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December 29, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Monday's Links
Activism
Unite Against Terror. It seems too obvious, doesn't it? It's time we formed a united front against terrorism. It's tough, these days, to even have a rational discussion about terrorism, when our political leaders have co-opted such tragedy for political gain. But that doesn't mean we can't show our utter disgust with terroism as we also show our contempt for our corrupt and inept leadership. Sign the statement showing your commitment to building a global community that will stand against racist, evil, hateful people that seek to spread death and destruction. Only together, as a global community, will we be able to end this perverse ideology.
News
>White House Aims to Block Legislation on Detainees. In a message that can only be responded to with the letters "WTF," the Bush administration wants to "block legislation supported by Republican senators that would bar the U.S. military from engaging in 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment' of detainees, from hiding prisoners from the Red Cross, and from using interrogation methods not authorized by a new Army field manual." We wish we were making this up, but we are not. The Senate in general, and John McCain (R-AZ) in particular, want a clear set of rules and regulations for the handling of detainees (Not to mention, you know, actual CHARGES brought against those we're holding in Gitmo.) But Cheney thinks that these kinds of rules would usurp the President's power. And to make it clear that Bush wants the power to torture, humiliate and maim anyone he wants, he has threatened to veto the $442 billion Defense bill if the Senate passes the legislature that it wants. In this, for once, we completely side with the (honorable) Republicans. There must be a written set of rules (Well, actually, there is. It's in the Army Field Manual. But the Army wants it updated). We cannot allow Bush's desire for unhindered power and blatant fear-mongering to allow us to betray our founding principles.
If It's Civil War, Do We Know It? Violence in Iraq has increased exponentionally over the last week, with the targets of the insurgency becoming less random and more sectarian. Is this the beginnings of a Civil War? We're seeing similarities to what happened in Lebanon, and it's scary. Could we have directly perpetrated another Vietnam-like quagmire? The Sunni insurgency is targeting Shi'ites, calling them "monkeys" and saying that their religion is an affront to God. If anyone hasn't realized that we have no idea what the hell we're doing in Iraq, they should now. If anyone doesn't agree that Bushco has no idea how to handle this situation, they should now. Bushco sees this as a fight for freedom. Only, Sunnis in Iraq don't. They see it as a holy crusade, and that's far, far more dangerous.
Library Leader Questions Patriot Act. It's nice to see that Democrats aren't the only ones upset about the Patriot Act being reauthorized. Michael Gorman, president of the American Library Association, has called the Patriot Act's library clause "Kafkaesque." Have we really reached a point in this country where the government will enact legislation that strips away the privacy of its citizens "just in case?" Oh, and librarians cannot tell readers that they are being investigated. So far, over 200 people have been observed with this provision since 2001. We've said it before and we'll say it again. There are many, many ways to ensure the safety of America without restricting the rights of its citizens and changing the fundamental fabric of this country. Unfortunately, this administration has not been able to find any of them.
Editorials
Eight Days in July. Frank Rich is on fire. In his latest article, Rich points to the eight days in July of 2003 between the famous Wilson Op-ed and the Novak article that outed Valerie Plame. It seems that those eight days were the genesis of the assault on Wilson. And Rich outlines some important details that point once more to the massive cover-up of the treasonous acts apparently committed by Rove, Libby, and maybe even more White House muckety-mucks. For three months, no one investigated the leak. Then, for another three months after that, it was being investigated by none other than that paragon of virtue, John Ashcroft. And, oddly enough, Ashcroft allowed the White House to wait 12 hours between being informed of the DoJ investigation and being required to preserve all materials related to the investigation. How convenient. Even though the details of this case are important in determining just how deep this cover-up went, fundamentally, as Rich says: "The real crime here remains the sending of American men and women to Iraq on fictitious grounds."
A Bid to Chill Thinking. We've talked about Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) before in general, and on this issue specifically last Monday. Last month, Barton wrote a vicious letter to Michael Mann of the University of Virginia and two other scientists, attacking them for their studies on global warming (you can read a summary of and the full letter here). The letter gave Mann three weeks to provide all of his documentation, funding information and background. Mann has been accused of writing a report that provides "political intimidation" and not scientific clarity. The majority of the scientific community backs the results of Mann's study. Of course, their information is based on fact, and not subjective conjecture on a subject they aren't familiar with, so Republicans can't really understand it.
It's Clement! No, It's Roberts! No, It's a Mariachi Band!. If you had occasion to watch any of the 24 hour news channels last Tuesday afternoon (or the subsequent Daily Show), you saw the speculation that Bush would nominate Edith Brown Clement to the Supreme Court. That lasted right up until Bush announced John G. Roberts (who, apparently, has a huge problem with toads). Liz Cox Barrett and Samantha Henig, over at the Columbia Journalism Review, break down Tuesday night. How do newscasters make up for being so very wrong? Blame speculation (that they perpetuated), slowly back away from your earlier comments, and then feign surprise. And pundits wonder why people don't trust the media anymore. Hey, at least he didn't nominate the Mariachi to draw attention away from Rove!
|
December 29, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Monday's Links
Activism
Unite Against Terror. It seems too obvious, doesn't it? It's time we formed a united front against terrorism. It's tough, these days, to even have a rational discussion about terrorism, when our political leaders have co-opted such tragedy for political gain. But that doesn't mean we can't show our utter disgust with terroism as we also show our contempt for our corrupt and inept leadership. Sign the statement showing your commitment to building a global community that will stand against racist, evil, hateful people that seek to spread death and destruction. Only together, as a global community, will we be able to end this perverse ideology.
News
>White House Aims to Block Legislation on Detainees. In a message that can only be responded to with the letters "WTF," the Bush administration wants to "block legislation supported by Republican senators that would bar the U.S. military from engaging in 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment' of detainees, from hiding prisoners from the Red Cross, and from using interrogation methods not authorized by a new Army field manual." We wish we were making this up, but we are not. The Senate in general, and John McCain (R-AZ) in particular, want a clear set of rules and regulations for the handling of detainees (Not to mention, you know, actual CHARGES brought against those we're holding in Gitmo.) But Cheney thinks that these kinds of rules would usurp the President's power. And to make it clear that Bush wants the power to torture, humiliate and maim anyone he wants, he has threatened to veto the $442 billion Defense bill if the Senate passes the legislature that it wants. In this, for once, we completely side with the (honorable) Republicans. There must be a written set of rules (Well, actually, there is. It's in the Army Field Manual. But the Army wants it updated). We cannot allow Bush's desire for unhindered power and blatant fear-mongering to allow us to betray our founding principles.
If It's Civil War, Do We Know It? Violence in Iraq has increased exponentionally over the last week, with the targets of the insurgency becoming less random and more sectarian. Is this the beginnings of a Civil War? We're seeing similarities to what happened in Lebanon, and it's scary. Could we have directly perpetrated another Vietnam-like quagmire? The Sunni insurgency is targeting Shi'ites, calling them "monkeys" and saying that their religion is an affront to God. If anyone hasn't realized that we have no idea what the hell we're doing in Iraq, they should now. If anyone doesn't agree that Bushco has no idea how to handle this situation, they should now. Bushco sees this as a fight for freedom. Only, Sunnis in Iraq don't. They see it as a holy crusade, and that's far, far more dangerous.
Library Leader Questions Patriot Act. It's nice to see that Democrats aren't the only ones upset about the Patriot Act being reauthorized. Michael Gorman, president of the American Library Association, has called the Patriot Act's library clause "Kafkaesque." Have we really reached a point in this country where the government will enact legislation that strips away the privacy of its citizens "just in case?" Oh, and librarians cannot tell readers that they are being investigated. So far, over 200 people have been observed with this provision since 2001. We've said it before and we'll say it again. There are many, many ways to ensure the safety of America without restricting the rights of its citizens and changing the fundamental fabric of this country. Unfortunately, this administration has not been able to find any of them.
Editorials
Eight Days in July. Frank Rich is on fire. In his latest article, Rich points to the eight days in July of 2003 between the famous Wilson Op-ed and the Novak article that outed Valerie Plame. It seems that those eight days were the genesis of the assault on Wilson. And Rich outlines some important details that point once more to the massive cover-up of the treasonous acts apparently committed by Rove, Libby, and maybe even more White House muckety-mucks. For three months, no one investigated the leak. Then, for another three months after that, it was being investigated by none other than that paragon of virtue, John Ashcroft. And, oddly enough, Ashcroft allowed the White House to wait 12 hours between being informed of the DoJ investigation and being required to preserve all materials related to the investigation. How convenient. Even though the details of this case are important in determining just how deep this cover-up went, fundamentally, as Rich says: "The real crime here remains the sending of American men and women to Iraq on fictitious grounds."
A Bid to Chill Thinking. We've talked about Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) before in general, and on this issue specifically last Monday. Last month, Barton wrote a vicious letter to Michael Mann of the University of Virginia and two other scientists, attacking them for their studies on global warming (you can read a summary of and the full letter here). The letter gave Mann three weeks to provide all of his documentation, funding information and background. Mann has been accused of writing a report that provides "political intimidation" and not scientific clarity. The majority of the scientific community backs the results of Mann's study. Of course, their information is based on fact, and not subjective conjecture on a subject they aren't familiar with, so Republicans can't really understand it.
It's Clement! No, It's Roberts! No, It's a Mariachi Band!. If you had occasion to watch any of the 24 hour news channels last Tuesday afternoon (or the subsequent Daily Show), you saw the speculation that Bush would nominate Edith Brown Clement to the Supreme Court. That lasted right up until Bush announced John G. Roberts (who, apparently, has a huge problem with toads). Liz Cox Barrett and Samantha Henig, over at the Columbia Journalism Review, break down Tuesday night. How do newscasters make up for being so very wrong? Blame speculation (that they perpetuated), slowly back away from your earlier comments, and then feign surprise. And pundits wonder why people don't trust the media anymore. Hey, at least he didn't nominate the Mariachi to draw attention away from Rove!
|
December 29, 2005
Unite Against Terror. It seems too obvious, doesn't it? It's time we formed a united front against terrorism. It's tough, these days, to even have a rational discussion about terrorism, when our political leaders have co-opted such tragedy for political gain. But that doesn't mean we can't show our utter disgust with terroism as we also show our contempt for our corrupt and inept leadership. Sign the statement showing your commitment to building a global community that will stand against racist, evil, hateful people that seek to spread death and destruction. Only together, as a global community, will we be able to end this perverse ideology.
News
>White House Aims to Block Legislation on Detainees. In a message that can only be responded to with the letters "WTF," the Bush administration wants to "block legislation supported by Republican senators that would bar the U.S. military from engaging in 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment' of detainees, from hiding prisoners from the Red Cross, and from using interrogation methods not authorized by a new Army field manual." We wish we were making this up, but we are not. The Senate in general, and John McCain (R-AZ) in particular, want a clear set of rules and regulations for the handling of detainees (Not to mention, you know, actual CHARGES brought against those we're holding in Gitmo.) But Cheney thinks that these kinds of rules would usurp the President's power. And to make it clear that Bush wants the power to torture, humiliate and maim anyone he wants, he has threatened to veto the $442 billion Defense bill if the Senate passes the legislature that it wants. In this, for once, we completely side with the (honorable) Republicans. There must be a written set of rules (Well, actually, there is. It's in the Army Field Manual. But the Army wants it updated). We cannot allow Bush's desire for unhindered power and blatant fear-mongering to allow us to betray our founding principles.
If It's Civil War, Do We Know It? Violence in Iraq has increased exponentionally over the last week, with the targets of the insurgency becoming less random and more sectarian. Is this the beginnings of a Civil War? We're seeing similarities to what happened in Lebanon, and it's scary. Could we have directly perpetrated another Vietnam-like quagmire? The Sunni insurgency is targeting Shi'ites, calling them "monkeys" and saying that their religion is an affront to God. If anyone hasn't realized that we have no idea what the hell we're doing in Iraq, they should now. If anyone doesn't agree that Bushco has no idea how to handle this situation, they should now. Bushco sees this as a fight for freedom. Only, Sunnis in Iraq don't. They see it as a holy crusade, and that's far, far more dangerous.
Library Leader Questions Patriot Act. It's nice to see that Democrats aren't the only ones upset about the Patriot Act being reauthorized. Michael Gorman, president of the American Library Association, has called the Patriot Act's library clause "Kafkaesque." Have we really reached a point in this country where the government will enact legislation that strips away the privacy of its citizens "just in case?" Oh, and librarians cannot tell readers that they are being investigated. So far, over 200 people have been observed with this provision since 2001. We've said it before and we'll say it again. There are many, many ways to ensure the safety of America without restricting the rights of its citizens and changing the fundamental fabric of this country. Unfortunately, this administration has not been able to find any of them.
Editorials
Eight Days in July. Frank Rich is on fire. In his latest article, Rich points to the eight days in July of 2003 between the famous Wilson Op-ed and the Novak article that outed Valerie Plame. It seems that those eight days were the genesis of the assault on Wilson. And Rich outlines some important details that point once more to the massive cover-up of the treasonous acts apparently committed by Rove, Libby, and maybe even more White House muckety-mucks. For three months, no one investigated the leak. Then, for another three months after that, it was being investigated by none other than that paragon of virtue, John Ashcroft. And, oddly enough, Ashcroft allowed the White House to wait 12 hours between being informed of the DoJ investigation and being required to preserve all materials related to the investigation. How convenient. Even though the details of this case are important in determining just how deep this cover-up went, fundamentally, as Rich says: "The real crime here remains the sending of American men and women to Iraq on fictitious grounds."
A Bid to Chill Thinking. We've talked about Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) before in general, and on this issue specifically last Monday. Last month, Barton wrote a vicious letter to Michael Mann of the University of Virginia and two other scientists, attacking them for their studies on global warming (you can read a summary of and the full letter here). The letter gave Mann three weeks to provide all of his documentation, funding information and background. Mann has been accused of writing a report that provides "political intimidation" and not scientific clarity. The majority of the scientific community backs the results of Mann's study. Of course, their information is based on fact, and not subjective conjecture on a subject they aren't familiar with, so Republicans can't really understand it.
It's Clement! No, It's Roberts! No, It's a Mariachi Band!. If you had occasion to watch any of the 24 hour news channels last Tuesday afternoon (or the subsequent Daily Show), you saw the speculation that Bush would nominate Edith Brown Clement to the Supreme Court. That lasted right up until Bush announced John G. Roberts (who, apparently, has a huge problem with toads). Liz Cox Barrett and Samantha Henig, over at the Columbia Journalism Review, break down Tuesday night. How do newscasters make up for being so very wrong? Blame speculation (that they perpetuated), slowly back away from your earlier comments, and then feign surprise. And pundits wonder why people don't trust the media anymore. Hey, at least he didn't nominate the Mariachi to draw attention away from Rove!
