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December 29, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Wednesday's Links
Activism
We wrote on Monday about the Christian Alliance for Progress (CAP), the cure to the poison-tipped arrow of the religious right. CAP wants to promote the idea that "you can talk about your faith without wanting your faith to become the exclusive faith of the nation." CAP's website has a petition up, encouraging people to "sign the Jacksonville Declaration to reclaim Christianity from the religious right." You can also become a community organizer in your neighborhood. Even if you're not religious, visit the petition here. If you want to become more involved with CAP, you can do that here. help show the religious right that they don't speak for all Christians!
News
Republicans Warn MLB on Soros' Nats Bid. Really, is there anything more American than baseball? And is there anything less American than stifling business competition in the name of partisan politics? Combine the two, and what do you get? Well, billionaire liberal George Soros joined an ownership group that's interested in buying the Washington Nationals. This bothers some Republicans, who have resorted to making veiled threats, and insisting that baseball shouldn't get involved in politics. Of course, Bush used to own the Texas Rangers, and FOX News Mogul Rupert Murdoch used to own the Los Angeles Dodgers, but let's not split hairs here, right?
Violence Linked to Taliban Swells in Afghanistan. Now there's a country you probably haven't heard about in a little while: Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan? You know, the country that we actually invaded justly after 9/11, because they actually were harboring terrorists, including bin Laden? Well, even though that invasion may have been justified, that doesn't mean our job there is done. In fact, a compelling argument can be made that the war in Iraq has significantly hurt our efforts in Afghanistan. And while we've made very significant progress there, the Taliban is still lurking, and is still quite volatile. Right now there are about 20,000 U.S. troops there, with an Afghan army of about 20,000, and a police force of 50,000. And just yesterday, a large U.S. military helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, possibly killing up to 17 American troops. Imagine, if you will, that we had never invaded Iraq, and instead had applied all of our resources to vanquishing the Taliban, and finding bin Laden. We'd have a much more stable Afghanistan, a vanquished al Qaeda, a stronger military, a contained Saddam Hussein, and about 1,700 more living troops.
Bush Says War Is Worth Sacrifice. Bush does know how to visually send a message, even if that message is wrong, doesn't he? He talks about Social Security from bingo halls. He lands on the deck of an aircraft carrier with a "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him, when the mission is far from over. On Tuesday, Bush was at Ft. Bragg, NC, delivering a message that "the War in Iraq is worth it." Is it? For a man who very recently said that the insurgency was in its "last throes," he sure sounded different last night. Harry Reid's response told it like it was - Bush's numerous uses of the phrase "September 11th" hold no water when it comes to Iraq, but do serve to remind Americans that Osama bin Laden is still at large. Remember that guy? Porter Goss thinks that he has a "pretty good idea" where Osama is. So why aren't you going after him?
Editorials
Whistleblowers Describe Halliburton's "Free Fraud Zone." As we've said before, one of us is a full-time government contractor. So it comes as quite a surprise to us to find out every aspect of Halliburton's RIO contract in Iraq was handled by Rumsfeld. Really? Why is that? The DoD has a contracts office whose job it is to look at this very sort of thing. So why aren't they being allowed to do so? Why was Halliburton awarded the contract with a no-compete, meaning that no other company was allowed to submit a proposal for the work. Probably because DoD contracts are awarded by an independent panel, who rates all proposals that are submitted. It's most likely true that Halliburton's proposal would have either cost too much, or would have been written too poorly, so they were just awarded it. What else could it be? Charlie Cray sums up what has been a disgusting misuse of American taxpayer money, and we salute people like Bunnatine Greenhouse, who chose to blow the whistle on this nonsense, despite whatever fallout she'll receive.
Bush's Pre-Emptive War Pre-Empted Congress. There's a lot of ways to lie to someone. Tell them you didn't do something, when you realy did. Tell them something else that makes it seem like they are answering your qurestion, when they really aren't. Or, lie by omission. Simply don't bring it up. It's a play on the kids tactic of "if I can't see you, you're not really there." Bushco has embodied this tactic like a swimmer takes to water. For example, as Paul Loeb writes, in September 2002, a massive air operation occured in the skies of Iraq. 100 American and British fighter planes bombed Iraq, destroying their "ability to resist." Now that Bush had brought us into a bloody air battle in Iraq, hitting civilian and military targets at whim, we had no choice but to go through. Because if the Iraqi citizens weren't upset with us before, they certainly were after. But why has Bushco not talked about this? Why has the MSM not written about this? It's becoming more and more clear that Bush had a hard-on for Iraq long before the search for WMDs.
Economic Inequality In the U.S. Is Reaching Third World Levels. Where’s the Press? The title says it all, doesn't it? Henry Banta writes about the little things going on in the economy. In the last 20 years, the middle class has all but ceased to exist. The economic disparity between the top and the bottom is growing by the day. The top 28,000 citizens of this country have an income greater than the bottom third of all Americans. Doesn't that bother you? Doesn't that frighten you? Banta notes that middle class spending really has been the backbone of our economy over the last 50 years. Now, the spending is continuing, but the earning isn't there, which results in more loans, more credit, and less savings. Sooner or later, none of those will be options either, and then where will we be?
|
December 29, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Wednesday's Links
Activism
We wrote on Monday about the Christian Alliance for Progress (CAP), the cure to the poison-tipped arrow of the religious right. CAP wants to promote the idea that "you can talk about your faith without wanting your faith to become the exclusive faith of the nation." CAP's website has a petition up, encouraging people to "sign the Jacksonville Declaration to reclaim Christianity from the religious right." You can also become a community organizer in your neighborhood. Even if you're not religious, visit the petition here. If you want to become more involved with CAP, you can do that here. help show the religious right that they don't speak for all Christians!
News
Republicans Warn MLB on Soros' Nats Bid. Really, is there anything more American than baseball? And is there anything less American than stifling business competition in the name of partisan politics? Combine the two, and what do you get? Well, billionaire liberal George Soros joined an ownership group that's interested in buying the Washington Nationals. This bothers some Republicans, who have resorted to making veiled threats, and insisting that baseball shouldn't get involved in politics. Of course, Bush used to own the Texas Rangers, and FOX News Mogul Rupert Murdoch used to own the Los Angeles Dodgers, but let's not split hairs here, right?
Violence Linked to Taliban Swells in Afghanistan. Now there's a country you probably haven't heard about in a little while: Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan? You know, the country that we actually invaded justly after 9/11, because they actually were harboring terrorists, including bin Laden? Well, even though that invasion may have been justified, that doesn't mean our job there is done. In fact, a compelling argument can be made that the war in Iraq has significantly hurt our efforts in Afghanistan. And while we've made very significant progress there, the Taliban is still lurking, and is still quite volatile. Right now there are about 20,000 U.S. troops there, with an Afghan army of about 20,000, and a police force of 50,000. And just yesterday, a large U.S. military helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, possibly killing up to 17 American troops. Imagine, if you will, that we had never invaded Iraq, and instead had applied all of our resources to vanquishing the Taliban, and finding bin Laden. We'd have a much more stable Afghanistan, a vanquished al Qaeda, a stronger military, a contained Saddam Hussein, and about 1,700 more living troops.
Bush Says War Is Worth Sacrifice. Bush does know how to visually send a message, even if that message is wrong, doesn't he? He talks about Social Security from bingo halls. He lands on the deck of an aircraft carrier with a "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him, when the mission is far from over. On Tuesday, Bush was at Ft. Bragg, NC, delivering a message that "the War in Iraq is worth it." Is it? For a man who very recently said that the insurgency was in its "last throes," he sure sounded different last night. Harry Reid's response told it like it was - Bush's numerous uses of the phrase "September 11th" hold no water when it comes to Iraq, but do serve to remind Americans that Osama bin Laden is still at large. Remember that guy? Porter Goss thinks that he has a "pretty good idea" where Osama is. So why aren't you going after him?
Editorials
Whistleblowers Describe Halliburton's "Free Fraud Zone." As we've said before, one of us is a full-time government contractor. So it comes as quite a surprise to us to find out every aspect of Halliburton's RIO contract in Iraq was handled by Rumsfeld. Really? Why is that? The DoD has a contracts office whose job it is to look at this very sort of thing. So why aren't they being allowed to do so? Why was Halliburton awarded the contract with a no-compete, meaning that no other company was allowed to submit a proposal for the work. Probably because DoD contracts are awarded by an independent panel, who rates all proposals that are submitted. It's most likely true that Halliburton's proposal would have either cost too much, or would have been written too poorly, so they were just awarded it. What else could it be? Charlie Cray sums up what has been a disgusting misuse of American taxpayer money, and we salute people like Bunnatine Greenhouse, who chose to blow the whistle on this nonsense, despite whatever fallout she'll receive.
Bush's Pre-Emptive War Pre-Empted Congress. There's a lot of ways to lie to someone. Tell them you didn't do something, when you realy did. Tell them something else that makes it seem like they are answering your qurestion, when they really aren't. Or, lie by omission. Simply don't bring it up. It's a play on the kids tactic of "if I can't see you, you're not really there." Bushco has embodied this tactic like a swimmer takes to water. For example, as Paul Loeb writes, in September 2002, a massive air operation occured in the skies of Iraq. 100 American and British fighter planes bombed Iraq, destroying their "ability to resist." Now that Bush had brought us into a bloody air battle in Iraq, hitting civilian and military targets at whim, we had no choice but to go through. Because if the Iraqi citizens weren't upset with us before, they certainly were after. But why has Bushco not talked about this? Why has the MSM not written about this? It's becoming more and more clear that Bush had a hard-on for Iraq long before the search for WMDs.
Economic Inequality In the U.S. Is Reaching Third World Levels. Where’s the Press? The title says it all, doesn't it? Henry Banta writes about the little things going on in the economy. In the last 20 years, the middle class has all but ceased to exist. The economic disparity between the top and the bottom is growing by the day. The top 28,000 citizens of this country have an income greater than the bottom third of all Americans. Doesn't that bother you? Doesn't that frighten you? Banta notes that middle class spending really has been the backbone of our economy over the last 50 years. Now, the spending is continuing, but the earning isn't there, which results in more loans, more credit, and less savings. Sooner or later, none of those will be options either, and then where will we be?
|
December 29, 2005
We wrote on Monday about the Christian Alliance for Progress (CAP), the cure to the poison-tipped arrow of the religious right. CAP wants to promote the idea that "you can talk about your faith without wanting your faith to become the exclusive faith of the nation." CAP's website has a petition up, encouraging people to "sign the Jacksonville Declaration to reclaim Christianity from the religious right." You can also become a community organizer in your neighborhood. Even if you're not religious, visit the petition here. If you want to become more involved with CAP, you can do that here. help show the religious right that they don't speak for all Christians!
News
Republicans Warn MLB on Soros' Nats Bid. Really, is there anything more American than baseball? And is there anything less American than stifling business competition in the name of partisan politics? Combine the two, and what do you get? Well, billionaire liberal George Soros joined an ownership group that's interested in buying the Washington Nationals. This bothers some Republicans, who have resorted to making veiled threats, and insisting that baseball shouldn't get involved in politics. Of course, Bush used to own the Texas Rangers, and FOX News Mogul Rupert Murdoch used to own the Los Angeles Dodgers, but let's not split hairs here, right?
Violence Linked to Taliban Swells in Afghanistan. Now there's a country you probably haven't heard about in a little while: Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan? You know, the country that we actually invaded justly after 9/11, because they actually were harboring terrorists, including bin Laden? Well, even though that invasion may have been justified, that doesn't mean our job there is done. In fact, a compelling argument can be made that the war in Iraq has significantly hurt our efforts in Afghanistan. And while we've made very significant progress there, the Taliban is still lurking, and is still quite volatile. Right now there are about 20,000 U.S. troops there, with an Afghan army of about 20,000, and a police force of 50,000. And just yesterday, a large U.S. military helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, possibly killing up to 17 American troops. Imagine, if you will, that we had never invaded Iraq, and instead had applied all of our resources to vanquishing the Taliban, and finding bin Laden. We'd have a much more stable Afghanistan, a vanquished al Qaeda, a stronger military, a contained Saddam Hussein, and about 1,700 more living troops.
Bush Says War Is Worth Sacrifice. Bush does know how to visually send a message, even if that message is wrong, doesn't he? He talks about Social Security from bingo halls. He lands on the deck of an aircraft carrier with a "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him, when the mission is far from over. On Tuesday, Bush was at Ft. Bragg, NC, delivering a message that "the War in Iraq is worth it." Is it? For a man who very recently said that the insurgency was in its "last throes," he sure sounded different last night. Harry Reid's response told it like it was - Bush's numerous uses of the phrase "September 11th" hold no water when it comes to Iraq, but do serve to remind Americans that Osama bin Laden is still at large. Remember that guy? Porter Goss thinks that he has a "pretty good idea" where Osama is. So why aren't you going after him?
Editorials
Whistleblowers Describe Halliburton's "Free Fraud Zone." As we've said before, one of us is a full-time government contractor. So it comes as quite a surprise to us to find out every aspect of Halliburton's RIO contract in Iraq was handled by Rumsfeld. Really? Why is that? The DoD has a contracts office whose job it is to look at this very sort of thing. So why aren't they being allowed to do so? Why was Halliburton awarded the contract with a no-compete, meaning that no other company was allowed to submit a proposal for the work. Probably because DoD contracts are awarded by an independent panel, who rates all proposals that are submitted. It's most likely true that Halliburton's proposal would have either cost too much, or would have been written too poorly, so they were just awarded it. What else could it be? Charlie Cray sums up what has been a disgusting misuse of American taxpayer money, and we salute people like Bunnatine Greenhouse, who chose to blow the whistle on this nonsense, despite whatever fallout she'll receive.
Bush's Pre-Emptive War Pre-Empted Congress. There's a lot of ways to lie to someone. Tell them you didn't do something, when you realy did. Tell them something else that makes it seem like they are answering your qurestion, when they really aren't. Or, lie by omission. Simply don't bring it up. It's a play on the kids tactic of "if I can't see you, you're not really there." Bushco has embodied this tactic like a swimmer takes to water. For example, as Paul Loeb writes, in September 2002, a massive air operation occured in the skies of Iraq. 100 American and British fighter planes bombed Iraq, destroying their "ability to resist." Now that Bush had brought us into a bloody air battle in Iraq, hitting civilian and military targets at whim, we had no choice but to go through. Because if the Iraqi citizens weren't upset with us before, they certainly were after. But why has Bushco not talked about this? Why has the MSM not written about this? It's becoming more and more clear that Bush had a hard-on for Iraq long before the search for WMDs.
Economic Inequality In the U.S. Is Reaching Third World Levels. Where’s the Press? The title says it all, doesn't it? Henry Banta writes about the little things going on in the economy. In the last 20 years, the middle class has all but ceased to exist. The economic disparity between the top and the bottom is growing by the day. The top 28,000 citizens of this country have an income greater than the bottom third of all Americans. Doesn't that bother you? Doesn't that frighten you? Banta notes that middle class spending really has been the backbone of our economy over the last 50 years. Now, the spending is continuing, but the earning isn't there, which results in more loans, more credit, and less savings. Sooner or later, none of those will be options either, and then where will we be?
