Saudi Arabia and Egypt WIll Stiff G8 Summit
Saudi Arabia and Egypt are thumbing their noses at Washington's "Greater Middle East Initiative". Tunisia, Qatar, and Morocco will probably not attend, either. Egypt's particular concern is the dissolving of the Arab identity under the American plan. Other Arab states (as well as some European states) have been at odds about how the Initiative fits in with the Arab-Israeli peace efforts and the conflict in Iraq. King Abdullah of Jordan will attend and stress that he believes the Palestinian issue is an essential part of achieving reform in the region.
The Bush administration, in my opinion, is unrealistic in thinking they will get very far with this Initiative while failing to address obvious issues, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict. There are so many misgivings right now and so much Arab fury over the Iraq conflict that NATO is strategically avoiding issuing invitations to Middle East nations, including Israel, to its summit in Istanbul next month. The region is burning. [LINK]
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, May 28, 2004
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Michael Moore says has Nick Berg footage
Michael Moore says has Nick Berg footage
He isn't saying what the footage covers, but he has about 20 minutes of unused footage with Nick Berg (before he was killed in Iraq). [LINK]
Belated congratulations to Michael for winning top prize at Cannes for "Fahrenheit 9/11".
Wimpy White House spokesman Dan Bartlett called the film "outrageously false". You know it's got to be a provocative work of truth-in-art to get Dan's shorts in an uproar. I hope we Americans get to see it someday...no thanks to Disney.
Dan didn't think it was true and he's really pissed.
He isn't saying what the footage covers, but he has about 20 minutes of unused footage with Nick Berg (before he was killed in Iraq). [LINK]
Belated congratulations to Michael for winning top prize at Cannes for "Fahrenheit 9/11".
Wimpy White House spokesman Dan Bartlett called the film "outrageously false". You know it's got to be a provocative work of truth-in-art to get Dan's shorts in an uproar. I hope we Americans get to see it someday...no thanks to Disney.
Dan didn't think it was true and he's really pissed.
John Kerry Reassures U.S. Military
John Kerry Reassures
U.S. Military
"Human conscience, when it works, is the most divine thing in our small segment of the universe.
In today’s world, conscience marks the difference between tolerance and terror.
We do not have to live in fear or stand alone."
The Promise:
"As president, on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: This commander-in-chief will ensure that you are the best-led, best-equipped and most respected fighting force in the world.
You will be armed with the right weapons, schooled in the right skills, and fully prepared to win on the battlefield. But you will never be sent into harm's way without enough troops for the task, or asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace.
You will never be given assignments which have not been clearly defined and for which you are not professionally trained.
This Administration has disregarded the advice, wisdom, and experience of our professional military officers. And often ended the careers of those who dared to give their honest assessments. That is not the way to make the most solemn decisions of war and peace. As president, I will listen to and respect the views of our experienced military leaders – and never let ideology trump the truth.
This is not a partisan cause. Patriotism doesn't belong to any one party or president. And if I am president, I will enlist the best among us, regardless of party, to protect the security of this nation."
-John Kerry
[LINK]
The transcript of John Kerry's speech in Seattle is here.
Important points from speech:
- First, we must launch and lead a new era of alliances for the post 9-11 world. A return to the principle that guided us in peril and victory through the past century –alliances matter, and the United States must lead them. Never has this been more true than in the war on terrorism.
- Second, we must modernize the world’s most powerful military to meet the new threats. Kerry had a message for every man and woman in our armed forces (see quote above)
- Third, in addition to our military might, we must deploy all that is in America’s arsenal -- our diplomacy, our intelligence system, our economic power, and the appeal of our values and ideas. The single gravest threat to our security is the possibility of lawless states and terrorists being armed with weapons of mass destruction.
- This country is united in its determination to destroy those who employ lawlessness and terror.
- As President, Kerry will launch a global initiative to fully secure the materials needed for nuclear weapons that already exist and sharply limit and control future production.
- Fourth and finally, to secure our full independence and freedom, we must free America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil. A new national security policy demands an end to our dependence on Mideast oil. We have been constrained by their control over the oil that fuels too large a part of our economy. This is a weakness that this Administration has ignored – and one that must be addressed.
- We will not do business as usual with Saudi Arabia. They must take concrete steps to stop their clerics from fueling the fires of Islamic extremism.
U.S. Military
"Human conscience, when it works, is the most divine thing in our small segment of the universe.
In today’s world, conscience marks the difference between tolerance and terror.
We do not have to live in fear or stand alone."
The Promise:
"As president, on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: This commander-in-chief will ensure that you are the best-led, best-equipped and most respected fighting force in the world.
You will be armed with the right weapons, schooled in the right skills, and fully prepared to win on the battlefield. But you will never be sent into harm's way without enough troops for the task, or asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace.
You will never be given assignments which have not been clearly defined and for which you are not professionally trained.
This Administration has disregarded the advice, wisdom, and experience of our professional military officers. And often ended the careers of those who dared to give their honest assessments. That is not the way to make the most solemn decisions of war and peace. As president, I will listen to and respect the views of our experienced military leaders – and never let ideology trump the truth.
This is not a partisan cause. Patriotism doesn't belong to any one party or president. And if I am president, I will enlist the best among us, regardless of party, to protect the security of this nation."
-John Kerry
[LINK]
The transcript of John Kerry's speech in Seattle is here.
Important points from speech:
- First, we must launch and lead a new era of alliances for the post 9-11 world. A return to the principle that guided us in peril and victory through the past century –alliances matter, and the United States must lead them. Never has this been more true than in the war on terrorism.
- Second, we must modernize the world’s most powerful military to meet the new threats. Kerry had a message for every man and woman in our armed forces (see quote above)
- Third, in addition to our military might, we must deploy all that is in America’s arsenal -- our diplomacy, our intelligence system, our economic power, and the appeal of our values and ideas. The single gravest threat to our security is the possibility of lawless states and terrorists being armed with weapons of mass destruction.
- This country is united in its determination to destroy those who employ lawlessness and terror.
- As President, Kerry will launch a global initiative to fully secure the materials needed for nuclear weapons that already exist and sharply limit and control future production.
- Fourth and finally, to secure our full independence and freedom, we must free America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil. A new national security policy demands an end to our dependence on Mideast oil. We have been constrained by their control over the oil that fuels too large a part of our economy. This is a weakness that this Administration has ignored – and one that must be addressed.
- We will not do business as usual with Saudi Arabia. They must take concrete steps to stop their clerics from fueling the fires of Islamic extremism.
Rush Limbaugh on Al Gore
Rush Limbaugh on Al Gore
Mr. Limbaugh must understand that he is a very popular talk-radio show host. He has a very devoted following. Many people put their faith in him, whether they should or not. He might tell them NOT to put their faith in his credibility, but he must realize they will do so, anyhow. The devoted listener hears more of Rush than they do of their elected leaders. He speaks to them on a daily basis for hours at a time. I find Rush to be very irresponsible with many of his daily statements. For this reason, I think concerned and responsible Americans should call upon their Conservative representatives (and the media who interview them) and ask them to get a public debate started about the damaging statements made by people who rule the American airwaves (and the markets that support them).
If Conservative/Republican representatives fail to respond to citizen pleas, we can assume they support the irresponsible comments made by fellows like Rush and his ilk.
I'm glad Al Gore threw down the gauntlet.
Rush Limbaugh is mistaken...delusionally mistaken...in his thinking that Al Gore doesn't speak for this nation. This nation is comprised of millions of individuals. This is a democratic Republic..does Rush forget? Al Gore is speaking for millions and millions of people with no loud talk-radio voice. I happen to think Rush would be shocked to learn there is a massive percentage of Americans who not only wholeheartedly disagree with his ideology, but are heartily grateful that men like Al Gore are speaking intelligently on their fund-poor market-silenced behalf.
Money talks...we know it.
Rush talks....a lot.
I think Rush talks so much and so loudly that he forgets there's anyone else with whom he shares this American nation. Would that make him a selfish ball of hypocritical greed in a constant state of denial? Perhaps.
Hey, adveraries! Hey, enemies! Listen up!
Al Gore speaks for me and probably the majority of American voters. After all, the majority of Americans voted for him in 2000 and probably
would do so again, given the opportunity.
Hey, adversaries! Hey, enemies!
Ask yourselves why Rush Limbaugh cares so deeply about what you think.
...our adversaries and our enemies would be badly mistaken if they actually believe that Gore speaks for this nation, because he doesn't. I speak for more of this nation than Algore does, and I will say it on this program. Otherwise, why is he bothering to mention my name?
[LINK]
[LINK]
Mr. Limbaugh must understand that he is a very popular talk-radio show host. He has a very devoted following. Many people put their faith in him, whether they should or not. He might tell them NOT to put their faith in his credibility, but he must realize they will do so, anyhow. The devoted listener hears more of Rush than they do of their elected leaders. He speaks to them on a daily basis for hours at a time. I find Rush to be very irresponsible with many of his daily statements. For this reason, I think concerned and responsible Americans should call upon their Conservative representatives (and the media who interview them) and ask them to get a public debate started about the damaging statements made by people who rule the American airwaves (and the markets that support them).
If Conservative/Republican representatives fail to respond to citizen pleas, we can assume they support the irresponsible comments made by fellows like Rush and his ilk.
I'm glad Al Gore threw down the gauntlet.
Rush Limbaugh is mistaken...delusionally mistaken...in his thinking that Al Gore doesn't speak for this nation. This nation is comprised of millions of individuals. This is a democratic Republic..does Rush forget? Al Gore is speaking for millions and millions of people with no loud talk-radio voice. I happen to think Rush would be shocked to learn there is a massive percentage of Americans who not only wholeheartedly disagree with his ideology, but are heartily grateful that men like Al Gore are speaking intelligently on their fund-poor market-silenced behalf.
Money talks...we know it.
Rush talks....a lot.
I think Rush talks so much and so loudly that he forgets there's anyone else with whom he shares this American nation. Would that make him a selfish ball of hypocritical greed in a constant state of denial? Perhaps.
Hey, adveraries! Hey, enemies! Listen up!
Al Gore speaks for me and probably the majority of American voters. After all, the majority of Americans voted for him in 2000 and probably
would do so again, given the opportunity.
Hey, adversaries! Hey, enemies!
Ask yourselves why Rush Limbaugh cares so deeply about what you think.
Shallow America prefers politicians on the Zombie-side
Shallow America prefers politicians on the Zombie-side
From Maureen Dowd's column in today's N.Y. Times, she says of Al Gore's speech:
John Kerry's advisers were surprised and annoyed to hear that Mr. Gore hollered so much, he made Howard Dean look like George Pataki.
[LINK]
This was a very funny line by Maureen. I laughed out loud, in spite of my often-too-serious self.
They don't want voters to be reminded of the wackadoo wing of the Democratic Party.
There is a difference between strongly making your case and "going wacko".
The problem I have with Maureen Dowd (who, even though she kids, she kids not) is that she speaks for most of today's mainstream media. If our politicians do not act with an air of mind-numbing gravitas (to the point of Zombie-like droning), they are categorized as nutballs.
(Although you'll notice, in the same column, Maureen puts John Kerry in the "mind-numbing" category.)
I did not see Al Gore's speech yesterday, but I did read it (twice).
I'll tell you this: everything he said needed to be said. He spoke the truth. Perhaps Mr. Gore spoke the truth with too much emotion for some. The shame is that the mainstream prefers style over substance. It's such a shallow attitude. Often, I find it no wonder Americans are seen as shallow fools to those outside our borders.
Perhaps it isn't Maureen Dowd's job to take a serious stand on such topics. She loves to play on personalities. Yet I feel compelled to point out the fact that Maureen is just one reflection of the problem with our dreadful state of democracy today. She hasn't done all that much good for the true American spirit in her role as a very-visible (albeit silly)political commentator. I recall in 2000, when she made Gore seem like a goofy boob at every opportunity.
Al Gore knows the truth about America. I read it in his words from yesterday's speech. Without some form of public support in the media, the average American will never hear his words of warning. What a pity that Maureen (and others like her) do not appreciate a decent American's raising of issues when they have the opportunity to intelligently discuss those important issues in their professional writings. Instead, they talk about the politician's demeanor and their hair.
The slick zombie liar is preferred. It's no wonder we have no Thomas Jeffersons or Ben Franklins offering public service anymore. We do have them...we just don't value them or bring them to light.
The most ironic part is that Maureen Dowd often compared Gore to a stiff tree trunk. Now that he emotes upon the truth about the disgrace to which America has been brought, he's a 'wackadoo'.
Rush Limbaugh agrees with Maureen Dowd:
At least Rush goes on to actually talk about the issues that matter (to him).
From Maureen Dowd's column in today's N.Y. Times, she says of Al Gore's speech:
John Kerry's advisers were surprised and annoyed to hear that Mr. Gore hollered so much, he made Howard Dean look like George Pataki.
[LINK]
This was a very funny line by Maureen. I laughed out loud, in spite of my often-too-serious self.
They don't want voters to be reminded of the wackadoo wing of the Democratic Party.
There is a difference between strongly making your case and "going wacko".
The problem I have with Maureen Dowd (who, even though she kids, she kids not) is that she speaks for most of today's mainstream media. If our politicians do not act with an air of mind-numbing gravitas (to the point of Zombie-like droning), they are categorized as nutballs.
(Although you'll notice, in the same column, Maureen puts John Kerry in the "mind-numbing" category.)
I did not see Al Gore's speech yesterday, but I did read it (twice).
I'll tell you this: everything he said needed to be said. He spoke the truth. Perhaps Mr. Gore spoke the truth with too much emotion for some. The shame is that the mainstream prefers style over substance. It's such a shallow attitude. Often, I find it no wonder Americans are seen as shallow fools to those outside our borders.
Perhaps it isn't Maureen Dowd's job to take a serious stand on such topics. She loves to play on personalities. Yet I feel compelled to point out the fact that Maureen is just one reflection of the problem with our dreadful state of democracy today. She hasn't done all that much good for the true American spirit in her role as a very-visible (albeit silly)political commentator. I recall in 2000, when she made Gore seem like a goofy boob at every opportunity.
Al Gore knows the truth about America. I read it in his words from yesterday's speech. Without some form of public support in the media, the average American will never hear his words of warning. What a pity that Maureen (and others like her) do not appreciate a decent American's raising of issues when they have the opportunity to intelligently discuss those important issues in their professional writings. Instead, they talk about the politician's demeanor and their hair.
The slick zombie liar is preferred. It's no wonder we have no Thomas Jeffersons or Ben Franklins offering public service anymore. We do have them...we just don't value them or bring them to light.
The most ironic part is that Maureen Dowd often compared Gore to a stiff tree trunk. Now that he emotes upon the truth about the disgrace to which America has been brought, he's a 'wackadoo'.
Rush Limbaugh agrees with Maureen Dowd:
At least Rush goes on to actually talk about the issues that matter (to him).
General Zinni: The 10 Mistakes
General Zinni: The 10 Mistakes
At Salon.com, Gen. Anthony Zinni, former CENTCOM commander, lists the catastrophic blunders made by the Bush team that led to the Iraq nightmare. Gen. Zinni delivered these remarks at the Center for Defense Information's board of directors dinner on May 12, 2004.
The mistakes include:
-Misjudging the success of containment
-Flawed strategy
-Creation of false rationales
-Failure to internationalize the effort
-A series of bad decisions on the ground
Gen Zinni said:
"No one in the region felt threatened by Saddam."
"The idea of creating Jeffersonian democracy overnight in Iraq is almost ridiculous."
"If you find yourself in a hole , stop digging."
"If I'm a battalion commander down there in the middle of Fallujah or Najaf, I need more than some kid who happens to be of Arab descent and speaks Arabic that I dragged over there and probably doesn't speak the dialect. I would like to have five or six of these guys that I went to school with, that I know, that would be there, that would be seconded there for me as planners, advisors, and to help me in these situations."
Gen. Zinni offers productive ideas as well as criticism.
This is a must-read.
[LINK] If you don't subscribe, you will need a one-day free pass to read the entire article
At Salon.com, Gen. Anthony Zinni, former CENTCOM commander, lists the catastrophic blunders made by the Bush team that led to the Iraq nightmare. Gen. Zinni delivered these remarks at the Center for Defense Information's board of directors dinner on May 12, 2004.
The mistakes include:
-Misjudging the success of containment
-Flawed strategy
-Creation of false rationales
-Failure to internationalize the effort
-A series of bad decisions on the ground
Gen Zinni said:
"No one in the region felt threatened by Saddam."
"The idea of creating Jeffersonian democracy overnight in Iraq is almost ridiculous."
"If you find yourself in a hole , stop digging."
"If I'm a battalion commander down there in the middle of Fallujah or Najaf, I need more than some kid who happens to be of Arab descent and speaks Arabic that I dragged over there and probably doesn't speak the dialect. I would like to have five or six of these guys that I went to school with, that I know, that would be there, that would be seconded there for me as planners, advisors, and to help me in these situations."
Gen. Zinni offers productive ideas as well as criticism.
This is a must-read.
[LINK] If you don't subscribe, you will need a one-day free pass to read the entire article
Chalabi and Judith Miller
Chalabi and Judith Miller
In the Salon.com article titled Not fit to print, James C. Moore discusses how Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraq war lobby used New York Times reporter Judith Miller to make the case for invasion.
To be fair to the N.Y. Times, even the "most seasoned of correspondents and the most august of publications, including the Times and the Washington Post, appear to have been as deftly used by Chalabi as were the CIA, the Department of Defense and the Bush administration". Judith Miller is the only journalist whose reliance on Chalabi became a matter of public debate.
Moore claims that an article by Miller and Michael Gordon that appeared on the front page of the New York Times on a Sunday morning in September 2002 titled "Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; US Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts" couldn't have done more to advance the political cause of the neoconservatives driving the Bush administration to invade Iraq.
The White House had a perfect "deal" when it came to Miller. Chalabi would provide the Bushites with the information they needed to support their political objectives with Iraq, and he would supply the same material to Miller. Chalabi would tip her on something and then she'd go to the White House, which had already heard the same thing from Chalabi, and she'd get it corroborated by an insider she'd always described as a 'senior administration official.'
I'm not certain if it was arrogant ignorance or some greed or delusional heroic motive or downright intent to deceive the American public. All I know is that George W. Bush should have known better and his administration should have known what they were doing when they gave such enormous credence to Chalabi, whose own self-interest (and past indication of poor character) was totally invested in getting the Americans to invade Iraq.
The fact that the N.Y. Times failed to point out that much of its reporting was dependent on Chalabi and Iraqi defectors (while the Bushites apparently sucked up Chalabi's lies and distortions) is inexcusable.
Where was the intellectual discipline?
At the Drudge report, Matt is saying that Howell Raines is "assailing" yesterday's mea culpa. I don't see where he'll have an intellectual or moral leg to stand on.
[LINK] You will need to obtain a free one-day pass if you do not subscribe)
In the Salon.com article titled Not fit to print, James C. Moore discusses how Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraq war lobby used New York Times reporter Judith Miller to make the case for invasion.
To be fair to the N.Y. Times, even the "most seasoned of correspondents and the most august of publications, including the Times and the Washington Post, appear to have been as deftly used by Chalabi as were the CIA, the Department of Defense and the Bush administration". Judith Miller is the only journalist whose reliance on Chalabi became a matter of public debate.
Moore claims that an article by Miller and Michael Gordon that appeared on the front page of the New York Times on a Sunday morning in September 2002 titled "Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; US Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts" couldn't have done more to advance the political cause of the neoconservatives driving the Bush administration to invade Iraq.
The White House had a perfect "deal" when it came to Miller. Chalabi would provide the Bushites with the information they needed to support their political objectives with Iraq, and he would supply the same material to Miller. Chalabi would tip her on something and then she'd go to the White House, which had already heard the same thing from Chalabi, and she'd get it corroborated by an insider she'd always described as a 'senior administration official.'
I'm not certain if it was arrogant ignorance or some greed or delusional heroic motive or downright intent to deceive the American public. All I know is that George W. Bush should have known better and his administration should have known what they were doing when they gave such enormous credence to Chalabi, whose own self-interest (and past indication of poor character) was totally invested in getting the Americans to invade Iraq.
The fact that the N.Y. Times failed to point out that much of its reporting was dependent on Chalabi and Iraqi defectors (while the Bushites apparently sucked up Chalabi's lies and distortions) is inexcusable.
Where was the intellectual discipline?
At the Drudge report, Matt is saying that Howell Raines is "assailing" yesterday's mea culpa. I don't see where he'll have an intellectual or moral leg to stand on.
[LINK] You will need to obtain a free one-day pass if you do not subscribe)
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Gum Returns to Singapore After 12 Years
Gum Returns to Singapore After 12 Years
"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here!"
--Fayen Wong, 22-year old college student. [LINK]
I want to know what, if any brand, our friend Ihsan will be looking for.
(I'm fond of Juicy Fruit and Big Red.)
"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here!"
--Fayen Wong, 22-year old college student. [LINK]
I want to know what, if any brand, our friend Ihsan will be looking for.
(I'm fond of Juicy Fruit and Big Red.)
Tomorrow: Kerry speech on national security and foreign policy
Tomorrow: Kerry speech on national security and foreign policy
John Kerry is due to give a key speech tomorrow on national security and foreign policy. It will mark the start-off of an 11-day period focusing on his ideas for winning the war in Iraq and fighting terrorism. He will allegedly promise to craft a foreign policy that would make it unnecessary to have a conventional military draft.
While Adam Nagourney and Richard W. Stevenson claim that Kerry's Iraq views are much like Bush's , I would implore them and all Americans to weigh this question (posed by LeMoyne College philosophy professor John Schonsheck):
At this point [in the Iraq war],there may well be no good options for either a President Kerry or a President Bush. But that does not imply there are no differences between them.
One distinguishing question that comes to the fore:
"Should we continue to follow the steely-eyed leadership of the candidate who has jumped us into deep water with large rocks in our pockets? Or perhaps more accurately - who has jumped us into deep water, with anvils chained to our necks?"
[LINK]
John Kerry is due to give a key speech tomorrow on national security and foreign policy. It will mark the start-off of an 11-day period focusing on his ideas for winning the war in Iraq and fighting terrorism. He will allegedly promise to craft a foreign policy that would make it unnecessary to have a conventional military draft.
While Adam Nagourney and Richard W. Stevenson claim that Kerry's Iraq views are much like Bush's , I would implore them and all Americans to weigh this question (posed by LeMoyne College philosophy professor John Schonsheck):
At this point [in the Iraq war],there may well be no good options for either a President Kerry or a President Bush. But that does not imply there are no differences between them.
One distinguishing question that comes to the fore:
"Should we continue to follow the steely-eyed leadership of the candidate who has jumped us into deep water with large rocks in our pockets? Or perhaps more accurately - who has jumped us into deep water, with anvils chained to our necks?"
[LINK]
Gore: Rumsfeld, Rice, Tenet Should Resign
Gore: Rumsfeld, Rice, Tenet Should Resign
In a speech at New York University today, Gore argued that officials, including several of Rumsfeld’s top civilian deputies, should step down because the situation in Iraq is out of control. He called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA director George Tenet, and national security adviser Condoleeza Rice. [LINK]
TRANSCRIPT OF TODAY'S SPEECH
In a speech at New York University today, Gore argued that officials, including several of Rumsfeld’s top civilian deputies, should step down because the situation in Iraq is out of control. He called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA director George Tenet, and national security adviser Condoleeza Rice. [LINK]
TRANSCRIPT OF TODAY'S SPEECH
27 Rationales for Iraq War
27 Rationales for Iraq War
27 reasons...were any good enough?
See Devon M. Largio's Senior Honors Thesis titled:
“Uncovering the Rationales for the War on Iraq:
The Words of the Bush Administration, Congress, and the Media
from September 12, 2001 to October 11, 2002”
Department of Political Science
University of Illinois
Ms. Largio covers them all..including everything from the five front-runners – war on terror, prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, lack of weapons inspections, removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Saddam Hussein is 'evil', to the "also-rans" – Sen. Joe Lieberman’s “because Saddam Hussein hates us,” Colin Powell’s “because it’s a violation of international law,” and Richard Perle’s “because we can make Iraq an example and gain favor within the Middle East.” With regard to the Bush administration’s shift from bin Laden to Saddam, Ms. Largio found that Iraq was “part of the plan for the war on terror early in the game.”
A must-read.
[LINK] (pdf)
27 reasons...were any good enough?
See Devon M. Largio's Senior Honors Thesis titled:
“Uncovering the Rationales for the War on Iraq:
The Words of the Bush Administration, Congress, and the Media
from September 12, 2001 to October 11, 2002”
Department of Political Science
University of Illinois
Ms. Largio covers them all..including everything from the five front-runners – war on terror, prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, lack of weapons inspections, removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Saddam Hussein is 'evil', to the "also-rans" – Sen. Joe Lieberman’s “because Saddam Hussein hates us,” Colin Powell’s “because it’s a violation of international law,” and Richard Perle’s “because we can make Iraq an example and gain favor within the Middle East.” With regard to the Bush administration’s shift from bin Laden to Saddam, Ms. Largio found that Iraq was “part of the plan for the war on terror early in the game.”
A must-read.
[LINK] (pdf)
Conspiracy theories and Sibel Edmonds- Village Voice
Conspiracy theories and Sibel Edmonds-
Village Voice
Why are there so many conspiracy theories swimming around about the death of Nick Berg? At the Village Voice, Kareem Fahim explores the reasons for such skepticism. [LINK]
Richard Goldstein provides an exploration of why the news media keeps silent when rumors (like those surrounding Nick Berg's death) sweep the internet. [LINK]
James Ridgeway is trying to help us figure out why the FBI is going back in time and classifying some pretty basic information (involving 9-11 whistleblower Sibel Edmonds) that's already out there in the public sector. [LINK]
Village Voice
Why are there so many conspiracy theories swimming around about the death of Nick Berg? At the Village Voice, Kareem Fahim explores the reasons for such skepticism. [LINK]
Richard Goldstein provides an exploration of why the news media keeps silent when rumors (like those surrounding Nick Berg's death) sweep the internet. [LINK]
James Ridgeway is trying to help us figure out why the FBI is going back in time and classifying some pretty basic information (involving 9-11 whistleblower Sibel Edmonds) that's already out there in the public sector. [LINK]
A dedicated Marine fed up with armchair hawks
A dedicated Marine fed up with armchair hawks
This letter to the editor appeared yesterday in the Syracuse Post Standard:
I am a Marine Corps officer in the reserves who was activated and deployed to Iraq in spring 2003 for the invasion phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am proud of my unit and its performance in-theatre. We were going to defend our country against what we thought was an imminent threat to our soil. Regardless, my Marines deserve the highest praise for their performance. They did their duty without exception. They are very simply the best I have ever seen among men.
I would do my duty again in Iraq, as may be the case if a new unit of which I am a part is deployed next year (it's still up in the air, I'm told).
I am a Republican with conservative viewpoints. My point, ironically, is that I am sick to death of all of the "hawks" and pro-war slogans spewed from the mouths of individuals around our country who have never had to stare down a bullet or a piece of hot shrapnel that can very easily tear bodies in half.
Unless you are a hawk who has been in combat, or you have had a loved one go into harm's way and dealt with the long, sleepless hours, not knowing if he or she is alive and well, as my beloved mother had to endure, then shut the heck up! "Send more troops . . . Go get 'em, George" - please! Give such shortsighted individuals a helmet, body armor and a rifle, drop them off in Baghdad in 120-degree heat with no sleep or shower for weeks, and say: "You go get 'em, tough guy."
I'm sorry. I needed to vent that as I watch so many troops and their families who sacrifice on a daily basis. My thoughts are truly with them. God bless them for all they put up with.
Capt. Eric R. Lindgren, USMC
[LINK]
This letter to the editor appeared yesterday in the Syracuse Post Standard:
I am a Marine Corps officer in the reserves who was activated and deployed to Iraq in spring 2003 for the invasion phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am proud of my unit and its performance in-theatre. We were going to defend our country against what we thought was an imminent threat to our soil. Regardless, my Marines deserve the highest praise for their performance. They did their duty without exception. They are very simply the best I have ever seen among men.
I would do my duty again in Iraq, as may be the case if a new unit of which I am a part is deployed next year (it's still up in the air, I'm told).
I am a Republican with conservative viewpoints. My point, ironically, is that I am sick to death of all of the "hawks" and pro-war slogans spewed from the mouths of individuals around our country who have never had to stare down a bullet or a piece of hot shrapnel that can very easily tear bodies in half.
Unless you are a hawk who has been in combat, or you have had a loved one go into harm's way and dealt with the long, sleepless hours, not knowing if he or she is alive and well, as my beloved mother had to endure, then shut the heck up! "Send more troops . . . Go get 'em, George" - please! Give such shortsighted individuals a helmet, body armor and a rifle, drop them off in Baghdad in 120-degree heat with no sleep or shower for weeks, and say: "You go get 'em, tough guy."
I'm sorry. I needed to vent that as I watch so many troops and their families who sacrifice on a daily basis. My thoughts are truly with them. God bless them for all they put up with.
Capt. Eric R. Lindgren, USMC
[LINK]
President Bush: Fire Douglas Feith!
President Bush: Fire Douglas Feith!
President Bush needs to make himself accountable as leader of the U.S. by firing those responsible for many accounted-for errors and misleadings.
Douglas Feith is only one of those responsible for the lies and screw-ups regarding the Iraq situation, but there is no doubt he played a major role and needs to suffer the consequences.
If there are no consequences to egregious actions, then the President deliberately harbors the egregious. This would make him vicariously egregious and highly negligent.
How can any American stand for such negligence of duty?
__________
General Tommy Franks on Douglas Feith:
"I have to deal with the f*cking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."
From Bob Woodward's book "Plan of Attack"
__________
The fact that Bush is failing to clean these incompetents from his administration leads me to confirm my belief that there ARE nothing BUT incompetents in the administration...starting at the very top.
From Pharyngula:
Once upon a time, America stood for liberty, democracy, and forward-thinking confidence. At least we could tell ourselves that we aspired to those things, even if we did frequently stumble over our flaws....
[LINK]
President Bush needs to make himself accountable as leader of the U.S. by firing those responsible for many accounted-for errors and misleadings.
Douglas Feith is only one of those responsible for the lies and screw-ups regarding the Iraq situation, but there is no doubt he played a major role and needs to suffer the consequences.
If there are no consequences to egregious actions, then the President deliberately harbors the egregious. This would make him vicariously egregious and highly negligent.
How can any American stand for such negligence of duty?
General Tommy Franks on Douglas Feith:
"I have to deal with the f*cking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."
From Bob Woodward's book "Plan of Attack"
The fact that Bush is failing to clean these incompetents from his administration leads me to confirm my belief that there ARE nothing BUT incompetents in the administration...starting at the very top.
From Pharyngula:
Once upon a time, America stood for liberty, democracy, and forward-thinking confidence. At least we could tell ourselves that we aspired to those things, even if we did frequently stumble over our flaws....
[LINK]
Cicada Sings
Cicada Sings
All these were gather'd at the Scaean gate;
By age exempt from war, but in discourse
Abundant, as the cricket, that on high
From topmost boughs of forest tree sends forth
His delicate music; so on Ilium's tow'rs
Sat the sage chiefs and councillors of Troy.
--From Homer's Iliad
All these were gather'd at the Scaean gate;
By age exempt from war, but in discourse
Abundant, as the cricket, that on high
From topmost boughs of forest tree sends forth
His delicate music; so on Ilium's tow'rs
Sat the sage chiefs and councillors of Troy.
--From Homer's Iliad
Gas prices: Bush gets a lucky break on public perception
Gas prices: Bush gets a lucky break on public perception
In a recent Gallup poll, one in five people blamed corporate greed for the high cost of gas, and one in five blamed the war in Iraq. Only 5% blamed President Bush, suggesting he has escaped political damage so far.
President Bush is a pretty lucky political soul. If Americans kept themselves properly informed (see NY Times' $40-a-Barrel Mistake), they would easily see how some of the President's failures in leadership have, indeed, contributed to the higher fuel prices.
Until citizens commit themselves to self-education and until they can properly "connect the dots", we are going to be sadly bilked and will never realize who's actually picking our pockets.
In a recent Gallup poll, one in five people blamed corporate greed for the high cost of gas, and one in five blamed the war in Iraq. Only 5% blamed President Bush, suggesting he has escaped political damage so far.
President Bush is a pretty lucky political soul. If Americans kept themselves properly informed (see NY Times' $40-a-Barrel Mistake), they would easily see how some of the President's failures in leadership have, indeed, contributed to the higher fuel prices.
Until citizens commit themselves to self-education and until they can properly "connect the dots", we are going to be sadly bilked and will never realize who's actually picking our pockets.
Iraq photos (warning: graphic)
Iraq photos (warning: some graphic)
I literally stumbled upon this website today. There is a stunning collection of photos from the Iraq war (in its early stages) on the site. Some are quite graphic and show the ugliness of war. Others are inspirational. Mr. Denne has collected the works of a gifted photographer(photographers?).
Here is the LINK.
I literally stumbled upon this website today. There is a stunning collection of photos from the Iraq war (in its early stages) on the site. Some are quite graphic and show the ugliness of war. Others are inspirational. Mr. Denne has collected the works of a gifted photographer(photographers?).
Here is the LINK.
Slice of Life at Camps Baker, Hotel, and Golf
Slice of Life at Camps Baker, Hotel, and Golf
I dreamt last night that I was in the center of war-torn Baghdad and I heard the mortar shells exploding and felt a fear I'd not known before. I awoke and knew I was safe, for it was only a nightmare. I thought about the men and women living the nightmare...the troops...and the inncocent civilians of the cities of Iraq.
AP photo
I was reading the Army Times and noticed a nicely-written piece about the soldier's life in the camps and the feelings generated by extended tours.
I saw a reminder of an American's everyday fear and hope while working in Iraq:
I found it an unusual lesson- knowing that certain civilians are paid extremely well while the common American soldier takes a meager portion of the civilians' pay. It is also a lesson when you understand that the common soldier is looking forward to leaving the U.S. armed forces in the hopes to strike it rich as a privately-paid warrior.
What is the future of the strength and integrity of the U.S. armed forces when so many are planning on passing up the opportunity for re-enlistment because mercenary work is far more lucrative?
I dreamt last night that I was in the center of war-torn Baghdad and I heard the mortar shells exploding and felt a fear I'd not known before. I awoke and knew I was safe, for it was only a nightmare. I thought about the men and women living the nightmare...the troops...and the inncocent civilians of the cities of Iraq.
AP photo
I was reading the Army Times and noticed a nicely-written piece about the soldier's life in the camps and the feelings generated by extended tours.
I saw a reminder of an American's everyday fear and hope while working in Iraq:
Phil Kosnett, a 43-year-old American diplomat who heads the CPA team in Najaf, likes to highlight the contrast between his team’s situation and the image of Foreign Service work as one elegant cocktail party after another. Kosnett, of Black Mountain, N.C., keeps a pistol strapped to his thigh and hopes the mortars that strike the camps every day don’t find their mark.
I found it an unusual lesson- knowing that certain civilians are paid extremely well while the common American soldier takes a meager portion of the civilians' pay. It is also a lesson when you understand that the common soldier is looking forward to leaving the U.S. armed forces in the hopes to strike it rich as a privately-paid warrior.
Also banking on a prosperous future are some of the civilian contractors, especially security experts. One topic of conversation among American soldiers is how much these former Navy SEALs and Special Forces veterans earn, and how the servicemen can get one of those jobs when they get out of the army. The elite among them pocket up to $1,000 a day. That’s the same amount as the monthly bonus given to soldiers whose stay was extended last month.
What is the future of the strength and integrity of the U.S. armed forces when so many are planning on passing up the opportunity for re-enlistment because mercenary work is far more lucrative?
N.Y. Times admits flawed Iraq (Judith Miller) coverage
N.Y. Times admits flawed Iraq (Judith Miller) coverage
On Monday, I had commented:
Slate had pointed out the truth about Judith Miller's nearly criminal journalism in a May 18th article and commented on the NY Times Editor's notes on May 25.
Today, the New York Times' mea culpa appeared.
See The Times and Iraq
We need to weed out those who perpetuate false and misleading information.
I saw Laurie Mylroie on CSPAN this morning. Not only is she perpetuating the tired fallacies about WMD and the Iraq-9-11 connection, she comes off as a bit of a giggling, bitter anti-Clinton simpleton. I can hardly believe she is professionally supported as a credible academic.
On Monday, I had commented:
"Over the past year and a half, I've been saying how wrong these journalists have been and what a disservice they've done to the American people. Will they suffer any consequences? The N.Y. Times will eventually have to apologize to the people of America (and the world) for an inept journalist they still employ..Judith Miller."
Slate had pointed out the truth about Judith Miller's nearly criminal journalism in a May 18th article and commented on the NY Times Editor's notes on May 25.
Today, the New York Times' mea culpa appeared.
See The Times and Iraq
We need to weed out those who perpetuate false and misleading information.
I saw Laurie Mylroie on CSPAN this morning. Not only is she perpetuating the tired fallacies about WMD and the Iraq-9-11 connection, she comes off as a bit of a giggling, bitter anti-Clinton simpleton. I can hardly believe she is professionally supported as a credible academic.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Unrealistic expectations will take more American lives
Unrealistic expectations will take more American lives
Those who stand to make the most money manipulate perception of reality for capital gain
There is no way on God's earth a new Iraqi force will be ready, willing, or able within "months".
Prepare for the "very unusual".
Don't miss the Rebuild Iraq trade show and don't forget your civic lessons.
Those who stand to make the most money manipulate perception of reality for capital gain
There is no way on God's earth a new Iraqi force will be ready, willing, or able within "months".
"It will be very unusual if we were not able to secure security within the next year. The multinational force [in Iraq], as much as its presence is needed, will need
over time replaced by indigenous Iraqi forces, and we expect that to happen. It [will be] a matter of months before the Iraqi security forces are properly trained and equipped. So hopefully before the end of year - and certainly before the elections for the new constitutional assembly - we should have Iraqi security forces by and large in a position to take greater responsibility for security in their own country."
--Dr. Ali Alawi, Minister of Trade
[LINK]
over time replaced by indigenous Iraqi forces, and we expect that to happen. It [will be] a matter of months before the Iraqi security forces are properly trained and equipped. So hopefully before the end of year - and certainly before the elections for the new constitutional assembly - we should have Iraqi security forces by and large in a position to take greater responsibility for security in their own country."
--Dr. Ali Alawi, Minister of Trade
[LINK]
Prepare for the "very unusual".
Don't miss the Rebuild Iraq trade show and don't forget your civic lessons.
We Need A Hero
We Need A Hero
It isn't going to be George W. Bush. Someone needs to sit down and have a serious chat with David Brooks.
First, Brooks claims our national creed states that "our creator has endowed all human beings with the right to liberty, and the ability to function as democratic citizens".
"Ability to function as democratic citizens"? Isn't Mr. Brooks taking God-given liberty to revise old Tom Jefferson's words? When Jefferson wrote "..they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation"...the word "they" didn't mean to give future Americans the right to impose undue influence on another nation's idea for independence!
Brooks says: "Bush is putting this tenet of our national creed to a fearsome test in the worst possible circumstances."
In other words, Bush is imposing freedom on the Iraqis in the name of the American way. The very words impose and freedom are impossible philosophical bedfellows. We had a chance to create the conditions for freedom in Iraq. That's as much as we will ever be able to do, in righteousness.
I still recall, however, how the American people were LIED TO (bald-faced)about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Before the pre-emptive strike, it was about the imminent threat to America. It was about WMDs. Lies are not honorable. This war was not waged in an honorable light.
While it may have been ultimately good for the Iraqis to be rid of Saddam Hussein, the war has done too much damage to the trust of the American people. Almost 800 American families have forever given up their sons and daughters for the imposition of freedom upon a people who never required or desired it from us.
Our American soldiers are heroes.
We need a leader who can match their courage, wit, and understanding of what it means to love your country with your last breath, if need be. That's what it means to be a hero.
Bush is not the hero we seek.
David Brooks says that if Bush succeeds, the Iraqis will "take responsibility for their future" as they begin to "regard Americans as necessary guests" and they will ultimately "feel they control their lives".
I wonder how it is David Brooks doesn't see that the Iraqis are already "taking responsibility for their future" in their obvious desire to expel Americans from their lands? How is it that Brooks doesn't see that Iraqis obviously have a strong desire to "control their own lives"?
Is he blind?
There is going to be a civil war in Iraq this summer. Many more American troops will have to die because of too many blind pundits and the chickenhawk leaders who make the word "freedom" their political whore.
The best thing that could happen for Bush (and our troops) is to have the new Iraqi interim government tell the U.S., come July 1st, to get out of their country.
People who blow themselves up and leaders who command their armies to storm into nations with bombs and guns always claim to know the 'truth' better than everybody else. They almost always claim to know what "God wants" or "what God said". None of them are acting in righteousness, which, in the end, is always love.
Using the words of the poet Hafiz, truth means having "profound courage to never relinquish love".
Let the Iraqis be the free people and the free nation God intended them to be.
It's what they want.
America is not God.
God is God.
_____________________________
The Diamond Takes Shape
Some parrots
Have become so skilled with
The human voice
They could give a brilliant discourse
About freedom and God
And an unsighted man nearby might
Even begin applauding with
The thought:
I just heard jewels fall from a
Great saint's mouth,
Though my Master used to say,
"The diamond takes shape slowly
With integrity's great force,
And from
The profound courage to never relinquish love."
Some parrots have become so skilled
With words,
The blind turn over their gold
And lives to caged
Feathers.
--'The Gift - Poems by Hafiz The Great Sufi Master'
Translations by Daniel Ladinsky
It isn't going to be George W. Bush. Someone needs to sit down and have a serious chat with David Brooks.
First, Brooks claims our national creed states that "our creator has endowed all human beings with the right to liberty, and the ability to function as democratic citizens".
"Ability to function as democratic citizens"? Isn't Mr. Brooks taking God-given liberty to revise old Tom Jefferson's words? When Jefferson wrote "..they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation"...the word "they" didn't mean to give future Americans the right to impose undue influence on another nation's idea for independence!
Brooks says: "Bush is putting this tenet of our national creed to a fearsome test in the worst possible circumstances."
In other words, Bush is imposing freedom on the Iraqis in the name of the American way. The very words impose and freedom are impossible philosophical bedfellows. We had a chance to create the conditions for freedom in Iraq. That's as much as we will ever be able to do, in righteousness.
I still recall, however, how the American people were LIED TO (bald-faced)about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Before the pre-emptive strike, it was about the imminent threat to America. It was about WMDs. Lies are not honorable. This war was not waged in an honorable light.
While it may have been ultimately good for the Iraqis to be rid of Saddam Hussein, the war has done too much damage to the trust of the American people. Almost 800 American families have forever given up their sons and daughters for the imposition of freedom upon a people who never required or desired it from us.
Our American soldiers are heroes.
We need a leader who can match their courage, wit, and understanding of what it means to love your country with your last breath, if need be. That's what it means to be a hero.
Bush is not the hero we seek.
David Brooks says that if Bush succeeds, the Iraqis will "take responsibility for their future" as they begin to "regard Americans as necessary guests" and they will ultimately "feel they control their lives".
I wonder how it is David Brooks doesn't see that the Iraqis are already "taking responsibility for their future" in their obvious desire to expel Americans from their lands? How is it that Brooks doesn't see that Iraqis obviously have a strong desire to "control their own lives"?
Is he blind?
There is going to be a civil war in Iraq this summer. Many more American troops will have to die because of too many blind pundits and the chickenhawk leaders who make the word "freedom" their political whore.
The best thing that could happen for Bush (and our troops) is to have the new Iraqi interim government tell the U.S., come July 1st, to get out of their country.
People who blow themselves up and leaders who command their armies to storm into nations with bombs and guns always claim to know the 'truth' better than everybody else. They almost always claim to know what "God wants" or "what God said". None of them are acting in righteousness, which, in the end, is always love.
Using the words of the poet Hafiz, truth means having "profound courage to never relinquish love".
Let the Iraqis be the free people and the free nation God intended them to be.
It's what they want.
America is not God.
God is God.
The Diamond Takes Shape
Some parrots
Have become so skilled with
The human voice
They could give a brilliant discourse
About freedom and God
And an unsighted man nearby might
Even begin applauding with
The thought:
I just heard jewels fall from a
Great saint's mouth,
Though my Master used to say,
"The diamond takes shape slowly
With integrity's great force,
And from
The profound courage to never relinquish love."
Some parrots have become so skilled
With words,
The blind turn over their gold
And lives to caged
Feathers.
--'The Gift - Poems by Hafiz The Great Sufi Master'
Translations by Daniel Ladinsky
The unaccountable Bush blames it on history
The unaccountable Bush blames it on history
"In the last 32 months, history has placed great demands on our country."
In the last 32 months, Bush has placed our country where she remains today. She is disgraced in the eyes of our allies after the Neocons barreled their way into convincing the soft-headed Mr. Bush to take America to unnecessary war.
History demands nothing.
History merely watches the sages and the fools.
Perhaps Mr. Bush will blame God next. After all, t'was God who whispered in his destiny-clad ears, yes?
What do I think of last night's speech, you ask? If you've noticed I've said nothing, you may already have your answer.
____________________
*Speaking of sages, NYCO says: "..it is such a time we live in, that mere adults come off as sages." Sad, yes?
"In the last 32 months, history has placed great demands on our country."
In the last 32 months, Bush has placed our country where she remains today. She is disgraced in the eyes of our allies after the Neocons barreled their way into convincing the soft-headed Mr. Bush to take America to unnecessary war.
History demands nothing.
History merely watches the sages and the fools.
Perhaps Mr. Bush will blame God next. After all, t'was God who whispered in his destiny-clad ears, yes?
What do I think of last night's speech, you ask? If you've noticed I've said nothing, you may already have your answer.
*Speaking of sages, NYCO says: "..it is such a time we live in, that mere adults come off as sages." Sad, yes?
WorldNetDaily helps launch plot to steal the election
Secession looming!
WorldNetDaily: Christians look to form 'new nation' within U.S.
"The plan initially calls for at least 12,000 Christians willing to be active in political campaigns to move to the Palmetto State. "
Pay close attention to who moves where in time for our lofty election coming up. Interstate redistricting? Can not these people play fair??
anonymoses
______________________
Good one, Dave. I've noticed public pleas for people to move to swing states to vote both GOP and Dem. Politics is such a dirty game. Unfortunately, the GOP always seems to know how to play the dirty games more efficiently.
About this secession news, perhaps Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson will become the President of the nation of South Carolina. Can you imagine? How rich!
The whole scenario is deliciously reminiscent of the secessions of the mid-nineteenth century when the argument was over slavery. Gays are the neo-slaves, I guess.
I wonder how many people would fight to the death in a bloody civil war while defending the cry- "Let my people marry!"?
Yesterday we had abolitionists.
Today we have abo-swish-inists.
The silliest (perhaps scariest) part is that our own President is one of these goofball fundamentalists.
Jude
WorldNetDaily: Christians look to form 'new nation' within U.S.
"The plan initially calls for at least 12,000 Christians willing to be active in political campaigns to move to the Palmetto State. "
Pay close attention to who moves where in time for our lofty election coming up. Interstate redistricting? Can not these people play fair??
anonymoses
Good one, Dave. I've noticed public pleas for people to move to swing states to vote both GOP and Dem. Politics is such a dirty game. Unfortunately, the GOP always seems to know how to play the dirty games more efficiently.
About this secession news, perhaps Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson will become the President of the nation of South Carolina. Can you imagine? How rich!
The whole scenario is deliciously reminiscent of the secessions of the mid-nineteenth century when the argument was over slavery. Gays are the neo-slaves, I guess.
I wonder how many people would fight to the death in a bloody civil war while defending the cry- "Let my people marry!"?
Yesterday we had abolitionists.
Today we have abo-swish-inists.
The silliest (perhaps scariest) part is that our own President is one of these goofball fundamentalists.
Jude
Monday, May 24, 2004
Abu Graib and the Right Wing Culture Warriors
Abu Graib and the Right Wing Culture Warriors
Timothy Noah writes about how the right-wing culture warriors blame the Abu Graib prisoner abuse on moral relativism, gays, pornography, feminists, Quentin Tarantino, the Farrelly Brothers, women in the military, the academic left, the liberal media/entertainment complex, journalists' Vietnam-bred hostility toward the military, our "sick" society...
They blame anyone but those actually accountable--starting with the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense..and on down.
Who or what do we blame for this kind of attempted blame-escape?
Ignorance? Poor character? Pride? Partisanship?
[LINK]
Timothy Noah writes about how the right-wing culture warriors blame the Abu Graib prisoner abuse on moral relativism, gays, pornography, feminists, Quentin Tarantino, the Farrelly Brothers, women in the military, the academic left, the liberal media/entertainment complex, journalists' Vietnam-bred hostility toward the military, our "sick" society...
They blame anyone but those actually accountable--starting with the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense..and on down.
Who or what do we blame for this kind of attempted blame-escape?
Ignorance? Poor character? Pride? Partisanship?
[LINK]
'Nick Berg Was a Soldier of Peace' by Michael Berg
'Nick Berg Was a Soldier of Peace'
by Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg
by Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg
..George Bush can see neither the heart of Nicholas nor the American people — let alone the people his policies are killing daily.
..Donald Rumsfeld said that he took the responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences of the policies both stated and given with a wink and a nod by the Bush administration. And, even more than those murderers who took my son's life, I can't stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.
..George Bush's ineffective leadership is a weapon of mass destruction and it has allowed a chain reaction of events that lead to the unlawful detention of my son.
..Many people have offered to pray for Nick and my family. I appreciate their thoughts, but I ask them to include in their prayers a prayer for peace. I ask them to do more than pray. I ask them to demand it from the politicians and leaders in the White House and in the statehouses across the world and in the mountain camps where they may hide. And let them know that if you don't get it, they aren't going to work for you as their leaders any more.
..Donald Rumsfeld said that he took the responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences of the policies both stated and given with a wink and a nod by the Bush administration. And, even more than those murderers who took my son's life, I can't stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.
..George Bush's ineffective leadership is a weapon of mass destruction and it has allowed a chain reaction of events that lead to the unlawful detention of my son.
..Many people have offered to pray for Nick and my family. I appreciate their thoughts, but I ask them to include in their prayers a prayer for peace. I ask them to do more than pray. I ask them to demand it from the politicians and leaders in the White House and in the statehouses across the world and in the mountain camps where they may hide. And let them know that if you don't get it, they aren't going to work for you as their leaders any more.
It's Monday
It's Monday
NY Times- An American U.N. resolution draft, critical to efforts to make the United Nations more involved in Iraq, is expected to call for international donations and troops. It is also supposed to define any limitations on Iraq's sovereignty after the transfer of power planned for June 30.
Thanks to Bohemian Mama for pointing me to a listing of 25 things we have learned on Fox News. Bohemian Mama also has some interesting thoughts on Atrocity Fatigue.
This photo bothers me because of the distinct resemblance of the prisoner's stance to Christ's crucifixion pose. The shit on the prisoner's back doesn't increase my joy in seeing the image.
*Note: A friend mentioned to me today that he suspected this photo was a fake. We really don't know, but if you look at it very closely, it does seem quite suspect. In all fairness, I thought I'd submit this possibility to you, my fine readers.*
"This shit has been brewing for months. You don't keep prisoners naked in their cell and then let them get bitten by dogs. This is sick. We don't raise kids to do things like that. When you go after Mullah Omar, that's one thing. But when you give the authority to kids who don't know the rules, that's another."
-An unnamed Pentagon consultant
from Seymour Hersh/ The Gray Zone
I found a lovely recipe for homemade strawberry ice cream.
In The Sun magazine's May 2004 edition, Robert Bly says the U.S. is the insane, obsessed father who took Iraq and bombed it back into childhood. The negative father has come forward almost nakedly and has beaten a country that was already on its knees. We citizens are broken in spirit upon finding out that our father has been beating all our sisters and brothers. (We are all brothers and sisters, regardless of country).
What they see.....
Fragments of musical instruments, tufts of women's hair, and a large blood stain..
Pools of blood lay inside the green-domed Sahla mosque...
What we hear......
Wedding party?! Those killed were involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq and that the houses attacked were way stations for militants.
We said we weren't going to attack sacred sites in holy cities. Well, we are. Period. U.S. soldiers fought militiamen (note-it doesn't say "terrorists"-) near Kufa's Sahla mosque and then raided it for weapons after an Iraqi counterterrorism force "cleared" the site.
NY Times- An American U.N. resolution draft, critical to efforts to make the United Nations more involved in Iraq, is expected to call for international donations and troops. It is also supposed to define any limitations on Iraq's sovereignty after the transfer of power planned for June 30.
Thanks to Bohemian Mama for pointing me to a listing of 25 things we have learned on Fox News. Bohemian Mama also has some interesting thoughts on Atrocity Fatigue.
This photo bothers me because of the distinct resemblance of the prisoner's stance to Christ's crucifixion pose. The shit on the prisoner's back doesn't increase my joy in seeing the image.
*Note: A friend mentioned to me today that he suspected this photo was a fake. We really don't know, but if you look at it very closely, it does seem quite suspect. In all fairness, I thought I'd submit this possibility to you, my fine readers.*
"This shit has been brewing for months. You don't keep prisoners naked in their cell and then let them get bitten by dogs. This is sick. We don't raise kids to do things like that. When you go after Mullah Omar, that's one thing. But when you give the authority to kids who don't know the rules, that's another."
-An unnamed Pentagon consultant
from Seymour Hersh/ The Gray Zone
I found a lovely recipe for homemade strawberry ice cream.
In The Sun magazine's May 2004 edition, Robert Bly says the U.S. is the insane, obsessed father who took Iraq and bombed it back into childhood. The negative father has come forward almost nakedly and has beaten a country that was already on its knees. We citizens are broken in spirit upon finding out that our father has been beating all our sisters and brothers. (We are all brothers and sisters, regardless of country).
What they see.....
Fragments of musical instruments, tufts of women's hair, and a large blood stain..
Pools of blood lay inside the green-domed Sahla mosque...
What we hear......
Wedding party?! Those killed were involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq and that the houses attacked were way stations for militants.
We said we weren't going to attack sacred sites in holy cities. Well, we are. Period. U.S. soldiers fought militiamen (note-it doesn't say "terrorists"-) near Kufa's Sahla mosque and then raided it for weapons after an Iraqi counterterrorism force "cleared" the site.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Democratic Détente
Democratic Détente
The party's 20-year-old fights are -- well, 20 years old. Enough already
For Democrats, E. J. Dionne lays out ten arguments no longer worth having and replaces them with ten positions he believes are worth taking.
[LINK]
The party's 20-year-old fights are -- well, 20 years old. Enough already
For Democrats, E. J. Dionne lays out ten arguments no longer worth having and replaces them with ten positions he believes are worth taking.
[LINK]
Iraq / War on Terror: Today's News and Views
Iraq / War on Terror: Today's News and Views
BBC- Karbala calm as militia withdraws
Reuters- Bill Clinton: U.N. Should Lead Iraq Effort
Paul de Rooij- A Political Obituary: Colin Powell, DOA
WP- Prison Visits By General Reported In Hearing; Alleged Presence of Sanchez Cited by Lawyer
WP/Robin Wright- President Plans Drive To Rescue Iraq Policy; Speeches, U.N. Action Will Focus on Future
Sunday Herald- Wedding massacre at Makr al-Deeb will fuel resistance against occupying forces
Guardian commment- Here Be Monsters
BBC- Karbala calm as militia withdraws
Karbala, which is 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Baghdad, is home to the shrine of Imam Hussein - one of the holiest places for the world's Shia Muslims. On Friday more than 2,000 Iraqis demonstrated demanding that Mr Sadr's men leave the city. And on Tuesday Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, said all armed forces should be withdrawn from the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Reuters- Bill Clinton: U.N. Should Lead Iraq Effort
"I don't think Iraq was about oil and imperialism but it was about unilateralism over cooperation as way to shape the world in the 21st century," Clinton said in a comment about the Bush administration's approach to foreign policy.
Paul de Rooij- A Political Obituary: Colin Powell, DOA
Sometimes it is worth writing someone's obituary ahead of schedule. In the case of politicians, the purpose of an obituary is to serve as a warning against the political zombies those politicians who are politically spent or have lost their souls.
WP- Prison Visits By General Reported In Hearing; Alleged Presence of Sanchez Cited by Lawyer
A military lawyer for a soldier charged in the Abu Ghraib abuse case stated that a captain at the prison said the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq was present during some "interrogations and/or allegations of the prisoner abuse," according to a recording of a military hearing obtained by The Washington Post.
WP/Robin Wright- President Plans Drive To Rescue Iraq Policy; Speeches, U.N. Action Will Focus on Future
President Bush will launch an ambitious campaign tomorrow night to shift attention from recent setbacks that have eroded domestic and international support for U.S. policy in Iraq, particularly the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the escalating violence, and focus instead on the future of post-occupation Iraq.
Sunday Herald- Wedding massacre at Makr al-Deeb will fuel resistance against occupying forces
The bombing started at 3am on Wednesday. The villagers from the tiny desert community of Makr al-Deeb were fast asleep, exhausted after a day spent celebrating a wedding. By the time the bombing had stopped and the advancing GIs had finished marauding and shooting their way through the remains of the village, the Americans had killed at least 42 innocent people.
Guardian commment- Here Be Monsters
What happens next will determine the future of Iraq, the region and perhaps the world. The fantasy of Osama bin Laden may be forestalled only if the US coalition, in thrall to myth, can finally sift the real from the imagined.
Gen. Anthony Zinni speaks
Gen. Anthony Zinni speaks-
NeoCons created their own intelligence to match their needs
No personal accountability for negligence and incompetence
"In the lead-up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw, at minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility; at worst, lying, incompetence and corruption."
"....regardless of whose responsibility [it is]...it should be evident to everybody that they've screwed up, and whose heads are rolling on this?"
-Gen. Anthony Zinni [LINK]
Gen. Zinni declared Iraq a diminishing power and of little threat before we ignorantly marched in. [LINK]
SEE: The 10 mistakes: Gen. Anthony Zinni, former CentCom commander, lists the catastrophic blunders made by the Bush team that led to the Iraq nightmare
[LINK]
NeoCons created their own intelligence to match their needs
No personal accountability for negligence and incompetence
"In the lead-up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw, at minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility; at worst, lying, incompetence and corruption."
"....regardless of whose responsibility [it is]...it should be evident to everybody that they've screwed up, and whose heads are rolling on this?"
-Gen. Anthony Zinni [LINK]
Gen. Zinni declared Iraq a diminishing power and of little threat before we ignorantly marched in. [LINK]
SEE: The 10 mistakes: Gen. Anthony Zinni, former CentCom commander, lists the catastrophic blunders made by the Bush team that led to the Iraq nightmare
[LINK]
Proof: Blair suspected Bush was incompetent boor
Proof: Blair suspected Bush was incompetent boor
And other unfortunately true sordid stories
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi has been heavily criticized this week by the GOP for stating (and sticking with) the obvious: Bush is an incompetent leader. [LINK]
A new revelation surrounding the Blair government's early misgivings about Bush is now exposed. [LINK]
In the field of journalism, many mainstream (pre-Iraq-war) pundits (Ted Rall called them "war-pimps") now have runny egg all over their faces. Suddenly, they're all pulling back...some saying what Dennis Kucinich has been stating all along. (Unless you're William Safire, who still clings to stubborn ideas that time has proven false...is he senile?) Over the past year and a half, I've been saying how wrong these journalists have been and what a disservice they've done to the American people. Will they suffer any consequences? The N.Y. Times will eventually have to apologize to the people of America (and the world) for an inept journalist they still employ..Judith Miller.
Ahmad Chalabi is a total mess. He's all over the board in his own self-defense...a poor witness on his own behalf. He says he wants our troops out of his country..."Let my people go free" he says (after 793 Americans died for this piece of shit's cause). He is creating a carefully-crafted scene where it's Chalabi vs. Tenet...a good cover, I suppose..given that Tenet assured Bush that the WMD issue would be a "slam-dunk" as a public-convincing reason for attacking Iraq. It's all too obvious the White House is now trying to distance themselves from Chalabi when we know (damned well) the flim-flam flunky has been their favoured war-pimping political instrument. It seems he's been a Judas to (and for) the Bush administration. He may as well hang himself a la Judas, because by the time this is all over, he will be a worthless, used piece of slime ready to slink easily through the gutterhole.
(See various views on the Chalabi situation from Juan Cole, Juan Cole (2), Andrew Cockburn, Jim Lobe, and Atrios).
The great "hand-off" on June 30th is close-at-hand. Bush-supporters lead the blind to believe the bad guys will be silenced on July 1st. We already know this is not true...General Abizaid told us as much last week. A civil war is about to erupt in the blistering heat of the cruel Iraqi summer.
Bush will begin his new spin on Iraq tomorrow night. He's expected to outline a plan of action to dispel the idea that we don't know what we're doing on Iraq. Bush will explain to Americans and people around the world that the United States has "a plan to overcome the security problems and the political impasse in Iraq", an official said. (per ABC's Political Note).
And other unfortunately true sordid stories
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi has been heavily criticized this week by the GOP for stating (and sticking with) the obvious: Bush is an incompetent leader. [LINK]
A new revelation surrounding the Blair government's early misgivings about Bush is now exposed. [LINK]
In the field of journalism, many mainstream (pre-Iraq-war) pundits (Ted Rall called them "war-pimps") now have runny egg all over their faces. Suddenly, they're all pulling back...some saying what Dennis Kucinich has been stating all along. (Unless you're William Safire, who still clings to stubborn ideas that time has proven false...is he senile?) Over the past year and a half, I've been saying how wrong these journalists have been and what a disservice they've done to the American people. Will they suffer any consequences? The N.Y. Times will eventually have to apologize to the people of America (and the world) for an inept journalist they still employ..Judith Miller.
Ahmad Chalabi is a total mess. He's all over the board in his own self-defense...a poor witness on his own behalf. He says he wants our troops out of his country..."Let my people go free" he says (after 793 Americans died for this piece of shit's cause). He is creating a carefully-crafted scene where it's Chalabi vs. Tenet...a good cover, I suppose..given that Tenet assured Bush that the WMD issue would be a "slam-dunk" as a public-convincing reason for attacking Iraq. It's all too obvious the White House is now trying to distance themselves from Chalabi when we know (damned well) the flim-flam flunky has been their favoured war-pimping political instrument. It seems he's been a Judas to (and for) the Bush administration. He may as well hang himself a la Judas, because by the time this is all over, he will be a worthless, used piece of slime ready to slink easily through the gutterhole.
(See various views on the Chalabi situation from Juan Cole, Juan Cole (2), Andrew Cockburn, Jim Lobe, and Atrios).
The great "hand-off" on June 30th is close-at-hand. Bush-supporters lead the blind to believe the bad guys will be silenced on July 1st. We already know this is not true...General Abizaid told us as much last week. A civil war is about to erupt in the blistering heat of the cruel Iraqi summer.
Bush will begin his new spin on Iraq tomorrow night. He's expected to outline a plan of action to dispel the idea that we don't know what we're doing on Iraq. Bush will explain to Americans and people around the world that the United States has "a plan to overcome the security problems and the political impasse in Iraq", an official said. (per ABC's Political Note).
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Look at me, Ma
Look at me, Ma..I'm...
...uh....just going back to my little blue bike now......
Vroooom...Heh-heh--Who's the MAN? [Penguin laugh]
Saudi Arabia has been working hard
"Saudi Arabia has been and will continue to be a strong and reliable energy partner. We are working to bring prices down for
- Prince Bandar bin Sultan
Ref: OPEC Unity Threatened by Saudi Promises
The Point- William Rivers Pitt
The Point-
William Rivers Pitt
I dreamed kind Jesus fouled the big-gun gears;
And caused a permanent stoppage in all bolts;
And buckled with a smile Mausers and Colts;
And rusted every bayonet with His tears.
And there were no more bombs, of ours or theirs,
Not even an old flint-lock, not even a pikel.
But God was vexed, and gave all power to Michael;
And when I woke he'd seen to our repairs.
-- Wilfred Owen, "Soldier's Dream"
William Rivers Pitt
I dreamed kind Jesus fouled the big-gun gears;
And caused a permanent stoppage in all bolts;
And buckled with a smile Mausers and Colts;
And rusted every bayonet with His tears.
And there were no more bombs, of ours or theirs,
Not even an old flint-lock, not even a pikel.
But God was vexed, and gave all power to Michael;
And when I woke he'd seen to our repairs.
-- Wilfred Owen, "Soldier's Dream"
It is safe to say that a majority of Americans would weep no bitter tears for any hard-core al Qaeda fighters left alone with several angry MI officers and a snarling dog, if such tactics would keep further 9/11 attacks from taking place. Such is the state of our morality in the 21st century, but for the moment, that is beside the point.
The point is four-fold:
a) The seven soldiers at the center of the Abu Ghraib scandal did not perpetrate these horrors on their own, but were ordered to do so. According to Sgt. Provance, those orders are now being covered up.
b) The torture took place because George W. Bush, Don Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft decided that Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners were not subject to the protections of the Geneva Conventions. The orders that created a torture-friendly environment came from the very, very top.
c) The strictures of the Geneva Conventions were deliberately removed because Bush administration officials feared war crimes prosecutions, as is clearly stated in the Gonzales memo.
d) The vast majority of Iraqis tortured in Abu Ghraib were not Taliban, were not al Qaeda, were not even 'insurgents.' They were civilians, among thousands swept up and jailed by American forces. However one may feel about terrorists being provided Geneva Convention protections, only a soulless fiend can devise a defense for the torture, rape, molestation and abuse absorbed by innocent people in Abu Ghraib.
-William Rivers Pitt/Trickle-Down Morality
[LINK]
The point is four-fold:
a) The seven soldiers at the center of the Abu Ghraib scandal did not perpetrate these horrors on their own, but were ordered to do so. According to Sgt. Provance, those orders are now being covered up.
b) The torture took place because George W. Bush, Don Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft decided that Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners were not subject to the protections of the Geneva Conventions. The orders that created a torture-friendly environment came from the very, very top.
c) The strictures of the Geneva Conventions were deliberately removed because Bush administration officials feared war crimes prosecutions, as is clearly stated in the Gonzales memo.
d) The vast majority of Iraqis tortured in Abu Ghraib were not Taliban, were not al Qaeda, were not even 'insurgents.' They were civilians, among thousands swept up and jailed by American forces. However one may feel about terrorists being provided Geneva Convention protections, only a soulless fiend can devise a defense for the torture, rape, molestation and abuse absorbed by innocent people in Abu Ghraib.
-William Rivers Pitt/Trickle-Down Morality
[LINK]
Monet's Waterlilies
Monet's Waterlilies
Today as the news from Selma and Saigon
poisons the air like fallout,
I come again to see
the serene, great picture that I love.
Here space and time exist in light
the eye like the eye of faith believes.
The seen, the known
dissolve in iridescence, become
illusive flesh of light
that was not, was, forever is.
O light beheld as through refracting tears.
Here is the aura of that world
each of us has lost.
Here is the shadow of its joy.
Robert Hayden
Soldiers eat Iraqis, puke them back up, and make their parents eat their own vomited children
Soldiers eat Iraqis, puke them back up, and make their parents eat their own vomited children
ADVANCED FORMS OF DEATH, PART ONE
state-of-the-art punishments
New videos show totally awesome new behaviors by the unchristian coalition "specialists".
There are those who evolve, and there are those who do not even believe in the existence of evolution. These people are free to continue acting like apes. But why dog the poor ape? Apes are among the innocent.
If only evolution were allowed, we might be able to rise above our barbarity. But nooo!
And so we wind up with images of human beings eating other human beings, images of human beings puking out the remains of our enemies, and images of human beings forcing the parents of these eaten unfortunates...to eat their unfortunates.
These parents are not likely to send their other children to battle the great America! Case dismissed!
But alas the case is not dismissed. It was a headbirth in the first place; a sick pipe dream; a weak attempt at imagining what the actual videos DO contain, since they are not willing to show them, and answer our speculation with the real thing.
Who knows? It may prove worse still! I cease to be amazed at the depths to which humans can sink when they are filled with fear, drugs and ego.
As a regular American with no political strivings, I want to apologize to the world for the behavior of a number of my bretheren and sisteren. I suspect that those "on the ground", "doing the dirty deed", are fearful and order-takers.
But they are acting cogs in someone higher's sick "vision", which is really a lack of vision. A simulacrum. A scheme. Sadly one that has killed and maimed and disinfranchised tens, if not hundreds, of thousands...all the while adding to their inheritance of wind. Hot wind boomerang.
Americans are the world. George is but a Texan. Too small for the job. Too ambitious. Unconcerned about future generations. Egoboy.
Surely John Kerry will be a better steward. Please have patience.
ADVANCED FORMS OF DEATH, PART ONE
state-of-the-art punishments
New videos show totally awesome new behaviors by the unchristian coalition "specialists".
There are those who evolve, and there are those who do not even believe in the existence of evolution. These people are free to continue acting like apes. But why dog the poor ape? Apes are among the innocent.
If only evolution were allowed, we might be able to rise above our barbarity. But nooo!
And so we wind up with images of human beings eating other human beings, images of human beings puking out the remains of our enemies, and images of human beings forcing the parents of these eaten unfortunates...to eat their unfortunates.
These parents are not likely to send their other children to battle the great America! Case dismissed!
But alas the case is not dismissed. It was a headbirth in the first place; a sick pipe dream; a weak attempt at imagining what the actual videos DO contain, since they are not willing to show them, and answer our speculation with the real thing.
Who knows? It may prove worse still! I cease to be amazed at the depths to which humans can sink when they are filled with fear, drugs and ego.
As a regular American with no political strivings, I want to apologize to the world for the behavior of a number of my bretheren and sisteren. I suspect that those "on the ground", "doing the dirty deed", are fearful and order-takers.
But they are acting cogs in someone higher's sick "vision", which is really a lack of vision. A simulacrum. A scheme. Sadly one that has killed and maimed and disinfranchised tens, if not hundreds, of thousands...all the while adding to their inheritance of wind. Hot wind boomerang.
Americans are the world. George is but a Texan. Too small for the job. Too ambitious. Unconcerned about future generations. Egoboy.
Surely John Kerry will be a better steward. Please have patience.
Doonesbury comic strip to list names of military victims killed in Iraq war
Doonesbury comic strip to list names of military victims killed in Iraq war
The comic will list chronologically the names of 702 soldiers killed through April 23, said Lee Salem, editor of the Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip. The names were set in 6-point type to fit in the six panels of the May 30 strip. "The intent (of the strip) is to recognize those who died," Salem said.
[LINK]
The comic will list chronologically the names of 702 soldiers killed through April 23, said Lee Salem, editor of the Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip. The names were set in 6-point type to fit in the six panels of the May 30 strip. "The intent (of the strip) is to recognize those who died," Salem said.
[LINK]
Friday, May 21, 2004
Security contractor in Iraq answers Josh Marshall's questions
Security contractor in Iraq answers Josh Marshall's questions
Josh Marshall gets an insider's view of how 'the street' is viewing Abu Ghraib in Iraq, the general feeling amongst the troops, and the extent to which the average soldier is able to connect with news from the outside world via internet. [LINK]
Josh Marshall gets an insider's view of how 'the street' is viewing Abu Ghraib in Iraq, the general feeling amongst the troops, and the extent to which the average soldier is able to connect with news from the outside world via internet. [LINK]
Chalabi Failure- Bush(neo)Conned?
Chalabi Failure-
Bush(neo)Conned?
"I am America's best friend in Iraq."
-Ahmad Chalabi
Standing of Former Key U.S. Ally in Iraq Falls to New Low
From: Robin Wright/Washington Post
Chalabi's betrayal
From: UPI
--"The Iraq Blame Game"
From: Newsmax
Chalabi's Seat of Honor Lost to Open Political Warfare With U.S.
From: David Sanger/N.Y.Times
'America's best friend in Iraq' angry over raid But Chalabi says, 'I am not marginalized'
From: David J. Lynch/USA Today
SEE IDDYBUD 9-30-03
Bush(neo)Conned?
"I am America's best friend in Iraq."
-Ahmad Chalabi
Standing of Former Key U.S. Ally in Iraq Falls to New Low
From: Robin Wright/Washington Post
Chalabi's betrayal
From: UPI
--"The Iraq Blame Game"
From: Newsmax
Chalabi's Seat of Honor Lost to Open Political Warfare With U.S.
From: David Sanger/N.Y.Times
'America's best friend in Iraq' angry over raid But Chalabi says, 'I am not marginalized'
From: David J. Lynch/USA Today
SEE IDDYBUD 9-30-03
Newsweek backs some of Maher Arar's story
Newsweek backs some of Maher Arar's story
By 2004, the United States was running a covert chartered airline moving CIA prisoners from one secret facility to another. The reason? It was judged impolitic (and too traceable)to use the U.S. Air Force.
--Newsweek Magazine
Maher Arar, 34, is the Syrian-born Canadian who was detained in the U.S. in September, 2002, while changing planes in New York on his way to Ottawa. He was deported to Jordan and then Syria, where he was kept for 10 months and interrogated before being released.
(See Iddybud/11-15-03)
Last November, the Center for Constitutional Rights asked members of both the House of Representatives committee on intelligence and its Senate counterpart to review Mr. Arar's case. At the time, a Republican member of the Senate intelligence oversight committee, provided little hope that they would take up Mr. Arar's case. "We don't have time to do it," he'd said.
I wonder if they'll find the time now....with this current Newsweek report...after Abu Ghraib...after the Canadian inquiry which is about to draw attention to yet another kind of U.S. complicity in torture?
[LINK]
SEE: America's Gulag: Stephen Grey uncovers a secret global network of prisons and planes that allows the US to hand over its enemies for interrogation, and sometimes torture, by the agents of its more unsavoury allies.
[LINK]
By 2004, the United States was running a covert chartered airline moving CIA prisoners from one secret facility to another. The reason? It was judged impolitic (and too traceable)to use the U.S. Air Force.
--Newsweek Magazine
Maher Arar, 34, is the Syrian-born Canadian who was detained in the U.S. in September, 2002, while changing planes in New York on his way to Ottawa. He was deported to Jordan and then Syria, where he was kept for 10 months and interrogated before being released.
(See Iddybud/11-15-03)
Last November, the Center for Constitutional Rights asked members of both the House of Representatives committee on intelligence and its Senate counterpart to review Mr. Arar's case. At the time, a Republican member of the Senate intelligence oversight committee, provided little hope that they would take up Mr. Arar's case. "We don't have time to do it," he'd said.
I wonder if they'll find the time now....with this current Newsweek report...after Abu Ghraib...after the Canadian inquiry which is about to draw attention to yet another kind of U.S. complicity in torture?
[LINK]
SEE: America's Gulag: Stephen Grey uncovers a secret global network of prisons and planes that allows the US to hand over its enemies for interrogation, and sometimes torture, by the agents of its more unsavoury allies.
[LINK]
Sibel Edmonds/9-11: What does Ashcroft think he's hiding?
Sibel Edmonds/9-11
What does Ashcroft think he's hiding?
Even GOP legislators in disbelief over Ashcroft's unusual retroactive classifying of Sibel Edmonds info.
Reference: Meet Sibel Edmonds/Iddybud 4-2-04
What does Ashcroft think he's hiding?
Even GOP legislators in disbelief over Ashcroft's unusual retroactive classifying of Sibel Edmonds info.
..the FBI now maintains that some of the information discussed was so potentially damaging if released publicly that it is now considered classified.
[LINK]
[LINK]
Reference: Meet Sibel Edmonds/Iddybud 4-2-04
Journalist Rashid Hamid Wali killed in Iraq
Journalist Rashid Hamid Wali killed in Iraq
According to Reuters, Rashid Hamid Wali,a father of six, was killed while Al-Jazeera was filming fighting in the southern city of Karbala where US forces are battling to put down a weeks-old rebellion by Sadr's militia. [LINK]
According to Reuters, Rashid Hamid Wali,a father of six, was killed while Al-Jazeera was filming fighting in the southern city of Karbala where US forces are battling to put down a weeks-old rebellion by Sadr's militia. [LINK]
Scott Ritter: Iraq sarin shell is not part of a secret cache
Scott Ritter: Iraq sarin shell is not part of a secret cache
Given that the US is in the midst of a contentious presidential campaign, it's essential that accurate data about Iraq be available to the electorate. The handling of the sarin shell incident is the greatest justification yet for shutting down the ISG, and the immediate return to Iraq of UN weapons inspectors - if for no other reason than to restore a vestige of credibility to a disarmament effort that long ago lost its moral compass.
[LINK]
[LINK]
A link to transcripts of all Iraqi prisoner abuse hearings
A link to transcripts of all Iraqi prisoner abuse hearings
Wednesday, May 19:
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Open Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Commander, U.S. Central Command, Gen. John P. Abizaid
-Multinational Force-Iraq Commander, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez
-Multinational Force-Iraq Deputy Commander for Detainee Operations, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller
Tuesday, May 11:
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Afternoon Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander
-Joint Staff Director for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr.
-U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Thomas J. Romig
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Morning Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, Deputy Commanding General for Support, Coalition Forces Land Component Command
-Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen A. Cambone
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Friday, May 7:
House Armed Services Committee Hearing [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B.Myers
-Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee
-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers
-Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee
-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Wednesday, May 19:
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Open Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Commander, U.S. Central Command, Gen. John P. Abizaid
-Multinational Force-Iraq Commander, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez
-Multinational Force-Iraq Deputy Commander for Detainee Operations, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller
Tuesday, May 11:
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Afternoon Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander
-Joint Staff Director for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr.
-U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Thomas J. Romig
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (Morning Session) [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, Deputy Commanding General for Support, Coalition Forces Land Component Command
-Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen A. Cambone
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Friday, May 7:
House Armed Services Committee Hearing [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B.Myers
-Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee
-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing [LINK]
Witnesses:
-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers
-Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee
-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker
-U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith
Why are we just now learning Berg-beheading arrests were made a week ago?
Why are we just now learning Berg-beheading arrests were made a week ago?
We should be asking why it's taken so long to learn of these arrests. Something doesn't add up here. [LINK]
Another comment- This article claims Nick Berg's body was discovered May 8. I highly suspect the White House knew all about it. If not, we must wonder why, in this age of high technology, the communication between Iraqi officials and the White House is so poor. News of the beheading didn't reach the public until the infamous al-Qaeda-linked web-video on May 11th..the day of the Abu Ghraib hearings, when the news was used to "grandstand". (You may recall Senator Pat Roberts' dramatic reading from a report of the beheading at the May 11th Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the prison scandal). Was the news withheld for the political benefit of the GOP? Why should the death of Nick Berg represent a Republican's point of view...or anyone's point of view, for that matter?
We should be asking why it's taken so long to learn of these arrests. Something doesn't add up here. [LINK]
Another comment- This article claims Nick Berg's body was discovered May 8. I highly suspect the White House knew all about it. If not, we must wonder why, in this age of high technology, the communication between Iraqi officials and the White House is so poor. News of the beheading didn't reach the public until the infamous al-Qaeda-linked web-video on May 11th..the day of the Abu Ghraib hearings, when the news was used to "grandstand". (You may recall Senator Pat Roberts' dramatic reading from a report of the beheading at the May 11th Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the prison scandal). Was the news withheld for the political benefit of the GOP? Why should the death of Nick Berg represent a Republican's point of view...or anyone's point of view, for that matter?
How "Christian" is Zionism?
How "Christian" is Zionism?
Sojourners magazine begs the question. Theological professor Leslie C. Allen contrasts the Bible's Old Testament with the New Testament interpretations, providing us with an opportunity to decide for ourselves. [LINK]
Many U.S. evangelicals seek an 'even-handed' Middle East policy. [LINK]
Some in the Religious Right call Middle East Peace efforts "Satanic heresy." Donald Wagner, a professor of religion, gives us a look at the political and theological roots of Christian Zionism - and why it puts the world at risk. [LINK]
Sojourners magazine begs the question. Theological professor Leslie C. Allen contrasts the Bible's Old Testament with the New Testament interpretations, providing us with an opportunity to decide for ourselves. [LINK]
Many U.S. evangelicals seek an 'even-handed' Middle East policy. [LINK]
Some in the Religious Right call Middle East Peace efforts "Satanic heresy." Donald Wagner, a professor of religion, gives us a look at the political and theological roots of Christian Zionism - and why it puts the world at risk. [LINK]
This Week -A Bush/Kerry Summary
This Week-
A Bush/Kerry Summary
Bush lies divide America
"I don't think it's accurate to describe America as polarized between Democrats and Republicans, or between liberals and conservatives.It's polarized between the people who believe George Bush and the people who do not.."
From: Hal Crowther/Independent Weekly
Liberals show they can work together
From: Walter Shapiro/USA Today
Where's the Compassion, Conservatives?
From: Doug Griffin/Counterbias.com
House Approves $447 Billion in Spending for Military
From: NY Times
Bush spends like a drunken sailor
From: Daily Kos
Birds of a feather...
From: Daily Kos
Bush Holds Pep Rally For GOP Members
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Historians Take Dim View Of Bush
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Memories Good times, weren't they..Mrs. Bush applauds...
From: Eschaton
Speaker Pelosi Link: "Bush is an incompetent leader...."
From: Eschaton
Tell Dan Payne Why You Hate Bush
An email from Boston Globe columnist and political consultant Dan Payne: I'm considering writing about all the reasons Bush haters feel as we do. Would love to get your favorite dislikes about Bush, personal, political or policy, large or trivial....
From: Big, Left, Outside
Odds Now Against Bush
A new strategy memo from James Carville and Stan Greenberg says "the race for president has entered a new and distinct phase with Bush not only endangered... but now with the odds against him. He is more likely to lose than win.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Conservative Base Is Cracking
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush to GAO: Faking the news to dupe seniors is wrong?
From: Kicking Ass
'Let America Be America Again'
The Wall Street Journal reports today (paid subscription only, unfortunately) that Kerry is trying out a new campaign theme: "Let America Be America Again." Poetry fans will remember that as the title of a Langston Hughes poem. ...
From: Change for America
Dead Heat In Florida
President Bush and Sen. John Kerry "remain tied among likely voters in Florida," according to a new American Research Group poll.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush Leads in the South
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll looked at Southerners' voting intentions and found that, if the election were held today, President Bush would beat Sen. John Kerry by 15 points.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry Meets Nader
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush World
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd is publishing her first book, according to a press release. Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Rowland Bumped By Bush Campaign
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Iraq: Nick Berg Met with 'Shady' Iraqi
*who appeared frequently on major media outlets like Fox News Channel calling for the military ouster of Saddam Hussein
From: Philadelphia Inquirer
Kerry Has Small Lead Over Bush In New Jersey
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Ground Zero volunteers pay for Bush's lie
From: Kicking Ass
Kerry Leads In Web Traffic
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Hello, Kettle? It's Pot Speaking.
President Bush called on Israel on Wednesday to exercise restraint in Gaza and to respect "innocent life" after Israeli tanks and helicopters fired on protesters...
From: Change for America
Grand Old Petroleum
The price of gas is going up, up, up, and Bush is doing nothing — despite his campaign promises. From: Kicking Ass
Compare and Contrast
From: Change for America
Bush Leads In Texas
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush's Leadership Style Questioned
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
The Army Brought Down McCarthy, Will It Bring Down Bush?
The infamous Senator Joe McCarthy rode roughshod over every American institution during his "Red Witch Hunt" until, in his ignorant arrogance, he went after the U. S. Army...
From: The LongBow Papers
Edwards Could Tip North Carolina For Kerry
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Do You Think Dubya Has The Smarts To Know It's Endgame?
From: The LongBow Papers
Truth in the NYT Tee Hee
From: Eschaton
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Locked in Abu Ghraib The prison scandal keeps getting worse for the Bush administration.The White House is about to get hit by the biggest tsunami since the Iran-Contra affair, maybe since Watergate.
From: Prometheus 6
Holy sh*t-An e-mail we weren't meant to see
That was not an exclamation of surprise. It was a description of the situation. Bush White House checked with rapture Christians before latest Israel move..
From: Prometheus 6
Kerry Still Battles Kucinich
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
The Timken Tall Tale
Ripping off CAP:On 4/23/03 President Bush visited the Timken Company...
From: Daily Kos
Dubya, The Wastrel Son
I could not pass up blogging Paul Krugman's column in today's The New York Times if for no other reason than its title, "The Wastrel Son." You get three guesses as to which wastrel son he's writing about, and the first two don't count.
From: The LongBow Papers
Payback Time For Rumsfeld
UPI has bad news for Bush adminstration officials who have tried "to contain the Iraq prison torture scandal and limit the blame to a handful of enlisted soldiers and immediate senior officers."
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry Veep Pick Could Come Shortly
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush Leads In Negative Ads
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry's Iraq Problem
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush praises activist judges
From: Daily Kos
A Bush/Kerry Summary
Bush lies divide America
"I don't think it's accurate to describe America as polarized between Democrats and Republicans, or between liberals and conservatives.It's polarized between the people who believe George Bush and the people who do not.."
From: Hal Crowther/Independent Weekly
Liberals show they can work together
From: Walter Shapiro/USA Today
Where's the Compassion, Conservatives?
From: Doug Griffin/Counterbias.com
House Approves $447 Billion in Spending for Military
From: NY Times
Bush spends like a drunken sailor
From: Daily Kos
Birds of a feather...
From: Daily Kos
Bush Holds Pep Rally For GOP Members
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Historians Take Dim View Of Bush
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Memories Good times, weren't they..Mrs. Bush applauds...
From: Eschaton
Speaker Pelosi Link: "Bush is an incompetent leader...."
From: Eschaton
Tell Dan Payne Why You Hate Bush
An email from Boston Globe columnist and political consultant Dan Payne: I'm considering writing about all the reasons Bush haters feel as we do. Would love to get your favorite dislikes about Bush, personal, political or policy, large or trivial....
From: Big, Left, Outside
Odds Now Against Bush
A new strategy memo from James Carville and Stan Greenberg says "the race for president has entered a new and distinct phase with Bush not only endangered... but now with the odds against him. He is more likely to lose than win.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Conservative Base Is Cracking
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush to GAO: Faking the news to dupe seniors is wrong?
From: Kicking Ass
'Let America Be America Again'
The Wall Street Journal reports today (paid subscription only, unfortunately) that Kerry is trying out a new campaign theme: "Let America Be America Again." Poetry fans will remember that as the title of a Langston Hughes poem. ...
From: Change for America
Dead Heat In Florida
President Bush and Sen. John Kerry "remain tied among likely voters in Florida," according to a new American Research Group poll.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush Leads in the South
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll looked at Southerners' voting intentions and found that, if the election were held today, President Bush would beat Sen. John Kerry by 15 points.
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry Meets Nader
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush World
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd is publishing her first book, according to a press release. Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Rowland Bumped By Bush Campaign
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Iraq: Nick Berg Met with 'Shady' Iraqi
*who appeared frequently on major media outlets like Fox News Channel calling for the military ouster of Saddam Hussein
From: Philadelphia Inquirer
Kerry Has Small Lead Over Bush In New Jersey
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Ground Zero volunteers pay for Bush's lie
From: Kicking Ass
Kerry Leads In Web Traffic
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Hello, Kettle? It's Pot Speaking.
President Bush called on Israel on Wednesday to exercise restraint in Gaza and to respect "innocent life" after Israeli tanks and helicopters fired on protesters...
From: Change for America
Grand Old Petroleum
The price of gas is going up, up, up, and Bush is doing nothing — despite his campaign promises. From: Kicking Ass
Compare and Contrast
From: Change for America
Bush Leads In Texas
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush's Leadership Style Questioned
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
The Army Brought Down McCarthy, Will It Bring Down Bush?
The infamous Senator Joe McCarthy rode roughshod over every American institution during his "Red Witch Hunt" until, in his ignorant arrogance, he went after the U. S. Army...
From: The LongBow Papers
Edwards Could Tip North Carolina For Kerry
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Do You Think Dubya Has The Smarts To Know It's Endgame?
From: The LongBow Papers
Truth in the NYT Tee Hee
From: Eschaton
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Locked in Abu Ghraib The prison scandal keeps getting worse for the Bush administration.The White House is about to get hit by the biggest tsunami since the Iran-Contra affair, maybe since Watergate.
From: Prometheus 6
Holy sh*t-An e-mail we weren't meant to see
That was not an exclamation of surprise. It was a description of the situation. Bush White House checked with rapture Christians before latest Israel move..
From: Prometheus 6
Kerry Still Battles Kucinich
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
The Timken Tall Tale
Ripping off CAP:On 4/23/03 President Bush visited the Timken Company...
From: Daily Kos
Dubya, The Wastrel Son
I could not pass up blogging Paul Krugman's column in today's The New York Times if for no other reason than its title, "The Wastrel Son." You get three guesses as to which wastrel son he's writing about, and the first two don't count.
From: The LongBow Papers
Payback Time For Rumsfeld
UPI has bad news for Bush adminstration officials who have tried "to contain the Iraq prison torture scandal and limit the blame to a handful of enlisted soldiers and immediate senior officers."
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry Veep Pick Could Come Shortly
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush Leads In Negative Ads
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Kerry's Iraq Problem
From: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Bush praises activist judges
From: Daily Kos
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Good reading
Good reading
I'll be taking a break a few days. For some excellent reading, this is always a great bet:
My Kos diary is HERE.
My latest on Kos:
Zell Miller Haiku
Zell Miller helps Bush
Gives John Kerry big black eye
Smell Elephant dung?
Talk to you soon.
I'll be taking a break a few days. For some excellent reading, this is always a great bet:
My Kos diary is HERE.
My latest on Kos:
Zell Miller Haiku
Zell Miller helps Bush
Gives John Kerry big black eye
Smell Elephant dung?
Talk to you soon.
Michael Savage-Loose Cannon
Michael Savage-Loose Cannon
Savage: Arabs are "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"
At Intl News (May 15th archive), there are excerpts from Michael Savage's May 11 and May 12 radio show, Savage Nation highlighting his views of Arabs, immigrants, etc. In the course of the shows, Savage called Arabs "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"; asserted that Americans would like to "drop a nuclear weapon" on any Arab country; and that "these people" in the Middle East "need to be forcibly converted to Christianity" in order to "turn them into human beings." Savage also claimed that, in the United States, "You can never hear about the bad things they [minorities] do"...and more.
Here, my dear readers, is one ignorant human being. We only have to thank the fates that a man like him never reaches the handle of real power.....
Then again...is control of the airwaves of AM radio/mainstream media NOT representative of power?
Perhaps the sane amongst you should write a letter to your local radio station currently airing Mr. Savage's spewfest...unless you agree with him.
Look at what he's getting away with at your apathetic expense:
Savage on Arabs:
From the May 12 Savage Nation:
Right now, even people sitting on the fence would like George Bush to drop a nuclear weapon on an Arab country. They don't even care which one it would be. I can guarantee you -- I don't need to go to Mr. Schmuck [pollster John] Zogby and ask him his opinion. I don't need anyone's opinion. I'll give you my opinion, because I got a better stethoscope than those fools. It's one man's opinion based upon my own analysis. The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one. They'd like an indiscriminate use of a nuclear weapon. They want this over with. One thing people cannot live with, which is an undefined, limitless conflict, which is what we have now. They can't take it. They want this war over with, and they want it ended like the war against Japan. They'd like Big Boy dropped on one of the little cities over there. They don't care where. They don't care any more. The American people have had it up to here with this garbage.
In fact, Christianity has been one of the great salvations on planet Earth. It's what's necessary in the Middle East. Others have written about it, I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity but I'll get here a little later, I'll move up to that. It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings.
I'm going to give you one further example from my background as an anthropologist just so that you -- I'm trying to put context on this because you can go crazy if you don't have the context on this, because I'm going to lead up to something of what we must do to these primitives. Because these primitives can only be treated in one way, and I don't think smallpox and a blanket is good enough incidentally. Just before -- I'm going to give you a little precursor to where I'm going. Smallpox in a blanket, which the U.S. Army gave to the Cherokee Indians on their long march to the West, was nothing compared to what I'd like to see done to these people, just so you understand that I'm not going to be too intellectual about my analysis here in terms of what I would recommend, what Doc Savage recommends as an antidote to this kind of poison coming out of the Middle East from these non-humans.
Savage on minorities:
From the May 12 Savage Nation:
And as the churches have been emptying out, the mosques have been filling up, in France and Germany. We all know that but we're all looking other way. And now street gangs of young Muslims are beating up and killing people in France and of course you don't read about that either. Because during a revolutionary period you've got to understand that there's a story line and the storyline is they're the oppressed minority and therefore they can do no wrong. . You can never hear about the bad things they do. It's hush-hush but if a Timothy McVeigh should come along, then it gets front page coverage. Because the story line goes that white male, Christian, heterosexuals are evil and all of the others are -- are -- are victims and only getting their just rewards by fighting back.
It's very much like the American minorities here in this country
Savage: Arabs are "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"
At Intl News (May 15th archive), there are excerpts from Michael Savage's May 11 and May 12 radio show, Savage Nation highlighting his views of Arabs, immigrants, etc. In the course of the shows, Savage called Arabs "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots"; asserted that Americans would like to "drop a nuclear weapon" on any Arab country; and that "these people" in the Middle East "need to be forcibly converted to Christianity" in order to "turn them into human beings." Savage also claimed that, in the United States, "You can never hear about the bad things they [minorities] do"...and more.
Here, my dear readers, is one ignorant human being. We only have to thank the fates that a man like him never reaches the handle of real power.....
Then again...is control of the airwaves of AM radio/mainstream media NOT representative of power?
Perhaps the sane amongst you should write a letter to your local radio station currently airing Mr. Savage's spewfest...unless you agree with him.
Look at what he's getting away with at your apathetic expense:
Savage on Arabs:
From the May 12 Savage Nation:
Right now, even people sitting on the fence would like George Bush to drop a nuclear weapon on an Arab country. They don't even care which one it would be. I can guarantee you -- I don't need to go to Mr. Schmuck [pollster John] Zogby and ask him his opinion. I don't need anyone's opinion. I'll give you my opinion, because I got a better stethoscope than those fools. It's one man's opinion based upon my own analysis. The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one. They'd like an indiscriminate use of a nuclear weapon. They want this over with. One thing people cannot live with, which is an undefined, limitless conflict, which is what we have now. They can't take it. They want this war over with, and they want it ended like the war against Japan. They'd like Big Boy dropped on one of the little cities over there. They don't care where. They don't care any more. The American people have had it up to here with this garbage.
In fact, Christianity has been one of the great salvations on planet Earth. It's what's necessary in the Middle East. Others have written about it, I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity but I'll get here a little later, I'll move up to that. It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings.
I'm going to give you one further example from my background as an anthropologist just so that you -- I'm trying to put context on this because you can go crazy if you don't have the context on this, because I'm going to lead up to something of what we must do to these primitives. Because these primitives can only be treated in one way, and I don't think smallpox and a blanket is good enough incidentally. Just before -- I'm going to give you a little precursor to where I'm going. Smallpox in a blanket, which the U.S. Army gave to the Cherokee Indians on their long march to the West, was nothing compared to what I'd like to see done to these people, just so you understand that I'm not going to be too intellectual about my analysis here in terms of what I would recommend, what Doc Savage recommends as an antidote to this kind of poison coming out of the Middle East from these non-humans.
Savage on minorities:
From the May 12 Savage Nation:
And as the churches have been emptying out, the mosques have been filling up, in France and Germany. We all know that but we're all looking other way. And now street gangs of young Muslims are beating up and killing people in France and of course you don't read about that either. Because during a revolutionary period you've got to understand that there's a story line and the storyline is they're the oppressed minority and therefore they can do no wrong. . You can never hear about the bad things they do. It's hush-hush but if a Timothy McVeigh should come along, then it gets front page coverage. Because the story line goes that white male, Christian, heterosexuals are evil and all of the others are -- are -- are victims and only getting their just rewards by fighting back.
It's very much like the American minorities here in this country
Zell Miller attacks Kerry at Bush fundraiser
Zell Miller attacks Kerry at Bush fundraiser
Let's face it, people. Zell Miller is campaigning for George Bush and he ought to take off the cloak of the Democratic party because he's staining it with grassroots elephant-dung.
Miller, the lone Democratic senator publicly backing Bush, commented in remarks prepared for a Bush-Cheney grassroots event, held in conjunction with the state Republican convention.
[LINK]
Let's face it, people. Zell Miller is campaigning for George Bush and he ought to take off the cloak of the Democratic party because he's staining it with grassroots elephant-dung.
Miller, the lone Democratic senator publicly backing Bush, commented in remarks prepared for a Bush-Cheney grassroots event, held in conjunction with the state Republican convention.
[LINK]
Bush tax cut losing charm with fuel price hikes
Bush tax cut losing charm with fuel price hikes
"Each $10 per barrel increase in crude prices is like a $70 billion tax
increase on American consumers, levied through inflation."
From Paul Krugman N.Y. Times
[LINK]
Oil prices soared to a record Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crossing $41 a barrel and settling at the highest point in the 21-year-history of crude futures trading in New York.
[LINK]
"Each $10 per barrel increase in crude prices is like a $70 billion tax
increase on American consumers, levied through inflation."
From Paul Krugman N.Y. Times
[LINK]
Oil prices soared to a record Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crossing $41 a barrel and settling at the highest point in the 21-year-history of crude futures trading in New York.
[LINK]
Iraq: Fred Kaplan Finds Reasons Bush is Culpable
Iraq: Fred Kaplan Finds Reasons Bush is Culpable
The Buck Stops … Where?
Stop blaming your henchmen, Mr. President.
By Fred Kaplan / Slate
My main argument was that Bush has placed too much trust, for far too long, in the judgment of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, despite his ceaseless string of bad judgments.
However, two news stories that have since come to my attention—one that appeared on the same day, the other more than two months ago—suggest not merely that Bush is guilty of "failing to recognize failure" (as my headline put it) but that he is directly culpable for the sins in question, no less so than his properly beleaguered defense chief...
[LINK]
The Buck Stops … Where?
Stop blaming your henchmen, Mr. President.
By Fred Kaplan / Slate
My main argument was that Bush has placed too much trust, for far too long, in the judgment of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, despite his ceaseless string of bad judgments.
However, two news stories that have since come to my attention—one that appeared on the same day, the other more than two months ago—suggest not merely that Bush is guilty of "failing to recognize failure" (as my headline put it) but that he is directly culpable for the sins in question, no less so than his properly beleaguered defense chief...
[LINK]
The facts on Medicare-A Bad Bill
The facts on Medicare:
Bernie Sanders shows us how a bad bill becomes law
In step-by-step fashion, Bernie Sanders shows us how "George W. Bush and Republican Leadership in Congress redefined lawmaking when they forced their Medicare law through Congress". Let the facts speak for themselves.
Bernie Sanders shows us how a bad bill becomes law
In step-by-step fashion, Bernie Sanders shows us how "George W. Bush and Republican Leadership in Congress redefined lawmaking when they forced their Medicare law through Congress". Let the facts speak for themselves.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Shame: Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos
Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos
At a news conference in Preston on Friday afternoon, the regiment demonstrated to reporters aspects of uniform and equipment which it said proved the photographs were fake.
The regiment's Brigadier Geoff Sheldon said the vehicle featured in the photographs had been located in a Territorial Army base in Lancashire and had never been in Iraq.
Colonel Black, a former regiment commander of the QLR, said the pictures put lives in danger and acted as a "recruiting poster" for al-Qaeda.
The Sun newspaper had offered a £50,000 reward for "information about the fake Mirror photos" but withdrew the offer following the sacking of [editor] Piers Morgan..
At a news conference in Preston on Friday afternoon, the regiment demonstrated to reporters aspects of uniform and equipment which it said proved the photographs were fake.
The regiment's Brigadier Geoff Sheldon said the vehicle featured in the photographs had been located in a Territorial Army base in Lancashire and had never been in Iraq.
Colonel Black, a former regiment commander of the QLR, said the pictures put lives in danger and acted as a "recruiting poster" for al-Qaeda.
The Sun newspaper had offered a £50,000 reward for "information about the fake Mirror photos" but withdrew the offer following the sacking of [editor] Piers Morgan.
Let Nick Berg's Life Lead Us-Not His Death
Let Nick Berg's Life Lead Us-Not His Death
I was reading these thoughts at the Mahablog today and it got me thinking.....
Nick Berg was a vibrant, curious, enterprising, free-spirited, and loving individual.
What the terrorists did to him was strategically and murderously stupid.
If we step back and look at the big picture, we'll realize that those terrorists killed someone who represented what is best not only about America, but what is best in the world.
This is another golden opportunity for President Bush. It's his political chance to embrace and act in the best interests of his country by engaging those sensible souls in the world community who are just as appalled as we are over Nick's death.....to help them see how wrong it is to indiscriminately take innocent life. This might take a lot of humility about our own shortcomings and mistakes, but its value would be priceless and its power unbreakable...
...or President Bush can continue using Nick's death as a cover-up for our nation's blunders and misdirection on the war on terror for re-election gain.
President Bush seems to really be at war with Americans like me...a rational liberal..and I just can't understand it. I would be supportive of any President, regardless of his party, if I could see he was taking my nation (and its democracy of beloved people) in the right direction.
There has to come a time when Americans can see that their President truly believes in the good of his nation more than his political party's power.
Let Nick Berg's horrible death not overshadow his beautiful life. He embodied what is best about America. Our President should be very careful about how he politically chooses to use Nick's exemplary life.
Ref: Resist Using Nick Berg as a Prop by C. Brackney
I was reading these thoughts at the Mahablog today and it got me thinking.....
Nick Berg was a vibrant, curious, enterprising, free-spirited, and loving individual.
What the terrorists did to him was strategically and murderously stupid.
If we step back and look at the big picture, we'll realize that those terrorists killed someone who represented what is best not only about America, but what is best in the world.
This is another golden opportunity for President Bush. It's his political chance to embrace and act in the best interests of his country by engaging those sensible souls in the world community who are just as appalled as we are over Nick's death.....to help them see how wrong it is to indiscriminately take innocent life. This might take a lot of humility about our own shortcomings and mistakes, but its value would be priceless and its power unbreakable...
...or President Bush can continue using Nick's death as a cover-up for our nation's blunders and misdirection on the war on terror for re-election gain.
President Bush seems to really be at war with Americans like me...a rational liberal..and I just can't understand it. I would be supportive of any President, regardless of his party, if I could see he was taking my nation (and its democracy of beloved people) in the right direction.
There has to come a time when Americans can see that their President truly believes in the good of his nation more than his political party's power.
Let Nick Berg's horrible death not overshadow his beautiful life. He embodied what is best about America. Our President should be very careful about how he politically chooses to use Nick's exemplary life.
Ref: Resist Using Nick Berg as a Prop by C. Brackney
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