Liberty and Justice by Degree
By Todd J. Schneider
Free Thinker's Page
12 October, 2003
All my life, or at least since I realized that the socio-political arena was where my game was being played, I have struggled to find the one defining idea for the fight against the right that I could put into words, to share with others. There would be a day when my neurotransmitters were hooked up correctly, and I always imagined that I would sit down and write something that always had the title, “Why We Fight”. But I knew that there was this wonderful fellow named Capra back in the forties that produced the masterpiece of wartime propaganda by that name, which served as a tool to justly beat back one of the greatest tyrants in history. So the title would never stand a chance. Meanwhile, I would visit this quest for the definition of that feeling inside that causes me to shed the fears of a commoner and take a stand. Driving a car, fixing a lamp, in the shower; these were all the forums for my Q&A to myself, always hoping for a conclusion.
So today, I was mowing my lawn and mulling over the statements by Pat Robertson and Joel Mowbray that The State Department could be dealt with as an enemy with a nuclear bomb. And that led to thoughts about the Rove/Novak treason against Valerie Plame and our nation. All that they have to say is “I didn’t do it.” a la Bart Simpson, and the whole thing just goes away! But, should a pip-squeak like myself, or one of you make a similar statement, we’d be on a list faster than you can say phony cowboy. And that was the moment. The dispensation of unequal rights according to wealth and privilege are the reasons I fight. The very fact that one man or woman deserves more protection under the law, according the eternally evil premise that who I know, what favors I’ve done, and how much money I’ve contributed to your election affords me this unequal right, makes me sick to my soul.
To hell with the toys and goodies of the affluent. I could care less about these temporal things. Even the bible says not to envy those of their material goods; they can all be stolen or turn to rust. What I am talking about is the very and only thing that makes America real - and without which our republic is doomed to tyranny. It is the notion that, under the law, Sanjay is no different than Bill; that Betty deserves justice no more than Juanita, and Park has the same chance for prosperity according to his own honest industry. Likewise, these individual rights are a two-sided agreement that counts responsibility as payment. And should the moment present itself, that the friend of the president be held to the same standard of accountability as I or my neighbor.
This idea can be applied to a wide array of issues that define our great land and system of government. Freedom of religion, freedom of the press for example, are based on the simple idea that when the rights of an individual are disregarded, so are the rights of all. But the whole balance of this noble concept of rights and responsibilities is upset when the access to it is defiled by class and political influence. Any one of us that is able to open a book knows that this is not a new phenomenon. This scourge of class and privilege has always hovered around the fringes of our republic; sometimes made to feel more welcome than at other times. Indeed, this has been a struggle that has been a camp follower in the march of history. In most of the story of mankind, the peasant had no say, and ‘the inner circle’ was the dream of many.
But we were going to be different. America was going to take the folly of the past and collectively mold it into something that would benefit the whole of its citizenry. Sure, there would be greed and corruption, which ultimately can only be cured by the voice of one’s own conscience. But, BY LAW, we were for ever after to be counted as equal - the smallest voice as important as the largest - the poorest as rich in justice as the wealthy. Our nation’s history has been a slow, hard-fought battle toward maturity, where someday we’d be a people that rejected race and color. We would be a land where the captains of industry honored their grant to wealth by offering socially responsible business practices, grown of a sense of civil duty. We would be a country that thrilled at the thought that every man, woman or child was truly innocent until proven guilty, and in turn repaid this gift through responsible and honorable actions.
Something’s gone horribly wrong, though. We live in a time when all those notions are turned on their head. A time when favors for profit, profit for elections and a lusting greed for permanent power have elevated a class of citizens to a level where there are no consequences to be paid for them to break the law. Indeed, when the law is broken, there is a formula to deny, distract, then claim victory that is used with impunity by the friends of the bush White House. In other words, “No, I didn’t do it.”, “Maybe someone should have done it.”, and “Ok, I did it. So what? I was right to do it, because it served the interests of commerce or the President’s political motives.” John Ashcroft reveals trial information from a federal case, against all known judicial ethics codes. Karl Rove (or someone who looks, talks, and smells a lot like a ‘turd blossom’) reveals the name of a covert intelligence agent. Or the man who pretends to be our president speaks contemptuous lies on a daily basis. All with no consequences. Meanwhile, Rebecca gets rubber bullets shot at her head because she was at a peace rally, or Bob gets fired from his reporter’s job because he wanted to do a story that presented facts contrary to the administration’s line. Or Jamal gets a lethal injection, even if he’s innocent, because it’s more important for some right wing politician to be seen as being ‘tough on crime’.
These are the reasons we fight. We fight because the inspired doctrine of our land, the Constitution, has been taken from us. This document that gives life to our republic is held in contempt by our new ruling class, only to be paraded before us to serve the interest of some administration-sponsored, political hocus-pocus. And worst of all, this grand parchment, to which all liberty is owed, has become officially a set of laws made conditional upon the amount of influence enjoyed between citizen and White House. Our American way of life has become a system of Liberty and Justice by degree, according to one’s political contribution to, what the White House hopes, will soon be a one-party system. Angrily, I say to you that this is never what the writers of the Constitution intended, and would be standing somewhere on a box, telling us so. I would be honored if they let me join them.
Copyright 2003 Todd J. Schneider
Internet muse.
Daring, bold, never sold.
My daily weblog of politics, humor, philosophy...and a constant and nagging reminder of the existence of universal love....
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Liberty and Justice by Degree by Todd J. Schneider/Free Thinker's Page
Saturday, October 18, 2003
First Three Parts of a Five-Part Series:
US Soldiers to America: ''Bring us home now; we’re dying for oil and corporate greed!''
Parts 1-3 in a 5-part series
Interviews by Jay Shaft
Coalition For Free Thought In Media
October 2003
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
'Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy'
From Asia Times Online:
Anti-empire forces strike back
By Jim Lobe
"We are more isolated from the general opinions of mankind than at any time in history." Scott McConnell
"The United States today is far less safe than it was several years ago, because we have weakened the international architecture which helped protect us." Charles Kupchan
Article excerpt:
"....Representatives of a new coalition of prominent foreign policy scholars and analysts whose political views range from right to center-left announced on Thursday that they hope to spearhead opposition to the imperial policies pursued by the administration of US President George W Bush.
Leaders of the "Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy" charged that the administration is moving "in a dangerous direction toward empire", an idea that they said has never been embraced by the US public.
The spokespersons said that they will hold a series of policy forums and conferences around the country, publish papers and articles, and represent an anti-imperial viewpoint on television and radio, media that, since September 11, 2001, have been largely dominated by pro-imperial or pro-war voices...."
SEE: COALITION FOR A REALISTIC FOREIGN POLICY
Joel Mowbray on Malaysia
Pat Robertson's Partner in Anti-State Dept Terror Threat Thinks Malaysian PM is the Cat's Meow?
This was written by Joel Mowbray, who recently inspired Pat Robertson to articulate his desire to "nuke Foggy Bottom". The article was written in early 2002. His words are interesting, to say the least, when we look back to the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir's actions this week. It sounds as if Mowbray's either incredibly wrong (although I give him benefit of doubt) or Bush was incredibly unsuccessful in prioritizing his administration's diplomatic agenda this past year and a half.
Was Mowbray asleep at the intellectual wheel..or was Bush the diplomatically drowsy dud?
"....Malaysia has suddenly appeared on the foreign policy radar.....our national security can only be enhanced if we forge stronger ties with Malaysia. Given the succession of high-profile arrests recently in neighboring nations, fostering a greatly enhanced relationship with Malaysia will prove to be a vital component of anti-terror efforts in Southeast Asia....as recent revelations make painfully clear, we cannot wait any longer before fully engaging Malaysia as a strategic partner in our war on terror....Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, leader of the moderate ruling party, is already working to establish a positive relationship with the Bush administration.... Although Malaysia is not a perfect nation, it is an ideal partner for combating terrorism...As we search for new allies, Malaysia must top the list....
The Malaysian PM betrayed the hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) abhorrence for Jews that is prevalent
in most Islamic states today.
I wonder if Mowbray still feels the same way about Malaysia today?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my opinion, Mowbray is an intelligent young man with a misplaced anger toward the State Department.
Take this article about Saudi Arabia, for example.
You must ask yourself...in all his finger-pointing, why does he stop with the State Department?
I wonder if, in all fairness, he ever talks about the close business and economic ties between the Bush family and the bin Ladens...or the Bush family and the Saudi royals?
Here's another very recent example of Mowbray's misplaced anger toward the State Department (as if they were totally independent from the Bush administration): "...State Department spokesman Richard Boucher threw a tantrum Thursday. The cause of his ire? Not foreign dictators or nuclear-armed tyrants. Boucher's wrath was targeted at Pat Robertson, whose recent remarks the State Department has blasted as "despicable."
It was despicable...face reality, Joel. Flippant or not flippant, it was despicable.
You fail to mention Bush press secretary McClellan's comments:
Oct 14:
Q Can I follow up on Pat Robertson?
MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead.
Q Will the President -- besides not finding those comments helpful, I wonder if the President feels that he should have no involvement with Pat Robertson, whatever, going forward, and that Pat Robertson should not play any role in any kind of unofficial way in helping him in reelection, in any kind of supportive role.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, again --
Q Would the President like Robertson to keep his distance?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I think that those comments were harmful. And he, himself, said that he should not have said that. I think the comments were wrong, and he has since said so.
Q So it's all forgiven?
*No reply.....*
Saudi Arabia--the land of the 9-11 Murderers
Protestors Tear-gassed and Arrested for
Wanting Democracy and An End to Terrorism
Saudi protesters call for more freedoms
2003-10-16 / Associated Press /
Hundreds of Saudis staged an illegal protest in the capital, an unprecedented call for reform in this conservative Islamic kingdom.
Police fired tear gas to break up Tuesday's demonstration, which followed months of public debate, also a rarity, over growing terrorism. Critics charge that a lack of democratic freedoms has made the kingdom a breeding ground for extremists.
The Saudi royal family has been under pressure to bring democratic reform to the country since the September 11, attacks and increasing terrorist violence at home. Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saudi Princes Claiming Immunity on 9-11 Lawsuit
They have enough money to buy them a great "out", I suppose.
It's not like the U.S. government will put any pressure on them..they get away with murder and the U.S. always finds a new spot on their ass for a new, wet, sloppy kiss.
A historical glimpse of Saudi Arabia's reform movement
See Notes on the War on Terrorism
If terrorism is to truly be diminished, Saudi Arabia MUST change....and America must no longer be held
economic hostage to them.
We'll never be a free nation or a free people while we are so closely tied to the very nation that virtually attacked
us on 9-11.
Nah-nah, Saudi Arabia---
I can say anything I want about you whilst I'm bloggin'....
and STILL keep my noggin!
What a bargain!
Ain't it great to be American!!
Friday, October 17, 2003
The Screwjob: Halliburton Allegedly Gouging U.S. in Fuel charges
The Screwjob: Halliburton--Already Sucking Away Billions of American
Tax-Dollars, Are Allegedly Gouging U.S. in Fuel charges
According to this Boston Globe article, Halliburton 'has so far received more than $1.4 billion in work in Iraq to repair and restore the country's oil industry under a no-bid contract issued in March. In another contract providing logistical support, more than $1.6 billion has been clocked so far, with more in the works'.
And now they are overcharging by as much as 80 cents on each gallon of fuel transported from Kuwait into Iraq.
This seems almost too filthy to be true...let's hope it's not.
U.N. Gives Go-Ahead for Madrid-bound 'Tin-Cup' Bush
They're calling the U.N. resolution a diplomatic victory.
It may be a victory..but, oh---how hollow a victory for America.
Bush got some of what he wanted...the srengthened right to take his tin cup to the donors' conference in Madrid next week.....but never moved an inch to convince anyone to actually assist us in Iraq or admit the war was just.
That's because it wasn't just.
As free as Iraq bcomes, the attack will never be seen as just.
I'm not the only one who thinks so, apparently. The Pope, the Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore....oh--and the rest of the world-at-large--seem to agree.
We Americans will pay the price for the unjust actions of American leadership...in precious young lives *we lost four today* and hard-earned tax dollars.
Thanks, Bush. Thanks, Congress.
Sleep well...if you can.
When guilt sets in, there's always Zoloft to get you through.
I'm sure your friends in Pharmaceuticalia will set you up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt from today's NY Times article:
"...No sooner had the prestigious Security Council approved a resolution by 15-0 on Thursday when France, Russia, Germany issued a declaration saying they did not intend to increase contributions for Iraq's recovery.
And Pakistan, a Muslim country Washington hoped would contribute troops, announced it would not do so as long as any force reported to a U.S.-led occupation.
Still, the vote was a diplomatic victory for the United States. It legitimized foreign troops in Iraq by turning them into a U.S.-led multinational force and approved in general U.S.-British policies on Iraqi independence.."
God and General
"Why is this man in the White House?"
"The majority of Americans did not vote for him."
"He's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"I knew my God was bigger than *his."
"I knew that my God was a real god...."
".. and his was an idol."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"The battle that we're in is a spiritual battle."
"Satan wants to destroy this nation....."
"...he wants to destroy us as a nation..."
click photo
"....and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army."
Love,
Lt Gen Jerry Boykin, undersecretary of defense for U.S. intelligence
Thursday, October 16, 2003
perfect sympathy-Tagore
Objects of knowledge maintain an infinite distance from us who are the knowers.
For knowledge is not union.
Therefore the further world of freedom awaits us there where we reach truth,
not through feeling it by senses or knowing it by reason,
but through union of perfect sympathy.
Rabindranath Tagore
Unintended Consequences of General Clark's Proposed "Civilian Reserve"?
Unintended Consequences of General Clark's Proposed "Civilian Reserve"?
The Village Voice has an interesting article by James Ridgeway regarding General Wesley Clark's fair-weather friendship with the Clintons which could wind up costing General Clark more than he bargained for. It also discusses the apparent fact that he has few real friends in the Military, and an imporatnt question about the constitutionality of his proposed "Civilian Reserve":
".. On Monday, Clark proposed a 5,000-person civilian reserve, which could be called up for emergencies both here and abroad. The reserve would be open to anyone over the age of 18, and could be mustered at the command of president and the Congress to handle crises like forest fires, earthquakes, and nation-building in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
This proposal has already been criticized as a redundancy, since Clinton's AmeriCorps and Bush's USA Freedom Corps have already spent large sums in efforts to boost volunteerism.
Clark's corps would meet another need, though it's unclear if this is the former general's intention. The U.S. military is severely strained by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush and Rumsfeld mock the UN, which means, among other things, we will have to shoulder the burden of running international peacekeeping projects when it is in our interest to do so.
This new corps, which would be run directly by the federal government, might help take the strain off the National Guard, but in doing so it would probably plunge the federal government into direct management of disasters at the local level. That is of questionable constitutional legitimacy, since disasters and ordinary operations of the Guard are supposed to be in the hands of state governors, not Washington..."
Malaysian Prime Minister Sends Disturbing Message
Retiring Prime Minister of democratic Malaysia, frustrated over lack of Middle East Road Map success, creates a Road Map of his own for Islamic successors to follow.
".....Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday told a summit of Islamic leaders that "Jews rule the world by proxy" and the world's 1.3 billion Muslims should unite, using nonviolent means for a "final victory"....."
Regardless of how non-violently the Malaysian Prime Minister frames it all, "final victory" sounds violence-related to me.....how about you?
You can understand how this would make Israel uncomfortable...yes?
My question is this:
Are we EVER going to have an American leader who is wise enough to protect his vulnerable friends in Israel while showing an even and honest hand to those who have been separated from human rights and civil society in the region? Will an American leader EVER be able to be honest with an Israeli leader like Sharon and tell him he's
endangering his good people with his twisted and hateful policies?
Will the good people of Israel ever come to unerstand that hateful leaders beget hate?
When they begin to see that Sharon represents as much hatred as those ugly souls who call themselves warriors and use terror as a tool of fear....then perhaps we will get somewhere?
The current attitude and handling of "terror" by both Bush and Sharon is undermining the human rights of all the innocent on both sides of the Middle Eastern conflict.
If there is a G*d and we believe in G*d, how can our G*d-fearing leaders ignore the suffering of the innocent simply because terror reigns? Should we NOT do all we can for the good of mankind while terror reigns?
Why do Bush and Sharon return terror with terror and wait for a far-off day when terror is defeated while innocent people suffer and die?
This is NOT leadership, my friends.
This is a case of men perpetrating violence on top of violence...virtually signing death-warrants for more of the innocent.
Look at what we wind up with:
"....Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday told a summit of Islamic leaders that "Jews rule the world by proxy" and the world's 1.3 billion Muslims should unite, using nonviolent means for a "final victory."
His speech at the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, which he was hosting, drew criticism from Jewish leaders, who warned it could spark more violence against Jews...."
THERE HAS TO BE BETTER WAY!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
see: There Is No "Road Map" to Peace,
Only the Hard Road Not Taken
By Bernard Weiner
Co-Editor, "The Crisis Papers."
October 14, 2003
"....Can we just acknowledge that there is no "road map" to peace in the Middle East? Under Bush, there is no U.S.-sponsored avenue or boulevard or street or back alley that could possibly take the parties to a solution. In sum, there are no shortcuts to peace.."
".....Extremists on both sides (egged-on, unfortunately, by their elected leaders) believe that their claim to the disputed land is given by God. The Israeli fundamentalists want a Greater Israel, the Palestinian extremists want a Greater Palestine, with no Israel.
Ordinarily, when two religiously-oriented groups claim that God is on their side, there is no room for accommodation, because it is believed that a compromise would be an affront to God.
But in this extraordinary situation, it is not required that either side forsake their God. If and when both sides can finally agree that the continuing slaughter is intolerable, that their economic and social situation are intolerable, that the constant stress is intolerable, that each losing its moral way is intolerable -- if and when they get to that point (which, unfortunately, probably means after Arafat and Sharon have died), then both sides can say to themselves something like this:
"Dear God/Allah: We have remained true to your desires for decades upon decades, but our peoples have grown weary with despair and never-ceasing bloodshed. We want to continue the battle for your rule, but the reality is that neither of us can make the other side disappear. If we don't come to some sort of agreement -- not to like each other but merely to recognize that the others are here and they're not going to go away -- we will provide nothing to our children and grandchildren but hopelessness and despair and perpetual slaughter and unbearable tension. Therefore, in the name of reality -- and, we hope, with your blessing -- we will make a peace. It will not get us everything we and you want, but it will reclaim the likelihood of a future for succeeding generations....."
Re: "On Listening" by Thomas Friedman
Re: "On Listening"
by Thomas Friedman
NY Times
Published: October 16, 2003
"..don't limit your associations to people who agree with you.."
Richard H. Brodhead,
Dean of Yale College
Thomas Friedman's column today in the NY Times expresses many of my own reservations and complaints about Dick Cheney's speech in front of the Bush-admin-friendly Heritage Foundation last week.
Excerpt:
"...There was a headline that grabbed me in The Times on Saturday. It said, "Cheney Lashes Out at Critics of Policy on Iraq."
"Wow," I thought, "that must have been an interesting encounter." Then I read the fine print. Mr. Cheney was speaking to 200 invited guests at the conservative Heritage Foundation — and even they were not allowed to ask any questions. Great. Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein issue messages from their caves through Al Jazeera, and Mr. Cheney issues messages from his bunker through Fox. America is pushing democracy in Iraq, but our own leaders won't hold a real town hall meeting or a regular press conference.
Out of fairness, my newspaper feels obligated to run such stories. But I wish we had said to the V.P.: If you're going to give a major speech on Iraq to an audience limited to your own supporters and not allow any questions, that's not news — that's an advertisement, and you should buy an ad on the Op-Ed page...."
Mr. Friedman also puts Bush's position (*position??--or failure to act??) in the Middle East in the proper perspective:
"...Thankfully, there is one group of people the Bush team is listening to: Iraq's silent majority. Ironically, Iraq is the one place in the world where the Bush team has chosen not to become obsessed with terrorists, not to focus exclusively on them and their noise, but to just keep on building a better Iraq for Iraqis — the only way to counter terrorism in the long run — despite the bombs bursting in air.
Unfortunately, in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza — where some really sick terrorists claimed three U.S. lives yesterday — the Bush team has decided to fall in behind Ariel Sharon's failed strategy of only listening to the terrorists and postponing any initiatives until they are all defeated. So the only voice we hear there is that of the terrorists. No alternative reality is being built to smother or counter them, and that's just what the terrorists want."
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
International A.N.S.W.E.R. March on Washington Oct 25th
Reminder: International A.N.S.W.E.R. March on Washington and San Francisco
OCTOBER 25, 2003
Bring the troops home now
End the occupation of Iraq
Money for jobs, education & healthcare - Not war
International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & Racism) is organizing marches on Washington, D.C. and San Francisco for Saturday, October 25, 2003 to protest U.S. Wars around the world. Read more about the march, including the call to action and logistical information, on their website.
The 100 greatest novels of all time
"....as the BBC prepares to reveal [Great Britain's] best loved books, The Observer has compiled its own list of essential fiction from the past 300 years..."
How many of these books have you read?
* I hope Anonymoses will appreciate #7*
*This blog particularly appreciates #52*
Two Nations.. Under God(?)...Indivisible(?)
Two Nations- Under God(?)...Indivisible(?)
The Supreme Court will hear the case of "under God".
They added the Pledge of Allegiance to the docket for its new term on Tuesday, agreeing to consider whether public schools violate the Constitution by requiring teachers to lead their classes in pledging allegiance to the flag of "one nation under God."
I find the whole thing quite silly.
If we want to have a realistic court decision on the Pledge, let's talk about issues which are more tangible and pressing than Deity recogition.
Today, it is more apparent than ever that we are two nations under God.
America is totally polarized. You read it in the papers...you see it on your television screens..you see it in electoral results and public polls. There it is...right under your noses.
Choose your polar labels..Conservative/Liberal; Republican/Democrat; Washington Times reader/Washington Post reader; FOX news fan/ABC Nightline fan; Red State/Blue State; Rush Limbaugh listener/NPR supporter; Christian Right/Progressive; Pro-War/Anti-War...you get the gist of it, don't you?
If Justice Scalia would recuse himself from the "under God" case, who should recuse themselves if the "two nations under God" case should come along?
Every justice save Sandra Day O'Connor would have to step aside, I would think.
After the Selection 2000 case, Justice Sandra is the only Supreme Court justice who may not be hypnotized and infected by polarization.
Or how about letting Justice Sandra recuse herself and let "two nations" come to a 4-to-4 tie...the imagined "two nations" appeals court ruling would automatically be affirmed and the truth would be affirmed.
We are no longer one nation under God....
*if we are indeed under God....rest assured, the Supremes will let us know whether or not we are under God soon.*
We are two nations...the "indivisible" being reserved for another day in court.
Saletan: The Unstoppable Howard Dean
William Saletan: As hard as they've tried, confounded 2004 Democratic candidates can't find a way to deter the unstoppable Howard Dean
They just can't get it right
"....You can imagine how angry I am, as a swing voter, to find out these horrible things about Dean. My hands are trembling so violently, I can barely write his name on the check...."
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
By Paul Bedard
Wilson adds ammo to hit war credibility gap
"Just as former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's story that Bushies blew his CIA wife's cover to get back at his criticism of the war in Iraq was getting old, he has stumbled on new ammo to hit the administration's credibility. Wilson tells us he plans to circulate the text of a briefing by analyst Sam Gardiner that suggests the White House and Pentagon made up or distorted over 50 war stories. You know some tall tales, like the Pvt. Jessica Lynch story. But there's more, says Gardiner, a war gamer who has taught at the National War College. Like how defense officials said the first Iraqi unit marines encountered, the 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, had surrendered four days before it actually did. And he says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard Myers gave bad or deliberately incomplete info on several topics. Sure, propaganda has always been used in war to deceive and demoralize the enemy. But these guys went way overboard, Gardiner says. "Never before have so many stories been created to sell a war," he insists. "And they probably didn't need it."
Poll: More would vote Democratic in 2004
Latest poll numbers show voters would rather elect the unknown
than face another four years with a man
who cannot lead successfully
From Washington Post-ABC News poll released today:
46 percent said they would reelect Bush if the election were held today, while 47 percent would vote for the yet-to-be chosen Democratic nominee.
They'd rather have this...
than this
People are really beginning to see that our nation is in danger of becoming a military state.
It seems that the rest of this world believes they will be little more than Bush campaign-contributors by caving in to his prideful, stubborn, untrustworthy demands. The EU is hesitant to help Iraq if it means helping Bush get reelected. Our nation, our troops, and the people of Iraq are gravely damaged in the process.
If it takes a new leader to make things safe for all concerned and to set us back on a road to international reconciliation and cooperation, we'll need new leadership in Washington.
Pollyanna Dubya Bush
"The person who is in charge is me..They're just wrong about our strategy..We've had a strategy from the beginning.... Since the liberation of Iraq, thousands of new bidnesses have been launched...373 American troops exchanged for all them bidnesses..I'd say we're doing pretty good if I gotta say so myself....Pay no attention to those suicide bombers driving into those buildins...pay no attention to the four U.S. soldiers who sacrificed their lives this past weekend...look...look over here...Iraqis are building roads, for Pete's sake.....HEY!...stop looking at Donny...Condi's here with the good news...like me....me and Condi know what's going on over there, and it ain't like you liberal commie-type media bullies are saying....looks like ol' Pollyanna Dubya's gonna hafta set the record straight hisself..."
Monday, October 13, 2003
David Corn-"How I broke the CIA-leak story, and why nobody noticed"
From the L.A. Weekly
David Corn: The Novak Affair
How I broke the CIA-leak story, and why nobody noticed
Read David Corn's scrutiny of today's typical Republican damage-control dissembling.
Excerpt:
"....The issue is not who’s screaming about the leak but who did it. Yet if Portman and the Republicans can succeed in presenting the controversy as another one of those same-old bitter face-offs between D’s and R’s — creating a moral equivalency between the leakers and the complainants — they win. Their aim is to exploit the public’s (justifiable) cynicism toward Washington and to battle to an it’s-all-politics draw. This is a good strategy — as long as no indictments materialize..."
Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson- from "Informed Comment" website
This is a great tongue-in-cheek must-read by Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan.
While you're there, read the rest of his "Informed Comment" site.
In this blog's humble opinion, it is the cream of the blogcrop.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
by Bart Whiteman
From the Chattanoogan News
This blog thanks Mr. Whiteman for what we consider to be a generous contribution to the mental health of those of us out here who are beginning to think either we are certifiable.. or the rest of the nation has gone mad.
"...Cheney warned us all about the big, bad, boogie day of doom that awaits us all if we don’t toe the line. He tried very hard to frighten as many people as he could with his portrayal of the horrors that are in store if we don’t let these administration cowboys continue to round up and dispose of the terrorist herd at will.
Oh, and anyone who disagrees with him is a wimp.
Well, Dick, I noticed you delivered your bold message at the Heritage Foundation, the well-endowed incubator of conservative thought. Who’s the wimp here? If that ain’t preaching to the choir, I don’t know what is...."
Cheney came out of the bat cave on Friday and Americans saw his shadow
"....It’s pretty clear that nothing short of electoral defeat or impeachment will stop the war from the administration’s perspective, and since Congress is in the hands of the Republicans, they’ll just go keep going along for the merry ride..."
"...The major media have soft-pedaled and glorified the whole thing because they are along for the corporate ride..They have leveraged the war for better ratings and better advertising revenues. They have invested in your party. They have supplied champagne to celebrate whenever there is something to celebrate. There may be a few lunatics left out there questioning the whole operation, and the Iraqi people may be suffering through your trial by p.r., but they don’t really matter, do they?.."
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Dick Cheney knows....trust him..
Trust him?
"....There is no glorious anti-war rhetoric. The American public has submitted. You don’t need to justify the unjustifiable. You already did it. You started your war, and no one said ‘boo.’ You divided the world into the good (us) and the evil (them). Your action is the justification. The results are the justification. If you get your way, then what does it matter what anyone else thinks? Stop trying the sell the war. Wage the war. Shut down the p.r. machine. It’s not working. No one believes you any more, at least not your words, which change with every shift of the breeze. Go about your business.
Go back to shadow land..."
Blake Lethem and Howard Dean-NY Post Attacks
Totalitarian-style Editorial in NY Post-
Post imputes Howard Dean for the legal fallout of the free actions of Blake Lethem
"....Well, thanks to all the publicity, Howard Dean's favorite "artist" may be facing some richly deserved jail time...."
In a free and open America, this will never stand.
The NY Post's criticism of Howard Dean for giving an artist space to express himself in a legal manner is completely out of touch with our precious American values of free expression.
This is a clear GOP warning shot crossing the Democrats' bow....support the freedom of controversial art and you will not only risk political injury, but the artist you support will be imprisoned.
Is this Cuba..or America?
Saturday, October 11, 2003
U.S. is Supporting a Terrorist's Organization
Pat Robertson has made nuclear threats and promoted terror against the U.S. State Department.
U.S. citizens are being forced to support his organization with faith-based funds.
Is this Saudi Arabia or the free United States?
What is the government going to do about Pat Robertson's terrorist threats?
Friday, October 10, 2003
Cheney's at it again at the Heritage Foundation--
Cheney says....
I'm watching VP Dick Cheney speak as I type these words.
Twist, twist, twist..
Fib, fib, fib....
In his speech this morning to the Heritage Foundation shamelessly promoting funds for the Iraq war,
Cheney told them...
"Remember what we saw on the morning of 9-11...."
"Remember Beirut..."
*he never mentions PanAm 103*
"Khobar Towers...."
"USS Cole..."
Cheney goes on to say there was a tendency to consider past acts of terror as individual criminal acts..he speaks of Ramzi Yousef....his criminal punishment...how some thought "case closed" once he was convicted.
(**Actually, Yousef won't be back..unless he outlives his 240-year sentence**)
Cheney says the threat was not recognized for what it was..a sustained campaign...
Cheney says for us, the war started 9-11....for them(**whoever them is**), it's been going on a long time.
Cheney says it continues today..
Riyadh(**where actual arrests have ben made and civilized justice is being done today**), Najaf(August 2003), Baghdad(**current*)....
***(notice how he pulls in POSTWAR Iraq...how many "terrorist" attacks do you recall in Iraq before the war began????!)****
Cheney is tying a long line of hatred for America by myriad nations, groups, individuals...
and claiming the culmination of it all was IRAQ.
I'm sorry, that is pure, unadulterated bullshit.
Cheney considers lobotomizing all Americans in case his lies don't go over terribly well....
He cites the Bush docritine..any government harboring terrorists will be held to account.
In that case, we are harboring them in Iraq today since we are the occupying force.
Let's hold US to account!
It's funny, by the way, these "terrorists" weren't there before the pre-emptive strike.
Hussein, as nasty as he was, would not have stood for this..he would have put these terrorists in
torture chambers...perhaps he would have gassed them!
That is the great conundrum, and the source of the Bush Administration lies.
Our war has CAUSED terrorist problems that were never there beforehand.
Cheney says Saddam Hussein had an established relationship to AlQeada--and this has NEVER been proven.
Let's ask Assistant Under Secretary Douglas Feith to show us the proof...he is the one at the helm of the top-secret department who went
terror-connection-shopping..cherry picking...to find enough slim rumor to create enough magnfied innuendo to scare the American people into believing a war was necessary at any cost.
Doug knows.....so why can't he prove it to us?
Now Cheney's defending David Kay's report which turned up with no WMD threat which would have constituted an imminent threat to any American before this pre-emptive war.
Bottom line, Cheney has nothing new.
Only old lies, boldly told, with a captive (fully supportive) audience applauding like zombies.
I'd love, just once, for Cheney and Bush to stand before a group of REAL Americans and speak....
with no one in the audience being held behind police barriers lest they should boo so loudly that the T audience might see how the Media presents pretty lies to them day in / day out.
Cheney mentions that GW Bush says our enemies are waiting to attack us with the most dangerous weapons possible.
In that case, we'd best forget the GRAVE error made in Iraq and move 'em out to North Korea pronto...lest Cheney is to be too clearly seen for the hypocrite he is.
Cheney says we fight in Iraq now so we don't have to fight in our own cities someday.
Iraq would fight us? With what? Old metal shit a redneck Iraqi scientist once buried under the rose bush?
I guess Cheney thinks it's important that we used Iraq as a stomping ground...
..but really--how moral does that sound to you?
The people of Iraq don't deserve the terror of war, either.
DO THEY?!
Bottom line....Iraq was NOT an imminent threat.
Bottom line...The Bush administration is liable for a great sin.
Whatever was happening in Iraq, it was NEVER sufficient reason to go into that nation without international support.
Americans were lied to and will now pay ever so dearly for the great caper..the great blunder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE OTHER SPEECH...THE OTHER "HOT ONE"....
Don't miss Buzzflash's Claims vs. Facts regarding Bush's New Hampshire Speech to Air National Guard Reservists
Democratic Debate / Katrina Swett / General Clark
Democratic Debate
I was surprised to see Howard Dean confronting General Clark in last night's debate in Arizona.
This is the reference Howard Dean made tonight when challenging Gen Clark on his Iraq stance:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/stories/news/politics2002/1010_clark_2002.shtml
I imagine Gov Dean needs to separate himself from Gen Clark as the more consistent "outsider".
If I hear Dick Gephardt attack Howard Dean on Medicare one more useless time, I think I'll puke.
Gov Dean has clarified the issue so many times..to our complete satisfaction.
Rep Gep's looking ridiculous by dragging this out.
Dick Gephardt's line about the nation of Togo sending ONE soldier to represent them in the Iraq "coalition of the willing" was priceless sarcasm.
John Kerry had the line of the night with his deadpan Rush Limbaugh prescription drug reference.
Dennis Kucinich had the most wonderful idea..a Department of Peace. I can't imagine why we have not yet had a leader with the vision to incorporate the central idea of peace into everyday governing.
John Kerry's campaign seems to have great influence over Judy Woodruff.
She interrupted what was meant to be a "town-hall" style 'Q and A' session in order to facilitate a Kerry campaign attack on Howard Dean. This seemed terribly inappropriate to me.
She asked..out of the blue...:
(From Transcript:) WOODRUFF: Governor Dean, before you sit down, I've just been handed a document. I think it came out of the press room that Senator Kerry's staff has been distributing some comments about what was said. Among other things they are saying that you, Governor Dean, tried to kick Vermont seniors off their prescription drug plan. That's relevant to what you were just saying here, so do you want to respond to that?"
The strangest thing was this: While Dean stood to answer his TownHall question, Kerry could be seen behind Dean and Kerry's lips were definitely moving. It was as if Kerry was feeding information to someone...but who? And why?
In *Slate, William Saletan dubiously voted for Kerry as follows:
Least credible alibi:
"Kerry, after Woodruff read aloud a criticism of Dean that "Senator Kerry's staff has been distributing" in the debate press room. "I didn't raise this, and I didn't know they were saying that."
Speaking of Judy Woodruff, she was terrible annoying to both the viewers and (obviously) the politicians
as she interrupted them constantly. I did not care for this tactic, for this was supposed to be a debate and not an interview.
There seemed to be too much CNN pandering to individual campaigns.
Overall, I give CNN a "D" on their performance.
Time given each candidate was not well-meted and the usual blowhards took advantage.
You know who they are. ;)
I was completely underwhelmed by Joe Lieberman's vow to fight Hollywood. Thinking about the recent chokehold on our civil liberties these past two years with the Patriot Act, the last thing I want to hear is a promise for more censorship in this nation.
*You can see William Saletan's analysis at Slate.
Here's a sampling:
1. Clark's credibility problem:
Wes Clark always looks sincere
(**so true**)
2. Stop-Dean Gridlock:
If you're going to gang up on a candidate, get your story straight.
The more Howard Dean gets attacked from the left (by Dick Gephardt on Medicare and Social Security, and by Dennis Kucinich on the Iraq occupation) and from the right (by John Kerry and Joe Lieberman on trade and middle-class tax cuts), the more the attacks blur into a din of contradictory complaints, suggesting that Dean must be somewhere in the comfortable center. Every jab from Kucinich lets Dean show he's no Kucinich. Every jab from Lieberman lets Dean show he's no Lieberman. Dean summed up the effect when, after taking a shot from Gephardt, he said with a smile, "The folks that are running against me have had the greatest time. First they said I was George McGovern and couldn't win, and now they're saying I'm Newt Gingrich and I couldn't win."
Listen to what Dean said in this debate, and you'll get the real story:
Here are the differences between me and the [candidates] from Washington. First, our campaign is changing the political system in this country. Last time, last quarter, we raised more money than any other candidate by three times—200,000 donors, average gift $72. Secondly, I have a record. Everybody is going to talk about health insurance. Every kid under 18 in my state has health insurance. A third of all the seniors have prescription benefits. Working poor people have health insurance. And the third area is the war. ... If you want real change in this country, then I'd like your support.
That's one issue (the war), plus executive experience (legislators can't get their way as a governor can), plus raising money from medium-sized donors. The legitimate rap on Dean isn't that he's too far to the left or right, but that he's parlayed largely procedural differences into an image as the lone candidate who will bring "real change."
Blogging: Chicago Tribune Discovers a New Source of Talent
An unlikely new source of writing talent: Blogs
By Maureen Ryan
Tribune staff reporter
"....."The media is starting to pay attention to blogs."
Jeff Jarvis, co-founder of Entertainment Weekly
Howard Dean interview-NY Times
By Jodi Wilgoren
NY Times
Published: October 9, 2003
"...they all come from Washington, which I think, this year, is going to be a problem for them."
Gov Dean speaking of some of his Democratic rivals
Thursday, October 09, 2003
A Good-Tempered Man by Charley Reese
Charley Reese
October 8, 2003
"....An honest man with sincere convictions will get angry when he hears lies. Some of our greatest presidents had ferocious tempers. George Washington, Andy Jackson and Harry Truman are three examples.
You don't see other candidates getting angry because they are all phonies..."
"...Whether you agree with him or not, Howard Dean actually believes in his convictions. He is a genuine man.
An honest, genuine man will not suffer fools lightly, nor will he stand around like a dummy with a phony smile on his face while he hears himself lied about..."
The Money Machinery vs. Direct Democracy in Politics-We are not free
The Money Machinery vs. Direct Democracy in Politics:
We are not free...
Re: Tom Paine article
California Hangover
Robert B. Reich
After the California recall, it seems that American democracy only goes as far as the cash will take you.
The vote was nearly inconsequential when you examine the overall process.
What does 'direct democracy' truly mean in today's America?
WHAT?! You have no cash?!
End of the road for you, my friend.
If successful 'direct democracy' is exclusively and effectively tied to money, as Reich suggests, then freedom
is not TRUE freedom. Freedom is corrupted.
Freedom is relative to how much money you have.
Suddenly, it seems slavery is back in vogue.
When you think about it in a most realistic way, the average-to-poor person in this nation is chained to a system in which they will never have a hope of truly being able to be free...
not when the tyranny of money is the only avenue to American power...all other roads dead-ended.
Tyranny builds on tyranny.
Monarchy produced tyranny which sparked the American Revolution.
Will moneyed power-concentration in government do less?
How long will Americans stand for stolen elections and attempted coups in the guise of "elections"?
How long will media be accomplices in the process?
The only way to obtain your freedom in America.
This proves capitalism a flawed method of maintaining true freedom for individuals.
Reich has a good point here.
Things have gone too far.
It's time to take a step back and see what's happening to our country.
Democracy and freedom shouldn't be complicated concepts...
but they are.
They say you can't legislate what they call "freedom".
Eagles live on light...they soar on air.
We must put limits on this corrupted type of "freedom", if we are a nation of/by/for "the people".
Because what they are calling "freedom" is actually "money"...and nothing more.
Look up "freedom" in your favorite book of philosophy.
Keynes said of self-interest:
"Dangerous human proclivities can be canalized into comparatively harmless channels by the existence of opportunity for moneymaking and private wealth, which if they cannot be satisfied in this way, may find their outlet in cruelty, the reckless pursuit of personal power and authority, and other forms of self-aggrandizement. It is better that a man should tyrannize over his bank balance than over his fellow-citizens. . . ."
He is harmless is his miser's chamber...until he decides he wants your freedom as part of his sorry stash.
What happens when those who 'tyrannize over their bank balances' are allowed, through organized interest,
to govern a nation that was born to espouse democracy and the self-evidence of each man being created equal?
We are allowing it, my fellow Americans.
We are allowing freedom to become a perverted concept in our America.
Today's average American is no more than this...a slave to special interest.
One comment: If there was a positive to be seen, it would be the results of the recall.
It sparked many, many voters to get out and speak their mind.
I wonder how many of those voters who said "NO" to the recall realized that they never stood a chance?
Jude
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpts:
".....Progressives of a century ago, such as California’s then Republican governor Hiram Johnson, never dreamed that a single person’s money could buy enough signatures on a petition to force an entire state to go through a recall vote. That would be the reverse of direct democracy."
"...now, any governor is fair game at any time, at least in California. All you need is one very determined and very wealthy person, coupled with a governor whose popularity has sunk for whatever reason and no matter how temporarily.."
"...Gray Davis wasn’t the only loser yesterday. If Californians woke this morning with a headache, it’s not surprising. They made a mockery of what their progressive forebearers intended to achieve.
"..Let’s hope they’ve learned a lesson, and the rest of the country has, too. Direct democracy is a fine idea, as long as it’s accompanied by strict limits on what people can spend on it..."
NOTE:
SEE MY BLOG ENTRY ABOUT THE RECALL FROM 6-29-03
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Second Superpower
The Second Superpower
James F. Moore
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard Law School
"..the collective wisdom of the second superpower is grounded in the individual wisdom within each of us..."
Sen. Conyers of House Judiciary Committee asks for Rove's Resignation
Congressman Conyers of House Judiciary Committee
asks for Rove's Resignation
October 7, 2003
Dear Mr. Rove:
I write to ask you to resign from the White House staff. Recent press reports have indicated that, while you may or may not have been the source of the Robert Novak column which revealed the status and name of a covert operative, the wife of Ambassador Joseph Wilson, you were involved in a subsequent effort to push this classified information to other reporters and give it even wider currency. This itself may be a federal crime, but regardless of that fact, your actions are morally indefensible......
see entire letter here at Buzzflash
Dreadful Dismal Doleful Dolorous Dollar-Less
Sometimes the Olde Times Feel Like the Now Times
From : The Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser
1765
Newspaper of William Bradford, then-age 24...the leading printer in Philadelphia. On the day preceding the one in which the Stamp Act was to go in force, the newspaper contained the emblematic head and "doleful" communication seen in this engraving.
Main Entry: dole·ful
Pronunciation: 'dOl-f&l
Function: adjective
Date: 13th century
1 : causing grief or affliction a doleful loss
2 : full of grief : CHEERLESS a doleful face
3 : expressing grief : SAD a doleful melody
Main Entry: do·lor·ous
Pronunciation: 'dO-l&-r&s also 'dä-
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century
: causing, marked by, or expressing misery or grief
Pakistan Holds Second Missile Test in a Week With Rocket That Can Reach Most Targets in Rival India
By Paul Haven Associated Press Writer
Published: Oct 8, 2003
Four days ago, after the last Pakistani missle test, this was U.S. official reaction:
"...we have continued to urge both Pakistan and India to take steps to restrain their nuclear weapons and their missile programs, including no operational deployment of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles."
State Dept. spokesman Richard Boucher
SOME RESTRAINT!
Dniel Pipes on WMDs
Pipes Makes Apology and Excuse for Lack of WMD Discovery--
Furthers Story of Saddam Playing the U.S. for Complete Saps
"......If no WMDs exist, the real mystery is not how the Bush administration made the same mistake everyone else did; the mystery is why Saddam purposefully created the false impression he had WMDs. Why did he put himself into the bizarre position of simultaneously pretending to build WMDs and pretending to hide his non-existent weapons?"
In other words, Bush scratches his head....can't believe he was duped into becoming attack dog..and it's Clinton's fault as usual...(note the "everyone else" reference)
Colin Powell Speaks..
I Have Questions
I am using some of Colin Powell's quotes from this week's Washington Post letter:
POWELL: "What the world knew last November about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs was enough to justify the threat of serious consequences under Resolution 1441. "
--Enough?
What DID the world "know", General Powell?
Obviously not what you THINK you knew.
I watched you at the U.N. before this war began.
You aren't fooling anyone, Sir.
Was it enough to justify all the war dead?
Was it enough to justify so much of this?
I say NO.
POWELL: "In the interim report, Kay and his team record the chilling fact that they "found people, technical information and illicit procurement networks that if allowed to flow to other countries and regions could accelerate global proliferation."
Having put an end to that harrowing possibility alone justifies our coalition's action against Hussein's regime. But that is not the only achievement of our brave men and women in uniform and their coalition partners."
--How can you say you have put an end to the possibility of the outflow of procurement when you don't even know where these weapons or plans for weapons are..if they ever existed....or if you don't know whether or not these
ghost-weapons have already made their way across borders while we lost control of Iraq during our unilateral strike?
It's strange, General Powell, that you completely fail to mention the Kuwaiti foiling of an attempt to smuggle $60 million worth of chemical weapons and biological warheads from Iraq to an unnamed European country last week. Do you not wish to expose how vulnerable you have made Americans?
No.
POWELL: "Three weeks ago I paid my respects at a mass grave in the northern city of Halabja, where on a Friday morning in March 1988, Hussein's forces murdered 5,000 men, women and children with chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein can cause no more Halabjas. His "Republic of Fear" no longer holds sway over the people of Iraq. For the first time in three decades, the Iraqi people have reason to hope for the future.
President Bush was right: This was an evil regime, lethal to its own people, in deepening material breach of its Security Council obligations, and a threat to international peace and security. Hussein would have stopped at nothing until something stopped him. It's a good thing that we did."
--Question for you, General Powell....
We don't have one weapon of mass destruction to date.
Not a one.
I see that Saddam Hussein was a horrific leader.
Terrible things happened under his rule.
That said....
WAS WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN IRAQ SUFFICIENT REASON TO GO INTO IRAQ WITHOUT INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT?
My answer is a resounding NO, General Powell.
NO!
French 9/11 provocateur loses libel case
PARIS, Oct 3 (AFP) - Thierry Meyssan, the French author of a book that claimed the September 11 attacks were organised by the United States and that no plane crashed into the Pentagon, has lost a defamation case against a newspaper that accused him of being a profiteering fabulist.
The Paris court Wednesday struck down Meyssan's EUR 25,000 (USD 30,000) claim against the daily Liberation, saying its articles criticising his theory and character were protected by freedom of the press and the right of journalists and the public to challenge the author's controversial position.
Liberation printed three stories in March and May last year rubbishing Meyssan's assertion in his best-selling book "L'Effroyable Imposture" (printed in English as "9/11: The Big Lie") that the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon was carried out with a bomb planted by US authorities, not a hijacked plane, and that it was "a conspiracy ordered by a militaro-industrial group close to President Bush to justify the war in Iraq.... Meyssan has continued to taunt the US government, and his association has started selling a deck of playing cards featuring the faces of President George W. Bush and his aides with captions alleging they waged war on Iraq for reasons of greed."
Vivendi and General Electric
...or...
Vivendi and General Electric Sign Definitive Agreement on New Entertainment Company
By Jamey Keaten Associated Press Writer
Published: Oct 8, 2003
Now..to crush Disney....
One can never get enough military media concentration, can one?
Two sides of a story?
BAH!
HOWARD DEAN GRAFFITI ARTIST ARRESTED
Anyone Aiding
GLOBE and MAIL:
"....Artist who spray-painted backdrop at political rally arrested
New York — The graffiti artist whose backdrop at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean caused a brouhaha among New York City Republicans was arraigned on a charge related to a 1999 spray-painting incident, officials said...."
"....New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Staten Island Councilman James Oddo, both Republicans, spoke out against Mr. Dean's decision to have Mr. Lethem spray-paint a graffiti-inspired mural at his Bryant Park rally, saying it promoted a type of vandalism New York has fought to eliminate.
A spokesman for the Dean campaign said the presidential hopeful was merely giving an artist the space to
express himself..."
NY POST:
DEAN GRAFFITI 'ARTIST' BUSTED
October 8, 2003 -- Howard Dean's graffiti scrawler has been nabbed for practicing his "art" on subway cars in 1999.
Blake Lethem, 36, known as "KEO," was hired by the Democratic presidential wannabe to spray-paint a backdrop at a Bryant Park rally in August. And that proved his undoing.
Lethem's photo had been published when Dean was sandblasted by City Hall for glorifying graffiti.
Cops pounced on him at his Lower East Side apartment Monday after matching the photo with a home video showing seven graffiti vandals defacing subway cars in Manhattan.
He was charged with criminal mischief and arraigned in Manhattan criminal court.
Syria to Israel: War is coming with new attacks
"Syria's ambassador to Spain said on Wednesday Damascus would respond militarily against Israel if the Jewish state carried out new attacks on Syrian territory....."
Bush eggs them on....
"...Sharon has been buoyed by support from President Bush. Washington has accused Syria of being a state sponsor of terrorism.
"The decisions that he (Sharon) makes to defend her people are valid decisions. We would be doing the same thing," Bush said on Tuesday. {talking out of the other side of his face...}-> He added that it was "important for the prime minister to avoid escalation."
Arnold Wins California
"YEE HA! I VON!"
The World Toasts the Governor
"....From an Internet chatroom in China to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s boyhood home in Austria, the world marvelled today at a uniquely American political triumph with more suspense than a Hollywood script..."
Failing GOP Dinosaur Bush to Campaign with a "new" Republican--
pro-gay, pro-abortion, pro-gun-control,
and
Clan-of-Kennedy...
Yes...the same Kennedy..as in the George Bush Award recipient Kennedy..
How will this win politically translate in 2004?
STUPERMAN
SUPERMAN
Arnold's win boosts GOP odds in state for 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RESULTS
VOTE TO RECALL GOV. DAVIS (as of 09:52 a.m.)
Precincts Reporting: 97%
Votes
Yes 4,092,412
No 3,438,424
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANDIDATE TO SUCCEED
GOV. DAVIS (as of 09:52 a.m.)
Precincts Reporting: 97%
Candidate Votes
X - Arnold Schwarzenegger 3,475,671
Cruz M. Bustamante 2,354,159
Tom McClintock 958,274
Peter Miguel Camejo 205,225
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Latest From Drudge:
"FRANK RICH: I'LL MISS THE RECALL CIRCUS
Tue Oct 07 2003 17:59:55 ET
"Forgive me for mourning the passing of the recall election in California," NY TIMES columnist Frank Rich is planning to write in a coming essay.
"Maybe it wasn't the greatest show on earth, but in its lasting impact it may prove one of the more transformative cultural events of our young century."
Newsroom sources tell DRUDGE that Rich will lament: "Eastern snobs who airily condescended to the spectacle as merely another example of left-coast madness just didn't get it. As goes California, so goes the nation.
"It's Disneyland, not Colonial Williamsburg, that prefigures our future, and the action-packed recall ride was nothing if not the apotheosis of the Magic Kingdom. It was fun, it was instructive, it was expensive, it was hawked relentlessly on television, it starred an Audio-Animatronic action figure. "
"It even had product placement for its leading man's vehicle of choice, the Hummer. And it will set off a chain of unanticipated consequences whose full meaning will become apparent only with time."
Developing... "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Political News Analysis from AP- -
Recall Lesson: Incumbents Not Safe Unless They Address Voter Discontent
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Word is that he MAY be the leaker.
Innocent 'til proven guilty, of course.
Get to know your neo-Cons.
People ask...Who is Scooter Libby?
Heeeeeeeere's Scooter....
Q: Does he look like a leaker to you?
A: Depends....
Bush hopes says leaker won't be found
Bush
"This is a town where a lot of people leak, and I've constantly expressed my displeasure with leaks, particularly of classified information. I hope we can get this investigation done in a thorough way, as quickly as possible."
George W Bush today, answering press questions after a Cabinet meeting.
Bush turned the questions on reporters at the end of the Cabinet meeting:
"You tell me: how many sources have you had that's leaked information, that you've exposed or had been exposed? Probably none......
I don't know if we're going to find out the senior administration official," Bush said. "I don't have any idea. I'd like to. I want to know the truth."
But, Bush said,
"This is a large administration and there's a lot of senior officials."
"I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is, partially because, in all due respect to your profession, you do a very good job of protecting the leakers," Bush told journalists.
Adding a note of optimism, Bush said, "But we'll find out."
The willingness of journalists to accepts the establishment's view of the events of, and after, 9/11 is truly staggering, says Paul Donovan
Sunday October 5, 2003
"....One of the major weaknesses of journalism today is how easily some are seduced by power. The premier role of the journalist should be as a check on power, however, many seem to turn this dictum on its head and get greater job satisfaction as parrots of the official truth..."
"....It is sad that people had to wait for { Michael } Meacher to put together the strands of 9/11 and where were those expensively paid New York based correspondents on the public health and firefighter stories. The job of the journalist demands more than simply parroting official truths, the public deserve and should get better..."
FAIR GAME- William Rivers Pitt
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Monday 6 October 2003
".....the wives of Bush administration critics are fair game. CIA operatives are likewise fair game. If said CIA operative is working to defend our national security by keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists, that does not matter, because they are fair game. Also, front companies used to protect the identities of CIA operatives working to defend our national security, and by proxy all of the agents whose lives are protected by that cover, are fair game as well.
Seeing as how this is the case, that the barest standards and principles no longer have a place within this administration, that the national security of the United States can be sacrificed for low-rent political retribution, that George W. Bush and his people have been exposed as the rankest and bloodiest hypocrites in the history of American government, that everything is now fair game, I say let’s have at it. If politics is now nothing more than a WWF cage match, I want in. I have a fighter in my corner who also believes in the idea that everything is fair game.
My fighter is an independent counsel...."
Afghanistan-Taliban's Back / Pakistan- The Grand U.S. Hypocrisy
Pakistan- The Grand U.S. Hypocrisy
I made these observations from recent readings on Stratfor.com:
PAKISTAN
My Question: Isn't it incredibly, incredibly hypocritical and morally twisted that we know Pakistan is supporting terror and testing nuclear weaponry...yet we sell them F16s and pay them off for troops that we cannot get by international consensus?
This is basically what Stratfor.com is telling us:
There is some evidence that the Pakistani government has supported militant groups that cross the borders into Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Washington does not yet have Islamabad's cooperation in surveillance and shutting down the border crossings.
Direct quotes from Stratfor:
"U.S. troops operating in Afghanistan have been unable to chase militant suspects across the border into Pakistan -- and although it would be unpopular to publicly grant them permission to do so, Musharraf could accede to U.S. wishes, provided operations were conducted quietly and perhaps clandestinely.
Debt forgiveness { in the billions } will not be all that U.S. leaders agree to: According to a June 13 report by Defense and Foreign Affairs Daily, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Indian Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani earlier this month that Washington will resume F-16 sales to Islamabad. (They carry nuclear devices).
News of F-16 sales to Pakistan would raise tensions in India."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
AFGHANISTAN
My Question: Here we are--two years after 9-11...and here is Hamid Karzai, in his position of need to incorporate the Taliban into his nation's political order....
I ask you...how will this move NOT prove a massive failure in the U.S. war on terror? Consider the American lives lost on 9-11. During the Republican National Convention in NYC, you will hear 9-11 used and abused ad nauseum for political gain. Think about that..while you think about Taliban moving into political rule in Afghanistan once again.....are you sick yet????
From Stratfor:
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently hinted that he wants to integrate the Taliban into the country's future political order. If true, this would be an about-face from his earlier stance toward the Islamist movement. The contradiction reflects a realization that the Taliban cannot be overlooked in the construction of the new constitutional framework. If he pursues his apparent strategy, Karzai risks getting caught in the cross-fire between the Taliban, his government partners from the Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara and Turkmen tribes and his main supporter, the United States -- with virtually no gains to show for it."
Monday, October 06, 2003
Bring back UN inspectors
Bring back UN inspectors
By Jacqueline Shire, 10/5/2003
"....David Kay's report is an interim one. As National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice noted, analysts are still debriefing Iraqi officials and poring over "miles of documents." This must have brought a smile to the faces of UN inspectors who have spent 12 years analyzing thousands of pages of documentation. Their findings are a matter of public record, and a close reading would show that Iraq must still account for plenty: chemical and biological munitions it claims were destroyed unilaterally, stocks of agent and chemical precursors, drawings, plans, and prototypes for various weapons systems.
Ultimately, this is where the full story of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction will be told -- sorting through the muddled gray area of "unaccounted for" stockpiles and reports of "unconfirmed" destruction.
UN inspectors have a head start, and can do the job for a fraction of the cost..."
U.S. ISRAEL ATTACKS SYRIA
"We've consistently told Syria that it must cease harboring terrorists, and make a clean break from those responsible for planning and directing terrorist attacks from Syrian soil."
Adam Ereli, a State Department spokesman
"Israel has cast its strike against Syria as justifiable in a war against terrorism..."
Douglas Jehl - NY Times
In the NY Times today: "The White House said President Bush had called the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, after the predawn airstrike and urged him to avoid further heightening tensions in the region. A senior administration official said the United States was seeking "full details" about the raid [in Syria}....But the administration seemed to be avoiding any criticism of the attack, which Israel described as retaliation for the suicide bombing that killed 19 people in Haifa....In its reluctance to criticize the Israeli raid, the American stance was at odds with that of most of Europe and the Arab world, whose leaders roundly condemned what they called a dangerous increase in tensions in the Middle East by Israel."
In the Guardian today, "Islamic Jihad, which admitted responsibility, has once again done grave disservice to the Palestinian cause. But Israel's response to the attack is equally unjustified. Its air raid deep inside Syrian territory was a reckless act typical of Israel's leader, Ariel Sharon. It will dissipate international sympathy and further entrench Arab hostility. Mr Sharon has a genius for putting Israel in the wrong...... As for George Bush, he certainly needs to think again - and act quickly. US pressure on Syria and Iran has been intense of late. Far from reining in Mr Sharon, Washington's effete, partial policy seems to have emboldened him to attack, to escalate, to spread the conflict in the much-abused name of the "war on terror", while actively subverting the road map. This is no Bush-ian vision of a transformed, peaceful Middle East. This is a vision of hell, of a Haifa every day."
Bush twiddles thumbs while a very dangerous Sharon widens and fuels Middle East disaster
The United States, no longer considered a relevant or respected "player" at the U.N., puts in their
barren and hollow two-cents worth:
"..The US ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte, called on all sides to avoid heightening tension.
But he said: "The United States believes that Syria is on the wrong side of the war on terrorism..."
*What's new? The Bush administration is avoiding the Middle East conflict altogether...instead turning the actions from a dangerous Sharon into 'just another day in the war on terror'. Complacency: a recipe for death and destruction in that unfortunate land.*
Dear God....What Has This President Done to Our America?
(Bush Is Mostly Responsible For The Global Collapse In U.S. Support)
Washington Post Editorial
Talking to the World
Monday, October 6, 2003; Page A22
"....The collapse in global support for the United States during the past several years is hard to overstate..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hypocrisy Central: What has this President's administration done to the word..and to the very essence of... "democracy"?
Democracy on Hold
By Fred Hiatt
"......Throughout this administration, there are career bureaucrats and political appointees who are passionately committed to promoting democracy. But at the top, democracy seems to have become an afterthought, except when its championing is politically useful (Iraq, Afghanistan) or relatively cost-free (Burma, Zimbabwe). And even in Burma, it's not clear the administration will spend chits to influence other nations that could help..."
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