Paul Krugman Speaks at Syracuse University
Paul Krugman spoke at Syracuse University this evening.
I am not able to give you Prof Krugman's words verbatim, but I want to share what I took away from the speech.
He graciously agreed to speak in place of Molly Ivins, who was originally scheduled but could not attend due to illness.
The speech was held at Hendricks Chapel,
a lovely chapel on the S.U. Campus.
imagine Paul Krugman at the podium center-stage
He had nearly a full house.
He began by looking around the massive chapel and up to the choir loft and commented that although he suspected he'd be "preaching to the choir"....this was surely the right place to do it!
He also jokingly called himself a writer on the "upset liberal authors circuit".
Even though Ivins has a markedly different writing stye, he said he found himself speaking about many similar issues...and had similar thoughts on many of those issues.
He has been an educator first, taking on writing as a moonlight-career. He began writing about international financial matters, mostly about global issues...usually
about economic trouble in foreign nations. It wasn't a subject in which a large audience was particulary interested.
One day he realized something in our very own nation was "off". Something just wasn't adding up. It started with the Bush administration's proposal for Social Security reform.
Krugman, a seasoned and experienced economist, sensed a dishonesty and irresponsibility within Bush's plans for Social Security (more than simple ignorance, as many claim about Bush). Frightening to me, Mr Krugman claimed the media never gave a straight accounting of the story surrounding Social Security Reform. The public was never given the straight facts..only shades of political talk on either side of the political aisle. (He would speak more about this media problem later in the speech).
He said that savage cuts in social spending must come as a result of these budget deficits..it is inevitable.
The political behavior of the Bush administration points to
a third-world-type political activity in America. If the world still trusts that America will be able to recover from this, we may not lose the trust of investors. But..as things stand...right now there's no sign that we will have a restoring of our once-thriving market economy..it's all hypothetical...and it's frightening.
Krugman jokingly (in light of the very serious subject matter) explained that eventually, if confidence in the market does not come back, our government may have a Wile E Coyote moment...the kind where ol' Wile E looks down midst the fervor of chasing the Road Runner and realizes he's been running his legs across thin air, for he's already well off the edge of the cliff .. ;)
the Wile E Coyote moment
He said he believes, if things continue as they are now, that an economic crisis will come at an undetermined
date..within the next ten years.
Krugman said Bush uses Orwellian rhetoric on environmental issues. Professor Krugman says that he misses what he believes was an honesty in economics. Even though he did not agree with the Reagan administration, he said he believed there was honesty in Reagan's own plans. Krugman did not agree with Nixon on very much, but he misses the responsibility Nixon showed to the EPA on environmental issues.
The Bush agenda, in contrast, seems to have been pre-planned..blind to contingency. The ANWR drilling, tax-cuts,
war...all planned before Bush was awarded the office of President.
Men like Grover Norquist are radical in their politics. Prof Krugman implored us to really listen to what Norquist is saying..because he is powerful and serious..and he wants to starve our federal government to a point where social spending is no longer an option. He mentioned Henry Kissinger's line from his doctoral dissertation in which Kissinger used the French revolution as study, but also, Krugman believes, implicitly addressing the rise of fascism in the 1930s.
"Lulled by a period of stability which had seemed permanent," Kissinger wrote, "they find it nearly impossible to take at face value the assertion of the revolutionary power that it means to smash the existing framework."
--I looked up the passage..the rest goes like this:
"..The defenders of the status quo therefore tend to begin by treating the revolutionary power as if its protestations were merely tactical; as if it really accepted the existing legitimacy but overstated its case for bargining purposes; as if were motivated by specific grievences to be assauged by limited consessions. Those who warn against the danger in time are considered alarmists; those who consel adaption to circumstances are considered balanced and sane.... but it is the essence of a revolutionary power that it possesses the courage of its convictions, that it is willing, indeed eager, to push its principles to their ultimate conclusion."
Krugman thinks this is a very important and relevant statement today. He had previously discussed this in a September, 2003 Guardian article about him titled "I Do Get Rattled"
He mentioned Tom DeLay and how some refer to him as just a "crazy guy in Congress" when they hear him talk about conforming government to a Biblical world view...
but he's NOT just some crazy guy..he's the powerful House majority leader. Beware.
There are some forms of media that get the point across better through satire...such as the Onion (Krugman liked the fake Bush speech) an the Ironic Times (he appreciated "Bush: Iraq a Lesson to U.S. Foes
If you attack us, we will strike back at somebody else with overwhelming force."). He also positively cited the Simpsons episode with the fake FOX news ticker saying: "92 percent of Democrats are gay".
He mentioned that the mainstream media suffers from what he called "the curse of even-handedness". Giving equal weight to both political sides makes it nearly impossible to help the viewer (or reader) to know the basic facts which would enable them to reasonably decide for themselves. In so many words, it's all about 'the GOP said/theDems said'.
Krugman's words were: "You just get these awful, evenhanded stories that never gave you a sense that there is a core of truth there."
There is also low-grade intimidation...especially through highly-organized hate-mail (he didn't say Freepers..but I will)...and attacks of hostility (from the same folks who spent eight years attacking Clinton and are now Bush protectionists).
He mentioned Christiane Amanpour's poor treatment when she spoke out honestly about the intimidation she strongly felt from the Bush administration regarding Iraq war coverage (see my 9-14 blog entry)
Krugman also spoke of the disturbing story about FOX's infamous "Daily MEMO" which revealed their
daily agenda. (News should never have agenda...and it is doubly disturbing to know they promote, organize, and formalize their agenda daily).
Not to be totally negative in his outlook, Krugman assured us we are a nation which has the capability of coming through this, yet he fears there is a lack of political consensus about the things that need to be done to insure that strength.
Asserting that he occupies what used to be the center in American politics, he pointed out the disparaging fact that there is no center in Congress anymore. The Democrats are pretty much where they've politically always been, and the GOP has taken to the far right.
When asked what he thought the key issues would be in 2004 for the strength of Democrats, he stated he believed it would come down to foreign policy. The economy would be a fairly neutral issue because people generally believe what they choose to believe about economic news and the deficit is "hard to explain" to people. He mentioned that the environment might be another issue of strength for the Democrats in 2004.
He fully believes the all the stops will be pulled out for this upcoming election.
Fasten your seat belts.
Toward the end, Prof Krugman said he'd like to mention something positive about a particular Republican...
Michael Bloomberg. He praised him for nearly all he's done so far because he believes that Mayor Bloomberg is practicing
honest and responsible politics..even though it has brought him a (whopping) 30% approval rating.
These final thoughts are mine as I come away from Professor Krugman's speech:
Perhaps responsible governing is not going to win you popularity..or elections. Would we want our progressive politicians to sell our souls for votes and poll ratings? That's a tough question. Who will save our political souls if they must be sold in order for the political saviors to win?
What's wrong with politics in America?
FOX was excited over the CASE CLOSED story like a teenager finding Dad's Hidden Playboy Mags
^
^
"OOO-Tommy, Bobby, Joey..look what I found...I found it first! Look-ee look-ee! Woot! Let's call all our friends!"
o
o
How the public is duped:
Bush Administration cherry-picked leaks from cherry-picked intelligence ----> RightWing Rumor Mills (the ones who used to pick Clinton apart..you know who they are)----> FOX News (the worst network
for impartial reliability)---->People who Eat the Poisoned Pablum and vote Republican.
Too bad it's cheap rumor and easy innuendo.
Perversion for right-wing poll-strokers.
Look how FOX ran like nasty whores with the fake story last Saturday night and presented it nearly as gospel.
The worst is this: FOX shouted it all over their cable news network headlines and NEVER retracted the story when the Pentagon refuted it.
Stroke, stroke...look at the bad stuff NeoCons leak when they try to stroke the polls....
Who the heck do these lying cads at the Weekly Standard and FOX think they're fooling with their "case-closed"?
Fred Barnes spoke like a giddy (lying) schoolboy about the "certainty" of the link from 9-11 to Saddam last Sunday
on the FOX Sunday news show.
Damned irresponsible!
A pathetic partisan wretch on another blog commented about "Case Closed":
" ...can't wait for the squirming to begin (Rockefeller et al ... .....)
Fox had better not drop the ball on this one...."
*I can just imagine the slurpy froth at the corners of the mouth*
Even the Pentagon says it's not true. And you know how they love to lie! If they could get away
with concurring with this right-wing garbage, I'll bet they'd find a way.
Josh Marshall's Hill article on the subject is fantastic.
Left dangling like stray Korean dogs too slow to escape, the Weekly Standard is trying to save face.
This quote from an Intelligence expert says it all:
''This [Case Closed article] is made to dazzle the eyes of the not terribly educated. It begs the question, 'Is this the best they can do?' If you're going to expose this stuff, you'd better have something more than this...My inclination is to interpret this as probably a very good example of cherry-picking and the selective use of intelligence that was so obvious in the lead-up to the war.''
Greg Thielmann, a veteran of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) who retired in 2002
CASE DECIDELY NOT CLOSED!
Open THIS case...an intense investigation into the professional(?) affairs of Douglas Feith while acting as under secretary of defense and chief lying architect of the Iraq war.
Let's see if FOX will get all giddy if and when we find out about more desperate Bush administration cherry-picked cherry-pickin' leaks!
Wesley Clark Gives FOX Their Due
This is a must-see. Presidential candidate Wesley Clark looks very Presidential in this interview
with FOX's slick and apt truth-twister David Asman.
All I can say is: GET HIM,LENNY!
and
GET HIM, LENNY!
~~~~~~
More on "Balanced" News: Take a look at this conversation
It's about "balance" and what it means when it comes to news journalism today.
Is "balance" being used to be a deceitful word?
You bet your Asman it is!
Romney Proposes Constitutionalizing Discrimination
--Massachussetts Governor denies that fairness and equality under the law are the bedrocks of our constitution and must apply to everyone--
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney says he'll push for a constitutional amendment to block gay couples from getting married in response to a ruling by the state's highest court that could otherwise let gay couples wed.
He said, "I agree with 3,000 years of recorded history. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman ... and our constitution and laws should reflect that."
This is not an appropriate issue for Constitutional amendment.
Limiting civil freedoms for religious reasons (which is what this is all about) is antithetical to the idea of individual liberty.
The freedom of religion already exists. No one is suggesting that it be taken away.
When all people see that love, in reality, rules the teachings of religion, they may come to
reconciliatory terms with the gay community.
But I don't see that happening very soon.
Do you?
Regardless of where we stand on the religious issue, none of us should stand by and watch our
Constitution being abused as a rag for the culture wars.
If anyone reading this does not sit down and write a letter to their Congressional representatives to end the madness of the idea of a Constitutional amendment, you'll only have yourself to blame when these monsters destroy the Constitution.
I especially appeal to the women of this nation.
We know (or should know) how hard the struggle was to secure the 19th amendment.
We still cannot get an Equal Rights Amendment.
Yet, these beasts want to take us backwards and cut civil rights with a new amendment to place
limits upon our liberties as women......
women who will not be free to enter civil union with whom we please should they succeed.
In the words of Matilda Joslyn Gage:
"the world has seemingly awaited the advent of heroic souls who once again should dare all things for the truth. The woman who possesses love for her sex, for the world, for truth, justice and right, will not hesitate to place herself upon record as opposed to falsehood, no matter under what guise of age or holiness it appears."
Act today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
SEE today's "Cup o' Joe" for interesting commentary on the issue.
Related Washington Post article
Cheney gets less than 1% support from non-paying public in Syracuse area
Cheney fundraising visit to Syracuse nets
200 protestors against Cheney-
2 supporters of Cheney.
So as not to deceive you, understand that Cheney also netted big bucks from 200 supporters who did not brave
the cold and the rain from 8am yesterday morning standing on their cold feet with umbrellas and heavy raincoats, but instead donned black and navy blue suits and shelled out $1000 apiece for a luckluster speech and lacklaster eggs and bacon.
Standing in front of a balloon of a huge rat with fangs sporting a DickCheney-nametag ( a balloon which would rival a Macys-Day parade float), the 200 cold people were amused and spirited.
Sitting in front of the speaker's podium at a barely-decorated hotel hall, the others...the comfortably-seated 200 paying Cheney-supporters, half-asleep,
failed to even laugh at the sad attempts at jokes.
If any Democrat in Representative Jim Walsh's N.Y. (redistricted) district has been giving him bipartisan support
(as many of us have), just take a LOOK at what he's saying about you...
...according to columnist Dick Case, "Jim claims only 32 percent of Americans admit to being members of the
Democratic Party. They make up for their slim ranks, he said, by being more liberal, more pessimistic, more angry..."
Well, well, fellow Democrats...if you weren't "more angry" at Walsh before, I'll wager you might be now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peaceful protesters greet vice president
Salina's town supervisor is among those demonstrating against the administration.
November 18, 2003
By Pam Greene
Staff Writer
Despite rain and mud, about 200 people protested outside the Holiday Inn in Salina Monday morning while Vice President Dick Cheney met with supporters who paid $1,000 to have breakfast with him.
"It's obscene to raise that kind of money when there are so many needs in this country that are not being addressed," said Joan Coop, a protester. "That's not a government of the people; it's a government by wealth."
The protest began at 7:30 a.m. when about 50 people gathered outside the Hess gas station at Electronics Parkway and 7th North Street. As the crowd grew to about 100 people, sheriff's deputies warned protesters not to stand in the street.
As the crowd grew to about 200, protesters crossed 7th North Street to a field off the Thruway exit, where they stood waving signs and chanting slogans.
Deputies on the scene said the protest was peaceful.
"Everything's going well," said a deputy who declined to give his name. "People have a right to protest, and they're being ladies and gentlemen about it. I appreciate that."
Virtually everyone standing along Electronics Parkway had a gripe with the Bush administration, be it the war in Iraq, job losses or the control money has over government.
Only two people stood with the protesters to support the vice president.
"We can't let these people speak for us," said Jon Alvarez, one of the two Cheney supporters. "They don't represent the mainstream. . . . We're in a world war on terrorism, and these people don't care."
Members of unions, veterans groups, the Syracuse Peace Council and the National Organization for Women protested. "Hey, ho, Bush and Cheney got to go," was the cheer led by Salina Supervisor and Democrat Mary Ann Schadt.
Brian Dominick, a member of the Syracuse Peace Council, said "Greed is (Cheney's) religion, and he's gone in there to pass the bucket around his congregation."
2003 The Post-Standard
Bush must go; Blair must go-
Guardian Editorial Shows Intelligent Support for the Sane in America
Excerpts:
"...The difference between how Bush and his administration perceive the world and almost everybody else experiences it would be comic if the consequences were not so tragic."
"...We did not elect Bush (it is a moot point whether anybody did) and can do little about him but hope that the Democrats get it together to beat him next year."
"....We have shown that we can get mad; we have yet to show that we can get even. This is a global problem, not a local one. The vast majority of humanity did not want this war to happen, and it happened anyway. Even in those countries that are prosecuting it, including America, opinion polls showed that most were opposed to military action without UN approval."
"....If that were not bad enough we now know that in order to gain even minority support they had to lie about weapons that do not exist, using intelligence that could not be trusted. So we have a war we did not want, led by people we can no longer believe. And yet it remains to be seen whether anyone will be held accountable or forced to pay an electoral price."
"...there is little confusion in the American anti-war movement about whom the enemy is and what needs to be done about him. Their protests are having real consequences in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, where anti-war candidates are making all the running and lifted the level of debate to a far higher level than we are currently seeing in the Labour party.
"....This is what makes the charges that the demonstrations are anti-American as ridiculous as they are predictable.
Americans are not the problem: Bush is."
"....Bush is not synonymous with America any more than Blair is synonymous with Britain. We can make Bush uncomfortable; it is only Blair we can make unemployed."
~~~~~~~~~~
More than 100 join rally for jailed doctor
November 15, 2003
By Ngoc Huynh
Contributing writer/Syracuse Post Standard
Supporters of a Manlius doctor jailed on charges he illegally sent money to Iraq marched Friday in front of the Onondaga County Justice Center with a banner that read: "The U.S. attorney has ruined our Ramadan by refusing bail for our brother Rafil."
Dr. Rafil Dhafir, accused of violating sanctions against Iraq by sending money there through his DeWitt-based charity, Help the Needy, has been denied bail three times since his arrest in February. A judge ruled that Dhafir was a risk to flee the country.
More than a 100 Muslims and non-Muslims arrived at the justice center's State Street entrance at 2 p.m. to show their support for Dhafir.
Mohammad Al Wahaidy, 12, of Fayetteville, was the first in the crowd to shout, "Free Dr. Dhafir!" He is the son of Osameh Al Wahaidy, 41, one of four men originally charged in the Help the Needy case. The elder Al Wahaidy pleaded guilty in April to one count of violating the sanctions.
As others joined in his chant, another voice sang, "We miss him. He's a good man."
Several cars passed by and motorists honked and waved.
Imam Ahmed Kobeisy, who heads the Islamic Society of Central New York, said Dhafir has strong ties with the community and is not a flight risk.
"We would like to have him reunited with the community in the month of Ramadan," Kobeisy said. "We would like to celebrate with him, fasting and praying with fellow Muslims."
Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, ends Nov. 25. During this time, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, pray, meditate and do acts of charity.
U.S. District Judge Norman Mordue rejected Dhafir's last bail request in July. Dhafir, an oncologist, is considered a flight risk because of his financial assets and overseas contacts, judges have said.
In addition to the charges that he violated sanctions against Iraq, Dhafir is accused of evading $400,000 in federal income tax payments by falsely writing off donations to Help the Needy, and of defrauding Medicare out of more than $274,000.
Haikal Abughoush, rally organizer, has known Dhafir for 20 years. He said the government is looking for reasons to keep his friend in jail.
"They had egg on their face," he said, "so they needed to find something. What they found was further charges."
........
2003 The Post-Standard.
FREE DHAFIR
Add 'Blog' To the Campaign Lexicon
By Brian Faler
Special to The Washington Post
Arar and Immigration: Canadian's Next PM Paul Martin had best keep things honest
"...When he succeeds Chretien, who is expected to step down in upcoming weeks, Martin will promote stronger relations with Bush and strengthened ties between Canada's Parliament and Congress.
Chretien angered Bush this year by refusing to take part in the war in Iraq, prompting the U.S. president to cancel a planned visit to Ottawa in May. Before then, some of Chretien's subordinates publicly ridiculed Bush over his unilateral policies, with one quoted as calling the president a moron..."
Canadian PM Chretien has had more than one good point, like him or hate him.
When you have innocent Canadian citizens going through American airports, being detained by U.S. officials and deported to Syria (with a dependent family left behind with no word)...and when that Canadian is then tortured in a grave-like prison for over a year, you have to do what is best to protect your people.
Maher Arar
Martin had best watch his back on the future of immigration policies involving the U.S. as partner.
One can not doubt the delicate idea of a coordinated Canadian immigration policy with the U.S. has been complicated by the fate of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born immigrant to Canada who was deported to Damascus last year by U.S. agents. Ottawa is under pressure to reveal what role if any Canadian police played in the decision.
Listen to Maher Arar's story of illegal rendition here.
and here.
and here.
I'm betting neither the Bush administration nor the Congress will touch this investigation.
Human Rights groups are trying to help.
Pentagon IG wipes the slime off the pig
A pig, however, will always be what he is.
The Pentagon, the Bush administration, the Richard Perles, the Mark Zells, the Douglas Feiths, the private companies and the investors are so intertwined that there is no longer any way to separate them.
Welcome to the sty. Go to work, go shopping, watch Fox News, buck up and don't ask any questions, U.S. taxpayers.
Of course, Richard Perle didn't violate ethics law....there IS no code of ethics with these people and
a law can be s--t--r--e--t--c--h--e--d to prove it.
Even if we turn our faces from all the lies...
what of the promises?
Still no cheering..other than cheers of some Iraqi children when a U.S. helicopter is shot down.
Still no roses...except those at the funeral services.
One hour ago, two more U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down.
Judiciary squabble:
Word- Most Americans could care; remain unaware
I heard a journalist on a political talk-show saying that, through calling for the all-night session regarding the Judiciary this week, the Republicans had hoped to at least educate the public on the meaning of "filibuster".
Another journalist on the panel said (basically) "Fat chance".
If you're a political junkie like me, (especially if you loved "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"), you already know what a filibuster is.
I agree, though, that if you don't already know or care, this whole session was for naught.
It was just a stage for the melodramatic children from the GOP who wasted what could have been
a far more productive last few hours to debate and formulate some meaningful legislation.
A Washington Post article asked: "Why do some Washington stories take off like a booster rocket while others seem to fizzle?"
The article drives home the point that the average American didn't even know or care about this yak session.
Note: Be sure to read the above-mentioned article as it progresses to talkng about the current contretemps over the Senate intelligence committee memo. It's amusing and compelling (if you're a political junkie like me, at least).
Republicans Got Nowhere With Their Drama-Queen Act
Rick Santorum literally said there would be "payback" when a Democratic president (President Dean;) starts to
nominate judiciary candidates.
This anti-filibuster filibuster only shows how much our Senators resent one another...but that's nothing new.
Call me jaded. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that a high-strung GOP Senator hauled off and physically went
for the wrinkly throat of a fellow Senator.
Bush has set the tone for this animosity.
I hope he's proud of the political atmosphere he has led to this frenzied state.
What Kerry's doing bugs me
I like John Kerry, but I resent the fact that he plans to use his wife's money (as much as he can) to fight the little people making donations from hard-earned money out of their own pockets to the candidate of their choosing.
I really do resent that.
A candidate using his own wealth does nothing to promote the cause of healthy democracy or
to spark new voters.
I suppose Howard Dean put him in this corner...and Kerry took the bait.
Kerry comes out looking bad.
Dean wins again.
"My father crapped bigger ones than George Bush"
Ronald P. Reagan
Ronald Prescott Reagan for President '04
Bankruptcy in America
Continuing the record-setting pace of recent years, personal bankruptcies rose 7.8 percent in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, according to data released Friday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
The past four years:
FY........Business..NonBusiness....Total
2003.....36,183.....1,625,813......1,661,996
2002.....39,091.....1,508,578......1,547,669
2001.....38,490.....1,398,864......1,437,354
2000.....36.065.....1,226,037......1,262,102
See U.S.Courts.gov
I found this to be a most unusual story
"Get Him, Lenny!"
Democratic Leaders and MSNBC--Time to Stop Giving Bush Honeymoon!
MSNBC posed a question to potential television-poll-participants today...
"Is George Soros' political gift ($millions$) to democratic organizations going to help or hurt the Democrats?
What a conservative-leaning crock of crap!!!!
As if $15 million won't help, regardless of the donator.
Give us a break!
And when is the last time we were asked if the $24 million Bush raised at a black-tie gala in DC would
help or hurt him?!?
MSNBC, shame on you!
NBC doesn't have enough Jim Miklaszewski's.(see reference below)
MSNBC cowers in the heavy shadow of their corporate-sentries.
They are lame, to put it in the simplest terms.
Self-respecting journalists who work for NBC/MSNBC should be embarrassed.
When is NBC/MSNBC planning to stop giving this guy his undeserved honeymoon?
When he's lobbed the first nuke into the Middle East and has killed hundreds of thousands?
Thanks to his wealth, he may have educational degrees, but we all know what a simp he is...and what an easy shill he is for those who subscribe to the Three Ps...Profits, Poverty, and Power.
He's a man who was never personally successful at anything in his life until money made him the little king and footsoldier of God that he apparently always wanted to be. Now he's ruining our Union.
He's a man who subscribes to an ideology that is crucially damaging to the vast majority of citizens of this nation.
We have a President who'd willingly carry on an unnecessary war of distraction while the ugly greed that is sated by policies that enrich the wealthiest is fed..while loyal grunts in Iraq die or face lifelong disability from injury and the poorest among us are virtually forgotten...while our civil liberties are systematically being stripped away.
MSNBC headline:"How to talk to your kids about Kobe Bryant"!??!
Dear God...what are they thinking?
How about "How to talk to your kids about GW Bush"??!!
Wake up!
It's time for our journalists AND our Congresspeople to tell it like it is..
time to stop pussy-footing their way around this fascist Bush administration.
Time to start saying what they mean.
The Republicans are trying hard (and often successfully) to make Democrats look like nothing more than
"hate-speechers". Well, why don't our Democratic leaders haul off and show the other side what it really means
to rip apart the Bush policies...with the gloves off.
If they are going to be accused of it, they'd best do a damned effective job instead of looking like they're still
courting the worst President in American history.
"Get him, Lenny!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reference to Jim Miklaszewski from Deborah Mathis' Nov 11th column:
" WE CAN'T RIGHT-WING JUGGERNAUT STOP THE PRESSES"
"...Thank heavens there are still those like Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News, who are not cowed by this machine and don't let the racket drown out the little voice that reminds journalists what they're there for: Get the story. Get it right and get it true.
He was excoriated for reporting, with videotaped footage, the carnage at Baghdad's al-Rashid Hotel in the wake of a bombing that coincided with Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's visit - indeed, his residency at the very hotel that was struck.
The knee-jerk reaction was to accuse Miklaszewski of accentuating the tragic in order to mock George W. Bush's sunny focus on the region.
Fortunately, not only did Miklaszewski stick to his guns, but so did network executives.
That's too rare a stance these days. Other journalists - lesser journalists, maybe - would be so worried about having their credentials yanked or not being invited to the Christmas party or press picnic that they would be scrambling to kiss up to the White House...."
Wilson's Wisdom: Beware of the white-collar redneck
I'm not worried about the guy waving his Confederate flag next door. I'm more worried about someone else.
by Rabbi Marc Howard Wilson
Rabbi Wilson is right.
Symbols are symbols, but the real danger lies in those with the real influence.
"...the rancor should not be over wooing pickup-truck rednecks. It should be over the courtship of the white-collar rednecks, the ones who really wield the influence."
Cloning Christ
I first read about this on Jewsweek. From the 'Yada, yada, yada blog': "..And you guys were worried about The Passion. Take a look at the book, soon to be a motion picture, Cloning Christ...."
The main character is Dr. Max Train, a leading genetic scientist from Syracuse, New York.
I live in Syracuse, NY..hmmm..that increases my interest in the story...
The book is written by authors Peter Senese and Robert Geis, who have joined forces to create "Cloning Christ".
Their website calls it "a brilliantly written theological thriller which provokes the question of how genetic science and faith may co-exist in today's world. The intricately developed plot, with originally created characters who are cast behind the backdrop of an assortment of scientific and religious perspectives held by people of the world today, challenge the reader at every turn to think through these current issues as the fast-paced thriller evolves into a story of good versus evil."
Cloning Christ is in development to be made into a motion picture, production scheduled to begin in the late spring of 2004.
It's the story of a genetic scientist - Max - a man who lived a 'perfect' life. Highly respected in the field of genetic research, his work led him to discover the secrets of man’s DNA sequence code. Happily married to Lisa Train, the loving mother of their four-year old daughter, Annie, Max lived the life most people aspire to have. Thankful in his blessings, Max’s devout love of God led him to live a righteous life. Max was a Believer.
Then a nightmare so chilling and cruel became Max’s cold reality as all he loved and cherished was brutally taken from him. When Max enters an ancient cave hidden from time near Mount Olivet, he discovers what may be the True Cross of Jesus, and painfully confronts his faith in God. This is only the beginning of Max's journey into chaos he could never imagine in his wildest nightmares....Other people are aware of his find, including a corrupt cardinal close to the pope, who is fanatically afraid that Train will use the DNA from any flesh or hair remaining on the cross to try to clone Christ....With the possible True Cross in his possession, Max dashes across the globe in an attempt to flee the dark clouds of evil endlessly chasing after him and the artifact that may in fact change the world forever. Confronted with his desire to accept God – unable to accept the dark past that turned his life into a living nightmare – Max begins a dangerous global journey back to the loving hands of the Christ.
This may, indeed, be a controversial movie, but the subject matter is quite interesting...provocative at best.
Often, when an author (or authors) attempt to transcend religion, they wind up inadvertenly insulting the faithful masses.
I have yet to read this book, so I am no authority.
I'll have to put it on my list of "to-reads".
Take This Test!
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
The social dimension of politics is important. That's the dimension that the mere left-right scale doesn't adequately address. So Political Compass has added one, ranging in positions from extreme authoritarian to extreme libertarian.
My result was here:
Close to this fellow:
NOTE: Don't spoil the results by reading the Analysis section before you take the test.
John Stewart Honored by Jewsweek
The Jewsweek Jewriffic Awards
Also, do not miss this honorable mention:
4. Best opera honoring a sleazy Jewish talk show host: London audiences have been privileged to have "Jerry Springer -- The Opera" at the state-funded National Theatre since April. This week, however, the man himself paid them a visit and had this to say at a lavish party honoring him after the show: "As an opera, it's perfect."
A new blog
Take a drive by And then..., an interesting new blog.
Best line from article about Senate debate on Judiciary nominations:
"Republicans displayed large charts with judicial nominees' photographs, which looked like posters of missing children."
Best Whine:
"It's not right to be coming down and mentioning senators by name and using words like `sanctimonious hypocrisy.' "
The sanctimoniously hypocritical Sen Don Nickles crying about a comment made by the bluntly honest Sen Tom Harkin
Republicans Are Trying to Gut Medicare
Thanks to the GOP's truly evil efforts, health care may soon be out of reach for many older Americans.
"If we're an arrogant nation, then they'll resent us. I think one
way for us to end up being viewed as
'the Ugly American' is to go around
the world saying "we do it this way, so should you."
Gov. George W Bush during the 2000 Presidential debates
Bush: Covering Blair's Sorry Bum
So Bush will meet with familes of dead British soldiers to help his buddy Tony Blair.
Yet this is what Bush has allegedly said of his predecessor Clinton: Some close to the president say another reason he has not expressed more public sympathy for individual soldiers killed in Iraq is his determination to let families have their privacy. He was offended, his friends say, by what he saw at times as President Bill Clinton's exploitation of private grief for political gain. link
(Bush the bloody hypocrite)
Bush has shown full willingness to meet with victims of Saddam Hussein (from 20 years ago) for access to the political keys to justifying the driving of his war machine. link
(Bush the war whore).
But so far, unless anyone can correct me, I count families of FIVE dead American soldiers with whom Bush has met
(Camp LeJeune in early April 2003..photo-op). Yes, I said FIVE.
(Five out of 400 and thousands more wounded.)
He wouldn't even mention the fifteen who died on that Chinook helicopter in public on the day it happened.
He likes to keep them hidden.
I hope he thinks about that while covering Tony Blair's political back during his UK visit.
Snapshot in Time...
Six months After 9-11 / NYC
photo by iddybud
"My Dad"
I see a face, a face of God
He's smiling down on me and my mom.
My dad is up there smiling too.
When his tower collapsed he was trapped
Inside a fiery inferno with nowhere to go
Except heaven.
Hilary Strauch, at 12 years old
The Funnies:
When Moms get wired..
Oh, Nooooooooo!
"....Really, the blog is just a record of what I think about the world and how I spend my free time," Widmar said. "In other words, exactly the sort of information that no 30-year-old wants his mom to have access to..."
Take a peek at Blogger's answer- "What to Do When Your Mom Discovers Your Blog"! :)
Chickenhawk Down by Tom Tomorrow-A must-see! ;)
Looking back:
What FOOLS we were to let them go...
"One year ago: "US army sacks gay Arabic experts""
We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the sacking of two Arabic translators from the U.S. Army.
This, to me, is a very sad and disturbing story. As stated in the BBC article, 'the decision comes when American military and intelligence services are suffering from an acute lack of translators and interpreters needed for their war on terror'
and 'the US Government has been frantically trying to recruit more Arabic speakers.'
I wish Mr. Gamble and Mr. Hicks great success in their personal and professional civilian lives.
Their removal is a shame and a loss for this nation, especially in light of all that has occurred this past year.
The services of these men would have been very valuable at such a dangerous time for our troops.
Ask yourselves:
Why do we place a higher value on the focus of what people
do in their bedroom vs. what they could have done to avert terror and save lives?
Changing the rules When the Games Don't Go Your Way-
The Mark of People Who Lack Character;
the Mark of UnAmerican Political Leaders
Who Will Allow the Balance of Power to Suffer In Order to Win
The Republicans are on the floor of the Senate as we speak... attempting to change long-standing traditions that will make it certain that the Dems (at this time) will not be able to filibuster to keep a judge from getting an easy up/down vote in a majority Senate.
It shouldn't be that easy.
Face it.
The balance of power between all branches should always be the primary concern, and when you take away the power from the Judiciary committee, you offset the balance of power between the Executive and the Judiciary.
The current make-up of the Senate (regardless of majority) will prove there is no clear mandate for such a drastic change in the delicate balance of power.
I mean, it's a complete "NO-DUH" that the majority Republicans will
allow these ideolgues to sail in on the partisan breeze if they succeed in changing a rule (since they couldn't win any other way...the awful babies).
*This is Mitch McConnell:*
It will work to the GOP's complete detriment should the Senate balance be shifted to Dems and a bunch of left-wing extremists are given an easy ticket to the higher-court benches. They would not want this to happen, I'm sure. They'd best be careful what they wish for.
photo by Iddybud
My son with President Clinton
photo by Iddybud
My son..six months after 9-11 in New York
Here's some real news from Iraq.
You may bypass the media filter altogether by going here.
Ed Kinane is a mamber of the Syracuse Peace Council who works with Voices in the Wilderness in Iraq. He returned there in August to experience the US “liberation” firsthand. 'Voices' is a grassroots network based in Chicago that relays the voices of the Iraqi people back to the U.S.
Ed returned home to Syracuse in November and was one of many political activists who spoke to a large group of citizens at a townhall meeting in Syracuse last night.
I was there.
Not one Federal representative chose to attend or send a representative to listen to what Syracuse had to say.
I found that very, very disappointing.
Besides the SPC, others represented at last night's meeting of concerned Syracuse citizens:
AFSC (American Friends Service Committee)...NYCLU ..NOW..CCA..Syracuse United Neighbors..Planned Parenthood..CAN (Citizens Awareness Network)..SEIU 1199..Pax Christi..Sierra Club..ASLF(Atlantic States Legal Foundation)..the Muslim Community (supporters of Dr. Rafil Dhafir, a local pediatrician who has been wrongly imprisoned for 10 months-a story I plan to tell very soon)... our good (outgoing) city auditor Minch Lewis..and many more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some excerpts from Ed Kinane's website writings:
"....Very few soldiers I've met truly want to kill. It's not a question
of bravery. They're some of the bravest people I've ever seen. But few want
to be here. Most are reservists who signed up for the job and tuition benefits,
hoping not to have to go to war."
Joel Preston Smith, photojournalist
"..there are things that come out in interviews with Iraqis that I don't write
about. This is out of consideration for them and sometimes out of a
concern for their security. If it weren't so cumbersome, I'd be
tempted to keep a separate set of books."
Ed Kinane, Syracuse Peace Council
"...What happened to you – the supporters and the followers of the Christ (peace be upon him).
What happened to you – the followers who love peace, what happened to you? …”
From “Call of Peace”
Sayed Muktade Al-Sadur, spiritual/political leader in Iraq
Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter available here
Wesley Clark: 'Big Blog' Debut
See the Clark Community Network for more information.
Gen Clark claims the "internet made him do it" ( run for Prez, that is :)
I'd like to see Clark and Dean ( and their campaigns) limit a lot of future squabbling and run together.
What a marvelous team they'd make.
Molly Ivins Proudly Invites You To: "Call Me a Bush-Hater"
"....Among the more amusing cluckings from the right lately is their appalled discovery that quite a few Americans actually think George W. Bush is a terrible President...."
GO FIGGER! ;)
".....Poor Bush is in way over his head, and the country is in bad shape because of his stupid economic policies.
If that makes me a Bush-hater, then sign me up...."
HEY-PASS THAT PEN AND PAD OVER HERE WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED!
ART ZIMMER- Central New York Resident Finds Success His Own Way
Farmboy Turns Into Millionaire
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 12, 2003
Mr. Zimmer is owner of the Syracuse New Times, one of the best alterative newspapers in America.
Read his story.
US Senate backs Syria sanctions
After Iraq, I would have hoped the Senate would know better than to give unbridled authority
to the already-proven untrustworthy Bush administration.
Damn if they haven't done it again.
We are taking the wrong path.
Cutting off our own noses to spite our American faces.
Blowing an opportunity for cooperation and creating a resentful and hungry people instead.
When the hell will we learn?
In 2002, Syria provided the United States with much information on potential terrorist attacks and was one of the CIA's most effective intelligence allies in the fight against al-Qaeda. The hawks of the Bush Administration are willing to
shut down this major channel of information... even though al-Qaeda remains a serious threat.
CIA Director George Tenet has allegedly fought a losing battle to keep Syria as an intelligence source against
members of the Bush Administration who'd obviously prefer confrontation with Damascus over help against al-Qaeda. Bottom line, they regard Syria as a problem because of its support for Hezbollah, the organization that forced
Israel out of southern Lebanon.
Yet they will likely come out the loser for it when it comes to stopping al-Qaeda.
And our Senate are willing to let them do it...no questions asked.
The vote was 89-4.
Senators Byrd, Jeffords, Chaffee, Enzi were the only ones with brains and guts enough to dissent.
Read Seymour Hersch's New Yorker piece titled "The Syrian Bet" for more information.
Jack Straw is breaking ranks with us over Iran.
Seventeen Italian soldiers have died in Nasiriyah. I'm certain this will affect Italian resolve regardless of
what Berlusconi is saying this morning.
Bremer's probably on his way out of his position and the UN and Red Cross have scattered and gone from Iraq. General Sanchez is realistically telling us it's bad..he's worried.
I fear the policies of the Bush administration are not taking us toward any meaningful resolution anywhere in
the Middle East. Just the opposite, matter of fact. Seeing the good organizations of the world fall away from
Iraq while even Britain is beginning to distance themselves from Bush on Iran is not a good indicator of a war
that is going well.
No Mama-No Papa-No Uncle Sam:
A Veterans' Day Tribute to my Uncle Paul Nagurney
To Paul: a Veteran; a Patriot; a Great Man
~~~~~~~
"It is wrong to place our military in harm's way and not support them.
May God forgive those who did so in Bataan, and may God forgive those who forget the sacrifices of Bataan,
and those other Americans who rest here."
Maj. Richard M. Gordon (USA Ret.)
Adjutant
Battling Bastards of Bataan
Remarks at the Manila American Cemetery
-Ft. Bonifacio, Makati, Manila, Philippines-
April 2, 2002
Senator Inouye, Senator Stevens, Ambassador Ricciardone in attendance
~~~~~~
On this Veteran's day I wish to thank my Great Uncle Paul who died in 1981 at the age of 67...and whose sacrifices and stories I will not forget.
He was a survivor of the Bataan Death March of WWII.
He served 20 years with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.
He was wounded December 10, 1941 while stationed at Nichols Field in the Phillipines.
He was evacuated to Bataan and then to Corregidor.
When Corregidor fell to the Japanese, he was taken prisoner.
He survived the Bataan Death March, thanks to his sheer will and a secret stash of quinine, which he shared with others to
help sustain them.
Hundreds of Americans died or were killed in that Death March.
Uncle Paul survived over three more years imprisonment by the Japanese. He was later awarded the American Defense Service Medal with a bronze star, a Distinguished Unit Badge with two oak-leaf clusters, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with a bronze star, the WWII Victory Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Phillipine Defense Ribbon with a bronze star.
"Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides tells one of the best stories about the Bataan incident.
Fourth Marine Mel Sheya, a Bataan survivor, wrote a first-hand accounting of Bataan in "The Battling Bastards of Bataan".
I am lucky enough to have an autographed copy of the book.
In one section of the book, Sheya writes:
"In our short stay at Cabanatuan, we had seen our comrades face the firing squad, hundreds die from dysentery, malaria, malnutrition, and shot by guerillas who were after the Japs.
When we left, the camp was in a precarious state, for many
men were lying around about to die. The camp looked more like a graveyard than a prison camp. Men weighed from sixty to eighty pounds and were unable to hold anything on their stomachs.
We bid them adieu, knowing that soon many would be buried.
Some of the dying would give buddies their sentimental valuables and ask them to give them to their wives or families when Uncle Sam liberated us.
The time for departure came and we lined up ready to march.
You wouldn't realize men could become so close in friendship until you could see the tears shed by the men whose close friends were leaving...."
He also wrote:
"Many nights I would dream of home..my Mom and the friends I would love to see, then I would be awakened by the sobbing of some boy that was less fortunate than I in concealing his emotions. There was alwas some one of us prepared to comfort and try to console these men that were still human enough to cry..."
and....
"Old Glory, to me, really means the flag of freedom and democracy.
May it forever fly proudly.
Damn the men that ever try to depreciate it."
Mr Sheya and my Uncle survived a living hell in captivity for
42 months under the Japanese. Corregidor was not only the bloodiest battle in the WWII Pacific, but was possibly the worst form of defeat ever inflicted in the U.S. armed forces.
There were very dark moments when these prisoners would feel they were forgotten and abandoned by the American generals. Lorcha Dock was where General MacArthur (realizing too late that he had spread his troops too thinly) uttered the words "I Shall Return", before departing for Australia. He had ordered a general retreat of his troops on Luzon to the Bataan Peninsula on the western side of Manila Bay. The American and Philippine Army troops scattered across eight of the other large Philippine islands were abandoned to the Japanese.
How might YOU have felt if you were one of those left behind?
Uncle Paul learned that, when all is said and done, we only have ourselves on which to rely upon for our own survival.
He was not angry at his nation for what happened to him.
He held no grudge.
He believed in the cause of true American democracy and freedom.
Yes, through it all, my Uncle Paul loved America for what he believed she stood for.
Freedom and democracy.
I learned many important lessons from Uncle Paul through the years I was lucky enough to have his
company and his counsel.
His thoughts, his patriotic love run through me and through all the words you see here on this page.
I intend, as long as I live, to never let his memory die.
The bottom line on Howard Dean and the Confederate Flag Issue:
"I intend to talk about race during this election in the South
because the Republicans have been talking about it
since 1968 in order to divide us...
and I'm going to bring us together!"
Howard Dean
Yes, this is me...a Northern girl who
came up through Connecticut Yanks over the past
375 American years. Just take a look at me..
posing in front of the "dreaded" symbol of
our nation's once-fragile and fractured unity.
How can I possibly be smiling, you ask?
Some would call it hope.
My hope for America rests with the People...
and for a leader who will help them understand how
to heal and find strong enough common ground
for the mending of our tattered civil and civic fabric.
We will never make the world a better place when
we cannot find a spot our own land solid enough to stand together.
Morton H. Halperin: Safe at Home
From: TAP/American Prospect online
11.1.03
-At the dawn of the Cold War, America's leaders created new institutions that made us safer.
Fast forward to the present.
Why isn't the Bush administration following their example?-
In this article, there is a definitive list and brief review of what we have done over the past two years which provides a basis for determining what needs to be done from this point forward to make the nation safer.
Excerpts:
"....President Bush got one thing right: The greatest threat to American security is a rogue state providing a terrorist group with a weapon of mass destruction and the means to deliver it in the United States. Unfortunately, almost everything he has done since September 11 has made this problem worse rather than better. We need new policies, new approaches and new institutions to reduce this risk...."
"....None of this argument is based on altruism. It is a straightforward claim that the administration's policies to date have failed to make us safer, and that a new approach is more likely than the path we are now on to prevent rogue states from sharing true weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery with terrorists who would wish us harm."
George Soros Rocks!
Soros's Deep Pockets vs. Bush
Financier Contributes $5 Million More in Effort to Oust President
~~~~~~
"We were disappointed. We thought a guy like George Soros could do more.
No....no....kidding!
It was thrilling."
Steve Rosenthal, CEO, America Coming Together
~~~~~~~
"...It is the central focus of my life," Soros said, his blue eyes settled on an unseen target. The 2004 presidential race, he said in an interview, is "a matter of life and death."
"....Neoconservatives, Soros said, are exploiting the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to promote a preexisting agenda of preemptive war and world dominion. "Bush feels that on September 11th he was anointed by God," Soros said. "He's leading the U.S. and the world toward a vicious circle of escalating violence."
"..Soros believes that a "supremacist ideology" guides this White House.."
*OH, SWEET IRONY-
THE RNC: A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE--
"...It's incredibly ironic that George Soros is trying to create a more open society by using an unregulated, under-the-radar-screen, shadowy, soft-money group to do it," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson said. "George Soros has purchased the Democratic Party."
~~~~~~~~
For more on George Soros, see: "The Bubble of American Supremacy"
Twenty-Six House Democrats Push to Fire Rumsfeld
"...we're willing to stand up and say what so many policy makers know, that the first step to bringing our troops home is to send Donald Rumsfeld home."
Rep Charles Rangel-NY
OH NO----NOT AGAIN!
Condoleeza Rice: ''Most of this country is stable...''
WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THIS BEFORE?
PRESIDENT BUSH: ".. Well, first of all, we're just starting in Iraq. And a lot of Iraq is stable, and the life of the Iraqi people are better now than it was prior to the war.."
Speech at G8 summit May 29, 2003
RIGHT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a July 8th, 2003 Washington Post editorial "Facing Reality in Iraq", Dick Cheney began: "Most of Iraq is stable..."
RIGHT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 23, 2003
"Wolfowitz said that despite repeated attacks against U.S. and coalition forces, commanders on the ground report that the entire North and South of Iraq is stable."
Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample
American Forces Press Service
RIGHT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THERE IS COMMENTARY FROM THE WISE AND SKEPTICAL:
COMMENT FROM BUZZFLASH:
Subj: Iraq Stability
Every administration official comes out and says that most of Iraq is stable and quiet. Or, that problems are concentrated in the Sunni Triangle. I guess this is supposed to make us feel better about the occupation. Kind of like a doctor comforting a patient by telling him that the malignant brain tumor only affects 15% of his brain.
Turk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAYBE THIS SEEMS STABLE....
BUT FRANKLY, NO ONE LIVES HERE.
NOW, ON THE OTHER HAND, THESE GALS ARE TRIANGLE GALS
WHERE PEOPLE EXIST, WE'RE TENDING TO SEE INSTABILITY.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
THEN THERE'S THE TOTAL MISINFORMATION THAT ALWAYS FOLLOWS:
Exhibit A: " Most prefer to concentrate on the violence taking place in the Sunni-triangle areas, which is Saddam's stronghold. By the way, the sunni-triangle area constitutes about 1% of the entire country of Iraq. *(see my note below*) Despite that American troops are being shot at in this area, the rest of Iraq is stable...."
Exhibit B: "-Most of Iraq is stable. Almost all U.S. casualties have happened in a part of Iraq(Sunni triangle) that makes up only 5 percent of the country..."
From : KEYS TO THE WHITEHOUSE site, 8-31-03
RIGHT!
*My Note- 20% of the Iraqi population lives in the Sunni triangle.
Iraq is not "stable" anywhere.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frist finds a way to protect his real master - The People be damned.Frist Freezes Senate Probe of Prewar Iraq Data
By Walter Pincus and Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, November 8, 2003; Page A18
Angry about a leaked Democratic memo, the Republican leadership of the Senate yesterday took the unusual step of canceling all business of the committee investigating prewar intelligence on Iraq.
Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) called on the author of the memo -- which laid out a possible Democratic strategy to extend the investigation to include the White House and executive branch -- to "identify himself or herself . . . disavow this partisan attack in its entirety" and deliver "a personal apology" to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Only if those steps are taken, Frist said, "will it be possible for the committee to resume its work in an effective and bipartisan manner -- a manner deserving of the confidence of other members of the Senate and the executive branch."
Roberts followed Frist on the floor and said that unless the Democratic members "properly" address the issue, "I am afraid that it will be impossible to return to 'business as usual' in the committee."
A committee meeting scheduled for yesterday was canceled, and none has been scheduled for next week, according to a senior committee staff member.
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.), the committee's ranking Democrat, said he was "really disappointed" with the Republican action. "Whose advantage is it to derail asking the tough questions on prewar intelligence and the use and misuse of it?" he asked.
The GOP move follows a month of extraordinary maneuvering by Democrats and Republicans to take political advantage of the committee's look at how the intelligence community collected and analyzed intelligence on Iraq over the past decade.
FULL TEXT HERE
The People are supposed to be Frist's primary charge and consideration in his important position as Senate majority leader.
But, nooooo....
Frist is using petty politics to provide the usual escape-from-accountability for the Bush administration.
This is just another case of abuse of power and an abrogation of responsibility to the People.
Pat Roberts looks like nothing more than a drama queen.
I hope people are smart enough to call their Congresspersons to tell them this:
What we suspect the Bush administration has misled us about is far more serious than Pat Roberts' damned PRIDE.
~~~~~~
"It's a very grave issue if the president is manipulating and distorting intelligence. There must be high anxiety about this in the intelligence community, because they are chatting to the press."
Ivan Eland, senior fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, California
June,2003
~~~~~~
Lives are being lost in the twisted tangle of the Sunni triangle while these drama queens play partisan politics.
The Dems have NOTHING to apologize for - the memo was completely straightforward in laying out Democratic options to get to the truth while the Republicans are trying to WHITEWASH the Bush's administrations treasonous manipulation of Iraq intelligence.
Good People of this nation:
If you aren't outraged, you simply aren't paying attention.
If Frist cannot lead, he should get out of the way!
Websites worth visiting--often
I found a couple sites today which I found interesting.
I wanted to share them with you.
Sinister Swing, also known as 'The Left Wing of the Web',
is a fantastic collection of current news articles, as well as left-related activism and information. Well-done.
Patriots for Peace is another site that's new to me..and one I highly recommend.
Al Gore: An Intelligent Democrat Criticizes the Patriot Act,
the Power Grab and the
Crisis-Exploiting Tactics of the Executive
What a contrast between the man who so aptly gave today's Moveon.org/ACS-sponsored speech at the packed
DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC and the bumbling idiot who has reduced our nation to
a shred of what she was since he robbed the steering wheel in 2000.
President Dean
Vice President Clark
Whoops...heh-heh.
Uh..you caught me thinking ahead.
*sorry
Howard Dean Offers New Declaration
WHEN IN THE Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.
Two centuries ago, our founders brought into this world a new republic. This republic brought to the world a new era of self-government. It ensured the rights of the citizenry and gave them the vote to elect representatives.
Throughout this nation’s history, the American people have struggled to keep their rights and make their government work for them. We have seen the populists, progressives, women, labor, and civil rights movements.
Today our government has become overrun by special interests. Working with President George Bush, they have turned our government into a system that works for the profit of the few not the benefit of the many.
They have in the last two elections flooded our politics with over 5.1 billion dollars in contributions.
They have walked into the Vice-president’s office and written energy legislation that keeps us shackled to fossil fuels.
They have written health care legislation denying access and affordability, and keeping prescriptions away from seniors.
They have purposely misled this nation into an unnecessary war.
WE, therefore, the architects and builders of Dean for
America, appealing to the Wise Judgment of the American people on our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these United States, solemnly Publish and Declare, the People of these United States are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT OF SPECIAL INTERESTS and that as FREE AND INDEPENDENT CITIZENS, they have full Power to participate, deliberate, pursue the common good, protect their own interest from corruption, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT CITIZENS may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other to write letters, knock on doors, organize our neighbors, self- fund this effort, and vote.
Signed,
Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Lanya Shapiro
Aldon Hynes
Kim Hynes
Jasper Hendricks
Peng Her
Susan Hudgens
Jerome Wiley
Add your signature to the Declaration
Today On "ABC News- This Week"....
There was an excellent conversation between Richard Holbrooke and Richard Perle facilitated by "ABC News' This Week" today.
The look on Richard Perle's face while Richard Holbrook (assistant secretary of state and ambassador to the United Nations under President Clinton) pointed out the bare truth to him on the
failed (or ignored) pre-Iraq war / Imad Hage peace-negotiations ..the look on that man's face said it all. Perle really doesn't have a poker face.
He looked down, appeared to be turning a shade of ashen green. Was it shame?
Perle-prince of darkness- ashamed?
Perle called Hage's attempt to stop the war "a trap" due to oil concessions.
Oil. Oil. Oil. Oil. Oil.
Oil.
OIL.
Did I say oil?
With the slithery, slippery assistance of George W Bush and Dick Cheney, oil has killed almost
400 American troops in the interest of American corporations.
Oil was the very reason Perle discounted an effort to head off an unnecessary war.
We need to be outraged.
If we're not outraged, we are not paying attention.
If I hear Perle call the Iraqi resistance "bitter-enders" one more time, I think I'll become nauseous.
What kind of "bitter-end" (or ANY end, for that matter) is anywhere near in this war?
The resistance has escalated like a wild fire this past month.
They succeeded in killing so many of our fine young troops...took down a Chinook and now TWO Blackhawk-downs (Where's Mark Bowden and Ridley Scott?)
"Bitter-beginners" may be a more fitting term.
John Edwards
I ran into this post from John Edwards' campaigners.
I would still welcome any discussion about the Edwards campaign.
He's a good man.
He's still in my own 'top-tier' of the Democratic field.
Even though Edwards is from the South and I hail from the North, my own Grandfather worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania in his youth and went on to send his
children to college so they could have a better life than he did.
Our stories are much the same.
I can identify with the place from which Senator Edwards has come and I appreciate his view of where
he thinks we should be headed.
I think he made a mistake recently in his comments to Howard Dean during the "Rock the Vote" debate, but I can
understand why so many of the contending Democrats feel the need to take the front-runner down a few pegs.
I don't think, however, we should make suspicion-generating statements about our geographic differences
when we are talking about leadership and cooperation.
Senator Edwards should emphasize we're in this together.
I look forward to seeing what Senator Edwards has to say on Meet the Press with Tim Russert this Sunday.
A Good Article on the Political Effects of Temporary Upswing in Economy
Bottom line, it's mostly about public perception.
People are easily swayed to believe all is suddenly rosy wth our economy.
Most people do not have a good understanding of the economy and rely upon Greenspan, Buffet,
brokers and talking CNBC heads to drive their opinions.
I heard Ron Brownstein on CNN yesterday chatting manically about the latest news as if we hadn't lost
2.7 million jobs in the last two years and that the news of 126,000 jobs (mostly McJob quality) was the ticket for a Bush reelection in 2004. (That's 126,000 jobs nation-wide..there are 50 states..58 counties in California alone..average out 126,000 jobs amongst 50 states and then by county).
Brownstein's a professional...he should know better than to mislead CNN viewers.
How disappointing.
Most people do not understand what this huge defecit will eventually mean for them personally if we do not turn things around.
From the article:
"...The train wreck that has been arranged for the day when the government's ravenous appetite for IOUs to finance unheard of red ink collides with both the capital needs of a recovering economy and the huge cost of my generation's impending retirement will come after next year's election. It will come, but deficits do not matter politically the way they mattered in 1992 when they were an obvious factor in the stagnation that hurt Bush's dad.."
"...There is not going to be a repeat of the third quarter performance. The latest round of tax cuts has been mostly spent, imports will go back up, there is a much smaller volume of mortgage refinancing to provide extra cash, and states and localities have only just begun slashing services and jobs.
Nonetheless there has been an unprecedented amount of budgetary and monetary stimulus applied to the US economy over the last 30 months and at some point it is going to respond. The political question is partly how much, but it also involves whether the output recovery is perceived by people as actually improving their standard of living.
For the perception question to be answered favorably for Bush, there have to be a lot more jobs producing more after-tax, after-inflation income for people who live off their paychecks and pension checks..."
~~~~~~~~
Another note on the subject.
Check out the headline:
DISASTER FOR DEMS
By JOHN PODHORETZ
NY Post
I would imagine "Great News for Americans" would be a healthy title...even though I don't
agree that the news is all that great.
I don't believe that Podhoretz considers Democrats to be "American".
There was a word I used to like to use as a kid to describe the attitude of people like those at the NY Post..
the word was "skeevy".
I looked the word up..it was actually in the dictionary.
It said:
Skeevy:
Adjective; Personal attributes that may arouse nausea an another.
Used in a sentence: "From a distance he's suave and debonair; but when he gets close, you can see he's all skeevy with his greasy hair, unshaven face, and mix of body odor and cheap cologne."
I suppose that sums up the way I view the NY Post. The cover looks inviting,
but when you get close, they're pretty skeevy.
Here's the line Skeevy Podhoetz used to end his ninth-grade-reading-level column:
"That's pretty impressive, even before you think about the 7.2 percent growth figure. The dark lining in this silver cloud is, of course, the loss of 2 million jobs - but that will be ending. Even if growth slows down to a less sizzling pace of 4 percent or so, there will be sustained job creation throughout 2004.
And if that does happen, it's almost a certainty that one person will be keeping his job: George W. Bush"
Wait until growth comes down to a fizzling pace.
I shake my head increduously and wonder how people can be so gullible.
Sanitizing the truth may become Bush's downfall
It's time to remove your news filters, Mr. Bush
This opinion rings of so much truth.
Bush has obviously been avoiding the subject of casualties in his speeches. He's attended no funerals or memorials for soldiers. I heard a father of a deceased troop stating that Bush never called him. Shouldn't a father of a
troop who gave all expect that call?
In public, Bush has been making strong and unrealistic suggestions to the American media, suggesting they self-censor when it comes to the news that isn't "pretty".
Bush's reliance upon a rarely-used rule allowing him to censor
the media's showing of the dead as they return from overseas is causing many Americans who may have been shakily supporting him to now think of him as a leader without a lot of empathy or character.
How do I come to this conclusion?
I talk with people.. everyday Americans like you and me.
"Time to remove your filters, Mr. Bush. It's a messy world out there, but we all have to live in it."
Civil Rights Attorney to Dean: "Confederate Flap: Stand Firm, Howard Dean"
By Constance L. Rice, LA Times
"Go for it. And you don't need to apologize."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giant union throws its weight behind Dean
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean: Brutal Ruler Doesn't Justify Force
