Despicable Bush Tom Hutchings

Ho Chi Minh City - 31 October 2006

Bush, on Monday, responding to critics of his "let's lie about WMD to start my personal war," said "terrorists win and America's loses" if Democrats prevail in winning Congress. This supreme idiot, while loudly trying to export American politics and so-called democracy is the antithesis of what democracy is. There should be reasoned dialogue, but the Idiot-in-Chief is using fear, and a declining bases of conservative fundamentalist christians, to hold on to his power. How frickin' pathetic is that? To say terrorists will win if Democrats take over Congress is the epitome of stupidity and arrogance. Of course, I'm not a fan of the Democrat Party, either. They're in bed along with Republicans with Corporate America. But, at least they'll kiss you after......

Rumsfeld Can't Stand the Heat Tom Hutchings

Neo-cons drawing last breaths through grasped straws
Thomas Hutchings
27 October 2006

Ho Chi Minh City -- Donald Rumsfeld speaking at a recent Pentagon news conference said Thursday that anyone demanding deadlines for progress in Iraq should "just back off." It can only be surmised that Rumsfeld may just now start believing the his ill-fated American War of Aggression and an American War that Encourages Terrorism is simply going very, terribly bad. He's telling Americans who question his ability, and most Americans are, to "back off" while

Americans should be telling Rumsfeld to "F**k off."

Why not, if Dick "Halliburton" Cheney can get away using the "F" word in the halls of Congress, then administrative officials should be able to handle the criticism.

Elsewhere, the also-going-horribly-wrong Republican Party is trying to suck breath into itself by breathing through grasped straws. In this case, Bush was telling his Christian taliban followers that "
that marriage was “a union between a man and a woman,” adding, “I believe it’s a sacred institution that is critical to the health of our society and the well-being of families, and it must be defended.” Apparently, he is blind to the fact that marriage in the US is on the decline. While they're grasping at anything to take the public's mind away from the War of Lies (Iraq), sexcapades of Republicans, Republican bribery convictions and charges and simply just a downright hate-mongering political party run by the rich and the corporations, Bush is trying to get the christian taliban on his side and vote. How pathetic.

Me, I'll be sitting on a beach on the East Sea (South China Sea), and watching America implode on itself. It was such a nice country. You know, thinking about it...it could be a better country without the divisiveness of the Democrats, who are just as ludicrous as the Republicans. Most of them simply haven't been caught yet. Here's a thought...naw, never mind. As far as I see it, American politics will simply get worse. Too bad. She was such a lovely lady a couple hundred years ago.

Bush to Visit Vietnam Tom Hutchings

24 October 2006

Ho Chi Minh City - It was reported in the Thanh Nhien Daily today that the White House in Washington has announced George W. Bush's intention to visit Viet Nam. Bush will also travel to Singapore and Indonesia during his trip, the White House said in a statement. The White House also reported that

"At APEC, the president looks forward to continuing his robust dialogue with
APEC leaders on ways to ensure the continued prosperity of the Asia-Pacific
region."

Not only do we see the hackneyed phrase "robust" but one wonders what the message really is. Sitting atop a vast oil reserve, Viet Nam has had 4 US Navy ships visit the country, a high ranking US Navy Admiral visit Ha Noi and Chevron USA recently won the bid to develop an offshore tract for oil exploration. One wonders what Bush's visit is really about as America begins looking for more sources of oil for the insatiable demand of the energy consumers in the United States.

Many Vietnamese and many foreigners view the American leader for what he really is; an undereducated danger to world peace - sometimes the word idiot comes to mind, but I hate to disrespect the simple-minded of the world. His Iraq War is viewed by the US intelligence community as the leading cause for world terrorism. On the streets here, Bush doesn't carry any respect among common people and it has been reported to me that many ranking officials in Viet Nam laugh at Bush. Essentially, he is not a person to be respected. While many in the US are calling for a review of the deadly Iraq War policy, a war which Bush keeps shifting his justification, Bush simple-mindedly states he is not changing his policy. His hackneyed attack of those who seek a peaceful resolution as those who prefer to "cut and run" is the other side of the coin which is "stay in Iraq, fuel terrorism and extremism and waste the lives of America's young for Bush's ego."

I've seen somnambulists make more sense.

When Bush visits, the country will give him a dignified reception, though, because the Vietnamese have grace and style. Bush will think he is the man of the hour, but all will resume laughing at him when he finally leaves. When the Vietnamese pour out to see him in Ho Chi Minh City, I'll be there with my camera, but I'll be more concerned about taking the photos of many wonderful Vietnamese; not a disgusting rogue cowboy who does more harm than good.

Overcooked Rice Tom Hutchings

War of the Words: Believe it or not (with apologies to Ripley)

Thomas Hutchings
11 October 2006

Ho Chi Minh City - Today, USA Today reported the following statement by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice:

President Bush, Rice said, has told "the North Koreans that there is no
intention to invade or attack them. So they have that guarantee. ... I don't
know what more they want."

The last time anyone checked, Bush, Rice and one can include Rumsfeld and the rest of the criminal gang, that their words lack any meaning to the rest of the world.

Rember, it was this same administration that lied about Iraq's connection with Al Queda when a majority of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. The gang insisted that Iraq was preparing to launch weapons of mass destruction against the United States. It fabricated lies about Iraq's attempt to buy uranium. It lied, it lied, it lied.

So, now, Condy, you want the world to believe you when you parrot your boss who says that the US has no intention to invade or attack North Korea? Maybe, and I hope it is true. But.....any military action against North Korea would simply be another blatant lie to the rest of the world. I truly hope the US doesn't take military action.

Consider This!!! Tom Hutchings

When going to the polls in November 2006, consider this phrase spoken by a Fawkesian character played by Hugo Weaving:

People should not be afraid of their
governments;

Governments should be afraid of their
people.

V, "V is for Vendetta" 2006

Central Coast News Mission Tom Hutchings

Deeply Imbedded Problem: American Violence

Thomas A. Hutchings
October 3, 2006

Saigon, Viet Nam – In Joseph Conrad’s literary work Heart of Darkness, a haunting line about corrupt human actions is uttered by the character Mr. Kurtz; The horror! The horror! News items issuing out from America are horrible. I was motivated to move to Viet Nam two years ago for several reasons. One rationale was that I could no longer morally and ethically justify living in a country that would use its military strength to invade other countries without proper justification and based on deliberate lies of its president. The violence that America models in Iraq, including prison torture, murder, rape of young girls by its soldiers and the now-admitted secret torture prisons has percolated into the heretofore safe depths of hometown America.

Within the span of one week, America has seen murders at three schools, including a horrific incident in a peaceful Amish community schoolhouse in Pennsylvania. Bush’s proposal for a conference on school violence is hollow, at best.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report for 2004 to 2005, the rate of violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, actually rose 2.5 percent for the first time in five years.

One can’t help but think the National Rifle Association and its paranoid gun-owners feel pride in keeping their right to bear arms. At the same time, Bush continues to make the world a more dangerous place while parents bury their soldiers or their children who do not return home from school.

As an international traveler, I have the opportunity to speak with people from many countries. The overwhelming opinion is that America is not viewed as a beacon of freedom and morality in the world, but as an arrogant and violent bully nation imposing its will through military force on other countries. Recently, a declassified report cited that Bush’s American War in Iraq has become a “cause celebre”for Islamic extremists while Bush has the audacity to claim the world is becoming safer because of his policies. With a “head in the sand” approach to reality, Bush is seen as the most dangerous person to world stability. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recently told reporters that the (Bush) invasion of Iraq has made the world a dangerous place.

In July, the New Economics Foundation in Britain issued the results of a study aptly entitled The Happy Planet Index: An index of human well-being and environmental impact. It also measured people’s life satisfaction and life expectancy. The G-8 countries ranked very low out of the 178 nations ranked. The US was in 150th place. Andrew Simms, the foundation’s policy director and co-author of the report, said the index “addresses the relative success or failure of countries in giving their citizens a good life.

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Before detractors start running for pens and pencils, I admit to living in a communist country. It’s a country moving ahead with its free-market economy and opportunity. It recently dedicated a new hospital dedicated solely to treating persons with AIDS\HIV for free; a country that in the past two years released more than 40,000 prisoners to celebrate major national events and boasts a recidivism rate of only 1.37%, and; a country that warns its citizens of impending dangerous typhoons and proactively evacuates those in peril. The few police who carry guns have rubber bullets, school students wear uniforms six days a week, and the country seems to close everyday for a nap after lunch. It’s also a country that is ranked as the 12th happiest country on the planet. Sure, there are economic problems still to tackle here, but the news here is nowhere at the violent level as the United States.

There is something people can do in the US to change things for the better. Revamp Congress because Republicans and Democrats alike are all on the payroll of corporate America. You can force a Bush impeachment, bring your troops home from Iraq and begin an open and frank dialogue with the Islamic world. There’s still a bit of time before everyone will echo Kurtz; The horror! The horror!