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December 29, 2005
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Since Sliced Bread. The New Deal. Social Security. Medicare. The Great Society. What do these all have in common? They're great ideas that improved the lives of everyday Americans. Now, can you remember the last time government produced a similarly good idea that benefitted the average American? Probably not; these days, our government isn't really into ideas that actually benefit anyone but the richest or most powerful. But now's your chance to submit your idea. Not only can you help out your country, but you could win $100,000! Put those thinking caps on!
News
DeLay, Successor Blunt Swapped Donations. Out with the old, in with the new? Nah, more like, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The "culture of corruption" isn't just a catchphrase that Democrats use to describe the Republican establishment. No, rather, it's an apt description of how the GOP has elevated cronyism, fraud, and outright theft to a critical part of their very fiber. So Roy Blunt, DeLay's (possibly temporary) successor, is the beneficiary of some of the extra money that DeLay raised. Of course, they all maintain that everything was technical legal, but take a macro view: These people have basically become corporate whores. To them, it's all about funneling money to one "cause" or another, and maintain their stranglehold on power. They're not doing the work the people elected them to do; they're criminals and rats, and they're running scared now, scurrying about as the light of the rule of law is finally shining on them.
Gulf Firms Losing Cleanup Contracts. There are some things that just make sense. And so, therefore, you can trust the government to do the opposite. One of those ideas is that when an area suffers a catastrophe, and it impacts the economy negatively, it'd be nice to allow local companies to help rebuild their home states. But in the wake of Katrina, of the $2 billion in federal contracts that have already been doled out, less that $200 million - that's 10 percent - have gone to companies located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Of course, you can already anticipate the justification - those areas are too devastated to take on more of the work, or the larger, better equipped companies just happen to be located elsewhere. Unfortunately, what's going to happen is that these larger, out-of-state companies are going to have less of a stake in doing the work properly, and you can be damn sure there won't be any significant government oversight. Furthermore, these local companies desperately need business, and this certainly seems like a perfect task for them to take on. Sure, it would take a little additional effort to sort these contracts out among smaller, local companies, but a real compassionate government would go the extra mile to rebuild this devatated area of the country.
Bush Wants Right to Use Military if Bird Flu Hits. Of course he does. He's the Commander-in-Chief! And when have we ever known Bush to want less power? There are quite a few problems with this approach, but let's just start with Bush's track record: He wants to use the military to solve every problem he encounters. They're not doing so well in Iraq, doing their "nation-building". The military approach didn't work too well in responding to Katrina, either. And where are all these soldiers supposed to come from, given our recruiting problems? It all fits into his modus operandi: Step 1: Fail at stopping something catastrophic. Step 2: Use the catastrophe to create fear among the public. Step 3: Use that fear to justify amassing more power. There's a reason we've had a law banning this since 1878: "The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil." At least Bush is getting hammered from both sides for his ridiculous idea.
Editorials
Are You Going to Provide $5 Million for The Nation? Katrina vanden Heuvel's take on the GAO report that shows that BushCo illegally used taxpayer money to promote government programs through journalists (i.e. Armstrong Williams). Beyond that, she recalls former Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Kennith Tomlinson, who was so offended by all the liberal programming on PBS, like Sesame Street and Square One, that he spent $5 million in taxpayer money and donations to create a show called The Journal Edition Report. That show was hosted by the far-right ideologues of the Wall Street Journal editorial page; the same idealogues who are just a step below Rush and O'Reilly. How telling is it that right-wingers are so concerned about their programs gaining public acceptence that they choose to spend taxpayer money to ensure that they are shown in a good light? If the programs are good enough, why would you need to pay someone to promote them?
Mr. President, Will You Answer the Question? If you're like us, you love watching Scott McClellan twist in the wind. Far too often, McClellan will refuse to answer a question by the press corps, only to be hounded for it. But what about Bush? The media walk on tiptoes in his minimal press conferences. Why? Dan Froomkin writes about how the media could get answers to the questions that they ask. Remind the public of all the unanswered questions from Bush's first term. Be assertive. At this point, any assertion will be more than what currently stands as the status quo. Raise issues every single day with McClellan - not once every few weeks. Ask why the president won't meet with the press corps more often. Ask at every Press Briefing. Ask every time you see the president. Ask better questions. Ask factual questions, and in your write-ups, don't hesitate to use Bush's lack of a response to paint an accurate portrait. Bottom line, get us the answers we deserve. It's your job.
Blogger Commentary
Ending the Birthright. Have you ever noticed how, to Republicans, our country's problems are never the fault of the white, straight Americans that compromise the vast majority of the country? Sometimes it's the Islamic people. Sometimes it's gays. And, as Howard Dean has been warning us, in 2006, it's going to be immigrants. Enter apparent GOP discrimination pointman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), who "has introduced his proposal to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of temporary immigrant workers." Dave Neiwert dissects exactly why this makes no sense, but here's the crux of it: "It is about changing the historic meaning of what it means to be American." America benefits from being a "melting pot", and from taking in the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to be free. There are problems with our immigation policies, for sure, but closing our borders, or dividing out country ever further, is not the solution.
Freddy Is Ready. We've been talking about the elections next month for quite a while. But in the New York City Mayor's race, did you know that there is someone who has the ability to defeat Michael "I Heart Republicans" Bloomberg? As Steve Cobble tells us, it's Freddy Ferrer. Ferrer, though, has suffered from an extreme case of lack of media attention. New York is not only one of the bluest of the blue, but they vehemently oppose the Iraq war. What better way to send a message that we're fed up with Republican politics than to get Freddy Ferrer into office? Not only is he wildly popular, but he's calling out Bloomberg on issue that he's ignored. So why isn't he getting more press?
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December 29, 2005
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Thursday's Links
Activism
Since Sliced Bread. The New Deal. Social Security. Medicare. The Great Society. What do these all have in common? They're great ideas that improved the lives of everyday Americans. Now, can you remember the last time government produced a similarly good idea that benefitted the average American? Probably not; these days, our government isn't really into ideas that actually benefit anyone but the richest or most powerful. But now's your chance to submit your idea. Not only can you help out your country, but you could win $100,000! Put those thinking caps on!
News
DeLay, Successor Blunt Swapped Donations. Out with the old, in with the new? Nah, more like, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The "culture of corruption" isn't just a catchphrase that Democrats use to describe the Republican establishment. No, rather, it's an apt description of how the GOP has elevated cronyism, fraud, and outright theft to a critical part of their very fiber. So Roy Blunt, DeLay's (possibly temporary) successor, is the beneficiary of some of the extra money that DeLay raised. Of course, they all maintain that everything was technical legal, but take a macro view: These people have basically become corporate whores. To them, it's all about funneling money to one "cause" or another, and maintain their stranglehold on power. They're not doing the work the people elected them to do; they're criminals and rats, and they're running scared now, scurrying about as the light of the rule of law is finally shining on them.
Gulf Firms Losing Cleanup Contracts. There are some things that just make sense. And so, therefore, you can trust the government to do the opposite. One of those ideas is that when an area suffers a catastrophe, and it impacts the economy negatively, it'd be nice to allow local companies to help rebuild their home states. But in the wake of Katrina, of the $2 billion in federal contracts that have already been doled out, less that $200 million - that's 10 percent - have gone to companies located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Of course, you can already anticipate the justification - those areas are too devastated to take on more of the work, or the larger, better equipped companies just happen to be located elsewhere. Unfortunately, what's going to happen is that these larger, out-of-state companies are going to have less of a stake in doing the work properly, and you can be damn sure there won't be any significant government oversight. Furthermore, these local companies desperately need business, and this certainly seems like a perfect task for them to take on. Sure, it would take a little additional effort to sort these contracts out among smaller, local companies, but a real compassionate government would go the extra mile to rebuild this devatated area of the country.
Bush Wants Right to Use Military if Bird Flu Hits. Of course he does. He's the Commander-in-Chief! And when have we ever known Bush to want less power? There are quite a few problems with this approach, but let's just start with Bush's track record: He wants to use the military to solve every problem he encounters. They're not doing so well in Iraq, doing their "nation-building". The military approach didn't work too well in responding to Katrina, either. And where are all these soldiers supposed to come from, given our recruiting problems? It all fits into his modus operandi: Step 1: Fail at stopping something catastrophic. Step 2: Use the catastrophe to create fear among the public. Step 3: Use that fear to justify amassing more power. There's a reason we've had a law banning this since 1878: "The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil." At least Bush is getting hammered from both sides for his ridiculous idea.
Editorials
Are You Going to Provide $5 Million for The Nation? Katrina vanden Heuvel's take on the GAO report that shows that BushCo illegally used taxpayer money to promote government programs through journalists (i.e. Armstrong Williams). Beyond that, she recalls former Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Kennith Tomlinson, who was so offended by all the liberal programming on PBS, like Sesame Street and Square One, that he spent $5 million in taxpayer money and donations to create a show called The Journal Edition Report. That show was hosted by the far-right ideologues of the Wall Street Journal editorial page; the same idealogues who are just a step below Rush and O'Reilly. How telling is it that right-wingers are so concerned about their programs gaining public acceptence that they choose to spend taxpayer money to ensure that they are shown in a good light? If the programs are good enough, why would you need to pay someone to promote them?
Mr. President, Will You Answer the Question? If you're like us, you love watching Scott McClellan twist in the wind. Far too often, McClellan will refuse to answer a question by the press corps, only to be hounded for it. But what about Bush? The media walk on tiptoes in his minimal press conferences. Why? Dan Froomkin writes about how the media could get answers to the questions that they ask. Remind the public of all the unanswered questions from Bush's first term. Be assertive. At this point, any assertion will be more than what currently stands as the status quo. Raise issues every single day with McClellan - not once every few weeks. Ask why the president won't meet with the press corps more often. Ask at every Press Briefing. Ask every time you see the president. Ask better questions. Ask factual questions, and in your write-ups, don't hesitate to use Bush's lack of a response to paint an accurate portrait. Bottom line, get us the answers we deserve. It's your job.
Blogger Commentary
Ending the Birthright. Have you ever noticed how, to Republicans, our country's problems are never the fault of the white, straight Americans that compromise the vast majority of the country? Sometimes it's the Islamic people. Sometimes it's gays. And, as Howard Dean has been warning us, in 2006, it's going to be immigrants. Enter apparent GOP discrimination pointman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), who "has introduced his proposal to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of temporary immigrant workers." Dave Neiwert dissects exactly why this makes no sense, but here's the crux of it: "It is about changing the historic meaning of what it means to be American." America benefits from being a "melting pot", and from taking in the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to be free. There are problems with our immigation policies, for sure, but closing our borders, or dividing out country ever further, is not the solution.
Freddy Is Ready. We've been talking about the elections next month for quite a while. But in the New York City Mayor's race, did you know that there is someone who has the ability to defeat Michael "I Heart Republicans" Bloomberg? As Steve Cobble tells us, it's Freddy Ferrer. Ferrer, though, has suffered from an extreme case of lack of media attention. New York is not only one of the bluest of the blue, but they vehemently oppose the Iraq war. What better way to send a message that we're fed up with Republican politics than to get Freddy Ferrer into office? Not only is he wildly popular, but he's calling out Bloomberg on issue that he's ignored. So why isn't he getting more press?
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December 29, 2005
Since Sliced Bread. The New Deal. Social Security. Medicare. The Great Society. What do these all have in common? They're great ideas that improved the lives of everyday Americans. Now, can you remember the last time government produced a similarly good idea that benefitted the average American? Probably not; these days, our government isn't really into ideas that actually benefit anyone but the richest or most powerful. But now's your chance to submit your idea. Not only can you help out your country, but you could win $100,000! Put those thinking caps on!
News
DeLay, Successor Blunt Swapped Donations. Out with the old, in with the new? Nah, more like, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The "culture of corruption" isn't just a catchphrase that Democrats use to describe the Republican establishment. No, rather, it's an apt description of how the GOP has elevated cronyism, fraud, and outright theft to a critical part of their very fiber. So Roy Blunt, DeLay's (possibly temporary) successor, is the beneficiary of some of the extra money that DeLay raised. Of course, they all maintain that everything was technical legal, but take a macro view: These people have basically become corporate whores. To them, it's all about funneling money to one "cause" or another, and maintain their stranglehold on power. They're not doing the work the people elected them to do; they're criminals and rats, and they're running scared now, scurrying about as the light of the rule of law is finally shining on them.
Gulf Firms Losing Cleanup Contracts. There are some things that just make sense. And so, therefore, you can trust the government to do the opposite. One of those ideas is that when an area suffers a catastrophe, and it impacts the economy negatively, it'd be nice to allow local companies to help rebuild their home states. But in the wake of Katrina, of the $2 billion in federal contracts that have already been doled out, less that $200 million - that's 10 percent - have gone to companies located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Of course, you can already anticipate the justification - those areas are too devastated to take on more of the work, or the larger, better equipped companies just happen to be located elsewhere. Unfortunately, what's going to happen is that these larger, out-of-state companies are going to have less of a stake in doing the work properly, and you can be damn sure there won't be any significant government oversight. Furthermore, these local companies desperately need business, and this certainly seems like a perfect task for them to take on. Sure, it would take a little additional effort to sort these contracts out among smaller, local companies, but a real compassionate government would go the extra mile to rebuild this devatated area of the country.
Bush Wants Right to Use Military if Bird Flu Hits. Of course he does. He's the Commander-in-Chief! And when have we ever known Bush to want less power? There are quite a few problems with this approach, but let's just start with Bush's track record: He wants to use the military to solve every problem he encounters. They're not doing so well in Iraq, doing their "nation-building". The military approach didn't work too well in responding to Katrina, either. And where are all these soldiers supposed to come from, given our recruiting problems? It all fits into his modus operandi: Step 1: Fail at stopping something catastrophic. Step 2: Use the catastrophe to create fear among the public. Step 3: Use that fear to justify amassing more power. There's a reason we've had a law banning this since 1878: "The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil." At least Bush is getting hammered from both sides for his ridiculous idea.
Editorials
Are You Going to Provide $5 Million for The Nation? Katrina vanden Heuvel's take on the GAO report that shows that BushCo illegally used taxpayer money to promote government programs through journalists (i.e. Armstrong Williams). Beyond that, she recalls former Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Kennith Tomlinson, who was so offended by all the liberal programming on PBS, like Sesame Street and Square One, that he spent $5 million in taxpayer money and donations to create a show called The Journal Edition Report. That show was hosted by the far-right ideologues of the Wall Street Journal editorial page; the same idealogues who are just a step below Rush and O'Reilly. How telling is it that right-wingers are so concerned about their programs gaining public acceptence that they choose to spend taxpayer money to ensure that they are shown in a good light? If the programs are good enough, why would you need to pay someone to promote them?
Mr. President, Will You Answer the Question? If you're like us, you love watching Scott McClellan twist in the wind. Far too often, McClellan will refuse to answer a question by the press corps, only to be hounded for it. But what about Bush? The media walk on tiptoes in his minimal press conferences. Why? Dan Froomkin writes about how the media could get answers to the questions that they ask. Remind the public of all the unanswered questions from Bush's first term. Be assertive. At this point, any assertion will be more than what currently stands as the status quo. Raise issues every single day with McClellan - not once every few weeks. Ask why the president won't meet with the press corps more often. Ask at every Press Briefing. Ask every time you see the president. Ask better questions. Ask factual questions, and in your write-ups, don't hesitate to use Bush's lack of a response to paint an accurate portrait. Bottom line, get us the answers we deserve. It's your job.
Blogger Commentary
Ending the Birthright. Have you ever noticed how, to Republicans, our country's problems are never the fault of the white, straight Americans that compromise the vast majority of the country? Sometimes it's the Islamic people. Sometimes it's gays. And, as Howard Dean has been warning us, in 2006, it's going to be immigrants. Enter apparent GOP discrimination pointman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), who "has introduced his proposal to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of temporary immigrant workers." Dave Neiwert dissects exactly why this makes no sense, but here's the crux of it: "It is about changing the historic meaning of what it means to be American." America benefits from being a "melting pot", and from taking in the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to be free. There are problems with our immigation policies, for sure, but closing our borders, or dividing out country ever further, is not the solution.
Freddy Is Ready. We've been talking about the elections next month for quite a while. But in the New York City Mayor's race, did you know that there is someone who has the ability to defeat Michael "I Heart Republicans" Bloomberg? As Steve Cobble tells us, it's Freddy Ferrer. Ferrer, though, has suffered from an extreme case of lack of media attention. New York is not only one of the bluest of the blue, but they vehemently oppose the Iraq war. What better way to send a message that we're fed up with Republican politics than to get Freddy Ferrer into office? Not only is he wildly popular, but he's calling out Bloomberg on issue that he's ignored. So why isn't he getting more press?
