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December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Today's activism link may seem like something out of a bad novel, but it is all true. The Birmingham News broke a story Wednesday about Alabama's Marshall County Sheriff Mac Holcomb's website. Seems Sheriff Holcomb posted a testimonial on his website about why he is proud to be an American. However, Mac isn't totally happy. He wants to hearken back to the golden days of the 40s and 50s, where "Men were men and women were women and there was no mistaking which was which. Both were proud of their individual roles. Homosexuality was very queer and a despicable act, an abomination." He goes on to say "Children's school days started with the recitation of the 'Lord's Prayer' and the 'Pledge of Allegiance' to the flag of the United States of America." We could go on, but why don't you go here and read for yourself. Once you've read it, we strongly encourage you to write a letter or an email to Sheriff Holcomb himself. You can find his contact information here. If you want to write, but aren't sure what to say, you might want to consider reminding him that his intolerance is a disgrace to his county, his state, his country, and every single man and woman who dons a law enforcement uniform.
News
Videos from Iraqi guerrillas have "traditionally" been grisly; beheadings, murders. But a new video released this week encourages American soldiers to lay down their arms, and seek sanctuary in mosques. It further mocks Bush's ridiculous early challenge to rebels of "bring it on." Purportedly created by the Islamic Jihad Army, the video is directed mostly at America, but the narrator does thank "France, Germany and other states for their positions, which we need to say are considered wise and valid until now." It's safe to say that their bravado worries us slightly more, and we hope, for the safety of our troops (and stability in the region) that we figure out a plan to fix (and possibly leave) Iraq as soon as possible.
Disengage. According to the New York Times, there has now been talk in Congress about how to realistically disengage ourselves from Iraq after the January 30th elections. Although the article is quick to point out that it is simply talk, and not planning, we are not that surprised. Given the level of efficiency this administration has shown, we expect there to be a fully developed plan for leaving Iraq after the elections by 2007.
Did you know we stopped looking for WMDs in Iraq? Probably - but did you know we officially stopped looking a month ago? The Washington Post reports that the U.S. search for banned weapons ended last month, amidst no fanfare, and certainly without finding anything. Can we genuinely say we were lead to war under false pretenses now? Can anyone even remotely deny this now? Well, we suppose that the Republicans can. Masters of spin, you'll find in this collection of quotes that, while containing nothing earth-shattering, gives a very good look at how the administration changed their story from pre-war WMDs to post-war "protecting the American people." The sad thing is that there has been no accountability for this deception. The greatest thing we could have done, as Americans, was to keep Bush out of office for a second term, and yet that's exactly what we failed to do. And you wonder why we're still fighting!
Editorials
Ohio. Did you just feel a Florida-like shudder creep up your spine while reading that word? As you may know, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) has been leading the investigations into what happened with the vote in Ohio. His goal has never been to change the outcome, but merely to make known what happened, in an effort to avoid it in the future. But, as William Raspberry points out, it's going to take a lot more than hearings to correct what went wrong.
Whither the Mormon? You read a lot about how Gonzales was tabbed for Attorney General, because he will help bring the Hispanic vote to the Republicans, or Lieberman raising the Jewish vote for Democrats. But now, with Harry Reid the most powerful Democrat in Washington, and the highest ranking Mormon ever to serve in public office, why is no one raising the question of Mormon voters? Amy Sullivan tackles this and more in her latest.
Amy Sullivan is busy this month. She also has an article in Washington Monthly that bears looking at - why do Democrats continue to promote campaign advisors who lose races? It is a very good question - If a candidate is the heart and soul of a campaign, then the candidate's staff is the brain. They are responsible for getting the message out (and, in some cases, helping decide what the message is!). And yet, people like Bob Shrum, who has the dubious honor of having worked on seven failed presidential campaigns, is still receiving money from the Democrats! Sullivan's article is well put together, and definitely worth your time.
|
December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Today's activism link may seem like something out of a bad novel, but it is all true. The Birmingham News broke a story Wednesday about Alabama's Marshall County Sheriff Mac Holcomb's website. Seems Sheriff Holcomb posted a testimonial on his website about why he is proud to be an American. However, Mac isn't totally happy. He wants to hearken back to the golden days of the 40s and 50s, where "Men were men and women were women and there was no mistaking which was which. Both were proud of their individual roles. Homosexuality was very queer and a despicable act, an abomination." He goes on to say "Children's school days started with the recitation of the 'Lord's Prayer' and the 'Pledge of Allegiance' to the flag of the United States of America." We could go on, but why don't you go here and read for yourself. Once you've read it, we strongly encourage you to write a letter or an email to Sheriff Holcomb himself. You can find his contact information here. If you want to write, but aren't sure what to say, you might want to consider reminding him that his intolerance is a disgrace to his county, his state, his country, and every single man and woman who dons a law enforcement uniform.
News
Videos from Iraqi guerrillas have "traditionally" been grisly; beheadings, murders. But a new video released this week encourages American soldiers to lay down their arms, and seek sanctuary in mosques. It further mocks Bush's ridiculous early challenge to rebels of "bring it on." Purportedly created by the Islamic Jihad Army, the video is directed mostly at America, but the narrator does thank "France, Germany and other states for their positions, which we need to say are considered wise and valid until now." It's safe to say that their bravado worries us slightly more, and we hope, for the safety of our troops (and stability in the region) that we figure out a plan to fix (and possibly leave) Iraq as soon as possible.
Disengage. According to the New York Times, there has now been talk in Congress about how to realistically disengage ourselves from Iraq after the January 30th elections. Although the article is quick to point out that it is simply talk, and not planning, we are not that surprised. Given the level of efficiency this administration has shown, we expect there to be a fully developed plan for leaving Iraq after the elections by 2007.
Did you know we stopped looking for WMDs in Iraq? Probably - but did you know we officially stopped looking a month ago? The Washington Post reports that the U.S. search for banned weapons ended last month, amidst no fanfare, and certainly without finding anything. Can we genuinely say we were lead to war under false pretenses now? Can anyone even remotely deny this now? Well, we suppose that the Republicans can. Masters of spin, you'll find in this collection of quotes that, while containing nothing earth-shattering, gives a very good look at how the administration changed their story from pre-war WMDs to post-war "protecting the American people." The sad thing is that there has been no accountability for this deception. The greatest thing we could have done, as Americans, was to keep Bush out of office for a second term, and yet that's exactly what we failed to do. And you wonder why we're still fighting!
Editorials
Ohio. Did you just feel a Florida-like shudder creep up your spine while reading that word? As you may know, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) has been leading the investigations into what happened with the vote in Ohio. His goal has never been to change the outcome, but merely to make known what happened, in an effort to avoid it in the future. But, as William Raspberry points out, it's going to take a lot more than hearings to correct what went wrong.
Whither the Mormon? You read a lot about how Gonzales was tabbed for Attorney General, because he will help bring the Hispanic vote to the Republicans, or Lieberman raising the Jewish vote for Democrats. But now, with Harry Reid the most powerful Democrat in Washington, and the highest ranking Mormon ever to serve in public office, why is no one raising the question of Mormon voters? Amy Sullivan tackles this and more in her latest.
Amy Sullivan is busy this month. She also has an article in Washington Monthly that bears looking at - why do Democrats continue to promote campaign advisors who lose races? It is a very good question - If a candidate is the heart and soul of a campaign, then the candidate's staff is the brain. They are responsible for getting the message out (and, in some cases, helping decide what the message is!). And yet, people like Bob Shrum, who has the dubious honor of having worked on seven failed presidential campaigns, is still receiving money from the Democrats! Sullivan's article is well put together, and definitely worth your time.
|
December 29, 2005
Today's activism link may seem like something out of a bad novel, but it is all true. The Birmingham News broke a story Wednesday about Alabama's Marshall County Sheriff Mac Holcomb's website. Seems Sheriff Holcomb posted a testimonial on his website about why he is proud to be an American. However, Mac isn't totally happy. He wants to hearken back to the golden days of the 40s and 50s, where "Men were men and women were women and there was no mistaking which was which. Both were proud of their individual roles. Homosexuality was very queer and a despicable act, an abomination." He goes on to say "Children's school days started with the recitation of the 'Lord's Prayer' and the 'Pledge of Allegiance' to the flag of the United States of America." We could go on, but why don't you go here and read for yourself. Once you've read it, we strongly encourage you to write a letter or an email to Sheriff Holcomb himself. You can find his contact information here. If you want to write, but aren't sure what to say, you might want to consider reminding him that his intolerance is a disgrace to his county, his state, his country, and every single man and woman who dons a law enforcement uniform.
News
Videos from Iraqi guerrillas have "traditionally" been grisly; beheadings, murders. But a new video released this week encourages American soldiers to lay down their arms, and seek sanctuary in mosques. It further mocks Bush's ridiculous early challenge to rebels of "bring it on." Purportedly created by the Islamic Jihad Army, the video is directed mostly at America, but the narrator does thank "France, Germany and other states for their positions, which we need to say are considered wise and valid until now." It's safe to say that their bravado worries us slightly more, and we hope, for the safety of our troops (and stability in the region) that we figure out a plan to fix (and possibly leave) Iraq as soon as possible.
Disengage. According to the New York Times, there has now been talk in Congress about how to realistically disengage ourselves from Iraq after the January 30th elections. Although the article is quick to point out that it is simply talk, and not planning, we are not that surprised. Given the level of efficiency this administration has shown, we expect there to be a fully developed plan for leaving Iraq after the elections by 2007.
Did you know we stopped looking for WMDs in Iraq? Probably - but did you know we officially stopped looking a month ago? The Washington Post reports that the U.S. search for banned weapons ended last month, amidst no fanfare, and certainly without finding anything. Can we genuinely say we were lead to war under false pretenses now? Can anyone even remotely deny this now? Well, we suppose that the Republicans can. Masters of spin, you'll find in this collection of quotes that, while containing nothing earth-shattering, gives a very good look at how the administration changed their story from pre-war WMDs to post-war "protecting the American people." The sad thing is that there has been no accountability for this deception. The greatest thing we could have done, as Americans, was to keep Bush out of office for a second term, and yet that's exactly what we failed to do. And you wonder why we're still fighting!
Editorials
Ohio. Did you just feel a Florida-like shudder creep up your spine while reading that word? As you may know, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) has been leading the investigations into what happened with the vote in Ohio. His goal has never been to change the outcome, but merely to make known what happened, in an effort to avoid it in the future. But, as William Raspberry points out, it's going to take a lot more than hearings to correct what went wrong.
Whither the Mormon? You read a lot about how Gonzales was tabbed for Attorney General, because he will help bring the Hispanic vote to the Republicans, or Lieberman raising the Jewish vote for Democrats. But now, with Harry Reid the most powerful Democrat in Washington, and the highest ranking Mormon ever to serve in public office, why is no one raising the question of Mormon voters? Amy Sullivan tackles this and more in her latest.
Amy Sullivan is busy this month. She also has an article in Washington Monthly that bears looking at - why do Democrats continue to promote campaign advisors who lose races? It is a very good question - If a candidate is the heart and soul of a campaign, then the candidate's staff is the brain. They are responsible for getting the message out (and, in some cases, helping decide what the message is!). And yet, people like Bob Shrum, who has the dubious honor of having worked on seven failed presidential campaigns, is still receiving money from the Democrats! Sullivan's article is well put together, and definitely worth your time.
