Simon is a prowar social liberal.

Sounds oxymoronic to me. Spend billions on munitions leaves a whole lot a'nothin' left.

David, the most interesting part of this post, is the email from the Dem reader.

Mr. David Corn,

Seems like an odd mix. I guess some people will have to turn in their pj's for suede pj's.

Hope it takes off and really rocks.

I am happy to see nothing has changed here.

Thanks

Kirk

Mr. David Corn,

Seems like an odd mix. I guess some people will have to turn in their pj's for suede pj's.

Hope it takes off and really rocks.

I am happy to see nothing has changed here.

Thanks

Kirk

This blog still has issues about posting errors.

The problem is on your end so I will not apologize for the constant double posts.

Have your web wizard check it out. It happens all of the time.

capt

Actually, let me be a little less glib - David, please define social liberal. Does that mean he fine with gay marriage, probably thinks we shouldn't throw people in jail for weed, you know, things that don't cost the government money, but that welform reform that throws mothers into minimum wage jobs without child care programs, NAFTA, you know, all those good Democratic programs are just fine?

I hope someday we're not saying "follow the money" when referring to OSM.

Who's funding this operation? And why?

"Simon is a prowar social liberal. "

More confused than oxymoronic, but labels are like that. I think the intention is to defy the label.

capt

Capt.,

I think it is linguistically confused. 'Prowar' I am assuming, refers to this war specifically, in the context of Mr. Simon. Prowar as a general ideology is abhorrent and any war is terroristic in certain aspects.

Bloggers often comment and contextualize news; few break news. It's an admirable--though tough--goal.

is it really so tough as all that to break news in today's bogus news climate? seems to me that all one would have to do is find a topic that most people ignore, but that a few dedicated individuals do their damndest to uncover the truth about, and report on that - hmmm .... where could one ever find such a topic? ....hmmm.

CLICK MY NAME TO ORDER THE FREE DVD "CONFRONTING THE EVIDENCE: Reopen 911"

MSNBC Questioning what happened on 9/11

Professor believes planes didn’¥ cause all the damage around the WTC

Millions of people watched the horror of 9/11 right before their very eyes, live on television. Two planes, crashing into the World Trade Center. Less than a couple of hours later, both towers, of course, collapsing.

On Monday, Tucker Carlson welcomed Brigham Young University Professor Steven Jones to the ’ìituation.’†Jones, a professor of physics, believes that the hijackers may not have brought down the towers by themselves.

To read an excerpt of their conversation, continue to the text below. To watch the video, click on the "Launch" button to the right.

TUCKER CARLSON: Well, just sum up this-obviously your theory, just the one sentence that I just explained, in the intro, contradicts what we all think we know about how these towers collapsed. Quickly sum up your explanation for what’≥ happened. Story continues below ? advertisement

STEVEN JONES, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY: ... What I’≠ doing, Tucker, is presenting evidence, but it’≥ a hypothesis to be tested. That’≥ a big difference from a conclusion, and so I just wanted to clarify that. But to sum up that I have looked at the official reports by FEMA, and so on... regarding the collapse of-yes, of these buildings. ...

I’§ like to look at the collapse of building seven in just a minute. It was not even hit by a jet. So we’¨l look at that one.

*****end of clip*****

Demolition experts have a hard time dropping a building into its footprint. Three for three is nearly a miracle.

capt

for instance; maybe some journalists wouldn't consider BYU Prof. Steven Jones' report on the collapse of WTC1,2,7 to be "breaking news", but dig a little deeper and one discovers that Tucker Carlson of MSNBC had the stones to run a piece (however brief it might've been) on the good Prof. and his report. there's a story right there!: "Bow-tied Pundit Exhibits A Modicum Of Spine Where Others Do Not!"

damnit! I've been scooped by the capt.!

Bill Clinton calls Iraq "big mistake" -- Arab students cheer.

Saddam beaten up for hurling obscenity

*******************

Well, not much of a beating by US interrogation technique standards....

During the panel discussion at the OSM event, didn't anyone notice that John Podhoretz, in his bit on blogger reliability and truth telling, ironically misstated the claims of Steve Clemons at thewashingtonnote.com and in a very humorous way illustrated just the point he was trying to make? 23 indictments? Clemons predicted based on his sources, between 1 and 5. In fact, even Clemons reporting on Woodward seems to be coming to fruition.

"Bloggers often comment and contextualize news; few break news."

HUH?

James, do you think Carlson makes the decisions about who comes on the show? I wonder. I read that transcript this morning, not much got accomplished. But maybe someone else will run with it. How about you David?

micki, if clinton thinks this war is a mistake, why is hillary banging the war drums so loudly?

Haven't read this post yet but commnenting on the last.

What David keeps pointing out is the dysfunctional behavior of this group. They have two thoughts floating out there to keep the listener confused and focused away from the problem. It's so classically con man it's like watching Angel on Rockford.

Another thing, they keep bringing up that it was the same info Clinton had. That is such a weird argument. When you build an administration are you not supposed to work with people who are experts? He had good people. Richard Clark, O'Neil to name two. As president you are supposed to find the best people in areas of life and death issues. So why is he now talking about Clinton? This has nothing to do with Clinton. It's again Bush's own incompetence.

It is possible to think the war was a mistake but want it completed successfully

ed, how can they possibly turn this disaster into a success? By sending more of our kids into that radioactive hellhole, and spreading the slaughter across the entire middle east to secure pipelines? Maybe success for oil companies, death and destruction for everyone else involved.

James, this is from the 9/11 blogger site.

Tonight on Tucker Carlson's 'The Situation', Tucker responded to calls he received stating that Steven Jones was not given enough time on last night's show by stating:

[referring to the caller]your one of dozens, scores, maybe hundreds of people who called and wrote after our segment last night..
..
[referring to Steven Jones]he claims in his writings.. he believes the U.S. government had a role in blowing up the world trade center, that it was not done by terrorists..
..
if you really believe the U.S. government killed 3000 of its own citizens for no reason and lied about it and invaded Afghanistan as a result of something it did, you ought to leave the country.. because that's so terrible.. so evil, that your tax dollars go in to support it make you complicit in it. if you really believe that, you ought to leave..

but we're gunna keep an open mind..

Tucker exemplifies the reasons why it is necessary to leave it up to scientists and researchers, and not government cronies and talking heads, to investigate the truth behind 9/11, because otherwise one might be blinded by their own assumptions and emotions. Tucker not only acted as though his moral compass is above those that question 9/11 (specifically a 20+ year Professor at BYU), but he also committed slander in his comments about Steven Jones' research.

While the report written by Steven Jones mentions the U.S. government several times in reference to their failures of investigation, at no point in his paper does he suggest the government was involved in carrying out the attacks, although I'm sure many others would, and have.
------------
He's just another schill. I think they only allowed Jones on to make a fool of him later.

The one concern I have for this OMS experiment is that this blog will be invaded by the 'Bills' of the world. I don't mind discussion but not the same rhetoric over and over. Also I've seen on other blogs where the back and forth goes out of control. It stops being civilized.

The Washington Journal show was an eye opener to me. I didn't know there were so many people out there who were so willing to sound totally ignorant of the facts and spout facts that were incredibly immoral.

Some blogs are very good. Comments are very insightful.
There could be breaking news on a blog. I have seen comment areas where people give information I haven't seen anywhere. They explain issues from their own perspective and expertise. I have on occasion seen a post that I thought was somebody who wanted certain information to get out and the person blogged vague suggestions

Administration Thinks Abuse Sounds Better than Torture
By Robert Fisk
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

*****************

It would be an abuse to excerpt this excellent article, read the whole thing at the link provided.

Jeanne, that whole scenario you describe can be very easily avoided. Simply ignore the bushbots. It takes two to argue, if they get no response, they will leave, guaranteed.

Woodward Had Recently Denied He Had 'Bombshell' and Downplayed Plame Probe

NEW YORK Bob Woodward and The Washington Post revealed late Tuesday that he had testified before the federal grand jury probing the Plame/leak scandal on Monday, saying that he, indeed, had talked to an unnamed official about the CIA operative in June 2003, among other revelations (see Bob Woodward Now Embroiled in Plame Scandal). This came as a surprise to most, including his editor, Leonard Downie Jr., particularly since Woodward had downplayed the scandal in numerous TV appearances.

He has called Patrick J. Fitzgerald a "junkyard dog prosecutor" and said in interviews this year that the damage done by Plame's name being revealed in the media was "quite minimal." He told NPR this past summer, "When I think all of the facts come out in this case, it's going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great."

Here are excerpts from his recent appearance on Larry King's CNN show, with Mike Isikoff of Newsweek, just before the Libby indictments came down. The date was Oct. 27, 2005. Woodward also revealed there, "I'm trying to do a book on the Bush second term."

*

KING: We're in Washington where things are hopping and we're going to follow up again tomorrow night. We're going to lead this round with Bob Woodward as we turn to tomorrow.

But, Michael Isikoff whispered to me during the break that he has a key question he'd like to ask Mr. Woodward, so I don't know what this is about.

ISIKOFF: No, look, this is the biggest mystery in Washington, has been really for two years and now as we come down to the deadline of tomorrow the city is awash with rumors. There's a new one every 15 minutes and nobody really knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Nobody knows what Fitzgerald's got.

I talked to a source at the White House late this afternoon who told me that Bob is going to have a bombshell in tomorrow's paper identifying the Mr. X source who is behind the whole thing. So, I don't know, maybe this is Bob's opportunity.

KING: Come clean.

WOODWARD: I wish I did have a bombshell. I don't even have a firecracker. I'm sorry. In fact, I mean this tells you something about the atmosphere here. I got a call from somebody in the CIA saying he got a call from the best New York Timesreporter on this saying exactly that I supposedly had a bombshell....

But Michael's point is exactly right. There is deep mystery here. It only grows with time and people are speculating and there are -- there is so little that people really know.

Now there are a couple of things that I think are true. First of all this began not as somebody launching a smear campaign that it actually -- when the story comes out I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started kind of as gossip, as chatter and that somebody learned that Joe Wilson's wife had worked at the CIA and helped him get this job going to Niger to see if there was an Iraq/Niger uranium deal....

I don't see an underlying crime here and the absence of the underlying crime may cause somebody who is a really thoughtful prosecutor to say, you know, maybe this is not one to go to the court with.

KING: You're saying this is a maybe.

WOODWARD: A maybe, only a maybe....

--------------------

I don't get Woodward. He of all people understands the need for good journalistic integrity and strong media and it seems he's no better than Judy Miller.

Robert, I also love the word "prevail," it sounds so positive! I can't help but wonder about the clinton's sudden reversal on the war. Maybe she is planning to run in 2008. Now that the war is so unpopular they will have to tell us rubes what we want to hear, so that they may "prevail!"

Happy Holidays from FEMA!

Simple rule - do not feed the trolls they will go elsewhere.

The only reason any trolls come here is because they can drone one with their mindless BS and get three or four replies.

They are prevaricators and the reply is their prize. They will never be convinced and from the sound of things they will always be successful prevaricators here as they always get and answer to their inane and insane posts.

The troll craves recognition.

Just my opinion.

capt

"If someone offers you a gift, and you decline to accept it, the other person still owns that gift. The same is true of insults and verbal attacks." ~ Steve Pavlina, How to Win an Argument, 08-31-05

Brrrrrr.
I have to go outside. It's a -7 windchill and the wind is howling at 26 to 29 mpr with gust up to 38. ICK.
It's a two hands on the wheel driving day.
Tonight I have to help my daughter haul some art. That ought to be interesting with the wind this high. I predict a fair amount of swearing.
Tonights low will be a straight 8 degress.

I see you don't mention the provenance of Charles Johnson--namely, the racist hate site, littlegreenfootballs.com. It's up to you to figure if you're being played for a beard by OSM, but c'mon, what will it take for you to bail, having them add stormfront.org? The line between stormfront and LGF is pretty slim.

THE GRAY ZONE

How a secret Pentagon program came to Abu Ghraib.

by SEYMOUR M. HERSH
Issue of 2004-05-24

According to interviews with several past and present American intelligence officials, the Pentagon’≥ operation, known inside the intelligence community by several code words, including Copper Green, encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq. A senior C.I.A. official, in confirming the details of this account last week, said that the operation stemmed from Rumsfeld’≥ long-standing desire to wrest control of America’≥ clandestine and paramilitary operations from the C.I.A.

Rumsfeld, during appearances last week before Congress to testify about Abu Ghraib, was precluded by law from explicitly mentioning highly secret matters in an unclassified session. But he conveyed the message that he was telling the public all that he knew about the story. He said, "Any suggestion that there is not a full, deep awareness of what has happened, and the damage it has done, I think, would be a misunderstanding." The senior C.I.A. official, asked about Rumsfeld’≥ testimony and that of Stephen Cambone, his Under-Secretary for Intelligence, said, "Some people think you can bullshit anyone."

*****end of clip*****

A little context in regard to torture and such.

capt

ha ha! no Sali, I don't think tucker carlson could even decide what to have for breakfast on his own, much less schedule the programming for his own show... I was in no way praising tucker or MSNBC, or their opinions...rather, I was making an underhanded dig at a certain other journalist (who will remain nameless) for not rising above the status of mcMedia...

however, even if tuckleberry finn and all of MSNBC were mocking Prof. Jones and his well thought out report, (which can be read in it's entirety by clicking on the LINK AT #12, ha ha!), they only served to open the gates of the mcMedia on what could become a flood of information regarding 911 .... IMHO. ha.

sorry about the foul weather micki, wherever you are .... it's the most beautiful day of all time here @ 70 deg. and not a cloud in sight @ 10:46a

In the continued spirit of never posting anything of real value or relevance to the ongoing discussions, I would just like to say, Jeanne, that it is about 80 degrees, sunny and balmy here in Charleston and you are always welcome to stop by.

Oh! Well hello there, James, I didn't see you at first! My bad! How are you? Oh, I'm fine, thanks, just fine!

Discovery of tortured Iraqi prisoners sparks outrage

Sources say Iraqi PM and US forces had been told about 'torture cells' months ago.

By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

The Iraqi government has ordered an investigation into the alleged abuse and torture of 173 prisoners, most of them Sunni Arabs, in an Interior Ministry cell in Baghdad. The Guardian reports that the men were discovered during a raid by a US patrol as it was looking for a missing teenage boy. The US troops were stunned by what they found - many of the prisoners appeared to have been brutally beaten and most had been malnourished for weeks. There are also rumors of several dead bodies in the cell that showed signs of severe torture.

*****end of clip*****

Does anybody think have no responsibility for this? They are talking and acting like they are all surprised and shocked?

They are what we made them and do as they are told. We wanted to make a change and replaced their nightmare not with our dream but our nightmare.

There is something that we are spreading and it is not freedom nor democracy.

People and politicians are turning on Bush because we are all getting sick and tired of his failure(s) making Americans look like jerks.

When the leadership is feckless it makes the whole darn country seem without enough "feck" to bring about a course correction to the ship of state.

We have a very rough road ahead and we have not yet made the necessary U-turn.

39 more months of basically the same unless we have an impeachment. The only effect so far might slow or trim the momentum but we need much more.

capt

Nice and chilly with a clear autumn breeze here in the ABQ. First hard freeze of the season early this morning. Still under 40f outside.

Trees are turning (sepeately thank goodness). The idea of intertwined roots just makes me feel dirty.

capt

sepeately ? separately would make more sense.

I do need to apologize to TRH and flan for making a statement about passenger lists that it turns out I cannot back up, but I did find THIS, which discusses the dna evidence from the passengers of flight 77, which is very strange, since there seems to be no flight 77 in THIS PHOTO taken less than an hour after the supposed flight 77 impact at the pentagon.

sup Robb? ha ha! life is great when one has the day off on a weekday, ya?

ha. there IS something to be said for changing the subject all of the time

Don't forget that Open Source Media™ is attempting to trademark the name Open Source Media™ and the initials OSM™ Don't forget the trademark! Also, all of the Open Source Media™ pages are copyrighted, so any media appearing on Open Source Media™ is by definition not open source.

Our Site and all its contents, which includes, but is not limited to, text, graphics, photographs, logos, video and audio content, is protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. http://www.osm.org/site/about/privacypolicy

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
Protocol III
Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons.
Geneva, 10 October 1980

Article 2

Protection of civilians and civilian objects

1 It is prohibited in all circumstances to make the civilian population as such, individual civilians or civilian objects the object of attack by incendiary weapons.

2 It is prohibited in all circumstances to make any military objective located within a concentration of civilians the object of attack by air-delivered incendiary weapons.

*****end of clip*****

There is the legal language.

capt

and speaking of Carlson .... there's a REAL investigative journalist named Jon Carlson, who uncovered an FBI report:

FBI Claims 84 Videos Show NO Flight 77 Impact

everyone should see the beautiful photographic work in this story for themselves.

it's amazing the lengths some people and journalists will go to in order to convince themselves.

Sources: Tentative Patriot Act Deal Struck

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal on the expiring Patriot Act that would curb FBI subpoena power and require the Justice Department to more fully report its secret requests for information about ordinary people, according to officials involved in the talks.

The agreement, which would make most provisions of the existing law permanent, was reached just before dawn Wednesday. But by midmorning GOP leaders had already made plans for a House vote on Thursday and a Senate vote by the end of the week. That would put the centerpiece of President Bush's war on terror on his desk before Thanksgiving, a month before more than a dozen provisions were set to expire.

Officials negotiating the deal described it on condition of anonymity because the draft is not official and has not been signed by any of the 34 conferees.

Any deal would mark Congress' first revision of the law passed a few weeks after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In doing so, lawmakers said they tried to find the nation's comfort level with expanded law enforcement power in the post-9/11 era —†a task that carries extra political risks for all 435 members of the House and a third of the Senate facing midterm elections next year.

For Bush, too, such a renewal would come at a sensitive time. With his approval ratings slipping in his second term, the president could bolster a tough-on-terrorism image.

The tentative deal would make permanent all but a handful of the expiring provisions, the sources said. Others would expire in seven years if not renewed by Congress. They include rules on wiretapping, obtaining business records under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and new standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power.

By noon, House Democrats on the panel were issuing objections to the seven-year expiration, arguing that since the House had endorsed the four-year expiration dates enacted as part of the Senate bill, the three provisions should "sunset" at four years, not seven. They also complained that Republican negotiators shut them out of the last phase of talks, a charge Republicans deny.

*****end of clip*****

This is bad news.

capt

American patriots are taking the DOJ and the FBI though the wringer in a Federal Court. A retired FBI agent told this writer that FBI lawyers are hacks. He claimed any good attorneys go to work for the other side!

Bronco Bingham is the plaintiff in the main FOIA action to obtain the Pentagon videotapes. His crackerjack attorney, Scott Hodes, is running circles around the FBI lawyers.

but there's surely no story there, why anyone would want to report on THAT is beyond me

"They also complained that Republican negotiators shut them out of the last phase of talks, a charge Republicans deny."

Here, I am sure this is what they will say;

The dems were never shut out. The doors were not locked, they were jammed. Which cannot be a lie because all doors have jams ergo all doors are jammed.

See, not locked out, no lie!

capt

Yes indeed, the dashboard Jesus business has been a bit slow of late, hence an afternoon off from supervising the eyebrow painting team.

the patriot act .... ha.

...lawmakers said they tried to find the nation's comfort level with expanded law enforcement power in the post-9/11 era —

ha. that means they're trying to walk the fine line between skoding us, and us realizing it.

Bob Woodward, assistant managing editor of The Washington Post, today apologized to his newspaper's executive editor for waiting two years to tell him that a senior Bush administration official had told him about the C.I.A. operative Valerie Wilson.

************
Bob Woodward continues to carry water for the busheviks. I think he's protecting Cheney and/or Bush...

Use of White Phosphorous against populations is a war crime, period. (4) Burster Type White phosphorus (WP M110A2) rounds burn with intense heat and emit dense white smoke. They may be used as the initial rounds in the smokescreen to rapidly create smoke or against material targets, such as Class V sites or logistic sites. It is against the law of land warfare to employ WP against personnel targets. Any questions about the one responsible?

Capt, that's what they get for passing the first version without even reading it. Hard to put that genie back in the bottle!

ha. actually, I finished all of this weex work last week ... I'm bucking for a promotion to the virgin mary dept... they get to paint eyebrows AND lips.

THIS IS TOO MUCH! I just had to post it...what a jerk!

"Despite his concerns about his confidential sources, Mr. Downie said, Mr. Woodward "still should have come forward, which he now admits. We should have had that conversation . . . I'm concerned that people will get a misimpression about Bob's value to the newspaper and our readers because of this one instance in which he should have told us sooner."

Mr. Woodward's testimony appears to make him the first known reporter to have learned about Ms. Wilson from an administration source. In the indictment of Mr. Libby, prosecutors cite a June 23, 2003, conversation Mr. Libby had with Judith Miller of The New York Times, in which Mr. Libby told her that the wife of Joseph Wilson might work at the C.I.A. .

WTF, isn't napalm also illegal? That hasn't stopped them from using it though.

you have a good memory Robb, I haven't admitted to what my employment is for a very long time now

Weekly Standard Attacks 9/11 Skeptics

Wayne Madsen | September 28 2005

WMR and this editor attacked by Rupert Murdoch's and whiny Bill Kristol's right-wing rag, The Weekly Standard. I participated in a 911 Truth Panel chaired by Georgia Democratic Representative Cynthia McKinney on September 23. The panel was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus's annual conference. An article by Sonny Bunch, formerly with Roll Call, about the conclave is titled, "March of the Conspiracy Theorists: America's nuts make the long journey to Washington."

Notice how the neo-cons reach for infantile descriptors when they get their panties in a twist? As for my "long journey" to Washington -- if hopping on the Metro in Arlington, Virginia and getting off seven stations away in DC is a "long journey," I guess it is as long as The Weekly Standard says so.

I could go on forever about how a conspiracy of neo-con "nuts," including the pathetic sycophant Bill Kristol and the James Bond villainesque Rupert Murdoch, lied this country into a war in Iraq and stand ready to do the same exact thing with Iran, Syria, and God knows where else.

*****end of clip*****

Just for us conspiracy nuts. Take a trip over to WMR, I always enjoy WMR. Thanks to the person that linked it originally I am sure I got there from here my first time.

capt

Yes, napalm is illegal to use against populations also. Oddly enough tear gas is also illegal to use against the troops, but not against civilian populations for riot control. Go figure, and no nothing will stop these smucks from doing what they think they can get away with. Using DU is also a war crime under the geneva conventions but hey since when does the US have to abide by the rules. The next time they do something to us, we will snivel and whine about it being brutal or cowardly but think about getting a precision guided five hundred pound bomb in your living room and it takes out the neighborhood. Yup, just a bunch of good old boys spreading that there democracy, we ought to try some of that here at home. Think we need it?

think we need what? tear gas and DU and precision guided 500lb bombs? we're more likely to receive those than the spreading around of real democracy - ha.

WTF, that is precisely what I was trying to point out to TRH yesterday. Civilians with families today, insurgents, enemy combatants and terrorists tomorrow. Just because the govt. and their lip syncing puppets in the MSM say they are foreign in nature doesn't make it so.

every 2nd or 3rd time I hit post I get "website not responding" - has that been happening to anyone else? - that's been going on for a good week now, and I've learned to copy each time before I post, no matter how trivial -

I think David will decide that he was played for a fool (tool?) if and only if a check bounces because if he won't admit it yet then he either is an idiot savant with a gift for writing or a bought and paid for _____. You fill in the blank.

"In a Battle of Wits, Iraq's Insurgency Mastermind Stays a Step Ahead of U.S."

that's a headline from today's L.A.TIMES -
no wonder they're winning, it's a battle of wits instead of a battle of body armor

While I've been told some find it boring, every time I go to these blogs I get banned for posting information that riles the readership at the hive. Simon did it twice. That's a telling tactic for squelching opposing voices. There's a Stalinesque menatality at work here. I hope David and Marc can blow the lid off on a regular basis.

Guilt - The Price of Being Wrong

by: Ava

According to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll, Americans' views of President Bush and his trustworthiness have hit new lows. Bush’s job-approval is 37%, his approval on the situation in Iraq is 35%, and only 46% of those polled think bush is honest and trustworthy. Excuse me for my lack of excitement, but why has it taken this long and over 2,000 American lives for the ratings to hit this level, and who are the 37% that still blindly approve of Bush?

Since the beginning of the Iraq war there have been those of us who have been trying to get the American public too see the truth behind the lies of the war and the Bush administration. It’s taken long enough, but finally the approval ratings of Bush have fallen to 37%, and the approval on the situation in Iraq sits at 35%. These low approval ratings have caused a bit of celebration among Democrats and the anti-Bush crowd. While it’s pleasant that the American public is starting to see the light, it’s sad that it’s taken this long. Most of all, it is mind-blowing why 37% of Americans would still approve of George W. Bush.

What will it take? What will it take for this 37% of Americans to finally disapprove of George W. Bush? It seems that flat out lying to the American public, causing the death of over 2,000 U.S. troops and at least 30,380 Iraqi civilians, involvement in the leak of a CIA operative, and our failing economy is not enough for them to finally see the light.

*****end of clip*****

Peace takes courage. To make peace is much harder than to wage war. We are up to the task. We have never been so weak that we had to strike out in rage or fear. Our top officials were wrong. We need to change it to fix it.

"If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it." ~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Lewis, Jr., May 9, 1798

capt

Did you bring your Alan Colmes mask, David? Because that's who you've become. Get out now, before you're called 'Alan' for the rest of your life.

Bloggers are sometimes right in the middle of a scene. We got pictures of the protest roundups in NYC, where folks were detained, what the conditions were like, etc. Other media sources were not there to see the nitty gritty. We don't see gruesome pictures of the mess in Iraq or even details of the riots in France on network news. Bloggers make this kind of material available. For those who argue the subjective nature of blogs, well, that's all reporting. Until we make robotic journalists, any and all news will be subjective. I rely on blogs to get all my news; I haven't watched TV in years.

Mark A York #65 -
that's why WE'RE here .... to blow the lids off.
here's a good example of the mcMedia:
THIS IS CNN ha.

"I think they were awfully fast to pull out a rifle," he said. "If a person started knocking over a few dominoes they wouldn't shoot him would they?"

A Dutch website called Geenstijl offered a $1,200 reward for anybody who knocks over the dominoes ahead of time to avenge the bird.

A little rebellion now and then...is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), Letter to James Madison, 1787

Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
Thomas Jefferson (Motto on his seal)

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness] it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...
Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence)

Open Source‚Ñ¢ Matters might take a dim view of "Open Source Media" using its trademarked name OPEN SOURCE‚Ñ¢

Or, then again....maybe they are figuring the "other" OPEN SOURCE‚Ñ¢ is a company of underfunded international geeks who they can walk all over in typical fascist-style.

(Then again maybe the trademark isn't protected in the United States...but blogs aren't restricted to the U.S....)

Ooops...I thought I had the little TM icon in there...

goob,
That's a really good point. We are the eyes and ears of America. We report on what we see and hear. It's hard to fake the news when bloggers are reporting it.

yes Jeanne, it's hard to fake the news when bloggers are reporting it... but then bloggers are the only ones that see blogs, so the rest of the sheople only see what mcMedia portray as the truth -

I know this is off topic but I just want to make you people jealous of my day. So far I've put plastic on my windows to keep the cold out, dug out my long underwear and got my flu shot. I don't want to read any whining because you aren't as lucky as me. I didn't have to shovel. That would just be over the top.

9/11 Aid For Ground Zero Workers To Be Taken Back By Congress…

Congressional budget negotiators have decided to take back $125 million in Sept. 11 aid from New York, which had fought to keep the money to treat sick and injured ground zero workers, lawmakers said Tuesday.

^^^^^^^^^^6

so first NY had Christine Todd Whitman lying to them that "the air and water in NYcity is perfectly safe to breathe and drink" following 911, and now this - what's next? - maybe they'll proclaim sept.11 to be a national holiday --
SAUDIBUSH DAY!

wow Jeanne, I am jealous! - I've had to open all the doors and windows of my house in order to let all the fresh air in - ha. sorry doll.

Think that all the boys over there are the apple pie model? Nope, they are representative of the real american society not some image conjured up by a PR firm. Read this: In Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War, Wright vividly describes the confusion and raw brutality of executing a military strategy in a civilian landscape. In one story, after a bloody expedition through an Iraqi town, a marine who was excited at the death and mayhem pants: "I was just thinking one thing when we drove into that ambush. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I felt like I was living it when I seen the flames coming out of windows, the blown-up car in the street, guys crawling around shooting at us. It was f---ing cool." This is war fought by a generation raised on hip-hop, reality TV, internet porn - and video games. When the unreal meets the surreal.

Yes, James, very nice. Well it is getting a bit cool here, I may have to put a shirt on.

Recently discovered documents reveal Saddam had hidden WMD before invasion and also had extensive ties to AlQaida reports Stephan Hayes of the Weekly Standard. The documents were just discovered in Iraq.

#78 WTF -- You've said what most dare not say...a friend taught 6th grade...one of her students who lives in her rural area, graduated, screwed around a little with a militia-type group, joined the Army, went to Iraq in the troop buildup, war starts, came home, and can't wait to go back...he told her he really got off on the war...he said when he first got over there, he got bored waiting around for the war to start, he got itchy...said he'd go back in a heart beat to kill those bastards.

No apple pie for that guy.

HA HA HA HA

A man who published a study that he said proved the Nazis did not gas Jews at Auschwitz has been deported from the US to his native Germany to serve a prison term for Holocaust denial.

Forget the hyperbole. Rudolf is a chemist, and he performed a chemistry experiment. He tested samples from the Auschwitz buildings for the presence of cyanide, which should still be present even after 60 years, and could not find it. All his report said is that the building he tested did not have levels of cyanide residue consistent with the historical claims made for that building.
In a normal civilized and free society, the proper response is for other scientists to come in and repeat the experiment. Then, if they come to a different result, a search for the cause of the discrepancy begins, until finally the truth is known.

But we are not seeing such a reaction. The chemist was convicted by the German courts for daring to question. And the fact that his results suggest the question was valid is not a defense.

A new dictatorship is being imposed on the world; a dictatorship of thought. One can be punished for having "wrong" thoughts about a certain subject.

You can doubt there were WMDs in Iraq, you can doubt the Moon landings happened, you can doubt the existence of the gods, all without peril.

But to doubt the official version of the history of WW2 is to risk prison.

Why? Why is this one and only one area of inquiry subject to such punishment? What is it about this subject that laws exist to prevent even a single question?

^^^^^^^^^^6

I think that I can guess: because it leaves the option open for locking up those who dare question the events of 911? maybe?

Recently discovered documents reveal Saddam had hidden WMD before invasion and also had extensive ties to AlQaida reports Stephan Hayes of the Weekly Standard. The documents were just discovered in Iraq.

ha. that's right up there with the recently revealed cali. driver's license found at the scene of flight 77's supposed impact into the pentagon

Jeanne; got my butt outa cold weather 20 years ago and don't miss it a bit, misery index was off the charts, sunny and 72 here. P.S. get a snow scoop it works better for the heavy stuff.

ha. the new pajama party is going to be infinitely sorry if it links to the comment section of davidcorn.com

Let's not forget the very smart and very savvy kids going to college and university.

The advances in nano-technology, laminar flows on a nano scale, friction coefficients on a nano scale, Gravity waves, new catalysts and even some returns to older schools of thought or new ways of seeing things (hydrino working models). The next generation is going to surpass our achievements by far and in many if not all ways.

We have some very bright kids that are the first generation to have the advantage of fast computer models with real world variables that would have been impossible to imagine a decade ago. Wait and see what they do with it in the next five years, I wager they will knock our socks off and blow our minds.

We have a generation coming on as we go off that is of artists and artisans that will expand beyond the previous standards of excellence.

No, there is a mix of people. Some geniuses, some idiots and a whole bunch of normal middle of the road types that we all have to admire as the salt of the earth even in their simplicity. There is as much accuracy in the generalizations made as there was when the same generalization were made about us. Long haired dope smoking hippies that will never amount to a thing.

True for a few but certainly not all.

In the generation that will follow, after our exit, has a person that will invent something that will make fossil fuels sound like dinosaur juice. Another young person will be a leader, there will be some very stellar types that will leave their mark on our world and not all the marks will be bad.

We have yet to fully realize equality, civil rights and civil respect for all Americans. If you were born before 1967 and have a mixed race heritage you were the progeny of an illegal union. Imagine a generation free from the hate, the racial slurs, the calls for racial purity.

I still truly believe that the depth and depravity of these times are necessary learning experiences for all of us, for society in general and especially for our kids. They are not missing a thing. They are taking notes on what they think is good and bad and we all can share in our poor example(s). (true)

This is not the end of anything, it is more the beginning of something newer and hopefully better. Certainly different. I think just like us they will blow it on a few issues, hopefully not the same ones. In time the issues have to change.

This is from a cynic, albeit an optimistic one.

capt

Since I support Bush's use of war to export democracy to Iraq, it seems I'm a "troll" here -- rather than more echo chamber. Why don't you "liberals" who have blogs try to follow David and get your ideas/ news/ (BS? more than likely from my point of view) onto the new Open Source Media? I liked the Dem letter on D. Kay, about what happened to the WMDs. It's really annoying to have to repeat, over and over, that the Burden of Proof was on Saddam -- to show he did NOT have any WMDs. His actions with Blix showed, pretty clearly, he was never going to prove he had none. Only regime change would show that ... though buried or shipped out (Bekka?) are also possible. Leftists love to talk about "accountability" of Bush -- but never note what standard they use. So far some 2000+ US soldiers have been killed in the3 years of Iraqi Liberation / Nation Building. That seems like a great job, to me -- Iraq is closer to self-governance than Kosovo after 6 years of UN, or Darfur. To call somebody incompetent implies there is standard of competence -- if you can't say what the standard is, calls of incompetence are just ad hominem. I do like attention; but don't crave it. I crave ... a world without dictators. Preferably in my lifetime.

Charles Johnson is also a prowar social liberal. He certainly isn't a conservative by any definition of that word.

Charles Johnson is also a prowar social liberal. He certainly isn't a conservative by any definition of that word.

You guys are pretty f'n hysterical. I can't believe how you people are so totally detached from reality. Don your tinfoil hats, moonbats! It's all a sooooper seeekrit conspiiiiiracy! Flying monkeys and all! You can solve it! You are the Army of the Comment Revolution! Run! Hide! Bushitlerummy McHalliburton Co. is out to get YOOOOU! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!!!

"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness] it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...
Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence)"

As a direct descendant of of of those patriots I agree. This government out to be thrown out, but we missed our chance last year. Better luck next time with this writing on the wall.

"Charles Johnson is also a prowar social liberal. He certainly isn't a conservative by any definition of that word."

Who cares what his social views are? His site is a wingnut festival. People who believe BS like that proof of Al Qaeda/wmd/Iraq fallacy. That's an out and out lie not because I say so. but because it is all on its own.