Dick Needs New Shoes

Dick needs new shoes

US offers to let Taliban off the hook

US offers to let Taliban off the hook

So much for the great moral clarity of Bush.

There are bigger fish to fry (and more things to blow up and rebuild) in Iraq, where we unilaterally obliterated a regime which had nothing whatsoever to do with the murder of over 3000 of our citizens on 9/11.

poem by jude- 'alone'

alone
by jude nagurney camwell




a pebble in my shoe has made
it hard to keep on going
long day's heat reminds me
of each needed breath i'm towing

clothing snatched up just before
my leaving has become oppression
like autumn drop them without caring
where they land, glad lost possession

with firesound this body shakes
spasm scream conditioned reflexion
my own reflection could disappear, next
crack of mirrorlight inspection

a neighbor's dreadful season's
come, his eyes by now have seen
too much of this nomadic
form, survivalism mean

soldiers beg us "move keep moving"
blasting sun brings whitewash blessed
too quaked by qualm and quiver
to remember all the rest

evening camp is built i lie
upon the rockhewn sacred ground
it's then one sees the span of sky
in darkness starry 'round

the haunting stalks me when i stop
to take this nightly rest
it's then i see my hasan as
the heart beats out my breast

a rock is thrown he comes too close
a shot wends from above
my rose hasan oh my hasan
was all save God i knew of love

i long to join this desert
unknown open empty bare
and wish for all who'd tread on me
to weep for this night's suffering there




photo credit: mapw

iddybud "--The next best thing to being there."

politics

humor

philosophy

poetry

A Beautiful Blog

A Beautiful Blog

I love to share new blog finds which I know my readers would appreciate.
Lorianne's blog is one of them.

CBS and NBC Refuse UCC Ads

CBS and NBC Refuse
UCC Ads
American Street, by Jude Nagurney Camwell, December 2, 2004

"It's ironic that after a political season awash in commercials based on fear and deception by both parties seen on all the major networks, an ad with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed too controversial. What's going on here?"

-- Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president

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

The CBS and NBC networks have refused to run a paid advertisement from the United Church of Christ.
Americans should be concerned. CBS and NBC are categorizing the UCC ad as nothing more than controversial “advocacy advertising”.

"All ads are advocacy; what else is an advertisement if not an opportunity to advocate for your toothpaste or your cause?” said the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor, president of the Massachusetts conference of the United Church of Christ, the largest Protestant denomination in the state. "The ads are about hospitality and a wide welcome. And how that is controversial – I find that extraordinary. We are stunned."[quote from Boston Globe story by Michael Paulson]

The ad has been accepted at ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel and TV Land. Potential media buys are still pending with CNN, Lifetime, Comedy Central and MSNBC. UCC church executives said they accepted the ABC network's position that it did not accept any religious advertising.

According to the UCC website,

"The consolidation of TV network ownership into the hands of a few executives today puts freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression in jeopardy," says former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, currently managing director of the UCC's Office of Communication. "By refusing to air the United Church of Christ's paid commercial, CBS and NBC are stifling religious expression. They are denying the communities they serve a suitable access to differing ideas and expressions."

Adds Andrew Schwartzman, president and CEO of the not-for-profit Media Access Project in Washington, D.C., "This is an abuse of the broadcasters' duty to inform their viewers on issues of importance to the community. After all, these stations don't mind carrying shocking, attention-getting programming, because they do that every night.

According to the NY Times, the commercial offers the message, "Jesus didn't turn away people and neither do we." It concludes with a panorama of people, including two young women, one of whom has her arm around the other. It never mentions the word "gay."

Janet Jackson’s tit was more likely to see the light of day on CBS than a commercial from this Christian church.

On ABC, you’re far more likely to see a scantily clad Desperate Housewife breathlessly humping her neighbor than to see a commercial from this bedrock church.

NBC can show you a Cialis commercial with that incredibly annoying and lame “blues” (white man’s sex) music 60 times a day, but they shirk from showing a welcoming and inclusive ad from a mainstream American church.

It was perfectly fine to air and discuss the radical cleric Jerry Falwell’s accusation of gays being “enemies of America” just last Sunday on Meet the Press:

MR. RUSSERT: I want to ask Reverend Falwell about something and broaden the conversation. We talked about Iraq and the war on terrorism. Something that you said two days after September 11, when you were with Reverend Pat Robertson: "I fear... that [September 11th] is only the beginning. ...If, in fact, God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve ... I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle ... all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say `you helped this happen.'"

DR. FALWELL: And I went on to say in a sleeping church, a lethargic church likewise is responsible.

What has changed, you ask? Why are CBS and NBC turning their backs on a church whose foundations are as old as America itself?

The White House political agenda. It's the only reason I can imagine NBC and CBS are cowering. They're under the Bush administration's careful eye and powerful thumb. They are willing to shut out the UCC's ad on behalf of assuring their own comfortable market survival by towing the corporate/government line. One hand feeds the other. They know they won't be able to survive on five loaves of bread and two measly fish. Blessed are the meek, but when it comes to letting them advertise on CBS or NBC, they can take a long walk off a short pier.

The hypocrites at the head of these morally warped networks aim to show American people eating worms and bugs for cheap ratings, and then ban a liberal American church with a message of kindness and unconditional acceptance from advertising on their network. (I direct that toward ABC as well, for why should we allow a major network to shut out mainstream religious advertising, taking into consideration all the crappy and mind-numbing advertising to which we're now subjected?)

UCC's Talking Points are here

You can take action here Contact the national offices of NBC and CBS and express your disappointment at their decision not to run the ad

"This is an opportunity for the United Church of Christ to renew its distinctive voice as a people of welcome, justice and passion for the Gospel. This initiative will help us fall in love again with the United Church of Christ, be generous in financial support, and turn our hearts toward a world that needs to experience the presence, embrace, and encouragement of Jesus."

-- John H. Thomas, UCC General Minister and President

See Chuck Currie's blog for additional commentary.

The Ten Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time

The Ten Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time

Don't miss John Scalzi's list of the ten Holiday duds. It's a great laugh.

A Tapestry of Recent History

"I've been trying to pull together several seemingly unrelated threads of thoughts out of inchoate contemplation and weave them together into a tapestry showing how these radically different ideas and events form a coherent picture, a picture that can warn and guide us.

It hasn't been easy..."

A Tapestry of Recent History

At Random Fate, Jack says he's going to sort through disparate threads and pull together what I picture as a quilt composed of many patches. Each patch depicts a chaotic scene from the world's most recent history. What are we to make of the finished product?

"I see relationships between quantum mechanics, the pre-election video released by Osama bin Laden, the apparent divide between the Red States and the Blue States, the reaction in blogworld to the retirement of Dan Rather, the controversy over the Marine shooting an apparently surrendered man in Iraq and the reporting of the incident, other aspects of the ongoing fighting in Iraq, the opposition of France to almost every US foreign policy, the election in Ukraine and the consequent increased visibility of the attempt by Vladimir Putin at establishing a Russian version of the Monroe Doctrine, and several other threads in the tangled skein of the world.

Hopefully, I can get this pulled together before the beginning of next week, which is going to be a very busy at work for me."

FBI Searches Pro - Israel Lobbyists' Office

FBI Searches Pro - Israel Lobbyists' Office

FBI agents on Wednesday obtained files and served subpoenas at the offices of AIPAC.

Juan Cole-Spy Case Update

WRMEA- New Spy Investigation Suppressed at Crucial Juncture

Laura Rozen/Jason Vest- Cloak and Swagger

Howard Dean Could Represent New Era of Triumph for Dems

Howard Dean Could Represent New Era of Triumph for Dems

Dan Thies of the Seattle Times has written an excellent editorial.

"..In the shadow of President Bush's re-election, and strengthened GOP control of virtually every element of government, many are convinced that the Democratic Party, if not on the brink of collapse, has been relegated to a generation or more of minority party status. It's now clear that nothing short of a radical overhaul will be necessary to revitalize the Democratic opposition. Enter our old friend, Howard Dean....If the DNC places the faith in Dean they so willfully denied him earlier this year, he'll offer a unique chance at revitalizing the party, and could set the course toward a new era of triumph for the Democrats...".

BLOG is the word

Blog noun [short for Weblog] (1999) : a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

BLOG is the Word

..it's the word that you heard, it's got groove, it's got meaning......

Thanks to Matthew Gross, I've learned that BLOG is Merriam Webster's 'word of the year' (based on online lookups).

Joe Trippi: Only Grassroots can save the Dems

Joe Trippi: Only Grassroots can save the Dems

Joe Trippi's article appeared in today's Wall Street Journal and, since many of us are not subscribers, he's provided a copy at JoeTrippi.com.
An excerpt:

Since the Democratic Leadership Council, with its mantra of "moderate, moderate, moderate," took hold in Washington, the Democratic Party has been in decline at just about every level of government. Forget the Kerry loss. Today the number of Democrats in the House is the lowest it's been since 1928. Democrats are on the brink of becoming a permanent minority party. Can the oldest democratic institution on earth wake from its stupor?

Here are some steps to pull out of the nose-dive...

LINK HERE

Note: Joe would appreciate your comments at his website.

US activists to file war crime charges against Rumsfeld/Tenet

US Activists to file war crime charges against Rumsfeld/Tenet

According to A Fistful of Euros:

"While the German Chancellor is - contrary to earlier reports - apparently planning to visit the US President even before his second inauguration in January, a US human rights group, the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, is about to disturb the two governments’ reconciliation efforts.

According to a report by the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau (quoted by The Raw Story, Reuters), the American activists will file war crimes charges in Germany against senior U.S. administration officials - including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and former Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet - for their alleged responsibility for crimes committed in the Abu Ghraib prison."

Marine Corps Times story

Center For Constitutional Rights

GOOGLE

Iraq/Iran

Iraq/Iran

Quote
credit: Rational Enquirer

"We are without allies amongst the Iraqi populace, including those who have benefited from the ouster of Saddam. Across Baghdad, Latifiyah, Mahmudiyah, Salman Pak, Baqubah, Balad, Taji, Baiji, Ramadi and just about everywhere else you can name, the people absolutely hate us. . . . The Iraqi people have not bought into what the Americans are selling, and no amount of military activity is going to change this fact."

Anonymous U.S. Security Consultant
Press Interview WaPo
November 16, 2004

_________________

GI threatens suicide over return to Iraq, Connecticut Post - November 30, 2004

Embassy sounds alarm over growing dangers in Iraq, Independent - November 30, 2004

Thwarted U.S. May Seek Lone Push on Iran Sanctions, Reuters (via Washington Post) - November 30, 2004

Rumi or Rumsfeld?

Rumi or Rumsfeld?

Now here's a humorous exercise. Several lines are provided by State.com (South Carolina) which were spoken by either the 13th-century Sufi poet OR the current U.S. secretary of defense. Take a wild guess.

* A hint-one of them sounds like a total ass.

John Edwards Hints at Future in Farewell Speech

John Edwards Hints at Future in Farewell Speech

In Charlotte, N.C. last night, John Edwards was greeted by about 250 supporters at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. Senator Edwards was responding to a question about how he wanted to be remembered. He was quoted as saying: "First of all, I don't want to be a memory". Earlier, at his farewell speech in Asheville, Senator Edwards said that he was vowing to help his wife Elizabeth during her treatment for breast cancer and carry on his own political activism.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Edwards family.

Asheville Citizen Times

Sen.Edwards is scheduled to be at the Greensboro Historical Museum, 130 Summit Ave., at 11:30 a.m. today. He will hold a town-hall-style meeting for constituents and will hold another in Raleigh at 6:30 at the N.C. Museum of History

Chilling Video by Iraqi Insurgents

Chilling Video by Iraqi Insurgents

Have you seen this raw footage taken by Iraqi insurgents? (footage supplied by Reuters News Service). The footage includes attacks upon American targets.

Give the DNC Chair to this man

My man Howard

Give the DNC Chair to this man

Where does a dream go after you've dreamt it?

If you look at my very first blog posts back in January, 2003, you will see that one of my dreams was to see Howard Dean as president.

One overblown scream and 3 million surplus GOP votes later, the essence of my dream is still floating out in the ether, awaiting fruition.

I want to see Howard Dean get the DNC Chair, if that's what he wants. I couldn't imagine anything more healthy and reviving for a nearly self-destructing Democratic party. (Eleanor Clift agrees).

Like Dr. Frankenstein, I want to see lightning-energy zapped into the veins of the decapitated party once again, so that I may cry out with fervored joy, "IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!"

We could use some fervored joy right now.

*photo credit ABC News

Related story: Alternet- Take a Chair, Any Chair by Joshua Holland

"..the right's activist base is busy getting things done. And we, once again, turn to a national leadership that's so busy navel-gazing and avoiding an ideological debate that it is unable to offer a compelling alternative to an extreme conservative agenda and too spineless to get in there and fight the dirty, no-holds-barred brawl this country's polity demands. It's time for liberals to lead and the Democratic Party bosses to either follow or get the hell out of the way..."

Monday Headlines

Monday Headlines

I think you'll enjoy Jay Rosen's piece titled Writer Says Media is Election's Big Loser: 21 Times.


Professor Juan Cole is an expert on the Middle East and I have come to fully trust his judgement. He says Iran's president Khatami and pundit Charles Krauthammer are both wrong in their reasons for promoting a January deadline for Iraq's election. Professor Cole makes short work of Quentin Langley's views as well.
See Elections in Iraq will be Held on Schedule, But with What Result?



The NY Times titled their editorial "Mr. Smith Goes Under the Gavel," which warns against declaring war on one of the oldest traditions in American democracy - the filibuster. See a similar opinion titled "Watch 'Mr. Smith' Die". It was a November 12th Iddybud opinion.



Joyce Marcel has written a piece on Sy Hersh titled Bush: When Even the Good News is Bad.

"...We must let events take over, Hersh said."We have put ourselves in an enormous hole," he said. "There's no magic story to get us out. The market will crash. Maybe people will come to their senses. Maybe some Democrat will step forward to do the right thing. And maybe the Easter bunny will turn out to be real."

I want to give Sy a bear hug for keeping it real, no matter how depressing.




At Preemptive Karma, Carla is concerned about the movement by fundamentalists into politics and power. She leads us to a discussion regarding Liberal Christians over at Chuck Currie's blog. I wish to refer any of you who may be interested to a site to which I've contributed and read regularly, titled JesusReligion.com (Truth: Bad Religion in the Name of Christ). They're a group of fine liberal Christians whose discussions would put the fundamentalists and all their proud political desires to shame. Here is a mere sampling.

_________________

Thanks to Billy Bob at JesusReligion.com for:

THE TOP TEN SIGNS YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST:

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of
gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when
someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists
say that people evolved from other life forms, but you
have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were
created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem
believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the
"atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even
flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all
the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the
elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" --
including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and
Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have
no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated
Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed,
came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little
loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth
(4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with
believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting
in their tents and guessing that Earth is a couple of
generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet
with the exception of those who share your beliefs --
though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend
Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet
consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and
physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot
rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be
all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it
comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be
evidence that prayer works. And you think that the
remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and
agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church
history - but still call yourself a Christian.

____________

Read the lyrics to SOLDIERS OF CHRIST by Jill Sobule. They're the best.

"..our lord loves the country, he's with you at the polls
He knows the lever that you pull
He's keeping track of souls.."

Hear the song on MP3 at the website.

Drezner: Ukraine Update

Drezner: Ukraine Update

Daniel Drezner has a good update on developments in Ukraine's troubled election.

Don't miss Mr. Drezner and Henry Farrell's blog-related article appearing in this month's Foreign Policy magazine: Web of Influence