Turtles and tortoises are very different things.

On the issue of terminology, our friends at Wikipedia point out:

>>Turtle, tortoise, or terrapin?

In British English it is normal to describe these reptiles as turtles, terrapins, or tortoises depending on whether they live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land, respectively. Thus the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, is considered a turtle [1]; the red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, a terrapin [2]; and the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, a tortoise [3].

In American English it is common to refer to all freshwater chelonians as turtles. Ocean-going species are sea turtles, and members of the family Testudinidae, such as the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), are considered tortoises. "Terrapin" is reserved for the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), a North American species whose name is derived from the Algonquian word for this animal, [4] though the average speaker would simply refer to it as a turtle.

There are no fully-terrestrial forms in Australia; therefore, speakers of Australian English tend to use turtle for marine species and tortoise for freshwater species. This confusing nomenclature is changing as recent publications have used turtle for both marine and freshwater species [5].

The word chelonian, an umbrella term covering turtles, tortoises, and terrapins, is increasingly popular among scientists, conservationists, hobbyists and veterinarians working with these animals. It is based on the Greek word χελώνα ( /çeˈlona/, chelone ), meaning tortoise, and is used, for example, by the Chelonian Research Foundation.

this is why i read ATR, i always learn something!

I realize there is only one core truth about the Bushies:

1.they think they're smarter than everybody else, and

2.we deserve to be lied to because we're a bunch of weak pansies,

2b.which makes lying to us all right, not that they care whether or not it's right, because

2c.caring about stuff like that is something that only weak pansies would do.

Yes, I said one core truth. Not two, and certainly not three or four. (The way they count their core truth(s) is also classified. Excess curiosity about the counting of the one core truth is probably treasonous.)

Also, John Bolton's mustache will frighten all our enemies into submission.

Ok, two core truths.

Yes, I believe that they do think they are smarter than everyone else. You can see the disdain dripping from their chins when they speak in public. Rummy has his oh my goodness, Cheney has his snarl down pat, Bush has a smirk permanently stamped on his face, Powell has his poker face, hard ass demeanor and Tony Snow -- no comment.

I also believe that they have told so many lies that they cannot keep track of them any longer and worse still have come to believe their own malarkey so that they don't feel the need to keep track of their lies because if they said it then it must be so. But what stands out to me is the utter contempt and disdain they hold for the public. Bush has said that the definition of a strong leader is one who does not bow to public opinion; a strong leader is one who ignores public opinion because the strong leader knows best.

Looking back at the Bush presidency and the resulting reality we now abide in we can see that Bush and his supporters are a living monument to the human capacity for self delusion.

Excellent post. Wolfowitz & Rice are among those fond of the lie about how "surprised" the US was when it "learned" the "truth" about Iraq's nuclear program after the first Gulf War.

Al Gore in a campaign speech at The Center for National Policy on September 29, 1992 explained how the G. H. W. Bush administration held detailed knowledge of and participated in supplying Iraq's nuclear program.

GORE: "In April 1989, a nuclear proliferation expert from the Department of Energy reported intelligence indicators that Iraq had a crash program underway to build an atomic bomb. In June, the Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Iraq was running a major European network to procure military goods that were not supposed to be sold. In August, the FBI raided the Atlanta Branch of the Italian Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) and seized evidence of over $4 billion in illegal loans to Iraq, as well as use of about $2 billion of those funds to buy nuclear and other military technologies. And on September 22nd, Assistant Secretary of State John Kelly wrote a memo acknowledging that money coming to Iraq through the Atlanta branch of the BNL did `appear to have been used' to finance acquisition of sensitive military technology. Also in September, the USDA reported kickbacks and possible diversions of US-supplied agricultural funds for military purposes.

"Most significant of all, in the same month, the CIA reported to Secretary of State James Baker and other top Bush administration officials that Iraq was clandestinely procuring nuclear weapons technology through a global network of front companies.

"Now, in the midst of this flood of highly alarming information, on October 2, 1989, President Bush signed a document known as NSD-26, which established policy toward Iraq under his Administration. This document is the benchmark for judging George Bush's record for the direction of American policy toward Iraq in the period that would ultimately lead to war. We have only a partial idea of what is in that document, since the version that was finally released to Congress has been heavily censored. But the core statement of purpose and the fundamental assumptions behind it are clear. And so is the incredibly poor judgment of George Bush.

"NSD-26 mandated the pursuit of improved economic and political ties with Iraq on the assumption that Iraqi behavior could be modified by means of new favors to be granted".

My favorite Napoleon quote: "History is a series of agreed upon lies."

That not everyone is agreeing with the lies means that we haven't agreed yet.

hey, that's my favourite anti-science line!