Friday, April 02, 2004
Accusations Against the President should be a Felony
I just came across this article by a woman named Kaye Grogan. Here is the first graf, but I encourage you to read the whole thing:
There needs to be a law passed where any person who disrespects the "Office of the Presidency" by making false accusations and spreading deliberate rumors about the president, should be charged with a felony or at the very least a high misdemeanor. President Bush has been falsely accused (with nothing concrete to back the accusations up), from being negligent in stopping the 9/11 attacks, to making up fraudulent reasons to go to war in Iraq.
This article raises several questions and yes, these are directed to the author...
How about all of the allegations made against President Clinton? Weren't those "false"? Where were you six years ago?
I think the reasons for going to war in Iraq were all fraudulent. How can you say their is nothing factual to back up this fraudulent claim?
Your abortion assertion is debatable, but didn't the pro-life President lose the popular vote in 2000? If he is successful in overturning Roe vs. Wade do you know what we'll have to look forward to?
I do agree with your assertions that people do not want their elected officials in bed with big business nor do we feel that politicians can police themselves.
Why do you write about supporting someone who participates in political hatred when you oppose it?
This article is worthy of being called Coulteresque and I'm wondering if Ms. Grogan will take that as a compliment or if she'll even take the time to respond, as I've asked her to do. Please check back as we might have ourselves some good old-fashioned political discourse.
Thanks to Orcinus for posting this article.
UPDATE: Ms. Grogan responded. I'll post her rebuttal on Saturday.
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I just came across this article by a woman named Kaye Grogan. Here is the first graf, but I encourage you to read the whole thing:
There needs to be a law passed where any person who disrespects the "Office of the Presidency" by making false accusations and spreading deliberate rumors about the president, should be charged with a felony or at the very least a high misdemeanor. President Bush has been falsely accused (with nothing concrete to back the accusations up), from being negligent in stopping the 9/11 attacks, to making up fraudulent reasons to go to war in Iraq.
This article raises several questions and yes, these are directed to the author...
How about all of the allegations made against President Clinton? Weren't those "false"? Where were you six years ago?
I think the reasons for going to war in Iraq were all fraudulent. How can you say their is nothing factual to back up this fraudulent claim?
Your abortion assertion is debatable, but didn't the pro-life President lose the popular vote in 2000? If he is successful in overturning Roe vs. Wade do you know what we'll have to look forward to?
I do agree with your assertions that people do not want their elected officials in bed with big business nor do we feel that politicians can police themselves.
Why do you write about supporting someone who participates in political hatred when you oppose it?
This article is worthy of being called Coulteresque and I'm wondering if Ms. Grogan will take that as a compliment or if she'll even take the time to respond, as I've asked her to do. Please check back as we might have ourselves some good old-fashioned political discourse.
Thanks to Orcinus for posting this article.
UPDATE: Ms. Grogan responded. I'll post her rebuttal on Saturday.
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DEBATES: Kerry vs. Bush & Adult
Bad Attitudes has come up with an interesting idea for the Presidential debates, in light of the recent demand to the 9/11 Commission. I think it has legs and Big John would wipe the floor with them.
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Bad Attitudes has come up with an interesting idea for the Presidential debates, in light of the recent demand to the 9/11 Commission. I think it has legs and Big John would wipe the floor with them.
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CNN's Ethical Standards or Lack Thereof
Paul Krugman's column today details the junk CNN has been spewing this week. One event was linked to the David Letterman show:
On Monday, Mr. Letterman ran a video clip of a boy yawning and fidgeting during a speech by George Bush. It was harmless stuff; a White House that thinks it's cute to have Mr. Bush make jokes about missing W.M.D. should be able to handle a little ribbing about boring speeches.
CNN ran the Letterman clip on Tuesday, just before a commercial. Then the CNN anchor Daryn Kagan came back to inform viewers that the clip was a fake: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video." Later in the day, another anchor amended that: the boy was at the rally, but not where he was shown in the video.
On his Tuesday night show, Mr. Letterman was not amused: "That is an out and out 100 percent absolute lie. The kid absolutely was there, and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape."
But here's the really interesting part: CNN backed down, but it told Mr. Letterman that Ms. Kagan "misspoke," that the White House was not the source of the false claim. (So who was? And if the claim didn't come from the White House, why did CNN run with it without checking?)
Do you think we'll ever get the answer to that question? I don't think Dave will become a complete Bush-bashing Howard Stern acolyte, but if I'm Bush, I'm looking for friends right now and not more people to rip me. It's probably too late as the writers for Dave have enough material to skewer Bush and CNN for years.
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Paul Krugman's column today details the junk CNN has been spewing this week. One event was linked to the David Letterman show:
On Monday, Mr. Letterman ran a video clip of a boy yawning and fidgeting during a speech by George Bush. It was harmless stuff; a White House that thinks it's cute to have Mr. Bush make jokes about missing W.M.D. should be able to handle a little ribbing about boring speeches.
CNN ran the Letterman clip on Tuesday, just before a commercial. Then the CNN anchor Daryn Kagan came back to inform viewers that the clip was a fake: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video." Later in the day, another anchor amended that: the boy was at the rally, but not where he was shown in the video.
On his Tuesday night show, Mr. Letterman was not amused: "That is an out and out 100 percent absolute lie. The kid absolutely was there, and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape."
But here's the really interesting part: CNN backed down, but it told Mr. Letterman that Ms. Kagan "misspoke," that the White House was not the source of the false claim. (So who was? And if the claim didn't come from the White House, why did CNN run with it without checking?)
Do you think we'll ever get the answer to that question? I don't think Dave will become a complete Bush-bashing Howard Stern acolyte, but if I'm Bush, I'm looking for friends right now and not more people to rip me. It's probably too late as the writers for Dave have enough material to skewer Bush and CNN for years.
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Unfocus Your Eyes...
...and take a look at this.
The technical name is light propagation in binary space.
Or, just plain cool. Thanks to Presurfer.
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...and take a look at this.
The technical name is light propagation in binary space.
Or, just plain cool. Thanks to Presurfer.
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Plame Investigation Expanding
In what has already been an awful couple of months for the Bush Administration, it looks as though things could get even worse.
In the investigation into the outing of CIA agent, Valerie Plame, apparently there are inconsistencies between what internal White House documents say and information given by WH staffers.
Thanks to budding Air America radio star Atrios for pointing this out.
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In what has already been an awful couple of months for the Bush Administration, it looks as though things could get even worse.
In the investigation into the outing of CIA agent, Valerie Plame, apparently there are inconsistencies between what internal White House documents say and information given by WH staffers.
Thanks to budding Air America radio star Atrios for pointing this out.
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Sixty Minutes: Prelude to Smear
It looks as though there will be another person on Sixty Minutes this week slamming the Bush Administration shortcomings. This Week's topic isWMD pre-war intelligence an environmental coverup.
Friend of Uncle Horn Head, Keith Berry (who is currently searching for his own blogosphere detente) has the preview of the interview with Jack Spadaro that will get the White House slime machine working overtime again. It's only been a week, I bet they still remember how to smear.
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It looks as though there will be another person on Sixty Minutes this week slamming the Bush Administration shortcomings. This Week's topic is
Friend of Uncle Horn Head, Keith Berry (who is currently searching for his own blogosphere detente) has the preview of the interview with Jack Spadaro that will get the White House slime machine working overtime again. It's only been a week, I bet they still remember how to smear.
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Thursday, April 01, 2004
Worth Revisiting, from 12/8/03 - James Baker's Swindle
Courtesy of Greg Palast is this gem about how James Baker III is lining his pockets, W's pockets and Saudi pockets while restructuring Iraq's sovereign debt:
...But our President is not going to let something as trivial as international law stand in the way of a quick buck for Mr. Baker. To get around the wee issue that Bush has no legal authority to mess with Iraq's debt, the White House has crafted a neat little subterfuge. The official press release says the President has not appointed Mr. Baker. Rather Mr. Bush is "responding to a request from the Iraqi Governing Council." That is, Bush is acting on the authority of the puppet government he imposed on Iraqis at gunpoint.
I will grant the Iraqi "government" has some knowledge of international finance; its key member, Ahmed Chalabi, is a convicted bank swindler.
The Bush team must see the other advantage in having the rump rulers of Iraq pretend to choose Mr. Baker; the US Senate will not have to review or confirm the appointment. If you remember, Henry Kissinger ran away from the September 11 commission with his consulting firm tucked between his legs after the Senate demanded he reveal his client list. In the case of Jim Baker, who will be acting as a de facto US Treasury secretary for international affairs, our elected Congress will have no chance to ask him who is paying his firm.… nor even require him to get off conflicting payrolls...
And then of course there was the 2000 election, from the same article.
Why is our President so concerned with the wishes of Mr. Baker's clientele? What does Bush owe Baker? Let me count the ways, beginning with the 2000 election.
Just last week Baker said, "I fixed the election in Florida for George Bush." That was the substance of his remarks to an audience of Russian big wigs as reported to me by my somewhat astonished colleagues at BBC television.
It was Baker, as consiglieri to the Bush family, who came up with the strategy of maneuvering the 2000 Florida vote count into a Supreme Court packed with politicos.
Baker's claim to have fixed the election was not a confession; it was a boast. He meant to dazzle current and potential clients about his Big In with the Big Boy in the White House. Baker's firm is already a top player in the Great Game of seizing Caspian Sea oil. (An executive of Exxon-Mobil, one of Baker Botts's clients, has been charged with evading taxes on bribes paid in Kazakhstan.)
This is just a taste of what you can find at Greg Palast's web site. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Palast, he was one of the first journalists to break the story of the purged FL voter rolls in 2000. His book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy is excellent.
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Courtesy of Greg Palast is this gem about how James Baker III is lining his pockets, W's pockets and Saudi pockets while restructuring Iraq's sovereign debt:
...But our President is not going to let something as trivial as international law stand in the way of a quick buck for Mr. Baker. To get around the wee issue that Bush has no legal authority to mess with Iraq's debt, the White House has crafted a neat little subterfuge. The official press release says the President has not appointed Mr. Baker. Rather Mr. Bush is "responding to a request from the Iraqi Governing Council." That is, Bush is acting on the authority of the puppet government he imposed on Iraqis at gunpoint.
I will grant the Iraqi "government" has some knowledge of international finance; its key member, Ahmed Chalabi, is a convicted bank swindler.
The Bush team must see the other advantage in having the rump rulers of Iraq pretend to choose Mr. Baker; the US Senate will not have to review or confirm the appointment. If you remember, Henry Kissinger ran away from the September 11 commission with his consulting firm tucked between his legs after the Senate demanded he reveal his client list. In the case of Jim Baker, who will be acting as a de facto US Treasury secretary for international affairs, our elected Congress will have no chance to ask him who is paying his firm.… nor even require him to get off conflicting payrolls...
And then of course there was the 2000 election, from the same article.
Why is our President so concerned with the wishes of Mr. Baker's clientele? What does Bush owe Baker? Let me count the ways, beginning with the 2000 election.
Just last week Baker said, "I fixed the election in Florida for George Bush." That was the substance of his remarks to an audience of Russian big wigs as reported to me by my somewhat astonished colleagues at BBC television.
It was Baker, as consiglieri to the Bush family, who came up with the strategy of maneuvering the 2000 Florida vote count into a Supreme Court packed with politicos.
Baker's claim to have fixed the election was not a confession; it was a boast. He meant to dazzle current and potential clients about his Big In with the Big Boy in the White House. Baker's firm is already a top player in the Great Game of seizing Caspian Sea oil. (An executive of Exxon-Mobil, one of Baker Botts's clients, has been charged with evading taxes on bribes paid in Kazakhstan.)
This is just a taste of what you can find at Greg Palast's web site. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Palast, he was one of the first journalists to break the story of the purged FL voter rolls in 2000. His book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy is excellent.
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Stop Picking on my Son! (Thanks for the donation)
Former President Bush (41 - One Term) is upset at the way "elites and intellectuals on the campaign trail" have been ridiculing his son on his foreign policy, most notably Iraq. Bush made his comments on Tuesday in a speech at the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association annual convention.
This is a joke right? Why draw attention to yourself at this event when you and your son are constantly being raked over the coals for being in bed with big business (SEE: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Exorbitant) ?
I guess that's a rhetorical question.
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Former President Bush (41 - One Term) is upset at the way "elites and intellectuals on the campaign trail" have been ridiculing his son on his foreign policy, most notably Iraq. Bush made his comments on Tuesday in a speech at the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association annual convention.
This is a joke right? Why draw attention to yourself at this event when you and your son are constantly being raked over the coals for being in bed with big business (SEE: Tax Cuts for the Rich, Exorbitant) ?
I guess that's a rhetorical question.
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Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Are the Major Media Outlets Catching On?
This post from CNN, briefly, details the Bush "flip-flops":
He argued a federal Department of Homeland Security wasn't needed, then devised a plan to create one.
He resisted a commission to investigate Iraq intelligence failures, but then relented.
He also initially opposed the creation of the independent commission to examine if the 2001 attacks could have been prevented, before getting behind the idea under pressure from victims' families.
He opposed, and then supported, a two-month extension of the commission's work, after the panel said protracted disputes over access to White House documents left too little time.
He at first said any access to the president by the commission would be limited to just one hour but relaxed the limit earlier this month.
There are many more, but the fact that CNN posted this at all is amazing, after all, they are the ones who employ Bush apologist, Wolf Blitzer.
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This post from CNN, briefly, details the Bush "flip-flops":
He resisted a commission to investigate Iraq intelligence failures, but then relented.
He also initially opposed the creation of the independent commission to examine if the 2001 attacks could have been prevented, before getting behind the idea under pressure from victims' families.
He opposed, and then supported, a two-month extension of the commission's work, after the panel said protracted disputes over access to White House documents left too little time.
He at first said any access to the president by the commission would be limited to just one hour but relaxed the limit earlier this month.
There are many more, but the fact that CNN posted this at all is amazing, after all, they are the ones who employ Bush apologist, Wolf Blitzer.
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Learn Religion through the Lives of the Simpsons
The Bensalem(PA) United Methodist Church holds a new ministry class that gleans wisdom from America's favorite animated family:
The irreverent television cartoon series "The Simpsons" has been called many things, but religious?
Perhaps. A new adult ministry in Bensalem, Pa. is focusing on "The Gospel according to The Simpsons."
The young adult group is using the book, "The Gospel According to The Simpsons," by Mark Pinsky and Tony Campolo.
Bensalem United Methodist Church hosts the new ministry class, and Liz Gruenbaum runs it.
She says one class focused on an episode when Homer was stealing cable television service, and Lisa showed him the error of his ways:
"It puts faith into a real world perspective. Because we all know people who have stolen cable, we took that 'stealing cable' episode to 'what hell looks like,' to real world things like filing false insurance claims and those people we know who fake worker's comp, and those kinds of things. It's real world perspective."
They meet Sundays at 9:30am and welcome new members at the church, Hulmeville Road in Bensalem, Pa.
I had a TV Theory professor at Penn State who extolled the virtues of the Simpsons and how they represented a wholesome American family. I guess he was right.
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The Bensalem(PA) United Methodist Church holds a new ministry class that gleans wisdom from America's favorite animated family:
The irreverent television cartoon series "The Simpsons" has been called many things, but religious?
Perhaps. A new adult ministry in Bensalem, Pa. is focusing on "The Gospel according to The Simpsons."
The young adult group is using the book, "The Gospel According to The Simpsons," by Mark Pinsky and Tony Campolo.
Bensalem United Methodist Church hosts the new ministry class, and Liz Gruenbaum runs it.
She says one class focused on an episode when Homer was stealing cable television service, and Lisa showed him the error of his ways:
"It puts faith into a real world perspective. Because we all know people who have stolen cable, we took that 'stealing cable' episode to 'what hell looks like,' to real world things like filing false insurance claims and those people we know who fake worker's comp, and those kinds of things. It's real world perspective."
They meet Sundays at 9:30am and welcome new members at the church, Hulmeville Road in Bensalem, Pa.
I had a TV Theory professor at Penn State who extolled the virtues of the Simpsons and how they represented a wholesome American family. I guess he was right.
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1967 Civil Rights Demonstration in Milwaukee
I don't profess to know a lot about the Civil Rights movement. But I thought the majority of the activism took place in the South, apparently not. Much to learn.
This is powerful:
What I remember most vividly is the burning in my eyes and the intense hatred that I felt. I was 18 years old and sitting on a cot in the basement of St. Boniface Catholic Church. The year was 1967, and Milwaukee was in the midst of a struggle to pass an open housing ordinance. The NAACP Youth Council was leading nightly marches into the city's South Side to end a long-standing gentleman's agreement that kept African Americans from buying homes anywhere they could afford them. I was one of a few white people on the youth council and was proud to be part of what I considered a crusade for justice...
Follow the link.
I'm proud to say the author is a friend of the family.
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I don't profess to know a lot about the Civil Rights movement. But I thought the majority of the activism took place in the South, apparently not. Much to learn.
This is powerful:
What I remember most vividly is the burning in my eyes and the intense hatred that I felt. I was 18 years old and sitting on a cot in the basement of St. Boniface Catholic Church. The year was 1967, and Milwaukee was in the midst of a struggle to pass an open housing ordinance. The NAACP Youth Council was leading nightly marches into the city's South Side to end a long-standing gentleman's agreement that kept African Americans from buying homes anywhere they could afford them. I was one of a few white people on the youth council and was proud to be part of what I considered a crusade for justice...
Follow the link.
I'm proud to say the author is a friend of the family.
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More Dead Americans
Four American soldiers died today in Iraq when a bomb exploded under their vehicle. In another incident, an American contractor was also killed today with three other foreign workers. Their bodies were dragged through the streets by jubulant residents. Both attacks took place near Fallujah:
Chanting "Fallujah is the graveyard of Americans," residents cheered after the grisly assault on two four-wheel-drive civilian vehicles, which left both in flames. Others chanted, "We sacrifice our blood and souls for Islam."
Associated Press Television News pictures showed one man beating a charred corpse with a metal pole. Others tied a yellow rope to a body, hooked it to a car and dragged it down the main street of town. Two blackened and mangled corpses were hung from a green iron bridge across the Euphrates.
"The people of Fallujah hanged some of the bodies on the old bridge like slaughtered sheep," resident Abdul Aziz Mohammed said. Some of the corpses were dismembered, he said.
This is tragic. Let's not forget. Ever.
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Four American soldiers died today in Iraq when a bomb exploded under their vehicle. In another incident, an American contractor was also killed today with three other foreign workers. Their bodies were dragged through the streets by jubulant residents. Both attacks took place near Fallujah:
Chanting "Fallujah is the graveyard of Americans," residents cheered after the grisly assault on two four-wheel-drive civilian vehicles, which left both in flames. Others chanted, "We sacrifice our blood and souls for Islam."
Associated Press Television News pictures showed one man beating a charred corpse with a metal pole. Others tied a yellow rope to a body, hooked it to a car and dragged it down the main street of town. Two blackened and mangled corpses were hung from a green iron bridge across the Euphrates.
"The people of Fallujah hanged some of the bodies on the old bridge like slaughtered sheep," resident Abdul Aziz Mohammed said. Some of the corpses were dismembered, he said.
This is tragic. Let's not forget. Ever.
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Clear Channel Hires Jesse Jackson as Host For Talk-Radio Show
Announced on the day Air America's liberal radio network launches.
This is a story from today's Wall Street Journal, written by Sarah McBride:
Clear Channel Communications Inc., the radio company that frequently comes under fire for its large donations to Republican politicians and allegedly conservative bent in programming, is taking a high-profile step in the other direction.
The company has signed up former Democratic presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson as a host for a Sunday-morning talk-radio show based in Chicago, the nation's third-biggest radio market after New York and Los Angeles. It also will run in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Norfolk, Va. In addition, Clear Channel plans to test programming from a new liberal radio network, Air America, in the Portland, Ore., market.
"I think they are making a concerted effort to appease the Washington establishment," said Sheryl Leanza, deputy director of the Media Access Project, a consumer advocacy group. "They have become aware that they are a target, and are trying to ameliorate that."
But Clear Channel said it hired Mr. Jackson because it thought he could draw listeners. "We run the radio division for our local markets," said John Hogan, who heads Clear Channel's radio division. "We don't run it for Washington."
Mr. Jackson, who said he had talked with several companies over the past few months about hosting a radio show, said Clear Channel was the most attractive because it could offer him a live, syndicated show in several big markets.
Mr. Jackson currently guest hosts once a month or so on a Chicago radio station, and had a long-running show on CNN in the 1990s called "Both Sides With Jesse Jackson." That show didn't do particularly well in ratings, but Clear Channel believes his personality is better suited to radio. "It's a very personal, intimate medium, and he has that rare ability to connect with people," said Mr. Hogan.
The show makes its debut Sunday at 8 a.m. Eastern time.
I didn't link to this story because the WSJ's site is "pay to use."
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Announced on the day Air America's liberal radio network launches.
This is a story from today's Wall Street Journal, written by Sarah McBride:
Clear Channel Communications Inc., the radio company that frequently comes under fire for its large donations to Republican politicians and allegedly conservative bent in programming, is taking a high-profile step in the other direction.
The company has signed up former Democratic presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson as a host for a Sunday-morning talk-radio show based in Chicago, the nation's third-biggest radio market after New York and Los Angeles. It also will run in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Norfolk, Va. In addition, Clear Channel plans to test programming from a new liberal radio network, Air America, in the Portland, Ore., market.
"I think they are making a concerted effort to appease the Washington establishment," said Sheryl Leanza, deputy director of the Media Access Project, a consumer advocacy group. "They have become aware that they are a target, and are trying to ameliorate that."
But Clear Channel said it hired Mr. Jackson because it thought he could draw listeners. "We run the radio division for our local markets," said John Hogan, who heads Clear Channel's radio division. "We don't run it for Washington."
Mr. Jackson, who said he had talked with several companies over the past few months about hosting a radio show, said Clear Channel was the most attractive because it could offer him a live, syndicated show in several big markets.
Mr. Jackson currently guest hosts once a month or so on a Chicago radio station, and had a long-running show on CNN in the 1990s called "Both Sides With Jesse Jackson." That show didn't do particularly well in ratings, but Clear Channel believes his personality is better suited to radio. "It's a very personal, intimate medium, and he has that rare ability to connect with people," said Mr. Hogan.
The show makes its debut Sunday at 8 a.m. Eastern time.
I didn't link to this story because the WSJ's site is "pay to use."
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Newspaper Columnist: We Misled you
Rick Mercier from the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, VA recently published an Op-Ed piece apologizing for the media's coverage of the war in Iraq. He offers major mea culpas for lots of things:
A study released earlier this month by the University of Maryland’s Center for International Security Studies at Maryland concluded that much of the prewar coverage about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction “stenographically reported the incumbent administration’s perspective” and provided “too little critical examination of the way officials framed the events, issues, threats, and policy options.” Too few stories, the study said, included perspectives that challenged the official line.
He also went on to indict some big names at major papers:
Knight Ridder journalists Jonathan Landay and Tish Wells reported earlier this month that the main Iraqi exile group, the Iraqi National Congress, fed the Times, the Post, The Associated Press (the primary source of world and national news for this newspaper), and other print media numerous unsubstantiated allegations about the Iraqi regime that resulted in over 100 articles worldwide.
Those articles, the Knight Ridder correspondents found, made assertions that still have not been substantiated but that helped build the administration’s case for invasion. They included claims that Iraq had mobile biological weapons facilities; that it had Scud missiles loaded with poison that were ready to strike Israel; that Saddam was aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons; and that he had collaborated with al–Qaida.
The Times’ diva of disinformation, Judith Miller, had a particularly uncritical fondness for the INC and its leader, Ahmed Chalabi. Last spring, Post media columnist Howard Kurtz obtained an internal Times e–mail in which she wrote: “I’ve been covering Chalabi for about 10 years. He has provided most of the front-page exclusives on WMD to our paper.”
He also mentioned guilty parties in the Bush Administration:
Take Hussein Kamel, Saddam’s son-in-law, who was Iraq’s weapons chief until his defection in 1995. He was cited by Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and just about every other invasion supporter as an important source of intelligence on Saddam’s arsenal. However, while he was describing all of Saddam’s awful weapons during his post-defection debriefings, Kamel added one little thing that the administration and its mouthpieces forgot to mention: All of Iraq’s prohibited weapons had been destroyed.
A well thought out piece and worth a look.
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Rick Mercier from the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, VA recently published an Op-Ed piece apologizing for the media's coverage of the war in Iraq. He offers major mea culpas for lots of things:
A study released earlier this month by the University of Maryland’s Center for International Security Studies at Maryland concluded that much of the prewar coverage about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction “stenographically reported the incumbent administration’s perspective” and provided “too little critical examination of the way officials framed the events, issues, threats, and policy options.” Too few stories, the study said, included perspectives that challenged the official line.
He also went on to indict some big names at major papers:
Knight Ridder journalists Jonathan Landay and Tish Wells reported earlier this month that the main Iraqi exile group, the Iraqi National Congress, fed the Times, the Post, The Associated Press (the primary source of world and national news for this newspaper), and other print media numerous unsubstantiated allegations about the Iraqi regime that resulted in over 100 articles worldwide.
Those articles, the Knight Ridder correspondents found, made assertions that still have not been substantiated but that helped build the administration’s case for invasion. They included claims that Iraq had mobile biological weapons facilities; that it had Scud missiles loaded with poison that were ready to strike Israel; that Saddam was aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons; and that he had collaborated with al–Qaida.
The Times’ diva of disinformation, Judith Miller, had a particularly uncritical fondness for the INC and its leader, Ahmed Chalabi. Last spring, Post media columnist Howard Kurtz obtained an internal Times e–mail in which she wrote: “I’ve been covering Chalabi for about 10 years. He has provided most of the front-page exclusives on WMD to our paper.”
He also mentioned guilty parties in the Bush Administration:
Take Hussein Kamel, Saddam’s son-in-law, who was Iraq’s weapons chief until his defection in 1995. He was cited by Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and just about every other invasion supporter as an important source of intelligence on Saddam’s arsenal. However, while he was describing all of Saddam’s awful weapons during his post-defection debriefings, Kamel added one little thing that the administration and its mouthpieces forgot to mention: All of Iraq’s prohibited weapons had been destroyed.
A well thought out piece and worth a look.
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Injuries to Hatch Daughters Forces Probe
Here is a picture of Anne Hatch (L) and Elizabeth Hatch in happier times with their father, Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago police officers used excessive force when they arrested Mike Hatch's daughters last Friday night. Their injuries included abrasions, bruises along with a sprained wrist and a black eye for Elizabeth Hatch.
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Here is a picture of Anne Hatch (L) and Elizabeth Hatch in happier times with their father, Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago police officers used excessive force when they arrested Mike Hatch's daughters last Friday night. Their injuries included abrasions, bruises along with a sprained wrist and a black eye for Elizabeth Hatch.
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Why Joint Testimony?
Josh Marshal wonders today why the White House insists that Cheney & Bush testify together:
Only three scenarios or explanations make sense to me.
The first -- and most generous -- explanation is that this is simply another way to further dilute the Commission's ability to ask questions.
If, say, the meeting lasts three hours, that's three hours to ask questions of both of them rather than three hours to ask questions of each -- as might be the case in separate meetings.
That wouldn't be any great coup for the White House. But it would be one more impediment to throw in front of the Commission's work, which would probably be a source of some joy for the White House.
From here the possible explanations go down hill -- in every respect -- pretty quickly.
Explanation number two would be that this is a fairly elementary -- and, one imagines, pretty effective -- way to keep the two of them from giving contradictory answers to the Commission's questions. It helps them keep their stories straight.
(It's a basic part of any criminal investigation -- which, of course, this isn't -- to interview everyone separately, precisely so that people can't jigger their stories into consistency on the fly.)
The third explanation is that the White House does not trust the president to be alone with the Commission members for any great length of time without getting himself into trouble, either by contradicting what his staff says, or getting some key point wrong, or letting some key fact slip. And Cheney's there to make sure nothing goes wrong
As jaded as it seems I'm leaning toward reason number three. This is why McClellan was tap dancing around the issue of the President testifying for an hour.
They had to accede to the outcry for Condi to tesify in public and that gave the Administration an "out" for the President to testify with a helper.
Remember what happened when Bush sat with Russert for an hour. Carnage.
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Josh Marshal wonders today why the White House insists that Cheney & Bush testify together:
Only three scenarios or explanations make sense to me.
The first -- and most generous -- explanation is that this is simply another way to further dilute the Commission's ability to ask questions.
If, say, the meeting lasts three hours, that's three hours to ask questions of both of them rather than three hours to ask questions of each -- as might be the case in separate meetings.
That wouldn't be any great coup for the White House. But it would be one more impediment to throw in front of the Commission's work, which would probably be a source of some joy for the White House.
From here the possible explanations go down hill -- in every respect -- pretty quickly.
Explanation number two would be that this is a fairly elementary -- and, one imagines, pretty effective -- way to keep the two of them from giving contradictory answers to the Commission's questions. It helps them keep their stories straight.
(It's a basic part of any criminal investigation -- which, of course, this isn't -- to interview everyone separately, precisely so that people can't jigger their stories into consistency on the fly.)
The third explanation is that the White House does not trust the president to be alone with the Commission members for any great length of time without getting himself into trouble, either by contradicting what his staff says, or getting some key point wrong, or letting some key fact slip. And Cheney's there to make sure nothing goes wrong
As jaded as it seems I'm leaning toward reason number three. This is why McClellan was tap dancing around the issue of the President testifying for an hour.
They had to accede to the outcry for Condi to tesify in public and that gave the Administration an "out" for the President to testify with a helper.
Remember what happened when Bush sat with Russert for an hour. Carnage.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Google This
I never knew how much mileage I would get from the, "Drunken Daughters of MN Attorney General" post from Sunday.
I've received six Google referrals from it in the last 36 hours.
I guess enquiring minds want to know.
(People are very anxious to see pictures too. I'd try the fountain of sleaze, Drudge.)
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I never knew how much mileage I would get from the, "Drunken Daughters of MN Attorney General" post from Sunday.
I've received six Google referrals from it in the last 36 hours.
I guess enquiring minds want to know.
(People are very anxious to see pictures too. I'd try the fountain of sleaze, Drudge.)
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WIFI at the Ballpark
Starting this year, SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants will be offering wireless internet service to fans who bring their notebook computers to the ball park. The wireless service will be free, but the good game tickets still cost upwards of $75.
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Starting this year, SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants will be offering wireless internet service to fans who bring their notebook computers to the ball park. The wireless service will be free, but the good game tickets still cost upwards of $75.
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Faux News
I think Bill O'Reilly says it best:
"There is nothing wrong with news organizations endorsing a candidate or a columnist writing about his or her political preferences. But actively participating in political campaigns ... is absolutely against every journalistic standard, and it is happening -- usually under the radar."
This can't be happening, can it?:
On the question of a link between Saddam and al-Qaida, a frankly startling 67 percent of the Fox News primary-source crowd believed this to be true. It's a claim that was one of the centerpieces of the Bush administration war policy but has never been proved, and, as PIPA asserts, is now largely dismissed by the intelligence community (and lately the White House itself).
This gives "fair and balanced" new meaning.
We Report on what Karl Rove asks us too and then You Decide whether John Kerry looks French or Belgian.
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I think Bill O'Reilly says it best:
"There is nothing wrong with news organizations endorsing a candidate or a columnist writing about his or her political preferences. But actively participating in political campaigns ... is absolutely against every journalistic standard, and it is happening -- usually under the radar."
This can't be happening, can it?:
On the question of a link between Saddam and al-Qaida, a frankly startling 67 percent of the Fox News primary-source crowd believed this to be true. It's a claim that was one of the centerpieces of the Bush administration war policy but has never been proved, and, as PIPA asserts, is now largely dismissed by the intelligence community (and lately the White House itself).
This gives "fair and balanced" new meaning.
We Report on what Karl Rove asks us too and then You Decide whether John Kerry looks French or Belgian.
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IT'S ON!!!
Condi Rice will testify.
Under oath.
In public.
They really had no choice. Unfortunately for Condi, the delay and the waffling will bring even more scrutiny to what she says.
Link forthcoming.
UPDATE: Here is the link.
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Condi Rice will testify.
Under oath.
In public.
They really had no choice. Unfortunately for Condi, the delay and the waffling will bring even more scrutiny to what she says.
Link forthcoming.
UPDATE: Here is the link.
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Slippery Scott McClellan
Scotty's chief talking point:
Let's explore all of the possibilities.
This wasn't accurately reported, The President wanted to explore all of the possibilities.
Yes, of course Dr. Rice wanted to explore all of the possibilities.
Sheesh.
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Scotty's chief talking point:
Let's explore all of the possibilities.
This wasn't accurately reported, The President wanted to explore all of the possibilities.
Yes, of course Dr. Rice wanted to explore all of the possibilities.
Sheesh.
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Krugman still not buying what they're shoveling
New York Times columnist with another grand effort. To wit:
"And there are many other cases of apparent abuse of power by the administration and its Congressional allies. A few examples: according to The Hill, Republican lawmakers threatened to cut off funds for the General Accounting Office unless it dropped its lawsuit against Dick Cheney. The Washington Post says Representative Michael Oxley told lobbyists that 'a Congressional probe might ease if it replaced its Democratic lobbyist with a Republican.' Tom DeLay used the Homeland Security Department to track down Democrats trying to prevent redistricting in Texas. And Medicare is spending millions of dollars on misleading ads for the new drug benefit — ads that look like news reports and also serve as commercials for the Bush campaign."
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New York Times columnist with another grand effort. To wit:
"And there are many other cases of apparent abuse of power by the administration and its Congressional allies. A few examples: according to The Hill, Republican lawmakers threatened to cut off funds for the General Accounting Office unless it dropped its lawsuit against Dick Cheney. The Washington Post says Representative Michael Oxley told lobbyists that 'a Congressional probe might ease if it replaced its Democratic lobbyist with a Republican.' Tom DeLay used the Homeland Security Department to track down Democrats trying to prevent redistricting in Texas. And Medicare is spending millions of dollars on misleading ads for the new drug benefit — ads that look like news reports and also serve as commercials for the Bush campaign."
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Monday, March 29, 2004
One of the Things I Love about Philadelphia
WXPN is an institution in this city. The music they play paves the way for new artists who eventually go mainsteam (Norah Jones, John Maier & Five For Fighting) and for artists who are just happy to play and not have to deal with the big record labels (Jonatha Brooke, Erin McKewon & Phil Roy.) The station plays an unbelievably eclectic mix of singer/songwriters with some rock favorites, folk, reggae and blues thrown in. They are a public radio station that is member supported which means they are not beholden to the record companies or a play list foisted upon them. Perhaps you live in a town that carries the syndicated radio program, World Cafe featuring music and interviews by David Record Dye (his real middle name!), this is what we're fortunate enough to have all the time in Philly.
In the fall, WXPN is moving locations to accomodate their growth (and huge CD library.) If you've ever listened to the station I encourage you to lend your support to this endeavor. If you've never listened to this station, head over to www.xpn.org and listen to the streaming broadcast. You will be in good company, they have listeners who pledge support from all over the world.
It's diificult to find pure entertainment options these days and we're all lucky to have this radio station to enjoy.
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WXPN is an institution in this city. The music they play paves the way for new artists who eventually go mainsteam (Norah Jones, John Maier & Five For Fighting) and for artists who are just happy to play and not have to deal with the big record labels (Jonatha Brooke, Erin McKewon & Phil Roy.) The station plays an unbelievably eclectic mix of singer/songwriters with some rock favorites, folk, reggae and blues thrown in. They are a public radio station that is member supported which means they are not beholden to the record companies or a play list foisted upon them. Perhaps you live in a town that carries the syndicated radio program, World Cafe featuring music and interviews by David Record Dye (his real middle name!), this is what we're fortunate enough to have all the time in Philly.
In the fall, WXPN is moving locations to accomodate their growth (and huge CD library.) If you've ever listened to the station I encourage you to lend your support to this endeavor. If you've never listened to this station, head over to www.xpn.org and listen to the streaming broadcast. You will be in good company, they have listeners who pledge support from all over the world.
It's diificult to find pure entertainment options these days and we're all lucky to have this radio station to enjoy.
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Uncle Horn Head on the Wheels of Steel
At the Berklee School of Music you can take a class on learning to be a DJ. No, I'm not talking about working a Junior High dance and playing "Open Arms" by Journey, I'm talking about "scratching", "scribbling" or "stabbing" like the late Jam Master Jay or Spinderella from Salt n' Pepa:
The DJ is the foundation of hip-hop, the urban music and culture that exploded out of New York City after someone decided to say a few words over the sound combinations of a Bronx DJ named Kool Herc.
Scratching, or moving a record rhythmically forward and backward with the needle still in the groove, is the core skill of turntable artists.
"Hip-hop has been around for, what, 25 years now?" Webber said. "Deejaying is one of the main core expressions of hip-hop. Part of our mission is to represent the major musical movements of the day, and one could certainly argue that hip-hop is one of the most influential cultures in the history of the world."
If I have another kid, his or her nickname is going to be Kool Herc.
UPDATE: Peace out.
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At the Berklee School of Music you can take a class on learning to be a DJ. No, I'm not talking about working a Junior High dance and playing "Open Arms" by Journey, I'm talking about "scratching", "scribbling" or "stabbing" like the late Jam Master Jay or Spinderella from Salt n' Pepa:
The DJ is the foundation of hip-hop, the urban music and culture that exploded out of New York City after someone decided to say a few words over the sound combinations of a Bronx DJ named Kool Herc.
Scratching, or moving a record rhythmically forward and backward with the needle still in the groove, is the core skill of turntable artists.
"Hip-hop has been around for, what, 25 years now?" Webber said. "Deejaying is one of the main core expressions of hip-hop. Part of our mission is to represent the major musical movements of the day, and one could certainly argue that hip-hop is one of the most influential cultures in the history of the world."
If I have another kid, his or her nickname is going to be Kool Herc.
UPDATE: Peace out.
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Sir Peter Ustinov
The Oscar winner died yesterday at the age of 82. He once said he'd like his epitaph to read:
Keep Off the Grass
Amen
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The Oscar winner died yesterday at the age of 82. He once said he'd like his epitaph to read:
Keep Off the Grass
Amen
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With Afro, 6'10"
I recently found the blog, Sugar, Mr. Poon? and have been laughing ever since. For those who don't know the reference, Sugar, Mr Poon comes from the movie Fletch. One of the funniest movies of the 80s. The author is also a golfer who shot a 74 in March this year (which might explain the Titleist links on his blogroll.) I did that a couple of years ago, but only because I unplugged the windmill.
There is some great content on this site. I encourage you to check out Mr. Poon.
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I recently found the blog, Sugar, Mr. Poon? and have been laughing ever since. For those who don't know the reference, Sugar, Mr Poon comes from the movie Fletch. One of the funniest movies of the 80s. The author is also a golfer who shot a 74 in March this year (which might explain the Titleist links on his blogroll.) I did that a couple of years ago, but only because I unplugged the windmill.
There is some great content on this site. I encourage you to check out Mr. Poon.
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Force Condi to Testify
The following story confirms what we already know. Richard Clarke's allegations about the administration's mishandling of intelligence prior are not fading away. In fact:
"The administration's attempts to discredit Clarke have backfired. They have merely given the story legs and hurt the administration. The issue of whether Rice should testify should keep the story alive for several more news cycles," said University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape.
"The Bush administration and its allies have certainly not helped the story go away," said Howard Opinsky, a Republican operative who ran media relations for Arizona Sen. John McCain during his 2000 presidential bid.
"Instead, they adopted the risky strategy of trying to refute his charges, which makes it appear that they have something to hide," he said.
You can help keep it alive. Call your senator and ask them to fully support Condi's public testifying in front of the commission.
I just called my two Senators and my Congressman. Invigorating.
The main senate number is 202-224-3121
If you don't know who your representatives are, check senate.gov and house.gov and put in your zip code.
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The following story confirms what we already know. Richard Clarke's allegations about the administration's mishandling of intelligence prior are not fading away. In fact:
"The administration's attempts to discredit Clarke have backfired. They have merely given the story legs and hurt the administration. The issue of whether Rice should testify should keep the story alive for several more news cycles," said University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape.
"The Bush administration and its allies have certainly not helped the story go away," said Howard Opinsky, a Republican operative who ran media relations for Arizona Sen. John McCain during his 2000 presidential bid.
"Instead, they adopted the risky strategy of trying to refute his charges, which makes it appear that they have something to hide," he said.
You can help keep it alive. Call your senator and ask them to fully support Condi's public testifying in front of the commission.
I just called my two Senators and my Congressman. Invigorating.
The main senate number is 202-224-3121
If you don't know who your representatives are, check senate.gov and house.gov and put in your zip code.
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SAVE US: Scooby 2 is #1 at the Box Office
The 2nd Scooby film opened this weekend and grossed $30.7 million, best of any film in the U.S over the weekend.
Scrappy or no Scrappy, am I the only one who thinks the original sucked? What's next, Gigli 2?
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The 2nd Scooby film opened this weekend and grossed $30.7 million, best of any film in the U.S over the weekend.
Scrappy or no Scrappy, am I the only one who thinks the original sucked? What's next, Gigli 2?
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Kerry Quotes Verse, Bush Attacks
George Bush's campaign spokesman scolded John Kerry yesterday saying Kerry's comment ""was beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of scripture for a political attack."
So what did it take for Rove to call on the dogs again?
This:
"The scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" Kerry said. "When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?"
So let me get this straight. Bush is chosen by god to lead our country, He quotes scripture in his SOTU and other speeches and may have used his faith to make foreign policy decisions.
With all of the hypocrisy they're generating I don't think the Dems have to do anything to boot them from office. These idiots are wrapped up in so many lies, manipulations and broken laws that there is little chance they'll be able to keep this leaky ship afloat until 11/2.
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George Bush's campaign spokesman scolded John Kerry yesterday saying Kerry's comment ""was beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of scripture for a political attack."
So what did it take for Rove to call on the dogs again?
This:
"The scriptures say, what does it profit, my brother, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" Kerry said. "When we look at what is happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?"
So let me get this straight. Bush is chosen by god to lead our country, He quotes scripture in his SOTU and other speeches and may have used his faith to make foreign policy decisions.
With all of the hypocrisy they're generating I don't think the Dems have to do anything to boot them from office. These idiots are wrapped up in so many lies, manipulations and broken laws that there is little chance they'll be able to keep this leaky ship afloat until 11/2.
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Sunday, March 28, 2004
His Head is like an Orange on a Toothpick
Well it looks like Nader is going to meet with Kerry to discuss how to go about ousting Bush:
ATLANTA (AP) - Ralph Nader said Sunday he will meet with John Kerry next month to discuss the effort to defeat President Bush in the November election.
While stressing that he is still a competitor in the race, the independent presidential hopeful said he views his candidacy as a "second front against Bush, however small."
I don't know what put this guy's ego in check all of a sudden. Six weeks ago he's squawking that the DNC is, "trying to limit his freedom of speech" by asking him not to run in 2004. He's also taking GOP money.
Why the sudden unity?
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Well it looks like Nader is going to meet with Kerry to discuss how to go about ousting Bush:
ATLANTA (AP) - Ralph Nader said Sunday he will meet with John Kerry next month to discuss the effort to defeat President Bush in the November election.
While stressing that he is still a competitor in the race, the independent presidential hopeful said he views his candidacy as a "second front against Bush, however small."
I don't know what put this guy's ego in check all of a sudden. Six weeks ago he's squawking that the DNC is, "trying to limit his freedom of speech" by asking him not to run in 2004. He's also taking GOP money.
Why the sudden unity?
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More civil rights being trashed
Court Opens Door To Searches Without Warrants:
"NEW ORLEANS -- It's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will affect everyone: Police officers in Louisiana no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of your home or business.
Leaders in law enforcement say it will provide safety to officers, but others argue it's a privilege that could be abused.
The decision was made by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Two dissenting judges called it the 'road to Hell.'
The ruiling stems from a lawsuit filed in Denham Springs in 2000.
New Orleans Police Department spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo said the new power will go into effect immediately and won't be abused.
'We have to have a legitimate problem to be there in the first place, and if we don't, we can't conduct the search,' Defillo said.
But former U.S. Attorney Julian Murray has big problems with the ruling.
'I think it goes way too far,' Murray said, noting that the searches can be performed if an officer fears for his safety -- a subjective condition.
Defillo said he doesn't envision any problems in New Orleans, but if there are, they will be handled.
'There are checks and balances to make sure the criminal justce system works in an effective manor,' Defillo said."
I agree with the dissenting judges, this IS a road to hell.
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Court Opens Door To Searches Without Warrants:
"NEW ORLEANS -- It's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will affect everyone: Police officers in Louisiana no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of your home or business.
Leaders in law enforcement say it will provide safety to officers, but others argue it's a privilege that could be abused.
The decision was made by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Two dissenting judges called it the 'road to Hell.'
The ruiling stems from a lawsuit filed in Denham Springs in 2000.
New Orleans Police Department spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo said the new power will go into effect immediately and won't be abused.
'We have to have a legitimate problem to be there in the first place, and if we don't, we can't conduct the search,' Defillo said.
But former U.S. Attorney Julian Murray has big problems with the ruling.
'I think it goes way too far,' Murray said, noting that the searches can be performed if an officer fears for his safety -- a subjective condition.
Defillo said he doesn't envision any problems in New Orleans, but if there are, they will be handled.
'There are checks and balances to make sure the criminal justce system works in an effective manor,' Defillo said."
I agree with the dissenting judges, this IS a road to hell.
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Daughters of MN AG arrested
After a night of boozing, to celebrate one's 21st birthday, the daughters of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch were arrested late Friday accused of slapping cops outside a Chicago nightclub:
After the women were arrested and put into a squad car, Anne Hatch allegedly kicked a rear window, shattering it, police said. The women suffered injuries including black eyes, a fractured wrist and cuts to the face, arms, knees and thighs, Hatch's office said. They were released from a police lockup about 2 p.m. Saturday.
C'mon now! This isn't Texas!
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After a night of boozing, to celebrate one's 21st birthday, the daughters of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch were arrested late Friday accused of slapping cops outside a Chicago nightclub:
After the women were arrested and put into a squad car, Anne Hatch allegedly kicked a rear window, shattering it, police said. The women suffered injuries including black eyes, a fractured wrist and cuts to the face, arms, knees and thighs, Hatch's office said. They were released from a police lockup about 2 p.m. Saturday.
C'mon now! This isn't Texas!
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