Another year, another overstuffed bellyful of capitalist world domination [burp]...shared my turkey with a descendent of a local native tribe. Looked white, hates fish, too much of the stuff growing up. Thanks for the nice home, Injuns! Here, would you like another smallpox laced blanket? I like the giving thanks, but sometimes I can't get past the most bizarre thing about this holiday- a clip of the Macy's day parade and there they were, dancing Pilgrims. What is it with the very selective use of Pilgrim and Indian images? Wanna know a few of the stories that are not told about the myriad native/foreigner interactions? Your homework- read: LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME. A thin, engaging primer...it may assist the newly critical patriot, the questioning citizen, the conservative who has been mugged by reailty, to begin the removal of head from ass and counter the pervasive brainwashing of Euro-complacency we're fed from birth. Unplug your TV for a bit and read...you'll be flushed out of your nice, warm feeding chamber faster than Neo in the Matrix.

A surprise Thanksgiving visit- Bush in Iraq! It actually warmed my heart to hear that. Sure, sure, it's just a PR ploy to counter the fact that he hasn't attended a single funeral, but then there is a glimmer of sincerity- the fact that he would take such a risk at all shows some sincere appreciation of our troops, which they well deserve. It is the greatest thing he has done since he took office. Seriously. Attacking the Taliban after 9-11? Any president would have done that. Invading Iraq? Well, it does take a special brand of idiot to be enthralled by Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld, but avenging your daddy doesn't make you great. No, this single gesture of humanity is the single best thing I have ever seen Mr. Bush do. Hope it is more than an empty gesture. My hat is off to Bush today. Wrong war, but now that we're up in our necks it's time to give our troops the support they need. More on 'supporting our troops' and the sticky issue of a vitriolic peacenik appreciating Veterans later. For now, Happy Thanksgiving. No matter where you are, eat that turkey like it's the last you'll ever get. Be thankful nobody has destroyed your home or blown your ass to bits.

So much bullshit, so little time. You know, I wasn't surprised when we went after the Taliban in Afghanistan, despite the fact that we supported them for so long, because 9-11 stirred up the US hornet nest and someone had to get it, just to avenge the American people. But I was surprised when Bush began adopting the rhetoric of Project for a New American Century and going after Iraq. After all, looking back to 2000, it seemed like Bush was going to pull out of Kosovo and avoid prolonged military involvements abroad.

In the October 3, 2000, debate, he warned: "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road. I'm going to prevent that."

"I don't think we can be all things to all people in the world. I think we've got to be very careful when we commit our troops. The vice president and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation-building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation-builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place."


In the 2nd presidential debate, October 11, 2000, he reiterated that position:

"If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us. If we're a humble nation but strong, they'll welcome us. And our nation stands alone right now in the world in terms of power, and that's why we've got to be humble and yet project strength in a way that promotes freedom.

"So I don't -- I don't think they ought to look at us in any way other than what we are. We're a freedom-loving nation. And if we're an arrogant nation, they'll view us that way, but if we're a humble nation, they'll respect us."

"America must be involved in the world. But that does not mean our military is the answer to every difficult foreign policy situation -- a substitute for strategy. American internationalism should not mean action without vision, activity without priority, and missions without end -- an approach that squanders American will and drains American energy..."

Yet today his attitude is the epitome of arrogant unilaterlism and he has our military involved in the most ambitious nation-building project since the Marshall Project...only with far less international and domestic support. Every time a soldier is reported killed in Iraq I get this "told you so" feeling... you know, we will be welcomed as heroes? Home in a few months? No wonder Howard Dean is so confident. He is riding on the wave of resentment from all those wise folks who tried to tell Bush that Wolfowitz's pipe dream should have stayed in the pipe, along with whatever he was smoking to inspire it.

Hey- Wolfowitz, a Jew with ambitions of world domination. There's an irony! What size should the Muslims make their armbands? Or should they just be deported outright?