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December 29, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Look, it's no secret that Bill O'Reilly is a blowhard, an idiot and a loudmouth. Now you can add "coward" to that list as well. For quite a while, O'Reilly has sat comfortably behind his desk, in front of the camera, and passed judgement on everything and everyone who doesn't agree with his narrow-minded views. Of course, that didn't stop him from, two years ago, saying that "If you attack someone publicly ... you have an obligation to face the person you are smearing. If you don't, you are a coward." Enter Media Matters. O'Reilly has repeatedly smeared MM on his show, but when he was asked to allow MM to come on the show to defend themselves, he ignored the request. Who's the coward now? MM has the info about it here, along with a link to email O'Reilly himself. Come on, let yourself go and email him. O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone" label would only be applicable to the fact that he doesn't do laundry on the show; email him and give him hell!
News
U.S. Obtains Treatise By Bin Laden Deputy. The question that we have is...is it real? For years, bin Laden has been able to slip through our fingers like a grain of sand (assuming, of course, that we've been looking for him). And now we happen to "obtain" a letter from his number two man? The White House would also only release two quotes from the letter. What's up with that? In any event, it's obvious from the general tone of the letter that, as we've been saying since we started this, religion is at the center of this conflict. And since our administration has taken no steps to actually understand and identify with Islam (even the normal brand, not the fundamentalism that drive al-Qaeda), we are sure to lose this war.
Congress Seeks to Cut Food Aid For Poor. "Under orders to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion, Republicans in Congress have proposed reducing food programs for the poor by $574 million and conservation programs by $1 billion." Now, why would Congress need to cut $3 billion from agriculture sending? Surely, if our government needed the money, especially in these trying times, they would raise taxes, no? After all, they can't possibly think that taking the food out of the mouths of poor countries around the world will fly, can they? What about pulling the rug out from under farmers? Is that OK too? Congressional Republicans are attempting to keep the country happy by not raising taxes to solve their economic problems, but the sheer scope of the programs that they are cutting funding for ensures that a wide swath of the country will be pissed off. So not only is the government losing money, but their rationale for doing so is horrendously flawed. Way to go, guys!
Crowds Filing for Bankruptcy Before Tough Law Takes Effect. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, eh? 10,000 Americans (per day!) have been flooding courthouses, seeking to file bankruptcy. You see, Congress's new bankruptcy law goes into effect at 12:01 AM on Monday, October 17th. Many people who are filing now won't be allowed to file under the new law, so the rush is pretty extreme. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had all of these people now filing contacted their Congressmen and Senators about the bankruptcy bill before it passed, but that's now moot. What isn't moot is that this bill, like so much other Republican legislation, hurts the country.
Editorials
Virginia's Big Debate, Muffled. Muffled isn't exactly the right word. Muffled would indicate that some sound is coming out. This is more like...strangulation. The final debate between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore, candidates for the Virginia Governor's seat, will not be televised on broadcast television live at all in the DC metro area. The debate will be carried live on C-SPAN (and we dare you to find someone who can accurately identify what channel C-SPAN is from memory), and then replayed at midnight on the network channels. We guess that the NBC affiliate can't stand the thought of losing ad revenue and postponing the "Three Wishes" Katrina special on tonight. The biggest surprise is why WETA won't broadcast the debate. "A spokesman for WETA said, by way of explanation, that the station simply does not get involved with the region's gubernatorial debates." That's pretty crummy. This is an important debate, as Kilgore has pulled to about even with Kaine, and we encourage you to watch it on C-SPAN tonight.
Divvying Up Ohio. David Sirota chimes in with thoughts on the Democratic primary in Ohio. We already know that the Senate races in Rhode Island (Lincoln Chafee) and Montana (Conrad Burns) have very strong chances of being won by Democrats; in both cases, however, there are two strong Democrats vying for the nomination. The same is now true in Ohio (Mike DeWine), where Paul Hackett and Congressman Sherrod Brown could both seek the nomination. The solution is quite easy; Brown can easily beat DeWine, who has an extremely low approval rating in the state. Hackett would then challenge for Brown's vacated Congressional seat. Brown worked closely with Hackett for his Congressional race earlier this year, in the reddest of red districts. Sirota outlines why Brown is a better choice for Senator, and why Ohio will ultimately win with both Brown and Hackett in office.
Blogger Commentary
Plamegate: The Next Step. It's getting good. If Plamegate was a movie, we'd be at the part where the protagonist (Patrick Fitzgerald) gets an envelope in the mail with incriminating evidence against the antagonist (Karl Rove), and now must make his move. As Lawrence O'Donnell writes, we can expect indictments against Karl Rove, and possibly two other administration officials, next week. And let us tell you, we couldn't be more excited. Now, pass the popcorn, please.
Senator Mikulski Shocked at Sexism on Far Right. The last time one of our Senators was in the news, it Paul Sarbanes, to announce his retirement. So we're pretty pleased to see that not only is Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) alive, but that she's "shocked" at the "sexism" that is prevalent among the right. Really, Senator? The party of "old, Christian white guys" sexist? We're shocked too. Mikulski is referring to comments made about Harriet Miers, new nominee for the SCOTUS. "But I'm shocked at the sexism and double standard coming out of the far right. All of a sudden they're saying that a woman who was able to become head of the Texas Bar Association isn't qualified. They're saying a woman who was one of the first to head up a major law firm with over 400 lawyers doesn't have intellectual heft." Mikulski does stress that she hasn't made up her mind yet about whether she'll vote to confirm Miers, but that the targeted attacks by the right are highly unfair. Good for you, Senator! Thanks for standing up!
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December 29, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Look, it's no secret that Bill O'Reilly is a blowhard, an idiot and a loudmouth. Now you can add "coward" to that list as well. For quite a while, O'Reilly has sat comfortably behind his desk, in front of the camera, and passed judgement on everything and everyone who doesn't agree with his narrow-minded views. Of course, that didn't stop him from, two years ago, saying that "If you attack someone publicly ... you have an obligation to face the person you are smearing. If you don't, you are a coward." Enter Media Matters. O'Reilly has repeatedly smeared MM on his show, but when he was asked to allow MM to come on the show to defend themselves, he ignored the request. Who's the coward now? MM has the info about it here, along with a link to email O'Reilly himself. Come on, let yourself go and email him. O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone" label would only be applicable to the fact that he doesn't do laundry on the show; email him and give him hell!
News
U.S. Obtains Treatise By Bin Laden Deputy. The question that we have is...is it real? For years, bin Laden has been able to slip through our fingers like a grain of sand (assuming, of course, that we've been looking for him). And now we happen to "obtain" a letter from his number two man? The White House would also only release two quotes from the letter. What's up with that? In any event, it's obvious from the general tone of the letter that, as we've been saying since we started this, religion is at the center of this conflict. And since our administration has taken no steps to actually understand and identify with Islam (even the normal brand, not the fundamentalism that drive al-Qaeda), we are sure to lose this war.
Congress Seeks to Cut Food Aid For Poor. "Under orders to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion, Republicans in Congress have proposed reducing food programs for the poor by $574 million and conservation programs by $1 billion." Now, why would Congress need to cut $3 billion from agriculture sending? Surely, if our government needed the money, especially in these trying times, they would raise taxes, no? After all, they can't possibly think that taking the food out of the mouths of poor countries around the world will fly, can they? What about pulling the rug out from under farmers? Is that OK too? Congressional Republicans are attempting to keep the country happy by not raising taxes to solve their economic problems, but the sheer scope of the programs that they are cutting funding for ensures that a wide swath of the country will be pissed off. So not only is the government losing money, but their rationale for doing so is horrendously flawed. Way to go, guys!
Crowds Filing for Bankruptcy Before Tough Law Takes Effect. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, eh? 10,000 Americans (per day!) have been flooding courthouses, seeking to file bankruptcy. You see, Congress's new bankruptcy law goes into effect at 12:01 AM on Monday, October 17th. Many people who are filing now won't be allowed to file under the new law, so the rush is pretty extreme. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had all of these people now filing contacted their Congressmen and Senators about the bankruptcy bill before it passed, but that's now moot. What isn't moot is that this bill, like so much other Republican legislation, hurts the country.
Editorials
Virginia's Big Debate, Muffled. Muffled isn't exactly the right word. Muffled would indicate that some sound is coming out. This is more like...strangulation. The final debate between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore, candidates for the Virginia Governor's seat, will not be televised on broadcast television live at all in the DC metro area. The debate will be carried live on C-SPAN (and we dare you to find someone who can accurately identify what channel C-SPAN is from memory), and then replayed at midnight on the network channels. We guess that the NBC affiliate can't stand the thought of losing ad revenue and postponing the "Three Wishes" Katrina special on tonight. The biggest surprise is why WETA won't broadcast the debate. "A spokesman for WETA said, by way of explanation, that the station simply does not get involved with the region's gubernatorial debates." That's pretty crummy. This is an important debate, as Kilgore has pulled to about even with Kaine, and we encourage you to watch it on C-SPAN tonight.
Divvying Up Ohio. David Sirota chimes in with thoughts on the Democratic primary in Ohio. We already know that the Senate races in Rhode Island (Lincoln Chafee) and Montana (Conrad Burns) have very strong chances of being won by Democrats; in both cases, however, there are two strong Democrats vying for the nomination. The same is now true in Ohio (Mike DeWine), where Paul Hackett and Congressman Sherrod Brown could both seek the nomination. The solution is quite easy; Brown can easily beat DeWine, who has an extremely low approval rating in the state. Hackett would then challenge for Brown's vacated Congressional seat. Brown worked closely with Hackett for his Congressional race earlier this year, in the reddest of red districts. Sirota outlines why Brown is a better choice for Senator, and why Ohio will ultimately win with both Brown and Hackett in office.
Blogger Commentary
Plamegate: The Next Step. It's getting good. If Plamegate was a movie, we'd be at the part where the protagonist (Patrick Fitzgerald) gets an envelope in the mail with incriminating evidence against the antagonist (Karl Rove), and now must make his move. As Lawrence O'Donnell writes, we can expect indictments against Karl Rove, and possibly two other administration officials, next week. And let us tell you, we couldn't be more excited. Now, pass the popcorn, please.
Senator Mikulski Shocked at Sexism on Far Right. The last time one of our Senators was in the news, it Paul Sarbanes, to announce his retirement. So we're pretty pleased to see that not only is Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) alive, but that she's "shocked" at the "sexism" that is prevalent among the right. Really, Senator? The party of "old, Christian white guys" sexist? We're shocked too. Mikulski is referring to comments made about Harriet Miers, new nominee for the SCOTUS. "But I'm shocked at the sexism and double standard coming out of the far right. All of a sudden they're saying that a woman who was able to become head of the Texas Bar Association isn't qualified. They're saying a woman who was one of the first to head up a major law firm with over 400 lawyers doesn't have intellectual heft." Mikulski does stress that she hasn't made up her mind yet about whether she'll vote to confirm Miers, but that the targeted attacks by the right are highly unfair. Good for you, Senator! Thanks for standing up!
|
December 29, 2005
Look, it's no secret that Bill O'Reilly is a blowhard, an idiot and a loudmouth. Now you can add "coward" to that list as well. For quite a while, O'Reilly has sat comfortably behind his desk, in front of the camera, and passed judgement on everything and everyone who doesn't agree with his narrow-minded views. Of course, that didn't stop him from, two years ago, saying that "If you attack someone publicly ... you have an obligation to face the person you are smearing. If you don't, you are a coward." Enter Media Matters. O'Reilly has repeatedly smeared MM on his show, but when he was asked to allow MM to come on the show to defend themselves, he ignored the request. Who's the coward now? MM has the info about it here, along with a link to email O'Reilly himself. Come on, let yourself go and email him. O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone" label would only be applicable to the fact that he doesn't do laundry on the show; email him and give him hell!
News
U.S. Obtains Treatise By Bin Laden Deputy. The question that we have is...is it real? For years, bin Laden has been able to slip through our fingers like a grain of sand (assuming, of course, that we've been looking for him). And now we happen to "obtain" a letter from his number two man? The White House would also only release two quotes from the letter. What's up with that? In any event, it's obvious from the general tone of the letter that, as we've been saying since we started this, religion is at the center of this conflict. And since our administration has taken no steps to actually understand and identify with Islam (even the normal brand, not the fundamentalism that drive al-Qaeda), we are sure to lose this war.
Congress Seeks to Cut Food Aid For Poor. "Under orders to cut agriculture spending by $3 billion, Republicans in Congress have proposed reducing food programs for the poor by $574 million and conservation programs by $1 billion." Now, why would Congress need to cut $3 billion from agriculture sending? Surely, if our government needed the money, especially in these trying times, they would raise taxes, no? After all, they can't possibly think that taking the food out of the mouths of poor countries around the world will fly, can they? What about pulling the rug out from under farmers? Is that OK too? Congressional Republicans are attempting to keep the country happy by not raising taxes to solve their economic problems, but the sheer scope of the programs that they are cutting funding for ensures that a wide swath of the country will be pissed off. So not only is the government losing money, but their rationale for doing so is horrendously flawed. Way to go, guys!
Crowds Filing for Bankruptcy Before Tough Law Takes Effect. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, eh? 10,000 Americans (per day!) have been flooding courthouses, seeking to file bankruptcy. You see, Congress's new bankruptcy law goes into effect at 12:01 AM on Monday, October 17th. Many people who are filing now won't be allowed to file under the new law, so the rush is pretty extreme. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had all of these people now filing contacted their Congressmen and Senators about the bankruptcy bill before it passed, but that's now moot. What isn't moot is that this bill, like so much other Republican legislation, hurts the country.
Editorials
Virginia's Big Debate, Muffled. Muffled isn't exactly the right word. Muffled would indicate that some sound is coming out. This is more like...strangulation. The final debate between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore, candidates for the Virginia Governor's seat, will not be televised on broadcast television live at all in the DC metro area. The debate will be carried live on C-SPAN (and we dare you to find someone who can accurately identify what channel C-SPAN is from memory), and then replayed at midnight on the network channels. We guess that the NBC affiliate can't stand the thought of losing ad revenue and postponing the "Three Wishes" Katrina special on tonight. The biggest surprise is why WETA won't broadcast the debate. "A spokesman for WETA said, by way of explanation, that the station simply does not get involved with the region's gubernatorial debates." That's pretty crummy. This is an important debate, as Kilgore has pulled to about even with Kaine, and we encourage you to watch it on C-SPAN tonight.
Divvying Up Ohio. David Sirota chimes in with thoughts on the Democratic primary in Ohio. We already know that the Senate races in Rhode Island (Lincoln Chafee) and Montana (Conrad Burns) have very strong chances of being won by Democrats; in both cases, however, there are two strong Democrats vying for the nomination. The same is now true in Ohio (Mike DeWine), where Paul Hackett and Congressman Sherrod Brown could both seek the nomination. The solution is quite easy; Brown can easily beat DeWine, who has an extremely low approval rating in the state. Hackett would then challenge for Brown's vacated Congressional seat. Brown worked closely with Hackett for his Congressional race earlier this year, in the reddest of red districts. Sirota outlines why Brown is a better choice for Senator, and why Ohio will ultimately win with both Brown and Hackett in office.
Blogger Commentary
Plamegate: The Next Step. It's getting good. If Plamegate was a movie, we'd be at the part where the protagonist (Patrick Fitzgerald) gets an envelope in the mail with incriminating evidence against the antagonist (Karl Rove), and now must make his move. As Lawrence O'Donnell writes, we can expect indictments against Karl Rove, and possibly two other administration officials, next week. And let us tell you, we couldn't be more excited. Now, pass the popcorn, please.
Senator Mikulski Shocked at Sexism on Far Right. The last time one of our Senators was in the news, it Paul Sarbanes, to announce his retirement. So we're pretty pleased to see that not only is Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) alive, but that she's "shocked" at the "sexism" that is prevalent among the right. Really, Senator? The party of "old, Christian white guys" sexist? We're shocked too. Mikulski is referring to comments made about Harriet Miers, new nominee for the SCOTUS. "But I'm shocked at the sexism and double standard coming out of the far right. All of a sudden they're saying that a woman who was able to become head of the Texas Bar Association isn't qualified. They're saying a woman who was one of the first to head up a major law firm with over 400 lawyers doesn't have intellectual heft." Mikulski does stress that she hasn't made up her mind yet about whether she'll vote to confirm Miers, but that the targeted attacks by the right are highly unfair. Good for you, Senator! Thanks for standing up!
