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December 29, 2005
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Explore the Quran. No, we're not kidding. Look, we're not really advocates of any particular religion, but if we stand any chance of "winning" the war on terror, it's going to have to be based on understanding, not aggression. Maybe one nice first step would be to learn about the religion that such a large part of the world follows, yet we Americans are largely ignorant about. In an effort to promote an understanding of Islam, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering free copies of the Quran to anyone who requests one, so why not broaden your horizons? Don't waste their money if you're not going to read it, but if you're gonna give it a try, why not go for it? Then, the next time you encounter some ignoramus who makes broad, inaccurate generalizations about Islam (just watch FOX News for a bit, if you can stand it, and you're bound to see someone), you can speak intelligently about the topic.
News
Downing Street Answers. Well, not really. An enterprising reporter finally asked Bush and Blair (at a joint press conference on Tuesday) about the Downing Street Memo. The contrast between Blair's response and Bush's response was incredible. Blair appeared poised, confident and intelligent. Bush appeared like he never expected the question, in that stuttering, half-phrase way he has of speaking, looking for all the world like a buffoon. Of course, they both didn't directly answer the question. Blair did deny "fixing the facts," but Bush bobbed and weaved around the question like a Bolshoi dancer. The most important thing to note is that neither of them disavowed the memo. You may think we're reading too much into this, but in Washington, words are everything. How quick was the White House to jump on Rathergate and Newsweek? Seems eerily suspicious that they won't deny this memo, eh?
Worth the Effort? For the first time since the War in Iraq began, the majority of Americans believe that the war isn't making America safer. Iraq continues to remain second to the economy, when ranked in importance by the American people. Almost 75% of those polled feel that the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptible (isn't anything more than zero unacceptible?). 60% say the war was not worth fighting. 66% say that our military is "bogged down" there. These are the highest levels of pessimism against the war ever, and we couldn't be happier. America continues to smarten up to Bush. 67% of those polled blamed Bush and Republicans in the Senate (and only 13% blamed Senate Democrats). Also for the first time, a majority of Americans (55%) say that Bush is doing more to divide the country than to unite it. 58& feel that Bush is not concentrating his efforts on helping them. With pessimism over Iraq so high, is it any surprise that recruitment is still down, even after the Army lowered it's targeted goals for May? And it wasn't even close - recruitment was off by 25%! Based on the original number, before it was lowered, recruitment was off by 37.4%! Could recruitment be down because people don't want to enlist, be inadequately trained, and then sent to Iraq to die for no reason? That couldn't be it, could it?
Act now - or else... Did you hear the one about the group of internationally respected scientists who make clear to the world the clear and present danger inherent in global warming, only to find that many of the world's superpowers don't believe them (or don't want to believe them)? We'd tell you the punchline of the joke, but it's not a joke, and the punchline sees us all dead. For the first time in history, the national academies of science for all of the countries represented at the G-8 Summit (and a few that aren't) have issued a statement warning of the impending danger that global warming presents. In fact, Tony Blair seems to be the only one concerned, as Bush is having none of it. We try not to be alarmists here, but this isn't exactly an Ecology Professor at the University of Wallamaloo releasing a paper. The statement, which has been in the works for months, is the first of it's kind, being released by a group of people who are notorious for not beling alarmist, and tabs global warming as the single biggest threat facing humanity right now. Even Al Gore addressed an international conference of Mayors about it, urging a a response. Poor Tony Blair - he knows that Bush pulled us out of the Kyoto Accords (which Gore helped draft). Does he think that the goodwill he's extended to the U.S. over Iraq should earn him something back? Does he not know Bush at all? You know the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Hey, Mr. Bush - this will kill us.
Editorials
The War Against Howard Dean: Kill The Truth-Teller. Have you been following the latest attacks against Howard Dean? Arthur Silber has, and he breaks down why, once again, Republicans and the MSM are just plain wrong. Dean had some very brazen and scathing comments about the Republican Party (and it's about time! This is one of the main reasons that we wanted Dean as the DNC Chair in the first place!), and Republicans are up in arms over...the truth? Yes, the truth. The Republican Party does not share the concerns of most Americans. The Republican Party does not represent a diverse America. As Silber notes, Dean was discussing the Republican Party. "As a party—that is, as a political organization which attempts to achieve particular goals, and which now controls the federal government so that it can in fact do that—the Republican Party is in a deep, broad and all-encompassing marriage with corporate America." The Republican Party is pretty much a "white Christian party," as Dean states. He's not talking about voters. He's talking about the Party. Howard Dean gets it. Some Democrats get it. Why doesn't the MSM get it? Silber's editorial is an excellent summary of a man being castrated for telling the truth, simply because the truth hurts.
Omerta. For some reason, hidden in the news pages was the story of Tommy Hook, a Los Alamos lab whistleblower, who was about to testify before Congress, when he was savagely beaten in a clear attempt to stop his testimony. It's like something out of a bad movie. And it's real! Who are these people running the government? Do they have any sense of ethics? Or do the ends (which aren't good either, by the way), truly justify their means? Torturing prisoners, killing judges, intimidating witnesses...where does it stop?
Why is Congress failing to keep watch? Well, this may seem like a silly question. The answer is obviously, "Because they're all Republicans, and it's not in their interest to watch themselves." But that's not good enough. Charles Tiefer traces Congress's historical role of informing the public, and outlines particular areas in which it's falling down flat on its face. Government waste, the war effort, allowing nominees to duck questions and avoid inquiry, the failure of the Medicare bill, and the health care system in general - these are all examples of where Congress is failing the public. As Tiefer says, "Oversight is an institutional responsibility first and foremost, and politics is a secondary concern." Hah! Don't be so naive, Mr. Tiefer!
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December 29, 2005
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Explore the Quran. No, we're not kidding. Look, we're not really advocates of any particular religion, but if we stand any chance of "winning" the war on terror, it's going to have to be based on understanding, not aggression. Maybe one nice first step would be to learn about the religion that such a large part of the world follows, yet we Americans are largely ignorant about. In an effort to promote an understanding of Islam, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering free copies of the Quran to anyone who requests one, so why not broaden your horizons? Don't waste their money if you're not going to read it, but if you're gonna give it a try, why not go for it? Then, the next time you encounter some ignoramus who makes broad, inaccurate generalizations about Islam (just watch FOX News for a bit, if you can stand it, and you're bound to see someone), you can speak intelligently about the topic.
News
Downing Street Answers. Well, not really. An enterprising reporter finally asked Bush and Blair (at a joint press conference on Tuesday) about the Downing Street Memo. The contrast between Blair's response and Bush's response was incredible. Blair appeared poised, confident and intelligent. Bush appeared like he never expected the question, in that stuttering, half-phrase way he has of speaking, looking for all the world like a buffoon. Of course, they both didn't directly answer the question. Blair did deny "fixing the facts," but Bush bobbed and weaved around the question like a Bolshoi dancer. The most important thing to note is that neither of them disavowed the memo. You may think we're reading too much into this, but in Washington, words are everything. How quick was the White House to jump on Rathergate and Newsweek? Seems eerily suspicious that they won't deny this memo, eh?
Worth the Effort? For the first time since the War in Iraq began, the majority of Americans believe that the war isn't making America safer. Iraq continues to remain second to the economy, when ranked in importance by the American people. Almost 75% of those polled feel that the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptible (isn't anything more than zero unacceptible?). 60% say the war was not worth fighting. 66% say that our military is "bogged down" there. These are the highest levels of pessimism against the war ever, and we couldn't be happier. America continues to smarten up to Bush. 67% of those polled blamed Bush and Republicans in the Senate (and only 13% blamed Senate Democrats). Also for the first time, a majority of Americans (55%) say that Bush is doing more to divide the country than to unite it. 58& feel that Bush is not concentrating his efforts on helping them. With pessimism over Iraq so high, is it any surprise that recruitment is still down, even after the Army lowered it's targeted goals for May? And it wasn't even close - recruitment was off by 25%! Based on the original number, before it was lowered, recruitment was off by 37.4%! Could recruitment be down because people don't want to enlist, be inadequately trained, and then sent to Iraq to die for no reason? That couldn't be it, could it?
Act now - or else... Did you hear the one about the group of internationally respected scientists who make clear to the world the clear and present danger inherent in global warming, only to find that many of the world's superpowers don't believe them (or don't want to believe them)? We'd tell you the punchline of the joke, but it's not a joke, and the punchline sees us all dead. For the first time in history, the national academies of science for all of the countries represented at the G-8 Summit (and a few that aren't) have issued a statement warning of the impending danger that global warming presents. In fact, Tony Blair seems to be the only one concerned, as Bush is having none of it. We try not to be alarmists here, but this isn't exactly an Ecology Professor at the University of Wallamaloo releasing a paper. The statement, which has been in the works for months, is the first of it's kind, being released by a group of people who are notorious for not beling alarmist, and tabs global warming as the single biggest threat facing humanity right now. Even Al Gore addressed an international conference of Mayors about it, urging a a response. Poor Tony Blair - he knows that Bush pulled us out of the Kyoto Accords (which Gore helped draft). Does he think that the goodwill he's extended to the U.S. over Iraq should earn him something back? Does he not know Bush at all? You know the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Hey, Mr. Bush - this will kill us.
Editorials
The War Against Howard Dean: Kill The Truth-Teller. Have you been following the latest attacks against Howard Dean? Arthur Silber has, and he breaks down why, once again, Republicans and the MSM are just plain wrong. Dean had some very brazen and scathing comments about the Republican Party (and it's about time! This is one of the main reasons that we wanted Dean as the DNC Chair in the first place!), and Republicans are up in arms over...the truth? Yes, the truth. The Republican Party does not share the concerns of most Americans. The Republican Party does not represent a diverse America. As Silber notes, Dean was discussing the Republican Party. "As a party—that is, as a political organization which attempts to achieve particular goals, and which now controls the federal government so that it can in fact do that—the Republican Party is in a deep, broad and all-encompassing marriage with corporate America." The Republican Party is pretty much a "white Christian party," as Dean states. He's not talking about voters. He's talking about the Party. Howard Dean gets it. Some Democrats get it. Why doesn't the MSM get it? Silber's editorial is an excellent summary of a man being castrated for telling the truth, simply because the truth hurts.
Omerta. For some reason, hidden in the news pages was the story of Tommy Hook, a Los Alamos lab whistleblower, who was about to testify before Congress, when he was savagely beaten in a clear attempt to stop his testimony. It's like something out of a bad movie. And it's real! Who are these people running the government? Do they have any sense of ethics? Or do the ends (which aren't good either, by the way), truly justify their means? Torturing prisoners, killing judges, intimidating witnesses...where does it stop?
Why is Congress failing to keep watch? Well, this may seem like a silly question. The answer is obviously, "Because they're all Republicans, and it's not in their interest to watch themselves." But that's not good enough. Charles Tiefer traces Congress's historical role of informing the public, and outlines particular areas in which it's falling down flat on its face. Government waste, the war effort, allowing nominees to duck questions and avoid inquiry, the failure of the Medicare bill, and the health care system in general - these are all examples of where Congress is failing the public. As Tiefer says, "Oversight is an institutional responsibility first and foremost, and politics is a secondary concern." Hah! Don't be so naive, Mr. Tiefer!
|
December 29, 2005
Explore the Quran. No, we're not kidding. Look, we're not really advocates of any particular religion, but if we stand any chance of "winning" the war on terror, it's going to have to be based on understanding, not aggression. Maybe one nice first step would be to learn about the religion that such a large part of the world follows, yet we Americans are largely ignorant about. In an effort to promote an understanding of Islam, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering free copies of the Quran to anyone who requests one, so why not broaden your horizons? Don't waste their money if you're not going to read it, but if you're gonna give it a try, why not go for it? Then, the next time you encounter some ignoramus who makes broad, inaccurate generalizations about Islam (just watch FOX News for a bit, if you can stand it, and you're bound to see someone), you can speak intelligently about the topic.
News
Downing Street Answers. Well, not really. An enterprising reporter finally asked Bush and Blair (at a joint press conference on Tuesday) about the Downing Street Memo. The contrast between Blair's response and Bush's response was incredible. Blair appeared poised, confident and intelligent. Bush appeared like he never expected the question, in that stuttering, half-phrase way he has of speaking, looking for all the world like a buffoon. Of course, they both didn't directly answer the question. Blair did deny "fixing the facts," but Bush bobbed and weaved around the question like a Bolshoi dancer. The most important thing to note is that neither of them disavowed the memo. You may think we're reading too much into this, but in Washington, words are everything. How quick was the White House to jump on Rathergate and Newsweek? Seems eerily suspicious that they won't deny this memo, eh?
Worth the Effort? For the first time since the War in Iraq began, the majority of Americans believe that the war isn't making America safer. Iraq continues to remain second to the economy, when ranked in importance by the American people. Almost 75% of those polled feel that the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptible (isn't anything more than zero unacceptible?). 60% say the war was not worth fighting. 66% say that our military is "bogged down" there. These are the highest levels of pessimism against the war ever, and we couldn't be happier. America continues to smarten up to Bush. 67% of those polled blamed Bush and Republicans in the Senate (and only 13% blamed Senate Democrats). Also for the first time, a majority of Americans (55%) say that Bush is doing more to divide the country than to unite it. 58& feel that Bush is not concentrating his efforts on helping them. With pessimism over Iraq so high, is it any surprise that recruitment is still down, even after the Army lowered it's targeted goals for May? And it wasn't even close - recruitment was off by 25%! Based on the original number, before it was lowered, recruitment was off by 37.4%! Could recruitment be down because people don't want to enlist, be inadequately trained, and then sent to Iraq to die for no reason? That couldn't be it, could it?
Act now - or else... Did you hear the one about the group of internationally respected scientists who make clear to the world the clear and present danger inherent in global warming, only to find that many of the world's superpowers don't believe them (or don't want to believe them)? We'd tell you the punchline of the joke, but it's not a joke, and the punchline sees us all dead. For the first time in history, the national academies of science for all of the countries represented at the G-8 Summit (and a few that aren't) have issued a statement warning of the impending danger that global warming presents. In fact, Tony Blair seems to be the only one concerned, as Bush is having none of it. We try not to be alarmists here, but this isn't exactly an Ecology Professor at the University of Wallamaloo releasing a paper. The statement, which has been in the works for months, is the first of it's kind, being released by a group of people who are notorious for not beling alarmist, and tabs global warming as the single biggest threat facing humanity right now. Even Al Gore addressed an international conference of Mayors about it, urging a a response. Poor Tony Blair - he knows that Bush pulled us out of the Kyoto Accords (which Gore helped draft). Does he think that the goodwill he's extended to the U.S. over Iraq should earn him something back? Does he not know Bush at all? You know the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Hey, Mr. Bush - this will kill us.
Editorials
The War Against Howard Dean: Kill The Truth-Teller. Have you been following the latest attacks against Howard Dean? Arthur Silber has, and he breaks down why, once again, Republicans and the MSM are just plain wrong. Dean had some very brazen and scathing comments about the Republican Party (and it's about time! This is one of the main reasons that we wanted Dean as the DNC Chair in the first place!), and Republicans are up in arms over...the truth? Yes, the truth. The Republican Party does not share the concerns of most Americans. The Republican Party does not represent a diverse America. As Silber notes, Dean was discussing the Republican Party. "As a party—that is, as a political organization which attempts to achieve particular goals, and which now controls the federal government so that it can in fact do that—the Republican Party is in a deep, broad and all-encompassing marriage with corporate America." The Republican Party is pretty much a "white Christian party," as Dean states. He's not talking about voters. He's talking about the Party. Howard Dean gets it. Some Democrats get it. Why doesn't the MSM get it? Silber's editorial is an excellent summary of a man being castrated for telling the truth, simply because the truth hurts.
Omerta. For some reason, hidden in the news pages was the story of Tommy Hook, a Los Alamos lab whistleblower, who was about to testify before Congress, when he was savagely beaten in a clear attempt to stop his testimony. It's like something out of a bad movie. And it's real! Who are these people running the government? Do they have any sense of ethics? Or do the ends (which aren't good either, by the way), truly justify their means? Torturing prisoners, killing judges, intimidating witnesses...where does it stop?
Why is Congress failing to keep watch? Well, this may seem like a silly question. The answer is obviously, "Because they're all Republicans, and it's not in their interest to watch themselves." But that's not good enough. Charles Tiefer traces Congress's historical role of informing the public, and outlines particular areas in which it's falling down flat on its face. Government waste, the war effort, allowing nominees to duck questions and avoid inquiry, the failure of the Medicare bill, and the health care system in general - these are all examples of where Congress is failing the public. As Tiefer says, "Oversight is an institutional responsibility first and foremost, and politics is a secondary concern." Hah! Don't be so naive, Mr. Tiefer!
