Be sure to visit the Capital City Free Press for the September issue, featuring my new article, "Swift Boat Vets for What?!".
"If you haven't heard all the back and forth "bomb throwing" (a term Bill O'Reilly loves to use when talking about Michael Moore, and anyone who disagrees with his whole "I'm here for the folks" charade) between the John Kerry and George W. Bush campaigns mixed up in the whole Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth" mess, then please change the channel away from MTV once in a while (at least give yourself time to read the ticker at the bottom of CNN - then you can finish watching that Britney Spears video on mute)...."
Read more at the Free Press
9.02.2004
8.18.2004
Who really got Bush's tax cuts?
That's a good question, and the answer you believed, at least until now, has really depended on whether you considered yourself "left" or "right", "liberal" or "conservative", pro-Kerry or pro-Bush....
Well, Sean Hannity can officially, to quote Bill O'Reilly, "shut up."
In Newsweek's "Conventional Wisdom" section (August 23, 2004), it says, "Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirms that the top 1 percent got one third of the Bush tax cuts."
It goes on to say, "In ads, Bush honors sacrifice. When will those guys?"
Let's look at that statistic and let it sink in for a moment. The top 1% got 1/3 of the Bush tax cuts....
So that means that 99% of the population got to divide the two thirds that were left after Karl Rove, Enron's Ken "Kenny Boy" Lay, and Dick Cheney's old pals at Halliburton got their share.
Someone should tell Sean Hannity not to believe everything he reads in the Weekly Standard or the Republican National Committee's newsletter.
................................
Speaking of the Newsweek article, there's another interesting thing about Dick Cheney. "[Cheney] ridicules Kerry for saying U.S. should be more 'sensitive' in terror fight. Yo, Dick, Bush said same thing in March."
Public Speech: Free
Leather Shoes: $250
Reading about Dick Cheney putting his foot in his mouth: Priceless
There really are some things in life money can't buy.
more info:
Newsweek
Well, Sean Hannity can officially, to quote Bill O'Reilly, "shut up."
In Newsweek's "Conventional Wisdom" section (August 23, 2004), it says, "Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirms that the top 1 percent got one third of the Bush tax cuts."
It goes on to say, "In ads, Bush honors sacrifice. When will those guys?"
Let's look at that statistic and let it sink in for a moment. The top 1% got 1/3 of the Bush tax cuts....
So that means that 99% of the population got to divide the two thirds that were left after Karl Rove, Enron's Ken "Kenny Boy" Lay, and Dick Cheney's old pals at Halliburton got their share.
Someone should tell Sean Hannity not to believe everything he reads in the Weekly Standard or the Republican National Committee's newsletter.
................................
Speaking of the Newsweek article, there's another interesting thing about Dick Cheney. "[Cheney] ridicules Kerry for saying U.S. should be more 'sensitive' in terror fight. Yo, Dick, Bush said same thing in March."
Public Speech: Free
Leather Shoes: $250
Reading about Dick Cheney putting his foot in his mouth: Priceless
There really are some things in life money can't buy.
more info:
Newsweek
8.09.2004
Who holds the Keyes to hypocrisy?
As we see in the political world almost daily, a politician's words usually end up coming back to haunt him - whether it's John Kerry voting for the $87 billion, then against it, or George W. Bush being against a constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2000, then promoting one in 2004.
After the Jack Ryan sex scandal (the GOP's ex-senatorial candidate from Illinois who was formerly married to actress Jeri Ryan, not the character from the Tom Clancy novels), the GOP did not have a candidate to run against Barack Obama, one of the Democrats' rising stars.
As of Wednesday night, August 4, the GOP extended their invitation to conservative talk-show host Alan Keyes.
You might remember Keyes from his attempt to get the Republican Presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000. Or you might remember him as being one of those 10-Commandments supporters who arrived in Montgomery, Alabama during the Roy Moore controversy (where you could hear individuals in the crowd say how "articulate" he is, with the rest of the sentence being "for a black man".)
Alan Keyes accepted the GOP's offer, and is planning to move from his home state of Maryland to Illinois so that he can run for Senate...to...um...represent the people of Illinois.
One could say that in politics there is a fine line between irony and hypocrisy...enter Alan Keyes.
Alan Keyes appeared on Fox News in March of 2000, and had this to say of Senator Hillary Clinton:
"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent the people there...So I certainly wouldn't imitate it."
Of course not, Mr. Keyes, and we would not expect you to.
more info:
Hypocrite Alan Keyes Said Carpetbagging is Wrong
Illinois GOP offers Senate nod to Alan Keyes
After the Jack Ryan sex scandal (the GOP's ex-senatorial candidate from Illinois who was formerly married to actress Jeri Ryan, not the character from the Tom Clancy novels), the GOP did not have a candidate to run against Barack Obama, one of the Democrats' rising stars.
As of Wednesday night, August 4, the GOP extended their invitation to conservative talk-show host Alan Keyes.
You might remember Keyes from his attempt to get the Republican Presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000. Or you might remember him as being one of those 10-Commandments supporters who arrived in Montgomery, Alabama during the Roy Moore controversy (where you could hear individuals in the crowd say how "articulate" he is, with the rest of the sentence being "for a black man".)
Alan Keyes accepted the GOP's offer, and is planning to move from his home state of Maryland to Illinois so that he can run for Senate...to...um...represent the people of Illinois.
One could say that in politics there is a fine line between irony and hypocrisy...enter Alan Keyes.
Alan Keyes appeared on Fox News in March of 2000, and had this to say of Senator Hillary Clinton:
"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent the people there...So I certainly wouldn't imitate it."
Of course not, Mr. Keyes, and we would not expect you to.
more info:
Hypocrite Alan Keyes Said Carpetbagging is Wrong
Illinois GOP offers Senate nod to Alan Keyes
8.05.2004
'Bushism' or Freudian Slip?
At the signing ceremony of the Department of Defense's 2005 Appropriations Act, Bush gave a speech in which he "misspoke".....or did he?
Bush:
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we...They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
It's good to know that Bush and al Qaeda think alike.
If the election goes well in November and we're inaugurating John Kerry as President, Bush won't have to look too far for a job opportunity. Our allies in England (London, to be exact) are looking for someone to be the nation's first court jester. They haven't had one since 1649. According to the add, you "must have [your] own outfit (with bells)."
more info:
Bush "misspeaks" during signing ceremony
Help Wanted: Court Jester
Bush:
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we...They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
It's good to know that Bush and al Qaeda think alike.
If the election goes well in November and we're inaugurating John Kerry as President, Bush won't have to look too far for a job opportunity. Our allies in England (London, to be exact) are looking for someone to be the nation's first court jester. They haven't had one since 1649. According to the add, you "must have [your] own outfit (with bells)."
more info:
Bush "misspeaks" during signing ceremony
Help Wanted: Court Jester
8.01.2004
Bush-Cheney '04 and the Race Card
The Arizona Daily Star reported that the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign has requested to know the race of one of the Star's reporters who would be covering an event.
The article states that all journalists who cover presidential or vice-presidential events must undergo a background check and provide their name, birthday, and social security number.
The Star provided all of that information willingly, but still received a call from the campaign asking to provide the reporter's race.
Why would the campaign need this other information?
According to Danny Diaz, a spokesman for Bush-Cheney '04, the journalist's race was needed for security purposes. When asked if it was typical White House practice to ask for that information, or if the journalist, Mamta Popat, was singled out because of her name (which is Indian), Diaz referred those questions to the Secret Service.
The Star's managing editor, Teri Hayt, refused to give the information, saying, "One has to wonder what they were going to do with that information...Because she has Indian ancestry, were they going to deny her access? I don't know."
Christine Walton, an organizer for the event, had asked two other Star editors for the journalist's race before speaking with Hayt. The other editors also refused to release the information.
Walton said the Secret Service needed to know so that they could differentiate between Popat and someone else who may share the same name.
Hayt called it "a very lame excuse."
After all, there were probably going to be a lot of "Mamta Popets" attending the event that day.
more info:
"Bush camp solicits race of Star staffer"
The article states that all journalists who cover presidential or vice-presidential events must undergo a background check and provide their name, birthday, and social security number.
The Star provided all of that information willingly, but still received a call from the campaign asking to provide the reporter's race.
Why would the campaign need this other information?
According to Danny Diaz, a spokesman for Bush-Cheney '04, the journalist's race was needed for security purposes. When asked if it was typical White House practice to ask for that information, or if the journalist, Mamta Popat, was singled out because of her name (which is Indian), Diaz referred those questions to the Secret Service.
The Star's managing editor, Teri Hayt, refused to give the information, saying, "One has to wonder what they were going to do with that information...Because she has Indian ancestry, were they going to deny her access? I don't know."
Christine Walton, an organizer for the event, had asked two other Star editors for the journalist's race before speaking with Hayt. The other editors also refused to release the information.
Walton said the Secret Service needed to know so that they could differentiate between Popat and someone else who may share the same name.
Hayt called it "a very lame excuse."
After all, there were probably going to be a lot of "Mamta Popets" attending the event that day.
more info:
"Bush camp solicits race of Star staffer"
"Owning the word liberal" at the Capital City Free Press
Be sure to check out my new article, "Owning the word liberal" at the Capital City Free Press.
"Now can someone please explain to me why being free from bigotry, favoring reform proposals, being open to new ideas and being tolerant of others is "evil" or something to be ashamed of?"
Read more here.
Check out the Free Press here.
"Now can someone please explain to me why being free from bigotry, favoring reform proposals, being open to new ideas and being tolerant of others is "evil" or something to be ashamed of?"
Read more here.
Check out the Free Press here.
7.28.2004
If Ignorance is Bliss...
...then there are a lot of happy people in the world today.
In a country as diverse as the USA, one might think that 40+ years of civil rights might teach people a valuable history lesson about the perils and dangers of racism, prejudice, and generalizations.
And then 9/11 happened, and it gave hate groups and other ignorant people a new race to focus their hatred on - Arabs.
Of course, many of these hate group members cannot tell the difference between someone from Mexico and someone from Saudi Arabia. In fact, the only reason they can differentiate between Spanish and Aramaic is because they went to a Mexican restaurant after seeing "The Passion of the Christ."
And I know you're thinking, "Well, that's only in places like Alabama and Mississippi, and maybe in some rural areas."
The scary part is that it's everywhere. 50 States that are supposed to be "united".
Tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has documented violence against Arabs and Muslims, and they have arranged it by State. They also have many ideas and programs to help fight hate and promote tolerance. Check out the link here: Tolerance.org.
Visit the Tolerance site, the Southern Poverty Law Center site, and the Montgomery Peace Project* site to get information on how you can get involved to promote Peace and Tolerance.
*(Montgomery Peace Project is not affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center or Tolerance.org).
More info:
Tolerance.org
Southern Poverty Law Center
Montgomery Peace Project
In a country as diverse as the USA, one might think that 40+ years of civil rights might teach people a valuable history lesson about the perils and dangers of racism, prejudice, and generalizations.
And then 9/11 happened, and it gave hate groups and other ignorant people a new race to focus their hatred on - Arabs.
Of course, many of these hate group members cannot tell the difference between someone from Mexico and someone from Saudi Arabia. In fact, the only reason they can differentiate between Spanish and Aramaic is because they went to a Mexican restaurant after seeing "The Passion of the Christ."
And I know you're thinking, "Well, that's only in places like Alabama and Mississippi, and maybe in some rural areas."
The scary part is that it's everywhere. 50 States that are supposed to be "united".
Tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has documented violence against Arabs and Muslims, and they have arranged it by State. They also have many ideas and programs to help fight hate and promote tolerance. Check out the link here: Tolerance.org.
Visit the Tolerance site, the Southern Poverty Law Center site, and the Montgomery Peace Project* site to get information on how you can get involved to promote Peace and Tolerance.
*(Montgomery Peace Project is not affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center or Tolerance.org).
More info:
Tolerance.org
Southern Poverty Law Center
Montgomery Peace Project
7.18.2004
Forwarding Deception
The internet has truly changed the way we communicate and find information.
Email is a great way to stay in touch, but many people are using it to spread falsehoods and lies - some unknowingly.
In recent weeks, I received two email forwards. Most people forward emails they like or agree with, rather than find out if it is true first. It is amazing what information you can find with a simple GOOGLE search.
Email #1: "Fwd: The Real SOCIAL SECURITY"
This extremely partisan email consists of half-truths and outright lies blaming Democrats for anything and everything wrong with Social Security, and people more concerned with an agenda than truth forward this without checking the facts.
Luckily, using the power of the internet, I stumbled across a web site, who seems to be non-partisan by the way, who investigated the claims of this email - FactCheck.org.
While Democrats were blamed for taxing Social Security benefits, FactCheck.org shows a photo of the President signing the tax bill into law. The year? 1983. The President? Ronald Reagan.
Click here to read the FactCheck.org article. It shows the original email along with the truth.
Email #2: "Fwd: Beware - Heinz Kerry"
This email makes outrageous claims that Senator John Kerry's wife, Teresa, has been donating money to fringe political groups and organizations through the Tides Foundation.
It begins with her life's history - where she grew up, went to school, who she married, etc. It then attempts to paint her character as moving to the "far left" and how she would be a dangerous first lady.
One thing the email does not do is give any references as to where the "information" was attained. In no way does it back up it's many claims.
Maxwell King, President of Heinz Endowments, clears up the falsehoods in the email, and gives the background to where the rumor started.
The "story" (if you can call it that) originated in an opinion column by the Capital Research Center, a conservative organization based in Washington, D.C. In the "story", the argument is made that the money from the Heinz Endowments can be used for anything the Tides Foundation wants to use it for.
There are many problems with this argument - a main one being that there is a legally binding contract. Because of this contract, every cent from the Heinz Endowments must go to specific projects in Pennsylvania. It cannot be "redirected" into anything else.
There are other problems with that argument, and King explains them in detail.
Click here to read the email and the facts at this Urban Legends Reference Page.
more info:
FactCheck.org
Urban Legends Reference Pages at Snopes.com
Urban Legends
Tides Foundation
Email is a great way to stay in touch, but many people are using it to spread falsehoods and lies - some unknowingly.
In recent weeks, I received two email forwards. Most people forward emails they like or agree with, rather than find out if it is true first. It is amazing what information you can find with a simple GOOGLE search.
Email #1: "Fwd: The Real SOCIAL SECURITY"
This extremely partisan email consists of half-truths and outright lies blaming Democrats for anything and everything wrong with Social Security, and people more concerned with an agenda than truth forward this without checking the facts.
Luckily, using the power of the internet, I stumbled across a web site, who seems to be non-partisan by the way, who investigated the claims of this email - FactCheck.org.
While Democrats were blamed for taxing Social Security benefits, FactCheck.org shows a photo of the President signing the tax bill into law. The year? 1983. The President? Ronald Reagan.
Click here to read the FactCheck.org article. It shows the original email along with the truth.
Email #2: "Fwd: Beware - Heinz Kerry"
This email makes outrageous claims that Senator John Kerry's wife, Teresa, has been donating money to fringe political groups and organizations through the Tides Foundation.
It begins with her life's history - where she grew up, went to school, who she married, etc. It then attempts to paint her character as moving to the "far left" and how she would be a dangerous first lady.
One thing the email does not do is give any references as to where the "information" was attained. In no way does it back up it's many claims.
Maxwell King, President of Heinz Endowments, clears up the falsehoods in the email, and gives the background to where the rumor started.
The "story" (if you can call it that) originated in an opinion column by the Capital Research Center, a conservative organization based in Washington, D.C. In the "story", the argument is made that the money from the Heinz Endowments can be used for anything the Tides Foundation wants to use it for.
There are many problems with this argument - a main one being that there is a legally binding contract. Because of this contract, every cent from the Heinz Endowments must go to specific projects in Pennsylvania. It cannot be "redirected" into anything else.
There are other problems with that argument, and King explains them in detail.
Click here to read the email and the facts at this Urban Legends Reference Page.
more info:
FactCheck.org
Urban Legends Reference Pages at Snopes.com
Urban Legends
Tides Foundation
Lucky for O'Reilly....
Lucky for Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, The O'Reilly Factor is pre-recorded.
Live television doesn't always give you enough time to edit your own spin for the "no spin zone."
David Cole was asked to appear on The Factor recently, and this was the first time he agreed to come on the show (and his last).
He wrote about his experience for The Nation, and apparently, Mr. O doesn't like to be called out for his own spin.
Click here to read the article.
Live television doesn't always give you enough time to edit your own spin for the "no spin zone."
David Cole was asked to appear on The Factor recently, and this was the first time he agreed to come on the show (and his last).
He wrote about his experience for The Nation, and apparently, Mr. O doesn't like to be called out for his own spin.
Click here to read the article.
7.02.2004
The Search for Truth in Corporate Media
My new article, "The Search for Truth in Corporate Media", appears in the July issue of the Capital City Free Press.
"Did Saddam Hussein have ties to Al Qaeda? The answer to this question depends on which news channel you're watching, or which newspaper you're reading, or what web site you're on. In today's level of mass confusion, the 'truth' is hidden in rhetoric - in the difference between 'collaborative relationship' and 'long-established ties'.".......
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Click here for the Capital City Free Press.
"Did Saddam Hussein have ties to Al Qaeda? The answer to this question depends on which news channel you're watching, or which newspaper you're reading, or what web site you're on. In today's level of mass confusion, the 'truth' is hidden in rhetoric - in the difference between 'collaborative relationship' and 'long-established ties'.".......
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Click here for the Capital City Free Press.
6.29.2004
Adolph Hitler is the new spokesman for Bush/Cheney '04
Actually, that title is not a joke.
Maverick Media produced a video for the Bush campaign called "Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-Eyed." In this video, it shows video clips of John Kerry, Michael Moore, Dick Gephardt, Howard Dean, and Al Gore...oh yeah, and Adolph Hitler.
In the scenes of Hitler, the words "sponsored by MoveOn.org" appear at the bottom. That is misleading.
Here's the real story:
MoveOn.org sponsored an ad contest called "Bush In 30 Seconds" in which there were over 1,500 submissions received. These submissions were put on the website www.bushin30seconds.org for the public to vote on and critique. Two of the submissions compared Bush and Hitler as warmongers.
It is important to note that MoveOn.org did not film or sponsor these ads. In fact, Wes Boyd, the founder of the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, released a press release saying, "The claim that MoveOn.org sponsored the ads comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler is deliberately and maliciously misleading."
Boyd agreed that the Hitler ads "were in poor taste", and said that he "deeply regret[s] that they slipped through our screening process."
Now the Bush campaign is using the same footage that they spoke out against - to attack John Kerry. It is also worth noting that John Kerry had nothing to do with the MoveOn.org ads, but that doesn't stop the Bush campaign ad from saying, "The following video contains remarks made by and images from ads sponsored by Kerry Supporters."
The Bush campaign going from being angry about the MoveOn.org ads to its use of the ads to attack John Kerry is not the only irony in this scenario.
Remember 2002, during the Senate race in Georgia between Max Cleland and Saxby Chambliss? There were ads attacking Max Cleland, questioning his patriotism. (And for the record, Max Cleland is a triple amputee. He lost both legs and one arm in a grenade explosion in Vietnam. I could not find any record of Saxby Chambliss serving in the armed forces.)
In his press release, Wes Boyd says, "Contrast this attack with the behavior of the RNC and its allies when supporters of President Bush used TV ads morphing the face of Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) into the image of Osama Bin Laden during the 2002 Senate race."
Contrary to what ideologues might think, dirty politics really does go both ways.
Here is John Kerry's response to the Bush ad (found on the Newsweek web site):
"'The fact that George Bush thinks it’s appropriate to use images of Adolf Hitler in his campaign raises serious questions about his fitness to spend another four years in the White House,' campaign spokesperson Phil Singer said in a statement. 'Adolf Hitler slaughtered millions of innocent people and has no place in a campaign that is supposed to be about the future and hope of this nation.' The Kerry campaign called on the president to remove the video from his Web site."
more info:
"Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-Eyed"
Newsweek's article with Kerry's response
Bush plays the Nazi Card @ slate.com
Wes Boyd's press release
Sen. Max Cleland: experiencing war
Bush In 30 Seconds
Maverick Media produced a video for the Bush campaign called "Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-Eyed." In this video, it shows video clips of John Kerry, Michael Moore, Dick Gephardt, Howard Dean, and Al Gore...oh yeah, and Adolph Hitler.
In the scenes of Hitler, the words "sponsored by MoveOn.org" appear at the bottom. That is misleading.
Here's the real story:
MoveOn.org sponsored an ad contest called "Bush In 30 Seconds" in which there were over 1,500 submissions received. These submissions were put on the website www.bushin30seconds.org for the public to vote on and critique. Two of the submissions compared Bush and Hitler as warmongers.
It is important to note that MoveOn.org did not film or sponsor these ads. In fact, Wes Boyd, the founder of the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, released a press release saying, "The claim that MoveOn.org sponsored the ads comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler is deliberately and maliciously misleading."
Boyd agreed that the Hitler ads "were in poor taste", and said that he "deeply regret[s] that they slipped through our screening process."
Now the Bush campaign is using the same footage that they spoke out against - to attack John Kerry. It is also worth noting that John Kerry had nothing to do with the MoveOn.org ads, but that doesn't stop the Bush campaign ad from saying, "The following video contains remarks made by and images from ads sponsored by Kerry Supporters."
The Bush campaign going from being angry about the MoveOn.org ads to its use of the ads to attack John Kerry is not the only irony in this scenario.
Remember 2002, during the Senate race in Georgia between Max Cleland and Saxby Chambliss? There were ads attacking Max Cleland, questioning his patriotism. (And for the record, Max Cleland is a triple amputee. He lost both legs and one arm in a grenade explosion in Vietnam. I could not find any record of Saxby Chambliss serving in the armed forces.)
In his press release, Wes Boyd says, "Contrast this attack with the behavior of the RNC and its allies when supporters of President Bush used TV ads morphing the face of Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) into the image of Osama Bin Laden during the 2002 Senate race."
Contrary to what ideologues might think, dirty politics really does go both ways.
Here is John Kerry's response to the Bush ad (found on the Newsweek web site):
"'The fact that George Bush thinks it’s appropriate to use images of Adolf Hitler in his campaign raises serious questions about his fitness to spend another four years in the White House,' campaign spokesperson Phil Singer said in a statement. 'Adolf Hitler slaughtered millions of innocent people and has no place in a campaign that is supposed to be about the future and hope of this nation.' The Kerry campaign called on the president to remove the video from his Web site."
more info:
"Kerry's Coalition of the Wild-Eyed"
Newsweek's article with Kerry's response
Bush plays the Nazi Card @ slate.com
Wes Boyd's press release
Sen. Max Cleland: experiencing war
Bush In 30 Seconds
6.23.2004
Club for Partisan Political Ads
I've seen a new political ad attacking Senator John Kerry recently on Fox News Channel. (And no matter how much Sean Hannity likes the ad, it was not sponsored by Fox News.)
The ad starts with Kerry in the year 1971, during a Congressional testimony, saying, "We cannot fight Communism all over the World, and I think we should have learned that lesson by now."
Then you see the late Ronald Reagan in 1987 at the Berlin Wall, saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Next, we see George W. Bush in 2001 at Ground Zero saying, "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these building down will hear all of us soon."
The ad then repeats the quote from Kerry, and ends with "John Kerry: Wrong then, Wrong now."
The ad was sponsored by an organization called Club For Growth, a politically right-wing Republican group.
Let's examine the ad:
John Kerry mentioned "Communism", not to be confused with "Terrorism." I can see where the Reagan quote would be appropriate in this scenario, but Bush never decided to fight Communism, and Communism is not dead.
If you think Communism is dead, just ask the people in China, North Korea, Vietnam, or Cuba.
Kerry made his comment in 1971, after coming back from the Vietnam War, which had recently ended. After we lost the Vietnam war, that country remains Communist to this day. So while Reagan may have done some good, he did not eliminate Communism from the world.
John Kerry's comments were regarding the Vietnam war, and had nothing to do with the "War on Terror".
Here's what they didn't mention in the ad:
While John Kerry was risking his life in Vietnam, where was George W. Bush? Was he in the Texas Air National Guard? Was he in Alabama training? Was he in Alabama campaigning for his dad's friends? Did he ever show up for his drills? Did he go AWOL? He has his dental records, so we know he got his teeth cleaned, but what else was he doing?
Club For Growth is more about partisan politics and ideologies than growth. This country needs a strong leader, who knows more about diplomacy than being a "Bring-it-on" cowboy.
more info:
John Kerry
George W Bush
Club for Growth
Vietnam War
Communist Nations
Did Dubya go AWOL?
The ad starts with Kerry in the year 1971, during a Congressional testimony, saying, "We cannot fight Communism all over the World, and I think we should have learned that lesson by now."
Then you see the late Ronald Reagan in 1987 at the Berlin Wall, saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Next, we see George W. Bush in 2001 at Ground Zero saying, "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these building down will hear all of us soon."
The ad then repeats the quote from Kerry, and ends with "John Kerry: Wrong then, Wrong now."
The ad was sponsored by an organization called Club For Growth, a politically right-wing Republican group.
Let's examine the ad:
John Kerry mentioned "Communism", not to be confused with "Terrorism." I can see where the Reagan quote would be appropriate in this scenario, but Bush never decided to fight Communism, and Communism is not dead.
If you think Communism is dead, just ask the people in China, North Korea, Vietnam, or Cuba.
Kerry made his comment in 1971, after coming back from the Vietnam War, which had recently ended. After we lost the Vietnam war, that country remains Communist to this day. So while Reagan may have done some good, he did not eliminate Communism from the world.
John Kerry's comments were regarding the Vietnam war, and had nothing to do with the "War on Terror".
Here's what they didn't mention in the ad:
While John Kerry was risking his life in Vietnam, where was George W. Bush? Was he in the Texas Air National Guard? Was he in Alabama training? Was he in Alabama campaigning for his dad's friends? Did he ever show up for his drills? Did he go AWOL? He has his dental records, so we know he got his teeth cleaned, but what else was he doing?
Club For Growth is more about partisan politics and ideologies than growth. This country needs a strong leader, who knows more about diplomacy than being a "Bring-it-on" cowboy.
more info:
John Kerry
George W Bush
Club for Growth
Vietnam War
Communist Nations
Did Dubya go AWOL?
6.16.2004
Michael Moore is experiencing the "Marilyn Manson effect"
A well-known fact is that controversy usually gets major publicity - especially when it comes to entertainment or politics. Remember when Marilyn Manson released the "Antichrist Superstar" album? During his tour for that album (and many subsequent albums/tours as well), there were large numbers of religious groups outside the concert venue with bullhorns and picket signs protesting the show.
Who showed up at each of these protests, furthering Marilyn Manson's popularity?
The media.
That's right. The media was always there - documenting, filming, broadcasting live, spreading the word about Marilyn Manson. During all of this controversy, his fan base grew.
Right now, Michael Moore, the award-winning director of "Bowling for Columbine" and author of the best-sellers "Stupid White Men" and "Dude, Where's My Country", is experiencing this "Marilyn Manson effect". He has a new film coming to theaters on June 25, 2004 called "Fahrenheit 9/11", and it has been receiving international publicity.
If you haven't followed all the controversy so far, here's the quick version:
Miramax, owned by Disney, puts $6 million into the film. Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, said that neither Disney nor Miramax will release the film because of multiple excuses (depending on what day you read about it). "Fahrenheit 9/11" debuts at the Cannes Film Festival and wins the top award - the Palme D'or. Film is bought from Disney and will be distributed by Lions Gate Films and IFC Films in the US.
Now, an organization called "Move America Forward" is actively boycotting the film, asking their members to send emails to movie-theater owners (email addresses provided on their site), asking them not to show "Fahrenheit 9/11", calling it a "Bash America" film.
Just like Marilyn Manson, this boycotting will increase Moore's popularity, and more people will see this film.
Here's a quote from the "Move America Forward" web site:
"After it was pre-screened, one Blame American First viewer cried, 'It made me wanna burn my passport.'"
Conservatives love to call their opponents the "Blame America First" crowd, but it doesn't make much sense when you think about conservatives like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
September 13,2001, Jerry Falwell goes on Pat Robertson's 700 Club and makes the following statement regarding the terrorist attacks of 9/11:
"I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face, and say, 'you helped this happen.'"
Pat Robertson's response: "Well, I totally concur."
Sounds like these conservatives were blaming certain groups of Americans for 9/11. So who is the "Blame America First" crowd again?
On the Laura Ingraham show today, she actually said something that I agreed with (imagine that) regarding the Michael Moore boycott. She was saying that this boycott was helping Michael Moore...and she's actually right on this one.
One thing that is taken for granted in this country is the First Amendment, guaranteeing the right to free speech. Attempting to stifle free speech sounds like an attempt to move America backwards, not "Move America Forward".
More info:
Michael Moore
Fahrenheit 9/11
Move America Forward
Michael Moore's book and films
Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson's 700 Club
Jerry Falwell
Falwell eats his words
Laura Ingraham
Lions Gate Films
IFC Films
Marilyn Manson
Who showed up at each of these protests, furthering Marilyn Manson's popularity?
The media.
That's right. The media was always there - documenting, filming, broadcasting live, spreading the word about Marilyn Manson. During all of this controversy, his fan base grew.
Right now, Michael Moore, the award-winning director of "Bowling for Columbine" and author of the best-sellers "Stupid White Men" and "Dude, Where's My Country", is experiencing this "Marilyn Manson effect". He has a new film coming to theaters on June 25, 2004 called "Fahrenheit 9/11", and it has been receiving international publicity.
If you haven't followed all the controversy so far, here's the quick version:
Miramax, owned by Disney, puts $6 million into the film. Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, said that neither Disney nor Miramax will release the film because of multiple excuses (depending on what day you read about it). "Fahrenheit 9/11" debuts at the Cannes Film Festival and wins the top award - the Palme D'or. Film is bought from Disney and will be distributed by Lions Gate Films and IFC Films in the US.
Now, an organization called "Move America Forward" is actively boycotting the film, asking their members to send emails to movie-theater owners (email addresses provided on their site), asking them not to show "Fahrenheit 9/11", calling it a "Bash America" film.
Just like Marilyn Manson, this boycotting will increase Moore's popularity, and more people will see this film.
Here's a quote from the "Move America Forward" web site:
"After it was pre-screened, one Blame American First viewer cried, 'It made me wanna burn my passport.'"
Conservatives love to call their opponents the "Blame America First" crowd, but it doesn't make much sense when you think about conservatives like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
September 13,2001, Jerry Falwell goes on Pat Robertson's 700 Club and makes the following statement regarding the terrorist attacks of 9/11:
"I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face, and say, 'you helped this happen.'"
Pat Robertson's response: "Well, I totally concur."
Sounds like these conservatives were blaming certain groups of Americans for 9/11. So who is the "Blame America First" crowd again?
On the Laura Ingraham show today, she actually said something that I agreed with (imagine that) regarding the Michael Moore boycott. She was saying that this boycott was helping Michael Moore...and she's actually right on this one.
One thing that is taken for granted in this country is the First Amendment, guaranteeing the right to free speech. Attempting to stifle free speech sounds like an attempt to move America backwards, not "Move America Forward".
More info:
Michael Moore
Fahrenheit 9/11
Move America Forward
Michael Moore's book and films
Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson's 700 Club
Jerry Falwell
Falwell eats his words
Laura Ingraham
Lions Gate Films
IFC Films
Marilyn Manson
Why don't the pundits act like their heroes?
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr. has a great article in the June 14, 2004 issue of Newsweek regarding the leadership of Ronald Reagan. In his article, he says of Reagan:
"He was not mean-spirited like Nixon, with contempt for blacks, Jews and liberals, nor did he regard political opponents as enemies of the republic."
It's too bad today's conservative commentators don't follow the actions of one of their heroes. The attacks that spew from the conservative pundits today range from terms like "un-American" and "treasonous" to "terrorist sympathizers".
In other words, Ann Coulter owes the world an apology.
more info:
Newsweek
Ann Coulter
"He was not mean-spirited like Nixon, with contempt for blacks, Jews and liberals, nor did he regard political opponents as enemies of the republic."
It's too bad today's conservative commentators don't follow the actions of one of their heroes. The attacks that spew from the conservative pundits today range from terms like "un-American" and "treasonous" to "terrorist sympathizers".
In other words, Ann Coulter owes the world an apology.
more info:
Newsweek
Ann Coulter
6.02.2004
Less is Moore
Leaving work around 6 pm, I only had one hour to get to the polls before they closed. I rushed there, making good time. I walked up to the line, showed my I.D., and was asked, "Republican or Democrat?".
I really don't like having to choose. I like to vote for people, not parties, so I responded with "Do I have to choose?".
Well, I had to pick one, but which one to pick....hhhmmmmm....well, I thought about what I was doing, and realized that I could either vote for someone, or vote against someone - so I picked Republican.
This is what entered my mind. I thought about how Roy Moore had made a mockery of the Alabama Supreme Court, metaphorically pissed on our Constitution's First Amendment, defied his job, and caused Alabama to become just another joke for the national media. Then I thought about how he endorsed certain candidates for the Alabama Supreme Court, and how they must be stopped.
All those ads, mail-outs, and radio commercials about how they will stand up for Christian values...but no mention of the law. Is it too much to ask for a judge to stand up for the law? To obey the law? To do your job?
I have no problem with someone standing up for their religious beliefs, but making your entire political campaign on it is wrong unless you're running for a Priest position.
I thought that I may be the only one who had done this until I read the Montgomery Advertiser's article: "Few Voters, Tight Races".
Here is an excerpt of the article:
"But others were drawn to the polls because they opposed Moore's slate of candidates.
'I came out specifically to vote against those candidates who Roy Moore supports,' Montgomery resident Terry Harris said. "I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state."
The outcome of the vote:
Only one of the three judges that Moore endorsed won, and that was by a narrow margin.
Mr. Terry Harris, you're a good man.
"Moore" info:
Few Voters, Tight Races
I really don't like having to choose. I like to vote for people, not parties, so I responded with "Do I have to choose?".
Well, I had to pick one, but which one to pick....hhhmmmmm....well, I thought about what I was doing, and realized that I could either vote for someone, or vote against someone - so I picked Republican.
This is what entered my mind. I thought about how Roy Moore had made a mockery of the Alabama Supreme Court, metaphorically pissed on our Constitution's First Amendment, defied his job, and caused Alabama to become just another joke for the national media. Then I thought about how he endorsed certain candidates for the Alabama Supreme Court, and how they must be stopped.
All those ads, mail-outs, and radio commercials about how they will stand up for Christian values...but no mention of the law. Is it too much to ask for a judge to stand up for the law? To obey the law? To do your job?
I have no problem with someone standing up for their religious beliefs, but making your entire political campaign on it is wrong unless you're running for a Priest position.
I thought that I may be the only one who had done this until I read the Montgomery Advertiser's article: "Few Voters, Tight Races".
Here is an excerpt of the article:
"But others were drawn to the polls because they opposed Moore's slate of candidates.
'I came out specifically to vote against those candidates who Roy Moore supports,' Montgomery resident Terry Harris said. "I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state."
The outcome of the vote:
Only one of the three judges that Moore endorsed won, and that was by a narrow margin.
Mr. Terry Harris, you're a good man.
"Moore" info:
Few Voters, Tight Races
The Partisan Lie Detector at the Capital City Free Press
Be sure to check out my new article, "The Partisan Lie Detector" in the June issue of the Capital City Free Press.
Here are the links:
Capital City Free Press
The Partisan Lie Detector
Here are the links:
Capital City Free Press
The Partisan Lie Detector
5.14.2004
Publicity for JoshCarples.com and A New Voice for the Right that's Wrong
Publicity
JoshCarples.com, "the news according to joshcarples", has been linked on the Capital City Free Press' web site. Their link has been added to the News/Politics link section to the right of this page. Be sure to check them out. Thanks to Joseph O. Patton, Montgomery has a progressive voice beyond the corporate media.
A New Voice For the Right that's Wrong
Just what America needed - a new ultra-right-wing, liberal-hating, and much of the time illogical personality on the radio. We really didn't have enough of those already.
Enter Rusty Humphries, a person who could very well become the next Sean Hannity in my opinion - and the two are a lot alike, really. They're both loud and obnoxious and rarely make a believable argument.
Now, I admit, I'm not an avid listener of Rusty. I'm usually at work during his show (unlike many other Americans - "Thank you, Mr. President"). The few times so far that I have heard at least a segment or two of the show, I notice an angry person who is...well...wrong - a lot.
During his show a couple of weeks ago, there were people calling in, talking about the Iraq War ("Gulf War II") and John Kerry. Rusty, with his oh-so-angry tone said, "John Kerry killed my dad." No, really. Are you still laughing? Rusty really said that John Kerry killed his dad. Apparently, Rusty's dad was killed during Vietnam, and because John Kerry (who fought in Vietnam, instead of jumping in front of the rich-kid line to be a Texas Air National Guardsman like our current commander-in-chief) returned from Vietnam and protested the war, Rusty's dad died.
First of all, I'm not attempting to show any disrespect to Rusty's dad. There are many brave soldiers who fought in Vietnam, and died in Vietnam, and I respect them and their sacrifice. What's disrespectful is his blaming John Kerry for his dad's death.
...and of course, Rusty ends his show that day yelling, "Am I the only one who remembers 9-11?!"
No, Rusty, you're not. You just remember it in a different way than what happened.
I remember everyone saying that Osama bin Laden and his terror network, al Qaeda, orchestrated and carried out the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Rusty's memory apparently consists of the 9-11 attacks with flashing images of an Arab in them, and he's just not sure whether that Arab is Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. See, Rusty's a bit confused, as was our President a little over a year ago.
I remember watching Bill Maher's hour-long special that was based on his book, "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden." Bill mentioned the toppling of the Saddam statue in Iraq, and how someone said that we should melt the Saddam statue, and use it in a new World Trade Center building. The person said something to the effect of, "That'll show the rest of the world..." Bill said, "Yeah, that'll show the world that we can't tell one Arab from another."
Well, Rusty, no one's disputing that Saddam was a bad guy. Really, even the people who are against Gulf War II are glad that Saddam is out of power. We just believe that we went about it the wrong way.
...and at this point, we would hear arguments...
Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Where?
Saddam gassed his own people.
Yes, and we should have been pissed enough to do something about that when it happened in the 80's.
Saddam violated 17 UN Sanctions. If the UN does't enforce them, we have to.
Israel has violated at least 30, Turkey has more than 20, Morocco has more than 15. When are we going to enforce them?
We went over there to liberate people.
Good, because we have a history of liberating people, right? Was that was the first and second World Wars were about? What about Vietnam? Korea? It's all about the people, huh?
Here are some questions for you:
Saddam was accused of having nuclear weapons. North Korea admitted having a nuclear program with nuclear weapons. Why are we in Iraq instead of North Korea?
(My guess is that there's no oil in North Korea.)
Was Bush planning to attack Iraq before 9-11 even occurred?
(According to a new book by Bob Woodward, "Plan of Attack", maybe so.)
Is this war, at least partly, Bush's personal vendetta?
(This is from a 2002 speech found on CNN.com in which Bush said of Saddam, "After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad.")
Hey, at least the President isn't blaming John Kerry for trying to kill his dad. Take notes, Rusty.
More info:
Capital City Free Press
Rusty Humphries
(***If you go to Rusty's web site, he has a link on there of the actual video of Nick Berg being decapitated. Do not download that video unless you are prepared to be sickened. Honestly, he wasn't decapitated, his head was sawed off. It's horrible and brutal, and one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. I can't even imagine what the Berg family is going through right now, and I truly hope that people reach out to them and give them support in these times.***)
"After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad."
Bill Maher - "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden"
Bob Woodward - "Plan of Attack"
JoshCarples.com, "the news according to joshcarples", has been linked on the Capital City Free Press' web site. Their link has been added to the News/Politics link section to the right of this page. Be sure to check them out. Thanks to Joseph O. Patton, Montgomery has a progressive voice beyond the corporate media.
A New Voice For the Right that's Wrong
Just what America needed - a new ultra-right-wing, liberal-hating, and much of the time illogical personality on the radio. We really didn't have enough of those already.
Enter Rusty Humphries, a person who could very well become the next Sean Hannity in my opinion - and the two are a lot alike, really. They're both loud and obnoxious and rarely make a believable argument.
Now, I admit, I'm not an avid listener of Rusty. I'm usually at work during his show (unlike many other Americans - "Thank you, Mr. President"). The few times so far that I have heard at least a segment or two of the show, I notice an angry person who is...well...wrong - a lot.
During his show a couple of weeks ago, there were people calling in, talking about the Iraq War ("Gulf War II") and John Kerry. Rusty, with his oh-so-angry tone said, "John Kerry killed my dad." No, really. Are you still laughing? Rusty really said that John Kerry killed his dad. Apparently, Rusty's dad was killed during Vietnam, and because John Kerry (who fought in Vietnam, instead of jumping in front of the rich-kid line to be a Texas Air National Guardsman like our current commander-in-chief) returned from Vietnam and protested the war, Rusty's dad died.
First of all, I'm not attempting to show any disrespect to Rusty's dad. There are many brave soldiers who fought in Vietnam, and died in Vietnam, and I respect them and their sacrifice. What's disrespectful is his blaming John Kerry for his dad's death.
...and of course, Rusty ends his show that day yelling, "Am I the only one who remembers 9-11?!"
No, Rusty, you're not. You just remember it in a different way than what happened.
I remember everyone saying that Osama bin Laden and his terror network, al Qaeda, orchestrated and carried out the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Rusty's memory apparently consists of the 9-11 attacks with flashing images of an Arab in them, and he's just not sure whether that Arab is Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. See, Rusty's a bit confused, as was our President a little over a year ago.
I remember watching Bill Maher's hour-long special that was based on his book, "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden." Bill mentioned the toppling of the Saddam statue in Iraq, and how someone said that we should melt the Saddam statue, and use it in a new World Trade Center building. The person said something to the effect of, "That'll show the rest of the world..." Bill said, "Yeah, that'll show the world that we can't tell one Arab from another."
Well, Rusty, no one's disputing that Saddam was a bad guy. Really, even the people who are against Gulf War II are glad that Saddam is out of power. We just believe that we went about it the wrong way.
...and at this point, we would hear arguments...
Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Where?
Saddam gassed his own people.
Yes, and we should have been pissed enough to do something about that when it happened in the 80's.
Saddam violated 17 UN Sanctions. If the UN does't enforce them, we have to.
Israel has violated at least 30, Turkey has more than 20, Morocco has more than 15. When are we going to enforce them?
We went over there to liberate people.
Good, because we have a history of liberating people, right? Was that was the first and second World Wars were about? What about Vietnam? Korea? It's all about the people, huh?
Here are some questions for you:
Saddam was accused of having nuclear weapons. North Korea admitted having a nuclear program with nuclear weapons. Why are we in Iraq instead of North Korea?
(My guess is that there's no oil in North Korea.)
Was Bush planning to attack Iraq before 9-11 even occurred?
(According to a new book by Bob Woodward, "Plan of Attack", maybe so.)
Is this war, at least partly, Bush's personal vendetta?
(This is from a 2002 speech found on CNN.com in which Bush said of Saddam, "After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad.")
Hey, at least the President isn't blaming John Kerry for trying to kill his dad. Take notes, Rusty.
More info:
Capital City Free Press
Rusty Humphries
(***If you go to Rusty's web site, he has a link on there of the actual video of Nick Berg being decapitated. Do not download that video unless you are prepared to be sickened. Honestly, he wasn't decapitated, his head was sawed off. It's horrible and brutal, and one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. I can't even imagine what the Berg family is going through right now, and I truly hope that people reach out to them and give them support in these times.***)
"After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad."
Bill Maher - "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden"
Bob Woodward - "Plan of Attack"
5.09.2004
Montgomery, Alabama, Can Be a Scary Place When You Think About It
When you think about it, Montgomery can be a scary place sometimes, although it can seem rather subtle. Here's the story:
What is probably Montgomery, Alabama's most popular source for local television news, WSFA channel 12, regularly has a poll on their web site (wsfa.com) in which people can vote on whatever question they ask at the time.
Currently, as of this article, the question is:
"Do you believe allegations of abuse by U.S. military personnel in Iraq are overblown?"
Here are the results as of May 9, around 1pm central time:
Yes: 65%
No: 31%
Undecided: 4%
After seeing part of the 10 o'clock news on Friday, May 7, I probably could have predicted these results. During the story regarding Abu Ghraib prison and Secretary of Defense Donald "Rummy" Rumsfeld, they got a "local reaction" to the story. Of course, being in Montgomery, nothing makes for better television than finding a redneck who continues to sport the infamous mullet haircut, and asking him serious questions about politics.
When asked the poll question, the unknown redneck, which we'll refer to as "Billy Bob", answered (and I paraphrase), "They'd be doing a lot worse to us if we was [sic] in the same situation."
(His answer isn't the only thing that's sad here. I find it sad and insulting that the national news media looks at Alabama and thinks we are all like "Billy Bob", but that could have a lot to do with the fact that "Billy Bob" is always the one who ends up on the news giving his opinion on world politics, unless his wife, "Billie Jo" ends up on there with her curlers and mumu instead.)
I find it sad that 65% of people who voted in that poll say that the allegations are "overblown". Do they really know what the allegations are? Or do they think it stops where the pictures on Fox News stops? (Because you know that here in the USA, we always get the whole story from our corporate-owned media conglomerates, right?)
According to a May 3, 2004 story on the WSFA web site, entitled "Torture Report Details Coming Out":
"A 53-page Army report includes allegations (among others) of the punching, slapping, and kicking of detainees; videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees; forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing; placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture. "
And that's not all that happened. According to articles by BBC News and Alternet.org, they quote a report by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in which the ICRC's investigations found that the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib were "widespread, and in some cases 'tantamount to torture'."
Apparently, some people here in Montgomery don't constitute what happened as "torture" because they think it's just "overblown."
The BBC News article, "Red Cross saw 'widespread abuse'", said that "The Red Cross mentions a number of 'serious violations of humanitarian law', including beatings and prolonged solitary confinement. "
The Nation magazine had this to say in an article titled, "The Horror of Abu Ghraib":
"The appalling images--seven naked Iraqis piled on top of one another as two grinning GIs look on; a kneeling detainee posing as if he is performing oral sex on another naked, hooded male inmate; the battered body of a dead prisoner packed in ice--have led to criminal charges against six US soldiers and administrative penalties for seven officers. "
There have been many allegations of prisoners being sodomized by Coalition forces, and the military personnel who are being charged with these crimes are blaming a lack of training, or even "an unclear chain of command or responsibility", according to the Charlotte Observer. The Charlotte Observer's "Becoming a Monster" article says something I think we can all agree with:
"No training is needed to know not to sodomize a man with a broomstick. No one at any point in a military chain of command should have permitted it. This is not merely a mistake. It is an exercise in inhumanity, and a costly defeat for the American effort in Iraq."
The Irony:
In The Nation's article, Saudi commentator Dawud al-Shiryan said on Al Jazeera's English version web site, "Abu Ghraib prison was used for torture in Saddam's time. People will ask now: 'What's the difference between Saddam and Bush?' Nothing!"
The Charlotte Observer published a quote by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche from "Beyond Good and Evil" (1886):
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster."
According to "Billy Bob", it would have been worse if the situation was reversed, but don't we as Americans put ourselves at a higher standard? "Americans are different." said Senator Joe Lieberman during Rumsfeld's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, "That's why we're outraged by this. That's why the apologies were due."
Rumsfeld has mentioned other pictures and videos of abuse that have not made it to the media yet, so we should expect more of this to come. Many questions will be answered. Will Rumsfeld lose his job? Will this create more violence in Iraq? Is this war really another Vietnam?
But don't worry, Montgomerians, according to "Billy Bob", it's all just "overblown."
More Info:
Torture Report Details Coming Out (WSFA)
Hard to Say You're Sorry (Alternet)
The Horror of Abu Ghraib (The Nation)
Rumsfeld Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee (complete transcript - Washington Post)
Red Cross saw 'widespread abuse' (BBC News)
Becoming a monster (Charlotte Observer)
What is probably Montgomery, Alabama's most popular source for local television news, WSFA channel 12, regularly has a poll on their web site (wsfa.com) in which people can vote on whatever question they ask at the time.
Currently, as of this article, the question is:
"Do you believe allegations of abuse by U.S. military personnel in Iraq are overblown?"
Here are the results as of May 9, around 1pm central time:
Yes: 65%
No: 31%
Undecided: 4%
After seeing part of the 10 o'clock news on Friday, May 7, I probably could have predicted these results. During the story regarding Abu Ghraib prison and Secretary of Defense Donald "Rummy" Rumsfeld, they got a "local reaction" to the story. Of course, being in Montgomery, nothing makes for better television than finding a redneck who continues to sport the infamous mullet haircut, and asking him serious questions about politics.
When asked the poll question, the unknown redneck, which we'll refer to as "Billy Bob", answered (and I paraphrase), "They'd be doing a lot worse to us if we was [sic] in the same situation."
(His answer isn't the only thing that's sad here. I find it sad and insulting that the national news media looks at Alabama and thinks we are all like "Billy Bob", but that could have a lot to do with the fact that "Billy Bob" is always the one who ends up on the news giving his opinion on world politics, unless his wife, "Billie Jo" ends up on there with her curlers and mumu instead.)
I find it sad that 65% of people who voted in that poll say that the allegations are "overblown". Do they really know what the allegations are? Or do they think it stops where the pictures on Fox News stops? (Because you know that here in the USA, we always get the whole story from our corporate-owned media conglomerates, right?)
According to a May 3, 2004 story on the WSFA web site, entitled "Torture Report Details Coming Out":
"A 53-page Army report includes allegations (among others) of the punching, slapping, and kicking of detainees; videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees; forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing; placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture. "
And that's not all that happened. According to articles by BBC News and Alternet.org, they quote a report by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in which the ICRC's investigations found that the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib were "widespread, and in some cases 'tantamount to torture'."
Apparently, some people here in Montgomery don't constitute what happened as "torture" because they think it's just "overblown."
The BBC News article, "Red Cross saw 'widespread abuse'", said that "The Red Cross mentions a number of 'serious violations of humanitarian law', including beatings and prolonged solitary confinement. "
The Nation magazine had this to say in an article titled, "The Horror of Abu Ghraib":
"The appalling images--seven naked Iraqis piled on top of one another as two grinning GIs look on; a kneeling detainee posing as if he is performing oral sex on another naked, hooded male inmate; the battered body of a dead prisoner packed in ice--have led to criminal charges against six US soldiers and administrative penalties for seven officers. "
There have been many allegations of prisoners being sodomized by Coalition forces, and the military personnel who are being charged with these crimes are blaming a lack of training, or even "an unclear chain of command or responsibility", according to the Charlotte Observer. The Charlotte Observer's "Becoming a Monster" article says something I think we can all agree with:
"No training is needed to know not to sodomize a man with a broomstick. No one at any point in a military chain of command should have permitted it. This is not merely a mistake. It is an exercise in inhumanity, and a costly defeat for the American effort in Iraq."
The Irony:
In The Nation's article, Saudi commentator Dawud al-Shiryan said on Al Jazeera's English version web site, "Abu Ghraib prison was used for torture in Saddam's time. People will ask now: 'What's the difference between Saddam and Bush?' Nothing!"
The Charlotte Observer published a quote by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche from "Beyond Good and Evil" (1886):
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster."
According to "Billy Bob", it would have been worse if the situation was reversed, but don't we as Americans put ourselves at a higher standard? "Americans are different." said Senator Joe Lieberman during Rumsfeld's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, "That's why we're outraged by this. That's why the apologies were due."
Rumsfeld has mentioned other pictures and videos of abuse that have not made it to the media yet, so we should expect more of this to come. Many questions will be answered. Will Rumsfeld lose his job? Will this create more violence in Iraq? Is this war really another Vietnam?
But don't worry, Montgomerians, according to "Billy Bob", it's all just "overblown."
More Info:
Torture Report Details Coming Out (WSFA)
Hard to Say You're Sorry (Alternet)
The Horror of Abu Ghraib (The Nation)
Rumsfeld Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee (complete transcript - Washington Post)
Red Cross saw 'widespread abuse' (BBC News)
Becoming a monster (Charlotte Observer)
5.02.2004
Just what Montgomery, Alabama needed....
In the heartland of pickup trucks, rebel flags, rednecks, and Roy Moore, Montgomery, Alabama, now has another country music radio station.
This reminds me of the famous line from "The Blues Brothers" when they were going to perform at a country bar. When asked what type of music is normally performed there, the bar tender replied, "We got both kinds - Country and Western."
WBAM in Montgomery, which is found on the FM dial at 98.9, has changed from a Top-40 station to become the new country station. The word "progression" wouldn't really be the best term here - going from Top-40 to Country seems to be more of a lateral move.
Montgomerians, you now have a choice: Country or Western....
...and as for the State of Alabama.....well, at least we're not in Mississippi.
more info:
WBAM the new kid country radio's block
(The link above is the actual title of an article in the Montgomery Advertiser. It seems like a word or two has been left out, like maybe "is" or "on", but that's how they worded it, or should I say: "that how worded it?")
This reminds me of the famous line from "The Blues Brothers" when they were going to perform at a country bar. When asked what type of music is normally performed there, the bar tender replied, "We got both kinds - Country and Western."
WBAM in Montgomery, which is found on the FM dial at 98.9, has changed from a Top-40 station to become the new country station. The word "progression" wouldn't really be the best term here - going from Top-40 to Country seems to be more of a lateral move.
Montgomerians, you now have a choice: Country or Western....
...and as for the State of Alabama.....well, at least we're not in Mississippi.
more info:
WBAM the new kid country radio's block
(The link above is the actual title of an article in the Montgomery Advertiser. It seems like a word or two has been left out, like maybe "is" or "on", but that's how they worded it, or should I say: "that how worded it?")
4.18.2004
Darkness and Silence: In Just Two Weeks
Air America Radio has been silenced in two of its biggest markets - in only two weeks of broadcasting.
This is very disappointing to many people, including myself (not that I can pick up the station in my car anyway). It's disappointing that an alternative voice has been silenced. Listen to talk radio (that is, if you can stomach the hatred spewed by most of the hosts). The vast majority of talk radio is hosted by ultra-rightwing conservatives who speak the same rhetoric on a daily basis. It's rather sad much of the time.
Sean Hannity arguing points that are pointless. For example, he argued recently that if a catastrophe happened in the next few years involving weapons of mass destruction, and those weapons were linked back to Saddam, and we had never gone into Iraq....do I really need to go on? Or are "what if" situations OK to use as an excuse for war?
Laura Ingraham, Ms. "Shut up and sing" herself, always talking about Hollywood's "elites", which are usually anyone who's ever been in a movie (or even musicians) and disagrees with her.
Glenn Beck spending close to 45 minutes talking about how you should not buy Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country", which, coincidentally, sold a helluva lot more copies than his book, "The Real America."
Bill O'Reilly - Mr. "Independent" but almost always on the conservative side. The crusader in the social war against "secularism". Fair and Balanced?
Rush Limbaugh - not too much to say here. Even most conservatives think of him as a "big, fat idiot".
Now let's play a game:
Name at least 3 radio hosts who are considered "liberal".
I know of one, and there may be more, but if there are, I sure can't think of any except for Alan Colmes...and here's something I'm sure many people in Montgomery, AL did not know........
Alan Colmes' radio show is on the air - in Montgomery, AL.
Yes, amazingly, there is a liberal on the radio - even though he's on at 9pm, he's on the radio in Montgomery, AL. I'm surprised there hasn't been some kind of revolt against the station that carries him.
Until Air America radio gets this dispute settled in Chicago and L.A., (and until they are carried in more markets) you can still listen to them on their website: http://www.airamericaradio.com/. Be sure to check out the O'Franken Factor, as well as all the other great programming on there.
...and be sure to check out Alan Colmes on AM 1170 at 9pm in Montgomery, AL.
More info:
Air America Radio
Liberal Radio Goes Dark
This is very disappointing to many people, including myself (not that I can pick up the station in my car anyway). It's disappointing that an alternative voice has been silenced. Listen to talk radio (that is, if you can stomach the hatred spewed by most of the hosts). The vast majority of talk radio is hosted by ultra-rightwing conservatives who speak the same rhetoric on a daily basis. It's rather sad much of the time.
Sean Hannity arguing points that are pointless. For example, he argued recently that if a catastrophe happened in the next few years involving weapons of mass destruction, and those weapons were linked back to Saddam, and we had never gone into Iraq....do I really need to go on? Or are "what if" situations OK to use as an excuse for war?
Laura Ingraham, Ms. "Shut up and sing" herself, always talking about Hollywood's "elites", which are usually anyone who's ever been in a movie (or even musicians) and disagrees with her.
Glenn Beck spending close to 45 minutes talking about how you should not buy Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's My Country", which, coincidentally, sold a helluva lot more copies than his book, "The Real America."
Bill O'Reilly - Mr. "Independent" but almost always on the conservative side. The crusader in the social war against "secularism". Fair and Balanced?
Rush Limbaugh - not too much to say here. Even most conservatives think of him as a "big, fat idiot".
Now let's play a game:
Name at least 3 radio hosts who are considered "liberal".
I know of one, and there may be more, but if there are, I sure can't think of any except for Alan Colmes...and here's something I'm sure many people in Montgomery, AL did not know........
Alan Colmes' radio show is on the air - in Montgomery, AL.
Yes, amazingly, there is a liberal on the radio - even though he's on at 9pm, he's on the radio in Montgomery, AL. I'm surprised there hasn't been some kind of revolt against the station that carries him.
Until Air America radio gets this dispute settled in Chicago and L.A., (and until they are carried in more markets) you can still listen to them on their website: http://www.airamericaradio.com/. Be sure to check out the O'Franken Factor, as well as all the other great programming on there.
...and be sure to check out Alan Colmes on AM 1170 at 9pm in Montgomery, AL.
More info:
Air America Radio
Liberal Radio Goes Dark
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