[Lerkfish]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...p?story=557746

1 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security issued between 20 January 2001 and 10 September 2001 that mentioned al-Qa'ida.


104 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein.


101 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned missile defence.


65 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned weapons of mass destruction.


0 Number of times Bush mentioned Osama bin Laden in his three State of the Union addresses.


73 Number of times that Bush mentioned terrorism or terrorists in his three State of the Union addresses.


83 Number of times Bush mentioned Saddam, Iraq, or regime (as in change) in his three State of the Union addresses.


$1m Estimated value of a painting the Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, received from Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States and Bush family friend.


0 Number of times Bush mentioned Saudi Arabia in his three State of the Union addresses.


1,700 Percentage increase between 2001 and 2002 of Saudi Arabian spending on public relations in the United States.


79 Percentage of the 11 September hijackers who came from Saudi Arabia.


3 Number of 11 September hijackers whose entry visas came through special US-Saudi "Visa Express" programme.


140 Number of Saudis, including members of the Bin Laden family, evacuated from United States almost immediately after 11 September.


14 Number of Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) agents assigned to track down 1,200 known illegal immigrants in the United States from countries where al-Qa'ida is active.


$3m Amount the White House was willing to grant the 9/11 Commission to investigate the 11 September attacks.


$0 Amount approved by George Bush to hire more INS special agents.


$10m Amount Bush cut from the INS's existing terrorism budget.


$50m Amount granted to the commission that looked into the Columbia space shuttle crash.


$5m Amount a 1996 federal commission was given to study legalised gambling.


7 Number of Arabic linguists fired by the US army between mid-August and mid-October 2002 for being gay.


George Bush: Military man


1972 Year that Bush walked away from his pilot duties in the Texas National Guard, Nearly two years before his six-year obligation was up.


$3,500 Reward a group of veterans offered in 2000 for anyone who could confirm Bush's Alabama guard service.


600-700 Number of guardsmen who were in Bush's unit during that period.


0 Number of guardsmen from that period who came forward with information about Bush's guard service.


0 Number of minutes that President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, the assistant Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, the former chairman of the Defence Policy Board, Richard Perle, and the White House Chief of Staff, Karl Rove _ the main proponents of the war in Iraq _served in combat (combined).


0 Number of principal civilian or Pentagon staff members who planned the war who have immediate family members serving in uniform in Iraq.


8 Number of members of the US Senate and House of Representatives who have a child serving in the military.


10 Number of days that the Pentagon spent investigating a soldier who had called the President "a joke" in a letter to the editor of a Newspaper.


46 Percentage increase in sales between 2001 and 2002 of GI Joe figures (children's toys).


Ambitious warrior


2 Number of Nations that George Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into office.


130 Approximate Number of countries (out of a total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with a US military presence.


43 Percentage of the entire world's military spending that the US spends on defence. (That was in 2002, the year before the invasion of Iraq.)


$401.3bn Proposed military budget for 2004.


Saviour of Iraq


1983 The year in which Donald Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan's special envoy to the Middle East, gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs as a gift.


2.5 Number of hours after Rumsfeld learnt that Osama bin Laden was a suspect in the 11 September attacks that he brought up reasons to "hit" Iraq.


237 Minimum number of misleading statements on Iraq made by top Bush administration officials between 2002 and January 2004, according to the California Representative Henry Waxman.


10m Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets on 21 February 2003, in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, the largest simultaneous protest in world history.


$2bn Estimated monthly cost of US military presence in Iraq projected by the White House in April 2003.


$4bn Actual monthly cost of the US military presence in Iraq according to Secretary of Defence Rumsfeld in 2004.


$15m Amount of a contract awarded to an American firm to build a cement factory in Iraq.


$80,000 Amount an Iraqi firm spent (using Saddam's confiscated funds) to build the same factory, after delays prevented the American firm from starting it.


2000 Year that Cheney said his policy as CEO of Halliburton oil services company was "we wouldn't do anything in Iraq".


$4.7bn Total value of contracts awarded to Halliburton in Iraq and Afghanistan.


$680m Estimated value of Iraq reconstruction contracts awarded to Bechtel.


$2.8bnValue of Bechtel Corp contracts in Iraq.


$120bn Amount the war and its aftermath are projected to cost for the 2004 fiscal year.


35 Number of countries to which the United States suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court.


92 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2002.


60 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2003.


55 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who were unemployed before the war.


80 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who are unemployed a Year after the war.


0 Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender in May 1945.


37 Death toll of US soldiers in Iraq in May 2003, the month combat operations "officially" ended.


0 Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home that the Bush administration has permitted to be photographed.


0 Number of memorial services for the returned dead that Bush has attended since the beginning of the war.


A soldier's best friend


40,000 Number of soldiers in Iraq seven months after start of the war still without Interceptor vests, designed to stop a round from an AK-47.


$60m Estimated cost of outfitting those 40,000 soldiers with Interceptor vests.


62 Percentage of gas masks that army investigators discovered did Not work properly in autumn 2002.


90 Percentage of detectors which give early warning of a biological weapons attack found to be defective.


87 Percentage of Humvees in Iraq not equipped with armour capable of stopping AK-47 rounds and protecting against roadside bombs and landmines at the end of 2003.


Making the country safer


$3.29 Average amount allocated per person Nationwide in the first round of homeland security grants.


$94.40 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in American Samoa.


$36 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in Wyoming, Vice-President Cheney's home state.


$17 Amount allocated per person in New York state.


$5.87 Amount allocated per person in New York City.


$77.92 Amount allocated per person in New Haven, Connecticut, home of Yale University, Bush's alma mater.


76 Percentage of 215 cities surveyed by the US Conference of Mayors in early 2004 that had yet to receive a dime in federal homeland security assistance for their first-response units.


5 Number of major US airports at the beginning of 2004 that the Transportation Security Administration admitted were Not fully screening baggage electronically.


22,600 Number of planes carrying unscreened cargo that fly into New York each month.


5 Estimated Percentage of US air cargo that is screened, including cargo transported on passenger planes.


95 Percentage of foreign goods that arrive in the United States by sea.


2 Percentage of those goods subjected to thorough inspection.


$5.5bnEstimated cost to secure fully US ports over the Next decade.


$0 Amount Bush allocated for port security in 2003.


$46m Amount the Bush administration has budgeted for port security in 2005.


15,000 Number of major chemical facilities in the United States.


100 Number of US chemical plants where a terrorist act could endanger the lives of more than one million people.


0 Number of new drugs or vaccines against "priority pathogens" listed by the Centres for Disease Control that have been developed and introduced since 11 September 2001.


Giving a hand up to the advantaged


$10.9m Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet.


75 Percentage of Americans unaffected by Bush's sweeping 2003 cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.


$42,000 Average savings members of Bush's cabinet received in 2003 as a result of cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.


10 Number of fellow members from the Yale secret society Skull and Bones that Bush has named to important positions (including the Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum Jr. and SEC chief Bill Donaldson).


79 Number of Bush's initial 189 appointees who also served in his father's administration.


A man with a lot of friends


$113m Amount of total hard money the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign received, a record.


$11.5m Amount of hard money raised through the Pioneer programme, the controversial fund-raising process created for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign. (Participants pledged to raise at least $100,000 by bundling together cheques of up to $1,000 from friends and family. Pioneers were assigned numbers, which were included on all cheques, enabling the campaign to keep track of who raised how much.)

[RAILhead]

So what, Lerk? We know where you stand, and all your constant anti-Bush postings are making you look silly -- or making you lok like you have too much time on your hands, maybe.

Maury

[spacefreak]

It's what's often referred to as desperation.

[Lerkfish]

Originally posted by RAILhead:


So what, Lerk? We know where you stand, and all your constant anti-Bush postings are making you look silly -- or making you lok like you have too much time on your hands, maybe.

Maury

please address the topic, thanks.

[dcolton]

Originally posted by Lerkfish:
please address the topic, thanks.

What was the topic again?

Better yet, what is your point?

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by Lerkfish:
please address the topic, thanks.

But I DID address the topic -- I said "so what?" I'm waiting for you to answer the what part now...

Maury

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
It's what's often referred to as desperation.

Yes. I would be too if I was for Kerry, and looked at the polls.

[Lerkfish]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
But I DID address the topic -- I said "so what?" I'm waiting for you to answer the what part now...

Maury

well, then you're going to have to give me more to go on than "so what?" can you present your argument more specifically? That's easily interpreted as dismissive avoidance rather than an actual logical point.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
I'm waiting for you to answer the what part now...

Maury

You'll be waiting for a long time.

[RonnieoftheRose]

Rightwing President: Hi. I'm stupid/corrupt.
Leftwing critic: He's stupid/corrupt. It's plain obvious now.
Rightwing critic to Leftwing critic: You're full of hate.

[Spoogepieces]

Originally posted by RAILhead:


So what, Lerk? We know where you stand, and all your constant anti-Bush postings are making you look silly -- or making you lok like you have too much time on your hands, maybe.

Maury

He needs SERIOUS help before it's too late.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by RonnieoftheRose:
Rightwing President: Hi.
Leftwing critic: He's stupid/corrupt. It's plain obvious now.
Rightwing critic to Leftwing critic: You're full of hate.

Fixed.

[Spoogepieces]

Originally posted by dcolton:
What was the topic again?

Better yet, what is your point?

There is no point other than to spread more "I hate Bush" filth by Mr. Hancock.

[djohnson]

What topic do you want Lerk? How we all know you hate Bush with a passion?

[djohnson]

How funny would it be if Lerk was really Kerry.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Not really. Even though I wonder if his work place knows of his internet habits during work hours.

Probably not... I wonder if they would care though?

[Spoogepieces]

Mail probably forwards to his cardboard box out behind the Burger King on Brown St. Phone number probably is the local pay phone for all we know.

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
It's what's often referred to as desperation.

yeah, it's sad really.

[dcolton]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Not really. Even though I wonder if his work place knows of his internet habits during work hours.

I wonder if my place of work knows of my internet habits!

[chris v]

Facts are real snoozers, aren't they? Who needs facts when we've got a pit-bull tactical strategy, and the power of empty rhetoric?

^^ (insert political party here-- both sides are doing it)


disgusted,

CV

[OldManMac]

It's even sadder when one won't take one's head out of the sand.

[dcolton]

Originally posted by KarlG:
It's even sadder when one won't take one's head out of the sand.

No, each statement should be backed up. We have often caught Lerkfish posting untruths about Bush in an effort to smear his good name. Why should we take what he posts as fact?

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by KarlG:
It's even sadder when one won't take one's head out of the sand.

So what do you suggest Lerk do to fix that?

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
So what do you suggest Lerk do to fix that?

PWNED!

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
PWNED!

Got a big ego boost there, didn't ya!

Lerk's not the one with his head in the sand.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by KarlG:
Lerk's not the one with his head in the sand.

Sand, FUD, all the same.

[chris v]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
PWNED!

YUO ROXX0RZ LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!11!1!!1!!!1111

THIS THREAD IS NOW ABOUT INFANTILE INTERNET HAXX0R INSULTS!11!!!!!!!!!!1111111111!

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by Spoogepieces:
He needs SERIOUS help before it's too late.

What's too late? I hope not something like this...

"A shot was fired at the Republican Party headquarters in Huntington (WV) Thursday night, while two dozen supporters of George W. Bush watched him accept his party's nomination on television."

[LoganCharles]

Does Paddy even have an opinion of his own? He seems to just regurgitate information.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
What's too late? I hope not something like this...

"A shot was fired at the Republican Party headquarters in Huntington (WV) Thursday night, while two dozen supporters of George W. Bush watched him accept his party's nomination on television."

Link is dead. But yeah ,WV is full of hateful Dems. Probably a college student. (College town)

[voodoo]

Originally posted by chris v:
Facts are real snoozers, aren't they? Who needs facts when we've got a pit-bull tactical strategy, and the power of empty rhetoric?

^^ (insert political party here-- both sides are doing it)


disgusted,

CV

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Fixed.

Rightwing President: H- eh.. yeah. Soverign... err, I mean. Te... terr... Sa... *wisper* Oh, yeah. Hi.
Leftwing critic: He's stupid/corrupt. It's plain obvious now.
Rightwing critic to Leftwing critic: You're full of hate.

Fixed.

[CreepingDeth]

All this shows is how Cmd+C and Cmd+V works.
Boring.

[LoganCharles]

Originally posted by CreepingDeath:
All this shows is how Cmd+C and Cmd+V works.
Boring.

Paddy's posts are like spam. He has the personality of a doorknob.

[Cadaver]

Originally posted by djohnson:
How funny would it be if Lerk was really Kerry.

I hope not.

[CreepingDeth]

Originally posted by LoganCharles:
Paddy's posts are like spam. He has the personality of a doorknob.

Paddy?

I hope Kerry isn't a conspiracy nut like Lerk.

[placebo1969]

Originally posted by CreepingDeath:
Paddy?

I hope Kerry isn't a conspiracy nut like Lerk.

Why is he called Paddy?

[itai195]

I would think if I was a Bush supporter I'd want to respond to at least some of what Lerk posted if I felt it mischaracterized my candidate.

Apparently not.

[Spoogepieces]

Perhaps Lerk's candidate is so poor that the only thing Lerk can do is bash some other candidate. I find it quite odd that Lerk consistently only finds bad things about people.

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by itai195:
I would think if I was a Bush supporter I'd want to respond to at least some of what Lerk posted if I felt it mischaracterized my candidate.

Apparently not.

But I DID! I DID!!! I said "so what?" He posted some numbers on some things some people have some issue with and he doesn't bother to expound on their purpose, so why should I? here's some of my numbers...

2 Number of pets I take care of
1 Number of times said pets have visited a vet this year (2004)
4 Number of toilets in my new house
3 Number of said toilets I've used so far this year
$100.10 Amount of money spent to buy new ceiling registers
0 Number of new registers I've actually installed
$121.88 Amount of money spent on new front door handle/lock
0 Number of minutes spent installing new door handle
1 Number of butts I have
0 Number of times my butt has itched today

Those are just a few stats that have no meaning to anyone whatsoever, but in case someone wants to use them against me, there they are. I can find more to post if need be, just let me know.

Maury

[zen jihad]

Originally posted by Spoogepieces:
I find it quite odd that Lerk consistently only finds bad things about people.

Here, take this shoe and try it on the other foot.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally posted by RAILhead:
But I DID! I DID!!! I said "so what?" He posted some numbers on some things some people have some issue with and he doesn't bother to expound on their purpose, so why should I? here's some of my numbers...

2 Number of pets I take care of
1 Number of times said pets have visited a vet this year (2004)
4 Number of toilets in my new house
3 Number of said toilets I've used so far this year
$100.10 Amount of money spent to buy new ceiling registers
0 Number of new registers I've actually installed
$121.88 Amount of money spent on new front door handle/lock
0 Number of minutes spent installing new door handle
1 Number of butts I have
0 Number of times my butt has itched today

Those are just a few stats that have no meaning to anyone whatsoever, but in case someone wants to use them against me, there they are. I can find more to post if need be, just let me know.

Maury

Dude, you are slackin in the butt-itchin' category. Step to it and start scratchin' or turn in your MAN card.

Oh, as to the post by Lerkfish, I agree with chris v on this one. Empty rhetoric is a potent
weapon used by both sides in this presidential election. Someone post a list of bad things
Kerry did and then we can close down this thread. All politicians are evil, some are just less
evil than others, and those of you that don't believe it are the ones really spreading FUD.

[zen jihad]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
So what do you suggest Lerk do to fix that?

I think you need to go fix your shifting sands arguments first, before commenting on others.

[gorgonzola]

Originally posted by RAILhead:


So what, Lerk? We know where you stand, and all your constant anti-Bush postings are making you look silly -- or making you lok like you have too much time on your hands, maybe.

Maury

If you don't care, don't post. Your post is more useless than his was.

[gorgonzola]

Originally posted by spacefreak:
It's what's often referred to as desperation.

This goes for several people, but please stop responding to every thread criticizing Bush with a one-liner about 'desperation.' It's getting annoying seeing the same posts by 5-6 people in a whole bunch of threads. Ignoring the thread altogether and letting it die would be a better reaction if you consider it useless.

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
This goes for several people, but please stop responding to every thread criticizing Bush with a one-liner about 'desperation.' It's getting annoying seeing the same posts by 5-6 people in a whole bunch of threads. Ignoring the thread altogether and letting it die would be a better reaction if you consider it useless.

You have got to be kidding. I'd say 9/10 of my posts are topic-related (or tangent-related, for discussions often stray). God forbid I feel a certain post is a desperate reach, but now you're going to forbid that I even attempt to call it as I see it?.

Whatever, Neal. Ignore me, ban me, do whatever you feel is necessary to eliminate my point of view from this forum.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by olePigeon:
Fixed.

Do you have any original ideas of your own? Ever?

[zen jihad]

Originally posted by spacefreak:

Whatever, Neal. Ignore me, ban me, do whatever you feel is necessary to eliminate my point of view from this forum.

No-one is saying that. Gorgonzola, quite rightly, pointed out a trend in some postings here, in which a few people were behaving in a way that isn't condusive to the topic, or even remotely so. It's a pattern, like choreographed chimps bounding down as soon as Bush is mentioned.

Look at this thread, the first dozen or so posts are personal attacks on the poster.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
This goes for several people, but please stop responding to every thread criticizing Bush with a one-liner about 'desperation.' It's getting annoying seeing the same posts by 5-6 people in a whole bunch of threads. Ignoring the thread altogether and letting it die would be a better reaction if you consider it useless.

\

gorgonzola when 90% of the threads in here are petty questionable anti-Bush threads, ESP when they are posted usually by the same person.. come on.

Usually when a poster keeps posting the SAME stuff over and over again people usually poke fun at that fact. And the admins usually ask said person to stop being so obsessive with their "plight"

But now it's just the opposite. Why?

I think you mods do a good job for the most part. But what is SEVERELY laking in MacNN is consistency.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by zen jihad:
Look at this thread, the first dozen or so posts are personal attacks on the poster.

zen if I posted 4 or 5 threads a day with questionable articles about Kerry, the way Lerk does about Bush, the SAME THING would have happened to me. If not more so.

And the mods would tell me to chill out because I was upsetting the crowd.

But it seems the mods take on this has went the opposite direction this time.

I am wondering why.