Friday, March 19, 2004

Norman Solomon asks
"And henceforth, the only honorable course will be to stake everything on a formidable gamble: that words are more powerful than munitions."

--Albert Camus
Excerpt from a new, insightful article by Mr. Solomon:
Key questions of the past are also crucial for the future.

** For instance, can the United States credibly wage a "war on terrorism" by engaging in warfare that terrorizes civilians? (Close to 10,000 Iraqi civilians have died because of the war during the past year.)


** Does the mix of mendacity and deadly violence from the Oval Office really strike against terrorism, or does it fuel terrorist cycles?


** And, in the realm of news media, how many journalists are willing and able to go beyond reliance on official sources enough to bring us truth about lies that result in death?

Wishing for a less cloudy forecast-
John Kerry Needs to Clear Up
This dischord in the pact of things,
This endless war 'twixt truth and truth,
That singly held, yet give the lie
To him who seeks to hold them both...


- Boethius
Re: AP: Dean nod mixed bag for Kerry
By Nedra Pickler


The same brutal honesty that Howard Dean brought to the political forefront is recommended, by some political advisors, to be publically shunned by John Kerry. I'm all for honesty. Until we can all be brutally honest about matters, liars and media-manipulators will continue to prevail in these horse races. A Dean-shunning by Kerry would be a vote for Bush, in my estimation. Kerry needs more political clarity. He's being pegged as a waffler on key issues...and let's face it, to the non-trained political ear, he comes off sounding like one. I may not love his message, but GOP Campaign Chairman Ed Gillsepie's not lying when he drags out his political ammo. All the GOP has to do is show the clip of Kerry saying he voted for the $87 billion for the troops before he voted against it....or display Kerry's statement upon voting "YES" to the Iraq resolution in October 2002. I have a trained political ear. Even I failed to glean a clear message or direction from that statement.

President Bush may be an overly simplistic simpleton in some eyes, but we must remember that most Americans want their messages as simple and clear as they can get them. I trust John Kerry supports our troops and I know he voted "No" on the $87 billion because he was demanding accountability from the Bush administration. However, all many Americans will see is that silly statement he made about "for-before-against". There are often two or more rationally acceptable sides to our stories...even relativity is a two-faced Janus...but humans tend to need to be reassured with straightforward consistency when the message is pitched over their home-plate.

--Howard Dean is clear and straight. He's been excoriated for it in the media..even by the likes of Democrats like Bruce Reed of the DLC. What a shame upon the DLC. The AFSCME boss called Dean "nuts".

--Bush is clear and misleading...and he's been rewarded and honeymooned by the same media that destroyed Dean's candidacy...and will destroy Kerry's if he's not smart. Stop shunning the honesty of Dean. Dean has stuck by the Democrats and has greatly furthered their case against Bush. In my opinion, they'd be lost in the woods without him.

This isn't "Dean-lost" sour grapes. I'd really love to see straight and clarifiying messages from Kerry.
He needs to change or face a loss in November.
This is not a Kerry-bash. This is tough love.

By the way, I think Howard Dean would be a tremendous representational asset to the spirit of the American people by serving as John Kerry's Vice President. He's the eidetic 21st-Century Paine or Jefferson, never losing sight of the fact that America is only as good as each individual in whom our Creator gifted those certain unalienable Rights.

They're coming at you firecely, Senator. Kerry. There has never been a more important time to embrace and incorporate the honesty of those who are your political friends.

See:
Weekly Standard: Kerry's Uncommon Touch
Besides the flip-flops, John Kerry has another big problem: how his life in the Senate has prepared him for connecting with ordinary Americans
ALTERNATIVE HEADLINES

Poland Says It Was 'Misled' On WMD

Twilight of the Neocons- Richard Perle has begun to panic

Independent: Arab journalists walk out on Powell over US shootings

Reason interview: Meet Hizbollah-
The Party of God's MP talks about Islam, Iraq, and the war on terror


Ecnomist.com- The next American empire- George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld have pledged to change the way America's armed forces are distributed around the globe. What do they have in mind?

NYT: For Children of Gays, Marriage Brings Joy

Prague Post: Deconstructing a president- Citizens regard Czech President Vaclav Klaus' image as more vital than his political views

Paul Krugman: "...Most Americans, I suspect, still don't realize how badly this apparent exploitation of the world's good will — and the subsequent failure to find weapons of mass destruction — damaged our credibility..."

Today in history...

1860- William Jennnings Bryan born in Salem, Illinois.
Related site: The Scopes Trial
Related current Events: County that was site of Scopes Trial Wants to Charge Homosexuals


Battle of Bentonville

1865- Civil War, Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina.