Still Fighting

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!

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?

Activism

Research on Harriet Miers. Here's a chance to do some real grunt work from the comfort of your own home. Republicans are up in arms about Miers, because she doesn't see to be some Scalia clone. Democrats are frustrated because of her apparent lack of qualifications, and her seeming lack of any record. Clearly, this appointment is pure cronyism, but the fact is that we still have to deal with it. So, before deciding on Miers, let's learn a little about her. Unfortunately, we have no reason to believe the White House is going to be forthcoming with any useful information, but maybe a network of progressives around the country can help out. That's where you come in: MoveOnPAC is developing a database with user-submitted facts about Harriet Miers. So, dig in and hunt down some info. Maybe your second-cousin-once-removed overheard her off-the-cuff comments on Plessy v. Ferguson?

News

State Fines Big Insurer $8 Million. This is exactly the reason why the health care system in this country just doesn't work. The state of California has fined UnumProvident $8 million for misinterpreting job classifications, improperly overruling doctors' opinions and knowingly using incorrect insurance definitions to avoid paying disability benefits. You may recall that last year, 48 states agreed to a settlement with Unum, fining the company $15 million and demanding that some 215,000 cases that were in doubt be reopened. The two states that didn't agree to that settlement were Montana, who has yet to take action, and California. California's logic was simple and correct; although Unum would be required to reopen the cases, the settlement did not require any third-party review of those cases. And since the odds of Unum paying out all 215,000 cases are slim to none, California took matters into its own hands. The idea of Universal Health Care in America may come with a large start-up fee, but over the long run, it'll be far better for the country, avoiding self-serving companies like Unum, who are only in it to make a buck, and it doesn't matter who they have to screw to do it.

Senators Renew Push For Social Security Reform. Remember that whole Social Security/Privatized Accounts debacle earlier this year? Remember how Congressional Republicans doubted that they would be able to get anything passed before 2006? Yeah, about that...although there is no proposal that is close to being approved, Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Rick Santorum (R-PA) have quietly introduced legislation that would keep guaranteed benefits for those currently 55 and over. Republicans think that this will give them the edge that they'll need with the older generation, to get private accounts passed. Bush wants a bill done by December, but if it doesn't happen by then, chances are it won't happen with the 109th Congress. Too many seats are up for re-election next year, and many Republicans won't want to deal with such a hot-button issue during an election year. Of course, the fact that the majority of Americans are against private accounts doesn't seem to sway anyone's opinion.

Cash flows in coal fight. The headline of this story may make you cringe, but the real story is how the citizens of Tallahassee is fighting back. "Commissioners voted in July to make an initial investment of $6.4 million toward the $1.6 billion plant." So what's the argument? "Opponents say the plant would increase air pollution and hurt the quality of life. Proponents say it would reduce the city's reliance on natural gas to generate electricity, lead to lower utility bills and create jobs wherever it's built." Hmmmm...the proponents sound suspiciously like conservatives. So how to fight back? Well, that's the interesting part of the story: Good old-fashioned grassroots campaigning. People are going door-to-door, planting yard signs, and raising money for ads. Coal supporters claim that the plant will be environmentally friendly, but we've all heard that one before. The only way for citizens to wrest control of their community from the power elite is to get involved and make their voices heard. We all could learn a lot from the citizens of Tallahassee.

Editorials

In the Beginning, There Was Abramoff. Frank Rich on the "Abramoff ethos." The Culture of Corruption goes far beyond Tom "Terri Schiavo is not brain-dead" DeLay and Bill "Terry Schiavo is not in a PVS" Frist. Consider the arrest of the administration's top procurement officer, David Safavian, on charges of lying and obstructing the investigation of Jack Abramoff. Consider Roy Blunt, DeLay's replacement who was found trying to alter a homeland security bill with a last-minute provision that would have benefited Philip Morris-brand cigarettes, a company with documented ties to Blunt's family. "It's a government that has spent more of the taxpayers' money than any since L.B.J.'s, even as it rewards its benefactors with tax breaks and corporate pork." A government that has turned lying into a commonplace occurrence, to the point where we, as citizens, no longer believe our government, but immediately look for the lie. How, exactly, is that "small government?"

Remember The Memo. And speaking of corruption, let's not forget Karl Rove. Special investigator Patrick Fitzgerald has hinted that he may be bringing conspiracy charges against Rove and "Scooter" Libby. George Stephanopolous told George Will on Sunday that he has a source that will confirm that Bush and Cheney were a part of the Plame discussions. As Michael Tomasky writes, though, we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves. Still, what does it say about Republicans that all the lies are finally starting to catch up with them? All that being said, there's still the memo. You remember the memo, don't you? The memo from the State Department that doubted the existence of Nigerian uranium? The one that referenced Plame? That memo is the key for Fitzgerald and this whole case; whether Bush saw it, and what discussions followed from it. Hey, no one said unravelling Republican deceit was easy, but we have to have faith that Fitzgerald will get to the bottom of the situation. The legal system seems to be our last line of defense against these criminals.

Blogger Commentary

The Supreme Court Ain't FEMA. Look beyond the jocularity of the title, and you'll see what Kos is referring to. With Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the SCOTUS, no one seems happy. Except, of course, Harriet Miers. And Bush - don't forget about Bush. The problem is not Miers's lack of experience (the SC was never designed to be staffed with only judges), and it's not her leanings (yet, anyway, since nobody knows what they are). No, conservatives are mad because she's not an obvious Scalia or Thomas, and she's 60. 60! Conservatives want the court in their hands for as long as possible, and Miers's age is seen as a problem. Meanwhile, Democrats are doing everything from a wait-and-see approach (Senator Chuck Schumer) to heaping praise on her (Senator Harry Reid). The conservative thought right now is that Bush didn't think he could beat Senate Democrats with a hard-line right-winger. Still, we'll hold our breath until the confirmation hearings, and we'll see what she has to say then.

The Gathering Storm. Beware the gathering storm, for it will be rough. Yet, as 'Da Moose writes, it's entirely within the realm of possibility that the Dems could take control of the House in 2006. The Senate is also a possibility, but less likely. More and more, Republicans are showing the signs of the very thing that Democrats didn't get re-elected for 10 years ago; "an entrenched crony establishment out of touch with the country and even their own principles." Democrats won't win this thing without speaking out, though; something they have been eerily silent about. What are they waiting for?

Activism

Share the Sacrifice. Sharing sacrifice? What a concept! Share the Sacrifice is an organization dedicated to supporting our returning veterans. With our government neglecting the needs of our veterans, citizens need to step up their support. At the website, you can volunteer to help those returning veterans, especially the homeless ones. As it says on the site: "You can have all of the yellow ribbons on cars that say 'Support Our Troops' that you want, but it's when they take off the uniform and transition back to civilian life that they need support the most."

News

Buying of News by Bush's Aides Is Ruled Illegal. So, finally the government has concluded what we knew all along: In paying Armstrong Williams and engaging in other P.R. work, the Bush Administration "had disseminated 'covert propaganda' in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban." Clearly, the administration knows that its ideas about education are so weak that they can't stand on their own. It's nice that the GAO report was so scathing: "We see no use for such information except for partisan political purposes. Engaging in a purely political activity such as this is not a proper use of appropriated funds." Here's the bonus question: Now that they've violated the law, who is going to be held accountable?

CPB Taps Two GOP Conservatives for Top Posts. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting made big headlines earlier this year when Kenneth Tomlinson made remarks that punlic broadcasting was filled with too much of a "liberal bias," and commissioned a taxpayer-funded survey to determine just that thing. Only, the survey, done by Tomlinson's good friend, showed no such liberal bias. Frustrated with Tomlinson's ineffectiveness, CPB has elected yet another conservative to replace him: Cheryl Halpern. The mannish-looking Halpern brings another conservative voice with her to be the board's vice chairman. This frustrates us not only because conservatives are being rewarded, but because the CPB was created to be an unbiased voice of the people. It's funded with federal money, and it's done a fairly good job of distributing news and opinion bias-free. Let's hope it continues to stay that way.

Parents Protest Georgia School Closures. For quite a long time the South has been saddled with the stigma of "backwater education." We know it's not always deserved, but then we get to stories like these, and we know where that stigma comes from. Consider Georgia's Republican Governor Sonny Perdue. Perdue closed schools on short notice last week, ostensibly "as a hedge against possible fuel shortages" due to Katrina and Rita. Well, those shortages never occured. And really, what kind of decision is that in the first place? Possible fuel shortages, and the first thing you think of is to close schools? Brilliant! The South may rise again, but not until they get some Democratic leadership.

Editorials

Gitmo's Hunger Strikers. Remember the hunger strike? Not Ghandi, but Gitmo. We're approaching the two-month mark, and the press still isn't really talking about it. The prisoners at Gitmo "have no rights, no hope. So why not take [our] destiny into [our] own hands, and die for a principle," as one refugee asks. The strike stems from disagreement over the definition of the word "torture." The government and army think that it is an important word, but when it comes to terrorism and war, they are willing to look the other way and/or sacrifice those on the bottom of the totem pole in order to acheive "national security." The refugees don't agree; thus, the hunger strike. We haven't forgotten that there is legislation going through Congress that seeks to redefine what is and is not legal torture, and we hope Congress hasn't forgotten either.


The Dark Side of Faith. According to a new study by Gregory S. Paul, of Creighton University, most religious democracies exhibited substantially higher degrees of social dysfunction than societies with larger percentages of atheists and agnostics. Of the nations studied, the U.S. also has by far the highest levels of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Yay us! Paul surveyed "18 prosperous democracies" to come to his conclusion. As the author of this editorial, Rosa Brooks, writes, "When it comes to "values," if you look at facts rather than mere rhetoric, the substantially more secular blue states routinely leave the Bible Belt red states in the dust." When it comes to homicide rates, for example, six of the top seven states are red. Infant mortality, highest in the South and Southwest, lowest in the Northeast. We don't lament the rise of Christianity in this country. We do, however, lament the political influence Christians have seized lately. However, that's not the point of the study. Paul concludes that secularization does not cause violence. The difference is important, and will become evident in the first Blogger Commentary, below.

Blogger Commentary

You've Just Got Time to Say Your Prayers... Continuing the train of thought from the last editorial, Mahablog writes about some of the right-wing blogs that have denounced the Paul study, challenging his conclusion that religion causes violence. As we said above, the study does not conclude that religion causes violence. It concluded that secularization does not cause violence, which is an important distinction. Of course, the easy, simplistic analysis would be that "evil, god-hating scientists are trying to remove all religion from society", but that's not the rational conclusion. But then, it's not like anyone said the religious right was rational.

Another Person Missing. Still Fighting exclusive blogger Andrew Duggan strikes again! This time, he discusses a disturbing media phenomenon: Coverage of relatively trivial cases involving the misfortunes of white women. Sure, it's disturbing, but why is there so much of this coverage at the expense of much bigger issues. We have a war going on and billions being squandered, yet the media is just giving the public what they want. And that's where Andrew touches on a larger issue: Why are we so riveted by the misfortunes of others?