Still Fighting has moved! Check us out at
www.stillfighting.com!
December 29, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Nathan Kleinman's Hunger Strike. At the time of this article, Kleinman's hunger strike was at 10 days, but now it's at 12. Actually, he's stopped fasting, having been relieved of his duties by another committed activist. And what are they starving themselves for? They're starving themselves to draw attention to the genocide going on in Darfur. Maybe you're not into starving yourself, and that's fine. However, if you find yourself asking "But what can I do?", well, fortunately his sister has posted a couple fantastic suggestions on his blog for how you can make a difference and help stop this ongoing atrocity in Sudan.
News
Despite Scopes, Evolution Still on Trial. Ah, 1925. Those were the days. How silly we all were back then, debating whether or not evolution could be taught in schools. Sadly, we're just as silly not, eighty freakin' years later. The annual re-enactment of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, TN, just serves to show us how far we really haven't come. Evolution is STILL under attack by fundamentalists who are really annoyed with theories that conflict with their world view. The sad thing is that Bush's re-election has fired up the anti-science base, and the situation has actually gotten worse as of late. Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, claims that "We have been facing more anti-evolution activity in the last six months than we have ever faced in a comparable period before." Just think about that. Ain't progress grand? You know, the fact that we're regressing on that front might be the most compelling argument against evolution we've ever seen...
VA Hospital in Texas Fights to Stay Open. Frankly, we don't quite know where to start with this article. For what reason, exactly, should we lose it completely? Is it because kids are being shipped off to war ill-equipped to defend themselves? Is it because the Administration was so arrogant about its success in Iraq that it failed to adequately estimate the burden on Veterans' hospitals? ("The increase in demand for our services from what we projected is up 126 percent.") Is it that the Administration, having broken an implicit promise with the all-volunteer military to not abuse their trust and send them into war frivolously, is now breaking an explicit promise to take care of them when they return from the war wounded? It's all of that and then some. It's not just the newer veterans that need hospitalization - there are older veterans who might get the boot too. Hey, not only can Bush not keep his promises, but he can break promises his predecessors made!
Santorum Book Excerpts. In the wake of the Downing Street Memos, Rovegate, and the London Bombings, we haven't mentioned our favorite Republican Senators / raving lunatic Rick Santorum. Fortunately, he has been working overtime to make sure the entire country knows just how off his rocker he really is. The best part about his comments is that they make our job easy - there's really nothing we could write about them that could do them justice. So click on over and read some excerpts. Then, thank your lucky stars that he's getting crushed by Bob Casey, Jr. in the latest polls, and resolve to make sure he stays that way.
Editorials
Contemptible Traitors: Get Them Out of Government - NOW. Shouldn't the title of this blog post by Arthur Silber be self-evident? Apparently, it's not. You may be sick of hearing about Karl Rove (he certainly makes us feel ill), but until the message sinks in that Rove, and any Administration that would continue to associate with him, is about as deceitful, treacherous, and anti-American as one can get, we're not going to let this go. In fact, Democrats should be shouting this from the rooftops. Silber's post may initially seem a bit over-the-top, but in fact, we could all use a little more of his righteous anger. These people think that running the country is just a game, and it's all about power. It's not about making the country safe. It's not about "liberating Iraq". It's solely about "winning", and when they "win", every single American citizen loses. Silber is absolutely correct - Rove and his ilk are contemptible traitors, utterly without principles, willing to sacrifice anything to keep themselves in power, and they must be removed from government - NOW.
The Indisputable Media Bias. Have you ever been in a discussion (or argument) with a conservative, and had them blithely assert that the media is obviously liberal? You may have even accepted such an assertion as truth, without even really thinking about it. But the fact of the matter is that conservatives have spent years and years trying to get this assumption drilled into the heads of the public, and by and large, it has worked. What's wrong with that? Well, pretty much everything. It may be true that the average journalist is tilted liberal, but it also used to be the case that the average journalist had some measure of integrity, and reported the facts. These days, journalists have been so cowed by the constant shouting from the right that it's tough to get any raw facts out these days. This article from Cenk Uygur gives a nice overview of the difference of coverage between the Clinton Administration "scandals", and the Bush Administration "things the press seems to ignore". The next time someone tries to tell you the media is liberal, don't accept it. Frankly, these days, it's the equivalent of blaming the (admittedly weak-willed) referee when they don't like a call. Unfortunately, these referees seem to be pretty easily influenced.
The Judge for Me. A little while ago, we all thought that the new Supreme Court nominee would be the political story of the summer. Now, it seems that it may simply serve as a distraction from Karl Rove's problems. But it's still much more important than booting Rove, and we shouldn't lose focus in the furor. Richard Cohen, as usual, offers from well-grounded observations on the looming Supreme Court battle. The religious right sees this as an opportunity to get their just due, after all, they delivered the Presidency to W, and they deserve quid pro quo, right? Well, no. As Cohen says, "The interest groups act as if the vacancy on the Supreme Court belongs to them. I beg to differ. It is the United States Supreme Court and belongs to all of us." Damn straight.
|
December 29, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Nathan Kleinman's Hunger Strike. At the time of this article, Kleinman's hunger strike was at 10 days, but now it's at 12. Actually, he's stopped fasting, having been relieved of his duties by another committed activist. And what are they starving themselves for? They're starving themselves to draw attention to the genocide going on in Darfur. Maybe you're not into starving yourself, and that's fine. However, if you find yourself asking "But what can I do?", well, fortunately his sister has posted a couple fantastic suggestions on his blog for how you can make a difference and help stop this ongoing atrocity in Sudan.
News
Despite Scopes, Evolution Still on Trial. Ah, 1925. Those were the days. How silly we all were back then, debating whether or not evolution could be taught in schools. Sadly, we're just as silly not, eighty freakin' years later. The annual re-enactment of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, TN, just serves to show us how far we really haven't come. Evolution is STILL under attack by fundamentalists who are really annoyed with theories that conflict with their world view. The sad thing is that Bush's re-election has fired up the anti-science base, and the situation has actually gotten worse as of late. Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, claims that "We have been facing more anti-evolution activity in the last six months than we have ever faced in a comparable period before." Just think about that. Ain't progress grand? You know, the fact that we're regressing on that front might be the most compelling argument against evolution we've ever seen...
VA Hospital in Texas Fights to Stay Open. Frankly, we don't quite know where to start with this article. For what reason, exactly, should we lose it completely? Is it because kids are being shipped off to war ill-equipped to defend themselves? Is it because the Administration was so arrogant about its success in Iraq that it failed to adequately estimate the burden on Veterans' hospitals? ("The increase in demand for our services from what we projected is up 126 percent.") Is it that the Administration, having broken an implicit promise with the all-volunteer military to not abuse their trust and send them into war frivolously, is now breaking an explicit promise to take care of them when they return from the war wounded? It's all of that and then some. It's not just the newer veterans that need hospitalization - there are older veterans who might get the boot too. Hey, not only can Bush not keep his promises, but he can break promises his predecessors made!
Santorum Book Excerpts. In the wake of the Downing Street Memos, Rovegate, and the London Bombings, we haven't mentioned our favorite Republican Senators / raving lunatic Rick Santorum. Fortunately, he has been working overtime to make sure the entire country knows just how off his rocker he really is. The best part about his comments is that they make our job easy - there's really nothing we could write about them that could do them justice. So click on over and read some excerpts. Then, thank your lucky stars that he's getting crushed by Bob Casey, Jr. in the latest polls, and resolve to make sure he stays that way.
Editorials
Contemptible Traitors: Get Them Out of Government - NOW. Shouldn't the title of this blog post by Arthur Silber be self-evident? Apparently, it's not. You may be sick of hearing about Karl Rove (he certainly makes us feel ill), but until the message sinks in that Rove, and any Administration that would continue to associate with him, is about as deceitful, treacherous, and anti-American as one can get, we're not going to let this go. In fact, Democrats should be shouting this from the rooftops. Silber's post may initially seem a bit over-the-top, but in fact, we could all use a little more of his righteous anger. These people think that running the country is just a game, and it's all about power. It's not about making the country safe. It's not about "liberating Iraq". It's solely about "winning", and when they "win", every single American citizen loses. Silber is absolutely correct - Rove and his ilk are contemptible traitors, utterly without principles, willing to sacrifice anything to keep themselves in power, and they must be removed from government - NOW.
The Indisputable Media Bias. Have you ever been in a discussion (or argument) with a conservative, and had them blithely assert that the media is obviously liberal? You may have even accepted such an assertion as truth, without even really thinking about it. But the fact of the matter is that conservatives have spent years and years trying to get this assumption drilled into the heads of the public, and by and large, it has worked. What's wrong with that? Well, pretty much everything. It may be true that the average journalist is tilted liberal, but it also used to be the case that the average journalist had some measure of integrity, and reported the facts. These days, journalists have been so cowed by the constant shouting from the right that it's tough to get any raw facts out these days. This article from Cenk Uygur gives a nice overview of the difference of coverage between the Clinton Administration "scandals", and the Bush Administration "things the press seems to ignore". The next time someone tries to tell you the media is liberal, don't accept it. Frankly, these days, it's the equivalent of blaming the (admittedly weak-willed) referee when they don't like a call. Unfortunately, these referees seem to be pretty easily influenced.
The Judge for Me. A little while ago, we all thought that the new Supreme Court nominee would be the political story of the summer. Now, it seems that it may simply serve as a distraction from Karl Rove's problems. But it's still much more important than booting Rove, and we shouldn't lose focus in the furor. Richard Cohen, as usual, offers from well-grounded observations on the looming Supreme Court battle. The religious right sees this as an opportunity to get their just due, after all, they delivered the Presidency to W, and they deserve quid pro quo, right? Well, no. As Cohen says, "The interest groups act as if the vacancy on the Supreme Court belongs to them. I beg to differ. It is the United States Supreme Court and belongs to all of us." Damn straight.
|
December 29, 2005
Nathan Kleinman's Hunger Strike. At the time of this article, Kleinman's hunger strike was at 10 days, but now it's at 12. Actually, he's stopped fasting, having been relieved of his duties by another committed activist. And what are they starving themselves for? They're starving themselves to draw attention to the genocide going on in Darfur. Maybe you're not into starving yourself, and that's fine. However, if you find yourself asking "But what can I do?", well, fortunately his sister has posted a couple fantastic suggestions on his blog for how you can make a difference and help stop this ongoing atrocity in Sudan.
News
Despite Scopes, Evolution Still on Trial. Ah, 1925. Those were the days. How silly we all were back then, debating whether or not evolution could be taught in schools. Sadly, we're just as silly not, eighty freakin' years later. The annual re-enactment of the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, TN, just serves to show us how far we really haven't come. Evolution is STILL under attack by fundamentalists who are really annoyed with theories that conflict with their world view. The sad thing is that Bush's re-election has fired up the anti-science base, and the situation has actually gotten worse as of late. Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, claims that "We have been facing more anti-evolution activity in the last six months than we have ever faced in a comparable period before." Just think about that. Ain't progress grand? You know, the fact that we're regressing on that front might be the most compelling argument against evolution we've ever seen...
VA Hospital in Texas Fights to Stay Open. Frankly, we don't quite know where to start with this article. For what reason, exactly, should we lose it completely? Is it because kids are being shipped off to war ill-equipped to defend themselves? Is it because the Administration was so arrogant about its success in Iraq that it failed to adequately estimate the burden on Veterans' hospitals? ("The increase in demand for our services from what we projected is up 126 percent.") Is it that the Administration, having broken an implicit promise with the all-volunteer military to not abuse their trust and send them into war frivolously, is now breaking an explicit promise to take care of them when they return from the war wounded? It's all of that and then some. It's not just the newer veterans that need hospitalization - there are older veterans who might get the boot too. Hey, not only can Bush not keep his promises, but he can break promises his predecessors made!
Santorum Book Excerpts. In the wake of the Downing Street Memos, Rovegate, and the London Bombings, we haven't mentioned our favorite Republican Senators / raving lunatic Rick Santorum. Fortunately, he has been working overtime to make sure the entire country knows just how off his rocker he really is. The best part about his comments is that they make our job easy - there's really nothing we could write about them that could do them justice. So click on over and read some excerpts. Then, thank your lucky stars that he's getting crushed by Bob Casey, Jr. in the latest polls, and resolve to make sure he stays that way.
Editorials
Contemptible Traitors: Get Them Out of Government - NOW. Shouldn't the title of this blog post by Arthur Silber be self-evident? Apparently, it's not. You may be sick of hearing about Karl Rove (he certainly makes us feel ill), but until the message sinks in that Rove, and any Administration that would continue to associate with him, is about as deceitful, treacherous, and anti-American as one can get, we're not going to let this go. In fact, Democrats should be shouting this from the rooftops. Silber's post may initially seem a bit over-the-top, but in fact, we could all use a little more of his righteous anger. These people think that running the country is just a game, and it's all about power. It's not about making the country safe. It's not about "liberating Iraq". It's solely about "winning", and when they "win", every single American citizen loses. Silber is absolutely correct - Rove and his ilk are contemptible traitors, utterly without principles, willing to sacrifice anything to keep themselves in power, and they must be removed from government - NOW.
The Indisputable Media Bias. Have you ever been in a discussion (or argument) with a conservative, and had them blithely assert that the media is obviously liberal? You may have even accepted such an assertion as truth, without even really thinking about it. But the fact of the matter is that conservatives have spent years and years trying to get this assumption drilled into the heads of the public, and by and large, it has worked. What's wrong with that? Well, pretty much everything. It may be true that the average journalist is tilted liberal, but it also used to be the case that the average journalist had some measure of integrity, and reported the facts. These days, journalists have been so cowed by the constant shouting from the right that it's tough to get any raw facts out these days. This article from Cenk Uygur gives a nice overview of the difference of coverage between the Clinton Administration "scandals", and the Bush Administration "things the press seems to ignore". The next time someone tries to tell you the media is liberal, don't accept it. Frankly, these days, it's the equivalent of blaming the (admittedly weak-willed) referee when they don't like a call. Unfortunately, these referees seem to be pretty easily influenced.
The Judge for Me. A little while ago, we all thought that the new Supreme Court nominee would be the political story of the summer. Now, it seems that it may simply serve as a distraction from Karl Rove's problems. But it's still much more important than booting Rove, and we shouldn't lose focus in the furor. Richard Cohen, as usual, offers from well-grounded observations on the looming Supreme Court battle. The religious right sees this as an opportunity to get their just due, after all, they delivered the Presidency to W, and they deserve quid pro quo, right? Well, no. As Cohen says, "The interest groups act as if the vacancy on the Supreme Court belongs to them. I beg to differ. It is the United States Supreme Court and belongs to all of us." Damn straight.
