Vaughn Ververs gets weird on us

Vaughn Ververs gets weird on us

The National Journal's Vaughn Ververs' recent commentary has me concerned and I am beginning to question CSPAN's reliance on him as a regular, credible source of reliable and open information. I plan to make CSPAN aware of this and I think you may want to drop them a line as well.

First, he sings the praises of William Safire, while portraying Maureen Dowd as the forked-tongued redheaded she-devil who will have nowhere to turn now that she allegedly cannot effectively throw her Satan-darts and laser-beams-from-Hell at the Bush administration.

Demeanor, style, and tone should have nothing to do with the future effectiveness of an individual journalist's sharing of core ideas, nor should it reflect upon their capacity to generate interest and/or produce resulting (necessary) civic dialogue, especially in the light of a divided America (a fact so many of these totally unrealistic media folk desire to ignore).

I can't help but wonder which flavor of Koolaid Ververs has been sampling.

Slap-slap-slap. Wake up, Vaughn Ververs!

Ververs also suggests that exit poll data be kept a total secret in future elections.

"So here's our suggestion for the next election: Share all the demographic and issue breakdowns. Go crazy telling people that 49 percent of NASCAR dads who think that gay marriage should be allowed voted for Candidate X. But keep those horse-race numbers out of the hands of all but a handful of National Election Pool officials. Do not share them with news anchors, reporters, producers or anyone else.

That idea really gives me the creeps. It should give you the creeps, too. If it doesn't, there's something wrong with your sense of what it means to live in an open society with an allegedly free press.

I'm writing to CSPAN today. Please, join me.

Watch 'Mr. Smith' Die

"Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties...it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again!"

--Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith

Watch 'Mr. Smith' Die

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington will soon be rendered a quaint, obsolete democratic tale of sheer fantasy, for it will no longer be possible for one American to dare to dream of effecting change in our nation's Capitol.

From today's NYT:

"Senator Trent Lott, the Mississippi Republican who is chairman of the Rules Committee, has been among the Republicans who have also suggested that the Republicans try to win a change by seeking a ruling from the chairman, a position that a Republican would hold, that filibusters against executive nominations are unconstitutional. A favorable ruling would require just a majority to uphold.

Some Republicans have been reluctant to try that maneuver. They call it the nuclear option, because it could come back to haunt them if they are in the minority. Democrats have also threatened to tie up the Senate in knots if they lose their right to filibuster in that manner.

"To implement it would make the last Congress look like a bipartisan tea party," Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat who is on the Judiciary Committee, said. "For the sake of country and some degree of comity, I would hope and pray that the majority leader would not take away the Senate's time-honored, 200-year-old tradition."

As Mr. Smith dies, so dies American democracy.

How easily are you willing to allow that to happen?

Veterans Day

"Wheel of Misfortune", a classic example of the "OK, we did our job, now get us the hell home" attitude that settled in after a while during Operation Desert Storm.

Veterans Day

I wasn't sure what to do here at Iddybud to honor veterans on Veteran's Day.

I watched the film "Three Kings" this morning. It reminded me of Operation Desert Storm. I pulled out some old letters from family members serving in the first Gulf War.

I chose part of one letter to share with you, not to evoke some wild emotion in you, but so that you may simply appreciate the everyday life of a soldier serving his country at a time of war. He could be you, he could be me. He could be your son, your brother, your Dad, your lover. Maybe he's there because he loves his country. Maybe he's there because it's simply his duty. Maybe he wants to be there. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he agrees with his Commander in chief. Maybe he thinks the Commander in chief is wrong. He won't publically say, as a rule. But, rest assured, that soldier has his private opinion, and he's going to let his family and friends know about it. He may do courageous things, but he never planned on being a hero. He's human. He's trusting. He's loyal. He's brave in the face of danger he never thought he'd have to face. He deserves a Commander in chief who truly and humbly understands what the soldier's life is worth to him and to those who love him. (Or her, I do not forget our women who serve).

24 Nov 1990
Letter from APS/Soldier serving in Kuwait


Things are pitifully the same. Last week, a helicopter pilot was sitting in his chopper on the runway, surrounded by other helicopters and people, doing a maintenance check on his equipment. I guess he pushed a red button by mistake and he launched a HELLFIRE MISSILE - it shot about a mile just above the ground - didn't hit anything - and blew up an Air Force Ammunition Supply Point! Believe it or not, nobody was even hurt.

In the last week, we've had one soldier who shot himself in the leg with his rifle - another stabbed himself in the chest. I could never imagine doing anything like that. NEVER! Now, I may sock someone in the chops if I really wanted to get back to the States. (A general, maybe :)

Two of my latest/greatest statements have been:

A. If something doesn't happen soon I'm gonna "wack out".

B. After getting chewed out for not having my hat on when I was supposed to, I imagined saying to the superior, "You know, in the big overall scene of my life, you don't amount to very much."

With that, I'll end this note. I miss you a lot. Write soon.

Love,
John

p.s. Just found out Jay Leno is going to be here in a couple hours. I won't see him since I'm working. :(

Vets- thanks for all you do and all you've done.
You are honored, loved, and deeply appreciated.

The Wise Sy Hersh says....

The Wise Sy Hersh says....

When the experienced and wise Seymour Hersh speaks, we listen. A Daily Kos diarist, leftwingnut, attended a speech given by Mr. Hersh at Iowa State last night. Here are some of his main talking points:

• Our democracy is fragile and easily tilted in another direction. He didn't mention the "F" word, instead referencing an "-ism."

• We are dropping more bombs in Iraq since 6/28 (the installation of Allawi) than before. This is a bad sign that things are not moving in the right direction.

• The same false logic that operated during Vietnam, that we have to destroy the village in order to save it is motivating the current drive on Fallujah.

• It is Kurdish Army units fighting alongside U.S. troops in Iraq, not trained Iraqi Army troops, as the media has reported.

• We are not fighting an insurgency, we are fighting the Baathist elements who melted away during the early phase of the invasion and are now operating in cells of 5-15 all over the country.

• Guantanamo is going to be a stain on U.S. history, like the Andersonville prison from the Civil War era.

• The terrorist bad seeds from Fallujah are now back in Samarra, which we "secured" weeks ago. And so the game will continue...

• Putin is playing games in the region, probably helping Iran nuclearize. Now that Bush has been "re-elected," the EU may take collective action. And whether they do or don't, expect European citizens, who really hate Bush, to take it out on U.S. companies like Ford, EuroDisney, etc. Hersh thinks the EU might attempt to become an interlocuter in the Israel-Palestine conflict because the U.S. has failed in this role under Bush.

• Nobody in the military believes they can speak out for fear of retribution. There is wide agreement among the branches of the service that Iraq is a lost cause, but no one wants to tell the President.

• The press corps has totally turned into Bush bootlickers. Start reading the Financial Times of London and Israeli daily Haaretz to get your news about what is really going on in the Middle East.

• There is wide agreement among the military that you don't use torture against hardened terrorists because they are quite willing to die for their cause, and it doesn't work--you just get disinformation. You also don't do to them what we don't want done to us.

Mullah Dobson: Norwegians Destroying Planet Earth!

Mullah Dobson: Norwegians Destroying Planet Earth!


Josh Marshall shows us how Mullah Dobson fills his following fundamentalists with fear. [Those wicked 'Wegians!]

Beat a child for Jesus and Mullah Dob.

Radical Cleric Pat Robertson:
A woman's search for equal rights turns her into a killer witch commie lesbo sinner from Hell

Obey, she-devil, obey!

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

Blumenthal: The lowest ignorance takes charge
Having helped Bush to office, the religious right is exerting its power

(*A group associated with the radical cleric Pat Robertson advised 45,000 churches how to work for Bush's re-election.)

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts

One of the best Thomas Friedman columns I've read is in today's NY Times. With clarity, he asks relevant, common-sense questions about the war in Iraq.

The new Third Way Democrat's movement sounds like a surefire way to kill off newfound excitement among new, young Democratic voters, who are the face of our future. A 48% minority in America is no excuse for the Democratic party to move further from the base. I smell the prospect of more rotting away of an already-decaying party. How do you tell them they're taking a wrong turn - how do you tell them they are handing Grover Norquist and Karl Rove assured victory in 2008? I'm not sure how you can get it through their thick Republican lite noggins, all I know is that we'd damned well better do it soon.

Frank Rich raises a very important question in his column:

"Prime time was bestowed upon the three biggest stars in post-Bush Republican politics: Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger. All are supporters of gay rights and opponents of the same-sex marriage constitutional amendment. Only Mr. McCain calls himself pro-life, and he's never made abortion a cause. None of the three support the Bush administration position on stem-cell research. When the No. 1 "moral values" movie star, Mel Gibson, condemned the Schwarzenegger-endorsed California ballot initiative expanding and financing stem-cell research, the governor and voters crushed him like a girlie-man. The measure carried by 59 percent, which is consistent with national polling on the issue.

If the Republican party's next round of leaders are all cool with blue culture, why should Democrats run after the red?"

Sticking with the theme of values and Democratic hand-wringing, I saw a truth-telling letter to the DLC's failure of a strategist, Bruce Reed. It was written by a Daily Kos diarist. It was a reply to a WaPo column by Reed titled Ending Our Losing Ways

"..Finally, you said, "The last two campaigns have been short on such shock therapy." And I find myself a little amused. I was and am a supporter of Howard Dean. I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to Gov. Dean for providing us with exactly that. It was clearly Gov. Dean that shocked the Democratic Party out of it's slumber and made it clear that it was ok to go on the offensive against the Republicans rather than being their doormat as we had been the previous couple years....We Democrats ran from him. We voted for "electability" rather than strength of message. And we lost.."

What I believe we need in America today, to bring us back to sanity-in-democracy, is a media that supports a realistic reporting format. [There's a great Jay Rosen blogpost about this HERE].

Many in the media are far removed from the suburban American street, as David Brooks wrote about earlier this week. I think Brooks has recently been too much of a partisan hack, and I don't agree with his statement that "These exurbs are conservative but also utopian - Mayberrys with BlackBerrys. The Republicans won in part because Bush and Rove understand this culture." Most Washington, DC journalists are out of touch with Suburbia, U.S.A. Many of them think that suburbians are a bunch of Bush-loving Bible thumpers. I live in the suburbs and I know just as many people who would spit in Bush's eye as those who would fall on their knees for him. Brooks has raised an interesting point, however.

I believe that a realistic dialogue needs to begin in "Red" America and the media needs to show that, most realistically, there is a large "blue" minority who live and work alongside their intolerant neighbors. Perhaps a religion/faith dialogue is necessary. The Republicans tend to appeal to Christian voters in an extremely narrow way, sticking to 'Gods, guns and gays' while shutting off Democratic candidate's "faith" voice with accusations of hypocrisy surrounding those narrow issues. Topics such as the death penalty, social justice, and unjust war are totally avoided by Republicans, and I'm always amazed that no Democratic candidate will challenge them on their lack of moral reconciliation on such topics. Many "Blue" voters are people of strong faith who choose not to allow their faith to be reduced to a pitiful political agenda. Their faith is rich and deep, and no Democratic candidate ever acknowleges that fact in a way that drives home the truth (other than Howard Dean, who tried and was eventually destroyed by his own party). The "Blue" voters practically wind up getting labeled as 'heathens' by the Republican strategists. We know that isn't true. Christianity is damaged in the political process, as Michael Feingold points out in the Village Voice:

"The majority that voted for Bush—the slimmest an incumbent president has received since 1916 — did so not because they agreed with him on any important issues, but because they viewed his opinion on matters like abortion and same-sex marriage as good, and any alternative opinion as evil. The two great failures of this election were the failure of democracy as a concept in the public mind, and the failure of Christianity as a religion."

It's time for Democrats to stop being afraid to touch forcefully upon the subject of Christianity, with all cynicism set aside.

Speaking of religion, Omri Elisha, at The Revealer, has an extremely interesting article comparing Bush to the Biblical Esther. Link: God Save the Queen

Excerpt:

"In Farenheit 9/11, Michael Moore wonders what Bush might have been thinking while he sat in the classroom looking bewildered for those seven minutes after learning that a second plane struck the Twin Towers. In light of political and business links between the Bush family and its Saudi bedfellows, Moore speculates that Bush must have been thinking “Hmm, which one of my friends screwed me?” Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. Sadly, that question is already beside the point.



What remains significant is how conservative evangelicals read that moment, and every presidential moment since then. If we come at this from a perspective that they might take, it follows that evangelicals did not see a bewildered politician, a man in over his head, stymied by his own inexperience and geo-political entanglements. Rather they saw the reluctant Queen Esther struggling to come to terms with the abrupt realization that she is implicated in a drama much larger than herself.

At that moment, Bush, like Esther, represented the evangelical’s greatest ambition and anxiety -- that one day he/she will be called upon to surrender him/herself to an irreversible state of being where personal faith and historical destiny become one and the same...."

It is not surprising, after such manipulation of faith by Republicans, that frustration and cynicism are pervasive among decent "Blue" voters. In an open letter to the "Red State victors", an author from the New Democrat Outreach Program writes:

"Understandably, you resent us, so you've fabricated an imaginary measure of superiority: Christian "values." Yet you talk about values the way a pre-teen girl talks about "love" in fan letters to Ashton Kutcher. You recycle quasi-religious platitudes and received slogans. You know nothing of moral theology, a rigorous philosophical pursuit that hardly exists outside the Catholic Church and its elite universities. You make of the Bible what you will; you attend prayer meetings with other semi-literates, where you reinforce each other's sloppy understandings of the text, and combine them with half-digested bits of old-timey Hallmark-card "wisdom." And when you spout gibberish, you call it "speaking in tongues." You actually fancy that you're saints, you silly, narcissistic creatures."

Stupidity and Danger Flies In Face of American Division

Stupidity and Danger Flies In Face of American Division

Bush had best get a rein on the Grover Norqistians, wingnuts, and fundamental Christians.

Mike Thompson may be accused of treason - or simply of utter stupidity. His team won - they have our government lock, stock, and barrel..and he wants to secede, losing two of the most profitable markets in the world (NY and CA)?? What a complete dumbass.

Norquist aims to break anyone (including RI Senator Lincoln Chaffee) who dares stand up to his plan to drown liberal power for good. I hope he keeps it up..he's going to wind up choking in the dustbin of temporary American insanity.

Michael Ledeen should be strung up for complete idiocy with this idea - see his recommendation for Zell Miller. (Although it might be fun to see ol' Spitballs lose a duel with Jacques Chirac or Vincente Fox).

Speaking of Ledeen, we are just beginning to find out his Neocon crowd (in this case, Senor) seems to have performed a total end run around poor Paul Bremer in Iraq last Spring. Another case of our President allowing chaos and divisiveness to run rampant within his own secretive, battling and confused administration. No accountability, no one fired. Failure results on a battlefield where we never should have been in the first place.

These creatures are empowered by an unapologetic, inept, and radical rightwing President.

This isn't going anywhere productive. America needs serious help.
We're at the most pathetic civil state since the Civil War days.
No wonder poor Mike Thompson thinks secession is the only answer.

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

Most predictable news of the day (yawn):
Bush nominates a divisive character for Attorney General

Funniest comment upon the nomination of
Alberto 'I Like torture' Gonzales:

But Does He Like Naked Statues?
by Mad Kane

"The Geneva Conventions are quaint,
Said Gonzales. A scholar, he ain't.
But he's Dub's nominee
For the post of AG,
Where no doubt he will rule sans restraint."

Fallujah Updates

"Dr. Salih al-Issawi, the head of Fallujah's main hospital, said he had asked U.S. officers to allow doctors and ambulances go inside the main part of the city to help the wounded but they refused."


Not many rightwing bloggers are talking about this.

Fallujah Updates
Barbara O'Brien writes about the reality of Fallujah in "Orange Fireballs" (American Street).


This is NOT a terrorist.
The method to our madness is murderous.

MSNBC:

"On Tuesday, a 9-year-old boy died after being hit in the stomach by shrapnel. His parents were unable to get him to hospital because of the fighting and so resorted to wrapping a sheet around him to stem the blood flow.

But he died hours later of blood loss and was buried in the garden of the family home.

“We buried him in the garden because it was too dangerous to go out,” said his father, teacher Mohammed Abboud. “We did not know how long the fighting would last.”

..One mother and her three daughters had intended to flee but their home was hit by a bombardment earlier this week and all died, neighbors who escaped told aid workers.

..In one case, a pregnant woman and her child died in a refugee camp west of the city after the mother unexpectedly aborted and no doctors were on hand....

more to come..

Progress Still Has a Friend in John Kerry

Fired-up, Sen Kerry returns to Senate

Progress Still Has a Friend in John Kerry

When I think of John Kerry, I think of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird". In an atmosphere of social divisiveness, fear and hatred, perhaps John didn't have a presidential win in the cards, but he won't let it stop him from being the man of integrity that he has always been.

In the film version, with Gregory Peck, there is a poignant courtroom scene where Atticus Finch seems very much alone in the wake of his heart-wrenching loss in the downstairs chamber of the courtroom, but above him, there are seats still filled upstairs and every person stands in homage while Atticus passes below.



I stand with all who supported Mr. Kerry and salute him for what he tried to do, and what we know he could have done for America. I'm so very glad he'll be fighting for us in the Senate. There's a lot he has learned from this experience and it will make him the most valuable Senator we could have on realistic democracy's side.

Thank you, Senator Kerry.
Godspeed.

Divisive Dobson Promotes Fear, Anger, Hate

Divisive Dobson Promotes Fear, Anger, Hate
..with no apologies

Read this exchange between George Stephanopoulos and James Dobson (Talking Points Memo)It seems clear, that for all his hype about Christian values, that Dobson doesn't actually believe it himself with this public breakdown of humility on ABC, as you will read. Perhaps he'd be more credible if he practiced what he preaches.

More importantly, I don't think Mr. Dobson has any serious place on a political talk show. A slim margin of a win favoring Mr. Bush should not subject the record-setting millions of people out here (many of us people of deep personal faith) to be subject to this sort of insult to our secular/political intelligence. We understand that Mr. Dobson's repressive "family values" agenda will be used as an excuse to roll back every attempt at progressive social thinking, and half the nation prefers a progressive approach.

Neither the network media nor the cable news media is a friend of progress. They are a friend of controversy and cold hard cash. Their employees look like stooges. I wish they were fair, realistic, and honest. I have abandoned them as a credible source of information for subjecting us to this sort of hype. The ratings-generating circus is more important to then than the truth. As I passed by the cable news networks with my television remote today, I saw more tripe about Kobe Bryant and Laci Peterson than I saw the truth about the razing of Fallujah.

I'm thankful for the internet for the sane voices of my own people here in America. The blogs are far more reality-based. Josh Marshall, Daily Kos, Kid Oakland (at Daily Kos), American Street, William Rivers Pitt (Truthout), Atrios, Raw Story, Anonymoses, The Revealer, American Amnesia, Voice of a Veteran, Hope4America, Buzzflash, G.D. Frogsdong, The Moderate Voice (Joe Gandelman), Lew Rockwell.com, are just a few of the bloggers and internet writers I am grateful to have as my companions on the road toward the saving of American sanity within our democracy.

Will Liberal Tradition Survive Bush?

Will Liberal Tradition Survive Bush?

"We will soon discover the meaning of the old warning "Be careful what you wish for…....For those who are worried that four more years of Bush are going to be really awful, relax in the knowledge that at least Kerry won’t be blamed for it..."

Karen Kwiatkowski, The Real Way Ahead, Lew Rockwell.com

"The world was waiting hopefully for the sensible American people to rectify the ill-advised actions of a rogue neoconservative administration. Instead, Americans placed the stamp of approval on the least justifiable military action since Hitler invaded Poland. In the eyes of the world, Bush’s reelection is proof that Ariel Sharon’s neoconservative allies in the Bush administration speak for America after all. The world’s sympathy for America that followed the September 11 attacks has been squandered. If the US suffers terrorist attacks in the future, the world will say that America invited the attacks and got what it asked for...The world is amazed that Americans do not care that they have been deceived, lied to, and incompetently led and that Americans have chosen to continue along this path. Bush’s reelection has ended forever respect for America. New and unflattering sobriquets for Americans are emerging. The American century is over."

Paul Craig Roberts, An Election That Will Live In Infamy, VDARE.com/Center for American Unity

"..The missing piece in all of this [re: the presidential election] is the forgotten liberal tradition, which affirms the dignity of all human life, believes in the rights of all, and fights for freedom against the never-ending attempts by government, all government everywhere, to restrict and destroy it. The liberal tradition believes that individuals and society can work out their own problems in the absence of top-down management. It denies to government any role in managing the nation or the world. It embraces private property, cherishes freedom of association, and sees peace as the mother of civilization. The great intellectual strain of this liberal tradition spans 500 years and longer, and has survived every onslaught from left and right, and will continue to do so. It is the liberal tradition to which we owe the world's prosperity and well-being, all technological innovations, and improvements in health, housing, nutrition, and information distribution. The liberal tradition will continue to thrive, but with no help from the elites in power."

Lew Rockwell, Liberty Yet Lives, LewRockwell.com

A Soldier's Letter Home

A Soldier's Letter Home


Jesse

A letter home from Pfc. Jesse A. Givens, 34, of Springfield, Mo. Private Givens was killed May 1 when his tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank on which he was parked gave way. This letter was written to be delivered to his family if he died. Melissa is his wife, Dakota his 6-year-old stepson and Bean the name he used for his son, Carson, who was born May 29.

My family,

I never thought that I would be writing a letter like this. I really don't know where to start. I've been getting bad feelings, though and, well, if you are reading this. . . .

The happiest moments in my life all deal with my little family. I will always have with me the small moments we all shared. The moments when you quit taking life so serious and smiled. The sounds of a beautiful boy's laughter or the simple nudge of a baby unborn. You will never know how complete you have made me. You saved me from loneliness and taught me how to think beyond myself. You taught me how to live and to love. You opened my eyes to a world I never dreamed existed.

Dakota . . . you taught me how to care until it hurts, you taught me how to smile again. You taught me that life isn't so serious and sometimes you just have to play. You have a big, beautiful heart. Through life you need to keep it open and follow it. Never be afraid to be yourself. I will always be there in our park when you dream so we can play. I love you, and hope someday you will understand why I didn't come home. Please be proud of me.

Bean, I never got to see you but I know in my heart you are beautiful. I know you will be strong and big-hearted like your mom and brother. I will always have with me the feel of the soft nudges on your mom's belly, and the joy I felt when I found out you were on your way. I love you, Bean.

Melissa, I have never been as blessed as the day I met you. You are my angel, soulmate, wife, lover and best friend. I am sorry. I did not want to have to write this letter. There is so much more I need to say, so much more I need to share. A lifetime's worth. I married you for a million lifetimes. That's how long I will be with you. Please keep my babies safe. Please find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving you alone. . . . Teach our babies to live life to the fullest, tell yourself to do the same.

I will always be there with you, Melissa. I will always want you, need you and love you, in my heart, my mind and my soul. Do me a favor, after you tuck the children in. Give them hugs and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them. Don't forget to smile.

Love Always,
Your husband,
Jess

From Last Letters Home, an HBO Special to be aired Veteran's Day

Fallujah Assault Will Damage Iraq Ballot

Fallujah, 2003
Their Holy War. Our....??

Fallujah Assault Will Damage Iraq Ballot -
Allawi Making Decisions for US Troops

It doesn't make me confident to know that our military is at the beck and call of an interim foreign leader.

"...about 10,000 American troops are massing for a major assault if Allawi gives the green light."

"You can feel the energy. You can feel the chemistry.."

The UN isn't saying the Fallujah assault might effect the ballot - they are saying the assault will, indeed, sabotage the ballot.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others have warned that a military offensive could trigger a wave of violence that would sabotage the ballot.

This is more than a case of cutting off our own nose to spite our face.

It is a case of ruthless and violent killing (with the whole world watching) and putting our troops at extreme risk under the leadership of a foreign power - while sabotaging our own goals.

Partisan Division Over A Suicide at 9/11 Site

Bobbie Jensen, 54, a Republican from Phoenix, said that while she understood how Bush's victory disturbed those who dislike him, Ground Zero is not the place to act on those emotions.

"You can be upset about the war, about Bush, but this is a sacred place," she said. "You got to accept what happened and not kill yourself."

(DOH!!!!!!)

Partisan Division Over A Suicide at 9/11 Site

Despondent over the Bush win, a man has committed suicide at the site of the World Trade Center attacks.

How easy it seems to be for any of us to argue over the body of this man, who had a fire running through his veins, and who apparently believed that the fire could only be extinguished by stopping the beat of his troubled heart.

I only wish I'd been there for him in his time of need.

Seeing partisan opining on this matter is indicative of the level of sickness that prevails our here in the real world, beneath the fantasy radar emitted by the mainstream zombies in the press.

There's a slow fire burning out here in the real America.

When we parse a man's decision to end his life over partisan politics, we know we have a genuine problem.

"I'm very moved by it. Obviously, this person was devastated. I can see why he would come here."

(DOH!!!!!!)

Shame on CNN

Shame on CNN
..the stupid bastards

They're skewing. dumbing down, and misrepresenting the meaning of "Moral Values"

Photo/Dreams

From the Blog of an Unfinished Dream Pursuer

If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

--Henry David Thoreau

US Asks For New Bin Laden Tape Not to Be Shown

"The victory of "Bush, the despicable, is good, because it opens the way to Jihad (Holy War) in several Arab countries where despotic (regimes) will be, God willing, removed,"

- A man called Abderrahman on an Islamic website

US Asks For New Bin Laden Tape Not to Be Shown
11/4/2004
Raw Story Update: Bin Laden tape said to be on ice
Alleged to contain pre-recorded response to American election

At least one ‘new’ Bin Laden video, said to be in the possession of the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera, is nearing the end of an embargo allegedly enacted at the pressure of U.S. authorities, though the tape may still be withheld.

The site reporting on the video, TrackingTerrorism.com, told RAW STORY in private correspondence that they are respecting the embargo. They have been tracking unconfirmed reports for more than two days.

The tape is said to be currently leaked online on a few remote and clandestine Al-Qaeda websites. Militants are already praising its release, making comments such as, “soon the American People will see the edited version,” the site reports....

LINK to story


If you do not understand that the wrong man won this election, then I can only assume you are one of the dumb shits who voted for him.

Do you think the Bush administration would have hesitated for one moment to allow the tape to be shown if it was before the election (when they needed to terrorize America to vote for them?)

World Wound Deepens

This was the political cartoon in newspaper Aftenposten after it emerged that George W Bush would be the US president for another four years. The text reads: "...and now I'd like to send a little greeting to all my friends in Europe."
The thought of another 4 years of Bush rule may end up pushing Norway into the European Union.

Osama's War of Ideas Sprouts Lighter Wings on Bush Re-Election
World Wound Deepens

As division deepens in America, divisions deepen in Europe.

We needed France, Germany, and Spain as partners, and not as a "counterbalance".

While some may be feeling joyous over the results of the election, I think we should be weeping for ourselves. We've gained ourselves strong adversaries instead of willing partners in fighting terrorism.

Osama wins. Sorry, I have to say it. Even if the brave men of our military catch him today (and I hope they do), his war of ideas has sprouted lighter wings on the winds of Bush's re-election.

In the western world, what could have been rejoicing and reuinion is now a deepening of wounds.

With the appearance, to the world, that fundamental Christians have chosen Bush (and don't kid yourselves, that is how it looks), so goes the appearance that we are fighting a lone holy war against the Muslim world.

Bush and his Congress Will Change Rules To Further Silence the Large Minority

Bush and his Congress Will Change Rules To Further Silence the Large Minority

This is clearly not what the Founding Fathers intended. James Madison warned that the majority must be rendered, by their number and local situation, unable to concert and carry into effect schemes of oppression. His warning rings true today. Participation in government is becoming an unbelievably unattainable goal to the people (meaning all of the people) who are alleged to own and be a part of it.

I'm not surprised to hear the Bushites say they'll change the rules to suppress the minority. I've come to understand the radical nature of Mr. Bush and his base. For all of those people, such as Nicholas Kristof in today's New York Times, who are rationalizing and wringing their hands and saying we'll have to become more like the Pat Robertson crowd in order to find our power again, I have a message. Take a vacation. You sound insane and depressed. Remember the 48% of us who not only didn't vote for Bush, but understand, with perfect reason and reality, that our nation is headed over a cliff. (Probably more than 48% since there is such doubt about the election's integrity).


From a FOX News article:

As it stands today [Democrats] can block [a nominee] ... But I also believe that the president and majority leader may well decide to change the rules given the elections ... The president has a very strong political support, potential support, for asking for and getting this change.

Blogger Josh Marshall comments:

"..what I fear will be a growing pattern in this second term: an effort to use a narrowly secured majority not only to govern, even govern aggressively, but to make institutional changes that strip away the existing powers and rights of large minorities. These formal and informal checks and balances constitute the governmental soft-tissue that allows our political system to function."