[About BTJ]
Name: BLT - E-mail me
Age: 28
Why BTJ:"I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. Things refuse to be mismanaged long."
-- Theodore Parker
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
"No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
"No longer do we take the sword against any nation, nor do we learn war any more, since we have become sons of peace."
--Origen
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Iraqi prisoner scandal
It's almost unbelievable, and the ramifications are too wide and deep to really begin to comment on, but I thought W. said an interesting thing about the accusations of abuse against Iraqi prisoners: Their actions "do not reflect the nature of men and women we sent overseas."
That's right, President Bush, they don't reflect the nature of men and women we sent overseas; I just hope that it doesn't reflect the nature of men and women we're creating by keeping them overseas. You should recognize that when you send soldiers into a war with no exit strategy, no fixed return date, and inadequate equipment, you may end up with different men and women than you started with. We saw it in Vietnam; soldiers were forever changed by war, and atrocities were one of the results of that change. I just hope, for their sake, that the problem isn't more widespread and that the majority of our people come back at least resembling who they were when they left.
While I am bitterly upset with the actions of the soldiers in question, and fearful of the resultant righteous anger, I place the blame for the attitudes which allowed these photographs to be taken squarely on the shoulders of the leadership.
That's right, President Bush, they don't reflect the nature of men and women we sent overseas; I just hope that it doesn't reflect the nature of men and women we're creating by keeping them overseas. You should recognize that when you send soldiers into a war with no exit strategy, no fixed return date, and inadequate equipment, you may end up with different men and women than you started with. We saw it in Vietnam; soldiers were forever changed by war, and atrocities were one of the results of that change. I just hope, for their sake, that the problem isn't more widespread and that the majority of our people come back at least resembling who they were when they left.
While I am bitterly upset with the actions of the soldiers in question, and fearful of the resultant righteous anger, I place the blame for the attitudes which allowed these photographs to be taken squarely on the shoulders of the leadership.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Let Sinclair know how you feel
Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 8 ABC affiliates, is refusing to run tomorrow night's Nightline because it is apparently "not in the public's best interest" to honor and mourn fallen soldiers, and because Nightline is apparently playing politics by reading names and showing pictures. Rather than vomit bile all over my keyboard, which is what I am tempted to do when faced with such disgusting newspeak and disrespect for American sacrifice by the right, I'm going to let the Sinclair Group know what I think of their decision. Atrios has all the information.
Sinclair's justification for this, available on their web site, is a ludicrous, rambling, unsupportable mess, accusing Nightline of "an effort to highlight only one aspect of the war effort" which, besides revealing the lack of thesaurii at the Sinclair headquarters, ignores the hundreds of hours that the major networks have devoted to the administration's view of things.
It seems clear to me that, in Sinclair's collective mind at least, not only is it not necessary to support the war to support the troops, it's not actually possible to support the troops and support the war - unless by "support the troops", the right means "forget their names as soon as they're dead."
Update: It's clear that Sinclair was a joke long before this decision.
Sinclair's justification for this, available on their web site, is a ludicrous, rambling, unsupportable mess, accusing Nightline of "an effort to highlight only one aspect of the war effort" which, besides revealing the lack of thesaurii at the Sinclair headquarters, ignores the hundreds of hours that the major networks have devoted to the administration's view of things.
It seems clear to me that, in Sinclair's collective mind at least, not only is it not necessary to support the war to support the troops, it's not actually possible to support the troops and support the war - unless by "support the troops", the right means "forget their names as soon as they're dead."
Update: It's clear that Sinclair was a joke long before this decision.
To wit:
Worldwide terrorist attacks down in 2003
Well, golly gee, that sure sounds like bad news for us liberal whiners, with our "the Iraq war is making us less secure"'s and "the war on terrorism is going badly"'s. How can we argue with such a result?
Hmm, I guess there are a couple of things...
The figure...did not include most of the attacks in Iraq
Well, that makes sense; it is war, after all - it would be stretching things to call it terrorism.
The report counted 82 anti-U.S. attacks around the world in 2003, up from 77 in 2002.
Wait - I thought the terror attacks declined.
The report said the war in Iraq has turned that country into "a central battleground in the global war on terrorism."
Oh, now I get it. The United States has turned itself into a lightning rod, coalescing terror activity against itself, both civilian and military, in one place - Iraq - and provided a new focal point and purpose to terrorists around the world. What a ringing endorsement of the President's war on terror!
Worldwide terrorist attacks down in 2003
Well, golly gee, that sure sounds like bad news for us liberal whiners, with our "the Iraq war is making us less secure"'s and "the war on terrorism is going badly"'s. How can we argue with such a result?
Hmm, I guess there are a couple of things...
The figure...did not include most of the attacks in Iraq
Well, that makes sense; it is war, after all - it would be stretching things to call it terrorism.
The report counted 82 anti-U.S. attacks around the world in 2003, up from 77 in 2002.
Wait - I thought the terror attacks declined.
The report said the war in Iraq has turned that country into "a central battleground in the global war on terrorism."
Oh, now I get it. The United States has turned itself into a lightning rod, coalescing terror activity against itself, both civilian and military, in one place - Iraq - and provided a new focal point and purpose to terrorists around the world. What a ringing endorsement of the President's war on terror!
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Orcinus strikes again
He has what should be, but probably won't be, the final word on the Kerry vs. Bush war records:
[B]ringing up the military records, and all the comparisons that come with it, probably wasn't the brightest idea on the part of Republicans...because the GOP had successfully snowed the press corps into submission on the whole issue of Bush's military records.
And now the questions have started again. Way to go, Republicans.
[B]ringing up the military records, and all the comparisons that come with it, probably wasn't the brightest idea on the part of Republicans...because the GOP had successfully snowed the press corps into submission on the whole issue of Bush's military records.
And now the questions have started again. Way to go, Republicans.
Comments and trackback are down
I know thousands are clamoring to leave feedback, but at the moment, Haloscan is throwing a hissy fit. Sorry.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
The Fallen
Nightline is doing something on Friday that I think will be very powerful. Via Atrios:
Friday night, we will show you the pictures, and Ted will read the names, of the men and women from the armed forces who have been killed in combat in Iraq. That’s it. That will be the whole broadcast.
And to expand on what an Eschaton commenter said, I think that those who will be outraged by this as "insensitivity" betray their true feelings towards the troops. This kind of reminder is required to keep the nation honest. I don't hold out much hope that it will do the same for the administration.
Friday night, we will show you the pictures, and Ted will read the names, of the men and women from the armed forces who have been killed in combat in Iraq. That’s it. That will be the whole broadcast.
And to expand on what an Eschaton commenter said, I think that those who will be outraged by this as "insensitivity" betray their true feelings towards the troops. This kind of reminder is required to keep the nation honest. I don't hold out much hope that it will do the same for the administration.
A poster at the Daily Kos has Senator Durbin's speech from the floor regarding Cheney's attack on Kerry:
Vice President Cheney was supposed to speak at Westminster College about foreign policy, issues in Iraq. Instead he went on the attack, the attack on John Kerry and his patriotism in defense of America. It was such an embarrassing moment that when he left, Fletcher Lamkin e-mailed the students, staff, and faculty basically apologizing for what Vice President Cheney had said at Westminster college.
Vice President Cheney was supposed to speak at Westminster College about foreign policy, issues in Iraq. Instead he went on the attack, the attack on John Kerry and his patriotism in defense of America. It was such an embarrassing moment that when he left, Fletcher Lamkin e-mailed the students, staff, and faculty basically apologizing for what Vice President Cheney had said at Westminster college.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Okay, just one
"Surprisingly", Little Green Footballs has been remarkably silent about the Jay Severin affair.
What's the matter? Someone finally said what your readers have been thinking?
Update: Dear lord, that first sentence was poorly constructed. Sorry about that.
What's the matter? Someone finally said what your readers have been thinking?
Update: Dear lord, that first sentence was poorly constructed. Sorry about that.
It is hot outside and beautiful and cloudless and I am not going to post today because I will be outside and beautiful. Okay, not that last part.
Friday, April 23, 2004
Friday Link Number 3
General J.C. Christian's letter to Michigan State Rep. Richardville regarding the right-to-discriminate-in-healthcare act.
Roger Ailes offers us a glimpse into the madness of Peggy Noonan.
Body and Soul writes about the suggestion that John Kerry should not be granted communion, and links to a fantastic essay about why pro-lifers should be Democrats.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Googlebomb, anyone?
Kelley Kramer, via Hesiod, tells us about what happened to a woman who took a picture of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq:
Silicio was let go yesterday for violating U.S. government and company regulations, said William Silva, president of Maytag Aircraft, the contractor that employed Silicio at Kuwait International Airport.
"I feel like I was hit in the chest with a steel bar and got my wind knocked out. I have to admit I liked my job, and I liked what I did," Silicio said.
The cowardice of the Bush administration continues to startle. Bush - coward. Rumsfeld - coward. Ashcroft - coward. Wolfowitz - simpering coward.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Silicio was let go yesterday for violating U.S. government and company regulations, said William Silva, president of Maytag Aircraft, the contractor that employed Silicio at Kuwait International Airport.
"I feel like I was hit in the chest with a steel bar and got my wind knocked out. I have to admit I liked my job, and I liked what I did," Silicio said.
The cowardice of the Bush administration continues to startle. Bush - coward. Rumsfeld - coward. Ashcroft - coward. Wolfowitz - simpering coward.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Cowards.
Fuel rods missing from Vermont reactor.
However...
The fuel rod was removed in 1979 from the Vermont Yankee reactor
so maybe I'm just jumpy.
However...
The fuel rod was removed in 1979 from the Vermont Yankee reactor
so maybe I'm just jumpy.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
I'm a bit conflicted
As a pacifist, I'd normally be a bit reluctant to crow about a candidate's war record, but the Bush attack is so ludicrous, I can't help it:
Kerry's military record
Not exactly dental records and smudged payroll forms.
Kerry's military record
Not exactly dental records and smudged payroll forms.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Oh, good
CNN:
A gasoline tanker truck has been missing from a Pennsauken parking lot for more than a week, sending local officials and the FBI scrambling.
Um, guys? I'm not sure you're allowed to call it "scrambling" if it's been a week.
However...
Griffin said the truck did not have any liquid in its chrome-plated tank.
So maybe I'm just jumpy.
A gasoline tanker truck has been missing from a Pennsauken parking lot for more than a week, sending local officials and the FBI scrambling.
Um, guys? I'm not sure you're allowed to call it "scrambling" if it's been a week.
However...
Griffin said the truck did not have any liquid in its chrome-plated tank.
So maybe I'm just jumpy.
G.A. Cerny nails gaspricegate on the head:
If it had been alleged that Bill Clinton had made such a deal with the Saudis, and if Clinton's flak had been this incoherent in responding to the charge, the right wing would have demanded that the President hang.
Let's get this baby rolling, people. (Not the calls for hanging, of course - just the calls for accountability)
If it had been alleged that Bill Clinton had made such a deal with the Saudis, and if Clinton's flak had been this incoherent in responding to the charge, the right wing would have demanded that the President hang.
Let's get this baby rolling, people. (Not the calls for hanging, of course - just the calls for accountability)
Please visit blackboxvoting.org
It's very, very important.
Monday, April 19, 2004
Forget oil prices - let's get them to focus on important issues
The Saudi's seeming tolerance of spousal abuse got a public airing today, as a Saudi television personality went public:
After banging her head on the floor and the wall until she lost consciousness, al-Baz said her husband drove her to the hospital and left her at the front doors, claiming she was a victim of a traffic accident and that he was going to pick up others who had been hurt...
Police say when they find al-Fallatta, he will likely face charges of abuse and attempted murder...
Although Islam prohibits violence against women, many believe spousal abuse is common in the almost entirely Muslim Saudi Arabia.
There are no statistics available on wife abuse in the kingdom, but husbands rarely meet disapproval for "reforming" spouses deemed "disobedient" by hitting them.
After banging her head on the floor and the wall until she lost consciousness, al-Baz said her husband drove her to the hospital and left her at the front doors, claiming she was a victim of a traffic accident and that he was going to pick up others who had been hurt...
Police say when they find al-Fallatta, he will likely face charges of abuse and attempted murder...
Although Islam prohibits violence against women, many believe spousal abuse is common in the almost entirely Muslim Saudi Arabia.
There are no statistics available on wife abuse in the kingdom, but husbands rarely meet disapproval for "reforming" spouses deemed "disobedient" by hitting them.
You got some 'splaining to do...
Remember how I said that it was good news for Bush that the Saudis were going to lower gas prices?
Guess I should have read the article instead of just the CNN headlines.* (link is a pdf via Buzzflash)
[Just to point out, this is a letter to the President from Reps. Waxman (D-CA) and Markey (D-MA)]
Mr. President, we request that you fully explain the understanding that you or your administration reached with the Saudis to boost oil production and disclose any promises that have been made to the Saudis on behalf of the US...Our nation's economy is too important to suffer high gasoline prices to suit the timing of any Presidential reelection campaign.
Hmm. Potentially rampant political corruption in the White House. Will the nation finally sit up and take notice? My guess is no, but we'll keep trying.
Update: Atrios has a primer for the media, and for people like me who fall into the trap of ever taking a headline at face value:
If Woodward's allegations about the Saudi Prince and oil prices are true, and given Scotty's non-denials today they clearly area, then the issue is not WOW BUSH STRUCK A DEAL TO LOWER OIL PRICES.
The deal is...
BUSH STRUCK A DEAL TO KEEP OIL PRICES HIGH UNTIL CLOSER TO THE ELECTION AT WHICH POINT THEY'LL FALL.
* As noted in the post, I was just reacting to the dominant appearance of CNN's web site.
Guess I should have read the article instead of just the CNN headlines.* (link is a pdf via Buzzflash)
[Just to point out, this is a letter to the President from Reps. Waxman (D-CA) and Markey (D-MA)]
Mr. President, we request that you fully explain the understanding that you or your administration reached with the Saudis to boost oil production and disclose any promises that have been made to the Saudis on behalf of the US...Our nation's economy is too important to suffer high gasoline prices to suit the timing of any Presidential reelection campaign.
Hmm. Potentially rampant political corruption in the White House. Will the nation finally sit up and take notice? My guess is no, but we'll keep trying.
Update: Atrios has a primer for the media, and for people like me who fall into the trap of ever taking a headline at face value:
If Woodward's allegations about the Saudi Prince and oil prices are true, and given Scotty's non-denials today they clearly area, then the issue is not WOW BUSH STRUCK A DEAL TO LOWER OIL PRICES.
The deal is...
BUSH STRUCK A DEAL TO KEEP OIL PRICES HIGH UNTIL CLOSER TO THE ELECTION AT WHICH POINT THEY'LL FALL.
* As noted in the post, I was just reacting to the dominant appearance of CNN's web site.
He loves it when a plan comes together
Let me see, just on CNN today, we have a Fallujah cease-fire, a new commitment to improving security, and the Saudis lowering gas prices.
On one doe-eyed hand, I'm really hoping this might be the first of many lights at the ends of long, dark tunnels; on the other cynical hand I'm wondering why, if Bush and his administration can be so effective when he wants to be, why they saved it all for 2004. I'm sure that makes me a typical naysaying liberal, but such is life.
On one doe-eyed hand, I'm really hoping this might be the first of many lights at the ends of long, dark tunnels; on the other cynical hand I'm wondering why, if Bush and his administration can be so effective when he wants to be, why they saved it all for 2004. I'm sure that makes me a typical naysaying liberal, but such is life.
Friday, April 16, 2004
I support Kos part 2 or, how I learned to stop worrying and love open, fair political discourse
In part 1 we looked at why the right-wing smear campaign against Kos is counter to the cause and spirit of free speech.
Today we're going to look at why it's also, like nearly everything else right-wingers say and do, completely hypocritical.
No More Mister Nice Blog (via Orcinus)brings us a transcript from one Mr. Limbaugh:
Hillary wants to be on the VP ticket so that she dispels the notion that the Clintons are sabotaging the campaign...[t]hey know that they're pretty confident Kerry is going to lose and if Kerry wins there's always Fort Marcy Park.
Fort Marcy Park, of course, is the park where Vince Foster's body was found after his suicide - or, as dittoheads and other idiots would have it, his murder by the Clintons. Not, as we might imagine, a park where Rush used to send his assistant to buy his Oxycontin for him.
Certainly one can only assume that sponsors will begin leaving Rush's show posthaste, as they did to Kos; one would also think that all political candidates will cancel any upcoming appearances. I would imagine Fox News will hold at least one discussion show regarding the nastiness of political discourse these days, vilifying Rush as "contributing to the problem." And the Op-eds! Oh, what a flood of those we shall see!
Update: Atrios suggests a method of execution that Bush might use against Kerry - thereby, undoubtedly, drawing boycotts and death threats from every corner of the right.
Today we're going to look at why it's also, like nearly everything else right-wingers say and do, completely hypocritical.
No More Mister Nice Blog (via Orcinus)brings us a transcript from one Mr. Limbaugh:
Hillary wants to be on the VP ticket so that she dispels the notion that the Clintons are sabotaging the campaign...[t]hey know that they're pretty confident Kerry is going to lose and if Kerry wins there's always Fort Marcy Park.
Fort Marcy Park, of course, is the park where Vince Foster's body was found after his suicide - or, as dittoheads and other idiots would have it, his murder by the Clintons. Not, as we might imagine, a park where Rush used to send his assistant to buy his Oxycontin for him.
Certainly one can only assume that sponsors will begin leaving Rush's show posthaste, as they did to Kos; one would also think that all political candidates will cancel any upcoming appearances. I would imagine Fox News will hold at least one discussion show regarding the nastiness of political discourse these days, vilifying Rush as "contributing to the problem." And the Op-eds! Oh, what a flood of those we shall see!
Update: Atrios suggests a method of execution that Bush might use against Kerry - thereby, undoubtedly, drawing boycotts and death threats from every corner of the right.
While I realize that many people see reality shows as the worst thing to come from Western Civilization since the Inquisition, I just have to say:
Bill won! Bill won! When Kwame didn't fire Omarosa, I turned to my wife and said, "I would have fired her instantly, and so would Trump*. He's done." And sure enough, I was right.
*Thereby proving that Trump and I think exactly the same way. Why I'm not a real estate mogul yet I don't know**.
**Yes I do.
Bill won! Bill won! When Kwame didn't fire Omarosa, I turned to my wife and said, "I would have fired her instantly, and so would Trump*. He's done." And sure enough, I was right.
*Thereby proving that Trump and I think exactly the same way. Why I'm not a real estate mogul yet I don't know**.
**Yes I do.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Hey, morons
You know how some of us smart people decry Bush's tactics in Iraq because they will only make things worse by alienating the people we're supposedly trying to reach? You know how we sometimes like to think we're morally superior to those warlike greedheads? You know how we often like to think before we speak?
Why, then, are you so stupid?
I mean, really. Save your ugly hyperbole for your club meetings - whatever a "democratic club" is - and leave the reaching-out-to-undecided-voters to people who have some sense.
"Figure of speech", my left one. This is Florida, people. This is kind of - just a teensy-weensy bit - an important state. How about we not seemingly confirm to the right-wingers that liberals are all a bunch of hypocritical wackos - that's them, not us.
Gaaah. Sorry about this rambling, seething post, but I'm not happy.
Why, then, are you so stupid?
I mean, really. Save your ugly hyperbole for your club meetings - whatever a "democratic club" is - and leave the reaching-out-to-undecided-voters to people who have some sense.
"Figure of speech", my left one. This is Florida, people. This is kind of - just a teensy-weensy bit - an important state. How about we not seemingly confirm to the right-wingers that liberals are all a bunch of hypocritical wackos - that's them, not us.
Gaaah. Sorry about this rambling, seething post, but I'm not happy.
Who has the most to gain from a lie - or to lose from a potentially damaging truth?
Would that be the retired Thomas Pickard?
Or the man who holds the highest law enforcement position in the land and presumably hopes to for the next four years?
Update: Just for fun, I've added the correct answer to this question in invisotext:
Ashcroft is lying.
Yes, folks, you get the best the web has to offer here at BTJ!
Would that be the retired Thomas Pickard?
Or the man who holds the highest law enforcement position in the land and presumably hopes to for the next four years?
Update: Just for fun, I've added the correct answer to this question in invisotext:
Ashcroft is lying.
Yes, folks, you get the best the web has to offer here at BTJ!
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Why aren't you reading Orcinus?
No offense to all the incredible bloggers out there, but posts like this are why Orcinus is consistently the best blog on the web.
Monday, April 12, 2004
Not the last word on abortion...but maybe it should be
Nicholas Kristof looks at the abortion debate in Portugal, which has led to a backlash against prison sentences for abortion:
The police staked out gynecological clinics and investigated those who emerged looking as if they might have had abortions because they looked particularly pale, weak or upset. At the trial, the most intimate aspects of their gynecological history were revealed.
Ah, the conservative utopia.
The police staked out gynecological clinics and investigated those who emerged looking as if they might have had abortions because they looked particularly pale, weak or upset. At the trial, the most intimate aspects of their gynecological history were revealed.
Ah, the conservative utopia.
From a Q&A:
Question: Did you see . . . the President's Daily Brief from August of '01 as a warning?
President Bush: Did I see it? Of course I saw it; I asked for it.
This, however, does not strike me as funny:
President Bush: And you might recall the hijacking that was referred to in the PDB.
It was not a hijacking of an airplane to fly into a building, it was hijacking of airplanes in order to free somebody that was being held as a prisoner in the United States.
Well, that clears it up. No wonder we didn't ramp up the FAA, CIA, and FBI immediately to try to forestall such pedestrian terrorist actions!
Update: Matthew Yglesias noticed that, too.
Question: Did you see . . . the President's Daily Brief from August of '01 as a warning?
President Bush: Did I see it? Of course I saw it; I asked for it.
This, however, does not strike me as funny:
President Bush: And you might recall the hijacking that was referred to in the PDB.
It was not a hijacking of an airplane to fly into a building, it was hijacking of airplanes in order to free somebody that was being held as a prisoner in the United States.
Well, that clears it up. No wonder we didn't ramp up the FAA, CIA, and FBI immediately to try to forestall such pedestrian terrorist actions!
Update: Matthew Yglesias noticed that, too.
What a terrible day.
I wish I had time to post today, not that my words would be necessary or sufficient, but just to get the whirling feelings and sadness off my chest. Read Atrios, Hesiod, and Juan Cole to see what's making me so depressed.
I wish I had time to post today, not that my words would be necessary or sufficient, but just to get the whirling feelings and sadness off my chest. Read Atrios, Hesiod, and Juan Cole to see what's making me so depressed.
There was no "silver bullet" - but there sure were a lot of BBs
Orcinus with an amazingly insightful post.
Might post a little later.
Catchphrase of the week:
"Series of Actionable Items"
Use it when talking with friends!
Catchphrase of the week:
"Series of Actionable Items"
Use it when talking with friends!
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Friday started early this week
I.e., on Thursday.
Enjoy Fark, perhaps.
Enjoy Fark, perhaps.
BLT sleeps in.
Will comment later.
Will comment later.
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Air America ratings?
Could Byron York be talking any more out of his @$$?
He admits that ratings are impossible to estimate this early in the life of a network, but then proceeds to "make some estimates about the size of that audience from information about the stations which carry Air America programming" - in other words, their ratings prior to the switch. I, for one, had never heard of "Super 62", the station that Air America is carried on here in Portland, but I have listened almost nonstop to Air America. (By the way, if I could only get my hands on a ratings journal...)
And after denigrating the stations' prior popularity, he repeats the chestnut about Air America being racist because they caused those low-rated, often African American-oriented stations (not in Portland, btw) to change their programming - a claim countered by Hesiod.
All this against the backdrop, back in the real world, of some apparently good news about the ratings. We'll see what "good news" means in this case, but "microscopic" (York's word) seems unlikely.
He admits that ratings are impossible to estimate this early in the life of a network, but then proceeds to "make some estimates about the size of that audience from information about the stations which carry Air America programming" - in other words, their ratings prior to the switch. I, for one, had never heard of "Super 62", the station that Air America is carried on here in Portland, but I have listened almost nonstop to Air America. (By the way, if I could only get my hands on a ratings journal...)
And after denigrating the stations' prior popularity, he repeats the chestnut about Air America being racist because they caused those low-rated, often African American-oriented stations (not in Portland, btw) to change their programming - a claim countered by Hesiod.
All this against the backdrop, back in the real world, of some apparently good news about the ratings. We'll see what "good news" means in this case, but "microscopic" (York's word) seems unlikely.
Via Atrios, Meyerson's column in the Post:
The only unequivocally good policy option before the American people is to dump the president who got us into this mess, who had no trouble sending our young people to Iraq but who cannot steel himself to face the Sept. 11 commission alone.
The only problem is, we may not have that option. Not if Sean Hannity gets his way:
"If we are attacked before our election like Spain was, I am not so sure that we should go ahead with the election," he reportedly said. "We had better make plans now because it's going to happen."
But even if the election does go forward, It won't be fair. And why?
Because we aren't rioting in the streets (figuratively speaking) demanding verified voting.
I'm starting to get a little bit worried.
The only unequivocally good policy option before the American people is to dump the president who got us into this mess, who had no trouble sending our young people to Iraq but who cannot steel himself to face the Sept. 11 commission alone.
The only problem is, we may not have that option. Not if Sean Hannity gets his way:
"If we are attacked before our election like Spain was, I am not so sure that we should go ahead with the election," he reportedly said. "We had better make plans now because it's going to happen."
But even if the election does go forward, It won't be fair. And why?
Because we aren't rioting in the streets (figuratively speaking) demanding verified voting.
I'm starting to get a little bit worried.
Am I ashamed of what I'm about to do? I am not.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
Air America.
So we hit a mosque. We killed 40 people. In a mosque. In Fallujah. It may be wildly inappropriate to use a sports metaphor at this time, but after reading Ambling into History I'm convinced it's the only way Bush can understand:
We've just given terrorist recruiters bulletin board material for a decade.
Was that really our goal? Because it's succeeded wildly.
We've just given terrorist recruiters bulletin board material for a decade.
Was that really our goal? Because it's succeeded wildly.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Conflicting reports
Fighting in and around ar Ramadi. Some reports say 12 coalition soldiers killed, others - Sky - put preliminary casualties at 130 US troops killed.
However many it is, our thoughts are with them and their families.
However many it is, our thoughts are with them and their families.
"Now where is that bottle of rinse?"
George W. Bush is quite the jokester.
Apparently, at a banquet for a "retraining" program, he told a participant that "You and my mother go to the same hair dyeing place," (paraphrased).
It's no WMDs, but is it really a good idea to make a joke pointing out the fact that under Bush we have an economy in which blue-haired old ladies are having to retrain rather than retire? I wonder if she's a former Enron employee.
Apparently, at a banquet for a "retraining" program, he told a participant that "You and my mother go to the same hair dyeing place," (paraphrased).
It's no WMDs, but is it really a good idea to make a joke pointing out the fact that under Bush we have an economy in which blue-haired old ladies are having to retrain rather than retire? I wonder if she's a former Enron employee.
Ralph Nader was in Portland yesterday to celebrate getting the 1,000 votes needed to get him on the ballot in Oregon.
Only one problem: He didn't get them. He only pulled about 750. In Portland.
I think we can all stop worrying.
Only one problem: He didn't get them. He only pulled about 750. In Portland.
I think we can all stop worrying.
After hearing Kos on the Majority Report yesterday, I felt that I should belatedly weigh in on the whole shebang.
"Why BLT," I hear you asking, "what shebang is that, exactly?" We'll leave aside for the moment that you may be the only reader of blogs who does not know what is going on, and I may be the last blogger to weigh in on the situation, and in fact this entire controversy may have already been replaced by another - but I still need to get this off my chest.
Kos, the highest-read left-wing blog on the web, made some negative comments about the four mercenaries killed in Fallujah. After consideration and outrage, he retracted and explained those comments.
The right wing went absolutely batsh*#, as did some of the left.
Advertisers pulled advertisements. John Kerry delinked him. Instapundit spent a loooot of time researching the case against Kos for someone who supposedly had no ulterior motive. And I agreed with many of the left wing bloggers calling for an apology.
You see, the trap some lefties fall into is thinking like the right - devaluing a human life because it doesn't fit into their worldview. And while Kos, because of his upbringing, may have a very compelling reason, I think that's exactly what he fell prey to in this case. Mercenaries, while many of them are undoubtedly wretched human beings in many ways, are no more deserving of death than an Iraqi child or an American soldier. I, for one, am against all death by violence, whether MOAB or electric chair, and to have a compelling testimony for peace, consistency is vital.
Martin Luther King said, "Undeserved suffering is always redemptive." It was this belief that drove his path of nonviolence. To take up - or, I would argue, advocate or even accept - violence in response to violence concedes the moral high ground and levels the playing field, and I, for one, am not comfortable being on a level playing field with Bush and company - or, for that matter, those who advocate violence in response to violence in the Middle East.
So, if I vehemently disagree with what he said, why do I support Kos? It's simple - I know what it's like to make statements which I regret; I understand the emotions which led him to make such a statement; and, even if the preceding were not true, I believe that his comments are not morally different than those who ponder a nuclear strike in Fallujah.
So there you have it. Or to put it another way: Everyone get over yourselves.
"Why BLT," I hear you asking, "what shebang is that, exactly?" We'll leave aside for the moment that you may be the only reader of blogs who does not know what is going on, and I may be the last blogger to weigh in on the situation, and in fact this entire controversy may have already been replaced by another - but I still need to get this off my chest.
Kos, the highest-read left-wing blog on the web, made some negative comments about the four mercenaries killed in Fallujah. After consideration and outrage, he retracted and explained those comments.
The right wing went absolutely batsh*#, as did some of the left.
Advertisers pulled advertisements. John Kerry delinked him. Instapundit spent a loooot of time researching the case against Kos for someone who supposedly had no ulterior motive. And I agreed with many of the left wing bloggers calling for an apology.
You see, the trap some lefties fall into is thinking like the right - devaluing a human life because it doesn't fit into their worldview. And while Kos, because of his upbringing, may have a very compelling reason, I think that's exactly what he fell prey to in this case. Mercenaries, while many of them are undoubtedly wretched human beings in many ways, are no more deserving of death than an Iraqi child or an American soldier. I, for one, am against all death by violence, whether MOAB or electric chair, and to have a compelling testimony for peace, consistency is vital.
Martin Luther King said, "Undeserved suffering is always redemptive." It was this belief that drove his path of nonviolence. To take up - or, I would argue, advocate or even accept - violence in response to violence concedes the moral high ground and levels the playing field, and I, for one, am not comfortable being on a level playing field with Bush and company - or, for that matter, those who advocate violence in response to violence in the Middle East.
So, if I vehemently disagree with what he said, why do I support Kos? It's simple - I know what it's like to make statements which I regret; I understand the emotions which led him to make such a statement; and, even if the preceding were not true, I believe that his comments are not morally different than those who ponder a nuclear strike in Fallujah.
So there you have it. Or to put it another way: Everyone get over yourselves.
Monday, April 05, 2004
He told you so
Eric Alter continues to be dead on with his analysis of how the world really is. A quick list of why it's Anybody But Bush.
Now if only this will take root in the national consciousness better than his deconstruction of the Liberal Media Myth did.
Now if only this will take root in the national consciousness better than his deconstruction of the Liberal Media Myth did.
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Tragedy in Spain
An explosion in an apartment building near Madrid killed one officer and three suspects. Apparently, they were the same suspects from the railway bombing, and they weren't specifically al Qaeda:
The National Court in Madrid has charged 15 people, including 11 Moroccans, in connection with the Madrid train bombings. The court also has issued international arrest warrants for five Moroccans and a Tunisian.
Acebes blamed the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). The U.S. government considers GICM a terrorist group.
With all the conservative hand-wringing about the Spanish elections and the bowing to al Qaeda, I had missed the shifting of blame from al Qaeda to GICM. I don't know whether there's a connection between al Qaeda and GICM, but does this call into question the "appeasement-by-withdrawing-from-Iraq" hypothesis? Or does GICM have similar aims?
Correction/update: Some commentator on current events I am. The link between al Qaeda and GICM was reported on as quickly as March 13 in Reuters.
The National Court in Madrid has charged 15 people, including 11 Moroccans, in connection with the Madrid train bombings. The court also has issued international arrest warrants for five Moroccans and a Tunisian.
Acebes blamed the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). The U.S. government considers GICM a terrorist group.
With all the conservative hand-wringing about the Spanish elections and the bowing to al Qaeda, I had missed the shifting of blame from al Qaeda to GICM. I don't know whether there's a connection between al Qaeda and GICM, but does this call into question the "appeasement-by-withdrawing-from-Iraq" hypothesis? Or does GICM have similar aims?
Correction/update: Some commentator on current events I am. The link between al Qaeda and GICM was reported on as quickly as March 13 in Reuters.
Friday, April 02, 2004
"An Outrageous Lie"
Randi Rhodes may just be my new hero for pointing out this article in the Independent:
Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".
It's getting to the point where continuing to ignore the mounting evidence is not longer "a difference of opinion" and is becoming "willful ignorance." The Bush administration cares not one whit for 95% of the people of this country. They knew this was coming, they knew that many people could die, and they continued to prop up the aerospace industry with their missile defense initiative.
The. Bush. Adminstration. Does. NOT. Care. About. You.*
*Claim not valid for those in the highest 1% of net worth.
Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".
It's getting to the point where continuing to ignore the mounting evidence is not longer "a difference of opinion" and is becoming "willful ignorance." The Bush administration cares not one whit for 95% of the people of this country. They knew this was coming, they knew that many people could die, and they continued to prop up the aerospace industry with their missile defense initiative.
The. Bush. Adminstration. Does. NOT. Care. About. You.*
*Claim not valid for those in the highest 1% of net worth.
Another Friday, another hardly-posting-at-all day. To paraphrase the Quakers, this Friend speaks my mind about the jobless data - although when reading it, remember that a) between 140,000 and 150,000 new jobs are needed each month just to keep up with population growth, b) not very many (i.e. almost none) of those jobs come with benefits or health insurance, and c) he's still got over two million new jobs to go.
I may get some time later in the day to give a little Oregon perspective on the outsourcing mess. Otherwise, everyone have a good weekend!
* Months of the Bush administration hitting their jobs creation prediction, by my quick-and-dirty calculation.
I may get some time later in the day to give a little Oregon perspective on the outsourcing mess. Otherwise, everyone have a good weekend!
* Months of the Bush administration hitting their jobs creation prediction, by my quick-and-dirty calculation.
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Nothing happens in a vacuum
A poster on the Majority Report's blog reminds us that this tragic event certainly isn't the first tragic event in Fallujah.
This is a UK Independent story about an incident which, unless I miss my guess, certain citizens of Fallujah remember very well - even if most Americans and the Bush administration don't.
This is a UK Independent story about an incident which, unless I miss my guess, certain citizens of Fallujah remember very well - even if most Americans and the Bush administration don't.
Ralph Nader has thinner skin than the Bush administration
Randi Rhodes keeps replaying her filleting of interview with Ralph Nader from yesterday (we're on delay, so the rest of the country has already heard her today) and it strikes me that she absolutely dethroned this man. She called him out and told him he had no clothes, and I hope everyone that called her show yesterday attempting to scold her for it can get over their hero worship and realize what a horrible showing Ralph made.
Non-answers, scolding, returning to bullet points - does this sound like anyone else we know?
A Canadian called Randi yesterday to complain about her treatment of Ralph, and he kept saying that Americans need to learn to compromise, and that a third party would help them do that. Doesn't he see that it's Ralph and his scorched-earth liberals* who refuse to compromise?
Randi's exactly right. If Nader wants his kind of change, he needs to accept a position in the Kerry administration - assuming he doesn't first destroy any chance for such an administration to come about.
*Scroll down to the bottom. Stupid formerly messed-up archives.
Update: Kos has the transcript.
Non-answers, scolding, returning to bullet points - does this sound like anyone else we know?
A Canadian called Randi yesterday to complain about her treatment of Ralph, and he kept saying that Americans need to learn to compromise, and that a third party would help them do that. Doesn't he see that it's Ralph and his scorched-earth liberals* who refuse to compromise?
Randi's exactly right. If Nader wants his kind of change, he needs to accept a position in the Kerry administration - assuming he doesn't first destroy any chance for such an administration to come about.
*Scroll down to the bottom. Stupid formerly messed-up archives.
Update: Kos has the transcript.
