Mad Kane's delightful Kos-ditty is linked here.
Internet muse.
Daring, bold, never sold.
My daily weblog of politics, humor, philosophy...and a constant and nagging reminder of the existence of universal love....
Friday, April 09, 2004
Headlines
Houston Chronicle- Former President Carter takes president Bush to task: "President Bush's war was ill-advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be a tragedy."
Yahoo News- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says: "The lid of the pressure cooker has come off [in Iraq]. Some of the tensions and pressures which were there, and would have come out in any event, have to a degree been directed towards the coalition."
*My comment: To a degree!? How about the fullest degree? We knew this would come to pass..any fool would know. Why weren't we prepared? Why are we not involving the world community..the U.N? Who can look at the sutuation and truly say we have not been blunderous and foolish... with little regard for the lives and safety of coalition troops? We should have listened to General Shinseki.*
Russian Foreign Ministry report- Russia invoking Resolution 1483, adopted by the UN Security Council- They say the U.S.-led occupation forces should comply with international humanitarian law.
Houston Chronicle- Former President Carter takes president Bush to task: "President Bush's war was ill-advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be a tragedy."
Yahoo News- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says: "The lid of the pressure cooker has come off [in Iraq]. Some of the tensions and pressures which were there, and would have come out in any event, have to a degree been directed towards the coalition."
*My comment: To a degree!? How about the fullest degree? We knew this would come to pass..any fool would know. Why weren't we prepared? Why are we not involving the world community..the U.N? Who can look at the sutuation and truly say we have not been blunderous and foolish... with little regard for the lives and safety of coalition troops? We should have listened to General Shinseki.*
Russian Foreign Ministry report- Russia invoking Resolution 1483, adopted by the UN Security Council- They say the U.S.-led occupation forces should comply with international humanitarian law.
IF YOU'LL ONLY VOTE FOR US ONCE AGAIN.....
--Maybe we won't attack and take over more countries.
--Maybe we won't draft your kid into a chaotic mess of a war.
--Maybe we won't contribute more to the biggest deficit in history.
--Maybe we won't beat out an already-standing record for the most personal bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.
--Maybe Bush won't try to beat his standing all-time record for the most days on vacation by any president in US history.
--Maybe Bush won't beat the record for his own presiding over the worst security failire in US history.
--Maybe Bush won't beat his standing record for most campaign raising trips by an president in US history.
--Maybe we'll find the 2 million jobs Americans lost and stop the habit of cutting unemployment benefits (as we did for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history).
--Maybe Bush will allow press conferences freely (without Dick Cheney as a puppeteer).
--Maybe Bush will stop mocking the glorious strength of the U.S. Constitution and stop proposing unnecessary amendments to the Constitution (as he's done more than any other US president in history when there's a law he doesn't care for).
--Maybe we won't cut health-care benefits for war veterans.
--Maybe we won't give more reason for inciting people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest us. (Like those 15 million people in February, 2003)
--Maybe we won't dissolve more international treaties (are there any left, anyhow?)
--Maybe we won't continue the most secretive and unaccountable presidency of any in US history. What more do we have to prove? We've already "out-creeped" the Nixon presidency.
--Maybe we won't name another oil tanker after Condi.
--Maybe we won't directly bankrupt all 50 states.
--Maybe we won't listen to NeoCons and go off half-assed and order US attacks and military occupations of more sovereign nations.
--Maybe we'll stop rendering the entire U.N. irrelevant and actually show humility and respect toward other nations of the world. (you've got to admit, though, it was cool to have compelled the U.N. to remove the US from the Human Rights Commission and Elections Monitoring Board.)
--Maybe we'll admit we created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the U.S.
--Maybe we won't remove more checks and balances and stop the continuum of having the least congressional oversight of any presidential administration in US history.
--Maybe we'll recognize the World Court Of Law.
--Maybe we'll stop calling anti-war protesters "focus-groups" and recognize them as equals to monied lobbyists.
--Maybe, in the event we're attacked again, maybe Bush won't run and hide.
--Maybe we'll see how, even after the tragedy of 9-11, the U.S. got to be the most resented country in the
world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).
--Maybe we'll reverse Bush's systematic removal of more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.
--Maybe we'll truly heal our divided country because we see that as it stands now, we're the most divided since the Civil War.
THEN AGAIN.....MAYBE WE WON'T FEEL LIKE IT.
WE WON'T WORRY--WE HAVE DIEBOLD TO HELP US STEAL THE NEXT ELECTION.
SCREW YOU, LEFTIES AND LIBERTARIANS!
--Maybe we won't attack and take over more countries.
--Maybe we won't draft your kid into a chaotic mess of a war.
--Maybe we won't contribute more to the biggest deficit in history.
--Maybe we won't beat out an already-standing record for the most personal bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.
--Maybe Bush won't try to beat his standing all-time record for the most days on vacation by any president in US history.
--Maybe Bush won't beat the record for his own presiding over the worst security failire in US history.
--Maybe Bush won't beat his standing record for most campaign raising trips by an president in US history.
--Maybe we'll find the 2 million jobs Americans lost and stop the habit of cutting unemployment benefits (as we did for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history).
--Maybe Bush will allow press conferences freely (without Dick Cheney as a puppeteer).
--Maybe Bush will stop mocking the glorious strength of the U.S. Constitution and stop proposing unnecessary amendments to the Constitution (as he's done more than any other US president in history when there's a law he doesn't care for).
--Maybe we won't cut health-care benefits for war veterans.
--Maybe we won't give more reason for inciting people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest us. (Like those 15 million people in February, 2003)
--Maybe we won't dissolve more international treaties (are there any left, anyhow?)
--Maybe we won't continue the most secretive and unaccountable presidency of any in US history. What more do we have to prove? We've already "out-creeped" the Nixon presidency.
--Maybe we won't name another oil tanker after Condi.
--Maybe we won't directly bankrupt all 50 states.
--Maybe we won't listen to NeoCons and go off half-assed and order US attacks and military occupations of more sovereign nations.
--Maybe we'll stop rendering the entire U.N. irrelevant and actually show humility and respect toward other nations of the world. (you've got to admit, though, it was cool to have compelled the U.N. to remove the US from the Human Rights Commission and Elections Monitoring Board.)
--Maybe we'll admit we created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the U.S.
--Maybe we won't remove more checks and balances and stop the continuum of having the least congressional oversight of any presidential administration in US history.
--Maybe we'll recognize the World Court Of Law.
--Maybe we'll stop calling anti-war protesters "focus-groups" and recognize them as equals to monied lobbyists.
--Maybe, in the event we're attacked again, maybe Bush won't run and hide.
--Maybe we'll see how, even after the tragedy of 9-11, the U.S. got to be the most resented country in the
world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).
--Maybe we'll reverse Bush's systematic removal of more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.
--Maybe we'll truly heal our divided country because we see that as it stands now, we're the most divided since the Civil War.
THEN AGAIN.....MAYBE WE WON'T FEEL LIKE IT.
WE WON'T WORRY--WE HAVE DIEBOLD TO HELP US STEAL THE NEXT ELECTION.
SCREW YOU, LEFTIES AND LIBERTARIANS!
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Arianna loves the blogosphere!
Excerpts:
I've got a confession to make. I've got a big-time crush. I'm talking weak-in-the-knees infatuation. But it's not Brad or Orlando or Colin or any of the cinematic hunks du jour who have set my heart aflutter. No, it's Atrios and Kos and Josh Micah Marshall and Kausfiles and Kevin Drum and Wonkette. Bloggers all. Yes, when it comes to the blogosphere, I'm a regular cyberslut. And I don't care who knows it. Bring on the fines, Michael Powell!
...........When bloggers decide that something matters, they chomp down hard and refuse to let go. They're the true pit bulls of reporting. The only way to get them off a story is to cut off their heads (and even then you'll need to pry their jaws open). They almost all work alone, but, ironically, it's their collective effort that makes them so effective. They share their work freely, feed off one another's work, argue with each other, and add to the story dialectically.
And because blogs are ongoing and daily, indeed sometimes hourly, bloggers will often start with a small story, or a piece of one -- a contradictory quote, an unearthed document, a detail that doesn't add up -- that the big outlets would deem too minor. But it's only minor until, well, it's not. Big media can't see the forest for the trees. Until it's assembled for them by the bloggers...............
.............I also love the open nature of the form -- the links, the research made visible, the democratic back and forth, the open archives, the big professorial messiness of it all. It reminds me of my schoolgirl days when providing the right answer wasn't enough for our teachers -- they demanded that we "show our work." Bloggers definitely show their work. It's why you don't just read blogs -- you experience them.
All of which has made the blogosphere such a vital news source in our country -- and has made me besotted with blogs. It's a crush that I'm betting will quickly progress to going steady.
-Arianna Huffington / Salon On Line
Excerpts:
I've got a confession to make. I've got a big-time crush. I'm talking weak-in-the-knees infatuation. But it's not Brad or Orlando or Colin or any of the cinematic hunks du jour who have set my heart aflutter. No, it's Atrios and Kos and Josh Micah Marshall and Kausfiles and Kevin Drum and Wonkette. Bloggers all. Yes, when it comes to the blogosphere, I'm a regular cyberslut. And I don't care who knows it. Bring on the fines, Michael Powell!
...........When bloggers decide that something matters, they chomp down hard and refuse to let go. They're the true pit bulls of reporting. The only way to get them off a story is to cut off their heads (and even then you'll need to pry their jaws open). They almost all work alone, but, ironically, it's their collective effort that makes them so effective. They share their work freely, feed off one another's work, argue with each other, and add to the story dialectically.
And because blogs are ongoing and daily, indeed sometimes hourly, bloggers will often start with a small story, or a piece of one -- a contradictory quote, an unearthed document, a detail that doesn't add up -- that the big outlets would deem too minor. But it's only minor until, well, it's not. Big media can't see the forest for the trees. Until it's assembled for them by the bloggers...............
.............I also love the open nature of the form -- the links, the research made visible, the democratic back and forth, the open archives, the big professorial messiness of it all. It reminds me of my schoolgirl days when providing the right answer wasn't enough for our teachers -- they demanded that we "show our work." Bloggers definitely show their work. It's why you don't just read blogs -- you experience them.
All of which has made the blogosphere such a vital news source in our country -- and has made me besotted with blogs. It's a crush that I'm betting will quickly progress to going steady.
-Arianna Huffington / Salon On Line
Democracy Now
Iraqi citizens confused and terrified in Sadr City
Major Events in Iraq since the beginning of the war
Iraqi citizens confused and terrified in Sadr City
"... if you drive around Sadr City, you walk around Sadr City, you see posters everywhere......it would be almost difficult to imagine how many posters there are of Muqtada Sadr, and not just in Sadr City, in Shia neighborhoods all over Baghdad. I haven't been down south for a few weeks, but they're certainly also in the mostly Shia cells of Iraq. There's a considerable number of people who ...either support Muqtada... or they support Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the other senior religious leader here for the Shia, the most senior religious leader here for the Shia -- but they will say they condemn the [American] attacks which have been happening....and, you know, the Mehdi army has been -- people can see with their own eyes that they have been conducting exercises -- not with guns, mainly marching and -- because it's a religious festival here at the moment for 40 days, and they're often seen on the streets. We know they are well armed...."
--Michael Birmingham, currently in Iraq with the group Voices in the Wilderness
Major Events in Iraq since the beginning of the war
More bad news: Iraq's Interior Minister steps down
In an interview last month Iraqi Interior Minister Nuri Badran, who held one of the key internal security portfolios, had told Reuters he didn't believe his ministry was ready to take over responsibility for security after the 30 June handover in Iraq.
Today he quit.
In an interview last month Iraqi Interior Minister Nuri Badran, who held one of the key internal security portfolios, had told Reuters he didn't believe his ministry was ready to take over responsibility for security after the 30 June handover in Iraq.
Today he quit.
Clear Channel Drops Howard Stern
The FCC proposed $495,000 in indecency fines against Clear Channel Communications today for broadcasts by Howard Stern. Clear Channel dropped Howard. They can't have any of that tittie-talk.
Clear Channel loves those pro-war rallies, though.
The Dixie Chicks were unpatriotic whores who deserved to have their CDs burned and banned by Clear Channels.
The same folks who wouldn't allow DJs to play John Lennon's song "Imagine" on 9-11, held pro-Iraq-war rally after pro-Iraq-war rally.
Howard's response:
The FCC proposed $495,000 in indecency fines against Clear Channel Communications today for broadcasts by Howard Stern. Clear Channel dropped Howard. They can't have any of that tittie-talk.
Clear Channel loves those pro-war rallies, though.
The Dixie Chicks were unpatriotic whores who deserved to have their CDs burned and banned by Clear Channels.
The same folks who wouldn't allow DJs to play John Lennon's song "Imagine" on 9-11, held pro-Iraq-war rally after pro-Iraq-war rally.
Howard's response:
"This is not a surprise. This is a follow up to the McCarthy type "witch hunt" of the administration and the activities of this group of presidential appointees in the FCC, led by "Colin Powell Jr." and his band of players. They and others (a senator from Kansas City to a congresswoman from New Mexico) are expressing and imposing their opinions and rights to tell us all who and what we may listen to and watch and how we should think about our lives. So this is not a surprise. It is pretty shocking that governmental interference into our rights and free speech takes place in the U.S. It's hard to reconcile this with the "land of the free" and the "home of the brave". I'm sure what's next is the removal of "dirty pictures" like the 20th century German exhibit in a New York City Museum and the erotic literature in our libraries; they too will fall into their category of "evil" as well.
---Howard Stern, April 8th 2004
A quote to beat all current quotes
If you've seen this Harold Meyerson quote already, it may have been at Eschaton or Josh Marshall's Talking Points site. It's making the rounds. It's so true, though, that I just feel compelled to repeat it here...sweet and simple:
If you've seen this Harold Meyerson quote already, it may have been at Eschaton or Josh Marshall's Talking Points site. It's making the rounds. It's so true, though, that I just feel compelled to repeat it here...sweet and simple:
"The only unequivocally good policy option before the American people is to dump the president who got us into this mess, who had no trouble sending our young people to Iraq but who cannot steel himself to face the Sept. 11 commission alone."Speaking of Eschaton, I'm glad Atrios points to the suspicion that Howard Fineman's a bit of a whore. I hated the bandwagon denigrating he chirpingly joined to rip away at Howard Dean's integrity in the post-Yee-ha(!) days. Haven't trusted him since.
James Lileks on John Kerry, MTV, and Diplomacy
I love James Lileks' writing style. He's delightful to read, even if I disagree with his outlook on U.S. foreign policy much of the time. I got a charge out of his commentary about Sen. John Kerry's appearance on MTV. He provided his own imaginary Kerry replies and I sensed he was having plenty of fun with Kerry's real replies. I was particularly amused by this part:
We have bungled the Dick Cheney-Hearts-n-Roses/Hearts-n-Minds 2004 tour.
France has their great faults, but if you ask any Frenchman if he loves terror, I doubt you'd find many who'd admit it. If we can spread the greatness of our ideas with honey rather than bombs, I say why the heck not? We just might provide a new way for some of our U.N.-based totalitarian allies. (Totalitarian allies? Can you imagine? These are two words which sound scary together...but our example of humility-in-greatness could carry us a long way in diplomatic world influence.......the question is: are WE sincere?)
If our common challenges can be met by sipping tea, I've got to say it's a sweeter scenario than seeing babies and soldiers (our sons and daughters) with their limbs blown away and heads sheared off at the neck with no apparent strategy or honest reason for the war in which we're engaged. We should be on our knees by now begging those allies to take us back..like a sappy B-movie. Instead, our leaders' pride will cost more blood, more lives. France schmance. Stop being stupid. Tea's good. Pass the friggen tea. Let's get a solution with ourbest buddies' allies' help and involvement.
I love James Lileks' writing style. He's delightful to read, even if I disagree with his outlook on U.S. foreign policy much of the time. I got a charge out of his commentary about Sen. John Kerry's appearance on MTV. He provided his own imaginary Kerry replies and I sensed he was having plenty of fun with Kerry's real replies. I was particularly amused by this part:
MTV Question: "Any writers or musicians that you think would do a good job serving in office?"I really think James seems to be missing something essential in the following sequence of his rumninations:
Kerry's reply: Sure there are. Of course there are people, absolutely. I mean, I'll tell you. Carole King, who has been out campaigning for me hard in Iowa, New Hampshire and various places, is as knowledgeable about the issues as anybody I have ever seen.
About which James comments: Carole King. Carole King? Look, this doesn’t exactly connect with the MTV audience. This connects with the guys in the Obligatory Rectal Examination demographic, and they’re not watching MTV.
Kerry commented: This administration has been arrogant. I think they have been reckless. They have been overly ideological. They have pushed our allies away. I will bring our allies back to us.My first thoughts upon reading this were about the greater wisdom behind the action of re-engaging allies while sitting around the table. "Allies" don't mean the same as "trusted friends"...it means coalescing for the greater good for citizens of all involved nations. We do not approach the table as a model of perfection...how can we say that we have no vested governmental interest in Iraq...presently/in the past/future? If we're going to be Frank and Honest, then let's lay it all out. Not only are we imperfect..we're in a major jam over there in Iraq.
James comments: By “allies,” of course, he means Germany and France. And perhaps our deep long-standing ally Russia. Kerry’s statement indicates that either he doesn’t know about the French government’s vested financial interests in Iraq, or he does know and thinks we don’t. Or he dismisses the story as irrelevant to the larger goal: building a body of international resolve that will meet any challenge by sending diplomats to exchange Frank and Honest Views in conference rooms, with that nice lemon tea they serve. Do they use a zest, or a peel, or just run the lemon along the rim of the cup? Whatever they do, it’s quite delicious.
We have bungled the Dick Cheney-Hearts-n-Roses/Hearts-n-Minds 2004 tour.
France has their great faults, but if you ask any Frenchman if he loves terror, I doubt you'd find many who'd admit it. If we can spread the greatness of our ideas with honey rather than bombs, I say why the heck not? We just might provide a new way for some of our U.N.-based totalitarian allies. (Totalitarian allies? Can you imagine? These are two words which sound scary together...but our example of humility-in-greatness could carry us a long way in diplomatic world influence.......the question is: are WE sincere?)
If our common challenges can be met by sipping tea, I've got to say it's a sweeter scenario than seeing babies and soldiers (our sons and daughters) with their limbs blown away and heads sheared off at the neck with no apparent strategy or honest reason for the war in which we're engaged. We should be on our knees by now begging those allies to take us back..like a sappy B-movie. Instead, our leaders' pride will cost more blood, more lives. France schmance. Stop being stupid. Tea's good. Pass the friggen tea. Let's get a solution with our
Thomas Friedman-
once again a bitter disappointment
*I'm an optimist, honestly! Alas, reality prevails.*
once again a bitter disappointment
"...Iraqi "insurgents" opposing the U.S. today cannot plausibly claim to be the authentic expressions of Iraqi nationalism.."Bullshite, they can't. Unless the smothering of the Chalbi nationalists combined with the overwhelming force of American military dominance (and Thomas Friedman) TELL the Shia they have no right to express their 'Iraqi-ness' or stake their claim as citizens in a democracy. Just wait until the reality of popular Iraqi opinion steamrolls over Mr. Friedman's opinion. It may not be heard in stacked polls. It will be heard in Viet Nam-esque battles to come. Hello? We bombed a mosque yesterday. Sunni or Shia..bombing a mosque (whether being used as shelter for insurgents or not/whether it was "just a compound wall" or not) is the one rare thing that will bring Sunni and Shia together in a common cause. Billmon mentioned Friedman "picked a really bad day to stop taking his thorazine". I couldn't have said it better. I think Mr. Friedman may have the Utopia in his head confused with the fact that we've already lost the hearts and minds of the Shia in Iraq. And it's only going to get worse from here.
--Thomas Friedman
*I'm an optimist, honestly! Alas, reality prevails.*
You've Got to love that Jimmy Breslin!
"Always, I wonder how the poor readers get through these books by bone conservatives. Conservatives cannot write. Yet they sell many books. I am always glad when a writer can make $40 on a book. But I'm shocked at their sentences. I intend to give the National Book Award to a reader...."
"Always, I wonder how the poor readers get through these books by bone conservatives. Conservatives cannot write. Yet they sell many books. I am always glad when a writer can make $40 on a book. But I'm shocked at their sentences. I intend to give the National Book Award to a reader...."
George W. Bush FAILED War President
No Lincoln No Roosevelt No Eisenhower No Truman No natural curiosity No Intuition No news-reader No effective pretzel-chewer
No Nuthin'
Elect him again and hide your sons and your daughters in the closet, because the failed WAR PRESIDENT will be coming for them. He's got more 'terr-ists' to bring to justice. He needs to bring them on. He will need our kids to do it. I am sick about what he's already done to our trusting and loyal troops. This Iraq war is wrong, wrong....and either the administration is LYING about representing these Shia uprisings as "minority factions" or they're just plain incompetent! Either way, we cannot trust them with our sons (or daughters). In my opinion, we need a leader we can trust. I recently heard it said that backbone isn't a transplantable organ...and Howard Dean brought the spirit of his own backbone to Democratic politics. I am still shocked that our Democrats allowed Bush to carry out this Iraq war. They dropped the ball. Dean brought conscience and courage back to the discussion. I'm watching Kerry. He voted for the Iraq resolution. It was irresponsible...and most Democrats did it. They also let our Constitution be weakend these past three years. Awful lessons have been learned. I believe, if we don't shift leadership, the future of America's democracy may be destroyed and our world standing will be framed in a state of mockery. A one-party state will emerge. So can we trust Democrats to turn it around? I think it's our only choice. I believe it will be the most truly patriotic choice. If our children are tapped to serve our good nation, let it be for an honest, transparently clear, intelligently upright cause! I trust John Kerry is a man of courage (consider what he did in Viet Nam) and conviction (look at what he did when he returned from Viet Nam). I'm hoping he and the Democratic party find a way to convey that to greater America.
No Lincoln No Roosevelt No Eisenhower No Truman No natural curiosity No Intuition No news-reader No effective pretzel-chewer
No Nuthin'
Elect him again and hide your sons and your daughters in the closet, because the failed WAR PRESIDENT will be coming for them. He's got more 'terr-ists' to bring to justice. He needs to bring them on. He will need our kids to do it. I am sick about what he's already done to our trusting and loyal troops. This Iraq war is wrong, wrong....and either the administration is LYING about representing these Shia uprisings as "minority factions" or they're just plain incompetent! Either way, we cannot trust them with our sons (or daughters). In my opinion, we need a leader we can trust. I recently heard it said that backbone isn't a transplantable organ...and Howard Dean brought the spirit of his own backbone to Democratic politics. I am still shocked that our Democrats allowed Bush to carry out this Iraq war. They dropped the ball. Dean brought conscience and courage back to the discussion. I'm watching Kerry. He voted for the Iraq resolution. It was irresponsible...and most Democrats did it. They also let our Constitution be weakend these past three years. Awful lessons have been learned. I believe, if we don't shift leadership, the future of America's democracy may be destroyed and our world standing will be framed in a state of mockery. A one-party state will emerge. So can we trust Democrats to turn it around? I think it's our only choice. I believe it will be the most truly patriotic choice. If our children are tapped to serve our good nation, let it be for an honest, transparently clear, intelligently upright cause! I trust John Kerry is a man of courage (consider what he did in Viet Nam) and conviction (look at what he did when he returned from Viet Nam). I'm hoping he and the Democratic party find a way to convey that to greater America.
Today's tesimony from Rice was filled with filibustering spin and quick blame-casting...no humility, no accountability, no responsibility, no apology. Richard Clarke was not afraid to express his apology to the 9-11 families. It was the most powerful moment of the 9-11 hearings. It was also a political salvo...and could have been a great opportunity for Rice. Condi's greatest mistake today was not having the emotional intelligence to politically match or neutralize that powerful statement. One panel member, Thompson, acknowleged and confirmed that the Bush administration is at war with the people of the United States when he said that the Bush administration was not "retreating or surrendering" by Condi's appearance. What is that supposed to mean? This woman works for us..the people of the United States. 3000 Americans died on her watch. This administration's blatant hostility to citizens who resist their cultism is going to lose them the next election. (If the realization that Iraq was the biggest blunder in American history doesn't lose it for them first).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, May 16, 2002
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US."
- CIA's August 6, 2001 briefing memo to President George W Bush
*Condi says this was "only a historical document" and not a warning. As if that matters in the least.*
"I don't think anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon, that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile."
- Condi Rice, May 16, 2002 press conference
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...reading Condoleezza Rice where she said, 'we had no specific information whatsoever of domestic threat or that they might use airplanes'... That's an outrageous lie! And documents can prove it's a lie."
--Sibel Edmonds, former FBI wiretap translator
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
President Bush: Show some humility! If you truly love our troops, go to the U.N. now. If you can't do it, then bring our troops home!
*please note, in this article, that it is the Republican senators making public political mud for the U.N. at a time when our troops need the good-faith support of the world. This partisan mudslinging for the cult of the Bush foreign policy is not American, not patriotic, and not in good faith for our most precious commodity...our troops. Wake the hell up, Senator Lugar!*
Fierce street battles are raging in Falluja between resistance fighters defending the town and US occupation forces.
It's not for the faint of heart, but look at the photo feature on the right when you go to this article.
Please read Juan Cole's summary. I promise you'll learn a lot.
Some of our soldiers may be captured per this report. We don't know nowadays..it may be private security personnel, too. There's no way for us to know unless we're told directly by our government. (Fat chance).
The title of this article is: 'US may need to delay Iraqi power transfer'. Considering we don't have a friggen clue as to WHO the "power" will be turned over to, I guess that's a good idea.
When 40 people are killed inside a mosque by our forces, we've lost the hearts and the minds. You know we have. Stop fooling yourselves! This report states that "in the third day of a battle to pacify (that's an all-too-familiar Viet Nam-era code word) this Sunni Muslim city fired rockets that hit a mosque compound Wednesday, and witnesses said as many as 40 people were killed.... The strike came as worshippers had gathered for afternoon prayers...."
Al Jazeera has a video of the situation.
Paul Findley, WWII vet and former Republican Congressman from Illinois, says he believes President Bush’s decision to initiate war on Iraq will be the greatest and most costly blunder in American history.
Is Iraq like Viet Nam? Many people are comparing/contrasting.
Australians are losing their taste for this war. Australia's opposition leader Mark Latham's recent statements show there's a bruising debate over when to bring Australian troops home from Iraq.
Here's an article worth reading. From the Asia Times, it discusses the unreality of the June 30th handover date.
Bush is hoping to stem the tide of deleterious spillover effects from his decision to invade Iraq for his prospects of reelection. But the Middle East has proven through centuries that it operates purely on the basis of its own logic, or, as some say, the lack thereof.The Pentagon said today that there will soon be a big increase in the number of American troops in Iraq to quell the violence there. McCain and Biden are hawking for it. I remember McCain hawking for ground troops in Kosovo in 1999, which would have been disastrous. God, what are they getting our troops into? Senator Robert Byrd seems to be one of the few with conscience, memory, and true wisdom:
"Surely I am not the only one who hears echoes of Vietnam in this development. Surely, the administration recognizes that increasing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq will only suck us deeper into the maelstrom of violence that has become the hallmark of that unfortunate country. Starkly put, at this juncture, more U.S. forces in Iraq equates more U.S. targets in Iraq."The Reverend Jesse Jackson says: We all pay for Bush's mistakes.
--Sen. Robert Byrd
Jonathan Schell speaks to Syracuse audience
Jonathan Schell spoke to a welcoming crowd at May Memorial church in Syracuse last night. He blasted away the flimsy facade of semantics used by the Bush administration to make this war in Iraq patriotically palatable.
He used some of senior civilian administrator Paul Bremer's own words [this is not exact]-"Today, in the new Iraq, the power should not be with the guy who's got the guns." This sounded rather silly when you really thought about it. I mean, who's got the biggest guns, really?
As in his new book The Unconquerable World, Mr. Schell made the point that the lesson of the last two centuries is that all people of the globe refuse to be ruled from afar-imperially. People do not like to be taken over by other countries and ruled. It's mere folly to believe people want to be occupied or will long stand for occupation. He gave an example. You knock at someone's door and tell them you have a gift for them. They say they don't want it and slam the door. You try again. They slam the door harder. Do you bomb them to get them to accept your gift? (Think of the basics..all you learned in Kindergarten, my friends).
Mr. Schell spoke of how Bush's foreign policy move toward imperialism is bound to fail for historical reasons and pointed out the terrible cost both in the U.S. and around the world. Empire is the embodiment of force. It's bound to backfire. No supporter of freedom can support it. Mr. Schell pointed out that imperialism is especially contrary to the founding principles of our nation. Making force the mainstay of our foreign policy is our biggest mistake. Coercion over cooperation/force over peace...these policies have never shown success over time. Empires have gone under the way throughout history. He used James Madison's words:
He intimated that Iraq is a mistake that will be hard to morally correct. As he said in his article titled "The Importance of Losing the War":
Jonathan Schell spoke to a welcoming crowd at May Memorial church in Syracuse last night. He blasted away the flimsy facade of semantics used by the Bush administration to make this war in Iraq patriotically palatable.
He used some of senior civilian administrator Paul Bremer's own words [this is not exact]-"Today, in the new Iraq, the power should not be with the guy who's got the guns." This sounded rather silly when you really thought about it. I mean, who's got the biggest guns, really?
As in his new book The Unconquerable World, Mr. Schell made the point that the lesson of the last two centuries is that all people of the globe refuse to be ruled from afar-imperially. People do not like to be taken over by other countries and ruled. It's mere folly to believe people want to be occupied or will long stand for occupation. He gave an example. You knock at someone's door and tell them you have a gift for them. They say they don't want it and slam the door. You try again. They slam the door harder. Do you bomb them to get them to accept your gift? (Think of the basics..all you learned in Kindergarten, my friends).
Mr. Schell spoke of how Bush's foreign policy move toward imperialism is bound to fail for historical reasons and pointed out the terrible cost both in the U.S. and around the world. Empire is the embodiment of force. It's bound to backfire. No supporter of freedom can support it. Mr. Schell pointed out that imperialism is especially contrary to the founding principles of our nation. Making force the mainstay of our foreign policy is our biggest mistake. Coercion over cooperation/force over peace...these policies have never shown success over time. Empires have gone under the way throughout history. He used James Madison's words:
The veteran legions of Rome were an overmatch for the undisciplined valour of all other nations, and rendered her mistress of the world.He noted that the Bush administration and their chosen group of thinkers (ie: the Project for a New American Century) are extremely radical and revolutionary in their desire to see regime-change (an anodyne...a numbing word for violence brought upon a people) with absolute miltary dominance. He invoked the words of John Hobson:
It is partly the dupery of imperfectly realised ideas, partly a case of psychical departmentalism. Imperialism has been floated on a sea of vague, shifty, well-sounding phrases which are seldom tested by close contact with fact.As in his Tikkun article titled Power and Cooperation, Mr. Schell stated that the United States has greatly overestimated the usefulness of force and hugely underestimated the usefulness of forms of action that do not employ violence. He spoke of Ghandi's success in non-violence-based activism. He raised the belief that al-Sistani's collecting of 10,000 Iraqi signatures of protest by petition is far more democratically and politically productive in its effects than the violent anarchy we're seeing.
He intimated that Iraq is a mistake that will be hard to morally correct. As he said in his article titled "The Importance of Losing the War":
The United States must learn to lose this war-- a harder task, in many ways, than winning, for it requires admitting mistakes and relinquishing attractive fantasies. This is the true moral mission of our time..
When Bloggers Attack
At Reason, Julian Sanchez writes an article about the Daily Kos situation. He asks:
Blogging has been fun...but it's also been important in keeping our leaders honest by displaying thoughts of the people where they could not before be heard...or hidden. Turning up the volume of democracy has been blogging's greatest gift to America. I don't think we've yet seen the true and full effect of people like Kos and Atrios and Instapundit. They've been a wonderful inspiration to others out here. They've made headway by popping a pin-hole in the mainstream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't usually speak this way, so let my "outrage" be known. I firmly believe the person who came up with the following headline is an ignorant a*shole.
From FrontPageMag.com: "Democrats Cheer Falluja Outrage"
I swear these days (no pun intended), there is a cult of Bushism and all the foreign policy trimmings that come with Bushism. These are not patriotic Americans, my friends. They wish to put a trap on your yap. We citizens have a right to question the use of privately paid warriors in any way we choose without fear of censorship or the intimidation of self-censorship. Freedom is far more precious and meaningful than a nagging worry about being politically appropriate. F*ck the advertising money. Everything in America doesn't have to be about "what's in it for me".
Some people simply have a burning lust for truth and American patriotism that demands such truth.
The world is changing on these cultists and the harsh language and frustrated sarcasm of their ideological enemy is all they have to fight against. It's decidedly pitiful and nearly hilarious. I'd laugh if my heart wasn't broken over the lies, violence, death, destruction, chaos, anarchy in Iraq. The truth is going to betray their every move from here on in. One thing about the technology of blogging...you can read and decide for yourself. The cultists hate that. They are pushing for censorship.Screw themTo heck with them.
At Reason, Julian Sanchez writes an article about the Daily Kos situation. He asks:
Now that it's possible for bloggers to make it big, will the most ambitious of them rein in the very un-journalistic recklessness that made the form so much fun to begin with? More importantly, will the potential political leverage provided by the link between politicians and bloggers give partisans even more reason to ensure that every molehill grows to Everest-like proportions?It reminded me of my own statement on Monday: "If politicians wish to distance themselves from the bloggers, then let them do so. The same goes for advertisers. My hope is that Kos would not let the loss of a few bucks break his honesty. I think the most important thing is being unencumbered to freely speak."
Blogging has been fun...but it's also been important in keeping our leaders honest by displaying thoughts of the people where they could not before be heard...or hidden. Turning up the volume of democracy has been blogging's greatest gift to America. I don't think we've yet seen the true and full effect of people like Kos and Atrios and Instapundit. They've been a wonderful inspiration to others out here. They've made headway by popping a pin-hole in the mainstream.
I don't usually speak this way, so let my "outrage" be known. I firmly believe the person who came up with the following headline is an ignorant a*shole.
From FrontPageMag.com: "Democrats Cheer Falluja Outrage"
I swear these days (no pun intended), there is a cult of Bushism and all the foreign policy trimmings that come with Bushism. These are not patriotic Americans, my friends. They wish to put a trap on your yap. We citizens have a right to question the use of privately paid warriors in any way we choose without fear of censorship or the intimidation of self-censorship. Freedom is far more precious and meaningful than a nagging worry about being politically appropriate. F*ck the advertising money. Everything in America doesn't have to be about "what's in it for me".
Some people simply have a burning lust for truth and American patriotism that demands such truth.
The world is changing on these cultists and the harsh language and frustrated sarcasm of their ideological enemy is all they have to fight against. It's decidedly pitiful and nearly hilarious. I'd laugh if my heart wasn't broken over the lies, violence, death, destruction, chaos, anarchy in Iraq. The truth is going to betray their every move from here on in. One thing about the technology of blogging...you can read and decide for yourself. The cultists hate that. They are pushing for censorship.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Dear God- I pray this is not true
Update: I don't think it was accurate. For me, Sky News has taken a dive in the credibility department.
Update: I don't think it was accurate. For me, Sky News has taken a dive in the credibility department.
Today in History...
"Now many a pretty maid did mourn
A lover who'll no more return;
The cruel war has from her torn;
His body lies at Shiloh."
--From the folksong "The Battle of Shiloh," collected by Cecil Sharp from the singing of Philander Fitzgerald of Nash, Virginia
"...In the early dawn of April 6, 1862, a Yankee patrol found the Confederates poised for battle just a mile from the main Union army. Johnston attacked, driving the surprised bluecoats back near a small church called Shiloh, meaning "place of peace."
"Now many a pretty maid did mourn
A lover who'll no more return;
The cruel war has from her torn;
His body lies at Shiloh."
--From the folksong "The Battle of Shiloh," collected by Cecil Sharp from the singing of Philander Fitzgerald of Nash, Virginia
"...In the early dawn of April 6, 1862, a Yankee patrol found the Confederates poised for battle just a mile from the main Union army. Johnston attacked, driving the surprised bluecoats back near a small church called Shiloh, meaning "place of peace."
Headlines
The Nation- The Empire Backfires by Jonathan Schell
NY Times - The Mercury Scandal by Paul Krugman
United Press International - Medical evacuations in Iraq war hit 18,000 by Mark Benjamin
Eric Margolis- Bush And The Uzbek Communists; Uzbekistan plays a key role in White House plans; Bush cites Saddam's torture chambers and rape rooms while ignoring the horrors in Uzbekistan.
Globe and Mail- Uzbekistan: Terrorism's Next Big Trigger by Nicole Jackson
Washington Post- ..What is so perturbing about this administration is not that no one of note has resigned or been fired -- and some of them certainty deserve the ax -- but that there is not the slightest hint that anyone (except Colin Powell) appreciates that mistakes were made not out of sheer bad luck but because the assumptions, driven by ideology, were so bad.- Richard Cohen
The Oregonian - Nader fails to qualify for the Oregon ballot-by Jeff Mapes
CNN - Kerry to campaign in Ohio: Bush should be 'less ideological and more practical'
AOL News - Poll Says Bush Is Losing Support on Iraq: Public approval of President Bush's handling of Iraq has slipped to a new low - alongside his overall job rating - after last week's grisly deaths of four contractors in Fallujah, a poll says by Will Lester
Boston Globe - Kennedy likens Bush to Nixon: 'Credibility gap' is called largest since Watergate by Thomas Ferraro
AP: Howard Dean quote: "The only way to send President Bush back to Crawford, Texas, is to vote for John Kerry because, unfortunately, a vote for Ralph Nader is the same as a vote for George Bush."
USA Today: Nine-term congressman Amo Houghton [(R)-Upstate NY] to retire. Houghton quote: "I would like to make sure the Republican Party is centered. We veered too much to the right. We've always had this problem."
---------------------------------------------
Iraq, 'the War on Terror' and the 9/11 commission
Toronto Star: An overwhelming U.S. "pacification" of Fallujah will only make future Al Qaeda recruitment drives easier.
-----------------------------------------------
NY Times - Kufa: An Incendiary Cleric Braces His Militia for an Invasion by Jeffrey Gettleman
-----------------------------------------------
CAP: Detailed Timeline of Administration Statements On National Security [pdf]
*From January 20 to September 10, 2001, Al Qaeda Mentioned Only Once*
-----------------------------------------------
CAP: 9-11- Something to Hide
-----------------------------------------------
The Future of Freedom Foundation - Resisting the Occupation (“Liberation”) of Iraq by Jacob G. Hornberger
---------------------------------------------
Washington Post: Rule of Law In Iraq- Justice inaction emboldens the insurgents, who know that unless they are killed while being apprehended, the worst that will happen to them is detention, which demoralizes law-abiding Iraqis. - By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
----------------------------------------------
BBC News - Heavy fighting in sealed Falluja
---------------------------------------------
San Diego.com: Mistake in Iraq hard to correct- Under Bush, we are to Iraq as B'rer Rabbit is to the Tar Baby.
---------------------------------------------
Guerrilla News Network - Guerrilla of the Week: Raed Jarrar, The Baghdad blogger who warned this day would come
---------------------------------------------
*The sky may not be falling, but the Shia are rising up furiously*
National Review - Sadr Signs: The sky is not falling by Michael Rubin
---------------------------------------------
BBC News - US considers Iraq reinforcements
---------------------------------------------
American Prospect - Collateral Damage: Why the real harm done by Bush's Iraq policy is found in Afghanistan by Matthew Yglesias
---------------------------------------------
BBC News - Chemical 'bomb plot' in UK foiled
---------------------------------------------
*The writer fails to talk about America's complicity (direct or indirect) in creating a great many of the mass graves.*
The Weekly Standard - Bodies of Evidence: Mass graves will show that the United States was justified in liberating Iraq by Terry Eastland
---------------------------------------------
Other Articles
NY Times: Sharon Hints He Has Dropped Vow Not to Harm Arafat
---------------------------------------------
ENN News - Federal plan announces transportation of nation's nuclear waste across New Mexico by rail
---------------------------------------------
The American Conservative - Suicide by Free Trade by Pat Buchanan
---------------------------------------------
The Nation- The Empire Backfires by Jonathan Schell
NY Times - The Mercury Scandal by Paul Krugman
United Press International - Medical evacuations in Iraq war hit 18,000 by Mark Benjamin
Eric Margolis- Bush And The Uzbek Communists; Uzbekistan plays a key role in White House plans; Bush cites Saddam's torture chambers and rape rooms while ignoring the horrors in Uzbekistan.
Globe and Mail- Uzbekistan: Terrorism's Next Big Trigger by Nicole Jackson
Washington Post- ..What is so perturbing about this administration is not that no one of note has resigned or been fired -- and some of them certainty deserve the ax -- but that there is not the slightest hint that anyone (except Colin Powell) appreciates that mistakes were made not out of sheer bad luck but because the assumptions, driven by ideology, were so bad.- Richard Cohen
The Oregonian - Nader fails to qualify for the Oregon ballot-by Jeff Mapes
CNN - Kerry to campaign in Ohio: Bush should be 'less ideological and more practical'
AOL News - Poll Says Bush Is Losing Support on Iraq: Public approval of President Bush's handling of Iraq has slipped to a new low - alongside his overall job rating - after last week's grisly deaths of four contractors in Fallujah, a poll says by Will Lester
Boston Globe - Kennedy likens Bush to Nixon: 'Credibility gap' is called largest since Watergate by Thomas Ferraro
AP: Howard Dean quote: "The only way to send President Bush back to Crawford, Texas, is to vote for John Kerry because, unfortunately, a vote for Ralph Nader is the same as a vote for George Bush."
USA Today: Nine-term congressman Amo Houghton [(R)-Upstate NY] to retire. Houghton quote: "I would like to make sure the Republican Party is centered. We veered too much to the right. We've always had this problem."
---------------------------------------------
Iraq, 'the War on Terror' and the 9/11 commission
Toronto Star: An overwhelming U.S. "pacification" of Fallujah will only make future Al Qaeda recruitment drives easier.
-----------------------------------------------
NY Times - Kufa: An Incendiary Cleric Braces His Militia for an Invasion by Jeffrey Gettleman
-----------------------------------------------
CAP: Detailed Timeline of Administration Statements On National Security [pdf]
*From January 20 to September 10, 2001, Al Qaeda Mentioned Only Once*
-----------------------------------------------
CAP: 9-11- Something to Hide
-----------------------------------------------
The Future of Freedom Foundation - Resisting the Occupation (“Liberation”) of Iraq by Jacob G. Hornberger
---------------------------------------------
Washington Post: Rule of Law In Iraq- Justice inaction emboldens the insurgents, who know that unless they are killed while being apprehended, the worst that will happen to them is detention, which demoralizes law-abiding Iraqis. - By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
----------------------------------------------
BBC News - Heavy fighting in sealed Falluja
---------------------------------------------
San Diego.com: Mistake in Iraq hard to correct- Under Bush, we are to Iraq as B'rer Rabbit is to the Tar Baby.
---------------------------------------------
Guerrilla News Network - Guerrilla of the Week: Raed Jarrar, The Baghdad blogger who warned this day would come
---------------------------------------------
*The sky may not be falling, but the Shia are rising up furiously*
National Review - Sadr Signs: The sky is not falling by Michael Rubin
---------------------------------------------
BBC News - US considers Iraq reinforcements
---------------------------------------------
American Prospect - Collateral Damage: Why the real harm done by Bush's Iraq policy is found in Afghanistan by Matthew Yglesias
---------------------------------------------
BBC News - Chemical 'bomb plot' in UK foiled
---------------------------------------------
*The writer fails to talk about America's complicity (direct or indirect) in creating a great many of the mass graves.*
The Weekly Standard - Bodies of Evidence: Mass graves will show that the United States was justified in liberating Iraq by Terry Eastland
---------------------------------------------
Other Articles
NY Times: Sharon Hints He Has Dropped Vow Not to Harm Arafat
---------------------------------------------
ENN News - Federal plan announces transportation of nation's nuclear waste across New Mexico by rail
---------------------------------------------
The American Conservative - Suicide by Free Trade by Pat Buchanan
---------------------------------------------
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