About This War in Iraq

About This War in Iraq

News

Holy War?
Are we fighting a politically unspoken Holy war in Iraq? The headlines are filled with controversy and speculation.

BBC News - Bush's God controversy stirs press fury

Boston Globe - Seized letter outlines Al Qaeda's long-term goals

al-Qaeda deputy wants a caliphate in Iraq Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman Zawahiri, in a detail letter to Iraq's insurgency leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has called upon for creating a caliphate in Iraq and expanding Jihad to neighbouring countries to prevent "secularists and traitors govern us".


Full Transcript Here


Informed Comment -

Khalilzad is trying desperately and hectically now to negotiate some kind of last-minute compromise, while there are more and more US statements (C. Rice recently) taking their distances from the draft constitution. “Divide and rule” is an astute imperial recipe when it serves as a way to keep control over a territory. But when it messes up and leads to the most important part of this territory threatening to acquire autonomy, free itself from the tutelage of the Empire and ally with the latter’s bitterest regional enemy, the result has only one name: it is a disaster.

Opinion

In The New Republic, Joseph Braude speaks about Bush's most recent speech on Iraq, calling for a cultural intervention to support Arab liberals who share the administration's view of radical Islamists. Without it, Bush's logic is hollow and ineffective in the Arab world. Mr. Braude says:

Without this longterm commitment, Bush's speech was merely an ornament to the status quo in the Middle East--easily flipped by entrenched cultural forces that can peddle their take on current events without significant opposition. So easily, in fact, that the most anti-American of the Arab media can do no worse than broadcast such speeches themselves.

IHT - Among jihadis, a rift over suicide attacks (NYT)

University of Wisconsin Student Newspaper - Skeptical of president's logic

Betting on Bloomberg News for Plamegate Scoop

Betting on Bloomberg News for Plamegate Scoop

According to Duncan, Patrick Fitzgerald may be progressing up the chain of indictable legal events - all the way to Dick Cheney? (Rumors are surfacing at Huffington Post and come from Bloomberg News and the WSJ). We'll have to watch Bloomberg's Richard Keil, Catherine Dodge, Jim O'Connell, and Holly Rosenkrantz carefully these next few days. They've done a great job with this story to date.

This is from Raw Story:

There are signs that prosecutors now are looking into contacts between administration officials and journalists that took place much earlier than previously thought, the Wall Street Journal will report Wednesday, RAW STORY can reveal.

Excerpts from the coming story can be seen at the Raw Story link.

Beating Poverty? Conservatives Change the Subject

Beating Poverty? Conservatives Change the Subject

There has been a systematic conservative backlash against social democracy for decades, and Grover Norquist's dream of drowning the remaining memory of Roosevelt's New Deal was chugging along successfully - until Hurricane Katrina threatened to expose the conservative backlash for what it has been. Now the conservatives are saying that Johnson's War on Poverty never worked - without them finishing their own sentence - that they made damned sure that the War on Poverty would not work... from Reagan all the way to Bush 43. And they are still trying.

"We've had a stunning reversal in just a few weeks [since Hurricane Katrina]," said Robert Greenstein, director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal advocacy group in Washington. "We've gone from a situation in which we might have a long-overdue debate on deep poverty to the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, that low-income people will be asked to bear the costs. I would find it unimaginable if it wasn't actually happening." [San Francisco Chronicle - Conservatives trying to shift debate on Katrina and poverty]

Conservatives have to change the subject - or lose significant ground on their dismantling of the social safety net in America. For example, while most Democrats support the measure to expand Medicaid to cover all the poor who survived Hurricane Katrina, including many adults who did not previously qualify, the Bush administration is strongly opposed, arguing that evacuees would be served faster through more modest changes in existing state programs (that were obviously not adequate and/or not working). See Miserable by Design by Paul Krugman [NYT Select]

Paul Krugman, New York Times: "I'm not sure why the news media haven't made more of the White House role in stalling a bipartisan bill that would have extended Medicaid coverage to all low-income hurricane victims -- some of whom, according to surveys, can't afford much-needed medicine," Times columnist Krugman writes. He adds, "Since the administration is already nickel-and-diming Katrina's victims, it's a good bet that it will do the same with reconstruction -- that is, if reconstruction ever gets started" (Krugman, New York Times Select, 10/10).

See Tax Cuts Are Not the Priority [NYT OpEd]

Bono/U2 raising funds for Santorum!?

Bono/U2 raising funds for Santorum!?

Faith is about a whole lot more than being anti-gay and anti-women's rights. It's easy to find a common bond through faith, but it's dead wrong when you politically support a candidate who uses faith to suppress human freedom and socially ostracize people through political means. If this is true and Bono and U2 are stumping for Rick Santorum, I swear that I will stomp on every U2 CD I've ever owned. They'll lose a lot of influence and respect if they do this. What's next on their schedule? A live appearance on Rush Limbaugh?

UPDATE:
Where the source has no name: CNN failed to report origin of false claim of U2 fund-raiser for Santorum [Media Matters]

On the October 11 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, CNN correspondent Ali Velshi reported as fact an Internet rumor that the rock band U2 was "set to perform in Philadelphia on Sunday at a $1,000-a-seat fund-raiser for Sen. Rick Santorum's [R-PA] re-election campaign." Velshi's report -- which contained wording similar to that in a false October 10 article on the conservative website NewsMax -- cited a claim by the "organizer of the fund-raiser" that both Santorum and U2 lead singer Bono "have strong religious convictions and are passionate in their beliefs" as an explanation for Bono's "new and perhaps surprising cause." Additionally, in a teaser for the report, anchor Kyra Phillips appeared to parrot NewsMax when she asked, "Why is U2's Bono teaming up with a conservative Republican senator?" Though Velshi later acknowledged that he had been "hoaxed," his retraction did not reference NewsMax, the event's "organizer," or any other possible source for his false report.

Sharing my Daily Om

Sharing my Daily Om
I wanted to share this with you...


credit: syzenart.com

This is the text version of DailyOM
To see it with graphics, click:
http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/640.html

October 10, 2005

Overcoming Obstacles
Nothing Is Insurmountable

When our next best course of action seems unclear, any dilemmas we face can appear insurmountable. Yet there is nothing we cannot overcome with time, persistence, focused thought, help, and faith. Whatever the situation or problem, there is always a solution. And if you remember to look within, even as you search around you for the "right" course of action, you will be able to center yourself, clear your mind, and see that nothing has to be impossible.

The first step in overcoming any obstacle is to believe that it can be overcome. Doing so will give you the strength and courage to move through any crisis. The second step is to make a resolution that you can prevail over any chaos. Enlist your support network of family and friends if necessary. The more minds there are to consider a problem, the more solutions can be found. Don't discount ideas just because they seem impractical or "unrealistic," and don't keep searching for the "best" alternative. Often there is no "best" choice, there is only a choice to make so we can begin moving beyond whatever is obstructing our path. At the very least, making a choice, even if isn't the ideal one, can give you a sense of peace before you have to figure out what your next course of action will be.

If you feel overwhelmed by the scope of your troubles, you may want to think of other people who have turned adversity into triumph. We often gain a fresh perspective when we remember others who have overcome larger obstacles. It can be inspiring to hear of their victories, helping us remember that there is always light at the end of every tunnel. It is during our darkest hours that we sometimes need to remind ourselves that we don't have to feel helpless. You have within and around you the resources to find a solution to any problem. And remember that if a solution or choice you make doesn't work, you are always free to try another. Believe that you can get through anything, and you will always prevail.

The Lulu Blooker Prize

The Lulu Blooker Prize

Have you heard about the Lulu Blooker Prize?
What is a "blook," you ask?
A "blook" is defined as a bound and printed book based on either a blog or website — that has been published to date. It's a new stage in the life-cycle of content, if not a new category of content and a new dawn for the book itself.

Here are the rules.
The judges are three wondrous bloggers - (The Real) Paul Jones, Cory Doctorow, and Robin Miller.

The global prize marks the 450th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of moveable type.

Examples Of Blooks

Like the Internet itself, blooks cover an unlimited subject-range: from 'Salam Pax: The Clandestine Diary of an Ordinary Iraqi' (Grove Press), the eye-witness accounts of the Iraq war by the blogger known as Salam
Pax, and 'Small Pieces Loosely Joined' (Perseus Books), David Weinberger's spiritual interpretation of the Internet, to actor Wil Wheaton's
memoir 'Just a Geek' (O'Reilly), and Jessica Cutler's 'The Washingtonienne' (Hyperion), a novel based on her scandalous blog of the same name. More scandalous still is 'Belle de Jour: The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl, by Anon' (Phoenix), which started life as an infamous blog, describing the life of a north London prostitute, and read by 15,000 a day.

How Blooks Differ From Books

"Blooks differ from books in several ways", says Doctorow.

Blooks, are, for example:

• More Collaborative
Some blooks are written as the product of multiple voices and perspectives, filtered through discussions and feedback from online communities. Chris Anderson (longtail.typepad.com), editor of Wired magazine, is working on a much discussed book called 'The Long Tail' (Hyperion 2006), which he is developing through a series of blog postings, feedback and online discussions.

• Faster
Some books are written and published at great speed. An example is "Katrina and the Lost City of New Orleans" (www.lulu.com/content/167324), a blook just published with the help of Lulu itself. Written in less than ten days by Rod Amis, a journalist and (now former) New Orleans resident, it is the first blook to give an insider account of the New Orleans disaster. It draws heavily on a daily blog written by Amis as the disaster unfolded.

• More Likely To Take A Serial Form
Some blooks, especially those based on online journals or diaries, take a serial form, which harks back to the Victorian heyday of the novel when Dickens and others first published their novels as serials. 'Belle de Jour' is a goodexample.

*After blooks will come flooks - films based on blooks!

The winners will be announced on Monday, April 3, 2006.

The "anawin" and America

The "anawin" and America
by Marvin Read

Anawim is the plural form of an Old Testament Hebrew word which is variously translated as "poor", "afflicted", "humble", or "meek". It is the anawim, "the lost and the forgotten ones", to whom Jesus referred in the beatitudes on The Sermon on the Mount. In both The Great Commandment, and throughout Matthew 25, we are commanded by Jesus to aid our neighbors - to constantly strive to redress the grievances of those who are abandoned or alone, alienated and marginalized, to protect the dignity of the poor and to stand with the oppressed as they attempt to become free of that which oppresses them.

Marvin Read of the Pueblo Chieftain believes that, in a so-called Christian nation, we have shown that our values are "shallow at best; fraudulent at worst" :

We are happy to give tax breaks to those who don't need them and withhold whatever we can from the needy, who, we often assert, "largely have brought this condition on themselves" or "who are too lazy to make it like I did."....

.....It was the anawim who, uncovered by flood waters, were revealed as the forgotten and ignored of New Orleans and the hamlets and towns of the Gulf Coast....

....It's time to ask: "What can I do for those whom Christians ignore, for whom there is so little hope?”

We can start small and effectively.

When we worry about the world's hungry, feed one.

When the homeless poor on our streets discomfort and shame us, shelter one.

When we are aware of people wracked by pain, sorrow and despair, comfort one.

When we are depressed by the lonely, the abused and the imprisoned, love one.

Loving the anawim was the message of one man, 2,000 years ago; it ought be carried forward by an entire "Christian" nation that hopes eventually to have its head and soul screwed on correctly.

These are excerpts - you can read the full text here.

Under Mars

Under Mars

Raw Story is talking about Under Mars, a controversial website which is described as "a really fascinating mix of war gore photos and really beautiful shots." It contains raw images of Iraq, taken by American soldiers.

Take a look at this artistic photo.

Howdy, boys!

No doubt, there's some excellent photography here.

Warning - this one is graphic.

I believe that too much of this commodity has been spilled.

Plamegate: Who lied?

Plamegate: Who lied?

Newsweek says:

"...lawyers close to the case, who asked not to be identified because it's ongoing, say Fitzgerald appears to be focusing in part on discrepancies in testimony between Rove and Time reporter Matt Cooper about their conversation of July 11, 2003."

Somebody lied. Hmmm - would you suspect it would be - - -
Matt Cooper or Karl Rove!?



see: Karl Rove And The Case Of The Missing Email

Joseph Cannon and the Left Coaster resurrect the gay-male-escort ghost of Jeff Gannon, whom I have suspected of blatant unethical behavior all along. (See my post about Gannon and WHIG from last February).

See SusanG's piece at Daily Kos - Gannon To Be Charged Under Espionage Act? with an important correction made by Ron Brynaert about Jeff Gannon's Internal Memo Lie.

Raw Story has a piece on Gannon, too.

See "Rove's Nightmare" by Joe Conason (Salon)

Meet Fred

Meet Fred

Meet Fred Bieling, my new contributor to Syracuse Progressive. A new blogger on the horizon, he says he's not liberal, he's "just paying attention." He's been making conservatives cringe since 1977. Here's an introduction to Fred.

David Brooks on Capitalism, Government, and Poverty

David Brooks on Capitalism, Government, and Poverty

David Brooks is all for the dynamism of capitalism, but not for the type of capitalist leader who'd believe in filtering money to the affluent while ignoring the poverty of many American children. Although I do not think single-parent families are destined to poverty, which is too much of a generalization in light of the the rate of divorce and the diversity in what we call an "average American family" today, I'd find agreement with him when he says:

Like Alexander Hamilton, I love the dynamism of capitalism. And like Alexander Hamilton, that doesn't mean I hate government. I love government when it lifts people up to compete. I hate government only when it stifles competition and coddles. I hated the old welfare system, which pushed its victims away from work. I love welfare reform, which encourages work. I hate government that directs ever more money to the affluent elderly, but I would love a government that gave poor children savings accounts at birth, which would encourage them to think about the future and understand that their destiny is in their own hands.....

When David says...

"....the effort to promote democracy in the Arab world is one of the most difficult and noble endeavors any great power has undertaken."

.........my reply is that noble thoughts and ideas are soon forgotten when our leaders start unnecessary wars, screw up on the planning of those wars, and deliberately mislead their citizens into those wars. The ante was high. The President gambled with his credibility on Iraq and he has lost - miserably. If there is any insurrection to be had, it should be primarily because of what this President has done to the citizens and the military of the nation he's supposed to be leading. I'm with David, though, in the long run. I feel invigorated about the political change that is coming, too.

Bush's 9/11 Spin - NY Times nails it

Bush's 9/11 Spin - NY Times editorial nails it

The president's inability to grow beyond his big moment in 2001 is unnerving. But the fact that his handlers continue to encourage him to milk 9/11 is infuriating. For most of us, the memories are fresh and painful. We mourn the people who died on Sept. 11, as we mourn Daniel Pearl and other Americans, not to mention innocents from other countries, who were murdered by terrorists. The administration's penchant for using them as political cover is offensive. It threatens to turn our wounds, and our current fears, into cynical and desperate spin.

President Bush's Major Speech:
Doing the 9/11 Time Warp Again

Democrats: "Third Way" discussions

Democrats: "Third Way" discussions

It seems that all Democrats who subscribe to a Washington D.C.-manufactured "Third Way" agenda should be cautious. If it doesn't come from directly from the grassroots-up, it probably won't be trusted. Political credibility may be very shaky when it comes to the common citizen. Listen to the voices of Democrats out in the media and blogosphere:

David Sirota - The Nation: Debunking Centrism

The Washington Post reports that a group calling itself the "Third Way" (read: "Wrong Way") is forming to tout "centrist" policies for Democrats. Instead of leaving the Beltway and holding a town meeting to gauge the pulse of red America's working-class core, the group held its initial meeting "over dinner at a Georgetown mansion." Instead of engaging in grassroots funding efforts, it is openly relying on corporate contributions.

"The answer to the ideological extremes of the right has to be more than rigid dogma from the left," said Senator Bayh, a leader of the new group and one of Washington's most highly trumpeted "centrists." But really, who is pushing a rigid dogma: these bankrolled politicians who have hijacked "centrism" to sell out America's middle class, or the progressive populists who most often have the backing of the American people?

TPM Cafe:

"The Third Way shows why Democrats need to move to the center on social and national security issues, but it will done with the progressive social activists yelling, kicking and screaming...It just doesn't make any sense for Democrats to just scream louder....Given the current Republican dominance in Washington, it is easy to look at the "New Democrat" era of the Clinton Administration with nostaglia. A more careful and objective look at that time will show it was filled with not only accomplishment but also missed opportunities and failure. We need a Democratic nominee in 2008 that can appeal to the center, but a somewhat different approach than Bill Clinton took while campaigning and in office...."

TPM Cafe:

"...we need to stop fighting each other and start fighting those damn Republicans. Then and only then will we as a united Democratic party will be able to recruit new and old voters, and start winning elections instead of losing them."

The Third Way To Win A Democratic Majority- TPM Cafe

"..I support a consensus nominee in the party who is liked from the liberal, moderate, and even conservative wing in our party. Who could this candidate be?"

John Edwards - Podcast #6

John Edwards - Podcast #6
Listen here

Elizabeth Edwards kicked off the sixth podcast by discussing her hot summer in North Carolina with her children Emma Claire and Jack. They had fun times at the beach, and now the children are back in school.
Daughter Cate is in New York working with Vanity Fair. Elizabeth says that her health is better. She feels as if she has "slain the big dragon" of cancer. The "gargoyles" remain - meaning the side effects of the treatment that "nip at your ankles." She's feeling pretty good, though - and Sen Edwards assures us there's no doubt that she's looking good. ;) You could hear dishwashers and washing machines starting and stopping in the background at the Edwards house in Raleigh during this podcast, but as Elizabeth said, "life has to go on."

"Elizabeth says that her health is better. She feels as if she has "slain the big dragon" of cancer."

Sen Edwards discussed his own ideas in the aftermath of the Gulf coast hurricanes. The first was his idea about a new WPA. Instead of government handing out contracts to companies like Halliburton, he'd like to see the rebuilding of NOLA in a different way, such as citizens rebuilding their own city. People should be enabled to take advantage of opportunity - such as housing vouchers to promote cultural integration (cultural integration is provided where you don't lump poor people together and isolate them from greater society).

"We now have a window of opportunty to do something about poverty in the entire nation, and we shouldn't squander it."

He thinks it's a good idea to help to set up bank accounts for poor people so they can get used to dealing with financial institutions and to have a place to keep their money. Another idea is work bonds to get matching amounts from government to promote savings for poorer Americans. We now have a window of opportunty to do something about poverty in the entire nation, and we shouldn't squander it.

Less than a week ago Edwards was in Moscow on a trip, co-chairing a task force on US/Russia relations for the Council on Foreign Relations. It was a productive trip. He met with Russian leaders, including the recently announced presidential candidate for the 2008 Russian election - former PM Mikhail Kasyanov.
He got a lot of good information about what's happening in Russia, such as anti-democratic maneuvers put in place by Putin - such as government taking over the mass media, the stopping of direct elections of governors, and centralization of the government in the Kremlin which effectively eliminates all political opposition. The potential still exists for democracy in Russia and positive US/Russian relations. The U.S. and Russia still have many common interests such as security, economics, and China - but a significant obstacle is the anti-democratic actions which have been taken by president Putin.

"Crossing Red Square in Moscow, Sen Edwards was impressed and heartened to have Russian citizens stop him in the street to ask how Elizbeth was doing."

Unfortunately, the current trend-line on democracy in Russia is not a positive one.

Crossing Red Square in Moscow, Sen Edwards was impressed and heartened to have Russian citizens stop him in the street to ask how Elizbeth was doing. It made Elizabeth feel great to know that people from a land so far away were so caring.

Fred Hiatt has an October 2nd column in the Washington Post on Russia which Elizabeth recommends. (See "Silent on Putin's Slide - Bush Ignores Russia's Fading Freedom") A quote from the Hiatt column:

"What's striking is that for the first time in decades Russia is becoming less, not more, free, and Bush can't even bring himself to acknowledge what is happening."

Elizabeth thanked everyone who has nominated their favorite book for the One America book club, and a vote will soon be held to choose the overall favorite.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Edwards support all activities which will assist fundraising for cancer research.

Questions for the Edwards
(Keep sending in your questions and see the Videoblog at the One America Committee site.)

On the Aftermath of Katrina: Many families have nothing to fall back on and if something goes wrong (such as a family illness or job lay-off), lives of the working poor are severely impacted. With no assets, no safety net or "cushion," many working Americans are one illness or one lay-off away from inescapable poverty. Journalist William Raspberry recently said on CSPAN that the people who've lived in poverty feel they can never escape the cycle which keeps them poor. The word "lucky" doesn't seem to apply to them. Segments of our population live with despair and hopelessness. Too many children live in poverty, and Elizabeth Edwards says that it should be easy to get people interested, motivated, and excited about ideas to bring about changes that could be made to give those children an opportunity to thrive and succeed.

Voluntary Voting System Guidelines: Debbie from Columbus, Ohio asked this question. In November, 2004, she spent two and a half hours in line in order to vote. The news media didn't seem to care about what happened...not even local media. There were three machines, and one was broken.

"Our country allegedly promotes democracy around the world, and that is all the more reason, for the future credibility of the U.S. election system, to avoid the "black-box voting" situation that we had in 2004."

They used to have four. Her friends in Republican Ohio districts had no idea this had happened, because it was never reported in the news. Debbie doesn't trust that her vote was counted. Elizabeth Edwards said that we watched the elections in Iraq with plastic tubs and paper ballots and we understand that no matter how primitive it seemed, there was still a verifiable system of counting the votes. We have a situation here in the States where the citizens do not trust the American voting system because there is no transparency as to how their individual vote is tallied, how it's counted..or whether it's counted at all. That is unacceptable. Our country allegedly promotes democracy around the world, and that is all the more reason, for the future credibility of the U.S. election system, to avoid the "black-box voting" situation that we had in 2004.

On the new Chief Justice of SCOTUS (John Roberts) and the choice of Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor: This question was from Allison from Granger, Indiana. Sen Edwards knew little about Miers at the time of the podcast. Elizabeth said that Harriet Miers has given money to Democrats in the past, including Al Gore and Lloyd Benson (1988). More recently, she contributed to Republican Phil Gramm (1995-96). She ran for and won a Dallas city council seat. She was paid $19,000 for investigating George W. Bush's National Guard service in preparation for his campaign (2nd gubernatorial run.) There are some interesting posts, including one at Blog Attitude, about Miers' time served as Lottery Commissioner of Texas. All of this may bubble up in time. She's argued that the ABA should not take a position with respect to abortion rights and the federal funding of abortion as a procedural position. She knew there was no chance of the ABA taking a position that opposed federal funding for abortion and/or abortion rights, but by her saying that it was what the ABA shouldn't be doing, we can glean her probable opinion on abortion rights. It's not good news if you support a woman's right to choose, since Sandra Day O'Connor represented the swing vote on Roe v. Wade. John Edwards said we can see a pattern here in the choices made - nominating people who have no record or paper trail and having them give only general replies to pointed questions so we cannot know what they stand for or what they'll do once confirmed. He expects that members of the Judiciary Committe will be tough on making Ms. Miers answer questions because she has even less of a paper trail and/or experience than Roberts. At least Roberts had been a judge for a few years. In the case of Miers, we're unlikely to get 20-year old memos as we were able to get on Roberts. She worked for private interests (Disney, Microsoft, etc). Roberts had academic credentials and excellence, and we cannot expect the same from Harriet Miers. She may be smart, but all the President can say is that her mother is proud of her - and that isn't exactly what you'd call an academic promotion.

The direction in which our country is headed: Elizabeth started by saying that her husband John didn't take PAC money or lobbyist funding when he ran for President. He was not indebted to the special interests in any way. Guys like Jack Abramoff have had the kind of power (tentacles) that they do because they have controlled money filtered through them from corporations - in exchange for favors from Congress. People are sick of politicians who wave with the wind and who willingly deal with "pay to play," as Abramoff and other lobbyists have represented. They want leaders they can trust and who will stand up for what they believe in. Washington D.C. "players" have nothing to do with real Americans' lives (other than keeping good things from happening). Government has to be able to do better. Now that Republicans have been in power for a few years, we see the results of their activities. It's been eye-opening. In 2006, the country will surely vote for change. Lobbyists have been spending as much on the Executive branch (wining and dining the decision-makers there) as they have spent on the legislators of Congress. This is the reason we have no-bid contracts with companies like Halliburton. They have their inroads/tentacles in Homeland Security or other federal agencies, while the local businessmen who could do work for less money are shut out of contract opportunity.

Tune in next month for the next Podcast.

President Edwards

President Edwards

President Edwards

Yep. You read that correctly.



I said President Edwards.


Sen Edwards will participate, along with former President Bill Clinton, in the Abu Dhabi World Leadership Summit on November 15, 2005, which is being promoted as an ultimate gathering of the world's most influential political and business leaders.

Natalie Gott, AP- Potential candidate Edwards remains focused on poverty "...some wonder if the former senator needs to move outside his comfort zone and start talking about other issues -- such as the war in Iraq and rising gas prices -- if he's serious about another bid for the White House."

Caryn Rousseau, AP - Edwards outlines duty to help poor

"..."Americans know that Katrina's victims shouldn't be out there on their own, that no one should be out there on their own," Edwards said Thursday in a speech on poverty at the [University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock]."

Sojourners - Time to End Poverty
You can tell a lot about people by how they treat their neighbors in need by Sen. John Edwards

We know that the Bible tells us the poor will always be with us. Some people hear that as an excuse for inaction. I believe it is a call for us to act and a call for us to serve. My family and my faith didn’t teach me to turn my back on a friend or neighbor in need. They taught me to open the door, let them in, and help them get back on their feet. And millions are calling for help right now. They don’t want a free ride. They just want a chance: a chance to work, buy a home, take care of their family, and live the American dream.

President Edwards

A Tribute to Autumn

A Tribute to Autumn

"October is the month of painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes round the world. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Anonymoses on the trail
photo by Iddybud

"You like it under the trees in autumn,
Because everything is half dead.
The wind moves like a cripple among the leaves
And repeats words without meaning."

- Wallace Stevens, The Motive for Metaphor

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


Iddybud.....Anonymoses
*check out our eyeballs!

Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o'er the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold.

- A Children's Song of the 1880's

~~~~~~~


May you have a beautiful autumn!

Converge South

Converge South


Jay Rosen and Lex Alexander

Converge South. It's happening.
It's what's happening.


Billy the Blogging Poet/Blogsboro.com

Anonymoses links to the coverage on the conference sessions of Herb Everett, Dave Winer, Amanda Congdon and Duncan Black (Atrios) sessions.

Billy Jones has a ballad and some great updates and links.

Photos c/o the awesome Sue Polinsky ;)

Tag: Converge South

Thank You, My Friends

Thank You, My Friends

Billy and all who have expressed their caring - I can't thank you enough. This is the hardest time I've ever had to face. I hope everyone at Converge South has a productive meeting of the minds - and a great time.

John Edwards Invites Young People to Join the Fight Against Poverty

John Edwards Invites Young People to Join the Fight Against Poverty
Cross-posted at One America

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we have a historic opportunity. The country is hungry for change and we do not have to live in an America that accepts poverty as a fact of life or chooses to ignore it. At so many critical moments in our nation's history, it has been our young people who have made a difference, and that's why I am asking them to join me and their peers in making the eradication of poverty the cause of this generation."

Senator John Edwards

From October 17-28th, Senator John Edwards will launch Project Opportunity on a two-week tour to ten colleges and universities. Project Opportunity is a project of the Center for Promise and Opportunity, of which Senator Edwards is the honorary chair.

The goal of Project Opportunity is to get more young people involved in their communities and to encourage them to advocate and promote policies that expand opportunity.

The tour will be making stops at:

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill — October 17
University of Missouri - Columbia — October 18
Yale University — October 19
Harvard University — October 20
Dartmouth College — October 21
University of Texas - Austin — October 24
University of California - Berkeley — October 25
University of Wisconsin - Madison — October 26
Florida A&M University — October 27
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor — October 28

Young people who already care about the issue of poverty are concerned that too many of their peers have given up on public service. Students will be asked to take the Project Opportunity pledge and commit to 20 hours of community service per semester. Local service opportunities will be posted on the Project Opportunity website, providing web-based tools for recruiting friends and tracking service efforts, and providing a forum for students to blog about their experiences and learn from and meet each other.

In order to beat poverty, good policies are necessary. Good people are needed to get good policies put in place. As individuals, many young people understand they can accomplish much, but they realize that corporations, the government, and even the colleges and universities they attend need to do their share. At the encouragement of Senator Edwards, Project Opportunity will press for policy solutions at the local and national level, and work with their own colleges and universities to maximize their impact in the fight against poverty.

So Now We're Back to "It's a Global Campaign"

So Now We're Back to
"It's A Global Campaign"

It's back to "It's a Global Campaign," yet President Bush still hasn't learned how to lead the international community, with his attitude and actions, to understand why it's important to join forces to find a way to convince all people in the world that the murder of innocents will never be civilly acceptable.

Bush invoked 9/11 to begin his major speech on the "War on Terror." The names of myriad countries were invoked next. The ideology of the terrorists was discussed next - along with all the monikers to describe them. He tells us that we stand for democracy and peace. I am convinced of neither after seeing the way we've conducted ourselves in Iraq. Bush says terrorists had "set their sights on Iraq," but that's not tue. Bush brought them there with a rash and ineptly-planned war and a stupid dare to "bring them on." When Bush says that "evil men and ambition must be taken very seriously," I look at him and think about his own ambition and I take him very seriously. He tells us that Syria and Iran share the goal of the terrorists - and I can feel the neocons' influence and I can almost see them typing out their plans for the next unnecessary war and death for our sons and daughters.

Bush condemns Russia for not joining the folly in Iraq, and sends out an "I told ya so" to them after the Beslan tragedy. (What a way to win over the Russkies).

He claims that no act of the US inspired the terrorists' reaction. Complete victory is the only acceptable answer - that brings applause from the audience - yet no one in that audience knows what "complete victory" is supposed to look like.

Bush condemns the rich who prey upon the poor and turn them into terrorists. I look at the poor in America and wonder what will become of them under the Bush rule. (Has he been to the 'hood lately?)

I understand that terrorists murder people in schools and mosques and churches and cafes - and any fool can see that it's murder and that it's heinous. Bush accuses the enemy of using the pretense of aggrievement, when they are really desiring "imperial domination..." and I can easily see that the "enemy" feels exactly the same way about Bush. When Bush talks about the enemy "despising freedom," he loses his credibility with me. Bin Ladenists want the U.S. out of their territories, and it has everything to do with their own view of "freedom."

Bush wants and expects more sacrifice for his failing Iraq venture. He says the love of freedom is the mightiest force. He calls you a "self-defeating pessimist" if you disagree with his failing course. He asks you to blind yourself to reality and pretend we are succeeding. He doesn't talk about the fact that "spreading democracy" is not necessarily related to the fire-like spread of terror. (A terror, mind you, that he has fueled as the result of his course of action in Iraq.)


Bush says we must deny the future of terror-recruits by spreading hope across the Middle East. People, he says, must choose their own destiny. I look at what Bush did (and failed to do) in the aftermath of Katrina and I think of the faces of the poor who never have had an opportunity to choose their own destiny because they've been virtually left behind by Bush's domestic policy. How can Bush expect us to believe the grandiosity of his plot for the Middle East when he fails his own nation's poorest citizens?

Bush says he is responsible, while Commander in Chief, for disrupting three or more efforts to stop terrorist attacks in America. That's news to me. Let's hope someone will tell us more about that someday.

Bush has many right ideas about the evils of the methods employed by the Bin Ladenists - but his ideas about how to fight them (by attacking states - the old "support and harbor"/"enemy of civilization" warnings) are wrong and will continue to follow Iraq's failing course. Murder is never justified.
I was hoping to hear something different today.
Bush is only stumping for new partners to join him in his failing war, which follows a course that neocons plotted out long before 9/11/2001.
Yet, he offers nothing new to convince them.

I don't disagree that terror is murderous, but I am not persuaded, heartened, or convinced about the bleak future by the president whose neocon-soaked administration lied our nation into war in Iraq and was never held accountable - not one person - by the Commander in Chief.

Blair Relays Inconclusive Iran Connection to Iraq

Blair Relays Inconclusive Iran Connection to Iraq

Watch out, people. The key word is "inconclusive." Let us not forget the Downing Street Memos. The M.O. of the neocons in America is to take headlines like these and pull out their "Scooters" to draw up rash and inept war plans for our sons and daughters.

Blood Boilin' in New York

Blood Boilin' in New York

This opinion is unfiltered and, as such, the viewpoints and opinions expressed by the writer are not necessarily in line with my own. What bothers the author, a Democrat, is the mindset that has spread in Washington, D.C. and into our local races - the mindset that says: "follow the money, not the voters."

BLOOD BOILIN' IN NEW YORK
By ANONYMOUS

As many of you know, we Democrats are getting ready for the '06 campaigns, but we have a few '05 campaigns to think about right now. One of these campaigns is the New York City mayoral race between millionaire and FORMER DEMOCRAT (until he ran) Michael Bloomberg and Freddy Ferrer, a nice and decent man around whom the party has unified in New York.

But there's always a catch. Enter Steven Rattner and the people like him.

Rattner, like Bloomberg, is also a millionaire. He's donated a lot of money to Democrats over the years, but suddenly he's decided to support Bloomberg in the race. An article in the New York Observer seems to say this is big news. Surely, it means Freddy Ferrer is faltering, the article alludes to.

So why is my blood boiling? If I've said it once, I'll say it a million times. Elections should never be coronations. Last time I checked, it's the voters that decide these things -- not how much money you have.

Now look, I don't have a problem with millionaires or their donations so long as the cause is right. What bothers me so much is this mindset that has spread in Washington and into our local races. It's the mindset that says: follow the money, not the voters.

Here's what we desperately need in this country: candidates who are good and smart enough to remember we're the real power brokers, and when our blood boils they had better listen up!

Well, Freddy Ferrer is listening. Now he needs our help.

It's a bad thing if Bloomberg wins -- bad for New York and bad for our party. He's cut funding for critical programs in New York while spending gobs of his personal fortune to gain support from folks. Ferrer has come so close to him in the polls because he's reached out and spoken up. Party labels aside, I know who I'd support judging just by how they run their campaigns.

And when Bloomberg was challenged to come to Harlem for a debate, Bloomberg declined ---through his spokesperson, of course! This guy is out of touch, friends.

So here's what we know. Bloomberg is a bad thing for New York. Freddy Ferrer is trying hard to win -- and win the right way. And things stink to high heaven if Rattner, the millionaire back-and-forth donor, represents the front lines of our party. He's doesn't.

We do.

A spokesperson for the Ferrer campaign said this:

"The Democratic Party is more united around Freddy Ferrer than the party has been around a candidate for more than a decade ..we can't speak for the people who Steve Rattner talks to at cocktail parties, but Democrats from Hillary Clinton to Eliot Spitzer to John Kerry know that Freddy Ferrer¹s fight...is compelling to those of us who believe in equality and prosperity for all, not just for some millionaires."

But I'll leave you instead with a quote from Mr. Rattner:

"I think slavery has been abolished in this country and I'm free to make a decision [on whom to support] on a case-by-case basis."

If Rattner thinks slavery was the last and only issue good Democrats care about, then he needs to find whatever subway route that ships him back to reality.

It's time to stand up for Freddy Ferrer [http://www.ferrer2005.com].

See:
The Plutocrats
Of Democrats
Go Bloomberg

In the New York Times, Patrick Healy reveals a partisan side to the NYC Mayor who does not like to appear as a partisan:

when it comes to donating money to politicians, Mr. Bloomberg's Republican bona fides are as good as they get, judging from his campaign finance records. As mayor, he gave $250,000 to the same Republican party-building effort that Representative Tom DeLay is now charged with using to launder political money. Mr. Bloomberg has also doled out thousands of dollars to politicians who are far more conservative than he is.

For Mr. Bloomberg, whose campaign slogan casts him as "a leader, not a politician," this pattern of giving may be the most partisan-driven aspect of his life in politics. In a city where Democratic registration far outweighs Republican, the mayor's financial ties to Republicans and President Bush are a source of concern to some allies, who worry that the donations will turn off liberal voters he needs.

Daily Tar Heel on John Edwards

Daily Tar Heel on John Edwards

The Daily Tar Heel talks up John Edwards and his upcoming college/university tour. (Sounds like I'm talking about a rock star - but that's how much respect the Tar Heelers have for their native son ;)

I have written about the upcoming Project Opportunity tour and I will link to it as soon as it appears on the One America site.

Don't miss Sen Edwards on Jon Stewart's Daily Show tonight. He'll be making a "special announcement."
*Update - Sen Edwards did a great job on the Daily Show, but I must have misunderstood Jon Stewart on the Oct 4th show. I thought he'd said there'd be an announcement tonight. Sorry for the false teaser.

Iraq Vets Are Running For Office

Iraq Vets Are Running For Office
Some are critical about Bush's course in Iraq

At Veterans for Common Sense, Kimberly Hefling writes about those who did not question their government, but loyally did their duty for their country. Now, a handful of veterans who are no strangers to the horrors of war are pursuing seats in the House of Representatives. They talk critically about the Bush administration and the Iraq war, yet they don't fit the typical anti-war/peacenik image. Unlike the Viet Nam era, the veterans of today have an advantage because Americans have a positive feeling about their soldiers.

What the Bush administration and the current RNC leadership did not anticipate was the continued support of and respect for American troops by the political left, combined with a handful of tough, honest, and vocal vets who would challenge the current GOP on their foreign policy and the failing course in Iraq.

"I'm not anti-war, I'm anti-failure," [Bryan Lenz] said. "We need to define what victory is and we need to set a plan to get there. You cannot stay the course if you do not set a course...."

"...They really want to help the Iraqi people and see the mission through, and they think we're losing because of stupid mistakes made at the senior leadership level," [Charles Sheehan-Miles] said.

John Edwards Apperance on Tavis Smiley

John Edwards Appearance
on Tavis Smiley

John Edwards appeared as a guest on Tavis Smiley's PBS show on October 3rd. He spoke about the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination and about his work at the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Transcript here
Listen here

Sen. Edwards on Harriet Miers nomination:

I think it will be important to get some of the information and writings that she has done, whether in the White House or in other jobs that she has held in the past, so that we can get some sense about where she stands. Because right now, she is very much a blank slate. And I think it is also going to be really critical for the Senate, particularly the members of, my former colleagues on the Judiciary Committee..to be really vigorous in their questioning of her and make sure that she answers the questions.

Sen. Edwards Talks About the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

When I ran for President of the United States, myself, I made it a significant part of my campaign. You remember me talking about the two different Americas and one America for the privileged and one for everybody else. And a big part of that was the issue of poverty. And then when the election was over, you know, I had a choice like people always do, about what you want to spend your time doing.

And among all the choices, this was the thing I felt most strongly about. So I have helped start a poverty center, Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We have got some very good people, two terrific women right now who are working for me there. We are working together on this poverty center.

We have brought in scholars from the university campus. We are bringing in some of the best experts in the country to talk about their views on what the causes of poverty are, the root causes, what can be done to eliminate poverty, looking at it in a very practical, 21st century, forward-looking way. And – as I'm sure we are going to talk about, you know, we are doing lots of practical things. We're having summits to bring in some of the great experts in the country.

I'm going have a panel in November of some of the leading journalists whose have written about poverty, columnists and press reporters to talk about why the press has covered poverty the way it has in the past. Has that changed as a result of Katrina? How will it change in the future, what is the likelihood - the impact that will have on the psyche of the American people? But the real issue - I think, is this window of opportunity, post-hurricane Katrina, is open. The American people are paying attention. The question is, will that window stay open, or is it gonna close?

Left Behind - Bush Press Con

Left Behind - Bush Press Con
Featured today at Blogcritics.org

Presscon Transcript - Wa Po

As usual, I felt left out of George W. Bush's America this morning. Tuning in to his press conference (the first in four long months), I heard him kowtowing to Conservatives. It was all " don't worry - Harriet's good " all the time. We all know that Bush can push his agenda down our throats without the assistance of one Democrat, but he cannot get a lot done without the support of the Conservatives of whom he's tried to convince that he is one (while he spends like a drunken sailor). He publically swore to David Gregory that he's still proudly a conservative. He flatly refused to talk about the Valerie Plame leak or who he'd remove from office if/when the indictments came down from Patrick Fitzgerald.

When he had an opportunity to state that which he personally felt he could have done better in his response to Hurricane Katrina, his very first reaction was to point fingers toward State and Local governments. He boasted about the good job he did "getting $2000 to people" after the hurricane, and waxed endlessly about people taking in strangers (which has nothing to do with his own policies which seem to concentrate on rebuilding stuctures and have little to do with rebuilding actual lives.)

Bush took down the "beer-ah-cracy" a few pegs by highlighting the private sector as the "true engine for hope and opportunity." He proclaimed a resurgence in employment of construction workers (while he suspends Davis-Bacon; the rule which would have allowed/ensured those construction workers a decent wage). Local firms are being left behind as a result of no-bid contract crony-ism.

On Harriet Miers, Bush said "I know her heart and what she believes." That's good. The question is - why should we trust the guy who lied us into an unnecessary and disastrous war - and will we ever get to know anything substantial about Harriet before she's confirmed? We certainly didn't learn much about John Roberts. The crafty Roberts avoided every opportunity to look America directly in the eye and speak in a non-legalese fashion to answer the questions that truly matter. When Bush was asked if he would release documents that might help us get to know Harriet (without Bush claiming Executive privelege), Bush's first response was "Ah-heh!," the annoying guffaw that is code for "you've got to be f--king kidding."

Speaking about an unnecessary and disastrous war, Bush has gone back to the use of the term "global struggle" to accompany discussion of the "war on terror". As you may recall, he avoided the use of the term "global struggle" this past July, and now he's revisiting the phrase. Once again attempting to convince a doubting public, Bush insisted that Iraq was part of the war on terror, or what Gen John Abizaid referred to as a "larger global struggle." If you've recently become confused about the mixed-message headlines regarding when we'll start pulling troops out of Iraq, Bush wants you to know "WE'RE NOT LEAVING IRAQ" - a direct quote. I hope that clarifies the matter. (Ah-heh).

On Poverty and Race, Bush's presecription is Ownership and the private sector. He said that Ownership is "empowerfully healing." He substitutes policies that rebuild meaningful lives with policies that promote greed, competition, and materialism. In the same breath, he'll heap mighty praise upon faith-based groups for all they do. In other words, there is no room in government bureaucracy for social safety nets. As Paul Krugman said yesterday in his NYT column, Bush's mission in office is "to dismantle or at least shrink the federal social safety net, yet he must, as a matter of political necessity, provide aid to Katrina's victims. His problem is how to do that without legitimizing the very role of government he opposes."

Personally, one of the richest parts of the Press con was hearing Bush admit that he used his very own style of Affirmative Action in choosing the members of his own cabinet. Saying it was his "responsibility to reach out" and "elevate people," he waxed on and on about the worthiness of his choosing black folks to be on his team.

Bush showed a "joking" disdain for public polls, and if he pays no attention to the polls, as he says he doesn't, he may wish to do so now. He is so out of touch with the American public that it has hampered his ability to forward his agenda without his right-wing cronies in the House and Senate bullying it through.

When asked how much "political capital" he figured he had left, his first reponse was a loud "Heh -heh-heh," sounding more like Beavis and Butthead than Bountiful Bush.

He caused me to zone out and daydream about the good old days when he tediously droned on and on about the H51N virus. Zzzzzzzz.... I guess that's what you do when you're trying to kill time and avoid the hot topics. (And there are plenty of hot topics).

For any reader who thinks I am overly critical of this President, I'd like to conclude by telling you that I am looking at him without blinders. I have realized, for a long time now, that I have been politically left behind. Millions of good Americans realize they stand without hope for representation or successful promotion of policies that reflect one united America. President Bush is the figurehead of an extremely divided and ugly America, and I'm speaking to you today from the other side of a perfectly polarized country. Bush said nothing today to make me believe anything else.

Headlines

Headlines

Paul Hackett to run for Senate
Paul Hackett, the Iraq War veteran from Cincinnati who was hailed by national Democrats for his narrow loss this summer in a heavily Republican House district, has decided to challenge Mike DeWine for U.S. Senate in 2006.


DeLay Is Indicted Again in Texas; Money Laundering Is Charge
A grand jury in Texas issued a second indictment on Monday against Representative Tom DeLay, accusing the Texas Republican and two aides of money laundering in a $190,000 transaction that prosecutors have described as a violation of the state's ban on the use of corporate money in local election campaigns.
*Well, he's just an indictable boy...


Spitzer Leads in NYS Governor Race - Latest Poll
Battleground States Polls are out [Zogby]. Spitzer beats Pataki by 33.8 points.


Harry Reid suggested Harriet Miers as good pick for Supreme Court - would like to see someone who has not had judicial experience.
See the Raw Story report:

In a conference call held with liberal bloggers last week, Reid declared that he had told Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Chief of Staff Andy Card that Miers was a good choice for the Court.

Times to Run Full Story on Judith Miller this week
The New York Times will carry what executive editor Bill Keller calls a full account of Judith Miller's involvement in the Plame case as early as this weekend, according to an article in the paper Tuesday. [Editor & Publisher]
* Recommended read: Outing Valerie Plame is the tape on the Watergate doors [Corrente]

Melancholy Abe

Melancholy Abe


photo credit: www.nationmaster.com

Abe Lincoln is looked at through the lens of his melancholy.
[Book Review, Lincoln's Melancholy, Wa Po]

"Spitzerism"

"Spitzerism"

Norm Scheiber (of TNR) has an interesting piece on 'the Spitz' - Eliot Spitzer - in the New York Times today. The term "spiterism" describes Spitzer's GOP-infuriating approach to prosecuting corporate wrongdoers. (Grover Norquist hates Spitzer's tactics, so he must be doing something right.) Sheiber suggests that Democrats could benefit, in a political sense, from watching Spitzer's tenacious toughness against the moral evils which surface on the dark side of business and fearlessly defending the social compact between ordinary people and large institutions like government and business.

Gene Sperling, the chief economic adviser in the Clinton White House, says that Spitzer grasps this distinction: "The key in the Spitzer message is. . .it's not a populist bashing for the sake of it.".........

"His advocacy on behalf of a growing and new class of investors could have wide applicability," says Howard Wolfson, a former Democratic Congressional strategist and an adviser to Hillary Clinton.........

"I think that if Spitzer is able to translate the particular work he did around risk associated with investment in the stock market. . .into a larger narrative for Democrats about risk in the 21st century" - not just stock-market risk but risk associated with pensions, health care, employment - that "could help forge the bond with the middle class that we've lost."

With the middle class feeling that their financial situation is less stable than ever before, Spitzer's emphasis on making companies more accountable makes them feel more secure. No one wants to see their life savings wiped out as a result of corporate greed and wrongdoing.

See Spitzer for New York 2006 - which is another blog which I write and maintain.
spitzer4ny2006.blogspot.com

Lake George Accident

Lake George Accident

The boat that capsized on Lake George (in the Adirondack region of NY State) today, drowning 21 elderly passengers, is here.

Playboy Features Political Bloggers

Playboy Features Political Bloggers

No sexy pictures - sorry! ;)

Judith Miller Updates

Judith Miller Updates

Jay Rosen on Judith Miller:
At the Huffington Post, Press Think's Jay Rosen says that "civil disobedience succeeds when there is clarity in purpose, cogency in argument, and transparency in action. None of which has been apparent in [NYT reporter Judith Miller's] decisons..."

_____________

WHIG may see a RICO charge per Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (and WaPo).

At Talk Left:

[Newsweek's] Michael Isikoff reports that Joseph Tate, Libby's lawyer, says Libby did not speak to Novak. Also, the call between Libby and Miller in jail was a four-way conference call with both their lawyers on the call.

Kos talks about some questions asked and comments made by George Stephanopoulos on today's ABC This Week. A source close to this told Stephanopoulos this week that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of these White House discussions related to the Plame case. Did Bush and/or Cheney play a direct role?

Arianna Huffington recommends the exchange of letters between Scooter Libby, Judith Miller, their lawyers and Patrick Fitzgerald, available on this New York Times site.

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?

[Yale Global] Associate professor F. Gregory Gause III of the University of Vermont explores the question of "Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?"

Gause analyses available data on terror incidence and regime types and concludes that "the data available do not show a strong relationship between democracy and an absence of or a reduction in terrorism ... there is no relationship between the incidence of terrorism in a given country and the degree of freedom enjoyed by its citizens."

He also quotes numerous surveys and other evidence showing that Arabs favor democracy, but are cynical of American attempts to promote democracy in the Arab world (such as through the Iraq war). He concludes that American policy to push democratic reforms in the Arab world will probably result in Islamist-led governments that are critical of the United States, and "is unlikely to have much effect on anti-American terrorism emanating from there."

A better approach, he suggests, would be for Washington to "focus on pushing Arab governments to make political space for liberal, secular, leftist, nationalist and other non-Islamist parties to set down roots and mobilize voters." He also sees the US focus on elections as the centerpiece of its democracy promotion strategy as "troubling," along with the "unjustified" confidence that Washington has in its ability to predict, and even direct, the course of politics in other countries, noting that its "hubris should have been crushed in Iraq."

Full text available at Yale Global online.

Karen Armstrong on Myth

Karen Armstrong on Myth

There is an excerpt from Karen Armstrong's A Short History of Myth avialable at The Australian.

Poverty In the News

Poverty In the News

Clarence Page is glad to hear people jawboning about poverty again. He says,

"We who have succeeded in life need to be divinely dissatisfied with tax breaks and other government policies that widen our rich-poor divide to a canyon resembling that of a Third World country."

The Center For American Progress has a brief compilation of excerpts from the Opinion pages of American newspapers about the issue of Poverty.


Bill Stamps of the Long Beach Press-Telegram is convinced that of the hundreds of bodies found in the aftermath of the Katrina flood, not one was a rich person - white or black.


Star Tribune Washington Bureau Chief David Westphal has a feature about Poverty today which begins by reminding us that the "searing images of New Orleans residents who were stranded by floodwaters because they had no means to flee Hurricane Katrina exposed an abiding truth about poverty in America." Although the recent rise in poverty occurred on Bush's watch, it's unclear to Westphal how much responsibility Bush will bear.

Economists say poverty's resurgence was almost certain to follow the economic recession that began two months after Bush took office, just as poverty rates rose after the recessions of the early 1980s and early 1990s...Further, the U.S. poverty picture remains well below historic averages because of dramatic gains during the 1990s.

Newsday's Martin C. Evans continues the discussion about the hurricanes which have pushed the plight of the poor into the nation's consciousness.

The poor are far less likely to own their own home, have access to credit or have property insurance, [said Carla Prater, associate director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center.] Tens of thousands of people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Alabama have lost furniture, clothes, cars and other belongings, and will have to start over from nothing, she said...."They don't have savings in the bank to fall back on. They don't have money to stay in a motel or rent an apartment until they get a job, so they end up in a shelter," Prater said. "They don't have health care so their teeth don't look so good when they go to get a job. It goes on and on and on."..Many of the victims of Katrina and Rita had virtually nothing even before the storms.

An excerpt from a letter to the editor of the Binghamton, NY Press & Sun Bulletin by Endicott, NY citizen Anton Wolfe:

The poor are becoming stronger in number, but weaker in power. The rich are becoming smaller in number, but greater in power. The poor are taught division, racial tension, rivalry among themselves. The rich know only of unity in their struggle to maintain their wealth....Destitution and despair do not discriminate based on religion or color. The rich discriminate only by the monetary line. War always divides the common people, always benefits the rich, always takes its greatest toll on the poor......Fight not the war of the rich; rather, fight the war of the poor. Overcome all differences to find the common ground of having nothing...

Tom Ashcraft of the Charlotte Observer wonders why the poor are still with us and is suggesting that we abandon some of our old thinking and consider new solutions. He recommends socially engineering Welfare to reward those who respond to government's encouragement of work and marriage. He leans toward increased dependence upon churches, synagogues, charitable and nonprofit organizations, individuals and corporations as a "voluntary charity" alternative to welfare. [My comment: Slippery slope/slippery slope/slippery slope.]

In Pensacola, Florida, citizens will soon conduct workshops, discussion panels and brainstorming sessions focusing on three areas -- faith, family and finances -- to try to come up with their own solutions to massive racial disparities in poverty, education, health care and quality of life.

In an appeal for support for the United Way, UW/Rhode Island President and CEO Anthony Mainone says,

The cost of housing has already outstripped the income of many in our state. Add to that dramatic increases in heating and transportation costs and you have a storm that will force more and more families into shelters. And we don't have enough shelters to provide safe haven to all of those needing it..... for an increasing number of our people the rain is falling in buckets and the wind is blowing hard. There are people right here in Rhode Island who live Katrina everyday. Their hope dwindles the longer we wait. The need is urgent and the time is now. We must be their hope. The cost of heat and housing will be front and center on United Way of Rhode Island's agenda this year and for years to come..."

The Fair

From the annual Buckwheat Harvest Festival in Penn Yan NY
These and all photos shown by Jude Nagurney Camwell

The Fair

I love the New York State Fair. The sights, the sounds, and the smells. Comedian Tom Kenny (who is the creator of Sponge Bob Squarepants) is from my own hometown of East Syracuse, N.Y. I saw him perform here at the Landmark Theater a few years back, and I recall a great joke he told about feeling like the most handsome man in the world when he walked the fairgrounds of another local fair, the East Syracuse Field Days. He looked around at his fellow fair-kind and realized he wasn't so bad after all. You certainly see a lot of ego-free characters at fairs. Odd folks - and I'm talking about the ones going to see the freak show, not the ones who are in it. Freak shows. There's a whole 'nother story altogether. Otis the Frog Boy had no arms to speak of, yet he could light a cigarette and flip it into his mouth and out again with it being still lit. How cool is that? Kids, don't try that at home.


This is me and Charlie Daniels at the New York State Fair

When I think of the New York State Fair, I think of the smell of fried dough and the wonderful scent of saugage, onions and peppers floating in the air from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand. The Dinosaur is a favorite of Bill and Hillary Clinton, who visit the NY State fair every year without fail. After his first NY State Fair visit, then-President Bill Clinton said, "I come from a place where barbecue is not food; it is a way of life. It is a philosophy of human nature. I have rarely had any as good as this." (September 1, 2000).



I took this photo of a pair of feet and legs, and took home the Red ribbon at the New York State Fair a number of years ago.

Songwriter Chris Trapper of the Push Stars (Boston) wrote a song about fairs. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, I can't help but wonder if he wasn't inspired by the same New York state carnival scenes....

I've got cotton candy lips
Salt water taffy smile
I'm blowing all my money
But I'm going out in style
I start skipping down the street
'Cause I smell it in the air
Yeah I was, and I am, and I will always be a square
Meet me at the Fair..

The Shifting Ground

The Shifting Ground

There is an analogous relationship which can be derived from a view of the physical ground that shifted beneath the levees of New Orleans and the political ground which has shifted beneath the Republican party.

The Gulf coast was far more vulnerable than most people realized. The Republican party was far more vulnerable than cocky politicians thought when they believed that they would never collide with the consequences stemming from their perverted policies and practices.

Juan Cole on Dems and Iraq

Juan Cole on Dems and Iraq

I think you will be interested to read Professor Juan Cole's analysis and opinion about Democrats and the Iraq war.

Quotes from the article (Full text can be seen HERE [truthout.org]):

...The Democrats on the Hill may in some instances be anxious about criticizing the war because they had voted for it, and fear being tagged as inconsistent. But they have other options than silence. They could point out that they were misled by the Bush administration, which menaced them with visions of mushroom clouds from Iraqi nukes, visions that now seem likely to have been outright lies....

.....The potential of a strong antiwar stance striking a chord with the public has already been demonstrated by Paul Hackett. A Marine who recently served in Iraq, Hackett became a civilian and ran in August as a Democrat for Congress in Ohio's 2nd District, traditionally heavily Republican. He lambasted George W. Bush as a chicken hawk and said he should never have begun the Iraq war. Yet Hackett is no peacenik. He says, "I love the Marine Corps. I happen to think it's being misused in Iraq." He only narrowly lost the election, and the Democratic leadership is seriously thinking of putting him up for an Ohio Senate seat, according to the Hill.

Even Democrats who are not veterans of Iraq need to find the courage to speak out on the war if they are effectively to challenge the Republicans. Simply waiting around for things to get worse in Baghdad is a dangerous strategy, not so much because the situation is likely to improve any time soon but because the American people want real leadership on this issue and they know they are not getting it from Bush.

I couldn't agree more. Nothing turns me off, in a political sense, any more than when I hear prominent Democrats talking about purchasing more American blood and spending more American treasure for a failing venture of which we citizens were conned into. It's a poisoned war. The mission was never accomplished. If you ask any American what the mission was, I gurantee that you would get fifty different answers from each respective citizen. It's become the deadliest flip-flop in American history, and our President has led us into it. It is pathetic and unnerving to think that a Democrat would perpetuate this disaster, thinking that they're keeping themselves "electable." (Count the number of years now that they have lost American elections).

Americans need leaders who are brave enough to stick with convictions that fall in line with reality - and who can communicate the reasons for those convictions so the average citizen can understand, hope, and trust.

Listen to the Generals (courtesy of Mark Mazetti/LA Times). "The 149,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq are increasingly part of the problem." That is not what we've heard from Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton.

Larry Franklin to plead guilty in AIPAC Case

Larry Franklin to plead guilty in AIPAC Case

Neocon Michael Ledden is furious with whoever leaked the information about his friend Larry Franklin. Franklin is the former Pentagon Iran analyst who is expected to plead guilty to three charges of mishandling government secrets next week in a deal his lawyers hope will guarantee his wife at least half of his civil service pension. [NY Sun]

Jim Larson has given a thorough overview of the neocons who've worked directly with the Bush administration, and in that examination of neocons and how their tight ship has become a traitorous ship of fools, Larson says:

When Mr. Franklin approached Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee with classified information, they were already under surveillance by the FBI. Caught red-handed, Mr. Franklin began to cooperate with the FBI.

Poverty: You Must See It to Fix It

Poverty: You Must See It to Fix It

Recognizing poverty in our own nation is an important step to fixing it, says anthropology student Meg Burd at the Rocky Mountain Collegian [Colorado State U]

Poverty often seems to be an issue swept under the rug...Poverty is present throughout the nation, and is not something we should ever let fade from our view.

See:
Winter Crisis Looms for the Poor in Iowa

Near-record-high gasoline prices, inevitable spikes in energy costs and out-of-state disasters pulling regular donations away from Iowa — these are the "indicators of doom" for the poor this winter, said Jerry McKim, who oversees the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. [Des Moines Register]

NOLA Poverty Changes Philly Doctor's Outlook

NOLA Poverty Changes Philly Doctor's Outlook

A doctor from Philadelphia who assisted in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina says:

"How can you spend a week helping a destitute father find shelter for his family, or a poor elderly woman manage her diabetes, and not come away with a feeling of urgency that things have to change? [..] And since it took Hurricane Katrina for many of us to realize that crushing poverty is alive and well in America - because we've stopped seeing the poverty in our own communities - maybe first-person volunteering in Louisiana would keep that realization fresh enough that we'd agitate for change back home....

If the problem is bad in New Orleans, you know it's probably just as bad in Philadelphia..." - Philadelphia Daily News