Ohio to NYC: A Day in the Life

Ohio to NYC
A Day in the Life
31 Aug., 2004
By Todd J. Schneider

Todd J. Schneider is a political activist from the Akron, Ohio area.
Not only is he a heartful activist, T.J.S. is also a gifted writer.
Let him tell you about A Day in the Life of an Ohio Activist in NYC.

"It was another act of defiance with new friends and old. It was a chance for me to stand against the exploitation of my home of long ago. It was a family memory to last forever. It was the day in the life of a family, a city, and a country." --Todd J. Schneider

Another chance to speak our minds

I had looked forward to this day for nearly a year. From the moment it was announced that the Bushite junta would exploit the good people of New York one more time in order to extract the last drop of political blood from their tragedy, I knew I would be on the streets there to stand against them.

You see, New York was once my home. It was long ago, and indeed a time of personal struggle and heartbreak for this author. But my love for this place was firmly and forever established. This is the capital of the world. It is a land of constant wonder. It is a place piled high with the things of the world, and as a natural-born internationalist, its ethnic diversity serves to enrich rather than frighten my Anglo-Saxon heritage. Though I lived there but a short while, and long ago, New York welcomes me any time I return. So, with this adoration for the Grand Dame of American cities, a loathing of fascism and an equal helping of fraternity with the disloyal opposition, the die was cast in a heartbeat. I would be going home again.

Looking back on the year. Looking forward to the next battle.

The last year has seemed a lifetime - with all the political battles to be fought, then the primaries and regrouping afterwards. There were protests to attend, media consolidation to be fought, picket lines to be manned. History seemed to be being made all around us here in Akron, Ohio, and we lost no time in marshaling forces to face all the upcoming battles. My wife and friend of 28 years picked up the banner like never before, and our 14 year old had come into his own as a real political force in his own right. We formed a terrific independent group of Democrats back in February to work for the legal removal of our despised leader, and hundreds of friendships were made and a like number of dollars exchanged toward that goal. But all the sudden, it was late July and time for planning what we hoped would be the bloodless battle of defiance over the exploitation of New York City by the Republican Party, and whatever it is they claim to stand for.

We have a wonderful chapter of the American Friends Service Committee here in Akron that serves the downtrodden of the world every day. With them, I became involved in the committee to plan our part in the defiance; my part being to make sure our posse got in and out of New York without a hitch - or as close to that as possible. Any reader of this humble script who has done the 'battle by bus' thing in the anti-war movement knows the story. A parking lot in the middle of the night; the signing of the passenger list and the taking of cell phone numbers. The 8 hour bus ride and the impossibility of sleep. The half hour stops at the truck stop for fuel, food, a smoke and some anti-fascist talk. On this count, nothing would be very different.

On the way

This time there were other elements that made this trip unique. First, the response was overwhelming. In the last 7 of these trips, I had never seen such an early and enthusiastic desire to be counted. We ended up taking 3 buses from Akron and Cleveland - split fifty-fifty from each town, and sadly had to turn people away. Another element was the gymnastics routine performed by the Bloomberg/Rove administration - a routine worthy of the olympics, and designed purely to brace up the charade that nobody opposes this administration.

We really had no idea what awaited us in New York, right up to the very last moment. But the most important element for me was personal. I would be taking my our 14 year-old son Eric (his second such trip), and our 22 year-old son Andy would be taking the Chinatown to Chinatown down from Boston to yell some shit at republicans with his little brother and his old man. Though there was to be some chance of danger, this was a moment in history that I didn't want my boys to miss.

A memory a family will forever share in praise of love for their country

No words can ever express the value of this half-day we spent together. We marched together, laughed, talked about the city's part in our family's history over two centuries, and stepped on soil where our ancestors trod.

When it came time to part, there was the hug from me to my son in the tunnel of the PATH station at 14th & 6th Ave. that said 'I love you, be careful, and I will miss you'. If you know love, you know this moment - the hope, the pain of parting. These are memories never forgotten, and are the stuff that makes the world right.

By the grace of God, and the good work of UFPJ, the protest was a total and peaceful success. We returned to Akron at 2:30 am Monday morning, having left only 2 people from our bus behind. One of the buses stayed in New Jersey to wait for them, and hopefully achieved that goal. For me, it was 'back to work' at 7 am for 9 hours in the machine shop; for others it was classes at Akron U and Kent State. But it was also more. It was another act of defiance with new friends and old. It was a chance for me to stand against the exploitation of my home of long ago. It was a family memory to last forever. It was the day in the life of a family, a city, and a country.

--Todd J. Schneider

Blair's 'Silent' Endorsement of John Kerry

Tony Blair's 'Silent Endorsement'
of John Kerry

John Kerry supporters in America have been told by Peter Hain that Downing Street is hoping the Democratic candidate wins the US presidential election in November.

Which America Does Bush Represent?

Which America Does Bush Represent?

One. And it's not my America.
He's never represented me.
I've paid close attention.

On NPR today, I heard Bill Frist talking about John Kerry's "flip-flopping" in the context of "two Americas".

Frist begged the question: Does John Kerry really see two Americas and is he trying to say he will represent them both?

The way I see it, the answer is simple.

John Kerry probably does see a division in America, although the "two-America" subject was primarily showcased in John Edwards' primary speeches; not John Kerry's.

If any reader here doesn't understand the nation is polarized, then I'm sorry. You must be brain-dead.

There's a 'moderate America' and the 'Dittohead/Fox News America'.
There is the top-1% "Haves"-in-America and the "Have-nots"-in-America.
Of course, there are many in the (squeezed) middle class who might tell you they can see three Americas.

Although he recognizes the polarization, Kerry will try to represent all of us as one America, unlike the radical agenda Bush has tried to push down the throats of middle-class America for the benefit of his mammonite "base".

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who ideologically represents something vastly different than the right-wing agenda for which the Bush administration has stood, said in his RNC speech that our soldiers are fighting for one America.

Arnold was right and I apprerciate him for stating the fact.

"We are one America."

John Kerry will represent America as one.

Goerge W. Bush has divided us and dwelled on only one of those Americas we all clearly see.

Who do these Republicasn think they're fooling?

I heard the shameless Bush on Rush Limbaugh's radio show the other day. That is Bush's element, you see. Dubya doesn't know how to talk to "the other America", and I don't think he cares to talk to them.

Bush only cares politically about the fundamentalists, right-wingnuts, and the top 1%, no matter how many Americas you care to count.

Zell-Out: White Trasher Hyperbole Dispelled

photo credit: AP
"Heil to the Chief"
Zell-Out: White Trasher Hyperbole Dispelled

Zell doesn't let the facts get in his way when
he wantonly trashes his fellow Veteran, Party Member, and Senator.

Indulge Us A Moment of Factual Truth Before You Decide.

ZIG ZAG ZELL--TRASH VS. Truth

While U.S. Senator Zell Miller has signaled his support for George Bush, the facts are Miller and Kerry have the exact same record when it comes to defending the nation and Miller even called Kerry an "Authentic American Hero" who has "Worked to Strengthen Our Military."

"I've been going to Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinners in Georgia since the 1950s, so I've seen a lot of speeches," says Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.), easily the Senate Democrat most supportive of the Bush agenda. "Kerry's was by far the best speech I have ever heard given at a function like that. He talked about citizen-soldiers and he talked about the flag raisers at Iwo Jima. It was a very good, touching speech." (Salon, Aug. 10, 2001)


FACT: Zell Miller Lauded John Kerry as an Authentic American Hero

"My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders -- and a good friend. He was once a lieutenant governor - but he didn't stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984." -- U.S. Senator Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)


ZELL'S TRASH: "This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?"

KERRY REALITY: Zell Miller Said John Kerry Worked to Strengthen Our Military; Fought for Balanced Budgets

"In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington. Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so. John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment." -- U.S. Senator Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)


KERRY REALITY: John Kerry & Zell Miller Have Supported the EXACT Same Amount of Intelligence Funding

Kerry & Miller Have Supported the Exact Same Intelligence Funding in the Senate -- Since joining the Senate in 2000, Zell Miller and John Kerry have supported the exact same funding levels for America's Intelligence agencies. John Kerry served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for 6 years and is the former Vice Chairman of the Committee. Kerry joined the Committee in early 1993 and served until early 2001. Zell Miller has not served on the Intelligence Committee, Armed Services Committee or the Foreign Relations Committee in his four years in the Senate.

FY04 Intel Authorization (2003, Unanimous Senate Voice Vote 11/21/03)
FY03 Intel Authorization (2002, Unanimous Senate Voice Vote 09/25/02)
FY02 Intel Authorization (2001, Unanimous Senate Voice Vote 12/13/01)
FY01 Intel Authorization (2000, Unanimous Senate Voice Vote 12/06/00)



KERRY REALITY: John Kerry & Zell Miller Have Both Supported Increases in Defense Funding -- including the Largest since the 1980's

John Kerry & Zell Miller are Both Strong Supporters of America's Military & Voted for the "Largest Increase in Defense Spending Since the Early 1980's" -- John Kerry and Zell Miller are strong supporters of the U.S. Armed Services and has consistently worked to ensure the military has the best equipment and training possible. In 2002, John Kerry & Zell Miller voted for a large increase in the defense budget. This increase provided more than $355 billion for the Defense Department for 2003, an increase of $21 billion over 2002. This measure includes $71.5 billion for procurement programs such as $4 billion for the Air Force's F-22 fighter jets, $3.5 billion for the Joint Strike Fighter and $279.3 million for an E-8C Joint Stars (JSTARS) aircraft. Kerry's vote also funded a 4.1 percent pay increase for military personnel, $160 million for the B-1 Bomber Defense System Upgrade, $1.5 billion for a new attack submarine, more than $630 million for Army and Navy variants of the Blackhawk helicopter, $3.2 billion for additional C-17 transports, $900 million for R&D of the Comanche helicopter and more than $800 million for Trident Submarine conversion. The current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner (R-Va.) stated:

"The defense spending increase for FY03 is the largest increase in defense spending since the early 1980's-reflecting the importance of defending the homeland and winning the global war against terrorism. The funding included in this bill will help to ensure that our military has the tools it needs to defend our nation." (2002, Senate Roll Call Vote No. 239; Websites of U.S. Senators Warner, Daschle, Dodd accessed 7/25/03)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ZELL'S TRASH: "Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations."

KERRY REALITY: "When the president says we have the same position on Iraq, I have to respectfully disagree. Our differences couldn’t be plainer. And I have set them out consistently. When it comes to Iraq, it’s not that I would have done one thing differently, I would’ve done almost everything differently. I would’ve given the inspectors the time they needed to do the job. I would have built a strong, broad coalition of our allies around the world.
And, if there’s one thing I learned from my service, I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace." John Kerry--Sept 1, 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ZELL'S TRASH: "Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric."

KERRY (AND EVERYONE'S) REALITY: I think it's only fair to look back at the speaker Zell Miller and use his standard of judgement. This is the same Zell Miller who said 40 years ago that President Lyndon Johnson had sold his soul when he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ZELL'S TRASH: "Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.
For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech."

KERRY (AND THE SOLDIER'S) REALITY: Soldiers in Iraq have been gagged from the freedom for which they fight, risk all, and die.

Example One: CB's My War Blog *have a good time reading nothing

Example Two: Live From Iraq *have a good time reading nothing.

These are the men and women whose voices tell us the bitter truth.
They are silenced.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ZELL'S TRASH: No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home.

KERRY REALITY: "I want to be clear: As president, I will always remember that America’s security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coastguardsmen -- with every man and every woman in our armed services who has ever stood guard at the gates of freedom. Today, I salute each and every one of you for your commitment, strength and extraordinary courage." Kerry in speech to American Legion 9-1-04

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



ZELL TRASH: "I want BUSH to decide!"

ALL OF OUR REALITY: The decisiveness of seven long minutes and "My Pet Goat".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


*Some information taken from:
http://www.usnewswire.com/

Sad State of Mainstream Media

The Sad State of
the Mainstream Media:
Osama Doesn't Vote,
But If He Did..

These questions, as posed by Sam Rosenfeld, reminded me of my own headline from July (which was featured in the LA Times):

Let’s speculate: If you were bin Laden, and you had enjoyed a year and a half respite from America’s full, undivided attention, as special ops forces, intelligence operatives, and spy satellites were diverted from the pursuit of al-Qaeda to the invasion of Iraq, for which candidate might you feel the most gratitude? If you were bin Laden, and had watched the United States turn its invasion of Iraq into a cause célèbre for Islamic terrorists worldwide, which candidate might you deem the most useful and effective as a recruiting tool for your organization? [LINK]

Sam is pointing out that the right-wing mouth machine has been in such swift motion that the mainstream media (who have fully-albeit-unofficially cooperated with the Bush campaign with their old-school methods of gathering the loose "facts") is poisonous to the public's trust. The media turns lies into headlines without taking the time to investigate for truth.

If that sounds confusing, I'm not sure what to tell you. I see the mainstream media trying to keep up with the likes of Matt Drudge and some others in blogdom.

Let's have a reality check. What I am writing here is opinion. What Matt Drudge chooses to put on his site and the headlines he chooses to accompany his stories is biased. He will be the first one to tell you that.

I don't blame Matt Drudge or "news" outlets and blogs that are clearly and heavily biased. Much of the time, their news is not any more reliable than a gossip's brand of "news". I expect serious media to rise above the level of gossip and to intelligently discriminate. Too many times and to the detriment of a healthy democracy built on truth, the media has failed us.

Mainstream media is breeding a nation of complete dunces by feeding them sensational breaking news which has been found on these heavily biased sites and masquerading as "truth".

Among people on the intellectual side and the ones who simply value common sense, the mainstream media is quickly losing credibility.

What is American journalism turning out to be?
All propaganda all the time.
Fair and balanced propaganda.
Always two sides to a story weighed evenly, even when one side is clearly a lie.

Giving credibility to the lie creates conventional wisdom.

The fact that 67% of people polled back before the Iraq war believed that
al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein were in cahoots occurred because of a misinformation campaign led by our president and especially by Dick Cheney (who still lies about it insistently in absence of fact).
It was chimed resoundingly (and often) in the media until it became conventional wisdom to the unquestioning among us.
It's profoundly sad that the media, themselves, were among the unquestioning.

This is not a new story.
I've been preaching about it since I started this Blog almost two years ago.

Laughing About War-RNC Disgrace

Laughing About War-RNC Disgrace

Dick Cheney and the delegates at the RNC made me sick last night when Cheney made a joke about the war in which our nation is engaged and for which soldiers continue to die. While I listened to the guffaws after Cheney mocked Kerry's use of the word "sensitive", I thought about a soldier facing fire in Najaf or Mosul.

It's serious business.

Surely nothing to laugh about.

I saw Bush make a mockery of the war when he joked about finding WMD under his desk in the Oval Office.

This "girlie-man" verbal diarrhea rings hollow when you look at cold, hard reality.

Some things are really not funny.

Ben Barnes Tells on Bush-Next "60 Minutes"

Ben Barnes Tells on Bush-
Next"60 Minutes"

The Republican campaign is bracing itself for the next media frenzy, as former Texas official Ben Barnes, who says he pulled strings to get George W. Bush into the Air National Guard finally goes public on CBS' 60 Minutes this Sunday.

You can see a video of Barnes discussing how he got Bush into the National Guard HERE.

Breaking: Bush Wages War on American Speech

Breaking News:
Bush Wages War on
American Speech

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, the Bush campaign has argued that the FEC is taking too long to address what the campaign calls illegal spending of corporate, union and big individual donations to influence the presidential race, namely 527s. [LINK]

Who will fight for us Americans when our leader fights against our freedom?

Why does Senator John McCain say he wants to go to Congress this month with legislation to outlaw the soft-money groups?

Proposing legislation against the 527s is fascist in nature when you consider that we have a situation where one party dominates every branch of American government and has corporate media working to filter out dissent and truth (as we saw pre-Iraq invasion).

Erasing American dissent is clearly the goal here.
That is fascism, my dear readers.

Our freedom is at risk.

I'm seldom in line with George Will, but listen to his words with care and caution:

"....the political class feels free to act with scandalous impunity, as in this Bush-Kerry collaboration to silence what the political class persistently calls "outside groups." A question: Outside of what?"

Mystery: Signal from 1000 Light Years Away

Mystery: Signal from
1000 Light Years Away

"We are not jumping up and down, but we are continuing to observe it."

A group of scientists believe they have received a message from extra-terrestrials in the form of unexplained radio signals emanating from a point between the constellations of Pisces and Aries, where there is no obvious star or planetary system within 1,000 light years. [LINK]

Miller/Santorum: Ambiguously Gay Busters

"No, he's the queer-hater."

*Feel free to submit your own captions in the comments section below.

Lewis Black Comments on RNC

Lewis Black Comments on RNC

Hear Comedy Central's Lewis Black comment on the RNC at NPR. He speaks to Neal Conan.
Go to 8:00 (8 minutes) to get directly to Lewis' appearance on the show. It's quite amusing.

I saw Lewis on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN) tonight after a "Barney-Cam" RNC Video was shown. Lewis mocked it totally because, frankly, it was simply stupid.
Karl Rove did an assinine imitation of the Howard Dean scream. Andrew Card was the only one with comic timing.

Kerry: "We're the Can-Do People"

John Kerry:
"We're the Can-Do People"

In a speech today at the American Legion in Nashville, John Kerry assured the people that, contrary to what GW Bush has recently flipped and equivocated about, we can and we will win the war on terror because we Americans are the "Can-Do" people.
We can do a better job revitalizing old alliances and Kerry assures us he's the one to do it with real success (as opposed to the catastrophic failure success of Dubya).

Hope and Willful Ignorance

Hope is not a strategy, said Michael Steele at last night's speech to the RNC.

Hearing Steele speak last night, I see that Republicans have tried to turn Barak Obama's words around and accuse Democrats of willful ignorance because of their hope. I laugh in spite of my serious self when I consider the reality.

It was willful ignorance that led our nation to an unnecessary war in Iraq. Willfull, stubborn, uncompromising, careless in exposing Americans to an unnecessary war fought virtually alone, careless in American treasure and American lives, careless in Iraqi civilian lives, safety, and property.

"...there's nothing we can't do if we put our mind and muscle into it. In the end, the terrorists will lose, and we will win. The future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom."

--John Kerry 9-1-04

Hope vs. Hopelessness

Hope is not a strategy.
Hope leads to the meaningful and fruitful win.

Hopelessness destroys alliances, causes embittered national division, costs taxpayers trillions in past and future war expenses, takes the lives of hundreds of thousands and breeds terror amongst hundreds of thousands more.

Hopelessness is a loser.

Hope According to Martin Luther King Jr.

Hope is not a strategy.
It's true that you can't put a quart in a pint cup, but Martin Luther King Jr's words ring in my ears:

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."

I have not lost hope, but I've lost faith and trust in the Bush administration. I can't look, with realistic hope, to the future and imagine this leader, GW Bush, forming the strength-in-alliance necessary to defeat the teror that is stalking not only our nation, but the world. Some of the world's leaders are not acting in their own nation's behalf by joining in this fight, and while John McCain said we have every right to expect they should, GW Bush (who should be the one to set the best example for the world) has never found a way to convince world leaders to trust him.

I don't trust George W. Bush as our Commander-in-Chief. I believe he's an ignorant fellow who's in way over his head and that frightens me and by God, it should frighten you.

Bush is "President No-Can-Do"

A "Can-Do" people need a "Can-Do" leader.

The Bush policy is hopeless as it stands.
He promises to stay the course.

He told us the war was not winnable.

Bush is President No-Can-Do.

OBL MIA from RNC

Hellooo, RNC? Remember me?
OBL MIA from RNC

"9/11" has been invoked hundreds of times at RNC.
The name of the fugitive who orchestrated the murder has been shunned like an Amish whore.

"Democrat" Zell Miller Hates Democrats

Heil to the Chief

"Democrat" Zell Miller
Hates Democrats

Zell Miller, with the help of Chris Wallace, wound up looking like a nasty little hypocrite last Sunday on FOX News Sunday. He expressed nothing but regret for the way he believes the Democratic party has progressed and blames them, 100%, for not supporting George Bush's radically right-skewed misleadership these past four years.

Many talk about what they call "Bush-hating". At the RNC podium tonight, Zell Miller will be representing the ultimate in hatred--the hatred of his own party.

English poet/critic Samuel Johnson said that "No man is a hypocrite in his pleasures". Zell Miller, if not a hypocrite, is taking pleasure in supporting the worst president in our nation's history at the expense of the members of the party to which he claims to belong.

The ultimate political betrayal.

Political writer Michael Crowley recently referred to Miller as "a cartoonish GOP partisan" and I think he's right on the money.

Zell Miller's betrayal of the Democratic party cannot be anything but a personal vendetta. I believe he's let his pride and ego become far more important than the party to which he says he belongs. He obviously detests anyone or anything remotely connected with the word "liberal".
He's feeling slighted...alone.
He is alone, for all intents and purposes.
He will be alone at the podium of the RNC tonight.

New Southern Democrats have come to take their place in a South that has progressed while Zell was still living in the South where, if you didn't want a black fellow hanging out in your establishment, you'd take a baseball bat and whack him about the head.

I find him to be a disgusting political creature.
True to nothing, easily discarded.

I'm sorry, Mr. Miller, it's time.
Time for you to get out of the way and let the new South breathe.

Get the hell out of our party if you hate it.

Laura Bush Speech Transcript

Laura Bush Speech

[LAURA BUSH SPEECH]

"We need to remind them [our children] that most people in the world are good."

Dear Laura,
We could have started by winning hearts and minds instead of bombing and shooting and killing people and destroying their towns and villages. We could have led the world to follow us in spreading good will and providing security while working cooperatively and systematically to rid the world of Saddam Hussein. He could have easily been marginalized. But we didn't do that. We rushed into a mess-- virtually alone. Your husband couldn't and wouldn't compromise with the world-at-large and every world leader knows it. Fellows like Arnold Schwarzenegger jokingly try to prove that that's what being "a real man" is all about...'no compromise'. In reality, it's been a recipe for disaster for the current generation and generations to follow.



No American President ever wants to go to war. Abraham Lincoln didn't want to go to
war, but he knew saving the union required it.
.....my husband didn't want to go to
war, but he knew the safety and security of America and the world depended on it.

Sorry, Laura. I don't buy it.
Not for a split second.
Our nation is bitterly divided about the war on Iraq.
The union would have been more united had Bush not barreled, misinformed, and misled his way toward an unnecessary war in Iraq.
The world is not safer today with Saddam Hussein gone.
He wasn't a fundamentalist.
He wasn't an imminent threat.
He was a tin-pot nothing.
Terrorists are growing like weeds and we are losing the war on terror because of your husband's unwise and poorly planned diversion from the real war on those responsible for 9/11.

Glory Hallelujah.
Your husband, Laura Bush, is no Lincoln.

We Are Back

We Are Back

We are?

Uh...back where?



Some are back and their mothers wonder why the hell they ever went.

"Un-Conventional Haiku"

"Un-Conventional Haiku"

McCain applauds Bush,
As if Bush never wronged him.
Ambition trumps pride.

--Mad Kane Un-Conventional Haiku
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In "honor" of the GOP Convention, Mad Kane is posting "Un-Conventional" Haiku:
http://www.madkane.com/news_haiku.html

New: Changes To Strengthen Kerry Campaign

New: Changes To Strengthen Kerry Campaign

The Kerry-Edwards campaign announced today that it has brought on board key new staff.

Joining the Kerry-Edwards campaign:
Senior Advisor Joe Lockhart
Director of Rapid Response Joel Johnson
Senior Advisor for National Security Affairs Dr. Susan Rice
Policy Advisor on Israel and the Middle East former Congressman Mel Levine
Elizabeth Edwards' Chief of Staff Lori Denham
Elizabeth Edwards' Communication Director Karen Finney

I have no doubt their media strategy needs a real shot in the arm. The campaign needs some Carvillian genius to reveal these radical right-wing nutjobs for what they are.

Bowery Mission

Bowery Mission

They still need our help, even though we're all poorer today.

The Bowery Mission--We're all poorer was showcased tonight at the RNC.
My own child especially enjoyed seeing the RNC Video because he has volunteered there at the mission himself, cutting vegetables and sorting through clothing donations.

They are right when they say there's no better place to find true compassion in the city of New York.

I am not a fan of siphoning funds away from existing government programs to give to faith-based organizations, but I am all for raising taxes to assist places like the Bowery Mission.

It should not be a wedge issue.

Compassion crosses ideological lines.

Taxes should not be dedicated to faith-based organizations at the expense of existing programs, but they're a worthy case for an increase in dedication of funds.

If you think we can't afford to pay more in taxes for such a worthy cause, you are probably right. The middle class is already strapped.

As paradoxical as it sounds, it's because of the Bush tax cuts.

They have made us all a poorer middle class while enriching those on Wall Street who, in dismal concert with the Bush adminstration, have not provided job creation to go along with an economic recovery.

In the meantime, the middle class kids getting ready for college today could very well be tapped for a draft in the near future while the jobs they might have looked forward to go to Bangalore, India.

We don't outsource our war pawns,do we?

Pretty Is...

Pretty is.....


...as pretty does.



"Every country comes to us and wants us to help them in some way or another, or help solve a problem. And because they come and want help and ask
us for help, they also blame us for a lot of things
that really aren't our fault."
--Laura Bush December 9, 2003

Mayor Bloomberg RNC Speech

Mayor Bloomberg RNC Speech

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is grateful that neither America nor President Bush ever stopped believing in New York City.

I've heard a lot of the RNC delegates denigrating the good city of New York this week.

I would hope Bush wouldn't forget NYC (although he did a great job of snubbing NYC in his 2000 campiagn and in the months before 9/11).
Without NYC, the markets would tank.

The Mayor called NYC "the city of dreamers".
Many dreams have died with the Bush administration.
Mayor Bloomberg says NYC showed that their dreams, like their liberties, will never be lost to violence or hate.


Just another dream in Ashcroft's America

They have, however, been lost to partisanship, one-party politics, a radically ignorant president, and attorney general John Ashcroft.

Mayor Bloomberg clings to the original Republican party of Abe Lincoln. I don't blame him. That was when the party actually stood for something morally ethical.
The current administration bears no resemblance whatsoever to that of Abe Lincoln's Republicans. I'll lay a wager Bush has never heard the name Charles Fournier in his life.

My own Revolution-era ancestors were New York City patriots and politicians in the Civil-war era. (Democrats cut from the Free Soilers' cloth). I'll bet you anything that Mayor Bloomberg understands exactly what Dubya Bush has done to cause Americans like me to want to puke when he compares today's Republican missions to that of the old Free Soilers.

[Bloomberg speech]

August 31 RNC Speakers Schedule

August 31 RNC Speakers Schedule

Tonight's convention lineup includes speeches by:

• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.)
• Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)
• Sen. Elizabeth Dole (N.C.)
• Rep. Anne M. Northup (Ky.)
• presidential nephew George P. Bush
• 2003 Miss America Erika Harold *wow*
• Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.)
• Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.)
• "Survivor" star Elisabeth Hasselbeck *oh wow*
• Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige
• Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.)
• First lady Laura Bush

McCain's Best Point in RNC Speech

McCain's Best Point in RNC Speech

"As we've been a good friend to other countries in moments of shared perils, so we have good reason to expect their solidarity with us in this struggle."

-"As we've been good friends to other countries..."
Dubya Bush has alienated our once good friends.
He betrayed a trust that is delicate.
Bush blew it.

-"..we have good reason to expect their solidarity with us in this struggle."
Not with Dubya Bush we don't.
Sorry. It's true.
It goes unspoken in diplomatic circles around the world, but cooperation with Bush has become a one-sided proposition and leaders from other nations are waiting for Americans to elect a leader these world leaders will trust.

[The Speech]

Bush's AWOL Scandal

Bush's AWOL Scandal
Let's Break Through the Media Barrier
Bernard Weiner
Co-Editor, The Crisis Papers
August 9, 2004
[LINK]

Will you join Paul Lukasiak, Joseph Nobels and others of us publicizing this AWOL issue for the internet and small liberal magazines to help take our country back from the extremist, incompetent, greedy Bush&Co. group? This is the Administration that is endangering our national interests and helping create more terrorists rather than fewer, spending us into huge deficits and thus robbing our social programs and states and counties (and our children!) of much-needed funds, shredding our Constitutional guarantees and civil liberties, creating a Big Brother-style government, ruining our environment and air and water, and on and on.

Rather than only donating money and hoping and waiting for political candidates and activist groups to do it, let's start the ball rolling ourselves, in our own small ways adding to the momentum that will help restore our government to a more sane, middle course where we all will benefit.

We can do it.

The GOP doesn't reflect America

The GOP doesn't reflect America
by Michael Moore
[LINK]

John McCain pulled out a red meat trick in his speech last night by attacking an American artist. (Heavens, the GOP must be desperate to cover the expository damage Moore did to them). He liked the crowd's response so much that he said the same thing twice. In doing so, the "sheen" so many people see on him began to melt down. Underneath the bipartisan hero-glow, I saw the guy who wanted to see boots on the ground in Kosovo circa 1999 (thank God for Wes Clark for his wisdom)...I saw the guy who wants to make our political speech illegal by eliminating 527s....I saw McCain on ABC with Peter Jennings saying he thought a fellow veteran, John Kerry, was mistaken to use his record in Vietnam as part of his campaign (when all we hear about were McCain's own POW days--which I do consider honorable service to our nation).

McCain proved one thing to me last night.
He's quite a bit of a hypocrite.
I expected more from him.
He lost me as a believer.

I couldn't agree more with Moore.
The GOP doesn't reflect America.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related blogpost: Moore vs. McCain by Taegan Goddard

Bush 41 Hypocrisy

Bush 41 Hypocrisy
George H.W. Bush told Paula Zahn in an interview that he's "given up" on the N.Y. Times because they're nothing bit a liberal newspaper.

This is the ultimate in hypoocrisy.

Just yesterday, I reported to you that George H.W. Bush used a quote from a N.Y. Times column in his speech to veterans on the USS Intrepid.

He obviously hasn't given up. He takes from the N.Y. Times what he needs to denounce our political speech and trashes the rest.

Leon Goes to Gomorrah

Leon Goes to Gomorrah

"I left God's country. They could use a bunch of people from Iowa to come here to show New Yorkers what life is all about, what being patriotic is all about, and what country is all about. I'm as confident about Bush being re-elected as I am that eggs are going to be in New York tomorrow morning."
--RNC delegate Leon Mosley of Waterloo, Iowa, co-chairman of his state party

Avert your eyes from the protesters on the street when you reach for the salt to put on those eggs this morning, Leon.
You might become one with the salt.

A topic missing from RNC speeches

A topic missing from
RNC speeches


I wouldn't talk about it if I were them, either.

New attacks on Kerry from well-known creep

New attacks on Kerry from well-known creep

From the Kerry campaign:

A new round of attacks on John Kerry comes from a familiar name -- Ted Sampley -- who has a long history of irrational public attacks against both John McCain and John Kerry. In 1992 Sampley created a fake photo of John Kerry shooting an American MIA. He has been jailed for starting a fight with John McCain's staff, and has called McCain the Manchurian Candidate, accusing him of being "brainwashed by the Vietnamese" and being a "KGB spy."

Ted Sampley is now the head of "Vietnam Veterans Against Kerry" and a supporter of "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." He has been telling lies about John Kerry, and today he launched an extraordinarily false ad smearing John Kerry's military service.

To view this ad click here:

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.org

Ted Sampley's group is also still attacking Senator McCain. To view this page click here:

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnkerry.com/mccain_myth.htm

What can you do?
Please take a minute and call the Bush campaign at the Republican Convention tonight. Ask George Bush to specifically condemn this ugly smear.

Call now:
(212) 356-2300 or (212) 356-2004

Rudy Covers the Lies

Rudy Covers the Lies

I'd like to tell Rudy it was quite effective for Dubya Bush to have said the terrorists would 'hear from us' as he stood in the rubble of the World Trade Center with Bob the fire chief. That was a memorable moment.

Iraq had nothing to do with the bunch that took down the towers, though.
Rudy tends to forget that Saddam was on Dubya's hit list long before 9/11.

Bush exploited 9/11 and its victims for the purpose of taking out Saddam Hussein.

The Iraq war was never necessary.

We were misled to war and fellows like Rudy are willing to let the lies go as if they are meaningless.

We were misled by the Commander in Chief.
We can't trust him--not even as far as we can throw him.
We were misled toward a war of disastrous results to date.
Countless thousands have died, including nearly 1000 of our troops.
Jesus, couldn't we have found a decent way?
I know we could have. With many allies. With a decent leader.
We didn't have one.

No speech, regardless of how wonderful, will cover that big boy of a lie.

That elephant in the corner is too big to fit in Madison Square Garden.

Rudy was awfully good at calling all presidents before Dubya "appeasers", including Reagan and Bush 41. What he forgets is that no president before Dubya allowed something of this magnitude and complexity to happen on his watch.

Here's what is the saddest---all Dubya HAS to run on is 9/11.
How macabre and perverted.
He didn't do much of anything to protect us from it, but he's running on it.
Exploitation reigns in NYC this week.

Rudy belittled John Kerry...looking like a schmuck, I'm sure to the majority of voters who already support Kerry. He was the white Al Sharpton (but I'll bet the media will treat Rudy like a darling whereas they treated Al Sharpton like a dolt).

Bush is no Roosevelt, no Reagan, no Churchill.
He's a dull fool who's been given a job that's way over his head.

I want a President who's smarter and yes, perhaps even more ethical than I am. (And I'm quite intelligent and ethical).

Rudy might, but I surely do not thank God that George Bush is our president and I do not thank God that the devious and unethical Dick Cheney is my vice president.

I'm scared when Rudy says Bush has a vision for the next four years.
I shudder.
I've seen how he acts upon his delusions.
It kills people rather indiscriminately.

9/11 Families Trotted Out for Politics

9/11 Families Trotted Out for Politics

I found this to be very moving from the standpoint of their stories, albeit exploitative on the RNC's part. The tear-jerking tales had nothing to do with anything Democratic or Republican.

Daniel Rodriguez did a beautiful rendition of 'Amazing Grace'...a great lead-in for Roooody.

Who Is Bob Beckwith?

Who Is Bob Beckwith?

Any relation to my guest-blogger DK Beckwith?
Do you even recognize Bob Beckwith's name?

Heaven knows his memory is invoked time and time again.

If you don't know him, here's a chance.

He doesn't like to be 'used' for politics.

Who Is Zainab Al-Suwaij?

Who Is Zainab Al-Suwaij?

Zainab Al-Suwaij spoke at the RNC tonight. Good to see foreign nationals coming in to campaign for an American president.

In some nations, you could be arrested for that.

While I empathize with Al-Suwaij, I also am reminded, as an American, of our misleading President who lied to us so many times and in so many ways about why he wanted to overthrow the Hussein regime during the lead-up to the invasion. I've also recently heard him lie about how he went to the UN during early 2003 in "the hopes diplomacy would work." He never hoped diplomacy would work. He was amassing troops all around the borders of Iraq while lying to us as to why he was doing it.

Imminent threat?

Al-Suwaij said this in February, 2003: (and remember, our President had just invoked fear of mushroom clouds ands 16 words about imminent threat in the State of the Union speech just weeks before to get the public to accept the invasion):

INTERVIEWER: The peace marches in their millions, for example, throughout the world in recent weeks, what do you say to them?

ZAINAB AL-SUWAIJ: Well, I say it's about time to stop the war inside Iraq.
Saddam has been killing people, torturing people for more than 30 years and it's about time for them to gain back their freedom and to enjoy and liberate their own country.

Imminent threat, indeed.
This was a twelve-year-old vendetta--finishing what the first Bush didn't/couldn't/wouldn't.
Now this woman returns to bolster the president who sent our troops to free her while lying to his own people.

Excuse me for not being terribly emotional.

Does Bernard Kerik ever smile?

Does Bernard Kerik ever smile?

Just wondering.

Wilson Praises Troops' Courage in Face of Iraq Insecurity

Wilson Praises Troops' Courage in Face of Iraq Insecurity

At the RNC, Heather Wilson asked this question regarding our troops:

Where does the courage come from? Where do we find men and women like this? We find them in Carlsbad, New Mexico and Cleveland, Ohio. We find them in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Tampa, Florida, and Houston, Texas.

She forgot to add where and how those men and women are too often "found". The vision of Marine recruiters scouring the poorest parts of Flint, Michigan for places where a lone unfortunate-looking fellow--or two at most--might be found. This was a scene from the film 'Fahrenheit 9/11'.
Too often, an escape from impoverishment leads to the courage a man or woman never realized he or she could have possessed in the face of war.

Wherever it comes from, courage belongs to the individual who displays it.

The honor, indeed, belongs to them.

This is not to demean service to our nation. This is to remind you of the reality--most of the men and women fighting for us in Iraq are not children of privilege.

The fact that Bush has used our troops unwisely does not mean the troops' courage carries over to him.

GOP Focusing on Going Negative on Opponent

GOP Focusing on Going Negative on Opponent

It's no surprise the RNC speakers are going gonzo-negative on Kerry. They have nothing to boast about.

Bush Admin Unworthy Heirs to Republican Party

Bush Administration: Unworthy Heirs to Republican Party
Capital Times Editorial: GOP veers from its founding principles

When delegates to the Republican National Convention meet in New York City this week, they will pass a platform that is radically out of sync with the principles upon which the party was founded, and they will nominate a presidential and vice presidential ticket made up of two men who once would have been booed off the convention stage of a gathering of the Grand Old Party.

Bush says war on terror not winnable

Bush says war on terror not winnable

President Bush says the war on terror isn't the kind you can win.
Trust him-- it's not.
Not under his leadership.

He cannot imagine a day when we will know it's over.
It never will be.
Not under his leadership.

He tells his fans (only fans are allowed in to the rallies) that we're all safer and that terrorists hate us for what we have.
He never mentions they hate us for what we've done.

The way to win the war on terror is through the hearts and minds of those we wish to assist on their march toward freedom.
Our wrong-minded foreign policy has created the best farming system for new terrorists there ever could have been.

The West is losing the war on terror. The unimaginative and unnecessary charade Bush led us to in Iraq has caused more instability than it has prevented. The most popular anti-American leader in the world today remains at large. Whether we shrink away at the thought or not, Bin Laden is as much of a political genius as Karl Rove. He can make people act as sheep, swallowing his propaganda and using Bush's ignorant "bring 'em on" attitude to inflame his would-be-followers. Bush's failures have emboldened this shadowy genius of a leader.

I am clearly and thoroughly dismayed by this thought, yet I believe it is true. Bush adamantly refuses to change course in Iraq and adjust/correct America's policies abroad. Muslim nations in that part of the world who were once moderate now lean toward the jihadists. We are not safer for having had this leader at this time in our nation's sordid, frightening, and sorrowful history.

Bush is finally on to something.
With him at the wheel, we're not going to be winning much of anything.
Ever.

Unless he flip-flops, of course.

There's always hope he has a touch of the flip-flopper in him.

He's proven that inflexibility kills.

Bush 41 calls NYC Protesters "Senseless; False Patriots"

Bush 41 calls NYC Protesters "Senseless; False Patriots"

I just watched George HW Bush (41st President) call the protesters in NYC "senseless" while speaking on the deck of the USS Intrepid. He also accused the protesters of being "false patriots".

He used the words of Major Butler in Najaf (words which allegedly appeared in a recent NY Times column) to assist him in denouncing the speech of the protestors.

While it is GWH Bush's right to blame protesters for his own's son's disastrous results in Iraq to date, I have the right to say I think he's simply finding a way to defend his son, which any of us parents might have a tendency to do where our children are concerned.

I think he's terribly mistaken to blame those who see his son's dreadful missteps for what they are.

No American should be intimidated by those who make the wars into believing they cause political failure in those wars (as opposed to recognizing the failure).

Major Butler, over in Iraq, may wish Americans would not speak for him when they protest American foreign policy.
We are not speaking for him.
We are speaking for ourselves.

Major Butler thinks the gifts we send to troops and the good will and prayers we offer up are "false support" if we've exercised our free speech along with the deal....if we don't fall in, like good soldiers, with misguided missions.
That's not in keeping with much of a spirit of gratitude or the American way, is it?

I wish Major Butler to know that I do support him and his right to believe as he wishes. I will not, however, ever stand for the Major calling someone like me a false patriot.

My family has shared in building and defending this country--all the way back to pre-Revolutionary times.

I certainly won't stand for the ones who plot and plan misguided wars and the familes who defend their sons' failures to call me a false patriot.

My views are every bit as important as any other American's.

Once again, nuance escapes the dull. Supporting your troops is not the same as silencing yourself when you see unnecessary danger to those troops.

If you care about them, you speak up.

John Kerry did it after he risked all in Viet Nam.
History proved John Kerry right, no matter how unpatriotic the Bushes try to paint him while they (and their shadowy Swift Boat liars) attempt to revise that history.

When critics of the war say their advocacy is on behalf of those of us risking our lives here, it's a type of false patriotism. I believe that when Americans say they "support our troops," it should include supporting our mission, not just sending us care packages. They don't have to believe in the cause as I do; but they should not denigrate it. That only aids the enemy in defeating us strategically.

Over Najaf, fighting for my hometown
Glen G. Butler NYT

All Hail President Catastrophe!

All Hail President Catastrophe!

Praising the Catastrophically Successful in the Big Apple

Fans of catastrophic success want to see four more years of it. Four more years of the likely possibility of charging blindly and without real provocation or real allies into yet another nation. Who will be next? Iran? Syria?

Not with our children, they don't. They're going to have to pry them out of our cold dead hands. We don't trust catastrophe wrapped up in fancy toilet paper and called "success".

We don't live in an alternate magical universe like these Bush idolizers.

We don't trust a leader who'd use a sneaky backdoor draft to avoid calling for a real one. Calling for a real draft would be the end of Bush politics as we know it. Poof. There would go the Bush charade as a moral leader of united people.

We don't trust a leader who finds it morally acceptable to lie their way into a needless war, then ignore and attempt to ban the political speech of the majority of the people of America when they call him on it.

Dishonorable success goes hand-in-hand with catastrophic success.

This election will be a referendum on the last four years. The question is: Will Americans see through this charade? Will they be capable of looking through the pretty Arnold and Rudy watercolors in order to see the political sewage stains that lie, in truth, underneath?

If the media doesn't do a good job over the next couple months, the truth could easily be hidden. Americans have very short attention spans.

Of course, the media will need help from the Democrats themselves. The Democrats could use a shot of Iron in getting the truth out. They are not going to win this election by assuming the media will do the honorable thing. They seldom do. In general, the media would rather appease the viewers' desire to 'see blood'. The sounding of recent mea culpas over Iraq misreporting and editing from major news outlets tells us something's terribly wrong.

Karl Rove has learned how to manipulate the worst in the crowd's desire for blood. He's a dishonorably successful man, make no mistake. Dishonorable success goes hand-in-hand with catastrophic success.

The media allowed themselves to be manipulated and failed us terribly in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. Rove and the Bush mouth-machine can turn the legend of the catastrophic idiot G.W. Bush into public polls resulting in nearly half of potential voters still willing to give President Catastrophe another shot at messing things up.

When will we all wise up?

All Hail President Catastrophe!

Over 100,000 Today in NYC

Over 100,000 Today in NYC

"I’ll speak out! I have nothing to lose.
I have absolutely nothing to lose."
--Celeste Zappala

AP photo
More Than 100,000 Protest Bush in NYC
DemfromCT has rally stories at Kos. An open thread continues with more rally stories.


photo: Indymedia
This was the oldest person who was rallying today.


One woman stood out among the protesters in NYC.
Her name was Celeste Zappala.
Her son, Army Sgt. Sherwood R. Baker, was killed in Iraq.
These are her words.

Laura Bush: Swift Boat Attacks Are Fair

Laura Bush: Swift Boat Attacks Are Fair

TIME MAGAZINE:
Do you think these swift-boat ads are unfair to John Kerry?

MRS. BUSH
Do I think they're unfair? Not really. There have been millions of terrible ads against my husband.

Now there's a piece of great rationale from Laura Bush.
Two wrongs, according to Laura, make a right..well, maybe... sorta.

Quote of the Day-RNC Hypocrisy

Quote of the Day:
RNC Hypocrisy


"You can't craft a vicious, mean-spirited platform, then try to put lipstick on the pig by putting Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger on in prime time."

--Christopher Barron, Activist with the Log Cabin Republicans

*my sincere aplogies to real pigs, who are actually lovely creatures.

Hillary will admit what Bush won't

Hillary will admit what Bush won't

On today's Meet the Press, Senator Hillary Clinton said to Tim Russert when she was asked to comment on John Kerry's "No" vote on the $87 billion Iraq funding:

"I think John, who understands war a heck of a lot better than I do..and has understood completely what it would mean for us to be on a wrong path in Iraq, was making the point that..by the time we had that vote, we needed to take a hard look at the policies of this administration."

My point?
Senator Clinton will admit that which Bush will never admit.
John Kerry understands war a heck of a lot better than either of them.

I admire Senator Clinton for saying so.

It might be easy for some people to forget that fact while cheap political lies are being hurled at them electronically, 24 hours a day, on cable news networks.

In Maureen Dowd's words, Bush was 'defending Texas from Oklahoma' while John Kerry faced the real test.

The extent of Bush's knowlege of war includes the stories his daddy told him, old John Wayne flicks, donning fake ribbons on his uniform, playing dress-up on an aircraft carrier, and toting fake turkeys around a military base after sneaking into Iraq in the dead of night and leaving as quickly and stealthily as he came.

[TRANSCRIPT HERE]

BOP Interviews Norman Mailer

BOP Interviews Norman Mailer

"Stupidity is a huge weapon."
--Norman Mailer

Don't miss Christopher Lydon's timely and exclusive interview with Norman Mailer at BOP.

Bush speaks in new Interview

Bush speaks in new interview

Thanks to Matt Drudge, I have a few quotes from the latest TIME magazine interview with George W. Bush.

Read a few of them and read my questions and comments to President Bush following each one.

On John Kerry: “His service was honorable, as far as I’m concerned....I can understand why Senator Kerry is upset with us. I wasn’t so pleased with the ads that were run about me. And my call is get rid of them all, now.

Why did you make a slip of the tongue to say Kerry is upset with you? Are you directly involved in the Swift Boat lies, George?
Why can't you be a real man and say these Swift Boat tales were obvious, brazen lies and a political revision of settled history?
Why does the question always come down to your avoiding a denouncing of the ads and making it "all about you"... attempting to make illegal the opportunity for political free speech which the "527 ads" provide?


On Iraq: ‘Had we had to do it over again, we would look at the consequences of catastrophic success—being so successful so fast that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in escaped and lived to fight another day’

"Catastrophic success": Being so successful that you lose.
Good one, George.


On Iraq: "I couldn’t have sat down and said to you, By the way, we’re going to be so victorious so quickly that we’ll end up having to fight another third of the Baathists over the next year in order to bring liberty to the country. There’s an idea that you can chew on."

Chew on this, George. I'm embarrassed for you.
That is the most twisted philosophy I've ever heard.
"We're gonna win so fast we'll lose for a spell."
In 'The Art of War', Moral Law is laid down as an imperative to a state's success in war. It causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
You have divided your nation and you are breaking your military.
You have no clue how to be a Commander-in-Chief.
Sun Tzu would be delirious with disbelief.
Had almost 1000 of our brave, loyal and strong troops not already died, I would laugh.


On Iraq: 'We’re dealing in a part of the world where our policy was, O.K., we’ll kind of tolerate the lack of liberty for other reasons and just hope it gets better.'

George, let's talk about liberty right here in the old U.S.A.
Do you expect Americans to tolerate your attempts to gag their liberty and free speech by eliminating all 527 ads because there are a few powerful organizations amongst them who expose too many of your lies? DO you think we'll just keep "hoping it gets better?"


On Washington DC: 'Washington is a much more bitter, ugly place, dominated by special interests, than I ever envisioned. I was surprised’

Oh, you poor innocent baby (who just happened to govern over one of the States with the heaviest special interest of all---Texas Oil).
Is the Washington scene more bitter, ugly and dominated by special interests than THIS place, George?


On Forcing Imperialistic Ambition Upon the American Middle-Class Taxpayer: “If the United States is willing to lead and never waver in our belief that liberty can change the habits of people, never blink, be kind and compassionate, generous with our money—which we are—but resolute in our belief in liberty, Iraq will end up being a free country. It doesn’t have to look like America, by the way. That’s one of the great myths—that all of a sudden, these countries must look like America.”

George, you are quick to be "generous" in committing our hard-earned tax dollars to your imperialistic ambitions. You are just as quick to be "generous" to your base--the top 1%--by giving them hefty tax cuts while burdening the middle class with your war expenses (while stealing their overtime pay). You are quick to be "generous" with our troops' lives-- committing many of the troops with a back-door draft to a dangerous place with no proper planning or intelligence. Iraq will look like America sooner than you think, because under your administration, we become less free and more poor with each passing day. Our jobs are going. You've "compassionately" and "generously" offered our "liberty" to third world labor at our middle-class expense. The greatest myth, George, is your delusion of greatness. "Compassion" is a big word and I am convinced, after living under your administration's rule these past four years, that you have absolutely no understanding of the meaning of the word.

While you make history, history will dispel delusion.

They'll say George W. Bush was a dangerous fool.

Media Shame: Cooperation with Lies

Media Shame:
Cooperation with Lies

The Palm Beach Post ombudsman has some thoughts about the Swift Boat liars and their free pass for the first couple weeks of their swill-campaign. Karl Rove, who's no idiot, is playing the media for the idiocy he has come to expect from them.
I wonder when the media will finally learn the lesson that there are not always two sides to every story?

The media reported on the Swift Boat liars' immoral attack on John Kerry's war record (and settled history) as if there were actualy "two sides". In doing so, they indulged a fantasy of fact and a fantasy of Karl Rove's. Buying into such lies exposes us all to a form of magical thinking that works to destroy the truth and health of American democracy.

Having nothing positive of their own record to boast about, the Bushites love the big Swift Boat lie because they think it will bolster their ability to eke out a pathetic win in November. How low in character. Politics are known to produce some unethical results, but the peddling of lies with an expectation that a malleable media will cooperate turns us to think about Germany circa 1939.

The Bush-Cheney campaign is betting that Americans will swallow another big lie, that outlawing '527s' will be positive for the furtherance of democratic truth in American politics. It's "Goebbels-on-speed" propaganda to tell good Americans that the 527s are being eliminated for their freedom. In reality, it's swallowing away their free speech with a tremendous radical-right gulp.

The real fair and balanced media (as in "not FOX") had best get going with some factual information. Too many good Americans get their education from the idiot box in the corner of their living rooms and the big headlines on the front pages of their newspapers.

Why not start with this one?

"John Kerry's war record is the truth; the attack on it is a lie."

"Democrat" Zell Miller Hates Democrats

"Democrat" Zell Miller
Hates Democrats

Zell Miller, with the help of Chris Wallace, wound up looking like a nasty little hypocrite today on FOX News Sunday. He expressed nothing but regret for the way he sees the Democratic party has progressed and blames them, 100%, for not supporting George Bush's radically right-skewed misleadership these past four years.

Many talk about what they call "Bush-hating". At the RNC podium, Zell Miller will be representing the ultimate in hatred--the hatred of his own party.

English poet/critic Samuel Johnson said that "No man is a hypocrite in his pleasures". Zell Miller, if not a hypocrite, is taking pleasure in supporting the worst president in our nation's history at the expense of the members of the party to which he claims to belong.

Political writer Michael Crowley recently referred to Miller as "a cartoonish GOP partisan" and I think he's right on the money.

Zell Miller's betrayal of the Democratic party cannot be anything but a personal vendetta. I believe he's let his pride and ego become far more important than the party to which he says he belongs. He obviously detests anyone or anything remotely connected with the word "liberal".
He's feeling slighted...alone.
He is alone, for all intents and purposes.
He will be alone at the podium of the RNC this week.

New Southern Democrats have come to take their place in a South that has progressed while Zell was still living in the South where, if you didn't want a black fellow hanging out in your establishment, you'd take a baseball bat and whack him about the head.

I find him to be a disgusting political creature.
True to nothing, easily discarded.

I'm sorry, Mr. Miller, it's time.
Time for you to get out of the way and let the new South breathe.

Get the hell out of our party if you hate it.

RNC News

RNC Convention News

I will update this post daily (until the start of the RNC convention).

--William Rivers Pitt- For Those About to Rock
---Dan Payne/Boston Globe- Questions, and more questions, on the eve of the RNC

--CBS News- The RNC-A User's Manual
--PoynterOnline- Editors Preview Plans for RNC Coverage
--ABC News- Bush Crams in Trips to Key States Before Heading to New York for GOP Convention

--From the Village Voice-
-Where are an estimated 215,000 protesters supposed to go?
-Coming to a Convention Near You: Scary Anarchist II New York papers way, way lose their cool over protest of the Republican confab
Elements of Style: Radical Chic: What to Wear on Sunday
Events: Stand Up and Be Counted: Marching to Defend Democracy
Rebel Yells Lost highway: The road to destruction
Rebel Yells Firing up Tompkins Square's radical roots
Elephants in our Living Room


--Radio Free Europe- Bush's Tumultuous First Term Divides Nation
--N.Y.Times- Air of "special intimacy" to be an added ingredient to the carefully scripted Bush convention speech
--FrontPage.com- Libel? Front page magazine calling John Sellers a "terrorist".
--LA Times- Pirate radio to moor at Republican convention
--Democracy Now- The Revolution Starts Now: Steve Earle on the Republican Convention
--Reuters- Republicans have promised they will not capitalize on the 9/11 attacks.
--MTV News- NYC may be a "close third" to Sodom and Gomorrah for green RNC delegates.
--LA Times- GOP Platform Draft Toes Bush Administration Line
--Texas Triangle- Cheney/Bush flip-flop fighting on Gay issue
--RNC- CJs: Five Convention Jockeys Will Highlight Events Inside-the-Garden (Christine Iverson, Mercedes Viana Schlapp, former Katherine Harris spokeswoman Rori Patrise Smith, Don King-fan Tara Wall, and Yohana de la Torre).


GOOGLE: RNC Convention

GOOGLE: GOP Convention

GOOGLE: Republican convention

Do you remember the days in November...

Do you remember
the days in November...

"She is exactly what
everyone wants in a civil servant."
---Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, speaking about Palm Beach County elections ballot-designer Theresa LePore



If Election 2000 voters
in Palm Beach County are not presently senile
(no thanks to stunted stem cell research), they will
remember that they didn't vote for good old Pat Buchanan.

Republicans aren't any more senile than they were in 2000.
They are still every bit as much in love with
Theresa (Butterfly-ballot) LePore
as they were back then.
Sigh.

Peaceful Protesters Already Being Treated Shabbily in NYC

Peaceful Protesters Already Being Treated Shabbily in NYC


Photo: N.Y.Times

Helmeted officers dragged netting across Seventh Avenue and 14th Street to block the ride.


Disorderly bastards!


"....it was very
clear the police were upset
at how well the ride went."
--Bill DiPaola, executive director of
'Time's Up!', an environmental group

"The cops said,
'Get out of here!' and I was
trying to get out and I was cuffed."
--Keith from Brooklyn

"I think (the arrests were)
ridiculous because no one was doing anything
malicious and there wasn't any violence from the bike-riders."
--Stephanie Law, Richmond, VA

Seattle Times Endorses Kerry

Seattle Times Endorses Kerry

The election of Kerry would sweep away neoconservative war intellectuals who drive policy at the White House and Pentagon. It would end the back-door draft of American reservists and the use of American soldiers as imperial police. It would also provide a chance to repair America's overseas relationships, both with governments and people, particularly in the world of Islam....

....he is head and shoulders above the incumbent.
[LINK]

Talk about....

Talk about...

"Oye. If the Jew hadn't spied, I wouldn't have planned the war on Iraq, already."
--Fake quote from Douglas Feith, NeoCon/OSP

Talk about redundant.
Who needs Israeli spies when you've already got NeoCons?

Talk about obvious.
Who needs confessions about miscalculations and "unintended by-products" when everyone has already known for over a year?

Talk about false remedy.
Who needs a quick and cheap lawsuit to gag American free speech when an appeal to truth and honor hasn't even been honestly attempted?

Talk about a real challenge.
Who needs a serious weekly discussion about America's future when you can keep dredging up lies about John Kerry's past?

Talk about depressing.
*......*

My War: Soldier CB's Blog Has Been Gagged

My War: Has Soldier CB's Blog Been Gagged?

Soldiers fighting for free speech are silenced themselves.

I went to CB's My War blog today only to find the name was changed to "Over and Out" and to see that everything's gone except a quote from Johnny Rotten:

Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?"
-last words Johnny Rotten spit
onstage at the Sex Pistols
last gig in 1978.

I'm shocked. CB's serving our country--risking his life in Iraq for our freedom-- and this talented writer has been gagged.

While a young soldier who only wanted to tell you "how it felt while it was happening" is stopped from having free speech, old liars spread filth about what they say happened when they served almost 40 years ago.

I don't see anyone gagging them.

Fay Report Criticizes Gen Sanchez

Fay Report Criticizes Gen Sanchez

According to classified parts of the report by three Army generals on the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, General Ricardo Sanchez is facing the fire for a series of orders he and his aides issued in Fall, 2003. It appears the memorandum, while not authorizing abuse, effectively opened the way, through the creation of "confused doctrine and policy" at Abu Ghraib last fall, for interrogation techniques that Pentagon investigators have characterized as abusive. Interestingly, the Fay report (as it is often called) has not addressed whether General Sanchez was authorized to designate detainees in Iraq as unlawful combatants, as the administration has treated prisoners in Afghanistan. General Sanchez and his aides have always maintained that the only approaches they authorized for use in Iraq were consistent with the Geneva Conventions. Somehow, I don't believe using dogs as an interrogation tool fits in too nicely with the spirit of the Geneva Conventions.

The Palm Beach Post editorial for today is indicative of the suspicion and likelihood that many Americans are not settled with the fact that the Pentagon has been left completely out of the Schlesinger and Fay reports for their accountability.

Excerpt:

....although it finds fault with Gen. Sanchez, it also stops well short of recommending discipline for him or anyone else very far up the command chain.

Although the Schlesinger panel purports to be "independent," Mr. Rumsfeld appointed its members. For a "friendly" report, it is surprisingly harsh toward him. Like other reports originating too close to the Pentagon, however, it is inadequate. Abu Ghraib still needs an independent investigation that can question everyone in the Pentagon, the CIA and in the private companies who took up the slack when the number of troops fell so short.

When lines of responsibility go to the top, yet no discipline is recommended above fairly low levels, the reports lead to one more conclusion: not enough accountability.

Books For Soldiers

Books For Soldiers



Books For Soldiers is a soldier support site that ships books, DVDs and supplies to deployed soliders and soldiers in VA hospitals, via a large volunteer network.

If you have old, but usuable paperback books sitting around, collecting dust, why not send them to a solider for a big morale boost?

Bloggers- you can help to spread the word about BFS by adding one of BFS' buttons to your blog.

"Bush on the Couch" review

Book review: "Bush on the Couch"
by Justin A Frank M.D.



In case you've missed it, you can read my review of "Bush on the Couch" at DKosopedia Book Reviews/Daily Kos.

Tony Blair to be impeached over Iraq mess?

Tony Blair to be impeached over Iraq mess?

In the Guardian, David Hencke reports that a document is being drawn up by the chambers of Tony Blair's own wife Chrie Booth to impeach Blair. Blair will allegedly be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanours" in the run up to the war against Iraq. This is an ancient parliamentary procedure and hasn't been used for 156 years.
A deputy high court judge who recently brought a case arguing that the Iraq war breached international law is one of the parties drawing up the document.
Another is a professor of human rights at the London School of Economics.
Adam Price, the Plaid Cymru MP, initiated the process.
Altogther, 12 MPs are involved in the impeachment.

In a season where the American president is in a struggle to keep his position for the next four years and hangs nearly every hope on the war he initiated in Iraq, this will not be support for any of his insistence that the war was particularly good for any human being's safety....American or otherwise.

The Tank/Cosmopolity during RNC Convention

The Tank:
Republican National Convention Blog

Information on activities during the Republican National Convention at the Tank, 432 West 42nd St, and around New York City.

A summary of the latest blogposts from RNC bloggers.
Organizations in NYC
Counter GOP Concention events.
The UnConvention.
Imagine Festival
Drinking Liberally.

RNC Credentialed Bloggers

Credentialed RNC Bloggers

RNC Bloggers

Here is list of credentialed bloggers for the Republican National Convention:



Kevin Aylward, WizBang
Dean Esmay, Dean's World
Blogs For Bush
Matt Margolis of Blogs For Bush
Captain Ed, Captain's Quarters and Blogs For Bush
Scott Sala, Slant Point
John H. Hinderaker, Power Line
Karol, Dean's World and Spot On,
Bill, INDC Journal (was a disinvited blogger from DNCC)
Tom Bevan, RealClear Politics
Ben Domenech, Red State
Tacitus
Roger L. Simon
Brian Reich, Campaign Web Review
David Adesnik from OxBlog
Hugh Hewitt

Unofficially blogging:

Travis LaFrance
Jerome Armstrong, MyDD
Ana Marie Cox, Wonkette
Taegan D. Goddard, Political Wire
Allen Larson, LarsonReport.com
Joshua Micah Marshall, Talking Points Memo
Christopher Rabb, Afro-Netizen
Jay Rosen, Knight Ridder's Sky Box
Bill Scher, LiberalOasis
Cameron Scott, Centerfield
Matt Welch, Tim Blair, Julian Sanchez, Reason.com/Conventions
Markos Zuniga, DailyKos

WSJ- "MEET THE RNC BLOGGERS" (see their photos)

RNC bloggers more privileged than delegates?

The Bloggers' Invitation (difficult to read)

GOP Convention Media Walk-Through

RNC.org blog

GOP Convention Speakers

GOP Convention Speakers

Here is the Official Prime Time list of speakers for the 2004 Republican Convention:

Monday, Aug 30:
Michael Bloomberg, Rudy Guiliani, John McCain

Tuesday, Aug 31:
Laura Bush, Rod Paige, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Wednesday, Sept 1:
Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney, Zell Miller

Thursday, Sept 2:
George Pataki, George Bush

Others: Senator Bill Frist, Senator Elizabeth Dole, Senator Rick Santorum, Senator Sam Brownback, Rep. Dennis Hastert, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele-MD, Rep. Heather Wilson-MD, Rep. Anne Northup-KY, Erika Harold(Miss America 2003).

Geoff Davis is a late addition.

Kerry way ahead in MSNBC Online Poll

Kerry way ahead in MSNBC Online Poll

I just took this on-line poll at MSNBC.com:

If the presidential election were held this week, who would you vote for?
* 336,202 responses so far *

George W. Bush
41%

John Kerry
57%

Ralph Nader
2%

Curiously, the title of MSNBC's article which accompanies the poll is:

"Swift Boat defense costs Kerry
Bush squeaks into the lead in wake of controversial ads"

It appears this must be a joke.
Right?!


At Democrats.com, they comment on the same article:

MSNBC Tries to Help Shore Bush Up with Astoundingly Bad Propaganda

We were taking bets a few days back as to when MSNBC would crank out a new "poll" or set of "facts" showing that Bush has gained ground against Kerry as a way to offset the Swift boat fiasco. So here it is, and what a piece of badly written propaganda it is, too! First the headline says: "Swift Boat Defense Costs Kerry: Bush Squeaks into the Lead..." But if you read this rambling, barely coherent piece, you will find aboiut 2/3 thru that Kerry has, in fact not lost ground to Bush in polls! The headline, i.e., is false. In fact, if you check out the poll right on the same page as the article, you will discover that Bush trails Kerry 41% to 57%. And then, the remainder of the article is a gushing groupie puff piece on Cheney. This is journalism?