Speaking of the President, his address today confirms his refusal to face reality. Below is an excerpt; I have put emphasis on the parts of it where he either ignores the truth or patently uses the horrific attacks on our nation as an implicit justification of the attack on Iraq:

"On this day two years ago, we launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to disarm a brutal regime, free its people, and defend the world from a grave danger. Before coalition forces arrived, Iraq was ruled by a dictatorship that murdered its own citizens, threatened its neighbors, and defied the world. We knew of Saddam Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew of his long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction, and we know that September the 11th requires our country to think differently. We must, and we will, confront threats to America before they fully materialize. ..."

President Bush continues to believe, according to the address he delivered today, that we "disarmed" a regime of the WMD it did not have, but claimed it did so as to justify the war in the first place. The President also invoked 'defense' as a cover for what was clearly an act of aggression; an illegal one at that, as conceded by Richard Perle, one of the very Pentagon officials among those who wanted this war more than anyone in the administration. And what has become standard practice, Bush once again exploits the September 11 attacks to serve as a pretext for the radical notion of 'pre-emptive' war, in of itself disgusting and, of course, a slap in the face of the victims and their families. Toward the end of the address, Bush says that only through "the fire of liberty" will we "purge the ideologies of murder by offering hope" to the oppressed.

To briefly deconstruct, the attack on Iraq and subsequent invasion was simply a way to give hope to the 26 million people chained under Hussein's regime, wholly excluding the means by which we freed them. But having done so, we will rid the world of "ideologies of murder" (methods, like 'Shock and Awe') and see freedom spread like fire throughout the world. Only in passing does he give his token words of 'thanks' to our GIs, excusing their tragic deaths by saying the war we waged on Iraq two years ago was essentially an act of self-defense that has inspired the influence of freedom in that region, while "their sacrifice has added to America's security and the freedom of the world." I really don't know what is worse: continuing to blind oneself to reality, or bastardizing the memory of the fallen. Shame on you, Mr. President.

"... I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lighted with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abudance of her delicacies.' " (Book of Revelation 18:1-3)

IN MEMORY OF THE INNOCENT THAT HAVE DIED IN THIS WAR, AND WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE EVIL COMMITTED IN OUR NAME FOR THE SAKE OF GOOD ENDS - BRING OUR TROOPS HOME AS SOON AS IS POSSIBLE, MR. PRESIDENT

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the 'decapitation strike' that ousted the regime of Saddam Hussein, a brutal tyrant who kept 26 million people in shackles. The Iraqi people are inherently better off now, but that simple fact does not shield the cold truth: at least 17,000 Iraqi civilians dead and 1,513 of our soldiers killed since it all started. It is incredible how the justification has changed so much in that time. But no matter what end we have reached, that does not excuse the means we used to get there. We are over six weeks past the historic elections, in which about 8 million people braved the insurgent threats and voted. There is no downplaying that. Yet we still occupy their country, and we remain sitting ducks. This is a tragedy we all started, but I hope it is one that can be salvaged through time. In that, a lasting good can come of it, and our GIs can return to their homes and families with honor.

That's U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan, laying a wreath ... whaa? What, is he retarded? (It really doesn't help when you acknowledge that he was on his way to a Holocaust memorial in Israel.) Ridiculous, Mr. Annan.

On the 22nd, I will be leaving for Spain for eight days. I promise to hit you back about that. In the interim, though, the most important point on my agenda is to get this facackta commenting thing working again. A confidant has given me the right link, and time permitting I'll just go ahead and fix the damn thing. Shouldn't take long.

Anyways, until then I might as well try and find out some things about Spain; or, as the Spainairds call it, España. Do you see how lazy we are? 'Why have three long-winded syllables when you can condense them into one?' Exactly. We Americans put a lot of value in efficiency, even when it may piss people off.

Oh, yeah, I need to figure out how to get the right adapter (you know, the voltage is different over there). And watch out for those ETA fuckers.

Returned from seeing George Carlin at the Warner Theatre tonight, his first performance since being out of rehab. It was a very good show, I'd have to say. Carlin is certainly what I would call the ultimate observational humorist. And, really, what most may very well see as an embittered cynic, as well. He is also fearless in how he says what you're afraid to say, pointing out life's absurdities and hypocrises. Some may call him a bit misanthropic, and that's understandable. But he recognizes the power of language, in my opinion the most powerful tool ever created by Man, and everything that follows from it. In the end, he's brilliant.