The George W. Bush Sewage Plant? Perfect

From SFist:

Looking to honor the forty-third President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, the recently formed Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is looking to change the name of the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility. It seems the group would like to rename the SF Zoo adjacent facility to the "George W Bush Sewage Plant."

Katrina, Meet Iraq and the Mosul Dam

Wow.

The largest dam in Iraq is in serious danger of an imminent collapse that could unleash a trillion-gallon wave of water, possibly killing thousands of people and flooding two of the largest cities in the country, according to new assessments by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other U.S. officials.

Even in a country gripped by daily bloodshed, the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam has alarmed American officials, who have concluded that it could lead to as many as 500,000 civilian deaths by drowning Mosul under 65 feet of water and parts of Baghdad under 15 feet, said Abdulkhalik Thanoon Ayoub, the dam manager. "The Mosul dam is judged to have an unacceptable annual failure probability," in the dry wording of an Army Corps of Engineers draft report.

And then, no surprise, of course:

At the same time, a U.S. reconstruction project to help shore up the dam in northern Iraq has been marred by incompetence and mismanagement, according to Iraqi officials and a report by a U.S. oversight agency to be released Tuesday.

According to this WaPo article, the collapse of the dam could happen any day now. So this is the Bush administration, right? They were warned well ahead of time about the fragile state of the levees by officials both inside and outside the federal government. And a massive humanitarian disaster was...not...averted. This sounds like a disaster on a scale that would give that nasty old bizzatch Katrina nightmares. Wonder how well the Bush administration is dealing with this? What's the status of security for the dam in case some crazy insurgents try to blow it up? How's the contingency and relief planning -- in case the worst happens (which, since Iraq is basically worst case scenario central right this minute, seems reasonable) going?

How many brown people are maybe about to die needlessly under the less than watchful, less than interested eye of George Bush and cronies this time, if forfend, the Mosul dam breaks? What terrifying, heartless face will "compassionate conservatism" manifest this time?

I'm confident that there is a lot more backstory to this article than meets the eye. And like the checkered, racist history of the levees and the continuing failure to protect New Orleans from the next hurricane, it probably wouldn't make me feel better about the situation.

Bush and SCHIP -- The Height of Hyprocrisy

I would love for George Bush to explain to the kids in these pictures why he just vetoed the SCHIP law that would provide a chance to go to the doctor without bankrupting their parent(s) to them and more kids like them.

What's interesting about Black America today is that we are a time of upward mobility and transition. In a single extended family, you likely have relatives at every socio-economic level -- from comfortable upper-middle class to working class to straight up po'. I give you the famous comedy Madea's Family Reunion. So it gives us a different perspective on how fragile the current health care system is and how easily someone can get locked out. And get in trouble health-wise. Too often I hear of family waiting to get treatment -- too late sometimes, because they feared the expense to their families.

In one case, it came as a major relief when one sick relative without insurance finally became eligible for Medicare as the family had struggled to find solutions and prayed she would not become seriously ill. Why are our seniors more valuable than our children? How can someone actually veto health assistance for those without it? Only someone who hasn't ever received a doctor's bill they couldn't pay.

George Bush is eager for photo ops with black and brown children when his name is in the mud. The Dems should round up some of those very same children, from the 9th Ward in LA and elsewhere to associate as strong a set of faces on his cynical actions.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the designation of the first Monday in October as "Child Health Day" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.
From the White House website:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 1, 2007, as Child Health Day. I call upon families, schools, child health professionals, faith-based and community organizations, and State and local governments to reach out to our Nation's young people, encourage them to avoid dangerous behavior, and help them make the right choices and achieve their dreams.

It is the height of hypocrisy that he would dare declare Oct 1 Child Health Day even as he personally planned to use his pen to threaten children's health nationwide. After asking for billions more to continue blowing up Iraq? How revolting.

Bush: The Compassionate Conservative

Am I the only appalled that President Bush would actually drive past a man protecting his life who had just been involved in a fatal accident? Maybe there is a really good explanation for why the motorcade didn't stop to recognize a fallen man.

Maybe George Bush just doesn't care about...people. Not the people right in front of him. Certainly not our men and women in uniform in Iraq.

A Rio Rancho police officer who crashed his motorcycle Monday afternoon while riding in a motorcade for President Bush has died.

Forty-year-old Officer Germaine Casey was rushed after the crash to an Albuquerque hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The motorcycle was near the front of the motorcade, and the president saw the wreck as he drove past on the way to the airport.

Rio Rancho police spokesman John Francis says Bush called to give his condolences to the officer's family and to the department.

Francis says the president also had planned to call Casey's wife to give his condolences.

Casey's motorcycle hit a curb and then a tree, but investigators still are reconstructing the accident to determine exactly what happened.

Planned to call Casey's wife and just -- hadn't gotten around to it when this story was filed? Man, he is stone cold.

The Bush Surge: A Big Fat Failure

Christy Hardin Smith at FireDogLake wrote the post (Bass Ackwards)I was planning to write after seeing the coverage yesterday of the Golden Mosque's second bombing.

The first time the Shi'ite Golden Dome was blown up, it led to a massive new escalation in sectarian violence. That along with the systematic bridge destruction in Iraq recently points to a deterioration on the ground there. Things are not at all likely to get better over there -- not for Iraqis and definitely not for our troops -- until the U.S. gets out of the way and lets the Iraqis' determine their own political future.

How long will Democrats sit by and allow this cruel desperate farce to continue?

How long will Americans let them?

Here's an idea for an ad for those opposing the surge in Iraq and the calls from folks like Lieberman to force a conflict with Iran. How about having ordinary black person and/or family after another talk about the impact on their lives that the Iraq war has wrought? It's that simple. Won't be hard to find us. We work in your office or down at the corner store. We live next to you. We went to high school or college with you.

African-Americans remain the moral conscience of the nation. Too long have our voices and our experience around Iraq been ignored. There is no more passionate, sincere and directly impacted anti-war contingent out there just waiting to tell you what we think should happen next. There is no way, particularly post-Katrina, that this type of messaging will not destroy any Republican moral sway over the issue of Iraq. Just a suggestion.

Conyers Brings the SmackDown, Issues White House Subpoenas

I read Rep. John Conyers' DailyKos diary yesterday entitled simply: White House Subpoenas. Here's an example for other CBC members to follow. Do something helpful/progressive and then tell the netroots about it. Not that hard. Conyers says:

I consider these subpoenas to be essential because the evidence our investigation has uncovered points to the pivotal role the White House played in the U.S. Attorney firings. We have only sought to compel cooperation through subpoenas after more than three months of stonewalling by the White House.

I had hoped that the White House would be more forthcoming in assisting our investigation. Unfortunately, this subpoena provided the only legal means for the American people, through their elected representatives, to find out how their government functions.

This subpoena represents a very serious step by Congress not to be taken lightly. Defiance or failure to comply would run counter to the checks and balances that are the foundation of our constitution and democratic g