Regarding the Pennsylvania legislature's pay raise scam, this is what Republican House Speaker John Perzel of Philadelphia had to say:
"It's been a slow news month."
According to a CNN story last Wednesday, Perzel and other supporters of the law say legislators were underpaid, and that the raise merely brings their salaries in line with other top officials in the state.
Hmm, I seem to recall that Perzel involved himself in a controversial way regarding another issue a few weeks ago. Now what was it again?
Oh yes, I remember now (Leonard Pitts, Jr. of the Miami Herald had an excellent column about this).
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Buscho Actually Loses Sometimes
This is meant as a tip of the hat, as it were, to U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken who ruled against oil and gas drilling that was being pushed by Bush and his cronies off the central California coast Friday. You can read about the rest of the story here.
I'm posting about this partly because of some of the truly obnoxious comments I read in response to this story from The Free Republic web site. I've never heard of these people - I just happened to come across them from doing a Google search. I have no idea who is bankrolling or otherwise supporting The Free Republic, but it's obvious from the comments that their readership is right wing, ultra-right wing, and flat-out nuts.
Oh, so you blame rulings from so-called "activist judges" as Wilken as the reason for high gas prices? If so, then I should have saved my "Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest" post for you instead.
You have fallen for a typical Bushco scam, which is to make themselves and their cronys in the energy business rich(er) at our expense. And if they still hold the reins of power after they have squeezed the last drop of black gold out of the ground (God help us), the commenters on this page will still be trying to blame "Clinton and the liberals" for it. Screaming about outrageous prices for gas without holding the cabal running our government accountable is the height of idiocy.
I'm posting about this partly because of some of the truly obnoxious comments I read in response to this story from The Free Republic web site. I've never heard of these people - I just happened to come across them from doing a Google search. I have no idea who is bankrolling or otherwise supporting The Free Republic, but it's obvious from the comments that their readership is right wing, ultra-right wing, and flat-out nuts.
Oh, so you blame rulings from so-called "activist judges" as Wilken as the reason for high gas prices? If so, then I should have saved my "Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest" post for you instead.
You have fallen for a typical Bushco scam, which is to make themselves and their cronys in the energy business rich(er) at our expense. And if they still hold the reins of power after they have squeezed the last drop of black gold out of the ground (God help us), the commenters on this page will still be trying to blame "Clinton and the liberals" for it. Screaming about outrageous prices for gas without holding the cabal running our government accountable is the height of idiocy.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Looking For Mr. Goodshaft
I just went to Itsez, and I thought they had a good post to commemorate Judith Rossner, the best-selling author who just passed away. In the post, they reflected on women who make bad choices in relationships for one reason or another and the effect those decisions had on their lives (which Rossner wrote about effectively).
As I read the post, it occurred to me that there is something missing from the entire dialogue about and circumstances pertaining to the war in Iraq that would make a world of difference, and that is (with the recent praiseworthy exception of Cindy Sheehan) a woman’s perspective. I’m wondering primarily about how all of this would have played out if the leaders of our country were women who were mothers, or married to service people, or even dating or engaged to them.
(OK, two caveats here: First, the people behind the Iraq quagmire haven’t been playing straight with us from the beginning, and it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about men or women, though I wouldn’t be talking about women by default because, to my knowledge, a group of women has never been given the opportunity to run a country in the history of civilization; Second, I’m deliberately excluding Condolezza Rice from this because, as far as I’m concerned despite her comely appearance, she is, to quote MP and actress Glenda Jackson talking about Margaret Thatcher, “a man in a frock”.)
I somehow have a very hard time believing that, even if given the opportunity, a woman leader could screw up things in as monumental a fashion as our male leaders have to this point (and being a man, it doesn’t make me happy to say that).
I don’t know if Bush or Rummy have paternal instincts in their bodies. Cheney has something like that for his lesbian daughter, which is the ONLY redeeming quality he has as far as I’m concerned. However, in the cases of these three nut jobs, anything resembling that instinct that they would wish to project upon the sons and daughters of either our serving forces or victims of our occupation is clearly nowhere to be found.
I believe that, if it were truly necessary for us to wage this war (and of course, I don’t believe it is necessary, making it all the more tragic), a woman would wage it as ferociously as a man, though that woman leader would be heaped upon with abuse because she may be more judicious about finally deciding to wage it than a man would. I think she would take more considerations to heart than a man, generally speaking, and I say that with admiration. I also think she would be more inclined to seek a peaceful end as soon as possible, though in their duplicity, other unscrupulous leaders would try to use that to their advantage.
Still, though, I wish more “motherly judgment,” if you will, had been taken into consideration before we charged headlong into this disaster. The war in Iraq is awful in many respects, and one of them is that it casts a light on male wrong-headedness, impudence and recklessness. And unfortunately, I have to cast this generic blame over my own gender, since this is our show entirely.
Finally, for a mother’s perspective on this (whose son is in the service, by the way), here is a link to the most recent column from Kate Fratti of the Bucks County Courier Times.
As I read the post, it occurred to me that there is something missing from the entire dialogue about and circumstances pertaining to the war in Iraq that would make a world of difference, and that is (with the recent praiseworthy exception of Cindy Sheehan) a woman’s perspective. I’m wondering primarily about how all of this would have played out if the leaders of our country were women who were mothers, or married to service people, or even dating or engaged to them.
(OK, two caveats here: First, the people behind the Iraq quagmire haven’t been playing straight with us from the beginning, and it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about men or women, though I wouldn’t be talking about women by default because, to my knowledge, a group of women has never been given the opportunity to run a country in the history of civilization; Second, I’m deliberately excluding Condolezza Rice from this because, as far as I’m concerned despite her comely appearance, she is, to quote MP and actress Glenda Jackson talking about Margaret Thatcher, “a man in a frock”.)
I somehow have a very hard time believing that, even if given the opportunity, a woman leader could screw up things in as monumental a fashion as our male leaders have to this point (and being a man, it doesn’t make me happy to say that).
I don’t know if Bush or Rummy have paternal instincts in their bodies. Cheney has something like that for his lesbian daughter, which is the ONLY redeeming quality he has as far as I’m concerned. However, in the cases of these three nut jobs, anything resembling that instinct that they would wish to project upon the sons and daughters of either our serving forces or victims of our occupation is clearly nowhere to be found.
I believe that, if it were truly necessary for us to wage this war (and of course, I don’t believe it is necessary, making it all the more tragic), a woman would wage it as ferociously as a man, though that woman leader would be heaped upon with abuse because she may be more judicious about finally deciding to wage it than a man would. I think she would take more considerations to heart than a man, generally speaking, and I say that with admiration. I also think she would be more inclined to seek a peaceful end as soon as possible, though in their duplicity, other unscrupulous leaders would try to use that to their advantage.
Still, though, I wish more “motherly judgment,” if you will, had been taken into consideration before we charged headlong into this disaster. The war in Iraq is awful in many respects, and one of them is that it casts a light on male wrong-headedness, impudence and recklessness. And unfortunately, I have to cast this generic blame over my own gender, since this is our show entirely.
Finally, for a mother’s perspective on this (whose son is in the service, by the way), here is a link to the most recent column from Kate Fratti of the Bucks County Courier Times.
In Praise Of Jane Fonda
(I know THAT title is going to get all of the Bushco sympathizers, neocon chickenhawks and dittoheads all in a lather. Good. Oh, and by the way, they could actually read about her first before they start banging away furiously on their keyboards if they want to.)
For anyone who doesn’t know this, Fonda is organizing a bus tour with families of soldiers currently serving in Iraq as well as returning service people (and boy, won’t THEY hear about that from their COs) to protest the Iraq war. I credit anyone trying to break through the flotsam of TV punditry, MSM non-coverage and Bushco propaganda and control methods in an effort to bring the true story of this epochal tragedy front and center.
Do I get angry when I recall her posing at that gun battery in 1972 while our brave service people like John McCain were getting tortured senseless, with Fonda spouting VC propaganda that they were being treated humanely? Next question.
However, here is my point. Much like in the case of Bill “I Did Not Have Sex With That Woman” Clinton, how long are we supposed to hate these people before we finally realize that they are genuinely sorry for having done wrong (or even Robert McNamara in later years)? Yes, I know it’s easy for me to ask that because I haven’t been personally affected by these people.
But I can tell you right now that I would ratchet down my anti-Bush fervor if I saw a molecule of contrition from these maniacs for their murderous actions (and that’s nowhere in sight, as we know). Of course, I suppose if Bush, Cheney, Rummy, etc. showed any realization of what they've done, it would hasten their appearance at a docket in The Hague facing a war crimes tribunal.
Besides, you can rest assured that if Fonda somehow gets cold feet and bails out of the bus tour, I will absolutely blast her for it.
For anyone who doesn’t know this, Fonda is organizing a bus tour with families of soldiers currently serving in Iraq as well as returning service people (and boy, won’t THEY hear about that from their COs) to protest the Iraq war. I credit anyone trying to break through the flotsam of TV punditry, MSM non-coverage and Bushco propaganda and control methods in an effort to bring the true story of this epochal tragedy front and center.
Do I get angry when I recall her posing at that gun battery in 1972 while our brave service people like John McCain were getting tortured senseless, with Fonda spouting VC propaganda that they were being treated humanely? Next question.
However, here is my point. Much like in the case of Bill “I Did Not Have Sex With That Woman” Clinton, how long are we supposed to hate these people before we finally realize that they are genuinely sorry for having done wrong (or even Robert McNamara in later years)? Yes, I know it’s easy for me to ask that because I haven’t been personally affected by these people.
But I can tell you right now that I would ratchet down my anti-Bush fervor if I saw a molecule of contrition from these maniacs for their murderous actions (and that’s nowhere in sight, as we know). Of course, I suppose if Bush, Cheney, Rummy, etc. showed any realization of what they've done, it would hasten their appearance at a docket in The Hague facing a war crimes tribunal.
Besides, you can rest assured that if Fonda somehow gets cold feet and bails out of the bus tour, I will absolutely blast her for it.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
How The MSM Kills A Story
I just checked the websites for CNN, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Boston Globe, and the Miami Herald, and there was absolutely nothing on the front pages of these newspapers about Cindy Sheehan’s vigil in front of Dubya’s ranch estate.
Oh, there was other Bushco propaganda to be sure, including The Grand High Exalted Idiot’s proclamation that this supposed highway bill of his, which includes funding for that bridge to nowhere in Alaska, will spur our economy and create jobs, or some such nonsense. But as a major headline story not relegated to the middle of the first section buried under the women’s lingerie ads, Cindy Sheehan is irrelevant to these supposedly august news organizations.
Only the L.A. Times carried her story on the front page (a fine paper I read as much as I could while in Las Vegas a couple of months ago). Kudos to them.
One more thing: speaking of all things MSM, The Bulldog Manifesto (which has been absolutely smoking white hot recently) has the mother of all great posts on 9/11 and what two British journalists have found (re: one MSM organization paying attention, though not in the U.S. of course). It's an interesting mix of fact and theory presented well, I thought. It's something to be considered by thoughtful people, whatever their politics are.
Oh, there was other Bushco propaganda to be sure, including The Grand High Exalted Idiot’s proclamation that this supposed highway bill of his, which includes funding for that bridge to nowhere in Alaska, will spur our economy and create jobs, or some such nonsense. But as a major headline story not relegated to the middle of the first section buried under the women’s lingerie ads, Cindy Sheehan is irrelevant to these supposedly august news organizations.
Only the L.A. Times carried her story on the front page (a fine paper I read as much as I could while in Las Vegas a couple of months ago). Kudos to them.
One more thing: speaking of all things MSM, The Bulldog Manifesto (which has been absolutely smoking white hot recently) has the mother of all great posts on 9/11 and what two British journalists have found (re: one MSM organization paying attention, though not in the U.S. of course). It's an interesting mix of fact and theory presented well, I thought. It's something to be considered by thoughtful people, whatever their politics are.
Diss You
Go for it, Mr. Jagger!
Looks like Buscho can’t get no satisfaction from Mick and the boys. What a bitch. Oh well, you can’t always get what you want…
OK, OK, I’ll stop.
As we all know (most of us, anyway), The Rolling Stones are the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world. I have no right whatsoever to write a bit of satire (not funny, though, but trying to make a point) based on one of their greatest songs (think end credits for “Full Metal Jacket”). However, I will anyway.
Looks like Buscho can’t get no satisfaction from Mick and the boys. What a bitch. Oh well, you can’t always get what you want…
OK, OK, I’ll stop.
As we all know (most of us, anyway), The Rolling Stones are the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world. I have no right whatsoever to write a bit of satire (not funny, though, but trying to make a point) based on one of their greatest songs (think end credits for “Full Metal Jacket”). However, I will anyway.
I’m camped in Tikrit and I’m fearful of attack
Or getting fragged by Sunnis when I turn my back
I’ve been sent by our government to stay until we’ve “won”
But I pray for Cindy Sheehan – Lord God rest her son
I wear my flak suit and my gear in scorching heat
And take small arms fire from insurgents in the street
I’d scream in Dubya’s face if I ever got the chance
Try to last five minutes here; I bet he’d wet his pants
If roadside trash contains an IED, we’re screwed
And Halliburton serves us all despoiled food
I’m stuck inside the sand and swelter of Iraq
In all my sleepless nights, I fear I won’t get back
I’m going home by mid 2006…we’ll see
Before elections, when Bush claims his victory
We’ve turned the whole damn awful place into a slum
And made more terrorists we’ll fight for years to come
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm...
Put Him Back In Mothballs
So many words and images conjured up by this…one old relic guarding others, it’s a shame we don’t have a statue of Benedict Arnold to watch over, since that would be perfect for him, etc.
It’s very important to guard this country’s landmarks and artifacts and keep our history alive for future generations. It’s very hard for me to think of an individual who is less worthy of this great and noble task than Zell Miller.
It’s very important to guard this country’s landmarks and artifacts and keep our history alive for future generations. It’s very hard for me to think of an individual who is less worthy of this great and noble task than Zell Miller.
"A Run In Panic" Would Be Apropos
This is definitely not the way to recognize September 11th. Something conducive to quiet reflection and consolation is much more appropriate (such as the “remembrance day” ceremonies in England). Of course, if such a ceremony were performed in this country, Bushco wouldn’t be able to milk any propaganda value from it (re: continuing to link 9/11 with the Iraq War as if there was a legitimate connection, which they will continue to do at every opportunity), so how much fun would THAT be for them?
Rich Procter at The Smirking Chimp had a good take on this today, I thought.
(And by the way, with the exception of George Jones, Patsy Cline and very few others, I can’t stand country music anyway.)
Also, as long as I’m mentioning the Bushco quagmire in the Middle East, I should point out that the front page story of today’s Philadelphia Inquirer has to do with the seven soldiers who came from Pennsylvania who recently died over there, and photos of three of them, including Gennaro Pellegrini, Jr. (I linked to his story from yesterday’s Atrios and Daily Kos posts), are on the front page. It’s more terrible tragedy to be sure, but no greater or worse than that suffered by other victims. Whether we’re talking about the first death in combat or the 1800th, we’re talking about one death too many.
Rich Procter at The Smirking Chimp had a good take on this today, I thought.
(And by the way, with the exception of George Jones, Patsy Cline and very few others, I can’t stand country music anyway.)
Also, as long as I’m mentioning the Bushco quagmire in the Middle East, I should point out that the front page story of today’s Philadelphia Inquirer has to do with the seven soldiers who came from Pennsylvania who recently died over there, and photos of three of them, including Gennaro Pellegrini, Jr. (I linked to his story from yesterday’s Atrios and Daily Kos posts), are on the front page. It’s more terrible tragedy to be sure, but no greater or worse than that suffered by other victims. Whether we’re talking about the first death in combat or the 1800th, we’re talking about one death too many.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Today's "Must" Reading
The Smirking Chimp came up huge today with another great post from Paul Craig Roberts about what is really happening to the job market in this country, some true "words to live by" from Mark Morford, and a few great posts in support of Cindy Sheehan, who is now being joined in her vigil outside Dubya's Crawford, TX "ranch" (my guess is that it's more like an estate, though that would be in keeping with the trappings of frauds and pretenders). Thanks to all (I feel like a piker now for not helping them out during their fundraiser, which I MUST do when it comes around again).
More "must" reading is today's great post by The Bulldog Manifesto also related to Dubya and Cindy Sheehan (kind of gives us a reason to carry on).
Update 8/12: So you aren't even man enough to meet again with a grieving mother, or at least not without your handlers everywhere in sight to make sure you don't do anything else stupid, is it, Dubya?
More "must" reading is today's great post by The Bulldog Manifesto also related to Dubya and Cindy Sheehan (kind of gives us a reason to carry on).
Update 8/12: So you aren't even man enough to meet again with a grieving mother, or at least not without your handlers everywhere in sight to make sure you don't do anything else stupid, is it, Dubya?
In Praise Of Our Neighbor
Sometimes I stumble across material for this site from the most unlikely sources, and I just found something in the U.S. 1 publication distributed to businesses along the Route 1 corridor from Trenton to North Brunswick, NJ that I want to share.
A man named Andrew Lubin has written a book called "Charlie Battery" about his son's experiences serving in a Marine artillery unit in Iraq, and Lubin will be at a book signing this Saturday from noon to 2PM at Classic Books, 117 South Warren Street, Trenton, NJ (his son is still with us, God willing).
Here is a link to the story in U.S. 1, which provides more information (and out of respect for the Lubin family, I'll withhold comment on the "better there than here" statement.)
(And by the way, here's a link to the story of another neighbor who didn't make it, courtesy of Atrios and The Daily Kos...it's almost overwhelming to contemplate at this point, as reflected in the comments, but we must do that at the very least.)
A man named Andrew Lubin has written a book called "Charlie Battery" about his son's experiences serving in a Marine artillery unit in Iraq, and Lubin will be at a book signing this Saturday from noon to 2PM at Classic Books, 117 South Warren Street, Trenton, NJ (his son is still with us, God willing).
Here is a link to the story in U.S. 1, which provides more information (and out of respect for the Lubin family, I'll withhold comment on the "better there than here" statement.)
(And by the way, here's a link to the story of another neighbor who didn't make it, courtesy of Atrios and The Daily Kos...it's almost overwhelming to contemplate at this point, as reflected in the comments, but we must do that at the very least.)
Big Brother Takes To The Sky
Michael Chertoff sounds like another Bushco wingnut with this latest plan. His argument makes zero sense to me (actually, Tim Sparapani has a better grasp of the issue in this story, as far as I’m concerned).
Chertoff apparently said a week or so ago that he had to make a choice between devoting more resources to fighting terrorists on a plane that could be used to kill 3,000 people as opposed to fighting terrorists on a subway car that could be used to kill 30 people, or something like that. Why is that a choice we should have to make?
(Also, having ridden the R-3 SEPTA train from the Market East station in Philadelphia en route to West Trenton, NJ at rush hour, I can tell you that there were a hell of a lot more than 30 people on that train, so that analogy falls apart immediately, especially when you make similar comparisons to PATH in NYC, the Metro in Washington, D.C., Amtrak all over the East Coast, etc.)
Here’s an idea. Let’s ask the Israelis what they do with El Al and imitate them, or at least try anyway. When was the last time you heard about anything happening to one of their planes?
Chertoff apparently said a week or so ago that he had to make a choice between devoting more resources to fighting terrorists on a plane that could be used to kill 3,000 people as opposed to fighting terrorists on a subway car that could be used to kill 30 people, or something like that. Why is that a choice we should have to make?
(Also, having ridden the R-3 SEPTA train from the Market East station in Philadelphia en route to West Trenton, NJ at rush hour, I can tell you that there were a hell of a lot more than 30 people on that train, so that analogy falls apart immediately, especially when you make similar comparisons to PATH in NYC, the Metro in Washington, D.C., Amtrak all over the East Coast, etc.)
Here’s an idea. Let’s ask the Israelis what they do with El Al and imitate them, or at least try anyway. When was the last time you heard about anything happening to one of their planes?
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
C Is For Crook
I'm pretty sure Atrios said a week or so ago that the White House was begging Allan Bense to run so they wouldn't have to deal with her (no luck, though, which is good for us).
You think they doctored her photo a bit with some "man tan"?
Naah...would be appropriate, though.
You think they doctored her photo a bit with some "man tan"?
Naah...would be appropriate, though.
When A Blog Dies
Outsourced America threw in the towel yesterday, which is an occasion of sadness as far as I’m concerned. The impression I got from the final post was that they were fed up/angry/disgusted/any or all of the above over the direction this country is headed under Bushco and the fact that too many people are oblivious to it (though I would suggest that “the word” is FINALLY getting through). Part of me doesn’t understand why they gave up, part of me does, and I also realize I could get to the same “burnout” point also (though I should caution you that I am nowhere near that point now, despite these dark days of Bushco dominance).
OA was either the first, second, or third blog I ever read, and for its time (a few months to a year ago), it was chock full of great information about how the investor class is stealing this country right from under our feet and stiffing us with the bill. It did a great job of cutting through the crap and putting everything into context. Many of the links that appear on this site were places that I didn’t know about until I found out about them from OA.
I dabble in the territory of outsourcing and corporate trickery at times, and I will try to devote more space to it and pick up their slack, though there are hundreds and possibly thousands of other blogs out there that will carry on with that cause also. We will endure and persevere and look forward to OA returning in some other form at some point to continue fighting the good fight.
OA was either the first, second, or third blog I ever read, and for its time (a few months to a year ago), it was chock full of great information about how the investor class is stealing this country right from under our feet and stiffing us with the bill. It did a great job of cutting through the crap and putting everything into context. Many of the links that appear on this site were places that I didn’t know about until I found out about them from OA.
I dabble in the territory of outsourcing and corporate trickery at times, and I will try to devote more space to it and pick up their slack, though there are hundreds and possibly thousands of other blogs out there that will carry on with that cause also. We will endure and persevere and look forward to OA returning in some other form at some point to continue fighting the good fight.
Pay Raise Redux
I thought this was a good column from Alison Hawkes of the Bucks County Courier Times regarding the after effects of the pay raise scam in the PA legislature, among other things.
I think a good consequence of this mess is that it has exposed the miscreants in Harrisburgh for what they are and revealed their slimy inner workings in the process, which is much worse than the actual pay raise issue itself.
Update 8/10: This is another good consequence.
Update 8/13: The Bucks County Courier Times reported that the budget just passed by the PA legislature, the one that contained the pay raises of course, did not restore $25 million in grants used by volunteer fire departments and ambulance services, who would of course be first responders in the event of another terrorist attack. Gee, greedy AND shortsighted with our safety, huh people? Nice.
I think a good consequence of this mess is that it has exposed the miscreants in Harrisburgh for what they are and revealed their slimy inner workings in the process, which is much worse than the actual pay raise issue itself.
Update 8/10: This is another good consequence.
Update 8/13: The Bucks County Courier Times reported that the budget just passed by the PA legislature, the one that contained the pay raises of course, did not restore $25 million in grants used by volunteer fire departments and ambulance services, who would of course be first responders in the event of another terrorist attack. Gee, greedy AND shortsighted with our safety, huh people? Nice.
Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest
I think the lead paragraph of this story about sums it all up (how stupid a human being is Dubya not to realize that the vast majority of the people of this country have categorically rejected his Social Security scam, by the way? Never mind...I shouldn't ask).
"Workers are...taking home more of what they earn" (interesting paraphrasing)...that sentence is so far beyond ridiculous that I won't dignify it with any further response.
At least Snidely Snow is saying something closer to the truth...
But of course, Dubya is concerned about the REAL problem to him, which is the continued appearance of Cindy Sheehan near his ranch. So of course, he has to put out the word that she will be arrested if she shows up on Thursday (when Dubya, Condi and Rummy are meeting for a pow wow). However, Sheehan is planning to show up anyway. Good for her.
Also, from the "One Set of Rats Giving To Another" department, this item...
Finally (in a related fit of idiocy), the OxyContin addict (who Paul Hackett tore to shreds in a recent interview - Atrios had something on that today) says that we are currently enjoying an economic boom which exceeds anything seen during the Clinton administration. Don't worry - the Al Franken Show blog on the Air America site (and the NY Times) made him look like the buffoon that he truly is.
"Workers are...taking home more of what they earn" (interesting paraphrasing)...that sentence is so far beyond ridiculous that I won't dignify it with any further response.
At least Snidely Snow is saying something closer to the truth...
But of course, Dubya is concerned about the REAL problem to him, which is the continued appearance of Cindy Sheehan near his ranch. So of course, he has to put out the word that she will be arrested if she shows up on Thursday (when Dubya, Condi and Rummy are meeting for a pow wow). However, Sheehan is planning to show up anyway. Good for her.
Also, from the "One Set of Rats Giving To Another" department, this item...
Finally (in a related fit of idiocy), the OxyContin addict (who Paul Hackett tore to shreds in a recent interview - Atrios had something on that today) says that we are currently enjoying an economic boom which exceeds anything seen during the Clinton administration. Don't worry - the Al Franken Show blog on the Air America site (and the NY Times) made him look like the buffoon that he truly is.
More Salt In The Wounds
From “The Huffington Post” (the Clintonites told Bushco how big a threat Al Qaeda was before they left, and we know how well Bushco listened)…
In an unrelated (or slightly related) note, Howard Stern was going off on this this morning, and he’s right.
Actually, when it comes to threats, this item from Chris Floyd describes a homegrown one, greater than we had known (or I had known, anyway, but should have suspected), in nauseatingly thorough detail.
In an unrelated (or slightly related) note, Howard Stern was going off on this this morning, and he’s right.
Actually, when it comes to threats, this item from Chris Floyd describes a homegrown one, greater than we had known (or I had known, anyway, but should have suspected), in nauseatingly thorough detail.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Tick, Tick, Tick...
No convictions for 9/11, no cooperation...no clue.
White House failed to aid antiterror probe, Kean says
By Philip Shenon
New York Times News Service
WASHINGTON - The White House has failed to turn over any of the information requested by the 10 members of the disbanded Sept. 11 commission in their renewed, unofficial investigation into whether the government is doing enough to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States, commission members say.
The members said that the Bush administration's lack of cooperation was hindering a project that was otherwise nearly complete.
Thomas H. Kean, the former Republican governor of New Jersey who led the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission, said he was surprised and disappointed that the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the CIA, the FBI, and several other executive-branch agencies had failed to respond to requests made two months ago for updated information on the government's antiterrorism programs.
The requests came not from the disbanded commission, which was created by Congress and had subpoena powers, but from its shadow group, which the members call the 9/11 Public Discourse Project. It was established by members of the Sept. 11 commission when the panel formally went out of business last August, shortly after releasing a unanimous report that called for an overhaul of the nation's counterterrorism agencies.
"It's very disappointing," Kean said of the administration's failure to cooperate with the group. "All we're trying to do is make the public safer."
Kean said there had been no response of any sort to interview requests for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Porter J. Goss, the CIA director; Robert S. Mueller 3d, the FBI director; and Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, among others.
A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, would not answer directly when asked whether the administration intended to respond to the project's requests for information before next month, when the group is scheduled to publish an updated report that assesses the progress of the government's counterterrorism efforts.
Perino said that much of the information sought by the private group was available from public sources.
"We welcome their interest in seeing their recommendations implemented," Perino said. "There is ample public information available for them to review about all of the actions we continue to take to better protect the American people."
She said the administration had provided "unprecedented" cooperation to the commission during the official investigation, including access to more than two million documents.
Several executive-branch agencies had no immediate comment when asked Friday whether they intended to provide additional information, but the Department of Homeland Security said it intended to provide a package of information.
In telephone interviews in which he repeatedly expressed his frustration with the White House, Kean said the Public Discourse Project intended to publish its "report card" next month, with or without the administration's assistance, although he said that "obviously it's most helpful to have the information from the agencies that are trying to implement the reforms."
"Honestly, I thought they would want to cooperate," he said of the White House and the agencies. "I thought it would give them a chance to tell their story. They have made some progress."
Kean would not forecast the conclusions of the new report, except to say it would be "tough but fair" in assessing the work of government agencies involved in counterterrorism.
Several of the major recommendations made in the commission's report last year have been put into effect, including the creation of the job of director of national intelligence, a post held by John D. Negroponte.
But other recommended actions have not been taken, including the commission's call for a restructuring of congressional oversight of the nation's spy agencies and for a major expansion of the government's nuclear nonproliferation efforts.
Timothy J. Roemer, a Democratic member of the commission and a former House member from Indiana, said that the White House was being "tone-deaf" in withholding information from the Public Discourse Project.
"You'd think that the administration would be doing all it could to help address some of the answers that the 9/11 commission proposed to make the country safer," he said.
Kean said that the project had sent detailed letters on June 16 to Card and to the leaders of the Pentagon, the State Department, the CIA, the FBI, and the other agencies with responsibility for counterterrorism programs.
The letters requested interviews and updated information on the agencies' efforts to deal with terrorist threats, asking that all the information be provided by Aug. 15. But Kean said Card and the others had failed to respond to the letters or even to acknowledge their receipt.
Kean released copies of letters to the New York Times. The letters are two pages long and ask for information "on steps taken to make the American people safer and more secure."
Monday Roundup
Apparently, Bushco is giving Patrick Fitzgerald a new boss in an effort to try and rein him in, since apparently he’s getting too close to Karl, Scooter, and “the inner circle” (I can’t remember where I first heard about this, either “Raw Story,” “The Poor Man,” or somewhere else…typical “go for the jugular” time by Bushco)…Joe Conason has a great column on some southern Republican senators and military standing up to Bushco and their advocacy of torture...Also, am I the only one who’s getting tired of wading through all of the celebrity, “People,” gossipy stuff on “The Huffington Post” to get to the good content? Show of hands…Finally, I got a kick out of this one – the Repugs threatening to sue over five grand? That’s as funny as potty-mouth “Novakula” losing it the other day.
Defending "A Shining Moment"
In “The Vantage Point,” a self-authored (with some assistance) account of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency, he described an attempt by The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others to lead members of a few organizations dedicated to the rights of African Americans and some other like-minded friends on a 54-mile march beginning in Selma, Alabama in 1965. The march’s final destination was to be the state capitol of Montgomery, and the reason for the march was to encourage support for the Voting Rights Act which Johnson was trying to get through Congress.
However, this is what transpired soon after the march began:
The culmination of the primary phase of the struggle was marked by Johnson’s introduction of The Voting Rights Act to a joint session of Congress on March 15th. Here is how he recounted it in “The Vantage Point.”
Johnson’s powerful message moved Congress to action, and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965. As Johnson recalled:
Only a truly naïve person wouldn't realize that, in these sad days of conservative ascendancy, unscrupulous, bigoted individuals might use this opportunity to gut these sections of the act to ensure a Repug majority in their states once and for all (the individuals who would be hurt are black, Latino, and other people of color who likely would be poor and vote Democratic – let’s have no illusions about this, OK?).
We should contact our elected representatives and tell them to do something which should be stupidly obvious, and that is to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act in its entirety. That is the least we can do to honor the sacrifices of all who are still with us and all who have come and gone to ensure everyone’s right to the universal franchise.
(Here is another background link.)
P.S. – One of the commenters on Mark Green’s column is right about corruption in the electronic voting process, but important as that topic is, that is something to be addressed at another time.
Update: Here's more from Helen Thomas (so James Sensenbrenner thinks renewing the act is "an open question"? This guy is a typical Repug conservative who is too busy screaming about the entertainment industry instead of trying to author and pass legislation that actually matters.)
Update 8/17: This is a fine editorial on this topic from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
However, this is what transpired soon after the march began:
“The singing (of ‘We Shall Overcome’) came to an abrupt end early in the evening of March 7, when the marchers reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge at the southern edge of Selma and were confronted by Sheriff Jim Clark and a mounted posse. The sheriff ordered the marchers to turn around. They knew their rights and refused. The Alabaman state troopers took matters into their own hands. With nightsticks, bullwhips, and billy clubs, they scattered the ranks of the marchers. More than fifty men and women were severely injured. The march was over. But the struggle had just begun.”The march subsequently resumed and reached its destination.
The culmination of the primary phase of the struggle was marked by Johnson’s introduction of The Voting Rights Act to a joint session of Congress on March 15th. Here is how he recounted it in “The Vantage Point.”
“As I stood before the assembled Chamber, the lights were blinding. I began slowly:(note to Dubya: this is how a president of the United States is supposed to act.)
‘I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy…At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.’
I could feel the tension in the Chamber. I could hear the emotion in the echoes of my own words. I tried to speed it up a little.
‘There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong – deadly wrong – to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of states rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights…This time, on this issue, there must be no delay, no hesitation, and no compromise with our purpose.’”
Johnson’s powerful message moved Congress to action, and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965. As Johnson recalled:
“I remembered the words Reverend King had spoken when his marchers finally reached Montgomery: ‘We are on the move now…Selma has become a shining moment in the conscience of man.’”I said that Johnson’s speech marked the culmination of the primary phase and not the end because I don’t believe there will ever be an end to this struggle. As proof, I mention that key sections of the Voting Right Act are up for renewal on its 40th anniversary, and there is actually some question about whether or not these sections will be renewed (Mark Green on the Huffington Post provides an account of last weekend’s anniversary and a remembrance, and John Lewis provides more background from a radio address on Saturday – Conyersblog also had a good post on the anniversary also.)
Only a truly naïve person wouldn't realize that, in these sad days of conservative ascendancy, unscrupulous, bigoted individuals might use this opportunity to gut these sections of the act to ensure a Repug majority in their states once and for all (the individuals who would be hurt are black, Latino, and other people of color who likely would be poor and vote Democratic – let’s have no illusions about this, OK?).
We should contact our elected representatives and tell them to do something which should be stupidly obvious, and that is to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act in its entirety. That is the least we can do to honor the sacrifices of all who are still with us and all who have come and gone to ensure everyone’s right to the universal franchise.
(Here is another background link.)
P.S. – One of the commenters on Mark Green’s column is right about corruption in the electronic voting process, but important as that topic is, that is something to be addressed at another time.
Update: Here's more from Helen Thomas (so James Sensenbrenner thinks renewing the act is "an open question"? This guy is a typical Repug conservative who is too busy screaming about the entertainment industry instead of trying to author and pass legislation that actually matters.)
Update 8/17: This is a fine editorial on this topic from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
An MSM Icon Passes
I have to admit that I really wasn't that big of a fan of Peter Jennings, though I recognized that he was very accomplished in the news business, having reported from all over the world. I liked some of "The Century," and I also thought he did a good job on the year-2000 celebrations (Anal Retentive Nit-Picking Dept: I purposely don't call them "The Millennium" celebrations because they took place from 1999 to 2000, instead of 2000 to 2001 which was the real beginning).
More often than not, I felt like he was talking down to me when I had the time (and the desire, actually) to watch the network evening news. I thought Tom Brokaw was more of a regular guy, partly because he had problems with pronouncing his "r's" and "l's", and Gunga Dan was always uncomfortable behind the desk and you could always tell that he really wanted to get out in the field and do his reporting (both of those guys have the chance to do that now if they want).
Peter Jennings, though, made it look too easy actually. I guess that should be taken as a compliment. However, I thought he found a way to remind people how good he was at it as it was doing it, and it put me off a bit.
Still, though, I'm sorry for the loss his family and friends are feeling now. It seems like he just announced he had lung cancer a short time ago, and now he's gone. Also, his is a loss which I'm sure is being felt throughout the news business, since it needs all of the credible people it can get now.
Finally, this should be the lesson we should ALL take from his passing:
Throw those damn cigarettes away, people. I know it's easy for me to say that, but I have to. How many more examples do we need?
(P.S. - I thought this was a nice tribute.)
More often than not, I felt like he was talking down to me when I had the time (and the desire, actually) to watch the network evening news. I thought Tom Brokaw was more of a regular guy, partly because he had problems with pronouncing his "r's" and "l's", and Gunga Dan was always uncomfortable behind the desk and you could always tell that he really wanted to get out in the field and do his reporting (both of those guys have the chance to do that now if they want).
Peter Jennings, though, made it look too easy actually. I guess that should be taken as a compliment. However, I thought he found a way to remind people how good he was at it as it was doing it, and it put me off a bit.
Still, though, I'm sorry for the loss his family and friends are feeling now. It seems like he just announced he had lung cancer a short time ago, and now he's gone. Also, his is a loss which I'm sure is being felt throughout the news business, since it needs all of the credible people it can get now.
Finally, this should be the lesson we should ALL take from his passing:
Throw those damn cigarettes away, people. I know it's easy for me to say that, but I have to. How many more examples do we need?
(P.S. - I thought this was a nice tribute.)
Sunday, August 07, 2005
What Is The Mission?
Please read this and this and let me know if any of us can answer this question any more and know what we're talking about. Thank you.
(And kudos to Cindy Sheehan, the father of Nicholas Berg, Paul Hackett and others for keeping themselves visible to the media on this issue, which isn't easy.)
Update 8/8: Check out Brandoland today...more great "connecting of the dots" in a related vein.
(And kudos to Cindy Sheehan, the father of Nicholas Berg, Paul Hackett and others for keeping themselves visible to the media on this issue, which isn't easy.)
Update 8/8: Check out Brandoland today...more great "connecting of the dots" in a related vein.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)