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December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Thursday's Links
Happy Inauguration Day! Only 1461 days left in the Bush Administration. Don't worry, we're sure they'll fly by, as long as you don't lose your job, or get drafted, or need to retire, or need prescription medication, or...
Activism
Tonight is the big gala - Bush's inauguration. So, since you can't crash any of the nine parties, do the next best thing; sign John Kerry's petition to get Donald Rumsfeld removed from office. If you remember last week, we talked about how Bush said that there were no failures in Iraq, and "the moment of accountability" had passed. Clearly, Bush is wrong, and we need your help to show him that as a leader, especially when you're waging a war and lives are at stake, you need to be accountable at every single moment, for every single action. We accept nothing less.
News
The big news today is obviously the confirmation hearings of Condi Rice. On Monday, the Washington Post ran a good story on how difficult her transition will be (assuming she is confirmed as Secretary of State). There were a lot of softball questions lobbed at Rice on the first day, but Senator Barbara Boxer wasn't going to back down as easily. We absolutely recommend that you go here to read the transcript of their first day exchange. If more Democrats had stood up like Boxer (and Biden), it's entirely possible she might not be confirmed. Tomorrow, we'll bring you day two of that exchange. It's nice to know that there's at least one person on Capitol Hill who is standing up for truth and integrity.
Where Have You Gone, Richard Cheney? A name conspicuously absent from the news for the last few weeks is Vice President Dickie Cheney. Turns out Cheney has been revving up the old domestic machine, and has been a guiding force behind Social Security privatization, the rewriting of the tax code, and other issues of domestic policy. A lot of his work seems to deal with economics, and that should come as no surprise, since John Snow (Secretary of the Treasury) stayed on for an additional four terms, throwing a wrench into the plans of the rest of the administration. Bush and company seem determined to ramrod their agenda through, regardless of who they have to run over to do it, or the detrimental effects it will have on the American people that aren't billionaires.
No Threats of Attack on Inaugurations. Last week, Tom Ridge told reporters that there is no credible evidence of a planned attack for the inaugurations. All that hooplah nine months ago was more focused for the elections, and not the inaugurations. Does this mean that the administration, knowing this, still decided to stick DC with a $12 million security bill? The article goes on to discuss why Al Qaeda's "calendar" does not usually coincide with the western calendar of events, and how Homeland Security's warning system is under attack for uselessness. Additionally, it further underscores the earlier assertion many made that the color-coded nonsense was simply a method to exploit the public's fear of terrorism for political gain.
Editorials
Long Division. Alex Johnson makes a great case: Americans are not irreconcilably divided over politics. Politicians are irreconcilably divided over America. Think about it. Most people choose to be a Democrat or Republican because one particular party agrees with most of their views. But they don't avoid their neighbors or co-workers if they are of the opposite party. The parties themselves have grown further apart, thus polarizing the country. It is an interesting take, and we encourage you to read Johnson's column.
Misleading Information? From the White House?? Paul Krugman's latest Social Security column starts off with a parable about accountability, which he transitions to the Iraq war, and then into SS, the logic for both seems to be both eerily parallel and disturbingly misguided. When you're finished reading Krugman's column, make sure to follow the link to Roger Lowenstein's Sunday column, and you'll see a more detailed explanation of why we're so mad about this.
Get It Right or Get Out. Matthew Yglesias of the American Prospect clearly and concisely explains why things need to change in Iraq, and quick. We cannot continue to stay the course as we have been doing, and continue to lose American and Iraqi lives because of our petulance. At this point, any change would be beneficial, whether it's withdrawing as soon as possible, or increasing troop strength drastically. This article underscores precisely why Senator Boxer's confrontation of Condi Rice was so appropriate - for us to have any chance in Iraq, we need to first acknowledge that our approach there has been less than effective, and then we need to change it.
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December 29, 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Thursday's Links
Happy Inauguration Day! Only 1461 days left in the Bush Administration. Don't worry, we're sure they'll fly by, as long as you don't lose your job, or get drafted, or need to retire, or need prescription medication, or...
Activism
Tonight is the big gala - Bush's inauguration. So, since you can't crash any of the nine parties, do the next best thing; sign John Kerry's petition to get Donald Rumsfeld removed from office. If you remember last week, we talked about how Bush said that there were no failures in Iraq, and "the moment of accountability" had passed. Clearly, Bush is wrong, and we need your help to show him that as a leader, especially when you're waging a war and lives are at stake, you need to be accountable at every single moment, for every single action. We accept nothing less.
News
The big news today is obviously the confirmation hearings of Condi Rice. On Monday, the Washington Post ran a good story on how difficult her transition will be (assuming she is confirmed as Secretary of State). There were a lot of softball questions lobbed at Rice on the first day, but Senator Barbara Boxer wasn't going to back down as easily. We absolutely recommend that you go here to read the transcript of their first day exchange. If more Democrats had stood up like Boxer (and Biden), it's entirely possible she might not be confirmed. Tomorrow, we'll bring you day two of that exchange. It's nice to know that there's at least one person on Capitol Hill who is standing up for truth and integrity.
Where Have You Gone, Richard Cheney? A name conspicuously absent from the news for the last few weeks is Vice President Dickie Cheney. Turns out Cheney has been revving up the old domestic machine, and has been a guiding force behind Social Security privatization, the rewriting of the tax code, and other issues of domestic policy. A lot of his work seems to deal with economics, and that should come as no surprise, since John Snow (Secretary of the Treasury) stayed on for an additional four terms, throwing a wrench into the plans of the rest of the administration. Bush and company seem determined to ramrod their agenda through, regardless of who they have to run over to do it, or the detrimental effects it will have on the American people that aren't billionaires.
No Threats of Attack on Inaugurations. Last week, Tom Ridge told reporters that there is no credible evidence of a planned attack for the inaugurations. All that hooplah nine months ago was more focused for the elections, and not the inaugurations. Does this mean that the administration, knowing this, still decided to stick DC with a $12 million security bill? The article goes on to discuss why Al Qaeda's "calendar" does not usually coincide with the western calendar of events, and how Homeland Security's warning system is under attack for uselessness. Additionally, it further underscores the earlier assertion many made that the color-coded nonsense was simply a method to exploit the public's fear of terrorism for political gain.
Editorials
Long Division. Alex Johnson makes a great case: Americans are not irreconcilably divided over politics. Politicians are irreconcilably divided over America. Think about it. Most people choose to be a Democrat or Republican because one particular party agrees with most of their views. But they don't avoid their neighbors or co-workers if they are of the opposite party. The parties themselves have grown further apart, thus polarizing the country. It is an interesting take, and we encourage you to read Johnson's column.
Misleading Information? From the White House?? Paul Krugman's latest Social Security column starts off with a parable about accountability, which he transitions to the Iraq war, and then into SS, the logic for both seems to be both eerily parallel and disturbingly misguided. When you're finished reading Krugman's column, make sure to follow the link to Roger Lowenstein's Sunday column, and you'll see a more detailed explanation of why we're so mad about this.
Get It Right or Get Out. Matthew Yglesias of the American Prospect clearly and concisely explains why things need to change in Iraq, and quick. We cannot continue to stay the course as we have been doing, and continue to lose American and Iraqi lives because of our petulance. At this point, any change would be beneficial, whether it's withdrawing as soon as possible, or increasing troop strength drastically. This article underscores precisely why Senator Boxer's confrontation of Condi Rice was so appropriate - for us to have any chance in Iraq, we need to first acknowledge that our approach there has been less than effective, and then we need to change it.
|
December 29, 2005
Activism
Tonight is the big gala - Bush's inauguration. So, since you can't crash any of the nine parties, do the next best thing; sign John Kerry's petition to get Donald Rumsfeld removed from office. If you remember last week, we talked about how Bush said that there were no failures in Iraq, and "the moment of accountability" had passed. Clearly, Bush is wrong, and we need your help to show him that as a leader, especially when you're waging a war and lives are at stake, you need to be accountable at every single moment, for every single action. We accept nothing less.
News
The big news today is obviously the confirmation hearings of Condi Rice. On Monday, the Washington Post ran a good story on how difficult her transition will be (assuming she is confirmed as Secretary of State). There were a lot of softball questions lobbed at Rice on the first day, but Senator Barbara Boxer wasn't going to back down as easily. We absolutely recommend that you go here to read the transcript of their first day exchange. If more Democrats had stood up like Boxer (and Biden), it's entirely possible she might not be confirmed. Tomorrow, we'll bring you day two of that exchange. It's nice to know that there's at least one person on Capitol Hill who is standing up for truth and integrity.
Where Have You Gone, Richard Cheney? A name conspicuously absent from the news for the last few weeks is Vice President Dickie Cheney. Turns out Cheney has been revving up the old domestic machine, and has been a guiding force behind Social Security privatization, the rewriting of the tax code, and other issues of domestic policy. A lot of his work seems to deal with economics, and that should come as no surprise, since John Snow (Secretary of the Treasury) stayed on for an additional four terms, throwing a wrench into the plans of the rest of the administration. Bush and company seem determined to ramrod their agenda through, regardless of who they have to run over to do it, or the detrimental effects it will have on the American people that aren't billionaires.
No Threats of Attack on Inaugurations. Last week, Tom Ridge told reporters that there is no credible evidence of a planned attack for the inaugurations. All that hooplah nine months ago was more focused for the elections, and not the inaugurations. Does this mean that the administration, knowing this, still decided to stick DC with a $12 million security bill? The article goes on to discuss why Al Qaeda's "calendar" does not usually coincide with the western calendar of events, and how Homeland Security's warning system is under attack for uselessness. Additionally, it further underscores the earlier assertion many made that the color-coded nonsense was simply a method to exploit the public's fear of terrorism for political gain.
Editorials
Long Division. Alex Johnson makes a great case: Americans are not irreconcilably divided over politics. Politicians are irreconcilably divided over America. Think about it. Most people choose to be a Democrat or Republican because one particular party agrees with most of their views. But they don't avoid their neighbors or co-workers if they are of the opposite party. The parties themselves have grown further apart, thus polarizing the country. It is an interesting take, and we encourage you to read Johnson's column.
Misleading Information? From the White House?? Paul Krugman's latest Social Security column starts off with a parable about accountability, which he transitions to the Iraq war, and then into SS, the logic for both seems to be both eerily parallel and disturbingly misguided. When you're finished reading Krugman's column, make sure to follow the link to Roger Lowenstein's Sunday column, and you'll see a more detailed explanation of why we're so mad about this.
Get It Right or Get Out. Matthew Yglesias of the American Prospect clearly and concisely explains why things need to change in Iraq, and quick. We cannot continue to stay the course as we have been doing, and continue to lose American and Iraqi lives because of our petulance. At this point, any change would be beneficial, whether it's withdrawing as soon as possible, or increasing troop strength drastically. This article underscores precisely why Senator Boxer's confrontation of Condi Rice was so appropriate - for us to have any chance in Iraq, we need to first acknowledge that our approach there has been less than effective, and then we need to change it.
