LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against The Bush-war) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
###
Iraq War Cost
 
 
 Buy it Here for $12.95      
 ::::: MY PROFILE ::::: VIDEO: When the Good Guys Do NOTHING Welcome to the New World Order Truth, War & Consequences In the Name of Freedom Oreo Calculator Army of One Remind Us One Year THANKS ESSAY/SITE: Bush's 40/IRAQ/SOTU/OTHER Lies A Declaration of Progressive Principles A Declaration of Impeachment World's Leading Terrorist Why Bush Invaded Iraq Coalition Deaths in Iraq Altruism is Out of Focus Official Bush Lie Outlet The Devil's Handbook Third World Traveler Paying for Wal-mart Those Elusive WMDs Ongoing Scandals The Bush Record Bush Scorecard Who Served Halliburton AWOL Evil
 I reserve the right to publish your e-mail.
Archives  
My Ecosystem Details Who's Linking to Left is Right Who links to me? Who's on Left is Right right now # Visits by day of month Most Recent Visitors Recent Visitors by Location United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights Humanist Manifesto III         The Brand New Bag Books about the Iraq War 
|
 Front Pages / 10 x 10 / Open Secrets / VillageVoice / The New Standard / The Hill / Washington Note
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bernard Kerik. That the woman who dismissed a presidential briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." as a "historical" document is going to be our next secretary of state. That a man who finds the Geneva Conventions "quaint" is going to be our next attorney general. Janet Jackson's briefly exposed right boob. (And every other Right boob who continues to drag our country further into the cesspool of neocon evil.) Paris Hilton. "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." That picture of Lynndie England holding the leash. William Hung, recording artist. That a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich allegedly bearing the likeness of the Virgin Mary sold for $28,000 on eBay. That Osama is still on the loose — and releasing tapes. That the Kyoto Protocol was ratified — and we aren't part of it. That Ken Lay has still not gone to trial or served a minute in jail. That 42 percent of Americans still think Saddam Hussein was "directly involved in planning, financing or carrying out" the 9/11 attacks. |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 28, 2004
And you say there is a god...
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 27, 2004
One New Year's Resolution
| Despite unhappy holidays, nearly all of us who served in WWII were proud, determined and properly armed and equipped to help defeat would-be world conquerors Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy and Hirohito in Japan. At age 80, I'd gladly volunteer for such highly moral duty again. But if I were eligible for service in Iraq, I would do all I could to avoid it. I would have done the same during the Vietnam War, as many of the politically connected did. "Support Our Troops" is a wonderful patriotic slogan. But the best way to support troops thrust by unwise commanders in chief into ill-advised adventures like Vietnam and Iraq is to bring them home. Sooner rather than later. That should be our New Year's resolution. - - - - Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 17, 2004
VACATION TIME - YIPPEE!!
LEFT is RIGHT is taking a sanity-rebuilding break for the holidays and should return sometime around a christian holiday much-loved by toy merchants, turkey ranchers and Hallmark.
Elektronik Supersonik (music video) and Molvania Travel Guide
Salad Bar Hacking
Google Alphabet
Dog Judo
Kollaboration (video)
Whistling
Zero-G
Deadly toys of the recent past
10 Weirdest Palm OS programs
Subcommander (game)
From galaxies to protons
Rating films for kids
Dealing with obnoxious cell phone users near you
Hidden messages in pop music.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
FRIDAY FUN
Elektronik Supersonik (music video) and Molvania Travel Guide
Salad Bar Hacking
Google Alphabet
Dog Judo
Kollaboration (video)
Whistling
Zero-G
Deadly toys of the recent past
10 Weirdest Palm OS programs
Subcommander (game)
From galaxies to protons
Rating films for kids
Dealing with obnoxious cell phone users near you
Hidden messages in pop music.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 16, 2004
Smelling good while killing ourselves and our environment
Don't forget, if you live in the Western United States, that you can get your free annual credit report by going to www.annualcreditreport.com . You have to actually type (or copy and paste) the URL into your browser address field because the credit companies want to make it hard for you to send the link around to others.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Free Credit Report reminder
Don't forget, if you live in the Western United States, that you can get your free annual credit report by going to www.annualcreditreport.com . You have to actually type (or copy and paste) the URL into your browser address field because the credit companies want to make it hard for you to send the link around to others.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 15, 2004
Here's another new blog that just started and that contributes very insightful and intelligent discourse to today's events, from a philisophical point of view: A Theory of Power. Do check it out. My earlier reference to "Intentional Instability" is from this site.
Is the Bush Administration purposely using an "Intentional Instability" policy in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East for our political benefit?
Separating Church and State - An Opinion
How can we get out of Iraq?
Implantable chips for spinal cord injuries.
Great idea for classroom presentations (cool electronic gadget)
Merry Christmas, and The Night Before Christmas in legalese. (humor)
I don't know how, but I stumbled upon this great new Progressive blog today, Ripple of Hope. It has several contributing editors and very reasonable discourse. I recommend that you check it out soon.
Mark Morford is in top form today as he points out all those things that appear "wrong" with Canada, at least throught the eyes of Bush voters. Here's a snippet, but you really need to read the entire piece; it's a classic:
BOXER URGES CELL PHONE USERS TO ACT TO ENSURE THEIR PRIVACY
A Theory of Power
Here's another new blog that just started and that contributes very insightful and intelligent discourse to today's events, from a philisophical point of view: A Theory of Power. Do check it out. My earlier reference to "Intentional Instability" is from this site.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| "The time has come to stop being cowed by accusations that criticizing the war is the same as criticizing the troops and to start speaking the truth: Tens of thousands of young American men and women are having their lives destroyed because of the Bush administration’s willful negligence." - - - Arianna Huffington |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Religions are to God as Clocks are to Time
| "Religion is to God what the clock is to time. Religion participates in the mystery of what it represents but does not embody that mystery. Not even Christianity, with its self-understanding as a religion of the incarnate Word, does more than enshrine that Word in symbol and sacrament. Indeed, "Word" is the clue, since all religion, however infinite the object of its worship, remains bound by the finitude of language -- and language always falls short of its purpose. That truth applies to religion and science both. Words are to what they aim to express as the clock is to time. That is why silence, too, is a mode of worship. And it is why, also, the language of science always leaves room for what is not known." - - - James Carroll |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Is the Bush Administration purposely using an "Intentional Instability" policy in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East for our political benefit?
Separating Church and State - An Opinion
How can we get out of Iraq?
Implantable chips for spinal cord injuries.
Great idea for classroom presentations (cool electronic gadget)
Merry Christmas, and The Night Before Christmas in legalese. (humor)
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Ripple of Hope
I don't know how, but I stumbled upon this great new Progressive blog today, Ripple of Hope. It has several contributing editors and very reasonable discourse. I recommend that you check it out soon.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Canada, our evil northern neighbor?
Mark Morford is in top form today as he points out all those things that appear "wrong" with Canada, at least throught the eyes of Bush voters. Here's a snippet, but you really need to read the entire piece; it's a classic:
| ....It's getting more confusing by the minute, isn't it? I mean, Canada now has legal medical pot and legal gay marriage and universal health care and no known terrorist enemies and a relatively successful multiparty political system. They also have, according to U.N.'s Human Development Index, one of the highest qualities of life in the world. All coupled with a dramatically reduced rate of gun violence and far better gun-control legislation than the U.S., despite having the exact same per capita rate of gun ownership and gun-sport enthusiasm. What the hell? How is this possible? Why aren't they scared to death like whiny red-state Americans? Why don't they want to kill each other along with anything that might threaten their access to televised hockey and cheap beer and yummy poutine? Aren't they aware of what's happening in the world? Don't they know they are openly hated for their freedoms and their cafés and their vinegared french fries? Aren't they human, fer Chrissakes? Oh, red states. How confused and irritated you must be. After all, unlike the U.S., Canada backed the Kyoto Treaty (along with 165 other heathen nations). They also spend more per capita on education and less on health-care overhead than the U.S. They have a $10 billion federal surplus, a new record. They are not, as of yet, abusing the hell out of their vast natural resources (freshwater, huge forests, oil and natural gas, mineral deposits, etc.) and embarrassing themselves on a global scale every single day and making a mockery of their constitution or their citizens' civil liberties. What the hell is wrong with them? Yes yes, I know, Canada's universal health care is flawed and not always of the best quality, and a great many Canadians think their prime minister is a bit of a schmuck and they hate paying taxes and of course they can be all profitable and progressive when they don't have a massive bogus unwinnable war to pay for, one run by a ravenous and fiscally idiotic federal government, and they only have one-tenth of our population and one-fiftieth of our desperate consumeristic gluttony. They have it easy, right? Remember, Canada is boring. Canada is rarely in the news. Canada has no massive belching socioeconomic engine like America does, what with our NASCAR and Hollywood and Fox News and bad porn and the absolute best medical care on the planet despite how only a tiny fraction of us have access to it while the rest languish in bloated abusive HMOs and poverty and disease and 40 percent of us have no access to health care whatsoever. Take that, Canada! Oh wait.... |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Message for Cell Phone Users
BOXER URGES CELL PHONE USERS TO ACT TO ENSURE THEIR PRIVACY
| San Francisco, CA – As the author of the proposed Wireless 411 Privacy Act, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today urged her constituents who want to protect their cell phone privacy to register their cell phone numbers in the National Do Not Call List. Boxer said, “There is a rumor going around that cell phone users will begin getting telemarketing calls as early as January 1st if they do not register with the Do Not Call List by December 15th. Whether this rumor is true or not, to be on the safe side, this is as good a time as any to register your cell phone number in the Do Not Call database.” Senator Boxer’s Wireless 411 Privacy Act would have protected wireless telephone customers from having their cellular phone numbers listed in a national directory without their consent. The directory is being assembled by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Although Senator Boxer’s legislation passed out of the Commerce Committee, it failed to get scheduled on the Senate floor. Senator Boxer said, “People should have the right to decide who has access to their wireless phone number.” Cellular phone customers can register their numbers online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction. - - - E. F. Schumacher |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 14, 2004
William Shatner rocks! (order HERE)
Rumsfeld's Rules
Real Problem (Medicare) vs. Fake Problem (Social Security)
Dire Consequences for Britian if global warming continues.
More Felonious Behavior by Halliburton
Around for Everyone
William Shatner rocks! (order HERE)
Rumsfeld's Rules
Real Problem (Medicare) vs. Fake Problem (Social Security)
Dire Consequences for Britian if global warming continues.
More Felonious Behavior by Halliburton
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 13, 2004
Michael Moore posts a letter by Mel Giles that every Democrat should read. He equates our responses, to Republicans, to those of abused spouses. I'm sure it's not a new take on the issues surrounding us, but it's the first time I've read and thought about it and I thus assume the same for many of you. Here's just a snippet:
If there was a Left is Right Recommended Article of the Week, this would surely be it.
If you really like Scribble cartoon as much as I do, be sure to go HERE and vote for it for Best Web Cartoon.
Bush Administration not taking upcoming flu pandemic seriously.
Gates Foundation hopes $42.6M grant to the Institute for OneWorld Health, the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company in the United States, will allow development of the miracle antimalaria drug artemisinin, making it affordable for 3rd world countries.
SCLM (so-called-liberal-media) trashes Canada (video)
Let's Stop The Abuse By The Religious Right
Michael Moore posts a letter by Mel Giles that every Democrat should read. He equates our responses, to Republicans, to those of abused spouses. I'm sure it's not a new take on the issues surrounding us, but it's the first time I've read and thought about it and I thus assume the same for many of you. Here's just a snippet:
| ....Listen to George Bush say that the will of God excuses his behavior. Listen, as he refuses to take responsibility, or express remorse, or even once, admit a mistake. Watch him strut, and tell us that he will only work with those who agree with him, and that each of us is only allowed one question (soon, it will be none at all; abusers hit hard when questioned; the press corps can tell you that). See him surround himself with only those who pledge oaths of allegiance. Hear him tell us that if we will only listen and do as he says and agree with his every utterance, all will go well for us (it won't; we will never be worthy). And watch the Democratic Party leadership walk on eggshells, try to meet him, please him, wash the windows better, get out that spot, distance themselves from gays and civil rights. See the Democrats cry for the attention and affection and approval of the President and his followers. Watch us squirm. Watch us descend into a world of crazy-making, where logic does not work and the other side tells us we are nuts when we rely on facts. A world where, worst of all, we begin to believe we are crazy. How to break free? Again, the answer is quite simple. First, you must admit you are a victim. Then, you must declare the state of affairs unacceptable. Next, you must promise to protect yourself and everyone around you that is being victimized. You don't do this by responding to their demands, or becoming more like them, or engaging in logical conversation, or trying to persuade them that you are right. You also don't do this by going catatonic and resigned, by closing up your ears and eyes and covering your head and submitting to the blows, figuring its over faster and hurts less if you don't resist and fight back. Instead, you walk away. You find other folks like yourself, 57 million of them, who are hurting, broken, and beating themselves up. You tell them what you've learned, and that you aren't going to take it anymore. You stand tall, with 57 million people at your side and behind you, and you look right into the eyes of the abuser and you tell him to go to hell. Then you walk out the door, taking the kids and gays and minorities with you, and you start a new life. The new life is hard. But it's better than the abuse..... |
If there was a Left is Right Recommended Article of the Week, this would surely be it.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
If you really like Scribble cartoon as much as I do, be sure to go HERE and vote for it for Best Web Cartoon.
Bush Administration not taking upcoming flu pandemic seriously.
Gates Foundation hopes $42.6M grant to the Institute for OneWorld Health, the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company in the United States, will allow development of the miracle antimalaria drug artemisinin, making it affordable for 3rd world countries.
SCLM (so-called-liberal-media) trashes Canada (video)
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 10, 2004
I've subscribed to Knowledge News for a couple of years now. Every weekday they send via e-mail a new subject that they cover by exploring the key history, science, and culture behind today's news and events. I've found that when there's something important in the news you'll often find an issue of Knowledge News a day or two later with a wealth of background information on that very subject.
For example, this week Rumsfeld was in Iraq trying to convince the American soldiers that they have the best equipment/weapons available from the government. Today's Knowledge News issue then covered the last 30,000 years of major advancements in weapons used in war. If an important event occurs in some not-well-known area of the world, you can bet that Knowledge News will, the next day, give you a fascinating history of that region and how recent events from there have impacted us.
It's very easy reading so that even younger teens will enjoy it. I send copies of my email to two of my sons, aged 13 and 22, and they both say they look forward to each day's issue. Why am I telling you this? Well, we can never know too much about any subject, especially how recent events are affected by history. The annual subscription price is something like $19.95. They also make other valuable online resources available to subscribers.
Recently I was notified that I could add lifetime memberships for family and friends for $10 each, which is a ridiculously low price considering the annual rate. The only catch is, you have to join and then add members before December 25th.
HERE is the link for subscribing. Merry Christmas!
Rich Nations Respond to Poor Nations: "Screw You!"
Scotchgard, you're KILLING me!
Rationed Flu Vaccines May Now Go to Waste
Government employee who dared to report fraud and waste is fired by Bush
U.N. Details Plight of Children (L.A. Times; reg. req.)
Gym Class Shootout (video)
Skeletons of Cartoon Characters
Don't you hate when this happens? (video)
Home Tape Recordings
How to Survive a Zombie Epidemic (video)
Virtual Knee Surgery
Treb Challenge (game)
Endor Holocaust (for Will)
Celebrities without makeup
The Ten Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time
How Google Works
Building (furniture) With Books
One Photo a Day
Smithsonian TV (multimedia)
How to Cuss in a Foreign Language
British Accents
Kid pictures of famous rockers
Learn Chess
Falling (flash music-video)
Gift Suggestion
I've subscribed to Knowledge News for a couple of years now. Every weekday they send via e-mail a new subject that they cover by exploring the key history, science, and culture behind today's news and events. I've found that when there's something important in the news you'll often find an issue of Knowledge News a day or two later with a wealth of background information on that very subject.
For example, this week Rumsfeld was in Iraq trying to convince the American soldiers that they have the best equipment/weapons available from the government. Today's Knowledge News issue then covered the last 30,000 years of major advancements in weapons used in war. If an important event occurs in some not-well-known area of the world, you can bet that Knowledge News will, the next day, give you a fascinating history of that region and how recent events from there have impacted us.
It's very easy reading so that even younger teens will enjoy it. I send copies of my email to two of my sons, aged 13 and 22, and they both say they look forward to each day's issue. Why am I telling you this? Well, we can never know too much about any subject, especially how recent events are affected by history. The annual subscription price is something like $19.95. They also make other valuable online resources available to subscribers.
Recently I was notified that I could add lifetime memberships for family and friends for $10 each, which is a ridiculously low price considering the annual rate. The only catch is, you have to join and then add members before December 25th.
HERE is the link for subscribing. Merry Christmas!
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Rich Nations Respond to Poor Nations: "Screw You!"
Scotchgard, you're KILLING me!
Rationed Flu Vaccines May Now Go to Waste
Government employee who dared to report fraud and waste is fired by Bush
[Go to Top] [HOME]
The only species to trash its young
U.N. Details Plight of Children (L.A. Times; reg. req.)
By John Daniszewski - Times Staff Writer - December 10, 2004 LONDON — Governments are failing the children of the world, with more than 1 billion living in a state of severe threat from hunger, disease, exploitation or lack of security, the United Nations children's agency said Thursday. In a distressing indictment, UNICEF said that in spite of some pockets of progress in 2004, "we've failed to deliver on the promise of childhood. Too many governments are making informed, deliberate choices that actually hurt childhood," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said as she unveiled the agency's annual State of the World's Children report. Among the report's findings: • 640 million of the world's 2.2 billion children lack adequate shelter; • 500 million children have no access to sanitation; • 400 million lack safe water; • 270 million receive no healthcare; • 140 million, mostly girls, receive no education; • 90 million are severely deprived of nutrition. Even in developed countries, UNICEF said, the proportion of children living in low-income households has risen. Bellamy said at a conference in Pakistan this week that nearly 10 million children younger than 5 die each year of diarrhea or measles. The report released Thursday calls attention to the plight of children in war, with tens of thousands killed, maimed or raped each year. It details the hardships of children in northern Uganda and the Darfur region of Sudan. In Uganda, children crowd into urban sanctuaries to avoid being forced to join the Lord's Resistance Army guerrilla group, only to routinely endure rape or other forms of abuse. "The idea of childhood as a protected time of healthy growth has been effectively obliterated in northern Uganda," the report says, noting that 10,000 to 12,000 children have been taken by the guerrillas to become soldiers, porters or sex slaves. Another trend is the explosion in the number of children orphaned by HIV and AIDS, 80% of them in sub-Saharan Africa. There are 15 million AIDS orphans, and the number continues to rise. The number of children exploited in the multibillion-dollar global commercial sex industry is 2 million, the report says, higher than the population of some countries. Bellamy said at a news conference that forgiving debts owed by Third World nations would help but would not be a panacea for the children. "Debt servicing is not a productive use of money," she said. "But also the choice governments have made to invest in war or not to invest in HIV-AIDS drugs also has an impact." There have been some improvements in the last 13 years, with the number of juvenile deaths dropping in all regions except for sub-Saharan Africa, for a global decline of 18%. Public health campaigns in many Third World countries have led to a reduction in deaths from diarrhea to 1.9 million a year from 3 million since the early 1990s. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janet Stobart of The Times' London Bureau contributed to this report. |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction. - - - Blaise Pascal |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
FRIDAY FUN
Gym Class Shootout (video)
Skeletons of Cartoon Characters
Don't you hate when this happens? (video)
Home Tape Recordings
How to Survive a Zombie Epidemic (video)
Virtual Knee Surgery
Treb Challenge (game)
Endor Holocaust (for Will)
Celebrities without makeup
The Ten Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time
How Google Works
Building (furniture) With Books
One Photo a Day
Smithsonian TV (multimedia)
How to Cuss in a Foreign Language
British Accents
Kid pictures of famous rockers
Learn Chess
Falling (flash music-video)
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 9, 2004
A couple of quotes by Rumsfeld in his Town Hall Meeting in Kuwait with American soldiers:
I am an Intellectual
Which America Hating Minority Are You?
Take More Robert & Tim Quizzes
Watch Robert & Tim Cartoons
Bush Administration Hostility to California Clean Air Initiatives
Laptops hostile to male laps.
Click here for text (PDF file) of a letter to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell from 12 Democratic Congressional representatives asking him to explain numerous irregularities that occured during last month's presidential elections.
A couple of quotes by Rumsfeld in his Town Hall Meeting in Kuwait with American soldiers:
| "I can assure you that General Schoomaker and the leadership in the Army and certainly General Whitcomb are sensitive to the fact that not every vehicle has the degree of armor that would be desirable for it to have, but that they’re working at it at a good clip. It’s interesting, I’ve talked a great deal about this with a team of people who’ve been working on it hard at the Pentagon. And if you think about it, you can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can be blown up. And you can have an up-armored humvee and it can be blown up." "You know, you read an awful lot in the paper about different countries disagreeing on various things and there’s a tendency, I think, for the press to play up controversy and differences. But the reality is that since September 11th, the United States of America has put together a coalition of something like 85 or 90 nations, probably the largest coalition in the history of mankind. We have had somewhere – we’ve had somewhere between 25 and 30 countries helping us in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Those are large numbers of nations." |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Which America Hating Minority Are You?
Take More Robert & Tim Quizzes
Watch Robert & Tim Cartoons
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Bush Administration Hostility to California Clean Air Initiatives
Laptops hostile to male laps.
Click here for text (PDF file) of a letter to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell from 12 Democratic Congressional representatives asking him to explain numerous irregularities that occured during last month's presidential elections.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Things to do before the Inaugural:
Sent to Left is Right by Jason.
| 1. Get that abortion you’ve always wanted. 2. Drink a nice clean glass of water. 3. Cash your Social Security check. 4. See a doctor of your own choosing. 5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild. 6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter. 7. Get that gas mask you’ve been putting off buying. 8. Hoard gasoline. 9. Borrow books from library before they’re banned: Constitutional law books, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc. 10. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix, do it now. 11. Come out, then go back in: HURRY! 12. Jam in all the Alzheimer’s stem cell research you can. 13. Stay out late before the curfews start. 14. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his “accident.” 15. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition. 16. Use the phrase, “You can’t do that; this is America.” 17. If you’re white, marry a black person; if you’re black, marry a white person. 18. Take a walk in Yosemite without being hit by a snowmobile or a base-jumper. 19. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class. 20. Start your school day without a prayer. 21. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations. 22. Learn French. 23. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends. 24. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US. 25. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list. 26. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt. 27. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive. 28. Visit Alaska before “The Big Spill”. 29. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a state. |
Sent to Left is Right by Jason.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 8, 2004
Ever wonder if the store where you shop donates to the Democratic or Republican Parties, and how much they give? Check out CHOOSE THE BLUE before making your next purchase; you'll be surprised.
Dean's Democratic Party
The facts behind the U.N. Oil for Food scandal.
Potential new drug may send asthma packing. (Chic. Trib.; reg. req.)
A cold-hearted Bush Administration ignores cold-to-the-bone Americans.
Sugarcoating an environmental disaster.
What do you do with 70 billion pounds of PVC?
Shopping Red or Blue?
Ever wonder if the store where you shop donates to the Democratic or Republican Parties, and how much they give? Check out CHOOSE THE BLUE before making your next purchase; you'll be surprised.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Dean's Democratic Party
The facts behind the U.N. Oil for Food scandal.
Potential new drug may send asthma packing. (Chic. Trib.; reg. req.)
A cold-hearted Bush Administration ignores cold-to-the-bone Americans.
Sugarcoating an environmental disaster.
What do you do with 70 billion pounds of PVC?
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 7, 2004
Atrios pulls selected Washington Post articles from the past 18 months to compare U.S. military comments about troop levels and training Iraqi troops. Here are snippets from each section, but go read the entire post:
Point made, Atrios.
Why Social Security should NOT be privatized (NY Times, reg. req.)
Read all about Governor Groperzenegger's maternity-benefits-denying, glass-ceiling-protecting, nurse-butt-kicking Governor's Conference on Women and Families.
Californians prefer clean air; to prevent it, automakers will sue State. (LA Times; 1x reg. req.)
Bush Administration vows to keep head in sand regarding Kyoto Treaty, environment.
I know.... but still: Some ways the money spent on Iraq could have been used.
The slope of THIS LINE is changing in the wrong direction.
Amen to that.
U.S. to Reduce Troop Levels, Train Iraqi Troops
Atrios pulls selected Washington Post articles from the past 18 months to compare U.S. military comments about troop levels and training Iraqi troops. Here are snippets from each section, but go read the entire post:
| WaPo, 7/19/03: U.S. military commanders plan to train and arm thousands of Iraqis to conduct military missions alongside U.S. and British troops in an effort to restore security and quell resistance by forces loyal to ousted president Saddam Hussein, the new head of U.S. military forces in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East said today. "The Iraqis want to be in the fight," Army Gen. John P. Abizaid said in his first interview since taking over U.S. Central Command this month. "We intend to get them in the fight." Plans to create a militia-like civil defense force signal a new approach to the task of establishing order in postwar Iraq, where 36 U.S. troops have been killed in attacks since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1. |
| WaPo, 7/21/03: Abizaid has said that U.S. casualties suffered during raids or other operations to secure Iraq are an unavoidable cost of combat. But he also said that noncombat casualties, such as those suffered by soldiers guarding civilian institutions, are unacceptable and that those jobs must be given back to Iraqis. "We're still at war, and in this environment, no soldier likes to be on guard duty," said Army Col. Guy Shields, a spokesman for the U.S. military here. "The way these soldiers are trained, they can do a lot more than just being security guards. We want to get soldiers doing more soldier-like things." Other officials expressed worry that the heavy U.S. military presence in Baghdad could be a prime reason for the attacks. American soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles patrol the streets here with machine guns ready. Officials said removing military guards from places where Iraqis bank, shop and visit the doctor would lower the military profile and might reduce the simmering resentment among the Iraqi population. |
| WaPo, 10/19/03: U.S. military commanders have developed a plan to steadily cut back troop levels in Iraq next year, several senior Army officers said in recent interviews. There are now 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The plan to cut that number is well advanced and has been described in broad outline to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld but has not yet been approved by him. It would begin to draw down forces next spring, cutting the number of troops to fewer than 100,000 by next summer and then to 50,000 by mid-2005, officers involved in the planning said. |
| WaPo, 11/17/03: The Pentagon announced plans yesterday to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq from 132,000 to 105,000 by next May but, in the process, to replace ground troops currently there with fresh contingents of Army soldiers and Marines early next year. |
| WaPo, 6/12/04: Starting July 1, with the transfer of limited sovereignty to Iraqi authorities, military helicopters will switch to flying "friendly approaches" instead of menacing ones, U.S. soldiers will go on patrol only when accompanying Iraqi security forces, and any shooting of U.S. weapons meant to harass or interdict will require higher-level approval than before, military officers here said. In Mosul, Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, who leads a brigade of armored Stryker vehicles and other forces, said he expected that his troops would assume a much lower profile. |
| WaPo, 12/7/04: CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar, Dec. 6 -- Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, the commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region, raised the possibility Monday that U.S. forces in Iraq could start to be reshaped as early as next year to reduce the number of combat troops and concentrate on the development of Iraqi security forces. Abizaid declined in an interview to set a timetable for the shift, saying it would depend on the outcome of national elections in January and evidence that Iraqi forces could assume a greater share of combat operations against the country's entrenched insurgency. Other senior U.S. officers who elaborated on the plan said the change would not necessarily lead initially to an overall decrease in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq but could eventually facilitate a lower troop level. |
Point made, Atrios.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Why Social Security should NOT be privatized (NY Times, reg. req.)
Read all about Governor Groperzenegger's maternity-benefits-denying, glass-ceiling-protecting, nurse-butt-kicking Governor's Conference on Women and Families.
Californians prefer clean air; to prevent it, automakers will sue State. (LA Times; 1x reg. req.)
Bush Administration vows to keep head in sand regarding Kyoto Treaty, environment.
I know.... but still: Some ways the money spent on Iraq could have been used.
The slope of THIS LINE is changing in the wrong direction.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult." - - - Charlotte Whitton |
Amen to that.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 6, 2004
Tom DeLay and associates were reported for violation upon violation of government rules once deemed sacrosinct. Result? No consequences for the criminals.
Dick Cheney held secret, unlawful meetings with energy corporations to shape Bush energy policy and reverse the salvation of our environment. Result? No Consequences for the criminals.
Senior Republican Congressional Leaders ram through legislation, against legislative rules, that increases limitations on our personal, constitutional freedoms (a.k.a. USA Patriot Act). Result? No consequences for the criminals.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in an unprecidented act, illegally overrules states' rights in election protocol in Florida in the 2000 election, thus encouraging and validating future illegal election acts, such as those seen this year in Ohio. Result? No consequences for the criminals.
We, the People of the United States, illegally and immorally invade, partially destroy, and permanently alter in a grossly horrendous manner, a sovereign nation that posed no measurable threat to us. Result? No consequences to us, the criminals, (except for the thousands of dead and injured young Americans and the waste of hundreds of billions of dollars that could have improved the lives of every American and most of the world.
Face it. We are still a primitive civilization ruled by the strong. Today "strong" just means rich and weapon-heavy (compared to physically strong and weapon-heavy cavemen). We have not reached the point in the evolution of our civilization where intelligence, compassion and morality are the most valued assets. What is most sad is that we as a species likely may never reach such a threshold. If we don't destroy our environment first, we will almost surely destroy ourselves. We are rapidly running out of options that can allow us to peacefully rescue our once-bright future. We are rapidly approaching the final option of survival, namely outright physical revolt and political rebellion.
The Progressive Democrats in America understand what is moral and compassionate and how "civilized" people should behave. But they are not "rich and weapon-heavy" and thus will never succeed in today's primitive civilization. Their political character is perfect for a more advanced human species.
The rich and armed are in charge, and no amount of talking, pleading or example-setting by the "Left" could possibly encourage the former to lay down their weapons and give up their riches. The sooner all of us Progressives come to grips with and accept this reality, the sooner we can start the revolution and take back control of our destiny.
It ain't gonna happen otherwise, folks.
Jon Stewart's "America (The Book)," the television commentator's million-selling riff on politics and other matters of satire, has been named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine.
From the NY Times (reg. req.):
From Politics1:
Brought to the attention of Left is Right by Alon.
Canadians offer to marry disgruntled Americans
Don Knotts is George Bush (video)
Apologies Accepted (response to SorryEverybody)
NO CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CRIMINALS
Tom DeLay and associates were reported for violation upon violation of government rules once deemed sacrosinct. Result? No consequences for the criminals.
Dick Cheney held secret, unlawful meetings with energy corporations to shape Bush energy policy and reverse the salvation of our environment. Result? No Consequences for the criminals.
Senior Republican Congressional Leaders ram through legislation, against legislative rules, that increases limitations on our personal, constitutional freedoms (a.k.a. USA Patriot Act). Result? No consequences for the criminals.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in an unprecidented act, illegally overrules states' rights in election protocol in Florida in the 2000 election, thus encouraging and validating future illegal election acts, such as those seen this year in Ohio. Result? No consequences for the criminals.
We, the People of the United States, illegally and immorally invade, partially destroy, and permanently alter in a grossly horrendous manner, a sovereign nation that posed no measurable threat to us. Result? No consequences to us, the criminals, (except for the thousands of dead and injured young Americans and the waste of hundreds of billions of dollars that could have improved the lives of every American and most of the world.
Face it. We are still a primitive civilization ruled by the strong. Today "strong" just means rich and weapon-heavy (compared to physically strong and weapon-heavy cavemen). We have not reached the point in the evolution of our civilization where intelligence, compassion and morality are the most valued assets. What is most sad is that we as a species likely may never reach such a threshold. If we don't destroy our environment first, we will almost surely destroy ourselves. We are rapidly running out of options that can allow us to peacefully rescue our once-bright future. We are rapidly approaching the final option of survival, namely outright physical revolt and political rebellion.
The Progressive Democrats in America understand what is moral and compassionate and how "civilized" people should behave. But they are not "rich and weapon-heavy" and thus will never succeed in today's primitive civilization. Their political character is perfect for a more advanced human species.
The rich and armed are in charge, and no amount of talking, pleading or example-setting by the "Left" could possibly encourage the former to lay down their weapons and give up their riches. The sooner all of us Progressives come to grips with and accept this reality, the sooner we can start the revolution and take back control of our destiny.
It ain't gonna happen otherwise, folks.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Jon Stewart's "America (The Book)," the television commentator's million-selling riff on politics and other matters of satire, has been named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Marine Vows to Kill Off Bush Administration
From the NY Times (reg. req.):
| "We're going out where the bad guys live, and we're going to slay them in their ZIP code." - - - Lt. Col. Mark A. Smith, U.S. Marines |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Book Burning: One Giant Leap Into the Past for Alabama
From Politics1:
| Alabama State Representative Gerald Allen (R) -- emboldened by the recent spate of ballot victories for state bans on gay marriage -- has a new idea. He announced last week he will introduce a bill in the next legislative session to ban novels with gay characters from all public libraries, schools and state universities. The proposed law would prohibit books and materials "that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle." Allen told the Birmingham News that -- as he envisions his own bill -- all novels with gay protagonists and college textbooks that suggest homosexuality is natural would have to be removed from library shelves and destroyed. "I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them," boasted Allen. When asked about works of fiction like Tennessee Williams' classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Allen told the newspaper that universities would not be allowed to perform productions of the play, use the book in classrooms, or carry copies of the book in libraries under his law. Allen also agreed that the ban could extend to works of fiction like The Color Purple, Brideshead Revisted and The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as they all have gay characters. Wait, folks, 'cuz that's not all! According to the newspaper, the bill would also "ban materials that recognize or promote a lifestyle or actions prohibited by the sodomy and sexual misconduct laws of Alabama." Allen explained that books with heterosexual couples committing those acts -- things like adultery or engaging in oral sex -- also likely would be banned. "Our culture, how we know it today, is under attack from every angle," said Allen. |
Brought to the attention of Left is Right by Alon.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Canadians offer to marry disgruntled Americans
Don Knotts is George Bush (video)
Apologies Accepted (response to SorryEverybody)
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 3, 2004
From one knuckle-dragging resident of our society's moral slum:
This is only a tiny snippet of his trash. Read the entire overflowing trashcan here.
We've been fretting for a while now about an inevitable economic meltdown in the U.S. as a result of the horrible economic policies of the Bush Administration. By all standard textbook measures, were it not for the rest of the world using its surplus cash to buy U.S Treasury bonds which pay the interest on the national debt, we would already be in an intense depression. However, the surplus is drying up, the dollar is falling, and the treasuries of other nations are gradually looking more attractive than ours. Eventually someone (Europe? China?) is going to start shopping elsewhere, forcing the U.S. Treasury to jack up interest rates (to stay competitive), thus kickstarting a spiraling economic meltdown (probably starting with the housing market). The fact that much of the world no longer gives a shit about us, thanks to Bush's isolationist/imperialist policies, isn't going to help. Ian Welsh gives a nice, jargon-free explanation of what may likely happen in the next year or two, and it doesn't look pretty.
My advice to you if you recently bought a house with a variable rate mortgage and you have no savings: sell now or refinance with a fixed rate if you can afford it. Prices are still high and rates are still low. Every single reliable econimic indication and every single reputable Nobel economist are saying the same thing: we are on the verge of an economic downturn.
Good news for moderate drinkers:
Popeye Anime (video)
Mello Hippo
Waiting for Susan
Flying Lawn Mower (video)
Doggie Bags
Which Life Accomplishment is Better?
Motorcycle Ride (video)
Interview with Stairway to Heaven's guitar solo
Official Rules for Calling Shotgun
Help the Monkey Across the Pool (game)
Not sure what this is, but it's scary.
I Have An Idea
Postcards from the Attic
Apartment Living (flashvideo)
Human Dominoes (video)
It's official, we're morons. Phil says so.
From one knuckle-dragging resident of our society's moral slum:
| "Inauguration Day is nearly upon us. On January 20th, President Bush will be sworn in for his next term. At least two groups of traitors intend to protest and disrupt that event. Keep in mind, the world will be watching this and will get the idea that President Bush is not popular in his own country. The actions of the people at International ANSWER and those suggesting that protesters turn their backs in some sort of public protest versus the newly elected leader of OUR country (turnyourbackonbush.com) need to be confronted and dealt with on that day. Of course, were I there, and one of these morons turned their back, thus facing me, I'd be very tempted to either a) punch them, b) step in front of them, or c) accidentally spill my hot coffee all over them." |
This is only a tiny snippet of his trash. Read the entire overflowing trashcan here.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Get Ready to Tighten Your Belts
We've been fretting for a while now about an inevitable economic meltdown in the U.S. as a result of the horrible economic policies of the Bush Administration. By all standard textbook measures, were it not for the rest of the world using its surplus cash to buy U.S Treasury bonds which pay the interest on the national debt, we would already be in an intense depression. However, the surplus is drying up, the dollar is falling, and the treasuries of other nations are gradually looking more attractive than ours. Eventually someone (Europe? China?) is going to start shopping elsewhere, forcing the U.S. Treasury to jack up interest rates (to stay competitive), thus kickstarting a spiraling economic meltdown (probably starting with the housing market). The fact that much of the world no longer gives a shit about us, thanks to Bush's isolationist/imperialist policies, isn't going to help. Ian Welsh gives a nice, jargon-free explanation of what may likely happen in the next year or two, and it doesn't look pretty.
My advice to you if you recently bought a house with a variable rate mortgage and you have no savings: sell now or refinance with a fixed rate if you can afford it. Prices are still high and rates are still low. Every single reliable econimic indication and every single reputable Nobel economist are saying the same thing: we are on the verge of an economic downturn.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Stop Complaining About the Two-Drink Minimum
Good news for moderate drinkers:
| NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking one or two alcoholic beverages per day seems to reduce plaque buildup in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, new research indicates. This may help explain why moderate alcohol use has been tied to a reduced risk of heart disease. The findings are based on a study of 1795 subjects without heart disease who were evaluated with CT scans to look for calcium deposits in the coronaries, an indicator of plaque build-up. Dr. Jacqueline C. M. Witteman, from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, and colleagues report their findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Seventeen percent of subjects consumed one or two alcoholic drinks per day. Sixty-two percent of subjects consumed less than this amount and 21 percent consumed more. Subjects who consumed one or two drinks per day had the fewest calcium deposits, while non-drinkers had the most. The other subjects fell between these two extremes. SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, November 22, 2004. |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Friday Fun
Popeye Anime (video)
Mello Hippo
Waiting for Susan
Flying Lawn Mower (video)
Doggie Bags
Which Life Accomplishment is Better?
Motorcycle Ride (video)
Interview with Stairway to Heaven's guitar solo
Official Rules for Calling Shotgun
Help the Monkey Across the Pool (game)
Not sure what this is, but it's scary.
I Have An Idea
Postcards from the Attic
Apartment Living (flashvideo)
Human Dominoes (video)
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 2, 2004
A conservative named Phil left the following comment on Luis' "Another Liberal Blog" blog. Be sure, if you're interested, to go there and read Luis' rebuttal to each point made in Phil's comments.
Urge the FDA to Make Emergency Contraception Available Over the Counter
Eric A. says Impeach Bush... For the Children
Understanding the Falling Dollar
Here's one program with a membership base rapidly growing due to Bush's War.
Phil: A Model for Narrow-minded Americans
A conservative named Phil left the following comment on Luis' "Another Liberal Blog" blog. Be sure, if you're interested, to go there and read Luis' rebuttal to each point made in Phil's comments.
| You liberals really need to get a life and stop protesting the 2004 vote. You expend so much energy that could be used for more useful things. What you don't get is that people that grew up with midwestern such as myself in Ohio, have moved to other places such as Florida, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, etc. and that is why there are so many red states. People in Ohio, Indiana, Kansas etc. will never agree with the liberal philosophy that the northeast represents. We believe in God, family and conservative, traditional values such as marriage is between a man and a woman, less taxes, less government interference, a strong national defense and defeating our enemies, which we know as being fundamentalist muslims. We don't like the PLO and aren't afraid to call them terrorists. I am glad Arafat died, he was evil. If the democrats want to keep what little power they have left, they must abandon the far left liberals and start over and get back to the ideals my grandmother held so close. From a true Patriot, Phil |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Around for Everyone
Urge the FDA to Make Emergency Contraception Available Over the Counter
Eric A. says Impeach Bush... For the Children
Understanding the Falling Dollar
Here's one program with a membership base rapidly growing due to Bush's War.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
December 1, 2004
Sometimes these blogsters say something that actually mirrors my deeper feelings. This time Eric Alterman does it:
The reason I sometimes post others' writings is because, why should I make you read as I fitfully try to communicate my strong opinions at the expense of your patience and understanding, when I can honor another's superior ability to say what I mean anyway? Basically, I'm saying, "Yeah, what he (or she) said!" I enjoy passing on a gem of an idea or opinion, because I think there is a better-than-even chance you'd never see it otherwise and because it's good enough to improve our collective wisdom of our existence and purpose as a civilization.
Here we see the cream of ourselves, Christian Engeldrum, on the one hand the manifestation of our efforts to teach the best morals and values our society has to offer, and on the other hand a victim of the most immoral and inhumane processes which result from the inherent inability of our species to adequately foster our intellectual and behavioral development. Until we either reign in this primitive behavior or destroy ourselves, there will be countless more Christian Engeldrums.
Jack Glaser, an assistant professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley, has been exploring the psychological underpinnings of conservatism. He explains how cognitive campaign styles differed between Bush and Kerry (i.e. conservatives vs. liberals) and was probably the key factor in Bush's win. Fascinating reading. Excerpts:
So, liberals tend to be, on the average, smarter and thus more highly tolerant of uncertainty. This is a key point when the Democratic party decides how to make their message more appealing to conservatives/moderates
Arianna Huffington offers her fixes for regaining control of Congress (snippet):
Yes, we need to secure, retool, find and develop, open and rebuild, nationalize, and forge ahead. My response: HOW? WHO? WHEN? and WHERE?
From BushGreenWatch (intro):
If there was some way we could attach miniature dialysis machines to ourselves and filter out the stuff, we could finally have our personal jet packs with the convenience of always-available fuel. Better yet, terrorists could bulk up on a milk-and-salad diet and just throw their bodies at buildings rather than using commercial airlines, thus saving hundreds of people.
A Most Honorable Victim of Bush's War
Sometimes these blogsters say something that actually mirrors my deeper feelings. This time Eric Alterman does it:
| Christian Engeldrum of Ladder Company 61 in Co-op City in the Bronx, was killed while serving with the New York National Guard on Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy outside Baghdad. He lived through the attacks of 9/11 that took the lives of many of his friends and comrades, which took place even though his government was repeatedly warned to be on the alert for just such an attack but took no measures whatever for the protection of the nation. (He even helped raise the first flag over Ground Zero after the attack.) He lived through the still-unknown health effects on his respiratory system, after breathing the air at Ground Zero when his government lied to him about its safety. What he didn’t live through, however, was a war, which his government lied to try to tie to the attacks, in order to win the support of people like Christian, who had every right to be furious at America’s assailants, but whose duty and courage was exploited to attack people who had nothing whatever to do with it. Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda couldn’t kill Christian Engledrum, but his own government’s dishonesty and incompetence could. His two sons have lost a father, his wife, a husband, his parents a son, and for what? Yes Saddam Hussein is in prison, but is anyone really better off for the unending chaos and catastrophe this bunch has unleashed in Iraq? Most Iraqis certainly don’t think they are and the rest of the world hates us more than ever. Isn’t it about time we had an anti-war movement in this country to honor the deaths of exploited heroes like Christian Engeldrum and do our damnedest to minimize the number of brave mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, husbands and wives, must follow in his footsteps? |
The reason I sometimes post others' writings is because, why should I make you read as I fitfully try to communicate my strong opinions at the expense of your patience and understanding, when I can honor another's superior ability to say what I mean anyway? Basically, I'm saying, "Yeah, what he (or she) said!" I enjoy passing on a gem of an idea or opinion, because I think there is a better-than-even chance you'd never see it otherwise and because it's good enough to improve our collective wisdom of our existence and purpose as a civilization.
Here we see the cream of ourselves, Christian Engeldrum, on the one hand the manifestation of our efforts to teach the best morals and values our society has to offer, and on the other hand a victim of the most immoral and inhumane processes which result from the inherent inability of our species to adequately foster our intellectual and behavioral development. Until we either reign in this primitive behavior or destroy ourselves, there will be countless more Christian Engeldrums.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Tolerance of Uncertainty
Jack Glaser, an assistant professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley, has been exploring the psychological underpinnings of conservatism. He explains how cognitive campaign styles differed between Bush and Kerry (i.e. conservatives vs. liberals) and was probably the key factor in Bush's win. Fascinating reading. Excerpts:
| “I’m surprised, at least in George Bush’s case, at how consistent his behavior is with all the research on conservatism,” says Glaser, an assistant professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy, whose work has primarily focused on stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. “I mean, he comes right out with it and says, ‘My job is not to nuance.’ He’s very clearly intolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty.” But John Kerry, he argues, was unfairly portrayed during the campaign as a slave to subtlety, a man who saw so much complexity he didn’t know what he believed. “When people actually listened to him, and didn’t listen to the caricature of him, he did well. He won all the debates,” Glaser observes. “But I think the Bush campaign was brilliant. They identified [that characterization] right away and they knew it would stick. And they applied it and they knew he would play right into it from time to time. If the Kerry campaign had been more aggressive early on, they’d have said Bush is pathologically rigid and we have to tar him that way right off the bat. They were very late in getting to that. “At the same time,” he adds, “given the terrorism environment, if the average person is choosing between rigid and fickle, they’re going to go for rigid. And I think that’s a big part of the story.” .... “September 11 posed an existential crisis,” he explains. “Are we going to die in a horrific way, and is our society going to cease to be what it was? And under those circumstances, we [on the research team] were arguing — and I think we were right — that a conservative shift is likely. And I do think that that played a role in this election, because if you really look at most of the other issues — except for ‘likability’ — the majority of Americans were with Kerry. “Everything else is pretty much the same as 2000,” he points out, from Kerry’s and Al Gore’s policy positions to voters’ harsh assessment of their personalities. “The big difference, I think, is the war on terror and Iraq. Even Iraq is a double-edged sword. It’s a liability in some sense. But it’s a constant reminder that Bush is a war president. “I don’t want to be excessively cynical,” he adds. “Let’s just say being at war helped him.” Republicans were further aided, Glaser believes, by the fact that the cognitive styles associated with conservatism “give them a clear political advantage, simply by virtue of appearing more decisive and making clearer, less integratively complex statements. “Strategists talk about the advantage of soundbites, and keeping the message simple. And that’s just a tendency that seems to be consistent with conservative ideology.” .... Glaser emphasizes that research into what makes conservatives tick has less to do with intelligence — a trait he readily attributes to Will and some others on the right, if not to Coulter — than with different cognitive styles. And he cautions that psychological tendencies, for conservatives and liberals alike, come in shades of gray. “I think you find plenty of so-called conservatives who are highly tolerant of uncertainty, and plenty of liberals who are low in tolerance for that. But in the aggregate, if you’re looking for a trend, there seems to be a relationship,” he says. “The vast majority of people are uncomfortable when things are uncertain,” adds Glaser, who counts himself among them. “They prefer for things to be resolved and certain. It’s not so much that conservatives are unusual in their aversion to uncertainty and ambiguity as that liberals just have a higher tolerance for it. “Similarly, whereas liberals seem to have a real aversion to inequity, it’s not necessarily the case that conservatives embrace inequality or inequity. It’s just that they can live with it. It’s much more nuanced,” Glaser says. |
So, liberals tend to be, on the average, smarter and thus more highly tolerant of uncertainty. This is a key point when the Democratic party decides how to make their message more appealing to conservatives/moderates
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Solutions... Oh We Have Solutions
Arianna Huffington offers her fixes for regaining control of Congress (snippet):
| ....For starters, they need to make sure that there is never another election held with electronic voting machines that don’t leave a paper trail, or voter suppression caused by long lines and not enough polling places in poor neighborhoods. Next, they should — to paraphrase Shakespeare — kill all the consultants (and, while they’re at it, do away with the bullheaded pollsters, too). The Party needs to find and develop campaign teams that can run winning races in the 21st century, not keep rehiring the same professional losers election after election. Shouldn’t there be an “eight strikes and you’re out” rule? Democrats also need to retool their party infrastructure. Conservatives have spent the better part of the last 30 years building a potent message machine — a network of think tanks, policy centers and media outlets — that spends more than $300 million a year to promote its agenda. Instead of sitting around complaining that the big, bad GOP has them overmatched, Democrats need to open their wallets and build their own well-funded message machine. A key part of this apparatus will inevitably be the Internet, which must now assume a central role in all Party efforts. One of the underreported achievements of the Kerry campaign was its startling success in Internet fund-raising, taking in over $82 million in online donations. This same combination of cyber-savvy and sophisticated marketing must be used to help Democrats spread their message and build citizen participation. To do this, Democrats have got to nationalize the 2006 Congressional races — just as Republicans did in ’94. They don’t necessarily need their own version of the Contract with America, but they do need to make their stands on the crucial political battles of the day — including taxes, the environment, the war in Iraq, Social Security and the Supreme Court — part of a larger narrative and not just a laundry list of policy positions and four-point plans. And, finally, Democrats need to forge ahead with nascent efforts to recruit, train and fund a better crop of candidates. As one film-director friend of mine put it: “It’s ultimately about casting; I’m tired of voting for some guy who isn’t right for the role but got the part anyway.” .... |
Yes, we need to secure, retool, find and develop, open and rebuild, nationalize, and forge ahead. My response: HOW? WHO? WHEN? and WHERE?
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| "Wal-Mart is the sewer pipe through which good jobs are being flushed." - - - Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union |
[Go to Top] [HOME]
Rocket Fuel in our Food
From BushGreenWatch (intro):
| December 01, 2004 EPA Tests Find Rocket Fuel in Nation's Milk, Lettuce Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests released this week have confirmed the presence of perchlorate - an explosive additive in solid rocket fuel - in almost every sample of lettuce and milk taken in a nationwide investigation. Perchlorate, leaking from military bases and defense contrator's facilities, is known to cause regional water pollution, resulting in serious health effects. The FDA investigation found the toxic additive in 217 of 232 samples of lettuce and milk from 15 states, including areas not previously known for perchlorate contamination. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's perchlorate coordinator for the southwest and Pacific region, Kevin Mayer, the FDA results show that this regional pollution problem is now exposing people across the entire U.S. to the toxin. "This is surprising new evidence that rocket fuel is getting into the food supply in places we never would have suspected. It means that perchlorate exposure is not just a problem in areas where the drinking water is contaminated, but a concern for everyone, every time we visit the grocery store," Bill Walker, West coast vice president of Environmental Working Group (EWG) told BushGreenwatch. |
If there was some way we could attach miniature dialysis machines to ourselves and filter out the stuff, we could finally have our personal jet packs with the convenience of always-available fuel. Better yet, terrorists could bulk up on a milk-and-salad diet and just throw their bodies at buildings rather than using commercial airlines, thus saving hundreds of people.
[Go to Top] [HOME]
| Well the weight of the world is FALLING And on my back I've been CRAWLING The state of affairs is APPALLING And the 6 o'clock news keeps CALLING Well I've been trying to see the world through their eyes Where black is white and day is night Left is Right Left is Right Left is Right, For me Well negotiations keep STALLING The United Nations keeps CALLING The Skeletons you're HAULING Won't hold when you're FALLING Put your head in the sand and you'll never know What's waiting for you in the depths below (below) Don't believe everything that you read Take what you want and keep what you need TWISTED NIXON |
CHICK HEARN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE MEMORIES.
