George Bush As Jimmy Swaggart

George Bush Nominates Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court

What a suprise!! LAMO DUCKO, in nominating Alito, is performing his pennance for the Radical Religious Right (RRR) that totally control this puppet president. After the Miers fiasco, Bush is now doing his best Jimmy Swagart imitation with crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I have sinned against the right by choosing Miers. I have seen the error of my ways. But I promise to be a good puppet. PLEASE FORGIVE ME OH HOLY BIBLE THUMPERS. LET ME LICK YOUR CHRISTIAN NAZI BOOTS...WAAAAHHH!!"

What a LOSER.

AMERICANS SHOULD DEMAND ROVE'S RESIGNATION

Why Does Rove Still Have A White House Job?

I've heard a couple of times now that Scooter Libby is the first sitting White House official to be indicted since the Grant Administration's "Whiskey Ring" scandal in 1875. That can't be true, can it? What about Watergate?
It turns out that even Tricky Dick Nixon had more morals that George W. Bush. Nixon forced H.R. Haldeman, John Erlichman, and five other staff members to resign rather than be indicted in office. Bush continues to crave and depend on the succor of Karl Rove.
Pathetic.

How does a politically wounded, enormously unpopular, lame duck president get away without having to fire his "Minister of Dirty Tricks" following this unprecedented scandal?

Plamegate, like Watergate, obviously goes deeper than Rove and Libby. If Fitzgerald's investigation is truly ongoing, eventually Bush will be forced to eat his young and deep-six turd blossom to protect his own sorry ass. The key is to keep the pressure on. Bush and his cronies are banking on the fact that feeding Libby to the lions will close the book on this scandal. They are already "strategerizing" (bushspeak) Dubya's comeback. Americans should not let this happen.

Yesterday's indictment should launch a major White House investigation. If the Democrats have any balls at all, they will demand a further review of the case made for going to war and the subsequent cover-up by this administration. Congress authorized Bush to go to war under false pretenses. That is the REAL scandal.
WHEN IS AMERICA GOING TO STAND UP AND DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THIS RABBLE OF CROOKS THAT HAVE HIJACKED OUR COUNTRY???
Call and write your representatives in Congress. If the radical right can put the kibosh on Harriet Miers right out of the gate, we the people should be able to deep-six dough boy!!!

WE HAVE THE POWER TO THROW TEXAS TRASH OUT OF OFFICE. IT IS TIME TO STAND UP AND DEMAND BETTER LEADERSHIP IN THIS COUNTRY.

A Sad Day For America

INDICTMENT DAY

October 28, 2005

As much as I would like to relish any event that damages this evil administration, this is not the day to do it. This is a sad day for America for two reasons.

1. Karl Rove was not, and should have been, indicted. It appears highly unlikely that he will be indicted in the future. This dashes my hopes for a completely just conclusion to this disgusting saga and a free pass for a key player. Rove once again gets away with breaking the law.
2. This indictment is another example that all Americans are losers when we are led by unethical, greedy, corrupt, evil people who are willing to do anything to forward a dangerous agenda. These people may have very well damaged our country forever.

The consolation is that this does damage Bush politically. That point is a positive development. As I have said previously, I believe today's indictment is the beginning of the end of Bush's presidency and for that, I will tomorrow, be quietly grateful.

Why Is This Man Smiling?

WOULDN'T YOU BE SMILING IF YOUR COMPANY EARNED $10 BILLION IN 3 MONTHS?

EXXON CEO, JABBA THE HUT, DISCUSSES THE COMPANY'S STRATEGY FOR WORLD DOMINATION

Plame Speaking

THE VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

JUNE 2003

Apparently I Know What I'm Talking About

I'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back but...
In a recent and quite well-written post (if I must say so myself) I stated:

"In the business world, mega corporations will realize they are too big and unwieldy and will eventually unwind... In fact, once there are no more good mergers left, investment banks will push spin-offs again so they can justify their purpose and continue filling their coffers simply by switching gears."

My predictions have materialized sooner than I thought:

"Cendant, the $18 billion conglomerate that was built through the acquisitions of dozens of the nation's most prominent businesses like Century 21, Avis, Days Inn and Orbitz, is planning a radical breakup into four different companies.
The move, which company announced today, is perhaps the most vivid acknowledgment that the latest era of conglomerates built through mergers and acquisitions may be over." [New York Times, 10/24/2005]

We'll see if my predictions on Rove and Libby are as equally prophetic.

Forget Illegals, Start Deporting Religious Radicals

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Cory Burnell wants to set up a Christian nation within the United States where abortion is illegal, gay marriage is banned, schools cannot teach evolution, children can pray to Jesus in public schools and the Ten Commandments are posted publicly.

To that end, Burnell, 29, left the Republican Party, moved from California and founded Christian Exodus two years ago with the goal of redirecting the United States by "redeeming" one state at a time.

First up for redemption is South Carolina.

Burnell hopes to move 2,500 Christians into the northern part of the state by next year and to persuade tens of thousands to relocate by 2016. His goal is to fill the state legislature with "Christian constitutionalists."

The push comes at a time when Christian fundamentalism is a growing force in U.S. politics, displays of the Ten Commandments in government buildings are spurring litigation and President George W. Bush is touting the evangelical Christian credentials of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

Chrisitan Exodus, huh? More like Christian "Exit-US" and the sooner the better.

RAIN DELAY: Prosecutor Smart To Wait a Day Before Indicting Whitehouse Aides

It is 10:00am EST and no news on Rove or Libby indictments. My prediction did not take into account Hurricane Wilma or Bush's nomination of a new Fed Chairman, both of which would overshadow the media impact of any indictment announcements made today.

Any prosecutor worth his salt realizes the importance of media and the timing of announcements in a high-profile case like this.

Patrick Fitzgerald, special prosecutor in the CIA leak investigation, is clearly doing the right thing by holding off a day or two so as to get the lead story on any indictment.

Stay Tuned!!

Auf Wiedersehen Karl, Au Revoir Scooter

I'm going out on a limb here but my prediction is that the early news cycle tomorrow will report official indictments against Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

I also predict they will both step down.

The details of the indictments, what exact charges are brought, etc. I won't guess but they will be serious.

My timing may be off by a day or two but if these events do not transpire by the end of the week I (and much of the nation) will be shocked.

In a larger sense, I think these indictments will mark a major turning point in current American politics and signal the beginning of the end for the Bush administration and this horrible, horrible chapter in our nation's history.

We can only pray.

Friday Roundup

Let’s recap what this politically wounded president is doing to improve his standing with the American people, shall we?

This from yesterday's New York Times:
Mr. Bush was also asked about the impact of the many distractions now weighing on the administration, including the Iraq war, the C.I.A leak investigation, and the embattled nomination of Harriet E. Miers to the Supreme Court. .
"There's some background noise here, a lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining," he said, unsmiling. "But the American people expect me to do my job and I'm going to."
How freakin’ out of touch do you have to be to say something like that? Apparently the American people, namely the mother of a dead soldier who wants to know why her son was killed, are but “chatter” and “background noise” in George Bush’s empty, echoing skull. Either that or all the coke he’s snorting is making him hear voices…
But it gets better...

• New bankruptcy legislation took effect this week. This is Bush’s cruel joke on struggling American’s. It is also his “thanks for buying my re-election" gift to the corrupt banking lobby. Bank of America had double-digit profit growth last quarter but apparently that's not enough. They also require the legal right to financially enslave hardworking Americans who have the audacity to undergo an unaffordable illness or layoff.
• Bushies are also desperately trying to pass $50 billion in budget cuts for food stamps, veteran’s healthcare and other programs that benefit the neediest Americans (and which have surprisingly escaped being completely gutted already).
• In addition, as though the above bill is not cruel enough, arrogant republicans are attaching an amendment to the same bill that will allow drilling in our once federally protected Alaskan wilderness. One of the last remaining parcels of unspoiled land in America. This has been a top priority for Bush since becoming president.
• “Hey boys and girls, be the first kid on your block to own a handgun!” In a final parting gift to his bestest of friends (even better friends than bankers). Bush really went over the top in showering the gun industry and the NRA with early Christmas gifts. Now, we have rarely seen a more evil industry (and there are many). The gun group is second only to cigarette manufacturers as being the great purveyors of death in this country. Bush is getting ready to sign legislation that grants retroactive immunity to these murderers. Obviously pro-business conservadroids have learned their lesson from the plight of the poor darling cigarette conglomerates who have been subjected to paying out a fraction of their blood money just for marketing death sticks to children.

Finally and MOST disturbing, Condi Rice is dropping little hints that the Iraqi conflict may expand into Syria (at least). Clearly, Bush imperialism is going to continue unabated and like any good dictatorship it will do so regardless of public sentiment or political opinion. Lamo Ducko could care less. He has become the very Saddam he worked so hard to depose. How's that for painful irony?

Recipe For Prison Pruno

What is Pruno? For those of you who don't know (and I hope it is most) it is basically a concoction of smuggled fruit and juice that inmates add yeast and sugar to. Once it starts turning rancid the yeast and sugar produce alcohol. Think "prison Moonshine" only it tastes like rancid sewage. Yum, pour me some!!

So what is the point of this? Well, you know I'm googling "prison" and "pruno" just to see what life is going to be like for Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. Anyway, I come across this poem written by a death row inmate in San Quentin. Now I'm no literary genius but this poem effected me in a way nothing I've ever read has. It is so powerful it just knocked the wind out of me. Read for Yourself.

Recipe For Prison Pruno
Jarvis Masters

Take ten peeled oranges,
Jarvis Masters, it is the judgment and sentence of this court,
one 8 oz. bowl of fruit cocktail,
that the charged information was true,
squeeze the fruit into a small plastic bag,
and the jury having previously, on said date,
and put the juice along with the mash inside,
found that the penalty shall be death,
add 16 oz. of water and seal the bag tightly.
and this Court having, on August 20, 1991,
Place the bag into your sink,
denied your motion for a new trial,
and heat it with hot running water for 15 minutes.
it is the order of this Court that you suffer death,
wrap towels around the bag to keep it warm for fermentation.
said penalty to be inflicted within the walls of San Quentin,
Stash the bag in your cell undisturbed for 48 hours.
at which place you shall be put to death,
When the time has elapsed,in the manner prescribed by law,
add 40 to 60 cubes of white sugar,
the date later to be fixed by the Court in warrant of execution.
six teaspoons of ketchup,
You are remanded to the custody of the warden of San Quentin,
then heat again for 30 minutes,
to be held by him pending final
secure the bag as done before,
determination of your appeal.
then stash the bag undisturbed again for 72 hours.
It is so ordered.
Reheat daily for 15 minutes.
In witness whereof,
After 72 hours,
I have hereon set my hand as Judge of this Superior Court,
with a spoon, skim off the mash,
and I have caused the seal of this Court to be affixed thereto.
pour the remaining portion into two 18 oz. cups.
May God have mercy on your soul.

1992, California State Prison-San Quentin
San Quentin, California

I guess this poem affected me so powerfully because beyond the briliant counterpoint of a mundane recipe interspersed within a legal death sentence, it made me realize how we in America distance ourselves from the fact that every crime has many, many victims. It is a long road and the confluence of many tragic events that creates a death row inmate. Its easy to just say "monster" and lock them away. It is more complicated than that. However, we mostly choose to turn away from the problems that create these "monsters" in the first place. By doing so we have helped create the very criminal society we are so desparately trying to fix (by locking up more and more people). To think otherwise is to take the easy way out and perpetuate an environment that fosters the continuation of this broken, dysfuntional society. It reminds me of the mantra, do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?

An Open Letter to Conservative Pundits

Quite a bit of the conservative commentary I've been reading lately has centered around a certain theme. It is basically that poor Republican's are working hard, doing the "peoples' business" nominating judges, slashing budgets, pretending to help disaster victims, getting indicted, etc. etc.

These same hardworking conservatives are darn well sick and tired of taking it on the chin day after day while lazy democrats do nothing but sit around and stir the pot and make things difficult for these warm, fuzzy, hardworking republicans.

EXUSE ME?

I mean I have to say, I really wish these armchair pundits would acquire at least a passing acquaintance with the study of politics. “democrats are happy to sit by and let blah blah blah”.

Now I realize conservatives are in a very bad mood these days. Heck, they have every reason to be. However, commentary like this simply demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the most basic principles of political theory.

You see, there is this concept known as “political capital”. It is the very currency by which Washington, and by extention, America (and by extension the world) operates. Heck, George Bush used his to launch a senseless war for oil that ended up doubling gas prices!!

Lesson #1: Political capital is a VERY precious commodity. You expend it wisely and you definitely do not expend it when you don’t have to. With that in mind, why, for heavens sakes, would democrats do anything but sit back and watch the Republican Party implode. They have everything to gain without expending an ounce of political capital. This moment has been hard earned. For five long years liberals have expended political capital in order to make the point that the Bush administration (aka the Texas Mafia) is corrupt, arrogant, cruel, lying and contemptuous. These same liberals did so to rousing and unrelenting criticism. Democrats appear to be finally reaping the benefits of these now prescient observations. This moment is simply a time for them to sit back quietly and watch the fireworks.

My advice to whiny conservative pundits that are all in a stitch about do-nothing democrats: your lack of political prowess may explain why your party is in such disarray. As for us simple-minded liberals, hope you don’t mind if we sit back and chew on some texas bluegrass.

A Little Leak, A Huge Lie

It's Bush-Cheney, Not Rove-Libby
By Frank Rich
The New York Times

[Bush's] stonewall may start to crumble in a Washington courtroom this week or next. In a sense it already has. Now, as always, what matters most in this case is not whether Mr. Rove and Lewis Libby engaged in a petty conspiracy to seek revenge on a whistle-blower, Joseph Wilson, by unmasking his wife, Valerie, a covert C.I.A. officer. What makes Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation compelling, whatever its outcome, is its illumination of a conspiracy that was not at all petty: the one that took us on false premises into a reckless and wasteful war in Iraq. That conspiracy was instigated by Mr. Rove's boss, George W. Bush, and Mr. Libby's boss, Dick Cheney.
Mr. Wilson and his wife were trashed to protect that larger plot. Because the personnel in both stories overlap, the bits and pieces we've learned about the leak inquiry over the past two years have gradually helped fill in the über-narrative about the war. Last week was no exception. Deep in a Wall Street Journal account of Judy Miller's grand jury appearance was this crucial sentence: "Lawyers familiar with the investigation believe that at least part of the outcome likely hangs on the inner workings of what has been dubbed the White House Iraq Group."
Very little has been written about the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG. Its inception in August 2002, seven months before the invasion of Iraq, was never announced. Only much later would a newspaper article or two mention it in passing, reporting that it had been set up by Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff. Its eight members included Mr. Rove, Mr. Libby, Condoleezza Rice and the spinmeisters Karen Hughes and Mary Matalin. Its mission: to market a war in Iraq.
Throughout those crucial seven months between the creation of WHIG and the start of the American invasion of Iraq, there were indications that evidence of a Saddam nuclear program was fraudulent or nonexistent.
It was not until the war was supposedly over - with "Mission Accomplished," in May 2003 - that Mr. Wilson started to add his voice to those who were disputing the administration's uranium hype. Members of WHIG had a compelling motive to shut him down.
When Mr. Rove was asked on camera by ABC News in September 2003 if he had any knowledge of the Valerie Wilson leak and said no, it was only hours before the Justice Department would open its first leak investigation. When Scott McClellan later declared that he had been personally assured by Mr. Rove and Mr. Libby that they were "not involved" with the leak, the case was still in the safe hands of the attorney general then, John Ashcroft, himself a three-time Rove client in past political campaigns. Though Mr. Rove may be known as "Bush's brain," he wasn't smart enough to anticipate that Justice Department career employees would eventually pressure Mr. Ashcroft to recuse himself because of this conflict of interest, clearing the way for an outside prosecutor as independent as Mr. Fitzgerald.
"Bush's Brain" is the title of James Moore and Wayne Slater's definitive account of Mr. Rove's political career. But Mr. Rove is less his boss's brain than another alliterative organ (or organs), that which provides testosterone. As we learn in "Bush's Brain," bad things (usually character assassination) often happen to Bush foes, whether Ann Richards or John McCain. On such occasions, Mr. Bush stays compassionately above the fray while the ruthless Mr. Rove operates below the radar, always separated by "a layer of operatives" from any ill behavior that might implicate him. "There is no crime, just a victim," Mr. Moore and Mr. Slater write of this repeated pattern.
THIS modus operandi was foolproof, shielding the president as well as Mr. Rove from culpability, as long as it was about winning an election. The attack on Mr. Wilson, by contrast, has left them and the Cheney-Libby tag team vulnerable because it's about something far bigger: protecting the lies that took the country into what the Reagan administration National Security Agency director, Lt. Gen. William Odom, recently called "the greatest strategic disaster in United States history."
Whether or not Mr. Fitzgerald uncovers an indictable crime, there is once again a victim, but that victim is not Mr. or Mrs. Wilson; it's the nation. It is surely a joke of history that even as the White House sells this weekend's constitutional referendum as yet another "victory" for democracy in Iraq, we still don't know the whole story of how our own democracy was hijacked on the way to war.

Mr. Fitzgerald, I'm Ready for My Perp Walk

KARL ROVE INDICTED!!

(well, almost)

Sounds like the indictment of Karl Rove is just around the corner. My prediction: this is going to snowball and eventually becomes Bush's Watergate. Get yer popcorn, this should be a very interesting floor show. Here's an excerpt from an article on Salon.com:

Rove's return to the grand jury: A "stunning" and "ominous" sign
So Karl Rove is returning to testify before the grand jury investigating the outing of Valerie Plame, and he's doing so without any guarantee that Patrick Fitzgerald won't prosecute him. How big of a development is this? "Stunning," a former federal prosecutor tells us. "There is no reason for Rove to make this appearance unless he and his counsel believe he is at serious risk of indictment. None."
It's always risky to go before a grand jury. You can't take your lawyer into the room with you, and you don't know what the grand jury knows or doesn't know. It's especially risky if you've already testified once -- or, in the case of Rove, three times -- before: The odds of introducing inconsistencies into your testimony increase each time you give it. That's why, the former prosecutor tells us, a defense lawyer would advise his client to make a return appearance before the grand jury only in extreme circumstances...(continued)

-- Tim Grieve

Bush Says "Give a Me Torture, or I Break a You Legs"

Defying a veto threat from the White House, the Senate agreed to regulate the treatment of prisoners held by the military.

File Under: Compassionate Conservatism.

Quid Pro Quo

"During Bush's first term as governor, Gonzales used information turned up by Miers [Bush's recent nominee to the Supreme Court] to persuade a local judge to excuse Bush from jury duty, a civic task that would have forced him to disclose his 1976 arrest for drunken driving in Maine."
- AP Wire Service

The Cronyism continues.

Separated at Birth? You Decide

~ ~ ~ HARRIET MIERS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~THE SEA HAG

There Is No Iraq

Of all the articles I've read on Iraq, this is the one that seems the most plausible to me. This guy clearly knows what he is talking about. Unfortunately, it is chilling.

Basically the only prescription - break up Iraq into ethnic sects, get the three or four new countries mildly stable and get the hell out of there. And that's our best option!! What a god-awful mess we're in. Thanks a lot President Dickhead, you've really screwed things up good. It's now going to take a generation and thousands of lives all so you could get a hard-on as a "war president". This is what incompetent leaders do people.

******************************************

There is no Iraq
Cenk Uygur
Huffingtonpost.com

Everyone is wrong -- from the arrogant neo-clowns who brought you this war to the mindless bureaucrats who maintain it to the well-intentioned intellectuals that are grasping for a decent and humane way out. Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Iraq back together again.
Whether people want to leave or stay, the assumption is that they have what is best for Iraq in mind.
But there is no Iraq.
Today General Casey and General Abizaid admitted in the United States Senate that after two and a half years, they have only been able to train one Iraqi battalion. One! You could blame this on the incompetence of the Pentagon or the administration – and one is tempted to because that is usually the correct answer these days – but there is a better explanation. The Iraqis have no allegiance to their central government. They do not wish to serve in its army or to die for its goals.That is because the West misunderstands the local culture of Iraq. An Iraqi Sunni is a thousand times more loyal to his fellow Sunnis than to some theoretical Iraqi government. The same is true of Shiites and even more true of Kurds. They don’t care about Iraq – we do.The Iraqis are perfectly capable of fighting with passion and effectiveness. Just look at the insurgency – those are Iraqi fighters (at least 90% according to the various Pentagon sources). Look at the Kurdish peshmarga militia that maintains order in the north. Look at the Badr brigades and the Mahdi army of the Shiites in the south. All of these forces are perfectly capable and willing to fight – just not for the Iraqi army.They are ready to fight for their sects. The only thing keeping them together in the short run is the US occupation. But the US occupation won’t last forever and can only keep a lid on sectarian ambitions for so long. At some point, the levees will be breached.The Sunnis have already rejected the constitution and the Shiites don’t appear to be overly concerned about their lack of approval. It is wishful thinking bordering on fantasy to think that these different sects will get back together and live peacefully ever after. Eventually, the Shiites will have just as much trouble controlling the Sunni areas as we do. Their occupation will not be any more effective than ours. The Kurds will drive the Arabs from Kirkuk, and the separation will be complete.There is no Iraq. It does not exist in the minds and souls of the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. There will be three different countries in the place we call Iraq, whether we like it or not.Now, the question isn’t whether our troops stay or withdraw. Neither action would help towards a long term solution because we are headed the wrong way. If we stayed a thousand years, we couldn’t keep Iraq together. If we left now, there would be instant, horrific bloodshed. Neither accomplishes anything.
What we should be doing is working towards a realistic goal – a relatively peaceful transition towards three different countries in the area. We might not be able to keep these people together but we could probably help them to separate.Of course, there are tremendous downsides to this solution. Allies like Turkey will be enraged, the Sunnis will rebel (so, what’s new) because they will be left without oil, there will be displacements and small massacres. Believe it or not, that is now the best case scenario. If you don’t believe me now, you will believe me many years from now after thousands more have perished trying to do the undoable. And then we’ll go through the painful transition I’m referring to anyway, because it is inevitable.
Of course, the real downside to this solution that is going to prevent us from doing what is necessary has nothing to do with Iraq, and everything to do with American politics. If we say now that we should split up the country, we will look like we made a mistake by going in the first place. It will be a major admission that we were wrong in thinking we could keep the country together. Our politicians would lose face. And that is the one price they are not willing to bear.
That is why we must make them bear it. The longer they protect their pride, the longer we keep on dying. All the while, going the wrong way.As any sports player or fan knows, if your team’s heart is not into it, you will lose the game. Right now, the Iraqi army – all one battalion of it – doesn’t have its heart into it. They keep running from fights and battles because it is not their battles. Nor is it ours.
Let’s start fighting a fight we can win. Let’s create countries that people care about and are willing to protect not only through violence, but also through peace. The Sunnis might not care about keeping Basra or Mosul safe because they are Shiite and Kurdish towns, but they will care about bringing peace to Ramadi and Tikrit once they have ownership of them. Let’s give them a reason to care.This war is a disaster of epic proportions. Iraq presented no threat to the United States before the invasion, now it presents a tremendous threat. There was almost no al-Qaeda presence in Iraq before the war, now there is a tremendous presence. Iran was in a position of weakness before the war, and now it has a powerful new ally in Shiite led Iraq. Terrorism is on the rise. Osama bin Laden has been left alone to pursue his new attacks. There is instability in the Middle East. And this administration has absolutely no idea how to make it better.George Bush still talks about freedom and democracy, as if they have relevance in the complicated sectarian strife in Iraq. Whose freedom, George? Whose democracy? It doesn’t feel like freedom to the Sunnis when they have been squeezed out of the Shiite and Kurdish controlled Iraqi government. That’s why they are fighting us – not because they hate their freedom but because they want it back.In this quagmire full of nuance we have a president who is proud that he “doesn’t do nuance.” We’re in a lot of trouble. Our president is overmatched. Not by the Iraqis, but by the gravity of his office. The man is a simpleton in complicated times.Our only recourse is to elect a completely new Congress that will force him in the direction of reality. The people who voted for this war and brought you this debacle are not going to be the ones who bring you out. We need new direction here at home so that we can have a new direction in Iraq, or what’s left of it.