 |
||||
|
|
March 01, 2006Lowry Reponds...and So Do I (And a Update/Clarification}After reading Bill Buckley's recent column, in which he contends that the war in Iraq is a failure, I threw a challenge at National Review editor Rich Lowry. Since during a debate with me last September, Lowry said that critics of the war were enemies of "democracy and freedom" and favor only one policy in the Middle East--"tyranny, tyranny, tyranny"--would he now say the same of Buckley, the founder of his magazine? Lowry replied yesterday this way: David Corn...is baiting me to denounce Bill Buckley. I was unaware that a few months ago David had written an incredibly tendentious account of a debate we had at Eastern Connecticut State University. Supposedly I labeled David an "enem[y] of democracy and freedom." This would have been a very ill-considered charge, and although these debates can get heated, I don't remember saying it. I do remember complaining that in all our debates David had never once expressed the slightest pleasure at Saddam's ouster or the Iraqi elections. Never once. I do remember complaining that the Left has suddenly lost a lot of its foreign-policy idealism, and elements of it had basically sided with the Iraqi insurgency. (I noted that Code Pink and other left-wing groups had issued a statement in support of the insurgency, something David promised to rush back to his key-board and denounce--not sure whether he ever did.) I do remember arguing it is an odd thing to say you are honoring the troops when you can never bring yourself to acknowledge that they have done any good. Finally, I remember an exchange at the end when I thought David spoke with a sneering, sarcastic voice about democracy, and took umbrage (he, in turn, denied his voice had been sneering and saracastic, and I said it had been, and so on--we're not talking Lincoln-Douglas here, I'm afraid). For the record: I don't think David is an enemy of democracy, just a partisan blinded by Bush hatred. And I see no connection between the crowd-pleasing bile he sometimes spews at our debates, and Buckley's prudential doubts about nation-building in Iraq. Is that a beige-colored flag? I did not report that Rich had called only me an "enemy of democracy and freedom," but that he had hurled that insult at critics of the war in general. He now says if he said anything like that he was wrong to have done so, Apology accepted. [Clarification: In a phone conversation, Rich tells me that he truly does not recall uttering those words. Thus, my tongue-in-cheek "apology accepted" might be going too far. I take Rich at his word on his failure to recall that comment and withdraw my "apology accepted"--especially since he gentlemanly concedes that if he said such a thing he went too far. I only have my previous blog item (which was based on notes I took at the event) to back up what I reported. I'm confident I got it right, but there is no transcript. The event was taped for local public access television, but I'm not going to chase down a copy of that tape now. In any event, see how talking among debaters--instead of blogging at one another--can lead to respect and understanding?] But he does not address his use of the passionate "tyranny, tyranny, tyranny" remark--which was not directed at those who oppose the war because they don't like Bush but at anyone who did not accept Bush's neocon-driven, (mostly) after-the-fact justification for invading Iraq: we're bringing democracy to Iraqis and the region. Buckley's criticism of the war certainly indicates he does not buy that Kool-aid. Yet Rich would not consider for a moment calling WFB a tyranny-enabler. As for being blinded by Bush hatred, such a charge is always an easy out for someone trying to delegitimize an argument. Is retired General Anthony Zinni--who called the invasion of Iraq a "brain fart"--blinded by hatred? And if you do believe a president misled the nation into an ill-advised war without preparing adequately for the aftermath, would hatred not be a reasonable reaction? Perhaps Rich would prefer war critics to not go beyond disappointment and peevishness. And as for my reaction to Saddam's ouster and Iraqi elections, Rich would do well to research before blogging. I have gone to the videotape. This is the lead of a piece I wrote on Saddam's capture: It is not unheard of for good to come from bad. George W. Bush misled the United States into war and occupation. His administration was recklessly negligent in its planning for the post-invasion period. It has poorly managed the challenges of nation building in Iraq, ensnaring the United States in an ugly (and lethal) mess. And he has alienated America from much of the world. Yet Bush has bagged Saddam Hussein, the butcher of Baghdad. The capture of such a murderous fiend is good news. Hussein deserves to rot for the rest of his days in the underground rat's nest where he was found. Regarding elections in Iraq, here's a portion of the blog entry--entitled, "Hooray for the Purple Fingers (Is Bush Right About Something?)"--I wrote after the January 2005 elections: [T]here was something wonderful about the election. As columnist Bob Herbert noted in The New York Times on Monday, much was wrong with the election. Voters were not fully informed. Candidate lists had been kept a secret until right before the election. Candidates had been assassinated. The Sunni boycott largely succeeded. And the true impact of the election will not be immediately known. Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser for the first President Bush, speculated before the election that if the voting produced a national assembly dominated by Shiites and lacking significant Sunni representation, more civil strife--perhaps civil war--could ensue. Then again, maybe it won't. But the purple finger was a powerful symbol. (Elections workers dyed the index fingers of voters to prevent people from voting more than once.) How many Americans would risk their lives to cast a vote? ....Critics of the war and the continuing quasi-occupation ought not to diminish what occurred on Sunday...The election does not justify the war. It does not excuse Bush for greasing the way to war with false assertions and hyperbolic fearmongering. Nor does it mean the war will work out in the end and yield a democratic, stable Iraq allied with the United States in the fight against violent Islamic extremists. But those who opposed the war ought not to be blinded by their justifiable disregard for Bush. What was good for Bush--a decent turnout--was also good for Iraqis and for those who want an end to the United States' military involvement in Iraq. The critics now should point to those purple fingers and argue that we need more such becolored digits, that such fingers ought to be truly pushing the buttons of the new government, and that they ought to be increasingly on the triggers of guns used to secure Iraqi citizens from the insurgents who have declared war not only on US troops but on democracy itself. And soon those stained fingers should be waving at departing US forces, not pointing angrily at them. The link to that posting above is not working at the moment on this site (archive troubles!), but you can see parts of that blog, under attack, here. So a new question for Rich: who's the blinded one? Posted by David Corn at March 1, 2006 11:40 AM | ||
Comments
Mr. David Corn,
"I don't remember saying it."
First defense is I don't remember? Is Rich getting his talking points response confused?
Seems he would like to change the subject, no surprise. He sounds like one of our resident trolls misquoting and misrepresenting.
Thanks
Kirk
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 11:51 AM
Don't sweat this guy David, just typical trollish behavior, we instead need to activly persue a course that opens the eyes of the American people to what the Mis-Administration has done, break the stranglehold the MSM has on information, and provide other avenues to insure the Constitution of the US is enforced.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 11:53 AM
Like your challenge was intended to "bait" Rich into denoucing Bill?
Of course you could not possibly be calling him on his hyperbolic insults.
You have him dead to rights.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 11:53 AM
Memory Loss
Dear Cornposters:
There are various types of memory loss. For example a person is watching television and he goes to the bathroom. When he returns to watch the television program, he forgot what the program was about. Or, he is watching television and he gets up to go to the bathroom and when he is in the bathroom, he forgot why is there.
Memory loss happens in various ways as we grow older. For example as we grow old, we start to forget names. As we grow older, we start to forget a person's face. There are people who go to the bathroom and after they finished their business, they forgot to zip up their pants. And, you are really old, when you go to the bathroom and you forget to unzip your pants to do your business.
If Scooter Libby can still remember to unzip his pants when he goes to the bathroom, HE DOES NOT HAVE MEMORY LOSS.
Sincerely,
Gerald
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:06 PM
Lowry has no defense strategy because when a person is wrong, they are wrong. How can Lowry make right when he is totally wrong?
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:09 PM
David,
Do youever spend time reading the comments on your own blog?
I ask, because Lowry's behavior is typical of the pro b-administration pundits. B-administration supporters pose frequent loud and nonlinear arguments. Saladin has likened some of them to "barking dogs". I like that phrase. Like my dog, they get locked into a nonthinking reaction that is ceaseless until they lose interest or the owner quiets them. Many commenters here have realized that it is a waste of time to attempt to permeate the central nervous system of these characters. Truth and reason are lost on them. All we can do is live to a high standard of awareness and speak truth.
Ya know the saying --"Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes time, and it annoys the pig".
Thanks for your blog. And thanks for holding your own in tense debates. Through folks like you, the pundits are held to a higher level of truth.
Later,
th
Posted by: th at March 1, 2006 12:11 PM
It gets very old hearing from the Reich-wingnuts that because a person opposes the Iraq invasion and our continued presence that we must love Saddam, and hate the troops.
They have been blinded by the vilification of Saddam and it is they who ignore the fact that our troops have done their job. They followed orders and have done their duty. They deserve to be brought home. The civil war is not due to a failure of our military it is another failure of leadership at the highest levels.
There has never been a clear goal in Iraq. If it is to "win the war on terror" such a goal is absurd. It is like winning the war on drugs or winning the war on poverty.
How can these neocons support such a screw up and continue to support the jerks that are responsible?
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 12:12 PM
Tony Blair is ignoring us, grieving families say
Grieving relatives of servicemen killed in Iraq will march to Tony Blair's doorstep today to ask why the Prime Minister repeatedly refuses to meet them face to face to defend his policies on the war.
Their move comes in the aftermath of two more deaths of British servicemen in Iraq, bringing the UK death toll to 103, and as the number of mothers, fathers and wives of dead servicemen campaigning against the war continues to grow. In the past months, the families have asked for meetings, but their requests have been turned down.
In an open letter published in The Independent today, which will be handed into No 10, the relatives of 20 British soldiers killed in Iraq call on Mr Blair to acknowledge the grief and concerns of bereaved families by meeting them face to face. They want British forces to leave now.
In the letter, they state: "If you truly believe your policies, and the continuing need for the presence of British servicemen and women in Iraq, you should surely have the courage to face the families of those who have paid the ultimate price, and to explain them to us."
The families were given permission to deliver the letter today at noon, when Mr Blair will be in the House of Commons at Prime Minister's Question Time. A spokesman for No 10 said: "The Prime Minister will not be able to see the relatives."
*****end of clip*****
Bush is not the only coward hiding from the surviving family members of fallen heroes. Bush and Blair are two peas in a pod. How can anybody offer any respect to these misleaders? They have no respect for the families. That says more about them than the pathetic excuses.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 12:17 PM
SHUT IN, SHUT OUT
Two news items by FMNN reporter Jonathan Springston speak to America's troubled information culture
1. DP World tries to silence CNN
Lou Dobbs, host of CNNճ Ԍou Dobbs Tonight,ՠbest known for hammering fair trade and illegal immigration, reported on air Monday night that Dubai Ports World is attempting to silence Dobbsՠcoverage and opinion of the ports deal that has many Americans up in arms. Dobbs has a negative view of the deal because he believes there are serious national security concerns involved.
Dobbs reported that DP World has refused CNN any more interviews from Washington or London and has refused CNN access to film DP Worldճ operations in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
This is not the first attempt DP World has made to silence Dobbs. Mark Dennis, spokesman for a public relations firm that represents DP World, said on Feb. 21, "CNN wonմ shut up Lou Dobbs." Neither CNN management nor Dobbs will back down and Dobbs said he will continue to explore and report on the national security issues surrounding this deal.
2. Growing more isolated
A new CBS News poll shows only 34 percent of Americans approve of President George W. Bush, a new, all-time low figure. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans do not approve of the DP World ports deal. A separate poll shows only 32 percent believe the president has responded adequately to the needs of victims of Hurricane Katrina, a 12 percent drop from September. A poll conducted by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute shows 47.8 percent of Americans believe the U.S.-led coalition should withdraw soon from Iraq.
Meanwhile, members of Congress from both parties continue to express doubt and anger over the Dubai Ports World deal. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) told the New York Times, "I donմ see why the president wants to fall on his sword for the United Arab Emirates. Not in a post-9/11 world," referring to the presidentճ insistence that he will veto any bill from Congress that attempts to derail the deal.
Republicans are jumping off the presidentճ ship, feeling uncomfortable in an election year being associated with an administration facing several criminal investigations and which is receiving more outrage and scrutiny from the American public than at any other time.
Even state governors share animosity for the president. Speaking at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association on Monday, President Bush thanked the governors for their support of National Guard troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, even as state leaders are warning the administration that the latest budget will reduce the strength of the Guard and leave states less able to respond to homegrown emergencies. State leaders are hoping to receive some answers from the administration.
*****end of clip*****
Although I no longer watch Lou, the fact that DP World is trying to shut him up bodes very badly in my book. Why shut Lou up if the deal is good for everyone?
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 12:25 PM
David says:
"As for being blinded by Bush hatred, such a charge is always an easy out for someone trying to delegitimize an argument.....
=====================================================
Who do you suppose made it an "easy out" for someone like Lowry? It is a FACT that so much of the criticisms from the Left, if what I see on your blog is a good representation, declares itself to have extreme "Bush hatred". It is called `crying wolf' too many times! Your blog is Exhibit A thru Z.
Oh, you may not resort to blatant `hatred', but your Lefty Groupies more than make up for your `civility'.
David says further:
"And if you do believe a president misled the nation into an ill-advised war without preparing adequately for the aftermath, would hatred not be a reasonable reaction?
===================================================
This is a RIDICULOUS rhetorical statement & way beneath what a responsible journalist would say. However, if you hated Bush before the Iraq War (because he `stole' the 2000 Election?), AND believe he purposefully `misled the nation', then perhaps you and those that harbor similar thoughts, do hold `hatred' as a `reasonable reaction'. Most Americans simply don't fall into your camp.
I hate the whole concept of the `Great Society' and its aftereffects of generations of Gov't-Dependent, father-less poor families but I certainly don't think the orginal intent was to `mislead' the country nor do I `hate' the then-President for having started it all and the following Dem Presidents who enlarged the failed Concept.
Posted by: Happy slaps David at March 1, 2006 12:33 PM
How can Lowry make chicken cordon bleu from a chicken shit argument?
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:35 PM
This reply is in regards to homeboy's comments about Saddam. Sorry this is a little long and rambling.
I think that Saddam was the best thing for Iraq. He had an ability to control the masses. Most Arabs do not understand democracy, but they do understand Violence and Fear. Saddam used violence and fear to control the people, which was necessary. Tyranny has a time and a place, and it works in that region.
The Iraqi People were better off during is regime than any time after we toppled his govt. There is a Power vacuum and will be until a dominant leader takes over the govt. Im sorry to say so, but it is pretty obvious.
It is stupid and self centered to think that democracy is the only viable form of govt. I think it is the best, but not for everyone.
Ultimately, our efforts in Iraq are Futile. The only thing that the Iraqi people hate more than America is each other.
Perhaps the administrations true goal of the Iraq war was to introduce Chaos in the Middle East so that infighting prevents their progress as producing nations. If you want to prevent nucluar proliferation, bomb thier facilities used for nuclear research and production. Ultimately the impact of our invasion to Iraq will be worse than the impact of a nuclear bomb.
I would like to point out that there were far fewer Iraqi people dying under Saddams rule, there were far fewer suicide bomb attacks, More American soldiers have died in Iraq, than on 911.
I predict that chaos will spread through the region.
Back on topic: Criticizing a war that is in no ones best interest is not unpatriotic.
Sending troops into die for worthless and futile agendas is unpatriotic. Those Men and Women are doing a fine job given the circumstances, but there is no point to keep there there. If you want to support the troops let them come home. They do not want to be in a war.
Posted by: ben at March 1, 2006 12:38 PM
I think the problem with folks like Lowry is not that they're blind but that they only see in terms of black and white. This is illustrated by his puzzlement that a person could honor the troops while refusing to ackowledge they have done anything good. (On the left, Ted Rall has expressed the same puzzlement.) Why is it difficult for people like this to differentiate between respect for the individual soldier's effort and the chickenhawks' policy? Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, for example, clearly opposes U.S. policy in Iraq but has displayed enormous compassion for active-duty soldiers and veterans--he even received honors from the military recently.
Lowry's dualistic view echoes the "either-with-us-or-against-us" hetoric of George w. Bush (and Darth Vader). It won't surprise me at all if he interprets David's views reiterated in this post as either a surrender to the neocon view or a love letter to Saddam and tyranny. His only other option is to call David's view incomprehensible, because he can't comprehend anything that isn't 100 percent this way or 100 percent that way.
Posted by: eggman at March 1, 2006 12:40 PM
A Solution to Nothing
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:42 PM
Man that troll makes my head spin! YOU can't "hate" but HE can, go figure.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 12:42 PM
David, Rich Lowry uses the same technique as the empire builders in the WH use. They work on giving the impression of strength by hammering away at demeaning their detractors, using bald-faced lies whenever they have to -- afterall, it was lies that got them their war in Iraq. They know how to blow things up, but they don't know how to fix things. They have amassed their power based on misinformation and lies.
They know they have failed in Iraq. They know that the American people are (slowly) seeing the irrationality of the neo-cons' policies, so they will continue with their war of false words to confuse as many people as possible. Truth be damned! They know that a strike on Iran would REALLY make them look irrational at this point (because of their utter failure in Iraq), so we are going to see more of the Rich Lowry technique, not less.
General Rove to the faithful: "It's time to ratchet up the rhetoric against the Saddam-loving, bush-loathing, anti-war pussies. Man your stations!"
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 12:45 PM
A Common Cause
We need a common cause for the common good!!!
Just a reminder! Cindy Sheehan is one of my fourteen foxes who write great articles, alone or with another person.
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:47 PM
enem[y] of democracy and freedom?
Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a new target for the administration's domestic operations -- Fifth Columnists, supposedly disloyal Americans who sympathize and collaborate with the enemy.
_____________
I guess that would be you - and by extention, us. ha.
Posted by: James Ha at March 1, 2006 12:52 PM
Troops may come and go to Iraq, but the US will never leave until the neocons are gone. I feel a draft a blowin in the wind.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 12:53 PM
American Soldiers
2,564 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush and his lies.
Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. Sir Winston Churchill
Henry Kissinger says that military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy.
In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments. Napoleon Bonaparte
Nazi America is a mirror image of Hitler Bush.
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:54 PM
How Low Can He Go?
NYT Poll puts GWB at 34% - tied with the low point for his old man.
He's plummeted past Clinton's 36%. If he drops eight more points he'll tie with Carter's low, and only ten more to tie Nixon's nadir.
*****end of clip*****
I am sure Bunnypants can get lower than Nixon, he just needs to apply himself.
I wonder how Hitler would have polled, in the thirties?
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 12:56 PM
Who Polices the Police
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 12:57 PM
HEY CHILDREN OF THE CORN!
Haven't checked in with you for a long while (All together now...in true Dean fashion..."Yeeaaaarrrghhh!")....
just wondering how the Corn Flakes Echo Chamber is going.....ya'll got old Dumbya impeached yet for letting Mossad agents blow up the Twin Towers and remote-controlling American Airlines #77 into the sea, so that a Halliburton missile could hit the Pentagon?
Posted by: Gare at March 1, 2006 12:58 PM
Let me just be the first to say I am disappointed and peevish that out president led us into a war in Iraq on "faulty" intellegence without planning to secure the peace at great expense in treasure and lives. I'm dissapointed and Peevish. That's all.
Posted by: O'Reilly at March 1, 2006 12:58 PM
Ollie North, the Nightmare Returns
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:00 PM
Fighting the Smell of Death
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:03 PM
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush began his first visit to South Asia on Wednesday with a surprise stop over in Afghanistan, where thousands of American troops are still engaged in hunting down the architects of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. ******end of clip******** You gotta love when your liberator and savior has to sneak in and out of your country. Where were the flowers and kisses? Bongo
Posted by: bongolicious at March 1, 2006 01:04 PM
Don't Abandon Katrina Victims
Six months have passed since the ruin caused by Hurricane Katrina. What we now know is that nature was responsible for only a part of the destruction. Government mistakes, missteps, neglect, and fraud, all played a part in the subsequent tragedy Рmuch of which never should have happened.
On this six-month anniversary of the hurricane, FEMA has said it will EVICT the victims from hotels on March 15 even though it has NO plan in place to see that the families are housed properly.
That's the plan?
Now, weղe not emergency management officials, but we do care about our brothers and sisters in need. FEMA, we would like to suggest this two-step process:
1) Secure Housing
2) Move people IN (not turn people out!)
It is time for us to speak up again. Please help by sending a letter to the Honorable Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security (under which FEMA operates) and urge that FEMA put a humane, realistic, and achievable plan in place instead of simply threatening victims with deadlines for eviction. We have created a sample letter for you below. Simply send it as is, or feel free to add your own comments and suggestions. Thoughts reflecting your faith tradition are certainly appropriate here.
*****end of clip*****
A little more keyboard activism.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 01:07 PM
Mahatma Bush?
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:07 PM
Where Are the Good Americans or Are We All Nazi Americans?
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:10 PM
"Finally, I remember an exchange at the end when I thought David spoke with a sneering, sarcastic voice about democracy, and took umbrage (he, in turn, denied his voice had been sneering and saracastic, and I said it had been, and so on--we're not talking Lincoln-Douglas here, I'm afraid)."
What was that? Jeez, you're such a sneerer Dave. He sounds like a child. They demand their rights to be like children. It's a joke, a joke from the administration on down. Only I'm not laughing.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 01:11 PM
Don, never met anyone from your HS. I was just wondering if I would have ever heard of the place. Nope. I was a downriver kid. Grew up in Lincoln Park.
Posted by: Carol at March 1, 2006 01:15 PM
Hitler Bush Is a Total Screw Up
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:15 PM
#15 You can't hate what he loves but if you do, he hates you for it.
Today's post #10 was authored by HAPPY TO HATE.
He has has to go now and make lots and lots of money so move out of your parents basement and get a job.
Posted by: O'Reilly at March 1, 2006 01:17 PM
I'm still pinching your head even after all this time -
Posted by: James Ha at March 1, 2006 01:23 PM
Kenny's dead mule A city boy named Kenny, moved to the country and bought a mule from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the mule to him the next day. But the next day, the farmer drove up in his old truck and told Kenny, "Sorry, son, but I have some bad news, the mule died." Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Kenny said, "OK then, just bring me the mule." The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with a dead mule?" Kenny, "I'm going to raffle him off." The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead mule!" Kenny said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead." A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "So, what happened with the dead mule?" Kenny said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at $2 a piece and made a profit of $898.00." The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?" Kenny replied, "Just the guy who won, so I gave him his $2 back. Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 01:34 PM
#31 I'd love to see the tape of the debate. David, which public cable channel taped it? Maybe we could put it on bloggerhead.tv
Anyway, it sounds like things were getting a little heated and Lowry and you were taking umbrage to each other's statements. When that happens, it feels like your esteemed opponent is treating you with a lack of respect.
I'm glad David reached out (in the blogosphere) and Lowry responded. It seems the effort may have reestablished a modicum of respect in the relationship. That's good for both parties and the debate too.
Take no joy in the failure of the pre-emptive war policy but note with pleasure how the neo-con advocates jump ship like rats. (It?s hard not to feel some relief when you were of the opinion the idea was ill conceived and you?re blamed for its failure because you spoke out against it.) Listen carefully to how the neo-cons explain the result. For example, Kristol blames Rumsfeld and the military for not executing successfully. This is only the beginning?.
At what point does the president announce redeployment or is his resolve still keeping 120,000 military firmly planted in Iraq? Six months until the mid-term elections.
Posted by: O'Reilly at March 1, 2006 01:35 PM
I LOVE NAZI AMERICA, I REALLY DO! Have you heard? Yale has a college professor who was a member of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban are leaving Afghanistan and they are relocating in Nazi America. Will Nazi America develop a policy or a program to kill off our women if they look at a man? In the 1900s women fought for dignity and respect and in the 2000s women will return to collecting human and animal dung to be baked into dung cakes for the winter fuel so that will have enough energy during the winter months and be less reliant on foreign oil. The Busheneys really have a plan to increase our energy sources.
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:37 PM
#36 Den, very good!
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:42 PM
Dick Cheney and George W. Bush were having breakfast at the White House. The attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would like, and he replies, "I'd like a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit." "And what can I get for you, Mr. President?" George W. replies with his trademark wink and slight grin, "How about a quickie this morning?" "Why, Mr. President!" the waitress exclaims. "How rude! You're starting to act like Mr. Clinton, and you've only been in your second term of office for a year! '' As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers. . .. "It's pronounced 'quiche'."
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 01:44 PM
The Coward in Crawford Has Lost the Troops
Hitler Bush is really a total disaster!!! He euchred our troops with his endless lies!!!
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:48 PM
#40 DEN, don't stop now!!!
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 01:51 PM
AIPAC COURT DENIES AMICUS STANDING TO REPORTERS COMMITTEE
The judge who presides over the prosecution of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for allegedly mishandling classified information has rejected a request from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to present an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief on the profound constitutional concerns raised by the case.
"Defendants are ably and energetically represented by counsel experienced in all facets of the case, including the constitutional challenge," wrote Judge T.S. Ellis, III.
"This prosecution is not the appropriate procedural context in which various elements of society should debate the constitutional validity or wisdom of [the Espionage Act]," the Judge wrote. See his February 27, 2006 order here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/aipac022706.pdf
More information on the Reporters Committee view of the case may be found here:
http://www.rcfp.org/news/releases/20051013-reportersc.html
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 01:54 PM
AIPAC donors to ask questions on scandal
Top donors to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee will have an opportunity to quiz its leadership and lawyers about the classified-information case against two former staffers.
Several donors have asked AIPAC to explain its decision in recent months to limit funding for the defense of Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, facing trial in April for allegedly receiving and distributing classified information about Iran to an Israeli diplomat, a journalist and to fellow AIPAC staffers.
The defendants rejected AIPACs most recent funding offer, saying it barely covers 2005 expenses and fails to take the cost of the trial into account.
A source close to AIPAC said the meeting in Washington late Saturday night for no more than several dozen people in Washington will be an open question-and-answer session. The meeting comes on the eve of the organizations annual policy conference.
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 01:57 PM
It was the first day of school and a new student named Pedro Martinez, the son of a recently immigrated Mexican restaurateur, entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history. "Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death?'" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Pedro, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775." "Very good!" apprised the teacher. "Now, who said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth?" Again, no response except from Pedro: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863." The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed! Pedro, who is new to our country, knows more about its' history than you do!" She heard a loud whisper: "Screw the Mexicans!" "Who said that?" she demanded. Pedro put his hand up. "Jim Bowie, 1836." At that point, a student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke." The teacher glared and asked, "All right! Now, who said that?" Again, Pedro. "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991." Now furious, another student yelled, "Oh yeah? Suck this!" Pedro jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the teacher, "Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!" Now, with almost a mob hysteria, someone said, "You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you!" Pedro frantically yelled at the top of his voice, "Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, 2001." The teacher fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, someone said, "Oh shit, we're in BIG trouble now!" Pedro whispered, "Saddam Hussein, 2003."
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 01:59 PM
A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in our country. ~~~ Well, there's a very simple answer. ~~~ Nobody bothered to check the oil. ~~~ We just didn't know we were getting low. ~~~ The reason for that is purely geographical. ~~~ Our OIL is located in ~~~ Alaska ~~~ California ~~~ Coastal Florida ~~~ Coastal Louisiana ~~~ Kansas ~~~ Oklahoma ~~~ Pennsylvania and Texas ~~~ ~~~ Our DIPSTICKS are located in Washington DC
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 02:01 PM
Religion leaders seek diplomacy
The Reform and Reconstructionist movements joined Christian and Muslim leaders in calling on President Bush to make Middle East peace a larger priority.
In a letter to Bush on Tuesday, the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace urged the United States not to act "precipitously to cut off aid to the Palestinian people."
The group is made up of 25 religious groups that are seeking a "careful response" to Hamasՠvictory last month in the Palestinian parliamentary elections and pushing for urgent diplomatic action in the region.
Rabbi Paul Menitoff, executive vice president emeritus of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was joined by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington and Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America.
The group also called on Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
*****end of clip*****
Make peace a priority? This misadministration?
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." ~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed)
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 02:02 PM
He Is One Big Laugh
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 02:04 PM
Are we telling bipartisan jokes now? My favorite:
Clinton and Bush are standing together at an official function when an attractive woman walks by. Clinton says to Bush, "Wouldn't you like to screw her?" Bush replies: "Outta what?"
Posted by: eggman at March 1, 2006 02:09 PM
Capt, I think falling on deaf ears applies, too bad. Wage PEACE not WAR.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 02:09 PM
DEN is on a total roll!!!
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 02:12 PM
eggman, we have two kinds of screw jobs in D.C. One politician wants to screw women and the other politician wants to screw you out of savings, possessions, home, and garden too.
Posted by: Gerald at March 1, 2006 02:17 PM
Gerald, thanks but I better save bandwidth for the others, jokes are fuel for the soul and a temporary reprieve from the neocon assault.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 02:19 PM
No-one else to blame, says Saddam
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has told his trial in Baghdad that he alone should be made to answer for the actions of his regime.
At the end of a second straight day of prosecution evidence, he said the court should not be trying anyone else - a reference to his seven co-defendants.
Earlier, he admitted razing the farms of those convicted of trying to kill him in the town of Dujail in 1982.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
A sad day when the butcher of Baghdad is able to take responsibility for his actions while the POTUS cannot take responsibility for even one of his many major screw-ups.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 02:34 PM
I'm confident I got it right, but there is no transcript. It is hilarious to read comments in this echo chamber. When you fail to make an argument based on facts, you base it on your memories. That's, like, sooo nonlinear of you.
But even more hilarious is your earnest refusal to address the issue at hand. After all, character assasination is much more fun - and it also will score you more points with the crowd of Progressive, Informed, Enlightened sheep.
Posted by: Ivan Lenin at March 1, 2006 02:37 PM
Happy (self) @ #10:
I hate the whole concept of the `Great Society'...but I certainly don't...`hate' the then-President for having started it all and the following Dem Presidents who enlarged the failed Concept.
Posted by: Happy slaps David at March 1, 2006 12:33 PM
=====================================================
Dimwitted Response @ 15:
Man that troll makes my head spin! YOU can't "hate" but HE can, go figure.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 12:42 PM
====================================================
Dimwitted peoples' heads are by its nature, always spinning and of course, easily spinned. Hating a concept is materially different from hating someone. I also hate progressive income taxation, income redistributions, cartoon riots, playing the poor vs. the rich, etc
Lefties like DEN don't know how to differentiate ideas from the people or corporations from real living folks.
Posted by: Happy teach Read.Comprehension at March 1, 2006 02:39 PM
On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.
We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions. Due to the large volume of e-mail received, the White House is unable to respond to every message, and therefore this response is an autoreply.
Thank you again for taking the time to write.
*************
At least they didn't say "sincerely" - HA!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 02:40 PM
DEN:
Stick with jokes and stay away from commenting on real stuff that will only set your head spinning!
Posted by: Happy w/Jokes at March 1, 2006 02:42 PM
Yeah, that damned progressive taxation.
Anybody with kids should actually pay MORE tax than single people. Single people should not have to foot the bill for all of those damned married folks that procreate!
No exemtions or deductions for mortgage interest or medical bills, no expensing business costs, deducting home improvements. Everybody plays, everybody pays. No reason to give the poor or poverty stricken any consideration. If they can't pay we should put them in debtors prison.
Yeah, that's the ticket!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 02:44 PM
Few Americans Perceive Hussein-9/11 Link
(Angus Reid Global Scan) РMost adults in the United States think former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not play a role in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 57 per cent of respondents think Hussein was not involved in the events of 9/11.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In June 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 stated that there had been "no collaborative relationship" between the deposed Iraqi regime and the terrorist network in the planning and carrying out of the attacks.
On Jun. 17, 2004, U.S. president George W. Bush dismissed the findings of the federal commission, declaring, "This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al-Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. For example, Iraqi intelligence officers met with (Osama) bin Laden, the head of al-Qaeda, in the Sudan. Thereճ numerous contacts between the two."
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
Talk about self-marginalizing!
Our resident mindless blind loyal lemmings are in the very last vestige of the Reich-wingnut fringe.
Anybody that is so effin stoopid to support Busheney at this point in time is too effin stoopid to waste your breath on.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 02:52 PM
Heh, Heh, Heh. Happy not to be Happy, the king of the double standard.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 02:55 PM
History of the Income Tax in the United States
President George W. Bush signed tax cuts into law in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. The largest was the first, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. It was estimated to save taxpayers $1.3 trillion over ten years, making it the third largest tax cut since World War II, behind only the Kennedy tax cut signed by Johnson in 1964 and the Reagan tax cut in 1981. The Bush tax cut created a new lowest rate, 10% for the first several thousand dollars earned. It also established a slow schedule of incremental tax cuts that would eventually double the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, adjust brackets so that middle-income couples owed the same tax as comparable singles, cut the top four tax rates (28% to 25%; 31% to 28%; 36% to 33%; and 39.6% to 35%).
*****end of clip*****
Talk about self-doubt finally creating a rift with the feckless wonder?
The mindless troll - breaks with his paramour messianic matinee monkey-boy. Bush made the tax code MORE progressive.
More progressive for all! Maybe the troll is trying to put a little daylight between them and the object of their blind loyalty because even they know the USS Busheney is taking on water! More likely - just more rats jumping ship. Either way it would seem the troll is not in a position to tell anybody anything. "L" is for LOSER and troLL says it all, eh?
The LOSER just comes here to bitch bitch bitch. Never sounds as happy as we do! WOO HOO!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 03:00 PM
Abu Gonzo has a few untold tricks up his sleeve, The Post. What will it take to get the Constitution busting hacks OUT?
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 03:02 PM
Anti-Bush protests hit India over visit
Tens of thousands of Muslims and communists have taken to the streets across India, protesting against the visit of United States President George W Bush, hours before his arrival.
Bush's three-day visit to the world's largest democracy, which is also Asia's third-largest economy, has raised expectations in India as it sheds its socialist baggage and turns to the west to help it become a regional power.
But it has also drawn the ire of leftist and Muslim groups who held large protests against Bush's policies in several cities.
Bush landed at Indira Gandhi international airport early on Wednesday evening following a visit to Afghanistan.
About 100,000 Muslim men gathered in a public ground in the heart of New Delhi shouting anti-Bush slogans.
"Go back, Bush", "Bush is a killer", "Bully Bush, buzz off", "Bush, stop the ambush", they shouted as hundreds of police in riot gear kept watch.
"The people of the country do not want this killer of innocent men, women and children to come here," one man said.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
I wonder how large India's "free speech" cages are?
Mr. Popularity, eh?
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 03:10 PM
Feingold reads Constitution to Senate following 95 to 4 vote to renew Patriot Act highlighting the Fouth Amendment. Followed by Missouri Senator Jim NoTalent who heralded the recent election of Negro League players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. What a friggin CROCK! They did not elect PLAYERS they elected OWNERS deliberately leaving out Buck O'Neil. The Repugs are CLUELESS! and DANGEROUS!
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 03:12 PM
Feingold reads constitution on Senate floor
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has read the text of the U.S. constitution to his fellow Senators after the body voted 95-4 to renew controversial provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Feingold spent 34 minutes sharing the document with his fellow Senators, stopping to repeat the Fourth Amendment, which he feels the law violates.
The Fourth Amendment reads:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
------------------
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 03:14 PM
James Dobson gets letters
"This is just a short note to express my heartfelt thanks to you and the entire staff of Focus on the Family for your help and support during the past few challenging months. I would also greatly appreciate it if you would convey my appreciation to the good people from all parts of the country who wrote to tell me that they were praying for me and for my family during this period."-Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito
-------------
What a nice man. I'm sure he'll return the favor.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 03:17 PM
The UAE Secrecy Myth
The Bush administration has insisted that the law requires all information about the review of the United Arab Emirates port deal to be kept secret. State Department spokesperson Adam Ereli:
All departments are called upon to bring to the table derogatory information that they may have that would bear on the decisions of the committee. I would say that the deliberations are confidential so there's basically not much I can share with you about what the specific deliberations were.
Jim Flurio, the co-sponsor of the law that created the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States - the panel that reviewed the Dubai port deal - said, under the law, most information could be made public:
In an interview, Florio said he did not like how application of the 17-year-old law had evolved, particularly the confidential nature of the CFIUS deliberations. "The confidentiality was designed to protect trade secrets. It was not designed to protect the deliberations and evaluations" of the government, he said. "The deliberations of this committee should be public and Congress should be engaged."
Instead, he said the Republican Congress "has gone brain dead on oversight."
In other words, there is no legal reason why the vast majority of the deliberations and evaluations of the UAE port deal could not be made available to the public and Congress. (That goes for the 30-day review that has already been conducted and the 45-day investigation to come.)
If this information establishes that there is no security risk associated with the deal, as the administration insists, it would be in their interest to do so.
-------------------
Trent Lotts response to all of this? Why, I'm glad you asked.
------------
“OK, big boy, I’ll just vote to override your veto.” said Trent Lott on Bush’s threat to veto any legislation related to the UAE.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 03:31 PM
#55 When you fail to make an argument based on facts, you base it on your memories.
Hey, Ivan the Terrible, has it ever occurred to you that what a person bases on a "memory" could be factual? (Unlike Scooter's "memory failures," some people remember events factually.)
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 03:37 PM
Are They Taking Away Our Freedoms?
"...Concerns about overclassification cut across ideological and party lines. Chief among them is the publics right to know. Do you want to know what your government is up to? asks Steve Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. Without openness, government will be skewed by greed or ideology, and we all pay a price for that.
________
I was surprised to see that PARADE Magazine published an article that had (some) substance. Damn! And all I wanted to read about was whether Brad and Angelina are bickering.
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 03:54 PM
Blair's wife takes swipe at US over Guantanamo
Cherie Booth, the lawyer wife of British prime minister Tony Blair, has taken a sideswipe at alleged US practices at its Guantanamo Bay detention camp in a speech on torture in London.
Booth described torture as "the terrorism of the state, usually practised for the same reasons that terrorists use violence: to break the will of those they cannot persuade by lawful means.
"Torture works, but not as we intend. Desperate people will say whatever the torturer wants them to say."
Although the facility in Cuba was not mentioned by name, Booth's thinly-veiled reference went further than her husband's statements about the camp.
Blair has also provoked anger by failing to denounce the US authorities' methods of dealing with terrorist suspects, including the practice of "extraordinary rendition" - the extra-judicial transfer of security suspects to a third country.
During his weekly question and answer session in parliament today, Blair went further than his previous statements on Camp X-Ray, which he had only described as an "anomaly" that needed to be resolved.
He said he hoped "the judicial process can be put in place which means that Guantanamo Bay can close".
Former detainees at the facility, including a number of British citizens, have accused the US authorities of using torture to extract information for the "war on terror".
Washington says detainees are treated humanely.
Meanwhile the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq have branded Prime Minister Tony Blair a "coward" for refusing to meet them and discuss their concerns about the conflict.
The relatives went to Blair's Downing Street office in London to hand over a letter demanding that the prime minister talk to them about the reasons why British troops joined the United States-led invasion in March 2003 and about withdrawing soldiers from the country.
"It is time for you to take us and our views seriously. We believe we speak for the majority in this country in our desire to bring the troops home," the letter said.
It argued that too many lives, military and civilian, had been lost in the war in Iraq and there was still no end in sight.
The letter was signed by family members of 20 of the fallen troops.
The group, Military Families Against the War, has tried unsuccessfully to meet Blair on several occasions.
He was in parliament when the families delivered their letter today.
The families' renewed demand came a day after two British troops were killed and another injured in an attack in southern Iraq, where Britain has around 8,000 soldiers, mainly based around the city of Basra.
The latest confirmed fatalities takes the number of British military deaths in Iraq since the invasion to 103.
*****end of clip*****
The picture at the linked piece is priceless.
SNT_ _ _ _ _ _ HA! (ew)
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 04:05 PM
That's the ticket, Micki. We make our lost rights as interesting and tantalizing as Brad and Jen and Angeline.
Just how do we do that?
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 04:06 PM
The Democrats'
Daddy Warbucks
Feinstein family war profits, part II
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, could well be called the Democrats' Daddy Warbucks. He's scored bundles from war contracts. He has recently purchased a $16.5 million crib in San Francisco and along with his wife has handed hundreds of thousands of dollars over to fellow Democrats. Since the 2000 election cycle, Blum has contributed over $75,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Committee, and thousands more to individual Democrats, including John Kerry, Robert Byrd, Joe Lieberman, Ted Kennedy, and Barbara Boxer.
Richard Blum's history as an entrepreneur began at the ripe age of 23 when he began to work for the San Francisco brokerage firm Sutro & Company. Blum quickly climbed the ranks and became a partner by the age of 30. According the San Francisco Chronicle, "Blum proved that he had an eye for fixer-upper properties when he led a partnership that acquired the struggling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for $8 million then sold it to Mattel Inc. four years later for $40 million."
In 1975, Blum went out on his own and formed a brokerage agency. Today, Blum's lofty firm, Blum Capital, holds positions in more than 20 companies, including real estate giants, credit bureaus, and yes, even military contractors.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
Damn the war profiteers. No matter what party, they are not part of a peaceful human race or party to humanity.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 04:15 PM
...another thought about the thread topic...
bush and his boyfriends (and some of their vociferous supporters) have too much riding on the outcome of their Iraqi War to trust them to provide honest information. The story is too complex to explain in a "debate" on a "Shout Show."
It gets to the point that we can't hear anything for all the shouting.
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 04:15 PM
Capt, ya gotta love that capitalism! Thats our Finnkenshteen.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 04:22 PM
So when will we get back on a more important tract, eg. Karl Rove, The Voice Of Treason.
Just wondering.
Later,
th
Posted by: th at March 1, 2006 04:29 PM
#74
Micki,
very true. It's the same with the Dubai port deal. This administration has an interest in it going through. Everything this administration does has dollar signs attached to it. They have proven to me that they are willing to do anything for the sake of the almighty dollar and power.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 04:29 PM
Bush talked up the nation's wealth last week during a speech in Milwaukee. "We're doing fine," he said and described the economy as "strong and gaining steam."......Oh yea maybe YOU ar fine and that steam you see is really fart gas as you talk out your ass. Read the whole story here.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 04:29 PM
Look at the chimps attitude toward the troops, then ask yourself, who supports the troops? Not chimpy. More cuts coming for the VA
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 04:35 PM
Well, Jeanne, I think we have to come up with a plan that covers all these elements and write a book about it and get on the Shoutfest Shows: sex (any kind), gay issues (Rick Santorum version), mystery (bring in the FBI or the CIA), lost rights (how that can happen), religion (preferably the "saved" kind).
How's this for a working title? Is it interesting?: "I F**ked an Ape for the FBI, Lost my Rights, but Found God"
PS You go first...
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 04:36 PM
"Just how do we do that?"
The make-up artists can do some very good work. If they could make Dumbya look like Brad and Laura look like Jen, some people might watch them but my guess is nothing could make them sound smarter so . . volume off! HA!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 04:38 PM
#80 was in reference to #72...
Posted by: micki at March 1, 2006 04:40 PM
OBL The Story
While the rest of the world continues to search for Osama bin Laden, FRONTLINE/World correspondent Arun Rath has found America's most-wanted man -- or a theatrical facsimile of him -- on the streets of Calcutta. In April 2003, Rath traveled to India to see a wildly successful jatra, or street opera, about September 11 and its aftermath. For Rath, a New York-based journalist who witnessed the events of 9/11 firsthand, the mythical version he found in India is far more surprising and ultimately disturbing than he ever expected.
Rath's story takes place in Calcutta, best known in the West for overpopulation and poverty, but in fact a place churning with art, culture and political debate. Rath arrives as the war is raging in Iraq, and Hindus and Muslims are putting aside their deep-seated differences to join in heated protests against America's actions
In the days preceding the performance, Rath meets many of the players involved in putting the opera together. The first of these are Gautam Chakrabarty and Tinkari Goswami, the producers who dreamed it up and whose previous productions include shows about Ho Chi Minh and Hitler. Chakrabarty says they picked bin Laden because he was big in the headlines, a frequent source of plot and character for the jatra. They hoped it would be popular with the crowd, many of whom often have no access to newspapers or media. They were right -- Osama bin Laden is turning out to be their biggest hit yet.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
Cliff May is bellyaching about this - from 2003 - I kid you not!
There is a broadband and dial video at the link.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 04:41 PM
th,
Karl who?
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 04:43 PM
Seems ther is some serious shenannigans along the Tex/Mex border. not a story for the squeamish.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 04:49 PM
OMG. This is not a story for the squeamish.
Boy, 12, Sticks Gum on $1.5M Painting
DETROIT - A 12-year-old visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts stuck a wad of gum to a $1.5 million painting, leaving a stain the size of a quarter, officials say.
The boy was part of a school group from Holly that visited the museum on Friday, officials say. They say he took a piece of Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice gum out of his mouth and stuck it on Helen Frankenthaler's "The Bay," an abstract painting from 1963.
----------------------
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 05:01 PM
#85
Den,
Yours beats mine. There is terrorism right there.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 05:07 PM
Jeanne, I never will get used to mans inhumanity to man, war or otherwise.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 05:20 PM
Edgewood man pleads guilty to Katrina scam
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - An Edgewood man accused of using a Web site to fraudulently collect donations for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts has pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
Richard Melnick pleaded Tuesday to one count before state District Judge Michael Vigil. He agreed to pay $2,700 in restitituion.
Melnick originally was charged with two counts of embezzlement last October.
The charges came after an investigation by the FBI and state attorney generals office found Melnick used his companys Web site to solicit donations.
Melnick claimed the money was going for fuel for airplanes that would make flights to reunite hurricane-separated families.
Sentencing is set for April 24th.
*****end of clip*****
Here is an example of a low-down criminal exploiting a national tragedy for personal gain. My point is: nobody wonders if he is a Democrat or Republican, left or right, up or down or sideways. The guy is a creep.
Now if we can become as non-partisan about the criminals that outed a covert CIA agent, the criminals that illegally used money for influence in our houses of government, the criminals that lie to start wars, the thieves that steal billions - Oh yeah WE are the non-partisans it is the partisan trolls that accuse any calls for justice "partisan attacks" that are grossly mistaken.
How odd would it sound if someone was to offer a defense for the crimes above by calling the investigation partisan because the guy was of one political persuasion or the other? THAT is how the perfidious trolls sound to me.
But what do I know! HA!
"The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), The Gay Science, section 191
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 05:27 PM
Jeanne, how is your elbow doing? I too smacked my elbow and broke off some bone bits. 6 months later the bits worked their way into my elbow joint, there they lodged in the cartilage causing intense pain. I found a good sports med. doc. that found the barely visable bits on an xray. He removed them with arthroscopic outpatient surgery. Hopefully this wont happen to you but if you feel intense deep bone pain when flexing your elbow get it checked out.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 05:28 PM
This online version doesn't show the graph, country by country, that the article in the paper showed. It fkn really stood out, what the rest of the world thinks of our ignorant preznit.
U.S. invasion increased terror threat, 60 percent polled around world say
LONDON - An unprecedented poll of citizens in 35 countries released Tuesday by the British Broadcasting Corp. found a pervasive belief that the United States-led invasion of Iraq has increased the threat of terror attacks worldwide.
The survey of more than 41,000 people said 60 percent believed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein had actually made terror attacks more likely, while only 12 percent believed the invasion had made the world safer from terror-related atrocities.
The BBC poll also found that 45 percent of the people felt it had been a "mistake" to remove Saddam while only 36 percent thought it had been a good decision to oust the Iraqi dictator.
"The peoples' message to President Bush is that you're wrong and we're all paying for it by having less security," said Doug Miller, president of GlobeScan, the international company that carried out the poll in conjunction with the University of Maryland.
"It's a pervasive view. People have come to a judgment on this, and they are unlikely to change."
Miller said a majority of the people who took part in the poll reject the claim that the invasion advanced the war on terror and believe toppling Saddam has brought chaos to the Middle East.
"Not many think Saddam was a saint, but this poll suggests they understand he was a horrible guy but felt he kept the region locked down," Miller said.
=============
That's about half the article. Check it out.
Posted by: Alan at March 1, 2006 05:33 PM
capt at 71:
With that picture/face, there would be no turgidity.
Rick
Posted by: Rick at March 1, 2006 05:36 PM
micki #70
[I was surprised to see that PARADE Magazine published an article that had (some) substance.]
PARADE also publishes the annual top 10 world's worst dictators based on info from human rights organizations (no, GWB didn't make the list). This was particularly interesting in 2002-2003 when Saddam was pretty far down the list, behind some of our "allies" like Saudi Arabia. It's a pretty informative read every year.
But yes, PARADE is pretty fluffy 95% of the time.
Posted by: eggman at March 1, 2006 05:40 PM
#92,
I make fun of Harris, Cherie is worse. Cherie collects fingernail clippings and does ceremonies and such with them.
Scary does not begin to address how I feel. I think the turtle would hide in the shell. It would be fight or flight for me!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 05:42 PM
81: "Laura look like Jen"
She already looks like Jack Nicholson's Joker from the Batman movies. Making a Jen from a LauraJackJoker may require Pixar's magic.
Rick
Posted by: Rick at March 1, 2006 05:43 PM
94: Copious amounts of barley soda would be required; fortunately, the amount of beverage required would probably make you pass out first.
Rick
Posted by: Rick at March 1, 2006 05:46 PM
A few more ways for Cherie Blair to keep toenail Tony healthy
There will be no scoffing in our house at Cherie Blair's tendency to collect her own toenails and those of her husband Tony, in a bottle, so that a pendulum can be swung over them to detect "blockages".
I come from a family where alternative therapies have long been used, and have even subjected myself to someone fiddling with my toes and thereupon telling me what was wrong with my head.
I wouldn't even have minded if the woman performing this rite had cut my toenails (a chore I find increasingly difficult to do myself) and then bottled them, if she thought it might in any way aid the treatment.
As it is, I tend to flush my cut toenails down the toilet, so that no one can use them against me for voodoo purposes.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
You just cannot make up stuff as weird as reality. I do not even want to know what "blockages" means.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 05:47 PM
Senate OKs Limiting Patriot Act Powers
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Wednesday cleared the path for renewing the USA Patriot Act, swatting aside objections while adding new protections for people targeted by government investigations.
The overwhelming votes virtually assured that Congress will renew President Bush's antiterror law before it expires March 10. The House was expected to pass the legislation and send the bill to the president next week.
The law's opponents, who insisted the new protections were cosmetic, conceded defeat.
"The die has now been cast," acknowledged the law's chief opponent, Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., after the Senate voted 84-15 to end his filibuster. "Obviously at this point, final passage of the reauthorization bill is now assured."
Feingold had succeeded for months in blocking one part of the legislative package, a House-Senate compromise that would renew 16 major provisions of the law that are set to expire next week. Unable to break his objection by a Dec. 31 expiration date, Congress instead postponed the deadline twice while negotiations continued.
The White House and GOP leaders finally broke the stalemate by crafting a second measure - in effect an amendment to the first - that would somewhat limit the government's power to compel information from people targeted in terror probes.
That second measure passed overwhelmingly earlier in the day, 95-4. Voting 'no' with Feingold were Sens. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and the Senate's constitutional expert, Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
I am sorry for the cynicism but look at what the Democrats agree to? And Byrd was a major reason Alito is on the big bench - what a let down on that issue.
I just do not see a Democratic administration doing things that differently? The results speak for themselves.
AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 05:59 PM
Chimpy cuts EPA funds, The looting and pillaging continues.
Posted by: DEN at March 1, 2006 05:59 PM
#71
Could they have found an uglier picture? That was probably pay back to tony blair.
Den,
Thanks for the info on the elbow. I will keep that in mind.
Posted by: Jeanne at March 1, 2006 06:08 PM
I mean IF Kerry had won. Nobody was ever going to "win" in Iraq. So many things are so screwed-up at this point - I imagine if the D had taken over many of the really big issues would be just as messed up. The marriage of corporations and government was born many administrations ago. Would that marriage have been consummated and as enjoined? Who knows.
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 06:08 PM
Scooter notes ID'd CIA spy
WASHINGTON - Handwritten notes taken by the CIA show Vice President Cheney's top aide knew the name of CIA spy Valerie Plame a month before her cover was blown.
It appears to be the first known document in the hands of prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that directly contradicts Lewis (Scooter) Libby's claim he learned from reporters in July 2003 that Valerie Plame was a CIA employee.
More HERE
*****end of clip*****
(In my best Ricky Ricardo)
"Libby, you have some splainin' to do"
capt
Posted by: capt at March 1, 2006 06:16 PM
boston celtics boston celtics news rumors
charlotte bobcats charlotte bobcats news rumors
miami heat miami heat news rumors
new jersey nets new jersey nets news rumors
new york knicks new york knicks news rumors
orlando magic orlando magic news rumors
Philadelphia 76ers philadelphia 76ers news rumors
washington wizards washington wizards news rumors
atlanta hawks atlanta hawks news rumors
new orleans hornets new orleans hornets news rumors
chicago bulls chicago bulls news rumors
cleveland cavaliers cleveland cavaliers news rumors
detroit pistons detroit pistons news rumors
indiana pacers indiana pacers news rumors
milwaukee bucks milwaukee bucks news rumors
toronto raptors toronto raptors news rumors
dallas mavericks dallas mavericks news rumors
denver nuggets denver nuggets news rumors
houston rockets houston rockets news rumors
memphis grizzlies memphis grizzlies news rumors
minnesota timberwolves minnesota timberwolves news rumors
san antonio spurs san antonio spurs news rumors
utah jazz utah jazz news rumors
golden state warriors golden state warriors news rumors
los angeles clipperslos angeles clippers news rumors
los angeles lakers los angeles lakers news rumors
phoenix suns phoenix suns news rumors
portland trailblazers portland trailblazers news rumors
sacramento kings sacramento kings news rumors
seattle supersonics seattle supersonics news rumors
baseball information baseball information
baseball baseball
football football
football information football information
music information music information
music music
tickets tickets
sports tickets sports tickets lakers tickets
concert tickets concert tickets
eagles concert tickets eagles concert tickets
theater tickets theater tickets
tickets tickets
nfl tickets nfl tickets
2006 super bowl tickets 2006 super bowl tickets
baseball tickets baseball tickets
hockey tickets hockey tickets
nba tickets nba tickets lakers tickets
lakers tickets los angeles lakers tickets
clippers tickets los angeles clippers tickets
boxing tickets boxing tickets
nascar tickets nascar tickets
tennis tickets tennis tickets us open
final four tickets final four tickets college basketball tickets
college football tickets college football tickets
rodeo tickets rodeo tickets pbr tickets
pbr tickets pbr tickets nfr
national finals rodeo tickets national finals rodeo tickets
2006 world cup tickets 2006 world cup tickets
soccer tickets soccer tickets world cup
wwe tickets wwe tickets raw smackdown
raw tickets wwe raw tickets
smackdown tickets wwe smackdown tickets
lakers tickets la lakers tickets
cheap lakers tickets cheap los angeles lakers tickets
lakers tickets lakers tickets
lakers tickets la lakers tickets
cheap lakers tickets cheap lakers tickets
lakers season tickets lakers season tickets
lakers tickets lakers tickets
los angeles lakers tickets los angeles lakers tickets
2007 rose bowl tickets 2007 rose bowl tickets
rose bowl tickets rose bowl tickets
rose bowl tickets pasadena rose bowl tickets
rose bowl tickets pasadena rose bowl tickets
bowl games bowl games cheap super bowl tickets
cheap super bowl tickets cheap super bowl tickets
super bowl tickets super bowl tickets
nfl football tickets nfl football tickets
nfl super bowl tickets nfl super bowl tickets
super bowl tickets super bowl tickets
cheap super bowl tickets cheap super bowl tickets
buy super bowl tickets buy super bowl tickets
buy nfl super bowl tickets buy nfl super bowl tickets
ducks tickets mighty ducks tickets tickets
world series tickets world series tickets
2006 world series tickets 2005 world series tickets bowl tickets
baseball world series baseball world series
world series world series
miami vice dvd miami vice dvd
miami vice miami vice
la live la live
sporting event tickets sporting event tickets
music events music events
sporting event tickets sporting event tickets
all events all events
sports events sports events sporting event tickets sporting event tickets lakers tickets
music events concert tickets
cheap concert tickets cheap concert tickets
concert tickets online concert tickets online
broadway tickets broadway tickets
broadway show broadway show
broadway musical broadway musical
nfl tickets nfl tickets
nfl football tickets nfl football tickets
cheap nfl tickets cheap nfl tickets
baseball tickets baseball tickets
mlb tickets mlb tickets
nba tickets nba tickets
basketball tickets basketball tickets
nhl hockey tickets nhl hockey tickets
nhl tickets nhl tickets
hockey tickets hockey tickets
serenity dvd serenity dvd
the 40 year old virgin dvd the 40 year old virgin dvd
the skeleton key dvd the skeleton key dvd
law and order dvd law and order dvd
serenity serenity
serenity dvd serenity dvd
the 40 year old virgin the 40 year old virgin
the 40 year old virgin dvd the 40 year old virgin dvd
the skeleton key the skeleton key
law and order dvd law and order
white sox tickets white sox tickets
chicago white sox tickets chicago white sox tickets
white sox tickets chicago white sox tickets
world series tickets world series tickets
baseball world series tickets baseball world series tickets
hollywood club hollywood club
hollywood nightclub hollywood nightclub
music site myspace music site myspace
700 sundays tickets 700 sundays tickets
wilshire theatre wilshire theatre
wilshire theatre tickets wilshire theatre tickets
700 sundays 700 sundays
Buy cheap concert tickets for audioslave, 2005 rolling stones concert tickets as well as the eagles concert tickets plus kanye west in concert and keith urban buy depeche mode tickets you can even buy paul mccartney concert tickets gwen stefani of no doubt concert tickets don't miss 311 in concert if you have children the wiggles concert tickets would be a great choice plus get all concert tour schedule for 2005 music events.
concerts concerts
concert schedule concert schedule
concert dates concert dates
concert tickets concert tickets
cheap concert tickets cheap concert tickets
concert tour concert tour
kanye west concert tickets kanye west concert tickets
rolling stones tour rolling stones tour
rolling stones tickets rolling stones tickets
eagles concert eagles concert
the eagles the eagles
depeche mode tickets depeche mode tickets
gwen stefani tickets gwen stefani tickets
paul mccartney tickets paul mccartney tickets
paul mccartney tour paul mccartney tour
paul mccartney concert paul mccartney concert
paul mccartney 2005 tour paul mccartney 2005 tour
paul mccartney 2005 us tour paul mccartney 2005 us tour
bon jovi tickets bon jovi tickets
bon jovi concert bon jovi concert
bon jovi tour bon jovi tour
bon jovi tour dates bon jovi tour dates
bon jovi concert dates bon jovi concert dates
bon jovi concert schedule bon jovi concert schedule
rolling stones concert tickets rolling stones concert tickets
depeche mode concert tickets depeche concert tickets
depeche mode tickets depeche tickets
gwen stefani concert tickets gwen stefani concert tickets
gwen stefani tickets gwen stefani tickets
gwen stefani concert gwen stefani concert
gwen stefani tour gwen stefani tour
gwen stefani tour dates gwen stefani tour dates
gwen stefanie gwen stefanie
gwen stefanie tickets gwen stefanie tickets
paul mccartney concert tickets paul mccartney concert tickets
paul mccartney tickets paul mccartney tickets
paul mccartney tour paul mccartney tour
paul mccartney concert paul mccartney concert
paul mccartney 2005 tour paul mccartney 2005 tour
paul mccartney 2005 us tour paul mccartney 2005 us tour
paul mccartney us tour paul mccartney