tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84903792011-04-21T17:00:44.921-07:00progressive "must-reads", media punditry, and related idle elitist liberal drivelDavidnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106762375898548632005-01-26T09:59:00.000-08:002005-01-26T13:32:50.243-08:00

from The Christian Science Monitor:In the run-up to President Bush's State of the Union address next week, Democrats are laying the groundwork for their response in terms of values. The "ownership society" of the Republicans boils down to the notion that "we're all in this alone," (Sen. Richard) Durbin said on Monday - referring in part to proposals for private accounts in Social Security. "

Davidnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106631233166642122005-01-24T21:33:00.000-08:002005-01-24T21:35:22.400-08:00

from NYT:Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia led the Democrats' opposition, and has reserved an hour of floor time on Tuesday. So has Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who challenged Ms. Rice on the administration's rationale for the war during last week's hearings of the Foreign Relations Committee. Other Democrats, including Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, are also to speak.Mr.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106629301471370702005-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:002005-01-24T21:01:41.470-08:00

from the "small-c" conservative Mort Zuckerman of US News and World Report:In pursuit of his 'ownership society,' (Bush) wants to move Social Security toward 'greater individual opportunity, risk, and reward' by allowing individuals to carve themselves private investment accounts out of Social Security payroll taxes, much like a 401(k) plan. This raises a whole host of problems. It discriminates

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106589023038963462005-01-24T09:30:00.000-08:002005-01-24T15:59:33.603-08:00

from NYT:...a not-so-funny thing happened to the Graner case on its way to trial. Since the early bombshells from Abu Ghraib last year, the torture story has all but vanished from television, even as there have been continued revelations in the major newspapers and magazines like The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books and Vanity Fair. If a story isn't on TV in America, it doesn't exist in

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106459487824582362005-01-22T21:51:00.000-08:002005-01-22T21:51:27.823-08:00

from SFGate:So go ahead, skip the dour headlines. Forget to read the newspaper for a while. Refocus your intent and screw the sneering BushCo pomp and ignore the conservative flying monkeys who've stormed the castle and have announced there will be no good or progressive or healthy or spiritually radiant news for the next four years.And so it is with me these days: Condie and The Judge, Social

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106462799876010982005-01-22T21:46:00.000-08:002005-01-22T22:47:17.213-08:00

from LibertyPost.org:With nearly religious fervor, the Bush administration is mortgaging America's future into oblivion. Near the beginning of "Saturday Night Fever," John Travolta's Tony Manero, frustrated that his boss thinks he should save his salary instead of spending it on a new disco shirt, cries out, "f**k the future!" To which his boss replies: "No, Tony, you can't f**k the future. The

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1106361713728981302005-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:002005-01-21T18:41:53.726-08:00

from SFGate:An electronic voting system with a paper trail that was used in Nevada elections last year became the first approved for use in California on Friday.Fortunately for us California voters, our Secretary of State actually cares about fairness and accountability. Are you listening, Mr. Blackwell?

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105467559067977502005-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:002005-01-11T10:19:19.066-08:00

from Newsday.com:In some cases, Frederick testified, he complained to superiors about the harsh treatment of prisoners. But he said they told him to follow the orders of military intelligence. Frederick was not the only witness who expressed complaints yesterday about the response from higher-ups. Sgt. Joseph M. Darby, who has been variously hailed and assailed as the whistleblower in the case,

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105466007687037942005-01-11T09:53:00.000-08:002005-01-11T09:54:47.090-08:00

from The New Republic Online: Union membership has plummeted from 23 percent in 1979 to 12.5 percent today. Some of that drop is due to a shift from unionized manufacturing industries to nonunionized whitecollar services, but most of the decline stems from the NLRB's acquiescence to aggressive--and often illegal--employer tactics. American workers are, of course, the principal victims of labor's

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105465282591420342005-01-11T09:41:00.000-08:002005-01-11T09:42:07.160-08:00

from USATODAY.comOver the long run, some Republicans argue the issue could boost the party. “It's possible there is a new generational politics at play,” GOP pollster Bill McInturff says. If older voters could be reassured about the plan, “we could hold seniors at bay and attract millions of younger voters” with the prospect of a better return for retirement.Sure, there is always the PROSPECT of

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105463907667928852005-01-11T09:18:00.000-08:002005-01-11T09:19:55.410-08:00

from WashPost: Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan -- even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest . . . when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."The Clinton health care initiative of

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105420801446254342005-01-10T21:20:00.000-08:002005-01-10T21:20:01.446-08:00

from Pacific News Service:There can be no defense of syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams' disgraceful grab of public money from the Education Department to tout President Bush's No Child Left Behind law while posing as an objective journalist. But focusing on one man's ethics disaster misses the larger and more important story of the Bush administration's pattern of placing propaganda in U.S.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105420074888503302005-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:002005-01-10T21:07:54.886-08:00

in today's Chicago Tribune: According to federal records, Bayard Foreign Marketing is the newest owner of a U.S.-registered Gulfstream V executive jet reportedly used since Sept. 11, 2001, to transport suspected Al Qaeda operatives to countries such as Egypt and Syria, where some of them claim to have later been tortured.Alright, so you can't trust a terrorist to tell the truth, but the practice

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1105038871322634722005-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:002005-01-06T11:19:03.373-08:00

from CNN.comHouse Democrats involved in this year's protest worked for weeks to enlist the support of a senator, and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, agreed in a letter Wednesday to join the effort."I have concluded that objecting to the electoral votes from Ohio is the only immediate way to bring these issues to light by allowing you to have a two-hour debate to let the American people know the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104826123997311672005-01-04T01:08:00.000-08:002005-01-04T23:15:01.096-08:00

from BBC NEWS: Monkey stem cells can repair the brain damage caused by Parkinson's disease, Japanese researchers have shown. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, offer renewed hope of a similar treatment for humans.Good thing the U.S. is taking a lead role in this important research... Oops. Nope. Remember the values. Our leader has his convictions. Ultimately, aging

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104825415464321942005-01-03T23:56:00.000-08:002005-01-03T23:58:19.493-08:00

from Boston Dot Com: House Republican leaders last night abruptly abandoned plans to loosen some ethics regulations for members and reinstated a requirement that indicted members step down from leadership posts.Under fire, they did the right thing. Covered their asses. Just wait until Social Security is on the table. What happens to party loyalty then?

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104825074281305522005-01-03T23:51:00.000-08:002005-01-03T23:51:14.283-08:00

from USA Today: Since seven of the 20 were blocked by Democratic filibuster, Bush likely would have to press Senate Republicans to change their rules to eliminate filibusters if he wants all of his nominees confirmed. Democrats say this would result in a state of civil war on the Senate floor, where business is easily halted. All of this raises a crucial question: Is this the place Bush should

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104801229006716922005-01-03T17:11:00.000-08:002005-01-03T17:20:26.640-08:00

from The Christian Science Monitor:In a blunt assessment of efforts by US federal agencies to create a unified fingerprint database, the Associated Press reported that Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report Wednesday that said agency infighting had undermined this effort. The agencies "have different sets of mission objectives, and each one has been a forceful

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104800932383914002005-01-03T17:07:00.000-08:002005-01-03T17:15:54.010-08:00

from WashPost: "A member . . . officer or employee of the House shall conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House." -- Code of Official Conduct, Rule XXIII, Clause 1. OF ALL THE ethical rules governing the conduct of House members, this is perhaps the most critical ...No wonder House leaders want to eviscerate it.Hypocrisy is too kind a word to use

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104800864865354962005-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:002005-01-03T17:07:44.866-08:00

from UPI: Chief Justice William Rehnquist, in his annual report released by the Supreme Court on New Year's Day, warned that trying to remove "activist judges" because of unpopular decisions would endanger an independent judiciary. That is, of course, if an independent judiciary is the goal.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104800700714076422005-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:002005-01-03T17:05:00.713-08:00

from Raw Story:RAW STORY has discovered that the Westboro Baptist Church leaders known for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard, the young college student brutally murdered in Wyoming in 1998, have released the following statement regarding the tsunamis which hit Southeast Asia earlier in the week.The statement, which was posted on their website Wednesday alongside dozens of other archived "

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104800610347630342005-01-03T17:00:00.000-08:002005-01-03T17:03:30.346-08:00

from Raw Story: Arnebeck, of the Massachusetts-based Alliance for Democracy, has joined with Rev. Jesse Jackson and asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider the election results in their initial suit, accusing Bush's campaign of "high-tech vote stealing."Included in Arnebeck's motion is a two-page testimony taken in the presence of a court reporter where alleged witness Catherine Buchanan says

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104800389588997652005-01-03T16:19:00.000-08:002005-01-03T16:59:49.586-08:00

from Boston Dot Com: The Justice Department has published a revised and expansive definition of acts that constitute torture under domestic and international law, overtly repudiating one of the most criticized policy memorandums drafted during President Bush's first term. In a statement published on the department's website late Thursday, the head of its Office of Legal Counsel declares that ''

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104788316637257802005-01-03T13:38:00.000-08:002005-01-03T13:38:36.636-08:00

from WashPost: "A member . . . officer or employee of the House shall conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House." -- Code of Official Conduct, Rule XXIII, Clause 1. OF ALL THE ethical rules governing the conduct of House members, this is perhaps the most critical... No wonder House leaders want to eviscerate it.Hypocrisy is too kind a word to use

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104263564277374782004-12-28T11:52:00.000-08:002004-12-28T11:54:31.373-08:00

For more information and ways you can help, please visit The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog.Please remember the victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers this week.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1104259318634266152004-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:002005-01-04T00:22:19.146-08:00

from Doctors Without Borders:December 27, 2004 In response to the earthquake and tsunamis that have devastated parts of South Asia over the past weekend, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is preparing to provide emergency assistance to people affected by the disaster. MSF is readying a full charter of relief supplies for the area of Indonesia closest to the epicentre of the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103920456002616722004-12-24T14:00:00.000-08:002004-12-28T10:57:19.420-08:00

My sentiments exactly... from Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today: "Support Our Troops" is a wonderful patriotic slogan. But the best way to support troops thrust by unwise commanders in chief into ill-advised adventures like Vietnam and Iraq is to bring them home. Sooner rather than later. That should be our New Year's resolution.And with that, I wish you all a Merry (or Happy, depending on which

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103921353100556082004-12-24T13:49:00.000-08:002004-12-28T11:02:41.920-08:00

from SFGate:The future of same-sex marriage in California was left in the hands of a San Francisco Superior Court judge Thursday after a conservative group closed two days of hearings by arguing that gays and lesbians were inherently unfit for marriage. "They can't perform the basic functions of marriage," said Rena Lindevaldsen, an attorney for the Campaign for California Families. "There is a

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103919836844571592004-12-24T13:20:00.000-08:002004-12-24T12:35:27.010-08:00

from SFGateWhile Bush has said he views his Nov. 2 election victory as a mandate for his policies, his decision to renominate the 20 candidates drew a rebuke from Ralph Neas, president of the liberal lobbying group People for the American Way. "His plan to renominate extremist nominees shows absolutely no recognition that a deeply divided nation deserves bipartisan consultation over these

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103852559144713782004-12-23T17:42:00.000-08:002004-12-23T17:42:39.143-08:00

from Boston dot comThe commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, told CNN on Thursday that preliminary findings indicate the culprit in Tuesday's bombing wore an Iraqi military uniform. Ham said the attack probably was the result of careful planning by an organized group such as one which has claimed responsibility, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army. Ham took personal

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103782053851003322004-12-22T22:07:00.000-08:002004-12-28T11:04:21.496-08:00

from PBS' NewsHour: GWEN IFILL: What do you mean? LT. COL. RALPH PETERS: Well, what mystified me when I heard about this, Gwen, was that even in maneuvers back in the Cold War days when you were just playing war, you got your chow and you dispersed because in war if an artillery shell would hit you wanted them to kill two or three or four soldiers at most, not forty or fifty or sixty or eighty.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103778598585884052004-12-22T21:09:00.000-08:002004-12-22T21:09:58.586-08:00

Or... It's lots of fun to criticize Government regulation and "trial lawyers", that is, until you need them to protect you from the excesses of corporate greed and actuarial cost/benefit calculations. from Robert Reich in the latest American Prospect:So we've got an FDA that's not protecting consumers from harm, and pending legislation that makes it almost impossible for people who are hurt by

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103653291049176472004-12-21T10:21:00.000-08:002004-12-21T10:21:31.050-08:00

from Reuters: The White House says it expects a full investigation of prisoner abuses in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after new FBI memos described detainees facing beatings and having lit cigarettes placed in their ears."If there is abuse that occurs, we expect it to be investigated fully and people to be held accountable, and measures taken to make sure that it doesn't happen again," White

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103652597011805772004-12-21T10:09:00.000-08:002004-12-21T10:26:14.090-08:00

from the Guardian UK: A civil liberties group is charging that military interrogators at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, some posing as FBI agents, humiliated and abused detainees, including inserting lit cigarettes in their ears.Releasing e-mails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday one detainee was wrapped in an Israeli flag and some

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103652101012664982004-12-21T10:01:00.000-08:002004-12-21T13:43:13.176-08:00

from California's Central Valley (not exactly Berkeley) Modesto Bee: Visions of sugar plums must dance through his head. President Bush was masterful in presenting a rosy worldview at his Monday press conference.He said he will 'provide every tool and resource for our military.' Yet troops are scrounging scrap metal in landfills for armor. As the military calls up 55-year-olds to keep the ranks

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103184417693097292004-12-16T00:06:00.000-08:002004-12-16T00:06:57.693-08:00

Brilliant. From Richard Cohen at the WashPost: The White House medal ceremony was really about George W. Bush. It had a slight touch of the absurd to it, as if facts do not matter and failure does not count.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103058611160354442004-12-14T13:10:00.000-08:002004-12-14T13:11:15.913-08:00

from NYT:Complaining that Republicans have failed to oversee how billions of dollars of taxpayer money is being spent, Senate Democrats said Monday that they would begin holding oversight hearings of their own, even though they are in the minority and have no subpoena power to compel the testimony of government officials."The Congressional watchdog remains fast asleep, and we intend to wake it

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1103058388450533092004-12-14T13:06:00.000-08:002004-12-14T13:13:12.303-08:00

from NYT:The new disclosure is the latest sign of longstanding unease in intelligence circles about the military's interrogation techniques in Iraq. Complaints by the Defense Intelligence Agency about the rough treatment of prisoners by the same Special Operations units were made public last week in a document disclosed by the American Civil Liberties Union.Now it ain't just the "red diapers"

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102629668510698332004-12-09T13:25:00.000-08:002004-12-09T14:10:43.266-08:00

from Media Matters: Reverend Pat Robertson called Kwanzaa "an absolute fraud" during the news segment of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club December 6. After lamenting that "left wing educators, left-wing judges are stripping every vestige of our Christian heritage," Robertson, host and Christian Coalition of America founder, said: "Kwanzaa is an absolute fraud. You know, there was no

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102620257681429722004-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:002004-12-09T11:28:09.026-08:00

this ridiculous position from our chief dimwit (from Yahoo! News):Bush renewed his call for legislation that would let workers create private retirement accounts within the government-run program.He sidestepped questions about whether the nation can afford to borrow in order to confront a shortfall in the trillions of dollars, saying, 'I will not prejudge any solution.'But, he said, 'We will not

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102547697580912862004-12-08T15:14:00.000-08:002004-12-08T21:09:21.166-08:00

from BBC:Concerned US defence workers were told to keep quiet about the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners, memos obtained by a US civil rights group have revealed.Documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union also show that special forces officers ignored FBI fears over their interrogation methods.FBI and Defence Intelligence Agency concerns were ignored or brushed aside by special

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102485395027681442004-12-07T21:56:00.000-08:002004-12-07T21:57:39.560-08:00

Paul Krugman picks up the scent in today's NYT:Privatizing Social Security - replacing the current system, in whole or in part, with personal investment accounts - won't do anything to strengthen the system's finances. If anything, it will make things worse. Nonetheless, the politics of privatization depend crucially on convincing the public that the system is in imminent danger of collapse, that

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102379242758682002004-12-06T16:27:00.000-08:002004-12-06T16:27:22.756-08:00

fromABC News: Former Rep. Bill Frenzel, R-Minn., a member of a bipartisan study commission on Social Security Bush named in 2002, said Social Security 'is still the third rail' of American politics and asked: 'Will the Congress be willing to suffer the risk of electrocuting itself at the president's request?'"I couldn't have said it better myself. The coming conflict over Social Security has the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102378939142416592004-12-06T16:22:00.000-08:002004-12-18T13:56:30.500-08:00

from The Springfield MO News-Leader: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday that the government should review federally funded sexual abstinence programs, under fire from Democrats who say they contain false and misleading medical information.The 'abstinence-only' programs, which get $170 million from Congress this year, teach children and teens the benefits of abstaining from sex until

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102377240144169182004-12-06T15:54:00.000-08:002004-12-06T16:53:32.143-08:00

If you work for a mutual fund company, you probably do... 'cause they make money whether the market goes up or down. The proposed "partial privatization" of Social Security is a scam to allow financial service companies to skim profits off the retirement benefits of working Americans. It stinks to high heaven and the Bushministration is going to have a real battle on their hands if they try to

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102376619473359032004-12-06T15:43:00.000-08:002004-12-06T16:48:34.676-08:00

from CNN:"'I think it's less safe,' Gen. Pervez Musharraf said on CNN's 'Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer.'Asked whether he considered the invasion a mistake, the Pakistani leader said: 'With hindsight, yes. We have landed ourselves in more trouble, yes.'"And we thought he was supposed to be an ally. I'm sure if he were standing next to the President on the White House lawn he would be sining a

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1102376115057706952004-12-06T15:35:00.000-08:002004-12-06T22:25:22.166-08:00

If you saw the photos in this Sunday's Times, you now know what a "Hangin' Judge" looks like. This story is about the most blood-thirsty, single-minded court in the nation. Overworked, underqualified, and all-around unjust. Go ahead, guess which state I'm talking about. from NYT: Instead of considering much of the evidence recited by the Supreme Court majority, the appeals court engaged in

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1101274898125010562004-11-23T21:41:00.000-08:002004-11-23T21:43:27.236-08:00

After a chilling display of nonchalance at a serious abuse of legislative process, the Congressional leadership is forced to reconvene (in classic full retreat mode - I love it) to undo their own chicanery. I doubt this is good for their hopes of future usurpations of power. Nobody I know is looking the other way... (from WashPost)

Davidnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1101225548089432872004-11-23T07:59:00.000-08:002004-11-23T08:00:55.436-08:00

In a surprising rebuke of the Bushministration, Congress squelches research on new nukes (from SF Gate)Opponents of the new programs were ecstatic."This responsible decision demonstrates the growing bipartisan concern and distrust of the Bush administration's irresponsible and risky nuclear policy," Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, said in a statement after the appropriations bill was

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1101147746648688962004-11-22T10:22:00.000-08:002004-11-22T10:29:18.516-08:00

from Media Matters comes this outing of the uncritical parrots of DeLay's pitifully contrived defense strategy... or... How to shake the "Liberal Bias" label? Simply ignore the facts and run our critics' talking points verbatim...Media complicit in spreading false GOP smear of district attorney investigating DeLay As justification for altering party rules in the House of Representatives in order

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1101147112033817362004-11-22T10:11:00.000-08:002004-11-22T10:22:51.966-08:00

David Brooks, with whom I usually disagree profoundly, has given us a peek into the (hopefully) inevitable downfall of "The Hammer" (from NYT): Tom DeLay is bleeding and he doesn't even know it. This week, House Republicans bent their accountability rules to protect their majority leader from what they feel is a partisan Texas prosecutor. But they hated the whole exercise. They sat in a

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100889843999762472004-11-19T10:42:00.000-08:002004-11-19T10:44:04.000-08:00

From the always entertaining Tom Tomorrow:Because I did grow up in Iowa and Arkansas, I also know that being a liberal in those places--even when you are sequestered in a college town--is a substantively different experience from being a liberal in San Francisco or New York. And anyone who writes me and tries to pretend otherwise, tries to pretend that there is absolutely no difference, that

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100888450888275162004-11-19T10:13:00.000-08:002004-11-19T10:20:50.886-08:00

Oh, Colin. Will you ever learn? from the WashPost: Secretary of State Colin L. Powell shared information with reporters Wednesday about Iran's nuclear program that was classified and based on an unvetted, single source who provided information that two U.S. officials said yesterday was highly significant if true but has not yet been verified. and a few paragraphs down: The official said the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100884001289848472004-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:002004-11-19T09:39:51.583-08:00

I wonder if Canada has anything they can import that would mitigate this condition:Subject: New CDC Virus Warning The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of a sexually transmitted disease. This disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhealectim (pronounced "gonna re-elect him").Many victims have contracted

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100206044965172532004-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:002004-11-11T12:47:24.966-08:00

from MoveOn: Subject: Tell Congress to Investigate the 2004 Election Dear friend, Questions are swirling around whether the election was conducted honestly or not. We need to know -- was it or wasn't it? If people were wrongly prevented from voting, or if legitimate votes were mis-counted or not counted at all, we need to know so the wrongdoers can beheld accountable, and to help prevent this

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100192155634878422004-11-11T08:55:00.000-08:002004-11-11T09:00:05.416-08:00

From the Daily Show With Jon Stewart: We begin tonight with a shakeup in the cabinet. After serving President Bush for four glorious, terror-filled years, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his resignation yesterday with a statement reading in part, 'the objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.OK! Done, and done. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100135506231181442004-11-10T17:11:00.000-08:002004-11-10T21:12:36.350-08:00

from Mark Morford at SFGateWe are all suckers, all losers in this election. Are you a Democrat? Republican? Doesn't matter. The line is no longer liberal/conservative. It is no longer tax 'n' spend versus cut 'n' deficit, Toyota Prius versus Ford Expedition, happy godless heathen sodomite versus Mel Gibson.It is now ultrawealthy, power-hungry Bushite CEO versus, well, the rest. Do you see? News

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100130773540604672004-11-10T15:52:00.000-08:002004-11-10T15:55:03.770-08:00

from Talking Points Memo:The oddity of this Red State moralism argument emerges most clearly when you look at statistics for virtually every form of quantifiable social dysfunction. Divorce, out-of-wedlock birth, poverty, murder, incidence of preventable disease --- go down the list and you’ll see that they are all highest in the reddest states and lowest in the bluest.Not to mention the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100126865164566132004-11-10T14:43:00.000-08:002004-11-10T14:49:36.436-08:00

from Common Dreams:While the heavily scrutinized touch-screen voting machines seemed to produce results in which the registered Democrat/Republican ratios largely matched the Kerry/Bush vote, in Florida's counties using results from optically scanned paper ballots - fed into a central tabulator PC and thus vulnerable to hacking – the results seem to contain substantial anomalies.In Baker

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100119236333165122004-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:002004-11-10T12:40:36.333-08:00

Howard Dean, from The Dartmouth Online: "There will not be retreat on behalf of the Democratic Party," Dean said, exhorting the audience to make the United States the strongest nation in the world in moral values and moral leadership.Dean emphasized the importance of the Democratic Party's commitment to its core values and principles, saying that the nation did not need "two Republican parties.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1100035513302078802004-11-09T13:25:00.000-08:002004-11-09T13:40:26.670-08:00

Election result maps from the University of Michigan: The (contiguous 48) states of the country are colored red or blue to indicate whether a majority of their voters voted for the Republican candidate (George W. Bush) or the Democratic candidate (John F. Kerry) respectively. The map gives the superficial impression that the "red states" dominate the country, since they cover far more area

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099980932906577182004-11-08T22:15:00.000-08:002004-11-09T13:37:14.223-08:00

from NYT: OK, so I may be an elitist, but at least I'm not STUPID...

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099980619873276202004-11-08T22:10:00.000-08:002004-11-09T13:34:22.186-08:00

from NYT: God bless the ACLU. Somebody's got to defend these poor schmucks... And it sure ain't gonna be the Bushministration.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099893793048124262004-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:002004-11-10T10:26:20.136-08:00

from NYT: Instead of the New Frontier, Karl and W. offer the New Backtier. Even as a child, I could feel the rush of J.F.K.'s presidency racing forward, opening up a thrilling world of possibilities and modernity. We were going to the moon. We were confronting racial intolerance. We were paying any price and bearing any burden for freedom. We were respecting faith but keeping it out of politics

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099587799794425832004-11-04T08:48:00.000-08:002004-11-04T09:03:19.796-08:00

from NYT: Ms. Camhe explained the habits and beliefs of those dwelling in the heartland like an anthropologist. "What's different about New York City is it tends to bring people together and so we can't ignore each others' dreams and values and it creates a much more inclusive consciousness," she said. "When you're in a more isolated environment, you're more susceptible to some ideology that's

Davidnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099556459117243592004-11-04T01:17:00.000-08:002004-11-04T00:20:59.116-08:00

from netpolitik: Bringing Light to a World in Darkness By Nick Lewis There is no political movement whose goals are more admirable, necessary, or virtuous than that of the Progressives. We fight the forces of war, ignorance, and greed with all of our hearts; many of us even understand that the survival of civilization, and perhaps humanity itself, may rest upon our shoulders during the next

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099554778162643112004-11-03T23:48:00.000-08:002004-11-03T23:59:46.366-08:00

It's been a somber day here in the City by the Bay. We're all looking a little down in the mouth. Uncomfortably numb. I'm looking forward to mending relationships damaged by the campaign of bitterness, resentment, and lack of understanding. If only it could all be dismissed as a wardrobe malfunction. I've been considering folding this blog, expecting that my original anger, the eponymous boiling

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099553327980065232004-11-03T22:34:00.000-08:002004-11-03T23:39:56.660-08:00

from MoveOn: Although George Bush won by 3% nationally, we must remember that 55.4 million Americans stood with you and with John Kerry. You are certainly not alone. And a healthy environment, a strong and fair economy, good schools, domestic safety and the end of the war in Iraq are goals we all share -- red states and blue states alike.Our journey toward a progressive America has always

Davidnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099505553659931302004-11-03T10:00:00.000-08:002004-11-03T23:39:02.736-08:00

food for thought from NYT's Nicholas Kristof:"The Republicans are smarter," mused Oregon's governor, Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat. "They've created ... these social issues to get the public to stop looking at what's happening to them economically." "What we once thought - that people would vote in their economic self-interest - is not true, and we Democrats haven't figured out how to deal with

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099501015000906372004-11-03T08:42:00.000-08:002004-11-03T08:56:55.006-08:00

cold comfort from Daily Kos: Not a few people have spoken in the past few hours about an Americanist authoritarianism emerging out of the country's current leadership. I think that's not far-fetched. Fighting this requires that we stick together, not bashing each other, not fleeing or hiding or yielding to the temptation of behaving as if "what's the use?" It's tough on the psyche to be

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099419676558242452004-11-02T10:17:00.000-08:002004-11-02T10:21:16.643-08:00

Well, here we are. It's been a long, strange trip, but election day is finally here! Let's all get out and vote - prove the pundits and networks wrong and demonstrate our power to determine the course of history. My wish list: Big turnout, a clear winner before midnight Pacific time, and oh yes, a long vacation for George W. Bush. Keep the faith! VOTE!!!

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099268763419524882004-10-31T16:22:00.000-08:002004-10-31T16:26:03.420-08:00

from Billmon's Whiskey Bar: And now we have local GOP Gauleiters in Florida soliciting oaths of allegiance not to the flag, not to the country, not to the constitution, but to the person of the leader -- albeit still an elected one, at least for now.Hail Caesar. Pretty scary stuff.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099266861995449862004-10-31T15:51:00.000-08:002004-10-31T15:59:45.456-08:00

from Talking Points Memo: Received yesterday from a reader down in the trenches... Still in Florida. This was one of the most moving, meaningful days of my life. My job is to get people to the polls and, more importantly, to keep them there. Because they're crazily jammed. Crazily. No one expected this turnout. For me, it's been a deeply humbling, deeply gratifying experience. At

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099208235489421182004-10-31T01:31:00.001-08:002004-10-31T16:01:32.323-08:00

Don't forget who let the badguy get away... from Top Dog: How Bin Laden Got Away "Mr. President, Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward states that you asked General Franks to start planning for Iraq just two months after 9/11. Your own Vice President told ABC News at the time that he thought Bin Laden was at Tora Bora. Can you explain the timing of this apparent distraction?"

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099207656711998672004-10-31T01:24:00.000-08:002004-10-31T00:27:36.710-07:00

elegant interactive map from the NYT

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099204839111911212004-10-30T23:35:00.000-07:002004-10-31T00:01:45.850-07:00

check out this post-OBL poll from the Minnesota Star-Tribune: Minnesota Poll: Kerry takes 49%-41% lead over BushIndependent candidate Ralph Nader, who received 5 percent of the vote in Minnesota four years ago, appears to remain a non-factor in 2004. He is supported by only 1 percent of the state's likely voters.Jacobs, whose most recent poll had Nader at 5 percent, said that's more evidence of

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099203975569164642004-10-30T23:23:00.000-07:002004-10-30T23:26:15.570-07:00

from NYT:To the Editor: Re "Video Shows G.I.'s at Weapon Cache" (front page, Oct. 29): The primary stated reason for the invasion was to remove Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction for the safety of the United States and the world. Al Qaqaa was a known W.M.D.-related site. Among the hundreds of tons of explosives - as the video shows - were some bearing the International Atomic Energy

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099203158266705192004-10-30T23:08:00.000-07:002004-10-30T23:16:55.443-07:00

from Common Dreams:So let's roll up our sleeves. That's why I'm here today, to stand alongside Senator Kerry and to tell you that the country we carry in our hearts is waiting. And together we can move America towards her deepest ideals. And besides, we had a sax player in the [White] House -- we need a guitar player in the White House.     Alright -- this is for John. This is for you, John.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1099202637288012882004-10-30T22:57:00.000-07:002004-10-30T23:21:00.593-07:00

This week has been such an exhausting ride that time seems to be telescoping, making election day feel like an eternity away. Plenty of time for some Karl Rove spectacular. As for the Friday afternoon OBL PR stunt, I think that anyone who switches their vote now is allowing the enemy to influence the process. Seems likely to have a positive effect on Republican turnout, though. The comment made

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098945463354154412004-10-27T23:33:00.000-07:002004-10-27T23:37:43.356-07:00

from the Kerry-Edwards blog: General Wesley Clark released the following statement today in response to President Bush's remarks today about the missing explosives in Iraq:“Today George W. Bush made a very compelling and thoughtful argument for why he should not be reelected. In his own words, he told the American people that “…a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098944919487391122004-10-27T23:27:00.000-07:002004-10-27T23:28:39.486-07:00

View

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098741524350211022004-10-25T14:50:00.000-07:002004-10-25T14:58:44.350-07:00

are you looking at my blog?blog-looker...from USA Today:Instead of ducking every time Bush lobs an attack on liberalism, Democrats should point out how often he embraces the good it produced. They should remind voters that it wasn't limited government that created housing for returning GIs after World War II. That it wasn't a massive tax cut for the wealthy that funded Social Security for U.S.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098738343215730732004-10-25T14:05:00.000-07:002004-10-25T14:07:22.976-07:00

from NYT: After the invasion, when widespread looting began in Iraq, the international weapons experts grew concerned that the Qaqaa stockpile could fall into unfriendly hands. In May, an internal I.A.E.A. memorandum warned that terrorists might be helping "themselves to the greatest explosives bonanza in history."Meanwhile, our boys were guarding Oil Ministry offices... why, if the troops were

Davidnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098720249722099202004-10-25T09:03:00.000-07:002004-10-25T09:04:09.726-07:00

BREAKING NEWS Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer, senior government officials tell CNN.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098687562900484442004-10-24T23:54:00.000-07:002004-10-24T23:59:22.900-07:00

from Jim Hightower: Here's a new political slogan with some integrity and democratic gravitas to it: "Let's run government like a government."This is, of course, the opposite of the tired, old, tried-and-failed slogan that politicians of both parties have been pushing for years: "We'll run government like a business." The Clintonites used this in the Nineties with their "reinventing government"

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098686973224080532004-10-24T23:40:00.000-07:002004-10-24T23:49:33.226-07:00

from Reuters: The U.S. Army is laying the groundwork to let Halliburton Co. keep several billion dollars paid for work in Iraq that Pentagon auditors say is questionable or unsupported by proper documentation, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Forget about big government. The business of war is sucking our country dry. While we suffer a degraded environment, departing jobs, decaying

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098643836272721982004-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:002004-10-24T11:50:36.273-07:00

from FindLaw:A storm warning of things to come if the vote is as close as expected.This next presidential election, on November 2, may be followed by post-election chaos unlike any we've ever known. Look at the swirling, ugly currents currently at work in this conspicuously close race. There is Republicans' history of going negative to win elections. There is Karl Rove's disposition to challenge

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098643561202953852004-10-24T11:28:00.000-07:002004-10-24T11:46:01.203-07:00

from AP: �U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Boca Raton Democrat, sued and demanded that all counties produce paper records.In testimony this past week in Fort Lauderdale, the attorney for county elections chiefs said Wexler was playing politics, trying to "squeeze one more vote out" and "regress" to the confusing recounts of the 2000 election.Florida law requires a manual recount in any race with a

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098642442815930232004-10-24T11:16:00.000-07:002004-10-24T11:27:22.816-07:00

more dirty tricks: from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Scores of college students in Pennsylvania and Oregon have had their voting registrations switched by teams of canvassers circulating bogus petitions and, in some cases, partially concealed voter registration forms students were requested to sign.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098641769849498782004-10-24T11:15:00.000-07:002004-10-24T11:16:09.850-07:00

from NYT: The Democrats, who tend to benefit more than Republicans from large turnouts, said they had registered more than 2,000 recruits to try to protect legitimate voters rather than weed out ineligible ones. Republican officials said they had no intention of disrupting voting but were concerned about the possibility of fraud involving thousands of newly registered Democrats. "The organized

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098640907276068212004-10-24T11:00:00.000-07:002004-10-24T11:01:47.276-07:00

via email: Subject: FW: A day in the life..... A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098640774043267302004-10-24T10:52:00.000-07:002004-10-24T23:09:25.656-07:00

I've been a little behind on my posts... very busy time of year. from The American Conservative George W. Bush has come to embody a politics that is antithetical to almost any kind of thoughtful conservatism. His international policies have been based on the hopelessly naïve belief that foreign peoples are eager to be liberated by American armies - a notion more grounded in Leon Trotsky’s

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098331645994027862004-10-20T21:05:00.000-07:002004-10-20T21:07:25.996-07:00

from Media Matters: Conservatives echoed dubious Bush claim that lawsuits are responsible for vaccine shortageFollowing Senator John Kerry's recent criticism of President George W. Bush's alleged failure to anticipate the current nationwide shortage of flu vaccinations, conservative media figures have quickly echoed Bush's claim that medical liability is the major cause of the shortage. But,

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098331373971690302004-10-20T21:00:00.000-07:002004-10-20T21:02:53.970-07:00

from LA Times: Facing advertiser defections, a viewer boycott and a plummeting stock price, as well as strong opposition from Democrats, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. scrapped its plan to air a film that attacks the 1970s-era antiwar activities of Sen. John F. Kerry (news, bio, voting record), and will instead run a special produced by its news division incorporating parts of the movie.The

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098331055313651632004-10-20T20:53:00.000-07:002004-10-20T20:57:35.313-07:00

from Media Matters for America: Gen. Franks's claim in NYT contradicted by news reportsIn an October 16 New York Times op-ed piece, retired General Tommy Franks attempted to undermine Senator John Kerry's assertion that the Bush administration "took its eye off the ball" with regard to pursuing Osama bin Laden and prosecuting the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Franks claimed: "Neither

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098244437641131472004-10-19T20:41:00.000-07:002004-10-19T20:53:57.640-07:00

And this analysis: (both from LA Times)    The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket (link)     By Robert Scheer     The Los Angeles Times     Tuesday 19 October 2004 The agency is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials.     It is shocking: The Bush administration is suppressing a CIA report on 9/11 until after the election, and this one names names. Although

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1098128592028806832004-10-18T13:38:00.000-07:002004-10-18T12:43:12.026-07:00

from a friend: Subject: WHO SERVED AND WHO DIDN'T (fwd) Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 01:09:37 +0000 DEMOCRATS * Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71. * David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72. * Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72. * Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade. * Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69;

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1097907118269519232004-10-15T23:06:00.000-07:002004-10-15T23:11:58.270-07:00

from AP: Rove Testifies in CIA Leak Investigation and Joe Lockhart's response:In response to reports that Karl Rove testified before the grand jury investigating the CIA leak case, Kerry-Edwards campaign Senior Adviser Joe Lockhart issued the following statement: “With two weeks to go before the election, the American people are still in the dark about how it is that their White House leaked

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1097906713511463712004-10-15T23:02:00.000-07:002004-10-15T23:06:41.123-07:00

you've got to be kidding me.from AP:

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490379.post-1097902991761311862004-10-15T22:00:00.000-07:002004-10-15T22:03:11.760-07:00

Jon Stewart on Crossfire 10/15/04 from CNN: President Bush was saying, John Kerry's rhetoric doesn't match his record.But I've heard President Bush describe his record. His record doesn't match his record.

Davidnoreply@blogger.com0