LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against The Bush-war) |
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Iraq War Cost
 
 
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| ....Now, why would Libby accept disbarment and years in jail, years which could push his family into penury when everyone else would walk? Rove go on making millions, Cheney pretending he doesn't know him. Fitzgerald has a much stronger case than we've seen. He has shown exactly what little we need to see of his hand., which is almost nothing. People cheering that Rove hasn't been indicted and Spikey Isakoff running to believe that Fitzgerald told Bush's lawyer that he wasn't going to indict Rove are idiots. Fitzgerald's case is so strong that : A: he feels no need to get a new grand jury for his case and will use any sitting one in the District. B: Refused to accept a plea by Libby and demanded at least 24 months jail time. So people thinking Rove is out of the woods are kidding themselves. It could be a detail or two missing or a witness to flip or even someone still working in the White House gathering evidence for an indictment. If Hadley thought he could be indicted, there's a reason for that. This indictment was clearly designed to show Libby what was going to happen, and give him a chance to think about life with no money coming in, a humongous legal [bill] and jail time. And to encourage him to share the pain. |
This is the most optimistic opinion I've seen yet, so here's hoping that Gilliard, who's no dummy, is closer to right than wrong.
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Who is Alito?
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Here is his TRADEMARK.
| "Last week after Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination, I asked the President: Who was in charge? Today, the President answered: the radical conservative right is in charge of his Administration. Instead of seeking to unify the country with a nominee who would command wide consensus, the President again chose to submit to the dictates of the radical right. The President's nomination of Judge Alito reflects weakness - the President is unable or unwilling to withstand pressure by an extreme element in our country, rather than acting as a leader of all the people." - - - Rep. Nancy Pelosi |
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| "I want one thing out of this entire investigation. I want to find out what happened, and why. In that Scooter Libby has now been indicted for obstructing prosecutorial attempts to find out -- by flatly lying, on multiple occasions -- than[sic] yes, I freely admit I take a certain grim satisfaction in a prosecutor dragging him out of the White House by his ankles, and the prospects of depositing him, eventually, in a jail cell. But there's nothing happy about this week, or the month before it, or the two years before that. And there won't be much to celebrate even when this whole sorry mess is finally done and over with." - - - Hunter |
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October 30, 2005
| "Unlike conservatives, liberals don't have to put "compassionate" in front of their name to show that they give a shit about people." - - - George Clooney |
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October 29, 2005
Weekend Snips
Brit Hume (of Fox "News") hoses down any doubts about his racism.
Marie at The Left Coaster explains how Bush-war actually will get away almost scot-free as a result of the Libby indictments.
Senate Republicans say "No" to 1st increase in minimum wage in 7 years, while House Republicans are increasing restrictions on Food Stamps. I'll bet Bush's home state of Texas, which now has the highest rate of hunger in the U.S., is really happy about all that!
Very nice analytical summary of the probable status of Libby, Rove and Cheney and what to expect next from Mr. Ethics, Patrick Fitzgerald.
Left Coaster says, "That's All, Folks!"
California: Drug companies outspend opponents $23M to zero for Prop 78. Who loses if it passes? The lower-middle class.
The Onion responds to the White House's attack. Someone tell Bush that you can't fight satire.
Marie at The Left Coaster explains how Bush-war actually will get away almost scot-free as a result of the Libby indictments.
Senate Republicans say "No" to 1st increase in minimum wage in 7 years, while House Republicans are increasing restrictions on Food Stamps. I'll bet Bush's home state of Texas, which now has the highest rate of hunger in the U.S., is really happy about all that!
Very nice analytical summary of the probable status of Libby, Rove and Cheney and what to expect next from Mr. Ethics, Patrick Fitzgerald.
Left Coaster says, "That's All, Folks!"
California: Drug companies outspend opponents $23M to zero for Prop 78. Who loses if it passes? The lower-middle class.
The Onion responds to the White House's attack. Someone tell Bush that you can't fight satire.
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October 28, 2005
| "The damage President Bush and the conservative movement have inflicted on their drive to pack the Supreme Court with allies will not be undone by Harriet Miers's decision to withdraw her nomination. "In picking such a vulnerable nominee, Bush single-handedly undercut the conservatives' long-standing claim that the Senate and the rest of us owed great deference to a president's choice for the court. Conservatives displayed absolutely no deference to Bush when he picked someone they didn't like. The actual conservative "principle" was that the Senate should defer to the president's choice -- as long as that choice was acceptable to conservatives. Some principle. "....Miers will recover from all this in a way Bush and the conservatives will not. She has suffered collateral damage caused by a president who did not understand the degree to which his power has eroded and did not grasp the nature of the movement that elected him. And conservatives will come to regret making their willingness to contradict their own principles plain for all to see." - - - E. J. Dionne Jr. |
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Annual Review
When is Bush-war's Annual Job Evaluation due? I've got a few things that need inclusion:
-Poor supervision of staff
-Abuse of vacation time
-Inadequate planning for takeover (of foreign country)
-Failure to correctly disclose military service on job application
-Drinking on-the-job
-Failure to adequately notify employer of threats to company (a.k.a. "USA")
-Failure to submit fully-qualified job applicants to company review board (a.k.a. "Senate")
-Failure to disclose required supporting documentation to company review board
-Excessive use of company's transportation services
-Cronyism
-Failure to supply necessary equipment to company's security staff
-Inability to speak coherently in company meetings and public presentations
Jesus, who hired this guy? Oh, that's right, the SCOTUS did.
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-Poor supervision of staff
-Abuse of vacation time
-Inadequate planning for takeover (of foreign country)
-Failure to correctly disclose military service on job application
-Drinking on-the-job
-Failure to adequately notify employer of threats to company (a.k.a. "USA")
-Failure to submit fully-qualified job applicants to company review board (a.k.a. "Senate")
-Failure to disclose required supporting documentation to company review board
-Excessive use of company's transportation services
-Cronyism
-Failure to supply necessary equipment to company's security staff
-Inability to speak coherently in company meetings and public presentations
Jesus, who hired this guy? Oh, that's right, the SCOTUS did.
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| "Today is an ominous day for the country, signifying a new low since Watergate in terms of openness and honesty in our government. This is far more than an indictment of an individual. In effect it’s an indictment of the vicious and devious tactics used by the Administration to justify a war we never should have fought. It’s an indictment of the lengths Administration officials were willing to go to cover up their failed intelligence, their distortion on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and their serious blunders on the war. It is an indictment of their vindictive efforts to discredit anyone who challenge their misrepresentations. "The American people know the high cost of this misguided war – 2,000 U.S. soldiers dead, more than 15,000 wounded, hundreds of billions of dollars spent with no end in sight, and a continuing shameful effort by the White House to silence those who try to tell the truth about the war. Dissent is the ultimate form of patriotism, and it’s time we return to having an honest discourse in this country about changing direction and paying attention to the needs of the American people. "The President should take this opportunity to do everything he can to heal the country by not interfering with the prosecution of this case or the continuing investigation, and by cleaning house at the White House to immunize the country against any further corruption and dishonesty. As the President promised, anyone still in the White House who had anything to do with this scandalous plot or the cover-up should be dismissed immediately, whether or not they have been indicted. Something has to give — America can’t stand three more years of this failed Bush presidency." - - - Senator Edward Kennedy |
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| "These indictments are not about a single aide, it is about an Administration that went to any length to "sell" the war in Iraq and mislead the public. "From day one, this Administration has misled the public and the Congress, manipulated intelligence, and sought to quell dissent by all means necessary when it has comes to the war in Iraq. Now, a senior aide to the President and the Vice President is charged with lying to a federal grand jury and federal investigators. "The President must come clean with the American public. Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction, it was not involved in the attacks on our country on 9/11, and before the war it was not aligned with Al-Qaeda. "Many questions remain, and Congress must demand accountability. The American public still does not know who forged the Niger documents and who leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative. "Libby was a senior aide to both the President and Vice President. He also was a principal in the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), a group comprised of the President and Vice President's top aides that was instrumental in selling the Administration's case for war. "The buck does not stop with an aide. Those responsible for this colossal foreign policy misdeed must be held accountable to the American public, to the Congress and to courts of law." - - - Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who opposed the Iraq War from the beginning |
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Today's Happiest Man On Earth
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| "We headed to the vigil at the White House for our hours long wait in the freezing cold. There was a man there who had several signs which among them said: "Saddam loves Cindy." This man didn't care that Rumsfeld (or Rumsfailed as I accidentally called him on an interview yesterday) was buddy, buddy with Saddam and gave him or sold him tons of WMDs before he became our enemy. I told this man that he didn't bother me, and he told me I don't bother him either. Well, if I don't bother him, why did he come down and make signs and march for hours screaming that I kill our soldiers? We found out why. He was making 60 dollars an hour to do so from some non-profit, right wing group. He said he would switch signs if we gave him more money." - - - Cindy Sheehan |
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Bush said this today while announcing Libby's resignation:
Hmmmmm.... Tell that to Jose Padilla and the hundreds of illegally incarcerated prisoners whom the Bush Administration has in detention at Gitmo, in Iraq, Afghanistan, on ships and in other nations.
What a horrible excuse for a human being.
| "...in our system each individual is presumed innocent and entitled to due process and a fair trial." |
Hmmmmm.... Tell that to Jose Padilla and the hundreds of illegally incarcerated prisoners whom the Bush Administration has in detention at Gitmo, in Iraq, Afghanistan, on ships and in other nations.
What a horrible excuse for a human being.
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| “Americans are tired of investigations and scandal, and the best way to get rid of them is to elect a new president who will bring a new administration, who will restore honor and dignity to the White House.” . . . [Then-Governor George Bush on CNN’s “Burden of Proof,” 9/15/00] |
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Raising money at O'Reilly's expense
I received this email from Media Matters today.
My next plan is to somehow get O'Reilly to attack LEFT is RIGHT on the air so that I can then ask for donations. Heck, there's not a single factual error on this site (and the moon really is made of cheese). I mean, hey, it's worth a try, no?
Have other Left-leaning organizations thought of this great fundraising method?
Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief-of-Staff
| Dear Friends, Yesterday, we told you that Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is leading an aggressive right-wing attack on Media Matters. O'Reilly and his allies see the success that Media Matters has had combating conservative misinformation in the media, and they are afraid. So they are lashing out at us, hoping to destroy us so that we can no longer hold them accountable for their false claims. Yesterday, hundreds of you responded with generous financial support. We are very grateful, both for the contributions and for the expressions of support for the work we do. But last night, O'Reilly attacked us again. Using his platform as host of a cable news progam, O'Reilly is relentlessly attacking us, night after night -three days in a row now, and four in recent weeks ... and countless more times on his radio show. To be clear: O'Reilly has not pointed out a single factual error in our work. He offers no examples, no facts. He simply insults us, and makes baseless claims about us. He's a bully, and he's lashing out at us because we fight back against his lies and misinformation. If you haven't done so yet, stand with us -and with other Americans from across the country -and stand up to Bill O'Reilly. Please *donate now* to help combat conservative misinformation - and be sure to sign up now to receive important email updates from Media Matters. Thank you for your support! Sincerely, David Brock President and CEO Media Matters for America |
My next plan is to somehow get O'Reilly to attack LEFT is RIGHT on the air so that I can then ask for donations. Heck, there's not a single factual error on this site (and the moon really is made of cheese). I mean, hey, it's worth a try, no?
Have other Left-leaning organizations thought of this great fundraising method?
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One Down, ??? To Go...
Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief-of-Staff
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FRIDAY FUN
Pumpkin Carving 101 and Pumpkin Nook
Old Glory (insurance against robot attacks - only $4/month!) (video)
Visions of Science (winning science photographs)
How to dunk (video)
New York City in photographs - then and now
Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (in GIF file format)
Cool animation of Wilma crossing Florida (video) (higher resolution)
Flash Earth (zoom in all the way to street level)
Armless swimmer (video)
The Sneeze (humorous posts)
Giant Squid takes Us Weekly to task
Cosmic Evolution (examines the last 7 billion years on Earth and also the future)
Baby Cages
Arm pillows
MP3 Players for the Toilet
Old Glory (insurance against robot attacks - only $4/month!) (video)
Visions of Science (winning science photographs)
How to dunk (video)
New York City in photographs - then and now
Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (in GIF file format)
Cool animation of Wilma crossing Florida (video) (higher resolution)
Flash Earth (zoom in all the way to street level)
Armless swimmer (video)
The Sneeze (humorous posts)
Giant Squid takes Us Weekly to task
Cosmic Evolution (examines the last 7 billion years on Earth and also the future)
Baby Cages
Arm pillows
MP3 Players for the Toilet
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October 26, 2005
Midweek Snips
Bombshell: Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers To Senate Intelligence Panel
Oh my god, this would be a true nightmare: Bird Flu in Iraq
Remind me not to apply for a job at THIS COMPANY.
Just go read THIS.
John Edwards gives major speech about poverty at UC Berkeley
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One would be called a looter if caught taking food for survival. The other would be called on the phone to take illegal political kickbacks.
One is a survivor of civil injustice. The other is an overseer of political injustice.
One is destined to be etched into the greatest annals of history. The other is destined to be etched anally in the near future.
One will always be known for supporting rights. The other will always be known for supporting the Right.
One would put compassion above personal gain. The other would put personal gain above all else.
One looks like an angel in prison. The other will be keeping a wary eye out for Angel while in prison.
Opposite ends of the spectrum of humanity.
Oh my god, this would be a true nightmare: Bird Flu in Iraq
Remind me not to apply for a job at THIS COMPANY.
Just go read THIS.
John Edwards gives major speech about poverty at UC Berkeley
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Two Mug Shots: Can you Guess Which is Which?
. One would be called a looter if caught taking food for survival. The other would be called on the phone to take illegal political kickbacks.
One is a survivor of civil injustice. The other is an overseer of political injustice.
One is destined to be etched into the greatest annals of history. The other is destined to be etched anally in the near future.
One will always be known for supporting rights. The other will always be known for supporting the Right.
One would put compassion above personal gain. The other would put personal gain above all else.
One looks like an angel in prison. The other will be keeping a wary eye out for Angel while in prison.
Opposite ends of the spectrum of humanity.
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Bad News for Middle Class Families
From a Center for American Progress report (snippet):
Hmmm... Economically, things seem to be getting worse overall since 2000. I wonder what happened that year to start the downturn? Let me think...
| Is the typical middle-class family doing better today than they were 25 years ago? The answer is no, according to new measures of economic well-being developed in this report. The combination of stagnant incomes and staggering cost increases for important middle-class items—housing, health care, education and transportation—have left families with less money to save and spend than just a few years ago, and working longer to achieve the same results as in 1980. According to the analysis here: • In 2005, the average two-earner family needs to work 31.5 weeks to pay for taxes and a range of middle-class items (health care, housing, college, and transportation). That is an increase from 30.2 weeks in March 2001, and from 28.7 weeks in March 1979. • In 2005, after paying for the items outlined above, the average two-earner family had about $19,542 left to pay for basics—such as clothing, food, and utilities—to save for retirement, to improve their economic well-being, and to spend on any leisure and recreation. That is $951 less than families had in 2000 and $1,702 less than in 1980. • While families spend less today on taxes than in 2000—the tax cuts were real—those tax cuts do not offset the cost increases of expenditure items, particularly housing, health care, and education. • Middle-class families have addressed the economic squeeze by working longer hours. This has meant less time to spend with children and higher out-of-pocket expenditures for child care and for food outside the home. • Over time, middle-class families have also maintained their consumption levels by borrowing more money. Household debt soared to a record 116 percent of disposable income in March 2005. Average debt service burden levels have remained high throughout the current business cycle. • The economic squeeze tends to be worse for minorities than for whites. Specifically, income declines have been larger for Hispanics than for African-Americans and greater for African-Americans than for whites. America’s middle class is nervous about its future. By the end of 2004, people were generally less optimistic about their future than they were at the same point in revious recoveries. Consumer survey data from the University of Michigan showed that people’s assessment of their current personal finances rose by 4.7 percent, compared to an average increase of 17 percent in prior recoveries.1 Over this same period, people’s assessment of their economic future actually declined by 4.5 percent, compared to increases in prior recoveries. The anxieties of middle-class families mirror their economic struggles. It has become harder for middle-class families to pay for the basics of a middle-class existence. ....shows that a hypothetical two-earner family is earning only slightly more today ($49,596) than in 2000 ($49,012) in inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars. Yet, after paying for the fundamental costs of middle-class life—taxes, transportation, housing, health care, and college—that family has $19,542 in 2005, $951 less than in 2000 and $1,702 less than in 1980. This means less discretionary income to pay for a range of basic items — like food, clothing, and utilities; improving their standing and that of their family (bank fees, book purchases); paying interest on non-mortgage debt; and every form of recreation and relaxation, like going out for dinner and vacationing. ....While a typical two-earner couple would have had, in March 2001, to spend 30.2 weeks out of a year to pay for taxes and the middle-class items outlined above—health care, housing, college, and transportation—that family required 31.5 weeks per year in June 2005. That is, after four years, middle-class families had to work one additional week per year to afford the same middle-class items as at the end of the last expansion, and 2.8 weeks more than at the end of 1980... |
Hmmm... Economically, things seem to be getting worse overall since 2000. I wonder what happened that year to start the downturn? Let me think...
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| "We all make jokes about jail and Fitzmas Day, but this isn't funny. We may not have voted for Bush, we may not like him, but our collective security depends on his effectiveness and the effectiveness of his staff. But from 9/11 to Katrina, we have been failed. Failed to the point that this nation's security may have been crippled in any number of ways. Brave, resourceful CIA officers we ask to do our dirty work in parts of the world we would never want to be in, may have died over this. The CIA may not be our friends, but it should be clear that they also don't join the GOP when they get hired. I think it's clear that Plame was a liberal democrat, by her political donations alone. Yet, she went to Central Asia and risked her life for this country, all of us, even though some of us do not trust or like the CIA. I tend to blame the CIA's bosses more than the agency, but I think, we on the left, better realize something: national security needs to work. If the CIA doesn't work, or abuses people, we need politicians who will do their jobs and reign them in. But I think we need an effective CIA, protected by law and custom. I've smelled when intelligence failed. Jen swept it out of her aparment. I saw the consequences in a newspaper for over a year. They buried the last firefighter a few months ago. So I know all I need to know about intelligence. When it doesn't work, people die. They die at thew WTC, they die in Iraq and they die in backrooms when they are carelessly betrayed. So while I joke and mock the Bushies, I am genuinely outraged by this, their carelessness, their pettines, their cowardice. They have endangered us all for petty political revenge and didn't even bother to resign. There shouldn't have to be a drawn out trial here, but that is what they want. Fitzgerald is no hero. He is doing his job, as he has done before. He can only remove the worst parts. No trial can repair the damage done. That is up to us and the political process. We have to fix what happened, all of us, Democrats and Republicans. If they refuse to do so, if they choose to remain blind, then we will do it on our own. But make no mistake, we are about to enter rough times here, brutal times and we must be ready to meet them." - - - Steve Gilliard |
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October 25, 2005
Bitter Fruit
I had added the following link as part of the "2000" video post below, but the more I watched it, the more distressed and angry I got, so I'm reposting it separately in hopes that more bloggers will see it:
BITTER FRUIT
Paul Fusco photographed some funerals of soldiers murdered by Bush-war and set up a very moving slideshow of about 40 of his photographs with his audio commentary. I strongly suggest watching it at least 2 or 3 times, preferably at different times of the day, in order to get the full impact. The photographs are exceptional and his commentary is compelling. I'm to the point where I feel like I took the photos and can feel the pain of the subjects.
We've got to do something to stop this madness.
He Who
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BITTER FRUIT
Paul Fusco photographed some funerals of soldiers murdered by Bush-war and set up a very moving slideshow of about 40 of his photographs with his audio commentary. I strongly suggest watching it at least 2 or 3 times, preferably at different times of the day, in order to get the full impact. The photographs are exceptional and his commentary is compelling. I'm to the point where I feel like I took the photos and can feel the pain of the subjects.
We've got to do something to stop this madness.
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He Who May Bring Is Bringing The Murderous Bush-war Administration To It's Knees
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| "2000 dead and we're losing. No one will enlist. Soldiers are facing their third tour. Most Americans oppose the war. Yet, they talk of a ten year commitment. With who's children? The Bush clan? No? The Army is now running a series of horrid comnmercials where kids, black kids talk to the parents about all the fun things they can do in the military. Truck convoys to Ramadi and patrols around Baghdad are not included. Losing your leg is not included. Having them make you a new skull isn't included. Being told there is no money for college isn't included. Watching your friends die in your arms isn't included. 2000 tragedies, 2000 lives cut short, 2000 families ruined. For what? Sunni guerrillas? Iranian-backed politicians? The return of Chalabi? As William Odom said, this is the greatest strategic mistake in US foreign policy. Yet, Bush will give another speech [this week] to tell us that it is a good thing that the Wal-Mart class sends their kids to die or be mained in Iraq. They won't treat them decently when they come home, but "military service is a noble profession". Not for Jenna and Not Jenna, but for your kid. We have made Iraq worse, we have made America worse and we have trained a generation of terrorists. What hotel will they blow up tomorrow? How many car bombs? 45 percent of Iraqis support the resistance. How much longer will this go on? 2500 dead, 3000 dead? How many more can America afford to lose?" - - - Steve Gilliard |
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BRING IT ON
I'm reposting this from a couple of weeks ago in response to the sobering news today that, *officially, 2000 American soldiers have now died in Iraq:
[click image and turn up the volume]
Note: it's a 7MB file, so please be patient while it downloads.
*Many more than 2,000 hava actually died, because the military doesn't count those who die while or after being airlifted out of Iraq when wounded. See also this slightly dated but still effective animation.
[click image and turn up the volume]
Note: it's a 7MB file, so please be patient while it downloads.
*Many more than 2,000 hava actually died, because the military doesn't count those who die while or after being airlifted out of Iraq when wounded. See also this slightly dated but still effective animation.
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Early Week Snips
Bush-war Administration insists on continuing torture
Top CIA leak investigation falsehoods (terrific summary of how the right-wing media is trying to falsify the players and their intentions in anticipation of the possible release of indictments against top White House staff this (?) week - this is your reading assignment for today)
Groperzenegger's Neighborhood (humorous animation)
Acute malnutrition among Iraqi children has doubled since the Bush invasion.
The Fletcher Memorial (video)
Off Topic: Mega M&Ms
Bush-war White House is quickly gearing up to defend treason (NY Times; reg. req.)
Top CIA leak investigation falsehoods (terrific summary of how the right-wing media is trying to falsify the players and their intentions in anticipation of the possible release of indictments against top White House staff this (?) week - this is your reading assignment for today)
Groperzenegger's Neighborhood (humorous animation)
Acute malnutrition among Iraqi children has doubled since the Bush invasion.
The Fletcher Memorial (video)
Off Topic: Mega M&Ms
Bush-war White House is quickly gearing up to defend treason (NY Times; reg. req.)
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| "Nearly 2 1/2 years later, the US no more controls Firdaws Square [in Baghdad] than it controls the surface of Mars." - - - Juan Cole |
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| "George W. Bush wants to amend our Constitution to make it illegal for gays to marry. But evidently, he has no problem with terrorists getting married. America can't afford a president who is soft on terrorist marriage. Because unlike gays, terrorists can breed." - - - Al Franken |
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October 24, 2005
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Attention Southern Californians: CLICK THIS IMAGE
Interesting how the older establishment Republicans are suddenly popping out of the woodwork these days, criticizing Bush Jr. and acting so "appalled" and "insulted" at how the Neocons are ignoring the policy roads mapped out by the Reagan and Bush Sr. Administrations. Well, all I can say is, sorry, IT DOESN'T COUNT. Where were you when your cowboy Bush Jr. was gearing up in 2002 for the invasion? Where were you when Bush Jr. was strumming on a guitar while poor New Orleans residents were sucking in their last couple of pockets of air in their flooded attics? Where were you when it was obvious that the worst possible time to dole out huge tax cuts was during an unbudgeted war? Where were you when evidence became overwhelming that torture and illegal detention is not only allowed, but encouraged by the highest levels of our Administration? If there ever was an example of jumping from one bandwagon to another, you cowards epitomize it. So please, go crawl back into your spider holes and leave us alone; we sure don't need your faux criticism now.
A Human With No Equal
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Online Forum on California's Special Election
| UC TO HOLD FORUM ON CALIFORNIA'S SPECIAL ELECTION Former California Gov. Gray Davis will join policy experts, journalists, pundits, and political staffers at an Oct. 28 conference, webcast live from the University of California Washington Center, on the national implications of key issues in California's Nov. 8 special election The full story is online at http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/10/20_elex.shtml |
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"Why are contemporary Republicans so full of shit? And a follow-up... How did the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and General Eisenhower get taken over by such lying, thieving, self-serving scoundrels?" - - - Alec Baldwin |
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Attention Southern Californians: CLICK THIS IMAGE
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Interesting how the older establishment Republicans are suddenly popping out of the woodwork these days, criticizing Bush Jr. and acting so "appalled" and "insulted" at how the Neocons are ignoring the policy roads mapped out by the Reagan and Bush Sr. Administrations. Well, all I can say is, sorry, IT DOESN'T COUNT. Where were you when your cowboy Bush Jr. was gearing up in 2002 for the invasion? Where were you when Bush Jr. was strumming on a guitar while poor New Orleans residents were sucking in their last couple of pockets of air in their flooded attics? Where were you when it was obvious that the worst possible time to dole out huge tax cuts was during an unbudgeted war? Where were you when evidence became overwhelming that torture and illegal detention is not only allowed, but encouraged by the highest levels of our Administration? If there ever was an example of jumping from one bandwagon to another, you cowards epitomize it. So please, go crawl back into your spider holes and leave us alone; we sure don't need your faux criticism now.
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October 23, 2005
| “For me there is no doubt about evolution. I am a scientist. The intelligent design theory is a step back to the thinking of 300 years ago. My film is not supposed to be interpreted in this way. Some scientists I know find the film interesting because it can be a good argument against intelligent design. People should not jump on these bandwagons.” - - - Luc Jacquet, Director, March of the Penguins |
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I have 200 invitations for free GMAIL accounts. If you want one, email me at:
mwstabile at gmail dot com
and I'll happily send one to you.
mwstabile at gmail dot com
and I'll happily send one to you.
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Weekend Snips
Timeline of events related to the Bush-war Administration's claim that Iraq had nuclear weapons (or nuclear weapons program), which they used to justify their invation of Iraq.
"Congress is poised to reduce medical benefits available to middle-class senior citizens. This time, the cuts will come in the form of reducing Medicaid eligibility for those who need nursing home care."
The Amazon rainforest is being destroyed twice as quickly as previously estimated
Check out this hilarious animation about Groperzenegger and his attack on California
Oil Producers Export Heating Oil To Drive Up Price
David Gergen (surprisingly) explains how the White House is enmeshed in turmoil (video)
"Congress is poised to reduce medical benefits available to middle-class senior citizens. This time, the cuts will come in the form of reducing Medicaid eligibility for those who need nursing home care."
The Amazon rainforest is being destroyed twice as quickly as previously estimated
Check out this hilarious animation about Groperzenegger and his attack on California
Oil Producers Export Heating Oil To Drive Up Price
David Gergen (surprisingly) explains how the White House is enmeshed in turmoil (video)
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| "I'm often amazed at the way politicians, who spend hours poring over opinion poll results in a desperate attempt to discover what the public thinks, are certain they know precisely what God's views are on everything." - - - Simon Hoggart |
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October 21, 2005
I just attended what is probably the most depressing, yet enlightening, lecture in my life. Helen Caldicott, President of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, lectured to an assembly of pediatricians and health care workers about the dangers of current Bush Administration policy of nuclear weapon proliferation and nuclear power plant expansion, the globally devastating effects caused by current nuclear power generation... well, you get the drift. Information was presented from a medical perspective. Although the subject of Depleted Uranium was only touched, the information on the new generation nuclear power plants that are currently getting shoved through government by Cheney and his power industry cabal more than made up for it. More (much more) to follow...
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FRIDAY FUN
Do you enjoy or hate my Friday Fun posts? Have you come across any great fun sites you'd like to suggest? Other suggestions? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks!
ScienTOMogy
"Lost" Rhapsody (video parody of TV show - large file, slow loading)
Life as He Knew It - Photographs of Black Los Angeles from the Walter Gordon Collection
FUH2 (2,630 photos of people giving Hummers the finger)
Chlidren's drawings of Aliens
Horrton Hears A Heart (parody)
Instant background sounds for your computer (no downloads)
ScienTOMogy
"Lost" Rhapsody (video parody of TV show - large file, slow loading)
Life as He Knew It - Photographs of Black Los Angeles from the Walter Gordon Collection
FUH2 (2,630 photos of people giving Hummers the finger)
Chlidren's drawings of Aliens
Horrton Hears A Heart (parody)
Instant background sounds for your computer (no downloads)
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October 20, 2005
Why you should NOT donate to the Red Cross
Read Joe Allen's scathing expose on the Red Cross. Snippet:
If, after reading this piece, you still insist on throwing your hard-earned money at the Red Cross each time there is a national disaster, then you are a fool who has parted with his money.
| ...People who think of the Red Cross as a "private charity" would be shocked to discover its actual legal status. Congress incorporated the Red Cross to act under "government supervision." Eight of the 50 members of its board of governors are appointed by the president of the United States, who also serves as honorary chairperson. Currently, the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security are members of the board of governors. This unique, quasi-governmental status allows the Red Cross to purchase supplies from the military and use government facilities--military personnel can actually be assigned to duty with the Red Cross. Last year, the organization received $60 million in grants from federal and state governments. However, as one federal court noted, "A perception that the organization is independent and neutral is equally vital." The leading administrators and officials of the Red Cross are almost always drawn from the corporate boardroom or the military high command. Among the past chairs and presidents of the Red Cross are seven former generals or admirals and one ex-president. The current president Marty Evans is a retired rear admiral and a director of the investment firm Lehman Brothers Holdings. Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, the chair of the Red Cross, is also CEO of Pace Communications, whose clients include United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and AT&T--a group of companies known for their vicious treatment of workers. The Red Cross has become particularly tied up with the Republican Party in recent decades. Both McElveen-Hunter and Evans are Bush appointees--for her part, McElveen-Hunter has donated over $130,000 to the Republican Party since 2000.... |
If, after reading this piece, you still insist on throwing your hard-earned money at the Red Cross each time there is a national disaster, then you are a fool who has parted with his money.
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| "....even in the unlikely -- not to say inconceivable -- event that the entire pack of jackals gets herded into the hoosegow for the agent-outing conspiracy, it will not bring back the innocent dead murdered at their command. It will not restore the shattered families writhing in the pits of grief and loss, from Baghdad to Burbank. It will not be recompense for the pointless sacrifice of soldiers and reservists sent on a criminal errand, plunged into a brutal and brutalizing hell -- for nothing, for a chimera, for ideological lunacy, for the enrichment of cats already so fat they can barely stand up and waddle to the dish for another slurp of cream. Not unless every one of the war conspirators and their chief minions -- Bush, Rove, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Paul Wolfowitz, Condi Rice, Scooter Libby, Andrew Card, Douglas Feith, John Bolton, Karen Hughes, John Yoo, Zalmay Khalilzad, George Tenet, Alberto Gonzales, Jay Bybee, Stephen Hadley, Jerry Bremer, Nicholas Calio, Richard Perle, Tony Blair and all the rest -- were lined up in the public square with the entrails of their victims draped around their necks would anything approaching justice be done." - - - Chris Floyd |
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Midweek Snips
"Kucinich Uses Resolution Of Inquiry To Demand Documents From White House." Good luck, Dennis. You'll need it.
Cindy Sheehan now supports nonviolent civil disobedience as the best course for the anti-war movement.
"Wal-Mart heiress Elizabeth Paige Laurie, accused of paying a fellow college student $20,000 to do her homework, has returned her University of Southern California degree"
How Toyota cornered the hybrid market (NY Times - reg. req.)
Why Torture is Okay
ARREST WARRANT ISSUED for Tom DeLay (really!)
Climate Mash (hilarious take on global warming using an oldie but goodie song)
"The edges of the Antarctic ice sheets are slipping into the ocean at an unprecedented rate, raising fears of a global surge in sea levels, glaciologists warned on Monday."
Jon Stewart talks with Bill O'Reilly (video)
Cindy Sheehan now supports nonviolent civil disobedience as the best course for the anti-war movement.
"Wal-Mart heiress Elizabeth Paige Laurie, accused of paying a fellow college student $20,000 to do her homework, has returned her University of Southern California degree"
How Toyota cornered the hybrid market (NY Times - reg. req.)
Why Torture is Okay
ARREST WARRANT ISSUED for Tom DeLay (really!)
Climate Mash (hilarious take on global warming using an oldie but goodie song)
"The edges of the Antarctic ice sheets are slipping into the ocean at an unprecedented rate, raising fears of a global surge in sea levels, glaciologists warned on Monday."
Jon Stewart talks with Bill O'Reilly (video)
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| "That's a difference between Democrats and Republicans - we don't want them next door molesting children and murdering women." - - - Jeanine Pirro, a Republican district attorney looking to unseat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton |
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| "If there are indictments, they're going to be probably in the vice president's office, they're probably going to come next week and they are going to blow this White House apart. It's going to be unbelievable. I think the people watching right now who are voters better start paying attention to this issue. It's not just about whether somebody's name was leaked, it's about whether we went to war under false pretenses or not, whether people knew about that or not, and what they did when they were charged against that kind of offense against the United States. It's serious business." - - - Chris Matthews (here's the video) |
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"Treasongate: Kill the Fake Rumors"
Eriposte has some good advice:
| I am seeing rumors published in many blogs about indictments or what not - including stuff that is obviously fake. It is one thing to comment on a report from a news outlet (Raw Story included). It is another thing to publish rumors from contacts with unknown or dubious credibility. I understand everyone wants to find unofficial channels of information on this story but if we are not careful it will hurt the credibility of the lefty blogosphere. Let's not take pages out of Power Line or other crackpot sites that publish just about anything they hear without any critical analysis or consideration. In the end, Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation is a serious matter. I have said this before and I will say it again. I have no idea if he is going to issue *any* indictments. For all you know he may not. (Of course, I hope he indicts the entire WHIG since their actions and behaviors have become quite clear now). So, rather than feed a frenzy about indictments (and then be disappointed) let's try to ensure that the sources of our information are credible and trustworthy. |
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October 19, 2005
Righties, where did you go?
I've been noticing lately that I have had zero comments from those on the "other" side. Where did they all go? Of course it was irritating to get them, but on the other hand it was also a good exercise in framing my responses to reflect my beliefs, morals and knowledge. I'm not saying that I miss being called an unpatriotic traitorous communist lefty, but I kinda miss the adrenaline rush when reading and responding to those lame-ass bigots lost souls. Has anyone else had this experience?
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| "Ever since that gang of Darth Vader imitators took over the United States five years ago, I have watched as almost every single institution and ideal I hold dear has been stomped on and destroyed. The country has endured the willful destruction of its forests, strip-mining of its mountains, pollution of its air, the introduction of church into state, wanton and illegal warmongering, the destruction of creativity in its schools by forcing every child into the same test-driven mold, the hatred and contempt that its actions have engendered abroad, the disgusting rip-off of its treasury that has caused an unconscionable deficit, the smirking reward of billion-dollar contracts to incompetent cronies, and so much more. Now, I imagine, since they're having so much trouble getting people to enlist in the Armed Forces, George Bush, Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are probably discussing how a few well-placed nuclear bombs could go a long way to solving their problems in Iran and North Korea." - - - Joyce Marcel |
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Pesident Bush is not upset that his staff (Rove/Cheney/Libby/etc.) illegally leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the press. He's upset that, because they did such a bad job leaking it, they got caught. So there you have it, your President doesn't care that his administration breaks the law... he only cares if they bungle the get-away. It's okay, though, since if they lose their jobs over this, they've still got those billion$ they hoarded through the war.
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Don't think that the Bush-war Administration is giving up
Bernard Weiner of The Crisis Papers says what should be, by now, obvious (snippet):
| ....The Bush Bunker crew right now are desperate, on the ropes, and have painted themselves into a felonious corner of their own devising. Beware wounded beasts; when they feel trapped, they are liable to strike out in a desperate attempt at survival. As the Plamegate indictments approach; as Bush's popularity ratings continue to fall precipitously; as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, referendum or no referendum; as the true nature of Bush's unfeeling ideology toward ordinary people became even more clear in the wake of the Katrina disaster; as the corruption and corporate thievery proceeds apace; as the DeLay and Frist and Abramoff scandals continue to ooze pus all over the GOP leadership -- as all these negatives continue to build pressure in the White House, one can anticipate a wide variety of major distractions and violent initiatives, both foreign and domestic. What might some of those be? In one effort to get the Plamegate indictments off the front page, we can anticipate that Saddam Hussein's show-trial in Iraq will dominate the front pages and TV-news broadcasts to tell us yet again what a monster dictator this guy was, thus leaving precious little space or airtime available for the White House's ethical and criminal problems. (Let's just stipulate: Saddam was one of the worst dictators ever, nobody mourns his loss from power -- and now let's get back to the real news.) In addition, I would not be surprised if the U.S. or Mideast ally Israel took out Iran's nuclear power plants and research facilities. A massive bombing, with all the ramifications of such action in the Muslim world, would do wonders to divert attention. Likewise, ratcheting up the military pressure on Syria, after the U.S. recently started up hostilities along, and perhaps even beyond, the border with Iraq. Or, the Bush Administration may choose once again to look the other way when a major terrorist incident is about to happen inside the U.S. |
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October 18, 2005
V.A. (a.k.a. Bush-war) to Iraq Vets: Go Fuck Yourselves
Phil Loper sent this article by Gene C. Gerard, which chronicles how the VA is trying to whitewash the Bush Administration's failures in Iraq by claiming that too many Iraq veterans are receiving treatment by the V.A. for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The facts (excerpted from the article):
As Phil summarizes, the affected Iraqi vets will suffer more significantly than Vietnam War vets: "Is this how this Administration pays back the soldier? The men and women who are carrying out bu$hco's lies!! This will create a whole new scenario for homeless Afghan and Iraqi Vets as compared to Vietnam Vets! These young men and women went off to war with a much more violent background than the Vietnam Vets did. They have been desensitized by TV, Video Games, Movies and the Internet. These youngsters will look at this like their service is being questioned and there is no doubt that violence will erupt! There will be frustrated, dangerous and mentally ill kids who will find it incomprehensible on how to respond to this backstabbing treatment!! These kids will literally go postal! Or worse, run in gangs to satiate their needs, since their country has turned it's back on them! They will not care about everyday citizens! The jobless rate for returning Afghan and Iraqi Vets is running at 15%, (www.Military.com). Americans feared what the mentally ill Vietnam Vets could do. It will be mild compared to what these new irate and furious Afghan and Iraqi Vets being denied benefits are capable of!!"
We are screwing up some of our nation's finest and fittest young adults, and we will now need to take care of them with our rapidly dwindling government-backed resources (thanks to Republicans in power). Thank you President Bush (and all you equally naive idiots who somehow thought it smart to reelect him). You are the most naive yet destructive madman to walk the face of this planet since... well, since monkeys learned to walk upright.
| ....In the July 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine Colonel Charles W. Hoge, M.D., the chief of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Institute, published a preliminary study of the effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan on military personnel. The study concluded that close to 20 percent of soldiers who served in Iraq, and approximately 12 percent of those who served in Afghanistan returned home suffering from PTSD. The study found that there is a clear correlation between combat experience and the prevalence of PTSD. The study determined that, "Rates of PTSD were significantly higher after combat duty in Iraq." Approximately 86 percent of soldiers in Iraq were involved in combat, as were 31 percent in Afghanistan. On average, soldiers engaged in two firefights for each tour of duty. The study indicated that 95 percent of soldiers had been shot at. And 56 percent of soldiers had killed an enemy combatant. An estimated 28 percent were directly responsible for the death of a civilian. Equally grim, 94 percent had seen or handled corpses or bodily remains. Additionally, 68 percent witnessed fellow soldiers being killed or seriously wounded. Although the number of soldiers suffering from PTSD is high, Dr. Hoge's study found that a majority of veterans are not seeking treatment. Only 40 percent of returning soldiers acknowledged that they need mental health care, and only 26 percent were actually receiving care. As such, the number of veterans approved for PTSD compensation by the VA is relatively small. Yet the VA believes that too many soldiers were approved for PTSD disability compensation and is now seeking to deny soldiers this benefit.... |
As Phil summarizes, the affected Iraqi vets will suffer more significantly than Vietnam War vets: "Is this how this Administration pays back the soldier? The men and women who are carrying out bu$hco's lies!! This will create a whole new scenario for homeless Afghan and Iraqi Vets as compared to Vietnam Vets! These young men and women went off to war with a much more violent background than the Vietnam Vets did. They have been desensitized by TV, Video Games, Movies and the Internet. These youngsters will look at this like their service is being questioned and there is no doubt that violence will erupt! There will be frustrated, dangerous and mentally ill kids who will find it incomprehensible on how to respond to this backstabbing treatment!! These kids will literally go postal! Or worse, run in gangs to satiate their needs, since their country has turned it's back on them! They will not care about everyday citizens! The jobless rate for returning Afghan and Iraqi Vets is running at 15%, (www.Military.com). Americans feared what the mentally ill Vietnam Vets could do. It will be mild compared to what these new irate and furious Afghan and Iraqi Vets being denied benefits are capable of!!"
We are screwing up some of our nation's finest and fittest young adults, and we will now need to take care of them with our rapidly dwindling government-backed resources (thanks to Republicans in power). Thank you President Bush (and all you equally naive idiots who somehow thought it smart to reelect him). You are the most naive yet destructive madman to walk the face of this planet since... well, since monkeys learned to walk upright.
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Sober up, people
The last time I started to get excited was in November, 2004 when all indicators pointed to a Kerry victory in an election that was instead stolen in Ohio. Now with half the White House acting like they're going to be fitted for orange jumpsuits, and indictments on the verge of release, the Left is once again getting excessively giddy about what they think might happen (Club Fed for Cheney, Rove, Frist and Delay).
Folks, have you learned nothing the past 4 1/2 years? The Extreme Right controls everything. Indictments or not, nothing is going to change overnight, not Iraq, not FEMA, not the media, nothing. So put your party hats away and let's get back to putting the grassroots of the Democratic Party in order so that we can return the Congress, and thus the country, to the people starting in 2006.
But it is fun to watch.
Folks, have you learned nothing the past 4 1/2 years? The Extreme Right controls everything. Indictments or not, nothing is going to change overnight, not Iraq, not FEMA, not the media, nothing. So put your party hats away and let's get back to putting the grassroots of the Democratic Party in order so that we can return the Congress, and thus the country, to the people starting in 2006.
But it is fun to watch.
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Early Week Snips
The latest rumor: Rove rats out Cheney
Rumor of the Day: Cheney to resign, Condi Rice to become V.P.
Worst-case sentence for Plame-gaters: Life in prison. Let us pray...
FEMA and SBA extend application deadline for hurricane victims (Wow! Actual, good news!)
Californians: Comparing dueling Propositions 78 and 79. Hint: NO on 78, YES on 79.
Bush-war's latest gift to Americans: Bringing Back Inflation
Condi Rice busy drumming up war against Syria and Iran.
Why the Left suffers from Partisan War Syndrome.
The GOP has become the party of treason.
Finally, major media scrutinizes fluoridated drinking water
Revealed: The man behind the spoken word of Bush (video)
General Zod tosses his hat into the 2008 Presidential ring.
Rumor of the Day: Cheney to resign, Condi Rice to become V.P.
Worst-case sentence for Plame-gaters: Life in prison. Let us pray...
FEMA and SBA extend application deadline for hurricane victims (Wow! Actual, good news!)
Californians: Comparing dueling Propositions 78 and 79. Hint: NO on 78, YES on 79.
Bush-war's latest gift to Americans: Bringing Back Inflation
Condi Rice busy drumming up war against Syria and Iran.
Why the Left suffers from Partisan War Syndrome.
The GOP has become the party of treason.
Finally, major media scrutinizes fluoridated drinking water
Revealed: The man behind the spoken word of Bush (video)
General Zod tosses his hat into the 2008 Presidential ring.
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Joan Cole is pessimistic about the future of Iraq following the apparent passage of the constitution (snippet):
| The Washington spinmeisters who are trying to say that the mere fact of the Sunnis voting is a good thing, even if they voted against the constitution, do no know what they are talking about. Political participation is not always a positive thing. The Nazis after all were elected to the Reichstag. And Serbs consistently voted for Milosevic and other ultra-nationalists. Nobody in Washington thought it positive that Iranian hardliners came out in some numbers to vote for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Some elections are tragedies for a nation. This constitutional referendum was one of them. Even without a hint of fraud, the new constitution is provocation enough. It probably reduces the Sunni Arab share of national petroleum resources to 5 or 10 percent. The Association of Muslim Scholars was hopping mad. AP says, ' "If the constitution was passed, the attacks will definitely rise against the occupation forces and the security situation is going to get worse," said Sheik Abdul-Salam al-Kubaisi, a prominent cleric. ' In contrast, Iran is jumping up and down for joy that the constitution appears to have passed and that there will be elections Dec. 15 for a 5-year parliament, predicting a "bright future" for Iraq. Fox Cable News might consider booking more Iranian officials; they seem to be entirely with the program. |
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| "....with the departure of Ted Koppel, Jon Stewart is genuinely a more credible news source than anyone at ABC News — or any other television network, his own protestations notwithstanding." - - - Eric Alterman |
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Ridding the world of 11-year-old terrorists, Bush-war style
From IRIN (intro):
No, no, no... I'm sure those murdered women and children were Al Qaeda-backed insurgent terrorists. The price of democracy, Bush-war-neocon-style, is death. So wipe away those crocodile tears and stiffen that upper lip, because if our beloved President Bush-war is going to save the world from terrorism and give everyone their freedoms, then he's going to have to kill everyone to succeed. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. Right?
| BAGHDAD, 18 Oct 2005 (IRIN) - Two days of US air attacks against insurgents in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi have caused heavy casualties among the city’s civilian population, a doctor and a senior Iraqi government official in Ramadi said. “We have received the bodies of 38 people in our hospital and among them were four children and five women,” Ahmed al-Kubaissy, a senior doctor at Ramadi hospital, said on Monday night. “The relatives said they had been killed by air attacks in their homes and in the street.” Al-Kubaissy said his hospital had also treated 42 people injured in the air strikes on Ramadi, a stronghold of the Islamist insurgents, 110 km west of Baghdad. A senior Iraqi government official in the city, said three houses had been totally destroyed in the air attacks on Sunday and Monday and 14 dead civilians had been found inside them. A further 12 civilians had been critically injured in the same air strikes, he added. “I wish I could tell you everything I know, but I cannot,” said the angry official, who asked that his name be withheld for security reasons. “What I can say is that it was a cowardly action and that if any insurgents have been killed, many more civilians have been buried with them over the past two days.” The US armed forces said in a statement that jet bombers and helicopter gunships had killed about 70 suspected militants in the attacks on Ramadi, a stronghold of Iraq’s Sunni Arab community, which is bitterly opposed to the US-led military occupation of the country. A US military spokesman played down independent reports of heavy civilian casualties in the air raids, but did not deny them outright. “There are no civilian casualties that we are aware of,” Lt Col Steven Boylan, a spokesman for the US-led Coalition forces in Iraq, told IRIN on Tuesday. The US military statement said at least 20 suspected militants were killed when a US Air Force F-15 jet bombed a group of men suspected of burying a roadside bomb on Sunday, but Reuters quoted an Iraqi police officer in Ramadi as saying that those who died in that incident included children as young as 11.... |
No, no, no... I'm sure those murdered women and children were Al Qaeda-backed insurgent terrorists. The price of democracy, Bush-war-neocon-style, is death. So wipe away those crocodile tears and stiffen that upper lip, because if our beloved President Bush-war is going to save the world from terrorism and give everyone their freedoms, then he's going to have to kill everyone to succeed. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. Right?
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Why the Valerie Plame Outing was so wrong
George Friedman wrote a great explanation about how the outing of a CIA operative (as done by the Vice-President's office) can be so damaging to national security. Here's a snippet:
The entire article is fascinating.
| ....Imagine, if you will, working in Damascus as a NOC and reading that the president's chief adviser had confirmed the identity of a NOC. As you push into middle age, wondering what happened to your life, the sudden realization that your own government threatens your safety might convince you to resign and go home. That would cost the United States an agent it had spent decades developing. You don't just pop a new agent in his place. That NOC's resignation could leave the United States blind at a critical moment in a key place. Should it turn out that Rove and Libby not only failed to protect Plame's identity but deliberately leaked it, it would be a blow to the heart of U.S. intelligence. If just one critical NOC pulled out and the United States went blind in one location, the damage could be substantial. At the very least, it is a risk the United States should not have to incur.... |
The entire article is fascinating.
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October 17, 2005
| "Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual)." - - - Ayn Rand |
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| "Party over country. You can hear it in Miller's accountings of her conversations with Libby; you can hear the 'crimes aren't crimes if they're done for the sake of politics' meme from pundits like Chris Matthews and William Kristol; you can hear it everywhere in Washington, for that matter. Lying about sex had many of these same pundits foaming and frothing at the outrage of it all; compromising our intelligence assets against weapons of mass destruction, at the very same time the government is warning us to stock up on duct tape and watch out for swarthy bearded types holding glow-in-the-dark suitcases, is considered too shallow a crime to pursue -- if a Republican does it. There's something beyond mere politics in all of this. Politics, one would hope, is not sufficient reason to damage the country. This is different. This is the cult of power, and of corruption, that is not just defended, but celebrated by pundits, by journalists, and by politicians alike. The Republican pundit machine wails, and wags their fingers, and is shocked by the investigations, and depositions, and prosecutions, and calls it the 'criminalization of politics'. Most of the rest of us call it crime, disguised as politics. Crime, disguised as politics, and defended by crooks, cowards, and blowhards." - - - Hunter |
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Proposition 77 confusion
A highly read and respected blogger, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (owner of Daily Kos), has voiced his support of California Proposition 77, the Redistricting Measure. Most California Democratic leaders and organizations have strongly recommended a "NO" vote. Calpolitic, a Daily Kos diarist, explains how Markos is unintentionally misleading his readers.
Progressive Californians: Please remember, just vote no on all propositions except 79 and 80. You'll be doing everyone (except California corruptporations and Republicans) a big favor.
Progressive Californians: Please remember, just vote no on all propositions except 79 and 80. You'll be doing everyone (except California corruptporations and Republicans) a big favor.
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October 16, 2005
The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario
The Independent Online sure knows how to squelch a weekend party (snips):
Have a nice day!
| Is this the end of the world? The earth shakes in Asia and a generation of children is lost. The wind flails America and a city is destroyed. A giant wave rises in the Indian Ocean and whole islands are drowned along with swathes of coastland. The sea is turning to acid, the air is choking us, the polar ice caps are melting. Famine, pestilence and plague used to be dread words from the Bible; now they are reasons for compassion fatigue. Bird flu threatens to sweep across the globe, killing millions of people. No wonder some people believe we are living in the End Times. ....Nuclear war also remains a good bet for global destruction, however much we prefer not to talk about it. It is no longer just superpowers that have a finger on the deadly button. But the climatologists, the scientists who predict the future and try to get our leaders to listen, believe that the most likely apocalypse involves a longer, more painful death for humankind. This, according to them, is one way our world may end: it starts with the rising intensity and frequency of the hurricanes, floods and droughts we are experiencing now. Famine and chaos increase in the poorest and most unprepared countries, killing thousands of people at first, then millions as infrastructures collapse and civil wars rage. As some nations see their coastlines disappear and others become deserts, a huge wave of migration begins. The developed countries cannot cope with the influx of environmental refugees. Major wars are fought over religion, oil and water supplies, causing destruction and the breakdown of societies. Meanwhile sea life is dying as the oceans are poisoned, crops are failing as the weather goes mad and more people starve. Melting polar ice causes the collapse of the Gulf Stream, a channel of water that provides as much heat in winter as the sun. Without it there is a big freeze. Britain and most of Europe are completely shut down. With humanity reeling, the melting ice caps finally disappear. This causes a massive increase in sea levels that wipes out nations and sends huge tidal waves to swallow even major cities like New York and London. Across the planet, much land that is not frozen is flooded or barren. The remnant of humankind is in serious trouble. The end of the species really is nigh. It won't happen tomorrow. The ice caps may have started melting, but it could easily take a thousand years for them to go. We are not experiencing the apocalypse quite yet, although it may have begun.... |
Have a nice day!
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Weekend Snips
SCOTUS nominee Harriet Miers would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Map of H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Outbreaks in Asia and Europe
Judith Miller might resign (if not get fired) from NY Times as soon as Sunday
Chronic use of marijuana may actually improve learning memory
Map of H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Outbreaks in Asia and Europe
Judith Miller might resign (if not get fired) from NY Times as soon as Sunday
Chronic use of marijuana may actually improve learning memory
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October 15, 2005
Saw David Cronenberg's "History of Violence" today. I've gotta hand it to Cronenberg; he's got a real knack for making you think a whole lot about what is going on in characters' heads when there is just nothing happening in the scene. Most of the movie creates a sense of urgency and concern, where you absoluely must find out what the story is behind the main character (played by Viggo Mortensen). The violence, which tends to increase towards the end, is portrayed almost comically. Most of the acting is decent if not compelling. And of course there is the token bamboozled small town sheriff. I was most impressed with the character of the son, played by Ashton Holmes in, I think, his first significant film role; keep your eye on his career. Is it worth the price of admission? Maybe the matinee rate, otherwise rent it on DVD in a couple of months.
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October 14, 2005
| "That the Bush administration is openly hostile to science and book-learning is hardly new news, but it is worth reflecting on how quickly they managed to find these new sunken levels of cronyism and corruption, and what a long-term project restoring basic competence to these functions of government might yet turn out to be. We've been losing a great many experienced, apolitical career civil servants, in the Bush years, resulting in a "brain drain" in everything from the EPA to Energy to Customs to the CIA and DOD. And they're being replaced by campaign consultants, drivers, lobbyists and others who the Party owes favors to. As Hurricane Katrina proved, such cronyism has real-world consequences. But as the brief period after Hurricane Katrina also has proved, the Bush administration functions so completely from cronyism (cough*Miers*cough) that it simply doesn't know how to function any other way. - - - Hunter |
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| "It's about time for denial to come to an end. We're no longer talking about theory, about computer models of what might happen. We're talking about what is happening, all around the world, with almost unimaginable speed. Other countries have at least begun to try to deal with the problem, implementing small first steps like the Kyoto Protocol. But here in the United States, there's only a scattering of state and local measures. Washington is governed by a bipartisan consensus that somehow the laws of physics and chemistry don't apply to us." - - - Bill McKibben |
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FRIDAY FUN
Not sure if they're eyeballs or olives, but this animation is oddly fascinating.
Credit Card Insecurity (audio)
Remotes for the sexes
Sinking (wooden) ships with mirrors
Dave Chappelle's Fear Factor (video; slow-loading)
Mapping UFO sightings using GoogleMaps
Simpson vocabulary
Support Victims of Noassatol
360-degree views: from inside a water bottle, the Grand Canyon and at a hot air balloon race launch site
Alien Abduction Dog Tags
Picture Yourself in Plastic (interactive)
Memory (game)
Robots Attack (game)
Balance the loaf (game)
Sky Glide (game)
Credit Card Insecurity (audio)
Remotes for the sexes
Sinking (wooden) ships with mirrors
Dave Chappelle's Fear Factor (video; slow-loading)
Mapping UFO sightings using GoogleMaps
Simpson vocabulary
Support Victims of Noassatol
360-degree views: from inside a water bottle, the Grand Canyon and at a hot air balloon race launch site
Alien Abduction Dog Tags
Picture Yourself in Plastic (interactive)
Memory (game)
Robots Attack (game)
Balance the loaf (game)
Sky Glide (game)
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October 13, 2005
Midweek Snips
Avian Flu reaches Europe and No quick fix for avian flu
Corporate greed trumps human need: Roche will hog avian flu vaccine
Bush Approval Is 2% Among Blacks (no, that's not a misprint)
Apparently Bush swivels his jaw when he lies (video)
India and Pakistan set aside mutual distain and help quake victims.
Another Traitor (according to Fox "News")
Here's a terrific example of a political smear ad. The candidate is smearing his opponent for doing his job (in this case, a lawyer for representing his client).
Jobs for Cronies
PC Magazine has an excellent review of free, powerful programs for your computer, including anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, office suites and photo editing/managing. It's well worth your time to browse the online article because you're bound to find something useful if not necessary.
Corporate greed trumps human need: Roche will hog avian flu vaccine
Bush Approval Is 2% Among Blacks (no, that's not a misprint)
Apparently Bush swivels his jaw when he lies (video)
India and Pakistan set aside mutual distain and help quake victims.
Another Traitor (according to Fox "News")
Here's a terrific example of a political smear ad. The candidate is smearing his opponent for doing his job (in this case, a lawyer for representing his client).
Jobs for Cronies
PC Magazine has an excellent review of free, powerful programs for your computer, including anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, office suites and photo editing/managing. It's well worth your time to browse the online article because you're bound to find something useful if not necessary.
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A Desperate Plea From The Right
Intro:
Yeah, right. Sure, we'll let it go if the Bush Administration goes home... permanently.
| Let This Leak Go By Richard Cohen - Thursday, October 13, 2005; Page A23 (Wash. Post) The best thing Patrick Fitzgerald could do for his country is get out of Washington, return to Chicago and prosecute some real criminals. As it is, all he has done so far is send Judith Miller of the New York Times to jail and repeatedly haul this or that administration high official before a grand jury, investigating a crime that probably wasn't one in the first place but that now, as is often the case, might have metastasized into some sort of coverup -- but, again, of nothing much. Go home, Pat.... |
Yeah, right. Sure, we'll let it go if the Bush Administration goes home... permanently.
