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December 29, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Wednesday's Links
There will be no Still Fighting Post on Thursday, November 24 or Friday, November 25. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! We'll be back on Saturday.
Activism
Today's Activism is to make a purchase. With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be looking for gifts. Unembedded is a photo essay book by four independent journalists who have traveled Iraq during the war, without military escorts. Some photos are poignant, some astounding, and some heart-wrenching. The unfettered stories shown in this book paint a veyr different picture than the one that the Bush Administration would have you believe: from triumph to tragedy, this is definitely a book that you'll want to have.
News
3 Brigades May Be Cut in Iraq Early in 2006. The Pentagon has announced that they will remove three brigades from Iraq early next year, although one of those will remain in Kuwait on "standby." This news would be a lot more welcome if there was evidence that we've been effective in training Iraqi soldiers, but the sad truth is that we haven't. We're spending so much time in Iraq battling insurgents and picking fights that there hasn't been adequate time (or resources or plans) to train up the Iraqis.
Paper Says Bush Talked of Bombing Arab TV Network. It took a day or two for this to leave the blogosphere and get picked up by the MSM, and now that it is, it's kind of staggering to consider. Apparently, in April 2004, Bush wanted to bomb al-Jazeera, the Arabic television network, and Tony Blair had to talk him out of it. Bush cronies are trying to spin this as a "humorous remark, not intended to be taken seriously." First off, we don't find anything funny about it. Secondly, this is exactly the kind of thing Bush would suggest. For a man who didn't think (or care) about the ramifications of going in from of the UN and lying about WMDs, why should he care about the ramifications of bombing al-Jazeera?
CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described. The lead paragraph of this story says it all. "Harsh interrogation techniques authorized by top officials of the CIA have led to questionable confessions and the death of a detainee since the techniques were first authorized in mid-March 2002, ABC News has been told by former and current intelligence officers and supervisors." And this is the same group that Dick Cheney wants to allow to continue to torture? This story, by ABC News, is something that will shock and sicken you, but it must be read. This is what our administration has allowed, and remember kids, "We do not torture."
Editorials
Bring Democracy to Congress. E.J. Dionne, Jr. is pissed, and we don't blame him. He's pissed because of the $50 million in budget cuts the House passed last week. Cuts in programs like Medicaid, food stamps and child support enforcement. Not a single Democrat voted for the cuts, and why would they? House leadership has refused to "revisit any of the tax cuts it has passed since President Bush took office." Even Republicans were up in arms over the budget cuts, as the bill passed by a margin of 217-215. That means 14 Republicans voted against the bill, and that gives us some hope. Of course, if you look at the "new map," based on approval rating, it gives us a lot more hope.
Exit Strategy in Search of a Party. Harold Meyerson on the decline of Bush's last few months. Attacked on all sides, from Democrats, the American public, and now even some in his own party, Bush certainly has nothing to be thankful for this holiday. Democrats stay silent when it comes to suggesting a plan for withdrawal, and then when someone does speak up, it's Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA 12th), known as a "longtime war hawk." As Meyerson writes, "[i]nitially, the White House compared Murtha to Moore, and some pipsqueak freshman congresswoman from Ohio called Murtha a coward, but these attacks embarrassed and angered so many Republicans that they quickly ground to a halt. For their part, the Democrats sang Murtha's praises but gave his proposal a wide berth." (What's amazing is that the "pipsqueak" congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, called Murtha a coward, and was booed off the floor of the House, and now she doesn't understand why she's become the villain). And it's that very silence that confounds us all. Because, you see, the American people are overwhelmingly supportive of withdrawing our troops. So why aren't Democrats more vocal about this?
Blogger Commentary
Wyden's Bold Move. Before Bush's popularity went in the toilet, one of the items on his second term agenda was to "reform the tax code". Of course, by now we all know that's code for "screw the middle and lower classes", since that's pretty much his goal no matter what policy he's implementing. But this is one item on which Democrats can be proactive, and a few weeks ago, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) proposed a “Simpler, Flatter, Fairer” tax plan. Frankly, the inequality currently in the tax code is staggering. "By far the most significant part of Wyden's plan is his proposal to tax income from wealth at the same rate as wages. He'd tax dividends and capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income, eliminating absurdly favorable tax treatment for forms of income that mostly go to the rich." Why should capital gains be taxed less than ordinary income? It doesn't make any sense, and it's not fair to the people who actually do the work in this country, instead of sitting around watching their bank accounts increase.
A Letter from Ramadi--"I Wish Every American Could See This for Him/Herself". Look, one person's account of how things are going in Iraq isn't necessarily accurate. But such accounts can offer valuable insight into the mind of our military, and that's why they're worth looking at. Paul Rieckhoff relates a letter from one of his friends serving as an Army Officer in Ramadi, and the picture's pretty bleak. They're frustrated, understaffed, and lacking necessary equipment. He claims the worst aspect is that they could make a difference, but that the brass isn't giving them the tools to do so. His conclusion: "I wish every American could see this for him/herself. Registering your frustration at the ballot box isn't nearly enough. There should be jail terms for this." It's hard to disagree.
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December 29, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Wednesday's Links
There will be no Still Fighting Post on Thursday, November 24 or Friday, November 25. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! We'll be back on Saturday.
Activism
Today's Activism is to make a purchase. With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be looking for gifts. Unembedded is a photo essay book by four independent journalists who have traveled Iraq during the war, without military escorts. Some photos are poignant, some astounding, and some heart-wrenching. The unfettered stories shown in this book paint a veyr different picture than the one that the Bush Administration would have you believe: from triumph to tragedy, this is definitely a book that you'll want to have.
News
3 Brigades May Be Cut in Iraq Early in 2006. The Pentagon has announced that they will remove three brigades from Iraq early next year, although one of those will remain in Kuwait on "standby." This news would be a lot more welcome if there was evidence that we've been effective in training Iraqi soldiers, but the sad truth is that we haven't. We're spending so much time in Iraq battling insurgents and picking fights that there hasn't been adequate time (or resources or plans) to train up the Iraqis.
Paper Says Bush Talked of Bombing Arab TV Network. It took a day or two for this to leave the blogosphere and get picked up by the MSM, and now that it is, it's kind of staggering to consider. Apparently, in April 2004, Bush wanted to bomb al-Jazeera, the Arabic television network, and Tony Blair had to talk him out of it. Bush cronies are trying to spin this as a "humorous remark, not intended to be taken seriously." First off, we don't find anything funny about it. Secondly, this is exactly the kind of thing Bush would suggest. For a man who didn't think (or care) about the ramifications of going in from of the UN and lying about WMDs, why should he care about the ramifications of bombing al-Jazeera?
CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described. The lead paragraph of this story says it all. "Harsh interrogation techniques authorized by top officials of the CIA have led to questionable confessions and the death of a detainee since the techniques were first authorized in mid-March 2002, ABC News has been told by former and current intelligence officers and supervisors." And this is the same group that Dick Cheney wants to allow to continue to torture? This story, by ABC News, is something that will shock and sicken you, but it must be read. This is what our administration has allowed, and remember kids, "We do not torture."
Editorials
Bring Democracy to Congress. E.J. Dionne, Jr. is pissed, and we don't blame him. He's pissed because of the $50 million in budget cuts the House passed last week. Cuts in programs like Medicaid, food stamps and child support enforcement. Not a single Democrat voted for the cuts, and why would they? House leadership has refused to "revisit any of the tax cuts it has passed since President Bush took office." Even Republicans were up in arms over the budget cuts, as the bill passed by a margin of 217-215. That means 14 Republicans voted against the bill, and that gives us some hope. Of course, if you look at the "new map," based on approval rating, it gives us a lot more hope.
Exit Strategy in Search of a Party. Harold Meyerson on the decline of Bush's last few months. Attacked on all sides, from Democrats, the American public, and now even some in his own party, Bush certainly has nothing to be thankful for this holiday. Democrats stay silent when it comes to suggesting a plan for withdrawal, and then when someone does speak up, it's Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA 12th), known as a "longtime war hawk." As Meyerson writes, "[i]nitially, the White House compared Murtha to Moore, and some pipsqueak freshman congresswoman from Ohio called Murtha a coward, but these attacks embarrassed and angered so many Republicans that they quickly ground to a halt. For their part, the Democrats sang Murtha's praises but gave his proposal a wide berth." (What's amazing is that the "pipsqueak" congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, called Murtha a coward, and was booed off the floor of the House, and now she doesn't understand why she's become the villain). And it's that very silence that confounds us all. Because, you see, the American people are overwhelmingly supportive of withdrawing our troops. So why aren't Democrats more vocal about this?
Blogger Commentary
Wyden's Bold Move. Before Bush's popularity went in the toilet, one of the items on his second term agenda was to "reform the tax code". Of course, by now we all know that's code for "screw the middle and lower classes", since that's pretty much his goal no matter what policy he's implementing. But this is one item on which Democrats can be proactive, and a few weeks ago, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) proposed a “Simpler, Flatter, Fairer” tax plan. Frankly, the inequality currently in the tax code is staggering. "By far the most significant part of Wyden's plan is his proposal to tax income from wealth at the same rate as wages. He'd tax dividends and capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income, eliminating absurdly favorable tax treatment for forms of income that mostly go to the rich." Why should capital gains be taxed less than ordinary income? It doesn't make any sense, and it's not fair to the people who actually do the work in this country, instead of sitting around watching their bank accounts increase.
A Letter from Ramadi--"I Wish Every American Could See This for Him/Herself". Look, one person's account of how things are going in Iraq isn't necessarily accurate. But such accounts can offer valuable insight into the mind of our military, and that's why they're worth looking at. Paul Rieckhoff relates a letter from one of his friends serving as an Army Officer in Ramadi, and the picture's pretty bleak. They're frustrated, understaffed, and lacking necessary equipment. He claims the worst aspect is that they could make a difference, but that the brass isn't giving them the tools to do so. His conclusion: "I wish every American could see this for him/herself. Registering your frustration at the ballot box isn't nearly enough. There should be jail terms for this." It's hard to disagree.
|
December 29, 2005
Activism
Today's Activism is to make a purchase. With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be looking for gifts. Unembedded is a photo essay book by four independent journalists who have traveled Iraq during the war, without military escorts. Some photos are poignant, some astounding, and some heart-wrenching. The unfettered stories shown in this book paint a veyr different picture than the one that the Bush Administration would have you believe: from triumph to tragedy, this is definitely a book that you'll want to have.
News
3 Brigades May Be Cut in Iraq Early in 2006. The Pentagon has announced that they will remove three brigades from Iraq early next year, although one of those will remain in Kuwait on "standby." This news would be a lot more welcome if there was evidence that we've been effective in training Iraqi soldiers, but the sad truth is that we haven't. We're spending so much time in Iraq battling insurgents and picking fights that there hasn't been adequate time (or resources or plans) to train up the Iraqis.
Paper Says Bush Talked of Bombing Arab TV Network. It took a day or two for this to leave the blogosphere and get picked up by the MSM, and now that it is, it's kind of staggering to consider. Apparently, in April 2004, Bush wanted to bomb al-Jazeera, the Arabic television network, and Tony Blair had to talk him out of it. Bush cronies are trying to spin this as a "humorous remark, not intended to be taken seriously." First off, we don't find anything funny about it. Secondly, this is exactly the kind of thing Bush would suggest. For a man who didn't think (or care) about the ramifications of going in from of the UN and lying about WMDs, why should he care about the ramifications of bombing al-Jazeera?
CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described. The lead paragraph of this story says it all. "Harsh interrogation techniques authorized by top officials of the CIA have led to questionable confessions and the death of a detainee since the techniques were first authorized in mid-March 2002, ABC News has been told by former and current intelligence officers and supervisors." And this is the same group that Dick Cheney wants to allow to continue to torture? This story, by ABC News, is something that will shock and sicken you, but it must be read. This is what our administration has allowed, and remember kids, "We do not torture."
Editorials
Bring Democracy to Congress. E.J. Dionne, Jr. is pissed, and we don't blame him. He's pissed because of the $50 million in budget cuts the House passed last week. Cuts in programs like Medicaid, food stamps and child support enforcement. Not a single Democrat voted for the cuts, and why would they? House leadership has refused to "revisit any of the tax cuts it has passed since President Bush took office." Even Republicans were up in arms over the budget cuts, as the bill passed by a margin of 217-215. That means 14 Republicans voted against the bill, and that gives us some hope. Of course, if you look at the "new map," based on approval rating, it gives us a lot more hope.
Exit Strategy in Search of a Party. Harold Meyerson on the decline of Bush's last few months. Attacked on all sides, from Democrats, the American public, and now even some in his own party, Bush certainly has nothing to be thankful for this holiday. Democrats stay silent when it comes to suggesting a plan for withdrawal, and then when someone does speak up, it's Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA 12th), known as a "longtime war hawk." As Meyerson writes, "[i]nitially, the White House compared Murtha to Moore, and some pipsqueak freshman congresswoman from Ohio called Murtha a coward, but these attacks embarrassed and angered so many Republicans that they quickly ground to a halt. For their part, the Democrats sang Murtha's praises but gave his proposal a wide berth." (What's amazing is that the "pipsqueak" congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, called Murtha a coward, and was booed off the floor of the House, and now she doesn't understand why she's become the villain). And it's that very silence that confounds us all. Because, you see, the American people are overwhelmingly supportive of withdrawing our troops. So why aren't Democrats more vocal about this?
Blogger Commentary
Wyden's Bold Move. Before Bush's popularity went in the toilet, one of the items on his second term agenda was to "reform the tax code". Of course, by now we all know that's code for "screw the middle and lower classes", since that's pretty much his goal no matter what policy he's implementing. But this is one item on which Democrats can be proactive, and a few weeks ago, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) proposed a “Simpler, Flatter, Fairer” tax plan. Frankly, the inequality currently in the tax code is staggering. "By far the most significant part of Wyden's plan is his proposal to tax income from wealth at the same rate as wages. He'd tax dividends and capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income, eliminating absurdly favorable tax treatment for forms of income that mostly go to the rich." Why should capital gains be taxed less than ordinary income? It doesn't make any sense, and it's not fair to the people who actually do the work in this country, instead of sitting around watching their bank accounts increase.
A Letter from Ramadi--"I Wish Every American Could See This for Him/Herself". Look, one person's account of how things are going in Iraq isn't necessarily accurate. But such accounts can offer valuable insight into the mind of our military, and that's why they're worth looking at. Paul Rieckhoff relates a letter from one of his friends serving as an Army Officer in Ramadi, and the picture's pretty bleak. They're frustrated, understaffed, and lacking necessary equipment. He claims the worst aspect is that they could make a difference, but that the brass isn't giving them the tools to do so. His conclusion: "I wish every American could see this for him/herself. Registering your frustration at the ballot box isn't nearly enough. There should be jail terms for this." It's hard to disagree.
