(Cross-posted at Daily Kos)
Ever have trouble remembering all the insane harm the GOP and the Religious Right are doing to our country, particularly when in the midst of arguing the issues with Fox News aficionados (in my case, most of my family)? Well here’s a short list of outrage culled from this weeks’ news sources (including Daily Kos diaries) which summarizes some of the more outrageous things being done to destroy our country, starting with:
#1. It was “War!” (even when it wasn’t war). “After meeting with George Bush, Mr. Blair summoned his closest aides for a meeting in July 2002. The head of British intelligence reported that President Bush had firmly made up his mind to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein, adding that ‘the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.’ “
More after the fold:
#2. Budget Priorities Out of Whack. US Defense budget will equal the entire defense expenditures in the rest of the world within 12 months.
#3. Look out Tony Shaloub! You’re in Pat’s sights. “Pat Robertson said he would be wary of appointing Muslims to top positions in the U.S. government, including judgeships.”
#4. Only Republicans get Salvation. East Waynesville Baptist Church (NC) kicked out all its Democratic members for refusing to repent and agree to vote Republican in the future.
#5. Scopes Monkey Trial (the Sequel). Hearings being held in Topeka Kansas on whether Creationism should be taught in Public Schools.
#6. Where you going to go hunting and fishing now? Bush administration plans to open up to 58.5 million acres of remote National Forest land to road building, timbering, mining and other commercial activity.
#7. Bush weakens the Military. “The strains imposed by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it far more difficult for the U.S. military to beat back new acts of aggression, launch a pre-emptive strike or prevent conflict in another part of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded in a classified analysis presented to Congress.”
#8. Free speech is fine, but only if you agree with her. A man was arrested for asking Ann Coulter a rude question at a Q & A following a speech she gave at The University of Texas.
#9. Iraq is still a quagmire and it’s not getting any better. “Iraqi insurgents are stepping up the pace of their attacks, unleashing eleven deadly bombings on April 29th alone. Many of the 150,000 Iraqi police and soldiers hastily trained by U.S. troops have deserted or joined the insurgents. The cost of the war now tops $192 billion, rising by $1 billion a week, and the corpses are piling up: Nearly 1,600 American soldiers and up to 100,000 Iraqi civilians are dead, as well as 177 allied troops and 229 private contractors. Other nations are abandoning the international coalition assembled to support the U.S., and the new Iraqi government, which announced its new cabinet to great fanfare on April 27th, remains sharply split along ethnic and religious lines.”
#10. Bush economy? Not so good. Case in Point: “The two biggest U.S. automakers had their bond ratings slashed to junk status by Standard & Poor’s, as the rating service released a grim report on the business outlook for General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.”
#11. When is Johnny going to go marching to war, again? “Army misses April recruiting goal by 42 percent and the Army Reserve fell short by 37 percent showing the depths of the Army’s recruiting woes.”
And last but not least of this dirty dozen:
#12. TV time for me but not for thee. ABC agrees to air two ads from ultra-fundamentalist preacher James Dobson’s organization, Focus on the Family just a few months after rejecting the United Church of Christ’s TV ad because of ABC’s stated policy that it rejects all advertising by religious groups.
