Bill's Brain - Bill's Blog Summaries 2005

December 2005

The Holidays Are Upon Us
Where did the year go? I swear I missed a few months. The holidays are fast approaching and that means things are nuttier than usual around the estate. Like millions of other Americans I’ll be celebrating the birth of crass commercialism, doing my part to feed the retail monster that each year consumes more and more of the calendar, spreading like an unstoppable cancer of consumption. Thanks to those visionary ARPAnet guys at least I can now do my shopping online. Waiting a few extra seconds for a page to load due to heavy Internet traffic while sitting comfortably in my PJ’s at home is so much better than being trampled by crowds of rabid shoppers at the mall, I don’t know how I’d survive the holidays without it. Whoever came up with the “ship to multiple addresses” function on Amazon is a saint in my book, deserving of a Nobel Shopping Prize or whatever they give to people who do things like that. (A Bill’s Brain Shopping Prize?) Read more.

November 2005

Iraqi Leaders Call for Withdrawal Timetable
Iraqi Shiite, Kurd, and Sunni leaders have called for a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops. Let’s see, I seem to remember someone who has been adamantly against a timetable, who was it, think, think … oh yes, it was George W. Bush. In fact he’s said several times that there will be no timetable for withdrawal. He’s also said that Iraq is sovereign and US troops are there because the Iraqi government wants them there. So what happens when the Iraqi government says it no longer wants US troops in their country and tells Bush to develop a timetable for withdrawal? Read more.

Bush and Cheney Push Pro-Torture Agenda
If you’ve been paying attention to the news recently you’ll know that the Bush administration has been working hard to uphold yet another one of their “values,” another “right” that they consider to be an essential part of their vision for America, the ability to torture people. If you’re smart enough to be reading this I probably don’t have to tell you that this is wrong on so many levels that it’s absurd that we’re even talking about this in America in the 21^st century. But, as I said when Bush was campaigning for president in 2000, he’s the perfect candidate to lead America into the 20^th century (think about it …), and history has proven me right. Read more.

The Iraq Deception - How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of Curveball
It looks like Bush’s great Iraq deception is finally starting to unravel, and people are actually starting to notice. (Question: Why do the majority of Americans seem to require a national disaster, like the wasting of hundreds of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives, before they wake up and pay attention to what their leaders are doing? Do you folks think you could do me a favor and work on improving that? I’d really appreciate it, as would our children, all our men and women in uniform, and their families. Remember, it’s your choice. All the debt, destruction, and death are purely optional. Pay attention, the life you save just might be yours.) But I digress. The LA Times has published an excellent article about the lying (that’s “intelligence providing” in Bushspeak) Iraqi defector called Curveball. Read more.

Right to a trial or no right to a trial? - More Bush Hypocrisy
There are times when the sheer magnitude of the Bush administration’s hypocrisy and self-contradiction is enough to make you feel like your brain is about to turn to mush and run out your ears. (If you have any sense whatsoever, that is.) Now is one of those times. I ask a simple question: Does the Bush administration believe that everyone has the right to a fair trial? Their response: Yes, I mean no, I mean yes, I mean no, I mean … it depends on what day you ask. Read more.

It's Cartoon Time Again!
It's been a while since I posted cartoons. Some of these are a bit old but they're still funny. Enjoy!
Bushist Disaster Relief - This one is excellent.
GOP Looters
Your Tax Cuts At Work
Another Spin
Rove Spins Death
Reliefanomics
What Went Wrong?
Some Administrations Never Learn
Who Pays

Bless You Rosa Parks – May We Finish What You Started
The passing of Rosa Parks, a true hero in the struggle for equal rights, has caused me to pause and think about how far we’ve come in eliminating discrimination and making the ideal of “equal protection under the law” a reality in America. One thing is for certain, we have a long way to go. Read more.

October 2005

October is Gone? Huh?
OK, I know I‘ve been busy lately, but what happened to October? I swear I saw a person running away with two of my weeks, and I want them back! I’ve been working on writing a few pieces for the site but I guess that some other stuff got in the way – what do they call it? – oh yea, it’s called “life.” I’ll just take a minute to comment a bit on recent events and ponder what the future may hold for the Bush administration … Read more.

Tom DeLay Arrest Warrant Issued
According to the Associated Press a Texas state court has issued an arrest warrant for one of our favorite political swindlers and all-around scumbags, ex-House majority leader Tom DeLay. What's that you say, could this mean there's a tiny bit of justice that still survives in America? Yes, it appears so, and in Texas no less. DeLay is expected to be booked soon and I'm hoping that we can get a copy of his jailhouse photo so we can show our support by putting it on T-shirts, posters, buttons, coasters, little sweaters for your cat, stuff like that. Read the story here.

How the Bush Administration Helped Bring Disaster to New Orleans
By appointing political supporters with no disaster management experience to head FEMA, taking away FEMA’s disaster preparation and planning functions, denying Louisiana’s requests for disaster preparation funds, and slashing the budget for maintaining New Orleans’ levees so much that work on the levees stopped for the first time in 37 years, George Bush and his administration helped bring about one of the worst disasters in US history. Read more.

Compromising FEMA, Endangering New Orleans
Washington Monthly has compiled this informative timeline that illustrates how the Bush administration laid the foundation for the flooding disaster in New Orleans. Read it and weep. (Better yet, if you want to help your country and protect your fellow citizens, read it and stop voting for Republicans.) Bush-FEMA Chronology.

September 2005

Tom DeLay Indicted for Criminal Conspiracy, Steps Down as Majority Leader
I’ve been watching Tom DeLay for quite a while now and there’s no other way to say it, the man is corrupt to the bone. He’s got to be one of the most corrupt and dishonest politicians in government today, so it’s good to see that his evil ways are finally catching up with him. I cannot understand how people anywhere in America could elect someone like DeLay to represent them. What were their other choices? Jeffrey Dahmer? Dennis Rader (the BTK killer)? You have to go really low in order to make DeLay look good. I’ll write more about this development later, but for now you can read the details on CNN.

Stop the Presses: Bush Says the R-Word – Responsibility
It was a sight I thought I’d never see and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. It was a sight more rare than the ivory-billed woodpecker, George Bush taking responsibility for something that his administration screwed up. We have dispatched a team to Hades with a thermometer to see if Hell has in fact frozen over. Read more.

New Music - Bryan Lee Foster (aka The Phoenix)
If you've read our Music page you'll know that over the past couple years I recorded guitar tracks for several songs that my long-time friend and musical collaborator Bryan Foster has been producing. It was a real cross-country effort. Bryan would email rough mixes of the songs to me, I'd import them into Pro Tools, record several guitar tracks, then bounce each track to disk, burn the files onto CD, and mail the CD to him. At his end of the country he lined up all the tracks and did the final mix. You can now purchase the fruits of our labor, the CDs "The Phoenix" and "Flashes of Brilliance" on the Music page.

A Note to George Bush About Hurricane Katrina
George – As you survey the destruction caused by hurricane Katrina and look at all the devastated homes and flooded cities, there’s one very, very important thing you need to realize: THIS IS WHAT GLOBAL WARMING DOES AND IF YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE IT, IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE! If you need to read that sentence multiple times until it gets through your thick skull and you get it, do it and do it now. Do not read further until you do. Katrina has shown us exactly what we face in the coming years, and you have an important choice to make, George. We’re the human race, and are you for us, or against us? Read more.

The Gloves Are Off
I have had enough. I’m mad as hell and I’m going to write about it. I can no longer entertain the delusional fantasies of ignorant fools and I can no longer tolerate the so-called “leaders” in our government who repeatedly bring harm to America and the American people through their greed, deceit, ignorance, incompetence, and negligence. As the bumper sticker says, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” I’ve been paying attention, and I’m definitely outraged. Read more.

Our Hearts Go Out to All Victims of Hurricane Katrina
This is perhaps the worst disaster ever to hit our country and to add insult to injury, our government was clearly not prepared for it. It is truly sad to see the way that the federal government has failed the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. There’s no excuse for taking 4-5 (or even 6-7) days to get help to those who needed it. For the past few years I’ve said that our government is not prepared for a major terrorist attack and their response to Hurricane Katrina shows that I’m right. Unfortunately the American people are once again paying the price for the government’s negligence with their lives. We pray for all the victims of this terrible tragedy and we hope that this will serve as a wake-up call to the Bush administration and everyone else in the federal government that they need to take disaster preparedness, and global warming, seriously. While the government’s response has been disappointing, it has been gratifying to see all of the private citizens who have stepped forward to help. Over the past week there have been hundreds of stories of people who have done truly selfless and heroic things, even risking their own lives to help the victims of this disaster. It’s good for all of us to remember that in spite of all the violence and crime we see in the news every day, there are a lot of very good people in America. Thank God (or the deity of your choice) for that. You can help by making a donation to the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html.

August 2005

God Bless Cindy Sheehan
"Blessed are the peace makers, for they will be called sons of God." - Matthew 5:9. Many Americans claim to believe the Bible and follow its teachings, yet a surprisingly large number seem to have overlooked this sentence. As a public service to those inattentive readers we offer some food for thought for Christians who support president Bush and criticize Cindy Sheehan. Think of it as our way of saving you from eternal damnation in Hell. (You can thank us later.) Read more.

Cow Manure Eyed as Alternate Fuel Source
The San Jose Mercury News reports that cow manure is being evaluated as a source of energy. Now this is a promising development. According to my calculations, the bullshit emanating from the Bush administration alone would supply the US with more energy than we’re currently getting from Iraqi oil, and a lot less people would have to die. Read more.

The End Must Be Near
That's it, these surely must be the end times. Plagues, floods, fires, earthquakes, swarms of locusts, Tom DeLay, and now this: Belgian Monks Run Out of the World's Best Beer. Lord help us all!

Why is George Afraid of Cindy?
George Bush is still refusing to talk to Cindy Sheehan, the mother whose son was killed in Iraq. Sheehan, along with a throng of supporters, has been camped out along the road outside Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch. She’s asking to talk to Bush but so far he’s been too chicken to cross the road and speak with her. Why? I'm glad you asked ... Read more.

Bill O’Reilly Goes O’Crazy
I hereby declare that Bill O’Reilly is officially O’Loony. He’s lost it. I’m not sure that he ever really had it, but if he did, it’s gone now. On a recent Faux News show O’Reilly criticized the ACLU, saying "If the ACLU ever wants money, it should contact the Al Qaeda fundraisers. No organization in America enables terrorism as much as the ACLU, period. It is putting your life in danger. And that is no exaggeration." Yep, that ACLU, they’re really putting your life in danger. They lie to you and push their “US world domination – we want oil” agenda at all costs. They go out and invade countries that didn’t attack the US, like Iraq, turning them into a training ground for terrorists and inciting unprecedented hated of the US, which creates even more terrorists who are more determined than ever to kill Americans. Then they try to recruit you to go fight in their war (and be wounded or killed) while they neglect even basic homeland security planning to protect you in the event of another terrorist attack. And on top of that, they roll back pollution regulations so that an additional 6,000-9,000 Americans a year will die from pollution-caused illness, they ignore the global warming that causes deadly heat waves like the one that killed over 35,000 people in 2003, and they eliminate policies that protected your safety so their big-business campaign donors can make more profit. And they hate your freedom too! They’ve fought to give the president the power to strip you of all your rights and imprison you forever with no charges and no trial. They even want to be able to torture you! Those damned ACLU bastards! They’re so anti-American it makes my teeth hurt!!! They ... hey ... wait a minute, it’s the Bush administration that’s done all those things, not the ACLU. Never mind.

Bill’s Brain to Robert Novak: Keep On Walking!
In case you missed it, columnist Robert Novak recently got a tad upset and walked off the set of CNN’s “Inside Politics” during a discussion with James Carville about Katherine Harris’ plan to run for the Senate. (As a side note, I think we need Harris in the Senate like we need a hole in the head, or a fraudulent election. Oh wait, Harris already gave us that in 2000 when she illegally certified results for 20 of Florida's 67 counties without an automatic recount, as required by Florida law when election results differ by one half of one percent or less.) But back to Novak. Carville made a comment about how Novak had to “show these right-wingers that he's got backbone … show 'em you're tough" and that seemed to set Novak off. He responded "Well, I think that's bullshit, and I hate that," and then got up and walked off the set. That Novak, he can really dish it out but I guess he can’t take it. As far as I’m concerned Novak can just keep right on walking, preferably to the nearest jail. Does it seem right that Judith Miller, the writer who didn’t reveal Valerie Plame’s identity in her column, is in jail while Novak, the person who did reveal Plame’s identity in his column, is walking around free? After all, Rove and Libby (and perhaps others) leaked Plame’s name, but Novak is the one who published it in his column for the whole world to see. When the leak investigation is over Novak should spend some time at the graybar hotel so he can ponder the fact that America’s national security is more important than writing a good column. See the Novak “These Boots are Made for Walking” video here: http://mediamatters.org/items/200508040004

Bush Appoints Bolton: It’s Payback Time
Figuratively extending a prominent middle finger and a hearty “F- you!” to the Senate and, according to an MSNBC poll, 74% of the American people, president Bush has bypassed the Congressional confirmation process and appointed John Bolton US ambassador to the United Nations. Believe it or not I was actually debating with myself as to whether or not Bush really was nothing more than a spoiled, self-centered, arrogant, power-hungry SOB with zero respect for the American system of government. I guess I now don’t have to debate that question any longer. (Thanks for clearing that up for me, George.) But just who is this John Bolton character and why was Bush so determined to give him this appointment? Read more.

July 2005

Bush Administration Lobbies for Cruel, Inhumane and Degrading Treatment
This is one of those stories that makes you realize just how thoroughly depraved the Bush administration really is. John McCain, a former Vietnam POW and one of the few Republican leaders worthy of respect, introduced legislation to prevent the "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment" (i.e. torture) of prisoners in government custody, and guess who strongly opposes it? Cruel dictators like Saddam Hussein? No! Regimes like those in Iran or North Korea? No! The Bush administration? Yes! Read more.

Bush Says He Will Fire Himself
It’s the first good thing I’ve heard come out of Bush’s mouth in a long, long time. When questioned recently about what he would do if Karl Rove had in fact leaked Valerie Plame’s name, president Bush said “If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration.” If Bush is true to his word, as some of his deluded supporters claim, then he must be packing up his desk and getting ready to head back to Crawford because he can no longer work in his own administration. Read more.

House Energy Chair Attempts to Intimidate Climate Scientists
The chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton, is attempting to intimidate climate scientists whose research shows evidence of global warming. He is asking them to provide their raw data, and has also asked the National Science Foundation for details of all grants and other funding given for climate research. And of course Barton is unbiased when it comes to the question of global warming, right? Of course! He’s only received $1.84 million from the oil, gas, coal, nuclear, electricity and chemical industries since 1987, more than any other member of the House. Douchebag. Read the whole story at http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000280.php.

Rove and Plame: The Great Diversion
People, we’re all being had yet again by the Bush administration. Allow me to explain: If you’ve been following the investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame’s name you’ll know that one of the reporters involved, Judith Miller, decided to go to jail instead of revealing the source of the leak. A second reporter, Matthew Cooper, was also prepared to go to jail to protect his source but at the last minute that source (apparently Karl Rove, president Bush’s senior advisor) called him and told him is was OK for him to testify and reveal his name. The crucial question everyone should be asking is WHY? Why did Rove call Cooper and say it was OK to reveal him as the source? Rove knew that by making that call he would be putting himself at the center of a firestorm and risking his job with the administration. (Although judging by the way dunce-boy Bush has dealt with other members of his administration who have screwed up big time, he’ll probably give Rove a medal.) But seriously, Rove didn’t have to make that call, so why did he? I’ve spent a lot of time studying the Bush regime’s tactics and based on their past escapades, I think I’ve figured out why. Read more.

Rove Leaks to Novak – It’s D�j� Vu All Over Again
If all the talk about Karl Rove leaking Valerie Plame’s name to Robert Novak sounds oddly familiar, it should. It’s not the first time that a Rove-Novak leak has happened and gotten Rove in trouble. It turns out that Rove was fired by George H. W. Bush in 1992 for leaking a negative story about a Bush supporter to – you guessed it – Robert Novak. I guess those who don’t know history truly are condemned to repeat it. Maybe we should all pitch in and send Rove a box of Depends to help with his leak problem? Read more.

Scott McClellan Refuses to Stand By Rove Statements
I didn’t realize that White House press secretary Scott McClellan was such a good tap dancer. At a recent press conference he expertly danced around questions about Karl Rove’s involvement in the leak of Valerie Plame’s name not once, not twice, but 23 times! Back in September of 2003 McClellan said that Rove was not involved in leaking Plame’s name to writer Robert Novak but at a recent press conference he refused to stand by his statement. For more details, the transcript and video just … Read more.

Election 2004 Page Updated
I've added several links to articles that describe the many discrepancies in the 2004 election results, and some links to statistical analysis which shows that the outcome was essentially impossible. See the Election 2004 page for details.

London Falling – 7-7-05
All of us at Bill's Brain send our deepest sympathies to everyone who has been affected by the terrorist attacks in Britain, and especially to those who have lost loved ones. I remember how I felt on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and I share your grief. Read more.

Former Republican Committee Co-Chair to Head Corp for Public Broadcasting
Patricia Harrison, former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), has been named the new president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The appointment is regarded as a victory for conservatives who want to address what they consider to be a “liberal bias” in public broadcasting. Oh boy, this ought to be good. Bill’s Brain ponders the concept of “liberal bias” and speculates on the changes that might be coming soon to a TV near you. Read more.

June 2005

Comments on the Downing Street Memo and Other British Government Documents
At the risk of stating the obvious, much has been said about the Downing Street Memo and the collection of other secret British government documents that have been leaked in recent weeks. We’ve collected some of the best comments for your perusal, including gems like this one: "And so it went. Lie after lie. Scare upon scare. Fakery after fakery, trumpeted by the tame [American] media that came to resemble the lickspittle press of the old Soviet Union. Ironically, in the end, horrid Saddam Hussein turned out to be telling the truth all along [about not having weapons of mass destruction], while Bush and Blair were not." Ouch. The truth hurts doesn’t it, George? Read more.

James Sensenbrenner - Asshole Extraordinaire
Pardon my language, but there’s really no other way to describe Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin (Republican, of course) after what he did at the recent Patriot Act hearing. I was fortunate enough to see the end of the hearing on CSPAN and I just couldn’t believe what I saw. Sensenbrenner, who chaired the event, violated the Rules of the House and was unbelievably rude, disrespectful, and abusive toward the people testifying and the other members of the committee. In short, he was a real A-hole. (I think my nickname for him will be Sphincterbrenner.) Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean. People of Wisconsin, does this guy really represent you? If not, you may want to elect someone else next time because this jerk is giving your state a really bad name. Read more.

Welcome to Downing Street Mr. Bush
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law … Bill’s Brain is gratified to see the truth about the Bush administration’s Iraq agenda finally being reported in the mainstream media, thanks to the infamous “Downing Street Memo” and several other British government documents that have recently been leaked to the press. The big question now is, will the American people stand up for truth and justice and insist that Bush and his neocon co-conspirators be held accountable for their crimes, or will they allow themselves to once again be deceived and manipulated by the ruthless Rove/Republican political machine? Read more.

More cartoons!
Lots of great cartoons recently, here are some of my favorites.
Flushing the Geneva Conventions
Flushing the Constitution
The Big Freeze
Language is a Virus
Republicans Believe the Darndest Things
Sound Familiar?
Embryonic Hypocrisy
Culture of Life?
The Ghost of Nixon
Jon Stewart Rules!

Bill’s Brain Quiz: Which is More Important, People or Profits?
Which is more important to George W. Bush and his administration, protecting the lives of 45 million Americans or protecting the profits of the tobacco industry? If you said protecting tobacco industry profits, you’re right. Read more.

New Photographs Posted
There have been a lot of blooms around the "estate" the past few weeks so I've been out and about with the camera. I've posted a bunch of new pictures in the Flowers section of the photography page.

A Plea to the Media
Last night on CNN Aaron Brown reported on the Downing Street memo, the one that shows that the Bush administration planned to attack Iraq all along and “fixed the facts” to support their plan. Bill’s Brain is glad to see the US media finally reporting this story. To see my letter to Aaron Brown about this story and the role of the media, just click … Read more.

May 2005

Memorial Day Thoughts
Memorial Day is a day that should make us all pause, reflect, and give thanks. We should never forget the sacrifices made by millions of Americans. Read more.

Amnesty International Calls for Investigation of Bush Administration
Amnesty International USA (AIU) has brought up the dreaded “R” word, the word that the Bush administration avoids like the plague, responsibility. The folks at AIU have been so brazen as to suggest – get this – that the people who run the organizations responsible for the torture at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere actually be held accountable for their actions and – you won’t believe this part – be punished for breaking the law! Man, what are those AIU guys smoking? Don’t they realize that this is George W. Bush’s America, a place where laws don’t matter and the government can do whatever it damn well pleases, even if that means water-boarding you until you nearly drown? Invading other countries, overthrowing governments, violating the Constitution, rigging elections, destroying the environment, creating massive debt, torturing people, it’s all good in George Bush’s America baby! Read more.

Bush Threatens to Make Americans Suffer More
Not contented with just lying to the American people, destroying their country’s reputation, wrecking their economy, driving the value of their currency into the crapper, saddling them with hundreds of billions of dollars of unnecessary debt, turning their country over to wealthy special interests and religious fanatics, forcing them to breathe more polluted air and drink more polluted water, and trying to undermine their system of government, president Bush has now threatened to make those who are sickest and suffering the most, suffer even more. And in doing so he has demonstrated that he and terrorists like Osama Bin Laden have more in common than most people realize. Read more.

Bill’s Brain is Back!
If you noticed that I haven’t posted for a week or so it’s because the spousal unit and I went on a little road trip to see a Maxfield Parrish art exhibit, visit an excellent automobile museum, and hit a couple antique stores. Read more.

Generalized Organizational Psychosis
President Bush and others in his administration have frequently acted in ways that have jeopardized the integrity of our government, compromised the safety of our country, and threatened the rights of the American people. Bill’s Brain takes a look at this phenomenon in more detail and discovers that the Bush administration’s actions have much in common with people suffering from psychological disorders. Read more.

Thoughts on a Bunch of Stuff - Vol. 1
Wow, a lot has been going on lately and it’s been hard to keep up with it all. In military lingo it’s a “target-rich environment.” Unfortunately something keeps interfering with my writing … what was it called … oh yea, it’s called WORK! That little thing I have to do every day so that I can pay my bills. So much has been happening recently that I could easily write full-time (let me know if you’d like to pay me to do that). For my latest thoughts on Bush avoiding the Hague, DeLay armed and dangerous, the Earth in trouble, God speaking to Bush, giving away America, radioactive Republicans, and John Bolton, just click … Read more.

Injustice Sunday
As you’ve no doubt heard, Senate majority leader Bill Frist recently addressed (via telecast) the ironically-named “Justice Sunday” rally/bigotfest. He was invited to speak by the event’s main sponsor, Family Research Council president and fellow idiot, Tony Perkins. Speakers at the event demonstrated that they have absolutely no shame about invoking “Christianity” as justification for preaching oppression and injustice. Read more.

Bush Suggests Not Totally Screwing the Poor
President Bush has made a surprise concession to intelligent people who actually understand how ill-conceived government policies hurt average Americans and the country. In a primetime news conference Bush suggested not cutting Social Security benefits for the poorest retirees. Under the new plan he would only screw some, but not all, low-income Americans. Read more.

April 2005

Republicans Going Nuclear?
Already punch-drunk with power, some Republicans in Congress will apparently stop at nothing to get even more. Forget about the vision of our nation’s founders of a system of checks and balances designed to prevent tyranny of the majority, forget about 229 years of American history, forget about debate, compromise, and respect, they want a degree of control that can only be described as tyrannical. Read more.

Tell Corporate America to "Drop the Hammer"
As you probably already know, Tom "The Hammer" DeLay has been a bit, shall we say, "ethically challenged" recently. In an effort to save his sorry tush he's created a legal defense fund to fend off the various ethics inquiries, and several of his corporate sponsors have contributed to the fund, including American Airlines, Bacardi USA, Nissan USA, RJ Reynolds, and Verizon. If you'd like to ask these companies to "Drop the Hammer" and stop supporting DeLay you can do so at this web site created by the American Progress Action Fund.

Bill's Brain presents: Cartoons!
We thought you could all use a little extra levity. Besides, it's spring and we're feeling like having a little fun. Enjoy!
Enter the Republican Zone
Lies Lies Lies
"Helping" Jesus
Life in Post-Science America
Death Tax vs Birth Tax
Your Kid Will Support Bush

Bush Runs Out of Gas
What should the president do about high gas prices? In 2000 George W. Bush said “the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price.” But now that he’s the president he claims he’s “powerless” to do anything about high gas prices. In the Political Olympics Bush has just pulled off a stunning reversal combined with an impressive display of utter spinelessness. That’s a difficult maneuver, and one that should give him high scores from the judges. And is it just me or is there a disturbing similarity between the Christian reference to “the jawbone of an ass,” and an ass talking about jawbones? Oh, if only we could develop cars that run on hypocrisy, we’d have an endless fuel supply. Read more.

“Dead Wrong” Intelligence, Wrongly Dead Victims
A presidential commission has concluded that US intelligence on Iraq’s weapons was “dead wrong.” That means that over 1,500 American troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis (perhaps more than 100,000 by some estimates) are wrongly dead. Anyone who paid attention to how the Bush administration produced and used key intelligence in the months before the war had good reason to believe that the intelligence was wrong before the war even started, but it just didn’t matter. Worse yet, it could happen again. Read more.

Bush Clarifies Social Security Plan
Finally, Bush has come out and explained his Social Security proposal in language that anyone could understand. (Uh, sure, whatever you say, George.) Read more.

We Salute the Minuteman Project!
"Americans doing the jobs Congress won't do."
Exemplifying the "can-do" American spirit, the Minuteman Project organizes volunteers to protect America’s border. This appears to be a model that should garner the support of president Bush and those on the political right for a variety of reasons. Could the same concept be used to address some of the other areas that the Bush administration is neglecting? Read more.

NEWS FLASH: A Public Service Announcement
OK, I'm getting REALLY tired of reading about these idiots who keep criticizing the judges in the Terri Schiavo case and saying things like "the courts no longer respect human life." (Tom DeLay, that includes YOU!) For their benefit, and to vent our frustration, we present this Bill's Brain Public Service Announcement. If you've already read the announcement and still don't understand the concept, try the Enhanced Version.

It's True! Sex Helps Your Brain
We here at Bill's Brain always thought it was true, and now there's scientific proof. Read more.

Thoughts on the Terri Schiavo Case
In which Bill’s over-active brain spews forth a series of thoughts on this sad situation. Sticky lips, sleeping through class, activist judges, memo mania, defending life (or is it death?), hypocrisy out the wazoo, lawlessness, and more! Read more.

March 2005

Why Did Republicans Get So Involved in the Terri Schiavo Case?
Was it just good-intentioned concern for Terri, or was there something more at stake? When there’s this much public posturing and pontificating it’s a safe bet that there’s a larger agenda at work. (Updated: Proof that I was right.) Read more.

Bush Achieves New Heights of Hypocrisy in Schiavo Case
President Bush rushed back to Washington DC to sign a bill intended to reinstated Terri Schiavo's life support, saying "I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life." This seems odd because as governor of Texas Bush stood on the opposite side, the side of those wanting to end life, signing a bill that allowed hospitals to remove life support and let patients die against their family's wishes. Bush must be really glad that he has two feet so he can stand on both sides of issues like this. Read more.

Bush’s Secret Plan to Eliminate Education Funding
On the surface you might think that No Child Left Behind is an earnest attempt by the Bush administration to improve America's education standards. But like so many other schemes that the Bush crew has championed, when you look beyond the talking points you'll find that it's not what it seems to be. Read more.

The Mysterious Death of Raymond Lemme
Raymond Lemme, a member of the Florida Inspector General's office, was investigating charges that a Republican representative had requested vote-rigging software for electronic voting machines. He reportedly found evidence of corruption that went "all the way to the top," but never got a chance to present that evidence. He was found dead in a hotel bathtub. Was it suicide, or did someone want to stop Mr. Lemme from talking about what he had discovered? Read more.

666 - The Number of the Deficit
The Commerce Department has reported that the deficit in the US current account surged 25.5 percent last year to an all-time high of $666 billion. (Thanks George! I’m sure our children and grandchildren are going to enjoy paying that off.) I have to wonder, is someone trying to send us a message? Could this be yet another sign that the current administration is evil? Hmmm …

Bernard Kerik: “Doin’ It” While NY Burns
Apparently former Homeland Security nominee Bernard Kerik liked the whole concept of “fiddling while Rome burns,” but he was unable to play the violin. Undeterred, he drew upon his good old New York ingenuity and took the idea to a whole new level. According to the New York Times, Kerik, who is married and has two children, used an apartment overlooking ground zero as a meeting place for an extramarital affair. And if that weren’t bad enough, the apartment that he used for his illicit trysts had been donated for use by tired police and rescue workers who were working at ground zero. You gotta love those Republican “family values,” don’t ya?

US Shoots Freed Italian Hostage
Held captive by insurgents for over a month, a former hostage is shot by American forces as she nears Baghdad airport. One Italian secret service agent is killed and two are wounded in the incident. Italians are not impressed. Read more.

Congress Supports Religious Discrimination
Get in the wayback machine, roll back the clock, and kiss decades of civil rights advances goodbye! The House has passed a bill that allows organizations to discriminate against job candidates based on their religious beliefs. Read more.

February 2005

UN Report Confirms "Bush-style" Democracy in Afghanistan
A United Nations report confirms that "Bush-style" democracy in Afghanistan has left the country with many of the same problems Bush created in the US. And the wealthy opium growers didn't even get tax cuts! Read more.

N. Korea Wants US "Sincerity"
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il recently said that he hoped the US would show "trustworthy sincerity" in their approach to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Kim, you want "trustworthy sincerity" from the Bush administration? All we can say is get in line buddy! We've been waiting for some sign of trustworthiness or sincerity for his whole presidency.

Bush Objects to Putin's "Consolidation of Power"
This one strikes us as ironic, because since 9/11 Bush has pushed hard to consolidate an unprecedented amount of power in the Executive branch and declare himself "above the law." Is that hypocrisy I smell, or did you step in something? Read more.

Social Security Smear Campaign
Get ready for a new smear campaign against the AARP for opposing Bush's plan to destroy ("privatize") Social Security. And guess who's behind it? The same wonderful folks who brought us those charming Swift Boat hit pieces. Read more.

Republicans Chant “Social Security has got to go!”
A group of Republicans were heard chanting "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Social Security has got to go!" on CNN, and Senator Rick Santorum says "it is time for a Republican solution to Social Security." A Repulican "solution" to Social Security? That sounds just great considering how well all the other Republican "solutions" have worked. (NOT!) Read more.