Mon - May 9, 2005
RealID is dangerous to the freedoms of citizens
Do we really want a National ID card? Will it make
finding 'terrorists' easier? or just make it easier to hassle dissenting
voices?
If you agree with me, visit UnRealID.com and send a fax expressing your opposition to your senators.
Read on to see the fax I sent to Senators Levin and Stabenow:
If you agree with me, visit UnRealID.com and send a fax expressing your opposition to your senators.
Read on to see the fax I sent to Senators Levin and Stabenow:
Posted at 09:43 PM Read More
Wed - September 29, 2004
Bush hometown paper endorses Kerry
This publisher has guts. Real, old-style guts. The
kind of guts we came to expect from Texans, and the kind they've prided
themselves in, the kind their leaders have had so little of in recent
years.
The whole editorial is such a plain, simple and concise indictment of Bush, his policies and performance, you owe it to yourself to read it whether you support Bush or not. It's definitely a hot knife through the butter of all the political spin we've been subjected to this election cycle.
Here's the lede and a few excerpts:
From The Lone Star Iconoclast:
Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.
The whole editorial is such a plain, simple and concise indictment of Bush, his policies and performance, you owe it to yourself to read it whether you support Bush or not. It's definitely a hot knife through the butter of all the political spin we've been subjected to this election cycle.
Here's the lede and a few excerpts:
From The Lone Star Iconoclast:
Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.
Posted at 07:39 AM Read More
Mon - September 27, 2004
Republicans Admit Mailing Campaign Literature Saying Liberals Will Ban the Bible
from nytimes.com: (Free subscription required. Hey, it's worth it.)
The Republican Party acknowledged yesterday sending mass mailings to residents of two states warning that "liberals" seek to ban the Bible. It said the mailings were part of its effort to mobilize religious voters for President Bush.
The mailings include images of the Bible labeled "banned" and of a gay marriage proposal labeled "allowed." A mailing to Arkansas residents warns: "This will be Arkansas if you don't vote." A similar mailing was sent to West Virginians.
A liberal religious group, the Interfaith Alliance, circulated a copy of the Arkansas mailing to reporters yesterday to publicize it. "What they are doing is despicable,'' said Don Parker, a spokesman for the alliance. "They are playing on people's fears and emotions."
Posted at 06:48 PM Read More
Annan: Invasion of Iraq 'Illegal'
from The Christian Science Monitor:
In an interview with the BBC Wednesday, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said the decision to launch an invasion of Iraq should have been taken by the entire United Nations, and not taken unilaterally. When pressed for a third time by a BBC interviewer if that meant that the invasion was illegal, Mr. Annan said that "if you like" it was "not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, and from the charter point of view it was illegal."
"I think in the end everybody's concluded it's best to work together with our allies and through the UN," he said. "I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time - without UN approval and much broader support from the international community," he added.
Annan also said that, given the current levels of unrest in Iraq, it was unlikely that it would be possible for "credible" elections to be held by the current scheduled date in January.
Posted at 06:29 PM Read More
Bush grandfather helped Hitler in rise to power
No folks, this is no conspiracy theory. In fact,
it's very well documented, just not particularly well covered in
this
country.
From The Guardian:
George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.
The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.
His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy.
The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The debate over Prescott Bush's behaviour has been bubbling under the surface for some time. There has been a steady internet chatter about the "Bush/Nazi" connection, much of it inaccurate and unfair. But the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty.
From The Guardian:
George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.
The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.
His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy.
The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The debate over Prescott Bush's behaviour has been bubbling under the surface for some time. There has been a steady internet chatter about the "Bush/Nazi" connection, much of it inaccurate and unfair. But the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty.
Posted at 06:20 PM Read More
Sailing as a political metaphor
Ike Stephenson
is a friend of mine. We worked together on the Dean campaign here in Muskegon.
He's also one of the most thoughtful and well-read people I
know.
Here's some proof, from a recent email I received:
The presidential campaign has recently veered into an area of expertise for me: sailing!
A new Bush ad says that John Kerry goes 'whichever way the wind blows'. His rather imprecise views on the Iraq war are cited. The video is that of Kerry windsurfing. He's shown on a different tack in sync with various positions and votes. I'm not here to argue his positions.
I will argue the use of sailing and metaphor. Realistically a good sailor does go which way the wind blows. That is he reads the wind and uses it to his best advantage. If, in a race, you expect say the right side of the course to be favored but the wind shifts left you should not continue right. This persistent, stubborn adhering to one side of the course regardless of the wind's direction is called banging the corner. It's high risk, sometimes it pays off, but most times the people who pay attention to the wind and tack away from one side of the course do better.
Another example. A typical sailboat can sail within about 45 degrees of the wind direction. If the wind shifts, or heads your, eventually the angle will close to the point where you are in irons. Your sails are luffing, the boat is going nowhere and it is hard to control. A good sailor doesn't let this happen! He falls off to fill the sails, or tacks and tries the opposite tack. He doesn't 'stay the course' letting the boat sit in irons with no speed and little control.
As usual there is more than one side to this story. George Bush banged the corner in Iraq misreading the wind shift/strategic position. Rather than correcting course he has got into irons, while his sails have luffed over 1,000 of his crew members have been killed.
So, perhaps it's time to remove Mr. Bush at the ballot box so we can have a better skipper at the national helm, eh?
Here's some proof, from a recent email I received:
The presidential campaign has recently veered into an area of expertise for me: sailing!
A new Bush ad says that John Kerry goes 'whichever way the wind blows'. His rather imprecise views on the Iraq war are cited. The video is that of Kerry windsurfing. He's shown on a different tack in sync with various positions and votes. I'm not here to argue his positions.
I will argue the use of sailing and metaphor. Realistically a good sailor does go which way the wind blows. That is he reads the wind and uses it to his best advantage. If, in a race, you expect say the right side of the course to be favored but the wind shifts left you should not continue right. This persistent, stubborn adhering to one side of the course regardless of the wind's direction is called banging the corner. It's high risk, sometimes it pays off, but most times the people who pay attention to the wind and tack away from one side of the course do better.
Another example. A typical sailboat can sail within about 45 degrees of the wind direction. If the wind shifts, or heads your, eventually the angle will close to the point where you are in irons. Your sails are luffing, the boat is going nowhere and it is hard to control. A good sailor doesn't let this happen! He falls off to fill the sails, or tacks and tries the opposite tack. He doesn't 'stay the course' letting the boat sit in irons with no speed and little control.
As usual there is more than one side to this story. George Bush banged the corner in Iraq misreading the wind shift/strategic position. Rather than correcting course he has got into irons, while his sails have luffed over 1,000 of his crew members have been killed.
So, perhaps it's time to remove Mr. Bush at the ballot box so we can have a better skipper at the national helm, eh?
Posted at 06:01 PM Read More
Fun with quotes 9/27 - Who said this?
OK. Here goes... Why is this quote so
ironic?:
"My inclination was to support the government and the war until proven wrong, and that only came later, as I realized we could not explain the mission, had no exit strategy, and did not seem to be fighting to win."
You'll be surprised, I think...
"My inclination was to support the government and the war until proven wrong, and that only came later, as I realized we could not explain the mission, had no exit strategy, and did not seem to be fighting to win."
You'll be surprised, I think...
Posted at 05:39 PM Read More
Wed - September 15, 2004
Keillor: We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore
Garrison Keillor, the good natured writer and humorist on NPR's A Prarie Home Companion has weighed in on the election in a style only he can muster. This excerpt from his new book Homegrown Democrat is hosted at In These Times.
From In These Times:
How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the party of Newt Gingrich’s evil spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch president, a dull and rigid man, whose philosophy is a jumble of badly sutured body parts trying to walk?
Posted at 09:59 PM Read More
Mon - September 13, 2004
Bush Comes to Muskegon (Sorta)
President George W. Bush was in Muskegon Monday.
Well, sorta...
President Bush appeared in an airplane hangar at Muskegon County Airport under tight security before 2,000 of his closest (invited & Republican) friends for a 'healthcare forum'. In contrast, when Al Gore made his campaign stop here in 2000, he appeared downtown, in public, before about 30,000 of his friends.
What concerns me about the President's message is this: he's running for reelection on his promises for the future. Isn't he an incumbent?
President Bush appeared in an airplane hangar at Muskegon County Airport under tight security before 2,000 of his closest (invited & Republican) friends for a 'healthcare forum'. In contrast, when Al Gore made his campaign stop here in 2000, he appeared downtown, in public, before about 30,000 of his friends.
What concerns me about the President's message is this: he's running for reelection on his promises for the future. Isn't he an incumbent?
Posted at 10:54 PM Read More
Wed - June 30, 2004
Cheney Booed When Shown On Screen At Yankees Game
I guess it would make sense if he was wearing that
Yankees hat in Boston, but they were in New
York...
from thebostonchannel.com:
Cheney was booed when he was shown on the right-field videoboard during the seventh-inning stretch.
But Vice President potty-mouth put it best when he said, "all those Yankee fans can just go !@#$% themselves..."
from thebostonchannel.com:
Cheney was booed when he was shown on the right-field videoboard during the seventh-inning stretch.
But Vice President potty-mouth put it best when he said, "all those Yankee fans can just go !@#$% themselves..."
Posted at 08:08 PM Read More
Wed - June 16, 2004
Ex-officials lash out at Bush Policies
from news.bbc.co.uk:
A group of retired US diplomats and generals has condemned the foreign policy of the Bush administration as ideological and callously indifferent.
Members of the 26-strong group of Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change demanded a major rethink in an open letter published in Washington.
"I think we will in time come to be very ashamed of this period in history," said one, Chas Freeman.
Another, Gen Merrill McPeak, talked of the "terrible disaster" in Iraq.
"Never before have so many of us felt the need for a major change in the direction of our foreign policy" -- Phyllis Oakley, former ambassador
(actually, she's listed in the signatories as "ex-intelligence and research chief")
Regardless, I couldn't agree more. Read on for the complete list of signatories. I think you'll agree these folks might actually know a thing or two about foreign policy.
Posted at 07:58 PM Read More
Mon - June 14, 2004
Mother Jones: Orwell Meets Kafka
from MotherJones.com:
Room 101
For his dystopia, 1984, his classic novel of totalitarianism, George Orwell created "Room 101," an interrogation room where a prisoner's deepest fears were to be realized and applied. Tier 1 in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, as the now-infamous photos indicate, was the Bush administration's Room 101 for the "Arab mind," and so the crown jewel of its global interrogation facilities; just as Guantanamo was the "crown jewel" of the prison camps in its global Bermuda Triangle of injustice; just as the new appointed "interim government" hidden within the ever-more fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and led by a prime minister and former CIA asset whose exile organization, we learned this week, once set off car bombs in downtown Baghdad, is now the crown jewel of "freedom and democracy" in the Middle East. This is our "war against terrorism." Talk about an Orwellian world.
Posted at 11:30 PM Read More
IHT: When laws get in the way of torture
If we re-elect the Bush administration, do we then condone the abuses done in its name and accept its disregard for established law as the norm? Has the 'American Dream' changed this much in only four years?
from the International Herald Tribune:
Documents recently obtained by the press reveal White House anxiety about how to protect President George W. Bush and members of his cabinet from going to prison for ordering, authorizing or deliberately permitting systematic torture of persons in their control, but technically outside formal American legal jurisdiction. The question put to lawyers was how the president and the others could commit war crimes and get away with it.
Thus, according to these reports, the president last year obtained from his lawyers an opinion that he is not bound by U.S. laws or by international engagements prohibiting torture and that Americans committing torture under his authority cannot be prosecuted by the Justice Department.
This opinion rests on the argument that national security considerations override both U.S. law and international treaties. As one of the military lawyers who took part in these discussions has said, it was an assertion of "presidential power at its absolute apex."
Posted at 11:15 PM Read More
Saddam Hussein to be released? or charged?
In an interesting twist of events, according to the Geneva Convention, as a prisoner of war, Saddam Hussein must be charged with crimes or released at the June 30th transfer of sovereignty. A trial is exactly what the Bush administration has been hoping to avoid. Now that they have him, will the Bush administration pass Saddam over to Iraqi authorities without charging him? Could he get a fair trial in Iraq?
from nytimes.com:
If the United States government does not bring charges against Saddam Hussein relatively soon it will be technically required, because of his prisoner-of-war status, to release him after the restoration of limited sovereignty, officials with human rights and aid groups said on Monday.
None of the officials were advocating Mr. Hussein's release, and they said they want him to stand trial. But they also said that since the United States insists that the occupation will formally end on June 30, when limited powers will be handed to the interim Iraqi government, the Geneva Convention requires that the Americans bring charges against their prisoners of war or release them.
Posted at 10:37 PM Read More
Sun - June 13, 2004
NYT: Army ignores own policy; uses private contractors as interrogators
Rules are generally made to be followed, not ignored...
from nytimes.com:
The use of private contractors as interrogators at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq violates an Army policy that requires such jobs to be filled by government employees because of the "risk to national security," among other concerns, the Army acknowledged Friday.
An Army policy directive published in 2000 and still in effect today, the military said, classifies any job that involves "the gathering and analysis" of tactical intelligence as "an inherently governmental function barred from private sector performance."
Posted at 09:56 PM Read More
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Published On: May 09, 2005 09:49 PM
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Published On: May 09, 2005 09:49 PM