'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Prescott & George W.
By Baron Dave Romm
For a group that regularly slings mud like "feminazi", the high dudgeon of neocons over a couple of MoveOn.com submissions comparing George W. Bush to Hitler is a rather amazing double standard. As usual, the conservatives are practicing moral relativism, and it's embarrassing them. They just don't get this whole "free speech" thing... unless it's Ann Coulter, of course.
I haven't seen the BushIn30Seconds ads in question, but neither have the critics, I bet. I'm not going to sink to their level of random accusations. Let's be clear: George W. Bush is not Adolf Hitler. On the other hand, drawing parallels between the Bush family and the Nazis is quite honest and historically accurate. To be completely fair and balanced, let's look at four generations of Bush influence-peddlers and see which America-hating religious fanatics the Bush family have been close friends with over the years.
There is no question that George Herbert Walker and his son-in-law Prescott Bush were, at best, Nazi sympathizers up to and including when we were at war with Hitler. I went into the Bush progenitors' cozy relationship with the Third Reich in another article first printed here a while ago. That article has the supporting links and deeper exegisis, and I won't repeat them here. To summerize, with a few additional comments:
George Herbert Walker, called "Bert" with friends and "Pops" with his family, a Democrat from Missouri around the turn of the last century, was a promising wheeler-dealer with no business sense on his own. When his businesses failed (a Bush family trait, it seems), he married his daughter into the Bush family, a long-established but not terribly wealthy bunch. Ohio manufacturer Samuel Bush was director of the facilities division of the US War Industries Board (which oversaw the disposition of German industries after WWI), and later became a close advisor to President Hoover. Walker-Bush was a match made in heaven (some would say literally divinely inspired, it seems). Walker moved to Connecticut and made immediate high-level political-industrial complex connections. Bert was appointed president and CEO of the WA Harriman & Co. bank. Averell Harriman is another shady figure, scion of a prominent family and eventually Ambassador to the USSR and Democrat Governor of New York. In 1922, Bert was sent to Berlin to open a branch of the Harriman bank and in 1924 founded the Union Banking Corporation (UBC) in Berlin with money from Harriman and in partnership with Fritz Thyssen. Thyssen was a notorious German industrialist with strong ties to the growing Nazi party. He was dubbed "Hitler's Angel" and eventually confessed in his book, I Paid Hitler.
Walker's son-in-law Prescott went to Yale and became a member of the Skull and Bones Society, as did his son and grandson. Prescott eventually rose to prominence in the Harriman organization and was a major player in the Union Bank Corporation that his father helped found with Hitler's Angel. He became Republican Senator from Connecticut after losing the election but getting appointed when the incumbent died. (Aside 1: While there is no evidence of foul play or Prescott's involvement in the death of the senator, an awful lot of the Bush family history includes the phrase, "...when so-and-so died." See previous articles on Salem bin Laden (below) and Paul Wellstone.) He won the next election on his own. While senator, Prescott cleaned up the Bush family's biggest know scandal to date.
Many US companies invested in German industries between WWI and WWII, some with more sinister implications than others. Most pulled their German investments after German started WWII in 1939. It became illegal to have investments in Germany shortly after Pearl Harbor and the US entering the war against the Axis powers. Mere legality is not a hinderance to the Bush family, and Prescott has several properties seized under the Trading With the Enemies Act. These properties were kept by the US government until Prescott became senator, several years after the war ended, and were soon sold to enormous profit.
George Herbert Walker Bush, nicknamed as a child "Poppy" deriving from his grandfather "Pops" Walker, fought in the Pacific Theater in WWII. He moved to Texas to seek out his fortune in the oil business. He still kept his family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine and New England accent. George W. was born in New Haven. Poppy Bush's oil business didn't work out all that well, but his political connections stood him in good stead. He was briefly a Republican Congressman from Texas, lost a Senate race and became chairman of the Republican National Committee, Envoy to China, Director of the CIA, Vice President and then President. He currently is working in and with various Middle Eastern oil interests, espcially the Saudis and the bin Laden family. On 9/11, when Osama bin Laden was attacking America, George Herbert Walker Bush was meeting the Osama bin Laden's brother, Shafiq.
(Aside 2: Speculation about the secretive Skull and Bones Society reaches amusing lows with all sorts of conspiracy theories abounding. It's not necessary to view the Society as anything more than it claims to be: A place where the sons of the very rich can form emotional and sexual bonds. It's the ultimate Old Boys Network. Many Bonesmen are tied to the CIA, and it's natural that they would accept one of their own as Chairman.)
(Aside 3: While the bin Laden family has publically disclaimed knowledge or approval of Osama, the family ties seem stronger than they let on. Al Queda gets a lot of funds from sources that seem to trace back to Saudi Arabia and some of the bin Ladens. It's business as usual for the Bushes and the bin Ladens to work together, so the meeting between Poppy and Shafiq deserves a closer look but can probably be explained. What's harder to explain is George W. letting the members of the bin Laden family in the US fly out of the country right after the 9/11 attacks with little or no questioning, and letting Abdullah bin Laden off the hook.)
(Aside 4: While no proof of any connection exists between events and it's probably a coincidence... Poppy Bush was meeting with Osama bin Laden's brother on 9/11. Twenty years earlier, on the same day as the assination attempt on Reagan the sex-pervert brother of George W, Neil Bush was supposed to have dinner with the brother of assassin John Hinckley.) Ah, brotherhood.
George W. Bush's close ties to the bin Laden family tend not get a lot of press in the conservative news media. Journalism is no longer practiced by the major news outlets. The ties are very close, and have been well documented. The most damning piece of evidence is the most obvious one, and the one least likely to be mentioned on hate radio: George W. Bush's first business partner was Salem bin Laden, brother of Osama. Salem died in a light airplane crash in 1988, conveniently before he might be called on to answer a few questions while Poppy was running for president. Probably a coincidence...
The Nazis made a lot of money for people who really hate the US. The bin Laden family makes a lot of money for people who really hate the US. The Bush family has been closely associated with both. Freepers freak out when you point out the truth, so I try to tell the truth as often as possible. But get your Bush Family Evil Empire ties straight: George W. Bush is associated more with the bin Ladens than he is the Nazis. His grandfather and great-grandfather were the Bushes who were buddy-buddy with Hitler and the Nazis, and only peripherally dealt with the oil interests in the German-allied Arab countries.
Got it?
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E , and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
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In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Weather is too nice to mention.
We have a call-in system for jury duty. Made my call tonight & they don't need me in the morning! Woo-hoo!
Still waiting for my niece to show up.
Tonight, Monday, CBS opens the night with a FRESH 'Yes, dear', followed by a RERUN 'Still Standing', then a
FRESH 'Raymond', followed by a FRESH '2½ Men', then a FRESH 'CSI: Miami'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Patricia Heaton and Kate Bosworth.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Arsenio Hall, Bai Ling, and Ying Yang Twins with Lil' Jon.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH 'Fear Factor', followed by a FRESH 'Las Vegas' (starts 10 minutes AFTER the top of the hour), then a
FRESH 'Joe Average: Hawaii' (also starts 10 minutes AFTER the top of the hour).
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Ben Stiller, Pete Rose, and Leann Rimes.
On a traditional Monday night RERUN Conan (from 10/30/03), are Quentin Tarantino, Molly Sims, and Chuck Palahniuk.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Will Ferrell, Chris Matthews, and Le Tigre.
ABC fills the night with the movie 'Enemy Of The State'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Jaime Pressly, with this week's guest co-host Enrique Iglesias.
The WB offers a FRESH '7th Heaven', followed by a
RERUN of this season's premiere episode of 'Surreal Life' (which aired Sunday night).
Faux has the movie 'Happy Gilmore'.
UPN has a FRESH 'The Parkers', followed by a FRESH 'Eve', then a
FRESH 'Girlfriends', followed by a FRESH 'Half & Half'.
A&E has 'American Justice', 'House of Dreams' (with George Wendt), another 'House of Dreams', 'Airline', and another 'Airline'.
AMC offers the movie 'You Only Live Twice', followed by the movie 'Diamonds Are Forever', then the movie 'Airport '77'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Episode 2;
[7pm] 'House Invaders' - Hall Green;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Eastbourne;
[8pm] 'Murder in Mind' - Justice;
[9pm] 'Wire in the Blood' - Justice Painted Blind;
[11pm] 'Murder in Mind' - Justice;
[12am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Justice Painted Blind;
[2am] 'House Invaders' - Hall Green;
[2:30am] 'Changing Rooms' - Eastbourne;
[3am] 'Wire in the Blood' - Justice Painted Blind;
[5am] 'Murder in Mind' - Justice; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'West Wing', followed by the movie 'The Grifters'.
Comedy Central has 'Reno 911!', another 'Reno 911!', still another 'Reno 911!', yet another 'Reno 911!', and one more 'Reno 911!', followed by 'South
Park', then 'Insomniac'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart is Richard Lewis.
Discovery has the Season Premiere of 'American Chopper'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'UFOs: You Didn't Know', 'UFOs: You Didn't Know', 'UFOs: You Didn't Know', and 'Crop Circle Controversy'.
SciFi is all 'Stargate SG-1' all night.
TCM pays tribute all day to the always fabulous
Luise Rainer, who celebrates her 93rd birthday today.
[6am] 'The Great Ziegfeld' (1936);
[9am] 'Big City' (1937);
[10:30am] 'The Emperor's Candlesticks' (1937);
[12pm] 'The Good Earth' (1937);
[2:30pm] 'Dramatic School' (1938);
[4pm] 'The Great Waltz' (1938);
[6pm] 'The Toy Wife' (1938);
[8pm] 'To Hell And Back' (1955);
[10pm] 'The Pride Of The Yankees' (1942);
[12:30am] 'Gentlemen Marry Brunettes' (1955);
[2:30am] 'My Favorite Spy' (1942);
[4am] 'The Jackie Robinson Story' (1950);
[5:30am] 'MGM Parade Show #21' (1955). (ALL TIMES EST)
Actors Johnny Depp (L) and Sean Penn chat together after the 9th annual Critics Choice Awards, sponsored by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Janaury 10, 2004 in Beverly Hills. Penn won the award fro best actor for his role in the film 'Mystic River' and Depp was a nominee in the same catergory for 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'
Photo by Fred Prouser
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Critics' Choice Awards
The final installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy claimed best picture and best director honors Saturday at the Critics' Choice Awards, while "Mystic River" star Sean Penn was named best actor and Charlize Theron took the best actress honor as a serial killer in "Monster."
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" beat out nine other films to take the top honor, one of a leading four awards claimed by the film. It also won for best acting ensemble. Peter Jackson was honored as best director.
The awards are given by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Winners are selected by written ballots in a weeklong voting period in mid-December.
The full list of awards:
Best Picture: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Best Actor: Sean Penn, "Mystic River."
Best Actress: Charlize Theron, "Monster."
Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins, "Mystic River."
Best Supporting Actress: Renee Zellweger, "Cold Mountain."
Best Acting Ensemble: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Best Director: Peter Jackson, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Best Writer: Jim Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan, "In America."
Best Young Actor/Actress: Keisha Castle-Hughes, "Whale Rider."
Best Animated Feature: "Finding Nemo."
Best Family Film (live action): "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
Best Picture Made for Television: "Angels in America."
Best Documentary: "Capturing the Friedmans."
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Barbarian Invasions."
Best Song: "A Mighty Wind," Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Eugene Levy.
Best Composer: Howard Shore, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Critics' Choice Awards
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, center, and her daughter Chelsea, right, pose backstage for a photograph with Michael Hayden, Kevin Kline and Ethan Hawke, from left, in New York, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004, after the actors' appearance in the play 'Henry IV' at Lincoln Center Theater.
Photo by Diane Bondareff
Where Young Viewers Get News
Late-Night Comics
To a young generation of Americans, Jon Stewart may as well be Walter Cronkite.
A new study has confirmed recent surveys that suggest an increasing number of young adults are using late-night comedy and talk shows as their primary vehicle for getting their news, particularly about politics and the 2004 election.
Those same people are turning away from traditional media outlets, such as newspapers and broadcast network evening newscasts in favor of the Internet and cable news networks, according to the Pew Research Center report, which queried 1,506 adults between Dec. 19 and Jan. 4.
Another significant finding, was an increased stratification along partisan lines as to where people get their political news. For example, 29% of the Republicans responding said they watch Fox News Channel to learn about the campaign as opposed to 14% of Democrats and 20% of independents. Radio also tilts heavily toward Republicans, while the Internet was split fairly evenly.
Overall, the survey found only 35% of all Americans watch evening newscasts to learn about the Democratic presidential candidates and the campaign, compared with 45% in 2000. Similarly, usage of daily newspapers fell from to 31% from 40%, and even local television news dropped to 42% from 48%.
Late-Night Comics
Suggested For Ancient Military Honour
Bill Clinton
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has been put forward for what is considered to be Britain's oldest military honour.
If he accepts any offer to become Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a post which can be traced back to 1226, he would be technically responsible for repelling an invasion of the southeast coast of the country.
Originally the Cinque Ports was an association of five south English harbours -- Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, Romney and Hastings -- which were responsible for Britain's naval defence, though the association now embraces 14 ports.
The office has previously only been given to Britons or members of the Commonwealth, such as King George V, Winston Churchill and former Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
Bill Clinton
UPDATED FOR 2004!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Retrospective Honors
Kim Novak
Actress Kim Novak, the blonde bombshell who was a top box office draw in the 1950s, says she stopped acting because she was disillusioned by Hollywood typecasting.
"I didn't want to stagnate as a person. I wanted to keep developing," said Novak, who is the subject of a three-day retrospective by the nonprofit American Cinematheque starting Friday.
Novak, 70, who lives on an Oregon ranch with her veterinarian husband, last appeared on screen in 1991 in Mike Figgis' "Liebestraum."
Kim Novak
American Cinematheque
A virtual keyboard, designed by VKB Inc., is illuminated by a laser infront of a pocket PC, during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 9, 2004. Sensors in the unit detect precise finger position. The unit is available as a stand-alone product or can be embedded into product lines. Panasonic will test market the technology in Japan this April said Mario Neves, VKB senior vice president of marketing and sales.
Photo by Steve Marcus
Getting New Name
Game Show Network
As part of its strategy of branching out beyond game shows, the Game Show Network will start calling itself GSN in March.
The change will be ushered in by a $5 million marketing campaign, the biggest such effort in its nine-year history.
The network also announced the acquisitions of the ABC reality series "The Mole" and "Celebrity Mole Hawaii" and NBC's "Spy TV," all of which will join the lineup in March.
Game Show Network
Nigerian Concert
'Battle for Hope'
Boxer Laila Ali cancelled, teen diva Ashanti cut short her set and rapper DMX had some harsh words for the crowd, but their young fans kept the party going amid teargas and horsewhips at Nigeria's biggest ever AIDS/HIV awareness gig.
"Battle for Hope", organised by Titi Abubakar, wife of Nigeria's vice president, was to have featured Africa's first female boxing world title fight, alongside top-flight local and international recording stars.
The event's headliner, veteran rapper DMX, began his show in typical hip-hop style by trying to work the crowd into frenzy.
But by the end of his set -- which was briefly abandoned during a particularly harsh round of flogging -- he was reduced to calling for order.
For a lot more, 'Battle for Hope'
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Two Journalists Arrested
Nepal
Two journalists were arrested in Nepal and will likely face murder charges for publishing a naked photograph of an actress that allegedly drove her to suicide, police said.
Shrisha Karki, a film and television actress and former model, hanged herself in October 2002 four days after Jana Aastha, a left-leaning tabloid, published a picture of her nude.
Police on Saturday arrested two journalists at the weekly, Bishwamani Subedi and Yadav Prasad Pandey. They were produced before a Kathmandu court which remanded them to five days in custody, a police spokesman said.
Nepal
Mount Wakakusayama is set ablaze as the pagoda of Kofukuji temple is seen in foreground in the ancient Japanese capital of Nara, western Japan in this multiple exposure photograph January 11, 2004. The burning of Wakakusayama is held in January to burn dead grass in preparation for the spring season.
Photo by Eriko Sugita
Sees No Let-Up
U.S. Mortuary
Nearly a month after Saddam Hussein's capture, American war dead from Iraq continue to arrive with somber regularity at the wind-swept Air Force base in Delaware that is home to the world's largest mortuary.
The remains of the fallen, wrapped in body bags and encased in ice-laden metal transfer cases, descend from the sky aboard gray military planes or white civilian Boeing 747s. They are met at the airstrip by an honor guard, chaplain and small motorcade of blue vans.
The chaplain prays while the honor guard drapes a flag over each coffin and escorts it to the vans, which ferry the dead on a two-mile trek to the 70,000-square-foot Dover Air Force Base Port Mortuary.
There, at the U.S. military's only stateside mortuary, the remains are identified, autopsied, embalmed, clothed in dress uniforms, placed in coffins and shipped to grieving relatives in the company of military escorts.
For the rest - U.S. Mortuary
A Chinese girl looks at stuffed civet cats on display at an anti-SARS exhibition in Guangzhou, the capital of China's southern province of Guangdong, January 11, 2004. Guangdong Province slaughtered about 10,000 civets following the discovery that the latest SARS victim's gene sample resembled that of a coronavirus found in civets.
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'The Osbournes'
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