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December 29, 2005
Friday, December 10, 2004
Friday's Posts
Activism
The United Church of Christ recently recorded a thirty second television spot. In it, the church makes it clear that they welcome all people, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, age, economic situation, or shoe size. Both CBS and NBC affiliates have refused to air the ad. Go here to read a description of the problem, and then go here to send a letter to the FCC about it. The letter is already written - you just need to put in your info. Even if you're not religious, progressive churches need our support if we're going to effectively battle fundamentialism.
News
Part of what makes the Democratic Party unique is its ability to raise funds on the grassroots level. For example, MoveOn.org collected over $300 million this last election cycle, and Eli Pariser, head of the political action committee, recently blasted Terry McAuliffe (former head of the DNC) for being a corporate schmo. For those of us who were members of MoveOn in 2001 and earlier, the graduation of MoveOn from little known PAC to mega-grassroots organization has been incredible. You can read all of Pariser's email here.
We wish we could just blow off this story as one man's crusade that won't get any attention. Unfortunately, we can't. There are very few things that the government can do to you that are worse censorship. Under Senator Gerald Allen's (R-AL) proposed bill, there would be a ban on the use of state funds to purchase any books or other materials that "promote homosexuality". For example, this means that your local library couldn't purchase another copy of "The Color Purple," or the theatre down the street wouldn't be given funds to perform "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." What is wrong with these people? David Duke can publish a biography, and that's OK, but a gay solo in "A Chorus Line" is going to hurt people?
And hey, we can't talk about censorship and not mention the Parents Television Council. Created about ten years ago to tell you what your kids can and can't watch, the PTC "is not advocating censorship", they say. But they do want to "turn the clock back -- using democratic means -- to a time when amoral sex and violence weren't so in-your-face." The PTC considers it their mission to protect children from the evils of television. The Washington Post gives a brief history of the PTC, and where they are now. What's amazing is the level of hypocrisy they demonstrate - they want to make TV safer for children, and help foster family values, but they don't trust parents to screen shows that their children watch, and so they impose their values on everyone else.
Ah, good old Donny Rumsfeld. A day after he told troops that the government was getting the troops' equipment as fast as possible, and that it was not a question of money, comes this story. Apparently, the company that makes the armor plating for the Humvees is in a position, and has been for the last month, to increase their output, but has not received the OK from the government to do so.
Editorials
Minnesota's Health Care Gamble. The state government partners with private employers to raise the quality and lower the cost of health care. It is the first time something like this has been done, and we're anxious to see the results.
With all of the overseas attention on Iraq, Iran and North Korea, we need to keep in mind that there are still places like Sudan. 100,000 people have been killed in the last six months. The Washington Post looks at why the U.S. can't get involved, and why the European Union is hesitant to do so.
Say It Ain't So, Hillary! John Richard Starkey on why the Democrats need to break the mold, and why Hillary should not run in 2008.
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Thursday, December 09, 2004
Thursday's Links
Activism
All week, we've been telling you about which companies support the "red" vs the "blue." MSNBC has a few websites to help you out in gauging where your money is being donated. Additionally, you'll note that Amazon.com is a Republican donor! There is also a link to send a protest email to Amazon on the above site.
News
While it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that troops in Iraq are having their tours of duty extended, some troops are doing something about it. Eight American soldiers are suing to win their release from the military, explaining that the government used "material misrepresentation" to keep them active.
Last Wednesday, we linked to a Frank Rich editorial, where he discussed the "moral outrage" of such things like the Monday Night Football Terrell Owens skit being perpetrated by the Christian right. Enter Todd Shieds, who reports that, although the overall numbers of indeceny complaints were up to 240,000 in 2003, 99.8% of those complaints were made by the Parents Television Council, a horribly obscene group determined to regulate what your children are watching. Apparently, it's too difficult to watch television WITH your children, and we must be vigilant for the nudity and sexual overtones found in Pokemon!
Dude, Where's My Humvee? Donny Rumsfeld was over in Kuwait, addressing 2,300 soldiers, and taking questions. When asked why the troops don't have enough armored vehicles, and why they have to forage through metal scrap to "armor up" their vehicles, Rumsfeld replied, "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up...You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have." Appalling as that sentence is, kudos to Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) for calling out Rumsfeld for an "utterly unacceptable" response, writing, "Mr. Secretary, our troops go to war with the Army that our nation's leaders provide."
A lot of numbers were thrown around before the election about the size of our "coalition of the willing". Well, this site shows you exactly how many troops are deployed to Iraq, and from which countries. Some interesting details: There are 28 countries who have non-combat troops in Iraq, and that number will drop by at least 4 by next year. Currently, there are 23,900 non-American troops on the ground in Iraq, and 35% of them are British. Some countries, like Norway, have as little as 10 troops. The figure is also slightly skewed, as it includes Poland's 2500 troops. You'll recall that the President made it very clear that we had an ally in Poland during the debates, but Poland has since voted to remove all of their troops by next year. In fact, it's interesting to note that some countries, like Estonia, aren't sending troops because the people of the country believe in the war, but as a way to curry favor with the U.S. Estonia currently has 55 troops in Iraq, and they are hoping that this gesture will get them enough goodwill from America to help protect them from Russia. Perhaps it should be called the "Coalition of the Naive and/or Opportunistic."
Editorials
Chilling the Press. Eric Alterman and Paul McLeary on the relative lack of power of the media, and the emphasis of power on a local government (in this case, the state of Maryland governor's office) to disrupt the media.
On Wednesday, Governor Howard Dean spoke at George Washington University. He discussed many things, including winning back the red states (as we covered earlier this week), what the Democratic party really stands for, and where the party is going. You can read the transcript here.
|
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Tuesday's Links
Activism
We reported early last week that in the new spending bill, funding for college Pell grants would be cut by a lot, but that the actual number would be hard to quantify. The hard number is that over 1 million students would lose their Pell funding. Go here to read and sign a letter to the new Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, drafted by the Campaign for America's Future. Thanks to Sue Berman for the link.
News
The military recently called up another 10,000 troops to send to Iraq, and yet that same military is expelling soldiers who are gay. Twelve former soldiers, dismissed from the armed forces for their sexual orientation, filed legal action against the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. So much for being a nation of tolerance - this administration is sending a very clear signal to this country's citizens, as well as the rest of the world, that we'll tolerate you only if you conform to their arbitrary standard.
Senator Lincoln Chafee, moderate Republican from Rhode Island, recently returned from a "fact-finding" tour in Iraq, along with three other Senators. Yesterday, Chafee told CNN that the situation in Iraq is worse than the American people think. Though he did not call out Bush specifically, he did say that Americans "really need cold, hard facts and honesty." You'll forgive our skepticism on actually getting that.
A week ago Friday, we discussed President Bush's plan for abstinence-only education, and how it just doesn't work. Looking at this chart, you can see a listing of all 50 states. These states are colored the way they voted in the election, and are listed in order of percentage of teenage girls, ages 15-19, who are parents. Interesting to note not only how many red states are at the top of the list, but that Texas is number 2. Moral values, anyone?
Editorials
Debunking the Hype. Paul Krugman, one of our favorites, takes a break from his break to explain why there's nothing wrong with Social Security, and why privatization is like dulling a sharp knife.
There are few windbags out there bigger than Jerry Falwell. Since Election Day, Falwell has been making the news television circuit, and recently was on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. Among other nonsense, Falwell maintained that sexual orientation is a choice. When asked when he made the choice to be heterosexual, Falwell explained that he started dating at 13, and proceeded to tell Matthews that he "never had to decide" between boys and girls. "I never thought about it."
Swing State Project. An in-depth look at the 2006 elections in Pennsylvania. For such a contested state, this is a very important election. The biggest campaign has to be who the Democrats will put up against venom-spewing Rick Santorum.
George W. Bush Quote of the Day
"I know it is in the interest of the Palestinian people that they can live in ... a society in which they can realize their dreams if they happen to be an entrepreneur." — Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2004
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December 29, 2005
Friday, December 10, 2004
Friday's Posts
Activism
The United Church of Christ recently recorded a thirty second television spot. In it, the church makes it clear that they welcome all people, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, age, economic situation, or shoe size. Both CBS and NBC affiliates have refused to air the ad. Go here to read a description of the problem, and then go here to send a letter to the FCC about it. The letter is already written - you just need to put in your info. Even if you're not religious, progressive churches need our support if we're going to effectively battle fundamentialism.
News
Part of what makes the Democratic Party unique is its ability to raise funds on the grassroots level. For example, MoveOn.org collected over $300 million this last election cycle, and Eli Pariser, head of the political action committee, recently blasted Terry McAuliffe (former head of the DNC) for being a corporate schmo. For those of us who were members of MoveOn in 2001 and earlier, the graduation of MoveOn from little known PAC to mega-grassroots organization has been incredible. You can read all of Pariser's email here.
We wish we could just blow off this story as one man's crusade that won't get any attention. Unfortunately, we can't. There are very few things that the government can do to you that are worse censorship. Under Senator Gerald Allen's (R-AL) proposed bill, there would be a ban on the use of state funds to purchase any books or other materials that "promote homosexuality". For example, this means that your local library couldn't purchase another copy of "The Color Purple," or the theatre down the street wouldn't be given funds to perform "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." What is wrong with these people? David Duke can publish a biography, and that's OK, but a gay solo in "A Chorus Line" is going to hurt people?
And hey, we can't talk about censorship and not mention the Parents Television Council. Created about ten years ago to tell you what your kids can and can't watch, the PTC "is not advocating censorship", they say. But they do want to "turn the clock back -- using democratic means -- to a time when amoral sex and violence weren't so in-your-face." The PTC considers it their mission to protect children from the evils of television. The Washington Post gives a brief history of the PTC, and where they are now. What's amazing is the level of hypocrisy they demonstrate - they want to make TV safer for children, and help foster family values, but they don't trust parents to screen shows that their children watch, and so they impose their values on everyone else.
Ah, good old Donny Rumsfeld. A day after he told troops that the government was getting the troops' equipment as fast as possible, and that it was not a question of money, comes this story. Apparently, the company that makes the armor plating for the Humvees is in a position, and has been for the last month, to increase their output, but has not received the OK from the government to do so.
Editorials
Minnesota's Health Care Gamble. The state government partners with private employers to raise the quality and lower the cost of health care. It is the first time something like this has been done, and we're anxious to see the results.
With all of the overseas attention on Iraq, Iran and North Korea, we need to keep in mind that there are still places like Sudan. 100,000 people have been killed in the last six months. The Washington Post looks at why the U.S. can't get involved, and why the European Union is hesitant to do so.
Say It Ain't So, Hillary! John Richard Starkey on why the Democrats need to break the mold, and why Hillary should not run in 2008.
|
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Thursday's Links
Activism
All week, we've been telling you about which companies support the "red" vs the "blue." MSNBC has a few websites to help you out in gauging where your money is being donated. Additionally, you'll note that Amazon.com is a Republican donor! There is also a link to send a protest email to Amazon on the above site.
News
While it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that troops in Iraq are having their tours of duty extended, some troops are doing something about it. Eight American soldiers are suing to win their release from the military, explaining that the government used "material misrepresentation" to keep them active.
Last Wednesday, we linked to a Frank Rich editorial, where he discussed the "moral outrage" of such things like the Monday Night Football Terrell Owens skit being perpetrated by the Christian right. Enter Todd Shieds, who reports that, although the overall numbers of indeceny complaints were up to 240,000 in 2003, 99.8% of those complaints were made by the Parents Television Council, a horribly obscene group determined to regulate what your children are watching. Apparently, it's too difficult to watch television WITH your children, and we must be vigilant for the nudity and sexual overtones found in Pokemon!
Dude, Where's My Humvee? Donny Rumsfeld was over in Kuwait, addressing 2,300 soldiers, and taking questions. When asked why the troops don't have enough armored vehicles, and why they have to forage through metal scrap to "armor up" their vehicles, Rumsfeld replied, "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up...You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have." Appalling as that sentence is, kudos to Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) for calling out Rumsfeld for an "utterly unacceptable" response, writing, "Mr. Secretary, our troops go to war with the Army that our nation's leaders provide."
A lot of numbers were thrown around before the election about the size of our "coalition of the willing". Well, this site shows you exactly how many troops are deployed to Iraq, and from which countries. Some interesting details: There are 28 countries who have non-combat troops in Iraq, and that number will drop by at least 4 by next year. Currently, there are 23,900 non-American troops on the ground in Iraq, and 35% of them are British. Some countries, like Norway, have as little as 10 troops. The figure is also slightly skewed, as it includes Poland's 2500 troops. You'll recall that the President made it very clear that we had an ally in Poland during the debates, but Poland has since voted to remove all of their troops by next year. In fact, it's interesting to note that some countries, like Estonia, aren't sending troops because the people of the country believe in the war, but as a way to curry favor with the U.S. Estonia currently has 55 troops in Iraq, and they are hoping that this gesture will get them enough goodwill from America to help protect them from Russia. Perhaps it should be called the "Coalition of the Naive and/or Opportunistic."
Editorials
Chilling the Press. Eric Alterman and Paul McLeary on the relative lack of power of the media, and the emphasis of power on a local government (in this case, the state of Maryland governor's office) to disrupt the media.
On Wednesday, Governor Howard Dean spoke at George Washington University. He discussed many things, including winning back the red states (as we covered earlier this week), what the Democratic party really stands for, and where the party is going. You can read the transcript here.
|
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Tuesday's Links
Activism
We reported early last week that in the new spending bill, funding for college Pell grants would be cut by a lot, but that the actual number would be hard to quantify. The hard number is that over 1 million students would lose their Pell funding. Go here to read and sign a letter to the new Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, drafted by the Campaign for America's Future. Thanks to Sue Berman for the link.
News
The military recently called up another 10,000 troops to send to Iraq, and yet that same military is expelling soldiers who are gay. Twelve former soldiers, dismissed from the armed forces for their sexual orientation, filed legal action against the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. So much for being a nation of tolerance - this administration is sending a very clear signal to this country's citizens, as well as the rest of the world, that we'll tolerate you only if you conform to their arbitrary standard.
Senator Lincoln Chafee, moderate Republican from Rhode Island, recently returned from a "fact-finding" tour in Iraq, along with three other Senators. Yesterday, Chafee told CNN that the situation in Iraq is worse than the American people think. Though he did not call out Bush specifically, he did say that Americans "really need cold, hard facts and honesty." You'll forgive our skepticism on actually getting that.
A week ago Friday, we discussed President Bush's plan for abstinence-only education, and how it just doesn't work. Looking at this chart, you can see a listing of all 50 states. These states are colored the way they voted in the election, and are listed in order of percentage of teenage girls, ages 15-19, who are parents. Interesting to note not only how many red states are at the top of the list, but that Texas is number 2. Moral values, anyone?
Editorials
Debunking the Hype. Paul Krugman, one of our favorites, takes a break from his break to explain why there's nothing wrong with Social Security, and why privatization is like dulling a sharp knife.
There are few windbags out there bigger than Jerry Falwell. Since Election Day, Falwell has been making the news television circuit, and recently was on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. Among other nonsense, Falwell maintained that sexual orientation is a choice. When asked when he made the choice to be heterosexual, Falwell explained that he started dating at 13, and proceeded to tell Matthews that he "never had to decide" between boys and girls. "I never thought about it."
Swing State Project. An in-depth look at the 2006 elections in Pennsylvania. For such a contested state, this is a very important election. The biggest campaign has to be who the Democrats will put up against venom-spewing Rick Santorum.
George W. Bush Quote of the Day
"I know it is in the interest of the Palestinian people that they can live in ... a society in which they can realize their dreams if they happen to be an entrepreneur." — Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2004
|
December 29, 2005
The United Church of Christ recently recorded a thirty second television spot. In it, the church makes it clear that they welcome all people, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, age, economic situation, or shoe size. Both CBS and NBC affiliates have refused to air the ad. Go here to read a description of the problem, and then go here to send a letter to the FCC about it. The letter is already written - you just need to put in your info. Even if you're not religious, progressive churches need our support if we're going to effectively battle fundamentialism.
News
Part of what makes the Democratic Party unique is its ability to raise funds on the grassroots level. For example, MoveOn.org collected over $300 million this last election cycle, and Eli Pariser, head of the political action committee, recently blasted Terry McAuliffe (former head of the DNC) for being a corporate schmo. For those of us who were members of MoveOn in 2001 and earlier, the graduation of MoveOn from little known PAC to mega-grassroots organization has been incredible. You can read all of Pariser's email here.
We wish we could just blow off this story as one man's crusade that won't get any attention. Unfortunately, we can't. There are very few things that the government can do to you that are worse censorship. Under Senator Gerald Allen's (R-AL) proposed bill, there would be a ban on the use of state funds to purchase any books or other materials that "promote homosexuality". For example, this means that your local library couldn't purchase another copy of "The Color Purple," or the theatre down the street wouldn't be given funds to perform "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." What is wrong with these people? David Duke can publish a biography, and that's OK, but a gay solo in "A Chorus Line" is going to hurt people?
And hey, we can't talk about censorship and not mention the Parents Television Council. Created about ten years ago to tell you what your kids can and can't watch, the PTC "is not advocating censorship", they say. But they do want to "turn the clock back -- using democratic means -- to a time when amoral sex and violence weren't so in-your-face." The PTC considers it their mission to protect children from the evils of television. The Washington Post gives a brief history of the PTC, and where they are now. What's amazing is the level of hypocrisy they demonstrate - they want to make TV safer for children, and help foster family values, but they don't trust parents to screen shows that their children watch, and so they impose their values on everyone else.
Ah, good old Donny Rumsfeld. A day after he told troops that the government was getting the troops' equipment as fast as possible, and that it was not a question of money, comes this story. Apparently, the company that makes the armor plating for the Humvees is in a position, and has been for the last month, to increase their output, but has not received the OK from the government to do so.
Editorials
Minnesota's Health Care Gamble. The state government partners with private employers to raise the quality and lower the cost of health care. It is the first time something like this has been done, and we're anxious to see the results.
With all of the overseas attention on Iraq, Iran and North Korea, we need to keep in mind that there are still places like Sudan. 100,000 people have been killed in the last six months. The Washington Post looks at why the U.S. can't get involved, and why the European Union is hesitant to do so.
Say It Ain't So, Hillary! John Richard Starkey on why the Democrats need to break the mold, and why Hillary should not run in 2008.
All week, we've been telling you about which companies support the "red" vs the "blue." MSNBC has a few websites to help you out in gauging where your money is being donated. Additionally, you'll note that Amazon.com is a Republican donor! There is also a link to send a protest email to Amazon on the above site.
News
While it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that troops in Iraq are having their tours of duty extended, some troops are doing something about it. Eight American soldiers are suing to win their release from the military, explaining that the government used "material misrepresentation" to keep them active.
Last Wednesday, we linked to a Frank Rich editorial, where he discussed the "moral outrage" of such things like the Monday Night Football Terrell Owens skit being perpetrated by the Christian right. Enter Todd Shieds, who reports that, although the overall numbers of indeceny complaints were up to 240,000 in 2003, 99.8% of those complaints were made by the Parents Television Council, a horribly obscene group determined to regulate what your children are watching. Apparently, it's too difficult to watch television WITH your children, and we must be vigilant for the nudity and sexual overtones found in Pokemon!
Dude, Where's My Humvee? Donny Rumsfeld was over in Kuwait, addressing 2,300 soldiers, and taking questions. When asked why the troops don't have enough armored vehicles, and why they have to forage through metal scrap to "armor up" their vehicles, Rumsfeld replied, "You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can (still) be blown up...You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have." Appalling as that sentence is, kudos to Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) for calling out Rumsfeld for an "utterly unacceptable" response, writing, "Mr. Secretary, our troops go to war with the Army that our nation's leaders provide."
A lot of numbers were thrown around before the election about the size of our "coalition of the willing". Well, this site shows you exactly how many troops are deployed to Iraq, and from which countries. Some interesting details: There are 28 countries who have non-combat troops in Iraq, and that number will drop by at least 4 by next year. Currently, there are 23,900 non-American troops on the ground in Iraq, and 35% of them are British. Some countries, like Norway, have as little as 10 troops. The figure is also slightly skewed, as it includes Poland's 2500 troops. You'll recall that the President made it very clear that we had an ally in Poland during the debates, but Poland has since voted to remove all of their troops by next year. In fact, it's interesting to note that some countries, like Estonia, aren't sending troops because the people of the country believe in the war, but as a way to curry favor with the U.S. Estonia currently has 55 troops in Iraq, and they are hoping that this gesture will get them enough goodwill from America to help protect them from Russia. Perhaps it should be called the "Coalition of the Naive and/or Opportunistic."
Editorials
Chilling the Press. Eric Alterman and Paul McLeary on the relative lack of power of the media, and the emphasis of power on a local government (in this case, the state of Maryland governor's office) to disrupt the media.
On Wednesday, Governor Howard Dean spoke at George Washington University. He discussed many things, including winning back the red states (as we covered earlier this week), what the Democratic party really stands for, and where the party is going. You can read the transcript here.
We reported early last week that in the new spending bill, funding for college Pell grants would be cut by a lot, but that the actual number would be hard to quantify. The hard number is that over 1 million students would lose their Pell funding. Go here to read and sign a letter to the new Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, drafted by the Campaign for America's Future. Thanks to Sue Berman for the link.
News
The military recently called up another 10,000 troops to send to Iraq, and yet that same military is expelling soldiers who are gay. Twelve former soldiers, dismissed from the armed forces for their sexual orientation, filed legal action against the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. So much for being a nation of tolerance - this administration is sending a very clear signal to this country's citizens, as well as the rest of the world, that we'll tolerate you only if you conform to their arbitrary standard.
Senator Lincoln Chafee, moderate Republican from Rhode Island, recently returned from a "fact-finding" tour in Iraq, along with three other Senators. Yesterday, Chafee told CNN that the situation in Iraq is worse than the American people think. Though he did not call out Bush specifically, he did say that Americans "really need cold, hard facts and honesty." You'll forgive our skepticism on actually getting that.
A week ago Friday, we discussed President Bush's plan for abstinence-only education, and how it just doesn't work. Looking at this chart, you can see a listing of all 50 states. These states are colored the way they voted in the election, and are listed in order of percentage of teenage girls, ages 15-19, who are parents. Interesting to note not only how many red states are at the top of the list, but that Texas is number 2. Moral values, anyone?
Editorials
Debunking the Hype. Paul Krugman, one of our favorites, takes a break from his break to explain why there's nothing wrong with Social Security, and why privatization is like dulling a sharp knife.
There are few windbags out there bigger than Jerry Falwell. Since Election Day, Falwell has been making the news television circuit, and recently was on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. Among other nonsense, Falwell maintained that sexual orientation is a choice. When asked when he made the choice to be heterosexual, Falwell explained that he started dating at 13, and proceeded to tell Matthews that he "never had to decide" between boys and girls. "I never thought about it."
Swing State Project. An in-depth look at the 2006 elections in Pennsylvania. For such a contested state, this is a very important election. The biggest campaign has to be who the Democrats will put up against venom-spewing Rick Santorum.
George W. Bush Quote of the Day
"I know it is in the interest of the Palestinian people that they can live in ... a society in which they can realize their dreams if they happen to be an entrepreneur." — Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2004
