Here's a suggestion for the Democrats' 2004 campaign poster:



"There is nothing itself but fear."

- Michael 10:04 AM - [PermaLink] -

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Have a Great Thanksgiving!!!



okay, the picture is from a previous year, but it is still priceless.

- rob 1:01 PM - [PermaLink] -

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An excellent one this week:

The Top Ten Conservative Idiots, No. 136

4. The Weekly Standard (and others)
Oh my, it's true after all! Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein really were in bed with one another, so therefore the invasion of Iraq was completely justified! That's what you would have heard if you'd listened to, watched, or read the news from any of the right-wing media outlets last week. Why? Because the Weekly Standard recently published an article claiming that al Qaeda and Iraq "had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in explosives and weapons of mass destruction, logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps and safe haven in Iraq, and Iraqi financial support for al Qaeda." Phew, hot stuff. Shame it's all complete crap. The Standard based its article on a memo which came straight from the desk of one of Bush's propaganda ministers, Douglas Feith, head of the Pentagon's Office for Special Plans. The Standard's article was then immediately picked up by several Rupert Murdoch-owned outlets such as the New York Post and Fox News. But it wasn't long before the Pentagon had to distribute a press release stating that the "news reports that the Defense Department recently confirmed new information with respect to contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq... are inaccurate." Whoops. So did this stop the right-wing media in its tracks? Hardly. The Washington Times, New York Post, and the always-fair-and-balanced Fox News continued to rant about the memo all week, despite its official debunking. Still, since most Fox News viewers have probably already been suckered into believing that Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are gay lovers, no big deal I guess.
...

7. Clear Channel
Speaking of bribery and corruption, Clear Channel, the media empire which owns a majority of the country's radio stations and proudly calls itself the home of drug-addled hypocrite Rush Limbaugh, found itself in a spot of bother last week. It seems that the company has been giving expensive gifts to employees who earn $100,000 a year or more - if they agree to contribute to Clear Channel's right-wing political action fund. Is it illegal? Well, Clear Channel seems to think that the gifts-for-donations program "complies with a rule that says a company can spend up to one third of what it collects for employee incentives," although the Center for Responsive Politics calls it "a grey area." Whichever way you look at it, when one of the country's most powerful media organizations is literally bribing employees for donations to its right-wing PAC, you know that the idea of fair and balanced reporting has gone completely out the window. So can we finally bury the "liberal media" myth yet? Its rotting carcass is starting to stink the place up.
...

9. Thomas Dorr
So, you know how Republicans are always going on about pulling oneself up by the bootstraps, and how evil it is to give government handouts to those who won't pull their weight? Funny how so many of them turn out to be welfare queens themselves. Take Thomas Dorr for example, who was rejected by Senate Democrats as Bush's Agriculture Undersecretary last week. Turns out that back in 1999 Dorr made a speech at Iowa State University, where he claimed that the "most successful rural areas in Iowa were 'not particularly diverse' in their ethnic and religious backgrounds," according to the Omaha World-Herald. But it's not particularly unusual for Republicans to go on about how successful whites are compared to those lazy, shiftless minorities. What's more unusual, however, is to find them sucking the government teat while doing it. Apparently in 1996 Thomas Dorr had to repay $17,000 to the Agriculture Department - yup, the same Agriculture Department to which Bush wanted to appoint him - because two separate investigations revealed he had "misrepresented the nature of the farm's operations in papers filed the three previous years." Dorr was cleared of any criminal charges, but apparently "told a Senate committee two years ago that his family had done nothing out of the ordinary in structuring the farm to get the most government money possible." Damn those lazy, shiftless, welfare-grabbing, um... potential Agriculture Undersecretaries.

- rob 12:59 PM - [PermaLink] -

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An outraged firefighter cries out in this editorial about the 9/11 memorial,

"So what sorts of ideas do we end up with? They have to do with light, hanging light, falling light, diluted light, drowning light. And also with stones that are crying, sky-reflecting water pools, floating gardens, bridges placed like bandages, cut fields and an apple orchard. The universal elements — air, water, earth and light — are celebrated. Nature is celebrated. Nowhere is there a representation of a human being."

Here's an idea: How about three marbled George W. Bushes sitting in a circle, back to back, in the classic "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil" monkey pose on the Statue of Liberty's face, whose crying eyes spout arcs of bloody tears in a giant water fountain emblazoned with the motto, "I Hit the Trifecta" ? I don't know how others feel about this, but having worked in Central Park for a few years I quickly became aware of the incredible, unrelenting pressure from public, private and corporate groups to build memorials in public spaces -- notably parks and plazas. If these people had their way -- especially Yoko Ono -- the entire park and every public square inch would be a cluster of monuments to the dead: imagine the end of Citizen Kane, with that long dolly shot of all the statues locked up in giant boxes as far as the eye can see. Is that really how we want to remember the people who died that day, with a depressing monument? I've seen the Vietnam memorial and it is genius. A moving and inspired testimony to a useless, cruel and stupid war. Every name represents those who gave their lives to save the faces of LBJ and Nixon, two arrogant, dishonorable fuckheads who treated lives the way someone with a cold uses a box of Kleenex. So don't get me wrong; I'm not totally against the idea of a memorial under any circumstance, but the WTC is entirely different. That was an attack on our whole way of life. A memorial doesn't address this in any way -- in fact it does the opposite: it memorializes the terrorists' accomplishment and enshrines our vulnerablility. The best memorial I can think of is to rebuild lower Manhattan, give all the small businesses a whole bunch of money that was promised then denied, and make that goddamn blackened hole thrive again. When you get your front teeth knocked out, you don't go around toothless, you fix the problem and get on with your life (unless you can't afford it, like some of the battered women at the local Price Chopper, which is how Bush is making us look right now by withholding the money). The greatest testimony to those who died that day is to rise again like Phoenix from the ashes, to reinvent ourselves and make it clear to all who would strike us, You see? You can't destroy me.

- Michael 12:07 PM - [PermaLink] -

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An email I just sent to Tom Brokaw of NBC nightly news:

Mr. Brokaw,

Last night, at the end of the debate, you eloquently expressed the responsibility of a journalist in our great experiment in democracy. Our great republic depends on the fourth estate for an educated and informed electorate. American voters are often derided for their ignorance of the issues and their frivolous attitude towards elections. Yet if you look at our jury system and talk to the jurors you realize how seriously they take their role in our justice system. People who would rather be at work dutifully obey the instructions of the judge and follow the letter of the law. Just look at the recent Sniper trial, the death sentence was handed out by a thoughtful and meticulous jury. The decision to take a person’s life, even a murderer’s, distressed and strained these people, while our news programs interrupt coverage of dead American soldiers getting beaten in the streets of Iraq with Michael Jackson trivia.

The jurors took their role seriously and understood the importance of their duty mostly due to the informed and literate instruction of the judge. These jurors and the electorate are the same people, and yet how are they being instructed by the media as to their role and responsibility of choosing good stewards of our republic? Fox News basically gets its daily walking papers from the RNC, and CNN plants dumbed down questions in a debate. People are not choosing misleading and parochial media, they have no choice.

We may soon be caught in a downwards spiral of lies and spin from all sides of the political spectrum, because they have been given free reign to lie and mislead by an unquestioning media. The war coverage was a dramatic example of a press that has been so cowed that they no longer report at all, they only read press releases. You have a role in our democracy that is of far greater then the seriousness with which it is treated by your industry.

You have talked and written much of the great generation, and yet their work and achievements are being destroyed by their children. Do not let the events of this time be unrecorded; fear of being called unpatriotic is further proof that something has gone terribly wrong. We live in a time where criticism of dangerous and ill planned enterprises is considered tantamount to treachery. And yet our founding fathers constantly iterated the need for questioning, dissent, and distrust. That truly American ideal of criticizing those who misuse their elected office continued on into the 20th century with Teddy Roosevelt saying: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people." And yet come the 21st century we are to accept undeclared wars without question?

I have searched the web and listen to televised news and I’ve barely seen mention of an incredible expansion of police powers in this nation that occurred just this past Friday. From Wired News, of all places: A provision of an intelligence spending bill will expand the power of the FBI to subpoena business documents and transactions from a broader range of businesses -- everything from libraries to travel agencies to eBay -- without first seeking approval from a judge

Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can acquire bank records and Internet or phone logs simply by issuing itself a so-called national security letter saying the records are relevant to an investigation into terrorism. The FBI doesn't need to show probable cause or consult a judge. What's more, the target institution is issued a gag order and kept from revealing the subpoena's existence to anyone, including the subject of the investigation.

The new provision in the spending bill redefines the meaning of "financial institution" and "financial transaction." The wider definition explicitly includes insurance companies, real estate agents, the U.S. Postal Service, travel agencies, casinos, pawn shops, ISPs, car dealers and any other business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax or regulatory matters."

Justice Department officials tried earlier this year to write a bill to expand the Patriot Act. A draft -- dubbed Patriot II -- was leaked and caused such an uproar that Justice officials backed down. The new provision inserts one of the most controversial aspects of Patriot II into the spending bill.

Intelligence spending bills are considered sensitive, so they are usually drafted in secret and approved without debate or public comment.

Freedom dies behind closed doors, and that is what Congress just did, they closed the door. Doors have been closing constantly these past few years, and yet American citizens have not been told this. The role of journalist is integral to our great experiment, but if neglected it will become irrelevant.

You must work to open up the closed doors and shine a light on a government by the special interest and for the special interest.

- rob 5:47 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Memes continued:

The GOP have been planting memes for years. They are so deeply ingrained in American thought that it is the truth that seems odd rather than the lie.

For instance: Republicans are the party of fiscal responsiblity.

Um.m. Have you ever heard of deficits? Republicans love them, and not just under Shrub, but under whimpy dad, Reagan, and Nixon.

Or: The Democrats play personal politics.

That one was always weak. Who can forget Reagan referring to Dukakis as an "invalid" because Dukakis had years earlier sought the help of a therapist for a brief time to help him deal with the grief from his brother's untimely death.

Or: Democrats love pork. Well lets look at this lovely chart, which I will title:

The GOP House of Representatives - House of Pork



This was from a scary report (its a pdf) prepared by House Democrats. It has great moments in government spending such as Tom Delay's $1 million for teaching children how to golf called "The First Tee." It originally was named "GOP Training," but that name wasn't politically correct.

I found the pork chart on Calpundit - thanks!

- rob 1:33 PM - [PermaLink] -

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We need better memes!

I saw this last night, but Pandagon was nice enough to write it down:

Clark: I am not attacking President Bush because he is attacking terrorists. I am attacking him because he is NOT attacking terrorists! He wants to attack states, not terrorists.

That is exactly what we need. The democrats need to be able to plant better memes. Basically contagious ideas. The republicans are genius at it. They will state the same lie or theme over and over again in various ways until it sticks in everyones mind. Facts be damned, it's stuck in your mind, and thus that much harder to disprove.

In 2000 the memes were the Gore lied and that he was slightly unstable. I know educated people who didn't vote for Gore because his audible sighs in the first debate proved that Gore was unhinging and unable to handle the responsibilities of presidency... and thus they voted for an emotional and moral midget.

but the democrats only come up with slogans... which in the end sound like slogans. "The president lied, and people died." That won't stick.

We need to hit the American public over and over again with the fact that Bush is weak with terrorists. Clark's comment works well, but it needs to be restated again and again in different contexts, so that it doesn't become a slogan but rather an idea that really starts to click. A meme.

Democrats could mention the anthrax killer is still on the loose but that the FBI uses its resources to arrest Chong for selling glass bongs (not drugs, bongs).

Democrats could mention that multiple CIA spies that used to track WMDs throughout the world have been exposed by someone in the Bush administration (Ambassador Wilson's wife's associates), in an attempt to silence free speech.

Democrats could mention the botched operation in Afganistan that basically allowed Osama to walk to Pakistan.

Democrats could mention Grover Norquist's involvement in slowing FBI investigations of Saudi citizens in the US pre 9/11.

We need to plant memes! And we have the added advantage that our memes are true.

- rob 12:35 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Is America still free? Debate.

Congress Expands FBI Spying Power

Congress approved a bill on Friday that expands the reach of the Patriot Act, reduces oversight of the FBI and intelligence agencies and, according to critics, shifts the balance of power away from the legislature and the courts.

A provision of an intelligence spending bill will expand the power of the FBI to subpoena business documents and transactions from a broader range of businesses -- everything from libraries to travel agencies to eBay -- without first seeking approval from a judge.

Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can acquire bank records and Internet or phone logs simply by issuing itself a so-called national security letter saying the records are relevant to an investigation into terrorism. The FBI doesn't need to show probable cause or consult a judge. What's more, the target institution is issued a gag order and kept from revealing the subpoena's existence to anyone, including the subject of the investigation.

The new provision in the spending bill redefines the meaning of "financial institution" and "financial transaction." The wider definition explicitly includes insurance companies, real estate agents, the U.S. Postal Service, travel agencies, casinos, pawn shops, ISPs, car dealers and any other business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax or regulatory matters."

Justice Department officials tried earlier this year to write a bill to expand the Patriot Act. A draft -- dubbed Patriot II -- was leaked and caused such an uproar that Justice officials backed down. The new provision inserts one of the most controversial aspects of Patriot II into the spending bill.

Intelligence spending bills are considered sensitive, so they are usually drafted in secret and approved without debate or public comment. Emphasis Mine.

Democracy depends on an open airing of issues of the day. If a proposed law can not stand up to the light of day is the passing of the law hidden in another piece of legislation democratic?

- rob 4:22 PM - [PermaLink] -

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The Least Damage Bush Has Done During His Presidency

GROUND FARCE 1: Queen's fury as Bush goons wreck garden

THE Queen is furious with President George W. Bush after his state visit caused thousands of pounds of damage to her gardens at Buckingham Palace.

Royal officials are now in touch with the Queen's insurers and Prime Minister Tony Blair to find out who will pick up the massive repair bill. Palace staff said they had never seen the Queen so angry as when she saw how her perfectly-mantained lawns had been churned up after being turned into helipads with three giant H landing markings for the Bush visit.

The rotors of the President's Marine Force One helicopter and two support Black Hawks damaged trees and shrubs that had survived since Queen Victoria's reign.

And Bush's army of clod-hopping security service men trampled more precious and exotic plants.

The Queen's own flock of flamingoes, which security staff insisted should be moved in case they flew into the helicopter rotors, are thought to be so traumatised after being taken to a "place of safety" that they might never return home.

The historic fabric of the Palace was also damaged as high-tech links were fitted for the US leader and his entourage during his three-day stay with the Queen.

The Palace's head gardener, Mark Lane, was reported to be in tears when he saw the scale of the damage.

"The Queen has every right to feel insulted at the way she has been treated by Bush," said a Palace insider.

"The repairs will cost tens of thousands of pounds but the damage to historic and rare plants will be immense. They are still taking an inventory.

"The lawns are used for royal garden parties and are beautifully kept. But 30,000 visitors did not do as much damage as the Americans did in three days.

The queen's nation has been dragged into an unjust and illegal war by a buffonish Texan, and she cries about some lost roses... but it gets worse.

The Americans made alterations to accommodate specialised equipment. The mass of gadgetry meant the Royals couldn't get a decent TV picture during the visit.

Tragedy. Hello? Queen? You did know that your citizens were dying in Iraq too, did you not?

We will never again have a President invited to stay in Buckingham Palace, and the truth is that is good news.

The people who grinned themselves to death
Smiled so much they failed to take a breath
And even when their kids were starving
They all thought the queen was charming
- HouseMartins

- rob 2:01 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Good News!

E-Votes Must Leave a Paper Trail

SAN FRANCISCO -- California will become the first state requiring all electronic voting machines produce a voter-verifiable paper receipt.

The requirement, announced Friday by California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, applies to all electronic voting systems already in use as well as those currently being purchased.

Maryland? Georgia? Are you paying attention?

Bad news: The machines must be retrofitted with printers to produce a receipt by 2006. Let's hope it is not too late.

- rob 1:47 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Remember: He's goint to change the tone in Washington, because he's a uniter not a divider.

TIME Magazine -- Love Him, Hate Him President: Americans adore Bush or loathe him — how we became a nation divided

- rob 1:36 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Hey, don't look at our soldiers dying, look at all the open schools!

Analysis: Iraqi CPA fires 28,000 teachers

Um... pretend there are teachers there... okay?

American's top man in Baghdad, L. Paul Bremer, last week fired 28,000 Iraqi teachers as political punishment for their former membership in the Saddam Hussein-dominated Baath Party, fueling anti-U.S. resistance on the ground, administration officials have told United Press International.

A Central Command spokesman, speaking to UPI from Baghdad, acknowledged that the firings had taken place but said the figure of 28,000 "is too high."

He was unable, however, after two days, to supply UPI with a lower, revised total.

The Central Command spokesman attributed the firings to "tough, new anti-Baath Party measures" recently passed by the U.S.-created Iraqi Governing Council, dominated by Ahmed Chalabi, a favorite of administration hawks in the White House and Pentagon.

"It's a piece of real stupidity on the part of the neocons to try and equate the Baath Party with the Nazis," said former CIA official Larry Johnson. "You have to make a choice: Either you are going to deal with Iraqis who are capable of rebuilding and running the country or you're going to turn Iraq over to those who can't."

Facing a spreading insurgency, this was "not the time to turn out into the street more recruits for the anti-U.S. insurgency," Johnson said.

"It's an incredible error," said former senior CIA official and Middle East expert Graham Fuller. "In Germany, after World War II, the de-nazification program was applied with almost surgical precision in order not to antagonize German public opinion. In the case of Iraq, ideologues don't seem to grasp the seriousness of their acts."

Administration officials told UPI that from the beginning of Bremer's arrival in Iraq, the Bush administration has consistently misplayed the issue of Iraq's former ruling Sunni group, most of whom were members of the Baath, but who are also the most able and knowledgeable administrators in the country. In addition, many able government employees joined the Baath Party not out of any special political sympathies, but simply to attain or retain their jobs.

Basically if you wanted a job in the government or as a goverment contractor you joined the Baath party. You would think the neocons would understand this. As part of policy a Republican congressman will not listen to a lobby that is not represented by a Republican (Gingrich's K Street project). So here is a case of employees potentially joining a party to keep a job, not because they believe in the idea of taking money from people's unborn children and giving them to oil companies and defense contractors. When Cheney, Bush, et al. are jailed for the looting and pillaging of the treasury, I for one will not support the firing of every republican lobbiest, that just isn't right. Now every lobbiest, no matter which party, that I could support.

The rest of the article continues to discuss the constant missteps of the Iraqi occupation.

According to several serving and former U.S. intelligence officials, the latest firings are only one of a series of what one State Department official called "disastrous misjudgments." He cites, as one of the first, how senior Pentagon officials, relying on Chalabi's advice, led the Bush administration to believe it would inherit the Iraqi government bureaucracy virtually intact at the end of the war.

This same group ignored warnings from the internal CIA and State Department studies about looting and general lawlessness in the event of a U.S. victory, these sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In a long editorial last Sunday, the New York Times said that the lack of U.S. preparation for a post-war Iraq was "most likely" due to the Defense Department and the president's security advisers (believing) in the assurance of Mr. Chalabi and other Iraqi exiles."

Another major and disastrous decision was Bremer's order, on arrival, to disband without pay the Iraqi military force of 400,000 men, several of these sources said.

A Pentagon critic of the administration said: "We spent a lot of money on psychological operations that urged the Iraqi army to remain out of the fight.

"They did, and what did we do? Rewarded them by throwing them out of work and denying them a living."

What deeply disturbed many U.S. Iraqi experts in the State Department and CIA was the fact the Iraqi army was a highly respected institution in Iraq, which Saddam Hussein did not trust and used other organizations like the Republican Guard to spy on.

But it was disbanded in an effort to sweep aside any viable internal leadership and to install "democrats" from Chalabi's Iraqi Governing Council, a half-dozen former U.S. diplomats and serving administration officials said.

"Disbanding the army only alienated the Iraq Sunnis, who could have been useful in restoring public services and getting the country up and running," a State Department official said.

Only 20 percent of the population Iraq's Sunnis are better educated, more experienced and more unified than the Shiite majority, he said. Since a U.S. victory would erode their position of dominance, they were very receptive to the argument that the U.S. government needed to utilize their expertise in order to ensure a smooth political transition.

This, of course, did not occur, the State Department official said.

Instead, under orders from Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, Bremer tried to get rid of former Baathists in the Iraqi government by removing the top six layers of bureaucracy, U.S. officials said. The decision was made on May 16.

One of its effects of this was to re-energize Islamic militant forces in the country, this official said, even though, "The Sunnis are a secular force, hostile to Iran and Shiite influences, not much given to promoting radical religious causes."

"All you were doing were pissing off people who were armed and had no place to go," a former senior CIA official said.

- rob 1:29 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Is the Federal Marriage Amendment A Bait And Switch Game?

From the Blakinization website: A good post about the FMA, not only is it a hidious piece of potential legislation on its face, underneath it is uglier.

But take it from the divorce and affair happy congressmen: Marriage is sacred.

I agree with that, that's why it should be between two people that love each other. Oh, they are saying they don't have to love each other at all? They just mean it needs to be between a man and a woman, love be damned. Oh, well that is stupid, I don't agree with that at all.

- rob 1:14 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Iraq Picks American as Ambassador to U.S.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 22 — An Iraqi-American activist whose foundation has spent much of the last decade devising visions of democratic rule for Iraq and lobbying for a war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein, will become the country's diplomatic representative in Washington, Iraqi political leaders said Saturday.

I'm sure she is qualified, but what kind of message does this send to the Iraqi people:

"People of Iraq, the occupation force has appointed an ambassador for your country to ours to help you. She is an American and hadn't, until recently, been in Iraq in at least a decade."

I don't know if she really knows what Iraqi's need right now.

- rob 1:10 PM - [PermaLink] -

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Take Action against the Energy and Medicare Bills

Go the above site to send an email to your senators. Here's mine (the part at the bottom is my personal note, the rest is generated by the site for you).

I am writing to request that you filibuster both the Energy and Medicare bills.

Either one of these pieces of legislation could stand as symbols of government at its worst. Back-room deal-making, secret meetings with industry chiefs, exclusion of the opposition and payoffs for special interests. That's not what I want my government doing. But by filibustering the Energy and Medicare bills, you can do the right thing and demonstrate that our government can function as it should, representing the real interests of the people over rich and powerful special interests.

These two pieces of legislation are too important to accept without a fight. Together they will affect the future of our nation for a long time. It's up to you to fight for what's right.

I'll be watching to find out if you join your colleagues in filibustering the Energy and Medicare bills.

The present Republican party has become the party of tax-cut and spend. spend. spend. and send a bill to our grandchildren. You must stop them from taking our country into a dark deficit ridden future.

Also, tell Senator Daschle that if he wants the Democrats to control congress after the 2004 election, which they may be able to, he'd best do what is best for America and not best for himself personally. Let him know in no uncertain terms that if he fails to support fillibusters against these two initiatives he will not be majority leader in 2005, nor will he be minority leader, he will have been rightly sacrificed for yet again not being a leader.

- rob 1:07 PM - [PermaLink] -

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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt



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