruin. Remember these two august institutions, White House and Congress, are powered by the graft and greed of lobbyist representing the industries who have broken the bank.

Our lame duck disaster monkey in the White House stood blinking, pale and shaken like a deer in the headlights last night while he gave another one of his “you gotta do it or we all die” speeches. It is hard for any of us to take anything he says seriously. He is the chief enabler of the wrecking crew that has destroyed Wall Street and our economy. How can the people responsible for this fiasco correct it? They can’t. When the current resident of the White House was through talking all I could think of was, “well, so. I still want to know where the WMDs are.”

“I’m a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention,” he said. But “these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence.

“Without immediate action by Congress, America can slip into a major panic.” (Source: CNN)

They have done little to build our confidence in a long time. And the only people really panicing are are the unscrupulous CEOs and brokers who have made fortunes off the backs of their share holders. Imagine how well the public share holders would be if they didn’t have to pay billions every year to fuel the greedy CEOs. What if those bloated paychecks were put back into the pockets of those who invested with these banks.

So now the deregulators want the government to step in, bail them out and for a little while anyway, regulate the out of control banking industry. The party of less government has just decided that the only way to cure the ills they have brought on our country is to socialize it. We can just start calling this the Union of Socialist America. They want to socialize the banking industry, but they will have nothing to do with socializing medicine. To hell with the small guys, lets save the banks.

A prime example of greed is failed CEO Richard Fuld.

Richard Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers, is paid $45-million a year. Let’s be charitable and presume that he puts in 40 hours a week — his pay works out to be $21,634 an hour. In other words, it takes Fuld less than three hours to make what the average family earns in a year.

Isn’t this the sort of inequality — and obscene riches — that set off revolutions in other countries over the centuries? (Source: St. Petersburg Times)

Nobody, I mean nobody on the entire planet is worth $21,634 an hour. Why do we put up with this nonsense? Shareholders should look closely at these CEOs and punish, not reward failure. After all, it the shareholders who these people are steeling from.

There are solutions to eliminating the Golden Parachutes that save so many of these business failures.

But that was a drastic measure. Banks’ boards of directors, encouraged by their shareholders, must look hard at reforming the pay of top bankers. The core problem is this: Bankers get stellar rewards in the good times and don’t have to give money back when their strategy sinks the bank a few years down the road. They might miss a bonus, or even get fired – and float down to earth on the “golden parachute” negotiated in the flush years.

One way to change this would be for banks to hold a big chunk of bankers’ pay in escrow, to be doled out over several years. A bigger share of a bankers’ pay could be made in restricted stock that can only be sold over a fairly long period of time. Golden parachutes could depend on good performance through the executive’s tenure. (Source: International Herald Tribune)

But then back to the blundering boneheads in Washington. We’ve heard so much bullshit and hot air coming from them over the past 8 years that no body pays them much attention. They are finding it harder and harder to sell us a bill of goods that anyone trusts.

“Not believable,” Schweitzer says when asked about the case by Bush and others that the package needs to be approved this week to avoid dire results. He says Congress needs to take its time and “ask a few questions.”

And he says if the plan is going to be palatable to people out here, it has to pass a clear test: “If we are going to bail these coyotes out, then why wouldn’t we have an equity position? Why wouldn’t the taxpayer make a little money if they do turn around instead of just shoving that money out the door and have them pay themselves big golden parachutes?

“I think we need a Congress that stands up and asks the tough questions and says, ‘Look, it might take us a couple extra days to get this done.’ ” (Source: CNN)

The above is from the State of Montana. Refreshing to hear someone tell the government, slow down, take your time and get it right. Now the question is can they?

Well, it might not be the best plan, but at least it is a plan. We need more innovation like this. It is refreshing to see that someone is still looking out for the American workers well being.

This minor little adjustment in the our economy might turn out to be a good thing. You know the situation I’m talking about. The one that has made President Bush cancel his meetings with the “Garbage to Energy” folks in Alabama. It is comforting to know that the man at the wheel has realized that there is a problem. Lets just hope he doesn’t do any more damage by trying to fix it himself.

But we can’t blame this situation entirely on GW Bush and his cabal of criminal cohorts. We have a complacent herd of pantywaste parasites in the congress who if they had a pair at all they could have helped divert this catastrophe before it got out of hand. It has taken decades of nonsense economic policy to bring us to this point. Most of the problems started with the Reagan administration. Reagans rapt robots believed the economic nonsense spewing from the White House and bought into the deregulation of business bullshit in its entirety. Business good, labor bad. Black and white. No subtle shades in between.

Suddenly the American public has been slapped from their stupor and realizes that there is a real crisis facing this nation. One that can’t be swept under the rug by obfuscating  to lipstick on pigs, sex education in kindergarten and the need for a  maverick in the White House. McCain is no maverick and he is a contributor to the fix we find ourselves in today.

Bush must be feeling a sense of relief right now. He is a lame duck and no one is paying any attention to him or what he says. Instead everyone is looking for a savior in the candidates vying to replace the worse president this nation has ever had. But we are in a bit of a pickle. The field of candidates is full of people who are as clueless as Bush about how to get our selves out of this mess.

McCain swears he is going to go to Washington and clean house. He doesn’t blame the White House for the legislature for our problems. He points the finger at greedy Wall Street brokers and policy makers. Then he tells us he is going to punish the CEOs and strictly regulate the banking industry on Wall Street. Duh! McCain is a famous deregulator. He has bent over for every banker and broker who ever approached him. Remember, he was number four of the Keating Five. Though he wormed his way out of that he never changed a thing. Suddenly he is going to fix things for us now? The things he has screwed up over the past three decades. He doesn’t even have a plan. All he can offer is leadership. What kind of leadership is it that marches the country right over the cliff into an abysis of economic disaster?

Obama has a plan. Not much of one and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either, but it is a plan. He also vows to remove the obscene tax breaks to the super wealthy and give them to the struggling middle class. He doesn’t tell us how he is going to do it, but that is his plan.

I don’t think much of either of the two major candidates. Obama is a gifted orator, but has little history. McCain is surrounded by advisors who are the architects  of the situation we find ourselves in now. He and his seven lobbyist advisors are going to clean up the corruption on Wall Street. Right, he can’t even find Main Street.

The Libertarian candidate Bob Barr is nothing more than a rehashed Republican. Rejected by his party and now mouthing the empty words libertarians love to hear. He is without a doubt the worse choice that party has ever chosen to endorse.

Meanwhile we are spending billions we don’t have on a war in a country that never attacked us. We’ve lost thousands of young Americans in Iraq, a country who didn’t invite us to come in and destroy their land, depose and execute their elected leaders and steal their oil.

Americans are loosing their jobs and homes. McCain isn’t even sure how many he has, but he feels your pain. The government is bailing out financial institutions that made bad decisions and bankrupt the country. While they ignore the citizens suffering and loosing their homes. If they had bailed out the people instead of the businesses then homeowners might have been able to pay down their mortgages and keep their homes. Instead they’ve said damn America lets protect big business. Why? Because everyone knows big business has our best interest at heart. Hell, that’s why they have outsourced all of our jobs overseas. So, Americans, on unemployment could buy cheap goods made in countries who hate us.

Much more of this bullshit and you’re going to see a lot of people crossing the border. These buttfaced boneheads running the country are giving our country away anyway. Maybe we should just all move to Mexico and let the Mexicans have already here fend for themselves.

But Da Frog has a plan. I’d really like to hear this come from our leaders.

1. Outlaw all lobbyist. The government is supposed to work for the people. Lobbyist are nothing more than criminals who make a career of bribing our corrupt congress and White House.

2. We have a minimum wage, lets impose a maximum wage. No more golden parachutes for failure. Imagine how much better off the investors would be if do nothing CEOs weren’t skimming profits right off the top. Trust me, with this one action everyone would experience an increase in wealth. It is not a redistribution of wealth, it is a fair plan that would benefit far more people than it would hurt.

3. Adopt a ceiling for political campaign. Something like the Canadians have proposed. Candidates can spend $40 million on their campaign, no more. This would open the field to more choice, instead of the same two, old, tired parties.

4. Impose stiff tariffs on all goods coming in from foreign countries. Encourage corporations to return to the United states or pay the price.

5. Eliminate NAFTA, CAFTA and all the other corrupt programs that aid big business in their outsourcing of American jobs.

6. Freeze the assets of all foreign money invested in American banks. Countries like Iraq should forfeit all their pre-Iraq war profits and capital to the victims of the debacle in the middle east.

7. Impose stiff penalties on those who created the mess we are in now. Lock up the financial barons who have pillaged our treasury, seize their assets and sentence them to hard labor for the rest of their natural lives.

8. Take possession of our natural resources. Make the oil companies pay for the oil they suck from our ground on public lands. Nationalize the industry and rebuild, refurbish and restore our refineries.

9. Quit giving away massive amounts of money to foreign countries. We have tried buying friends for decades with our largess.

10. Secure our borders and send all those here illegally back where they came from. Send them back with a bill to their homeland governments for the cost of their stay in our country.

11. Do not put our troops in harm’s way needlessly. Bring them home, assign them to protect our borders and have them use force only when attacked protecting our homeland.

Hells Angels leader Mark “Papa” Guardado was shot dead in the streets of  San Francisco Tuesday night. The shooting occured at around 10:30 pm a mile from their clubhouse. A struggle ensued between “Papa” Guardado and a member of a rival motorcycle club that resulted in Guardado being shot.

“There was a description of a suspect fleeing the scene, and though we have no strong leads right now, we are dealing with what we have and continuing to follow it.”

The 45-year-old Guardado was reputedly the president of the half-century old branch of the infamous motorcycle club, which has been a particular target of criminal investigations, according to reports. (Source: NY Daily News)

This comes only a month after another Hells Angel member was shot in an altercation in Sturgis. In that instance several members of the Hells Angels tangled with some Washington state members of the Iron Pigs, a law enforcement motorcycle club. In that case the Hells Angels were assigned responsibility for the resulting shooting.

Prosecutors in South Dakota have dismissed a felony assault charge against a Seattle police detective who shot a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club last month during a bar fight.

Meade County State Attorney Jesse Sondreal said Monday that an aggravated-assault charge against Detective Ron Smith has been dropped because “the investigation that I have reviewed indicates he was assaulted and it was premeditated.”

Earlier this month, Sondreal dropped a felony perjury charge against Smith in connection with the same incident.

Smith still faces a misdemeanor charge stemming from the shooting of Joseph McGuire on Aug. 9.

Smith said he shot McGuire after McGuire and other members of the Hells Angels jumped him inside the Loud American Roadhouse during the annual Sturgis, S.D., Motorcycle Rally. Smith attended the rally as a member of the Iron Pigs, a motorcycle club made up of law-enforcement officers and firefighters.

In addition to the aggravated-assault and perjury charges, Smith was charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. (Source: Seattle Times)

After facing a grand jury Detective Smith was released. Since he was exonerated in the case he will now return to duty. Mr. McGuire, of the Hells Angels on the other hand, fled the scene and faces stiff penalties.

“Mr. McGuire and his group attempted to flee the scene [after the shooting] and wouldn’t cooperate and wouldn’t testify before the grand jury. They all invoked their right to remain silent,” Sondreal said.

McGuire, of Imperial Beach, Calif., was charged with aggravated assault. An aggravated-assault conviction in South Dakota can result in up to 15 years in prison. (Source: Seattle Times)

Our condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Guardado. The perpetrator of this crime better hope he is apprehended by law enforcement and not “Papa” Guardado brothers in the San Francisco Chapter.
No good can come from these incidents. Lets hope all parties involved can resolve their differences. Shootouts in the streets by rival biker groups don’t help the image of the rest of the motorcycle community. Everybody needs to behave themselves, it is a zoo out there.

One of the things about the present administration that has bothered a lot of people is the excessive secretiveness and denial. We’ve endured over seven years of back room negotiations and misdirection. They have acted like the public is the enemy.

Now it is starting even before the ballot has been cast by the wannabees standing in the wings. I’m talking of course about the Stepford wife McCain chose for a running mate. You know the mayor of a town of 7,000 in a state of less than 700,000. The woman who, if she wins as vice president will definately become our next president when old John is hauled off to the rest home or mental institution.

She is suing to cover up an investigation into her firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, is battling allegations that she and her advisers pressured then-Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire a state trooper going through a bitter custody dispute with Palin’s sister — and that Monegan was terminated when he refused. Palin says she fired Monegan over budget issues, and denies any wrongdoing. (Source: CNN)

She accuses the Obama campaign of “conducting a McCarthyistic investigation” into the matter. If she had done nothing wrong then what is she worried about? But you have to admit, it does sound a lot like the present administration’s cries of foul when the present congress questioned them about the firing of so many of our attorneys at the hands of Abu Gonzalez.

She has a record of personal vendettas. She will fit right into the mold in Washington. When she became governor of the frozen north she immediately retaliated against her opponents with mass firings and replaced them with her long time friends and high school classmates. This is just the kind of cronyism we’ve already put up with for the past seven years. Who needs another four of the same?

On a positive note, because I don’t like being negative all the time, its not the frog way, she would still make a great weather chick.