It's Friday

It's raining.

I seem to be in a permanent funk these days.

U.N. envoy: Gaza situation 'explosive'

Months of contacts to bring the current Hamas-led government and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party into a national unity government have broken down over Hamas' refusal to accept international demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and endorse past peace accords.

Why would they want to do anything anyone asks of them?

"The combination of near total closure of the Gaza Strip, non-payment of public sector salaries, absence of basic law and order, declining service delivery, continued military strikes by air and land, and the lack of any apparent political horizon is a truly explosive one _ as potentially dangerous for Israel as it is currently dangerous for Palestinians," de Soto said.

I wouldn't cooperate. What does it get the Gazan's, the Palestinians, to recognized Israel's right to exsist when it's all too clear that they do exsist and want you, citizens of the Gaza Ghetto, to no longer exsist? Renouce violence while being bombed? Hm. Endorse past peace accords which have done so very much to help you have a better, more peaceful, quality of life?

Seriously, what's the point? Where's the incentive for the people of Gaza to capitulate?

~ ~ ~

Apparently North Korea is gonna play nice and not set off any more bombs.

I can't help but wonder at what China said to North Korea to make them promise this.

North Korea 'promises not to conduct further tests':

While Beijing has historically been reluctant to pressurise Pyongyang, in sending a special envoy to meet with Mr Kim, the Chinese sent an unusually blunt warning.

~ ~ ~

Shia Fighters seize Iraqi city which the Brits returned to Iraq in August.

It's October 20 and the US has lost 74 troops (possibly more) in just 20 days.

Really wanna be depressed? Read Professor Cole's blog in which, amoungst other devastating data, he reports:

31 Percent Increase in Iraq Poverty

60 Percent Unemployment

30 Bodies Found in Baghdad



* 5.6 million Iraqis living below the poverty line. (At a population of 27 million, this is about 21% or 1/5 of the inhabitants!)

*40 percent of this number "is living in absolute and desperate deteriorated conditions." This is 2.2 million persons in the direst poverty, and 8.4 percent of the country's population-- nearly 1 in 10!

*"this level of poverty is a 35 percent increase over the level before 2003. . ."

*"Local officials and NGOs put the unemployment rate countrywide to be more than 60 percent." (The Brookings Institution recently put it at 30 percent and said that the rate has been declining. What world do they live in.)

*"the price of basic necessities in Iraq has skyrocketed over the past year."

* "A report by NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI) suggests a 70 percent rate of inflation from July 2005 to July 2006."

*"When prices are increasing and people do not get more money, poverty is also increasing," said Cedric Turlan, information officer for the NCCI.


The End of Maliki?: Will a Coup Unravel Iraq?, by Robert Dreyfuss:

A coup d'état in Iraq would put a period - or rather an exclamation point - at the end of the Bush administration's bungled experiment with democracy there. And it would open an entirely new phase in that country's post-2003 national nightmare. Would it result in the creation of a Saddam-like strongman to rule Iraq with a heavy hand? Or would it force the warring parties (Sunni insurgents, Iranian-backed Shiite militias, and Kurdish warlords) to intensify the bloody civil war that is tearing Iraq apart? No one knows.

Heck of a job Bushie.

NATO's, in Afghanistan, doing well too.

~ ~ ~

Time to Go! Inside the Worst Congress Ever, by Matt Taibbi:

Step Two: Work as Little as Possible - And Screw Up Whatever You Do

It's Thursday evening, September 28th, and the Senate is putting the finishing touches on the Military Commissions Act of 2006, colloquially known as the "torture bill." It's a law even Stalin would admire, one that throws habeas corpus in the trash, legalizes a vast array of savage interrogation techniques and generally turns the president of the United States into a kind of turbocharged Yoruba witch doctor, with nearly unlimited snatching powers. The bill is a fall-from-Eden moment in American history, a potentially disastrous step toward authoritarianism - but what is most disturbing about it, beyond the fact that it's happening, is that the senators are hurrying to get it done.

and

In the Sixties and Seventies, Congress met an average of 162 days a year. In the Eighties and Nineties, the average went down to 139 days. This year, the second session of the 109th Congress will set the all-time record for fewest days worked by a US Congress: ninety-three. That means that House members will collect their $165,000 paychecks for only three months of actual work.

What this means is that the current Congress will not only beat but shatter the record for laziness set by the notorious "Do-Nothing" Congress of 1948, which met for a combined 252 days between the House and the Senate. This Congress - the Do-Even-Less Congress - met for 218 days, just over half a year, between the House and the Senate combined.

The whole article is just fantastic and worth reading. When you're finished, follow the link there, or here for Rolling Stone's list of the 10 worst Congressmen.

It gave me a lift to an otherwise dreary day.

Did you know Habeas Corpus died yesterday? Did you notice?

Probably not.

Do you care?

I'm curious what the difference is between Bush and his signing statements, the new act he's signed into law and the old lettres de cachet?

By the way... if it matters... this new law? It's unconstitutional.

Not that it will be challenged in the Courts. Oh, the ACLU will put up some token battle, but it won't last.

Because no one cares.

This country wasn't destroyed by some brilliant enemy who invaded, overwhelmed us and took over. It was destroyed by apathy and George W. Bush.

Congrats, folks, and all hail His Imperial Majesty, King George.

It's all in the numbers

No Art Appreciation Friday. I'm not interested this week. Maybe next week.

A number has been going through my head all week. One I can't wrap my mind around.

655,000

More or less.

The Idiot in DC, only because someone told him to, says the numbers are inaccurate, the methodology is flawed or some such shit.

Really? MIT and Johns Hopkins have copies of the actual death certificates for over 90 percent of those reported dead.

90% of 655,000 is 589,500 documents.

589,500 death certificates.

Inaccurate. Flawed methodology.

Bullshit.

If you can't wrap your mind around 655,000, try 4.


~ ~ ~


Olbermann. I don't need to say anything, do I?

Documents Reveal Scope of US Database on Antiwar Protests.


~ ~ ~


October Anniversaries:

Battle of Karbala, October 10, 680, in Iraq. Battle of Tours, October 10, 732, in Tours, France.

The Bugs Bunny Show aired for the first time on ABC on October 11. I've found myself wishing for Bugs to rule the US - hell, I'd settle for Marvin the Martian.

Man, I so want my own Uranium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator. Guess you know who I'd aim it at.

October 12 is the birthday of Jonathan Trumbull, for whom my hometown was named.

On October 13, 1775 the Continental Congress orders the establishment of the Continental Navy.

While Congress deliberated, it received word that two unarmed British supply ships from England were heading towards Quebec without escort. Plans were made to intercept the ships, but the armed vessels to be used were owned by individual colonies. Of greater significance, then, was an additional plan to equip two ships under the direct authority of Congress to capture British supply transports. The plan was not carried out until October 13, 1775, when George Washington announced that he had taken command of three armed schooners under Continental authority to intercept any British supply ships near Massachusetts. With the revelation that vessels were already sailing under Continental control, the decision to add two more was made easier. The resolution was adopted and October 13 would later become known as the United States Navy's official birthday.

The Miracle of the Sun took place today, 89 years ago.

It's also Sacha Baron Cohen's birthday.

And it's Friday the 13th.

Tomorrow is 940th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.

October 15 is the 66th anniversary of the premiere of The Great Dictator, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin.

Hm. I guess it's turned into Art Appreciation Friday afterall.

Secrets. Shhh... don't tell anyone.

God and I have a love-hate relationship. Well, more to the point, I have a love-hate relationship with god. Ever just want to smack someone in the head and scream, what the fuck is your problem?... kinda sucks when that someone is... god. What makes it worse is when you actually have more faith in the Easter Bunny being real than god.

Yeah, I have issues. You must be new here if you've just figured that one out.

In any event, it's October 4. The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This is the only Saint I have any affinity with - why that is, I don't know.

I suppose part of the reason is the prayer attributed to him which was actually written several centuries after his death:

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.


With the exception of the Pater Noster and Ave Maria, it's the only prayer I ever bothered to memorize.

As for the rest of the reason, it would be that I have an odd fondness for the truly bat-shit crazy, yet harmless, people of this world. And, really, do you get any crazier than hermits who give up everything they have to wander about their known world barefoot, begging for their food, preaching peace and redemption?

The stigmata he "received" has always fascinated me. First of all, he tended to lepers early in his religious life, so I think he might have picked up the disease from them, leading to his "stigmata". However, I also think the human mind is capable of causing something like that to happen in the human body; a faith so deep, an empathic ability so strong, could cause someone to bleed.

Faith of this sort, that which it is said can move mountains, I have a great deal of respect for. I don't understand it, but I undertand the reality of it for the person who has it.

That makes no sense, does it? Ah well. I know what I mean. Which probably means I'm also bat-shit crazy.

Dogmatists and/or religious people just piss me off. There is no room in those people for the faith of others. "My way or the highway" attitudes piss me off in general, but when wrapped in religion it really steams me. Belief in god, a creator, whatever, is a deeply personal, intimate, thing. Codifying and structuring those beliefs just makes no sense to me. As far as I'm concerned everyone's path to god is right - as long as they don't try to make others conform to what they deem to be "right". Afterall, how could we be right about what god or the creator wants? How could human beings even begin to guess at the thought process of a being so far beyond us we cannot even conceptualize it?


See also The Canticle of the Creatures

Don't you hate it when there are no answers?

Foley Scandal Could Cost GOP Control of Congress

# Truthdig says: As badly as this country needs a change in the control of Congress, it would be awful for this to be the impetus. Democrats deserve the opportunity to win in November based on the strength of their ideas and policies—not via the fallout of a tawdry GOP sex scandal. But that’s the hand we’ve all been dealt.

That's what I've been thinking. Not that the Democrats have done much to form a platform this year - seriously, what are they for? What are they against? Where is The Issue(s)? There isn't a great deal of noise from the Democrats - not nearly as much as one might expect.

So the Democrats may take the House and Senate because some perv couldn't keep his sick thoughts (and please, please, let's all hope that's all he did) to himself.

Sex trumps policy. Again.

I hope the Democrats step up to the plate and make good on the opportunity they've gained.


~ ~ ~


There are five little girls from Lancaster county, PA, who dead are dead today. Last week a man sexually assaulted some girls and murdered one in Colorado. Is this a pattern or is it too soon to tell? I've never been much of a feminist... but I'm wondering and I'm seeing the same questions sort of questions on many blogs. The deep-seated lack of respect for women in the far right of the radical Christian community is very disturbing. Are those messages starting to seep up through the collective psyche? I know many people look at pornography and x-rated games and say the same thing: disrespectful, down-right dangerous, to woman. Is it part of a pattern?

I don't know. I'm just wondering.

~ ~ ~

Go read Professor Cole today:

Informed Comment:

Lies and Cover-Ups are not "Being in Denial" Foleygate, Ricegate and Insurgencygate

The right wing of the Republican Party has a problem with the truth. The American press corps has an addiction to euphemisms.

I don't understand why US reporters and editors won't call a spade a spade.

I don't understand either, Professor.

Woodward has no cred with me after his previous asskissing books on Bush and Company.

Maybe she just forgot about the Clinton plans, the way she "forgot" about the Director of the CIA informing her that his hair was on fire and he was sure that the United States was about to be attacked by al-Qaeda.

The Professor is referring to Miz "I don't recall" Rice.

Didn't that signal the downfall of the Reagan administration?

When everyone lies or covers up the lies, what do you do? What is truth? Where is it? How do you discern fact from fiction?

~ ~ ~

Wandering around the web I've noticed bloggers, at Kos as well as other sites, talking about Rove's October Surprise being the invasion of Iran - nothing new there. But they've now got a date: October 21. Supposedly there are nuclear subs headed for the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. True? Not True?

I don't know.

~ ~ ~

NATO is taking over in Afghanistan. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Hopefully it means my sister's friend Rob will be home soon.

Impeachment. The Final Solution.

Just since September 23 an estimated 461 Iraqi's have died and 15 US service personnel. In one week.

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq has released it's Human Right's Report for the period of July 1 through August 31, 2006.

Compare that report with Brit Hume's lie as reported on Faux News.

17,079 civilians have died in Iraq since March 2006.

Our military deaths have surpassed the number of people killed on September 11, 2001. Not that you would know that because it's never announced.

Read that entire UN report. We are responsible for that. It's our fault Bush and Cheney are in Iraq. It's our fault there is a civil war there now.

How many more people have to die because Bush and Cheney lied? Because we did nothing to stop them?

Impeachment. It's the only solution.

Impeach Bush

Impeach Bush

Impeach Bush

Senate Approves Detainee Bill Backed by Bush

Requiescat in Pace

I'm sick and tired of being Cassandra.

I saw a sign for gas at $2.45 this morning. Regular, self-serve.

Coincidence the election is six weeks away and that, even during Labor Day weekend, when gas prices are at their highest, the prices were coming down? From $3.05 in mid-August to $2.45 five weeks later.

Gas Is Down - Go Back to Sleep, by Kelpie Wilson.

"You know, if you were a real cynic, you could also wonder if the oil companies might not be pulling the price of gas down to help the Republicans get re-elected in the midterm elections a couple of months away."

Consumers Skeptical of Dropping Gas Prices, by Brad Foss.

Almost half of all Americans believe the November elections have more influence than market forces. For them, the plunge at the pump is about politics, not economics.

Retired farmer Jim Mohr of Lexington, Ill., rattled off a tankful of reasons why pump prices may be falling, including the end of the summer travel season and the fact that no major hurricanes have disrupted Gulf of Mexico output.

"But I think the big important reason is Republicans want to get elected," Mohr, 66, said while filling up for $2.17 a gallon. "They think getting the prices down is going to help get some more incumbents re-elected."

Why Retired Military Brass Don't Want Torture, by Charles Kaiser.

"[Vice President Dick] Cheney made mention in the days after 9/11 that he wanted to operate sort of on the dark side," Cullen said. "Here was a guy who never served, and now something terrible had happened, and he wanted to show that he was a tough guy.... So he's going to operate outside the rules of law. Bad message."

Rules of law. Interesting concept - alien to the United States of America since the election of 2000.

Never forget, the Constitution is just a goddamn piece of paper.

Robert Scheer: A War on Intelligence.

The mainstream media has pissed me off more than ever before with their discussion of the information released on from the NIE report.

Media people, that terrorism would surge was a goddamn GIVEN in January 2002 when Bush proclaimed Iraq to be one of the Axis of Evil nations. Where the fuck have you morons been since then? Anyone with an ounce of common sense KNEW in March of 2003 what would happen. Just how stupid are you people?

In the name of defending our security, the Bush administration has suppressed any intelligence information it could, ignoring the public’s right to know, as much as is feasible, what is being done in its name. We must never forget that our system of government is based on the utility of freedom that truth will expose error—and just such an accounting is long overdue.

And isn't it the job of journalists to seek out such information and report it to the public? Or do I not understand what journalism is for? You are right, sir, an accounting is due. The media must also be held up for scrutiny - they've failed, miserably, and continue to do so, when it comes to doing their job. They've done nothing, with the exception of a few, but parrot the Republican talking points for six years.

So you say you want a revolution?

How Bush Wrecked the Army

The generals' revolt has spread inside the Pentagon, and the point of the spear is one of Donald Rumsfeld's most favored officers, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff.

The trumpet sounded last month, when Schoomaker refused to give Rumsfeld a detailed Army budget proposal for fiscal year 2008. The Air Force and Navy met the Aug. 15 deadline for submitting their program requests. But Schoomaker—in an unprecedented move—said he preferred not to.

Rumsfeld had limited the Army's budget for 2008 to $114 billion. Schoomaker told him that the sum wasn't enough to maintain the Army's present commitments. Simply to repair the tanks, radios, and other equipment damaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, he would need at least another $17 billion. If he didn't get it, he said, there was no point drawing up a budget at all.

Bush and Torture

The pressure George Bush has exerted the last several weeks to obtain a law from Congress validating the decisions he has taken in the name of his "war against terror" is about to bear fruit. The Republican senators who resisted the White House assert that they have imposed a compromise on it that respects human rights. The truth is that this apparent victory hides a capitulation on an essential point: the president of the United States sees recognized the right to authorize the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) to employ methods of interrogation that respect neither American legislation nor international law as codified by the Geneva Conventions. Clearly stated, the agency will be able to resort to torture, as it very probably has already for four or five years in the secret detention sites situated outside the United States.

Even the French know McCain's assurances are connerie.

Newsweek is news-worthy next week for a couple of reasons:

Losing Afghanistan: The Rise of Jihadistan:

Editor's Note: Newsweek has scrubbed the cover of the United States edition for October 2, 2006. The cover of international editions, aimed at Europe, and other world regions has maintained the original title of the story, "LOSING AFGHANISTAN." The new cover for the United States edition features photographer Annie Leibovitz and is titled "My Life in Pictures." We offer the European edition cover and story here. -vh/TO

Seriously? Does no one in the Journalistic community have any balls? Well, other than Mr. Olbermann? Read on:

In a parched clearing a few hundred yards on, more than 100 Taliban fighters ranging in age from teenagers to a grandfatherly 55-year-old have assembled to meet their provincial commander, Muhammad Sabir. An imposing man with a long, bushy beard, wearing a brown and green turban and a beige shawl over his shoulders, Sabir inspects his troops, all of them armed with AKs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. He claims to have some 900 fighters, and says the military and psychological tide is turning in their favor. "One year ago we couldn't have had such a meeting at midnight," says Sabir, who is in his mid-40s and looks forward to living out his life as an anti-American jihadist. "Now we gather in broad daylight. The people know we are returning to power."

Not long after NEWSWEEK's visit, US and Afghan National Army forces launched a major attack to dislodge the Taliban from Ghazni and four neighboring provinces. But when NEWSWEEK returned in mid-September, Sabir's fighters were back, performing their afternoon prayers. It is an all too familiar story. Ridge by ridge and valley by valley, the religious zealots who harbored Osama bin Laden before 9/11 - and who suffered devastating losses in the US invasion that began five years ago next week - are surging back into the country's center. In the countryside over the past year Taliban guerrillas have filled a power vacuum that had been created by the relatively light NATO and US military footprint of some 40,000 soldiers, and by the weakness of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration.

Mission Accomplished!

The United States worsened an already horrifying situation by invading and then abandoning Afghanistan. We are unable to fix the damage we caused and Afghanistan is headed towards being a "lost cause" because of us.

Not long ago, the Bush administration was fond of pointing to Afghanistan as a model of transformation. That mountainous landlocked country, we were told, was being converted from a "failed state" - Al Qaeda's base for the worst ever attacks on US continental soil - into a functioning, responsible member of the international community. In speech after speech, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior US officials ticked off the happy stats: the Taliban and Al Qaeda had been routed, democratic presidential and parliamentary elections had been held, more than 3 million refugees had returned and 1.75 million girls were attending school.

Heck of a job Rummie.

The Taliban doesn't always share Al Qaeda's goals or tactics, although some units have taken up suicide bombing. But a guerrilla calling himself Commander Hemat, a former anti-Soviet mujahedin fighter who now works closely with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, says foreign Arabs are being welcomed again. "Now the money is flowing again because the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan are producing results," he told NEWSWEEK. Zabibullah, a Taliban operative who has proved reliable in the past, says the Qaeda operatives "feel more secure and can concentrate on their own business other than just surviving."

Why might that be? Because of our other disastrous foreign policy choices in the rest of the Middle East?

Does no one in the US government recognize that, as distasteful, as heinous as the Taliban and Al Qaeda and others are, they are fighting on their own soil, for their own version of governance? Did they learn nothing from Vietnam? From the Soviet's attempt to deal with Afghanistan? This will not end any time soon. They are fighting for their own survival, whatever that survival entails for them. We should never have entered Afghanistan in the first place. I said that in October of 2002 and I'm saying it now: A multinational police force should have been sent to find bin Laden - not the US or it's alllies' Armies. Carpet bombing these people back to the stone age isn't the answer. They will retreat to the hills and wait everyone out:

And while Ahmad's unit is now regrouping to the east, at least 35 Taliban have stashed their weapons and stayed in the village posing as farmers. They will lay ambushes and plant IEDs to harass Afghan and US troops, Ahmad says, and the larger Taliban force will return when it's safe. He shrugs off the setback, saying it's only temporary. "We never expected the success we've had," says Ahmad. Nor, five years ago, did anyone else.

This jihad against themselves and the West is their Revolutionary War. It began in Iran in 1979 with the overthrow of the Shah. It won't end until they exhaust themselves or win their objectives. The battle field isn't confined to just their own counties, towns and villages, but the whole world. It's no solution, but maybe we should just leave them alone and allow them to destroy each other or figure out which way to go. By illegally invading Iraq, by using brute force to find a terrorist in Afghanistan, we have made bad situations so much worse. We need to back away and allow these people to find their own way. And sort out our own "houses" before telling others how to fix theirs.

It's not a good solution. I'm not sure there is one. But I do know that what we're doing isn't working, so isn't it time to change tactics? We've gone overboard on the militaristic answers - perhaps it's time to retreat. We haven't the fiscal or human resources to deal with the problems we have exasperbated. Perhaps it's time to call in the United Nations and ask them to work with the Arab League to fix this nightmare.

Before it's too late.

Reasons to impeach

But if his own fitness to serve is of no true concern to him, perhaps we should simply sigh and keep our fingers crossed, until a grown-up takes the job three Januarys from now.

Read the entirety of Mr. Olbermann's comments yesterday evening, "Are YOURS the actions of a true American?", at Crooks and Liars.

And now you exploit your failure, to rationalize brazen torture — which doesn’t work anyway; which only condemns our soldiers to water-boarding; which only humiliates our country further in the world; and which no true American would ever condone, let alone advocate.And there it is, sir:

Are yours the actions of a true American?

What dreams may come

I don't remember my dreams. Bits and pieces float to the top sometimes, but I don't really remember anything.

Nancy at Starlight News just freaked me out this morning.

"We are standing at the Rubicon with this torture issue."

Saturday morning I woke remembering a piece of a dream. I was standing on the river bank alone. The land around the river was beige and dried out. For a long time I just stood there in silence. Eventually I became aware I was not alone and turned around to face Ceasar. Behind him was the entire Roman army.

Cross or not. It's your choice.

When I woke I thought "That was weird" and just dismissed it - until I read Nancy's essay this morning "Standing at the Rubicon".

She said to feel free to pass it on ~ so I am.

I am posting this essay from an email list I am on. I encourage everyone to read it and pass it on, especially to all Democratic Congressmen and Senators. We are standing at the Rubicon with this torture issue.

The Daily Brew
September 25, 2006
Chance of a Lifetime

I realize that the entire leftwing blogosphere is apoplectic because Democrats failed to even participate in the deal cut last Thursday allowing Bush to torture people. I don’t see why. I am probably too optimistic, but I think Rove has finally outsmarted himself.

For years Democrats (including myself) have bitched and moaned that GOP talking points fit neatly onto bumper stickers, while it takes a thirty page white paper with 200 footnotes to explain the Democratic alternative. For once, the shoe is on the other foot. The GOP has given us the opportunity to make the Republicans the Torture Party. We ought to run with it.

Every time Bush has squarely addressed the issue, he has denied that “we” torture people. That tells me two things. First, it tells me that Bush is lying. I saw the pictures from Abu Gharib. Bush is definitely in the torture business. Second, and almost as important, it tells me that the word “torture” doesn’t poll well for Rove. So if you keep calling Bush a torturer, he will have to keep denying it. So lets do it.

For Anne Coulter and Michelle Malkin, the fact that Bush is morphing into Josef Mengele is a plus, but we are not getting the pro-torture votes anyway. For all the normal folks whose sense of morality forces Bush to deny he tortures people, this debate is a gift from God.

Is there a better sound bite than “I oppose torture”? Is there an easier thing to say than “I am not going to vote for this bill. Torture is immoral. Torturing people who haven’t even been charged with a crime endangers both our troops and the American public. If we make it US policy to torture people who have done nothing wrong, based on the mere suspicion that they might know something useful, is there any doubt that foreign governments will likewise subject our troops and US citizens traveling abroad to the same treatment”?

Sure, we all know that once we start, the right wing noise machine will spring into action. But for once, we’ve got them where we want them. Out talking points are simple. Theirs are not. Just by having the debate, we win it.

The actual bill is a complicated mess. Unless you are an endowed chair at the Yale law school, good luck figuring out what it means. So when we say “Torture is wrong,” they have to say “The bill does not authorize torture. Under paragraph 3(g)(4) subsection iii, the proposed legislation clearly provides that….” Yada, yada, yada. Get the idea?

Little Suzy Swingvoter and her husband Joe the Undecided Working Guy aren’t going to listen to the whole debate, and they damn sure aren’t going to read the bill. Their impressions are going to be formed on the basis of sound bites, and in this debate, we have the better sound bites. We can make the GOP the Torture Party. All we have to do is make sure we don’t give them any bi-partisan cover, and repeatedly
force them to deny that they are torturing people. We will come out miles ahead.

If the Rove tries to debate this bill by saying that Democrats are soft on terrorism, then the GOP implicitly concedes that the bill authorizes torture, and we win; the GOP is the Torture Party. The tougher they act, the more they cement the idea that they are torturing people. On the other hand, if they try to make convoluted arguments about how much you have to harm people before it is actually considered torture, then they are dancing on the head of a pin with the devil, and the GOP is the Party of Torture with Law Degrees. The more they deny the bill authorizes torture, the more they undercut their own message that Democrats are soft on terrorism. We win both ways.

All Democrats have to do is keep making simple statements over and over. “Torture is wrong.” “Torture is Un-American.” What is the GOP going to do? Say torture is a family value? All Democrats need to do is trust that the American people will reject torture.

Maybe Digby is right. Maybe the Democrats have been “punked.” Maybe a mere six weeks from the fall election, Democrats will again take the seemingly safe route, meekly sit back, say nothing, and allow the compromise to become law. McCain will get to play the Republican rebel maverick, who did the moral thing and looked out for the troops. Bush will get to play the Republican statesman and leader, who showed that he is committed to protecting Americans but that he is willing to listen and compromise, and Democrats will look like ciphers who don’t have the stones to even say a word when the most important moral issue confronting the government is being debated.

On the other hand, maybe pigs will fly, and the Democrats will finally get smart. Maybe Harry Ried and Nancy Pelosi will realize that when it comes to torture, good policy, good morals, and good politics all converge. Maybe Democrats will stand up for the idea that torture is wrong, and hang this atrocity around the necks of the entire Republican party like a burning tire.

Of course, if they don’t, then I don’t really care what happens. For me, we reach the Rubicon this week. Any political party that won’t stand up and be counted against torture is not a party that I want to be associated with, regardless of how evil the alternative. I think opposing torture is a political winner. But even if I am wrong, and standing up against torture will cost the Democrats the majority, then
SO BE IT, they should do it anyway.

Anyone in Congress who isn’t willing to risk their seat to oppose torture I don’t want in power regardless of what party they are in. If a Democrat doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing on an issue this basic and fundamental, then they are a coward who is unworthy of their seat. We should make any Democrat who gives the GOP bipartisan cover for this abomination the “Joe Lieberman” of every future election they enter. If they aren’t smart enough to see that doing the right thing here is a long term political winner for the party, even if they are worried it might cost them their job in the short run, then they are more committed to their own power than our principles, and to hell with them.
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Art Appreciation Friday

When I'm an old lady, I think I'll take up quilting. I do some sewing now, crafting, cross-stitching, embroidery, etc., but quilting takes time I really don't have right now. So, when I'm an old lady, I'll quilt.

My maternal Grandmother spent her retirement quilting. I have one which I took out of the press this morning, which is what got me thinking about quilting and making quilts the topic of Art Appreciation day. Head on over to the Museum of the American Quilter's Society and take a good look at the amazing art they have on display there. Also take a look at the Society's website where I found the picture of the quilt above by Jan Hutchison of Sedgwick, Kansas.





The quilt above is called "Camelot", by Judy Garden of Ontario, Canada. Amazing. It won Best in Show and I'm not surprised.


Now wander over to the New England Quilt Museum and check out Happy Birthday America, also known as "Centennial Quilt, 1876", which was made by Mary Haddy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.





My favorite of their collection is the one above ~ "Album Summer Coverlet" made around 1850 in New York by an unknown quilter.





The town of Shelton, Connecticut, and the Friends of the Library, have a Bicentennial Quilt, above, which will be on display at the New England Quilt Museum until October 22. I'm trying to gather friends to head up to Lowell with me on October 14. Cross your fingers!

I either have to stop paying attention to the outside world

or start taking massive doses of prozac.

Bush went to the UN yesterday and lied. Huge surprise, no?

Wanna be depressed just like me? Read the UN News Centre. I imagine Mr. Annan is glad his job is over at year end, regardless of what he said at the end of his speech.

No, I will not share my drugs with you.

Gaza: The Children Killed in a War the World Doesn't Want to Know About, by Donald Macintyre.

Okay... less depressing fare ~

Thai Coup Leader Promises to Hold Elections by October 2007.

That's good. Except... there were supposed be elections in October 2006.

Tuesday night's coup was the first in 15 years and the 18th successful or attempted military takeover since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

"It's part of who we are," says Rosenbaum. "It's not enough [to feed the poor]. We have to say, 'What needs to change so they're able to feed themselves?' "

Fascinating article from the Christian Science Monitor from February entitled "The power of nun: taking a lead role in shareholder activism" by G. Jeffrey MacDonald.

Check out their list of articles on Ethical investing.

Church May Fight IRS Summons Over Anti-War Sermon:

The probe surprised Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a watchdog group that has filed 58 complaints of improper church politicking over the last decade and a half. The grievances were roughly evenly divided between liberal and conservative religious groups.

"What perplexes me about All Saints," said Barry Lynn, a group spokesman, "is that I have never heard of a church being asked to undergo such a sweeping, broad and deep investigation on the basis of a complaint about a single sermon by a guest speaker."

I'm confused. Don't politicians routinely speak in churchs and synagogues?

In any event, good luck All Saints. Fighting the IRS is apt to bankrupt your congreation. Truthdig has Reverend Bacon's sermon available for reading.

While at Truthdig, see Molly. Even when she doesn't make me laugh.

pondering

"If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler." Alfonso the Wise, 13th century King of Castile, commenting on the Almagest, by Ptolemy.

~ ~ ~

"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression: for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach unto himself." Thomas Paine

~ ~ ~

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences." C. S. Lewis

~ ~ ~

"The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it." John Hay

~ ~ ~

I watched Studio 60 Monday night. I wasn't wow'd - but it was okay. I guess I just expected more from Aaron Sorkin. I still remember how amazed, awed, I was by The West Wing the first time I saw it and I guess I was expecting the same reaction.

death by dogma

Daniel Ellsberg: Time to Drive Out the Bush Regime

We are in a crisis right now. It’s known to us, more than it was known to almost anyone outside the White House in 1969. A genuine crisis. We are looking at a very high likelihood, I believe, as I read the Seymour Hersh articles about a new war, a new attack on Iran which could involve nuclear weapons— it has been explicitly described as having the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons. The president, Rice, Rumsfeld—they have all been asked specifically: Do we rule out nuclear weapons? They answer, “All options are on the table, nothing is ruled out.” And Hersh reveals that plans have been made for the use of nuclear weapons. This would be a new war in addition then to Iraq, quite possibly much, much worse than Iraq in all of its consequences. This is too crazy to imagine with any other administration. If Hersh were giving those stories about some other administration, whether it’s George Bush
Sr. or Gore or whoever it might be, I would say “impossible.” The costs of this are too obvious, too horrific, they couldn’t really mean that. You can’t say that about this administration, [though] many people do. The ones who say that it’s too crazy even for these guys I think they are on the wrong foot. It’s not too crazy for these guys. The people who did get us into Iraq are—according to Hersh—on the same kind of “reasoning,” prepared to do that to Iran.

US Holds AP photographer in Iraq for 5 months

"We want the rule of law to prevail. He either needs to be charged or released. Indefinite detention is not acceptable," said Tom Curley, AP's president and chief executive officer. "We've come to the conclusion that this is unacceptable under Iraqi law, or Geneva Conventions, or any military procedure." Hussein is one of an estimated 14,000 people detained by the U.S. military worldwide — 13,000 of them in Iraq. They are held in limbo where few are ever charged with a specific crime or given a chance before any court or tribunal to argue for their freedom.

Hm. Surprised he hasn't been shipped off to Guantanamo. It's an interesting story and gives insight into how media organizations work.


The Longer the War, the Larger the Lies by Frank Rich:

You'd think that after having been caught concocting the scenario that took the nation to war in Iraq, the White House would mind the facts now. But this administration understands our culture all too well. This is a country where a cable news network (MSNBC) offers in-depth journalism about one of its anchors (Tucker Carlson) losing a prime-time dance contest and where conspiracy nuts have created a cottage industry of books and DVD's by arguing that hijacked jets did not cause 9/11 and that the 9/11 commission was a cover-up.

(The fictionalized "Path to 9/11," supposedly based on the commission's report, only advanced the nuts' case.) If you're a White House stuck in a quagmire in an election year, what's the percentage in starting to tell the truth now? It's better to game the system.

The untruths are flying so fast that untangling them can be a full-time job. Maybe that's why I am beginning to find Dick Cheney almost refreshing. As we saw on "Meet the Press" last Sunday, these days he helpfully signals when he's about to lie. One dead giveaway is the word context, as in "the context in which I made that statement last year." The vice president invoked "context" to try to explain away both his bogus predictions: that Americans would be greeted as liberators in Iraq and that the insurgency (some 15 months ago) was in its "last throes."

Spy Agencies Outsourcing to fill key jobs

Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, at the sheer stupidity of humanity. Who the fuck thought the above was a good idea?

Largely because of the demands of the war on terrorism and the drawn-out conflict in Iraq, U.S. spy agencies have turned to unprecedented numbers of outside contractors to perform jobs once the domain of government-employed analysts and secret agents.

In one well-known case, David A. Passaro was hired as a contractor with the CIA's paramilitary service even though he had a record of abusive behavior and had been fired by a Connecticut police department. Passaro was convicted of felony assault earlier this year in federal court in North Carolina for his role in the beating of a detainee who died in Afghanistan in 2003. U.S. intelligence officials said that Passaro's case was an aberration and that security problems had not been more frequent among contractors than among career officers.

Uh huh. Right.

A review of the practice has been ordered.

~ ~ ~


Pope remarks worry Christians in Mideast

"We are afraid," said Sonia Kobatazi, a Christian Lebanese, after Sunday morning Mass at the Maronite Christian St. George Cathedral in Beirut, Lebanon, where about a dozen policemen carrying automatic weapons stood guard outside.

They should be worried. When I read the text of the speech last week I couldn't help but roll my eyes and shake my head. What the Pope said isn't that bad - but after the controversy which exploded over a cartoon earlier this year, you'd think someone would say... "um, maybe this speech isn't such a great idea right now...". The Islamic world is an angry, pain-filled, place; any criticism is going to come across as a huge slap in the face.

You'd think church leaders would be a little more cognizant of that than I am. Hopefully the Vatican will cancel the Holy Father's visit to Turkey. If some nut kills him, the radical right wing of the Catholic faith will launch a crusade of their own. They might even be joined by the radical right wing of the rest of Christianity.

Suggestion: Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa maybe called for right now.

See also: ‘God’s Rottweiler’ Barks by Sam Harris.


Have you seen ads for Jesus Camp online? Sadly (because I'm still boycotting ABC/Disney) ABC News has one of the better reviews of the movie, via Raw Story: Film Shows Youths Training to Fight for Jesus, by Dan Harris.

Speaking in tongues, weeping for salvation, praying for an end to abortion and worshipping a picture of President Bush -- these are some of the activities at Pastor Becky Fischer's Bible camp in North Dakota, "Kids on Fire," subject of the provocative new documentary, "Jesus Camp."

I think I see a problem here. I mean Hellooooo...

(2) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; (3) you shall have no other gods before me. (4) You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, (6) but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

From the Bible according to Wiki.

"We're kinda being trained to be warriors," said another, "only in a funner way."

And didn't Jesus say:

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV)"

Also

A parallel version is offered in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke:

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,"

"Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." (Luke 6:28-31. King James Version)

Also from Wiki.

Another reivew is available via Rotton Tomatoes, Jesus Camp 9/10:

Anyhow, this is a must see for anyone brought up in a religious environment or anybody that is a thinking voter in the US. Perhaps you'll want to align yourself with these people...I don't. When it comes to faith, for me, I consider it a very personal thing and however I choose to connect with God is probably just fine with him. The evangelicals can continue speaking in fake tongues and indoctrinating generations to vote Republican because Jesus was Republican...yeah right. My review, along with any others that think this group a bit crazy, will be disimissed by evangelicals because...well, consider the source. There's no way that a movie reviewer that openly admits being a Christian but disagrees with them could be a Christian of any substance. I'm not terribly concerned about what they're doing at their camps or in their church services...they can worship the best way they see fit. But they don't agree with the way I conduct my day to day business, and are willing to change government to make changes to the way you and I worship, think, and what we're allowed to see/hear...and they're succeeding. Like I said... disturbing.

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!

Refrain:

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.

At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

(Refrain)

Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

(Refrain)

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
but the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail.

(Refrain)

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
this through countless ages men and angels sing.

(Refrain)


~ ~ ~


Remembering Ann Richards by Molly Ivins.


White Buffalo

"The birth of a white male buffalo means men need to take responsibility for their families and the future of the tribe," Hand said.


I hope Studio 60 lives up to it's hype. I'll be watching at 10 tonight.

Art Appreciation Friday

My favorite opera is Carmen. My apologies for the Japanese subtitles. Unless, of course, you are Japanese... in which case, you're welcome.

Here's another version:

The object formerly known as 2003 UB313

is now known as Eris, who was the Greek Goddess of strife.

Fitting, that. Better than Xena too.

Eris has a Moon, named Dysnomia, which is a daughter of Eris in Greek mythology. It means lawlessness.

Also fitting, given the current conditions in the world.

Pluto has been given a new name to reflect its new status as a dwarf planet.

In other news... I'm using the new beta and I'm going to start using tags.

Provided I remember to use them.

Abuse of power

West Bank: a government in jail

Barghouthi was one of scores of Palestinian officials arrested by Israel after Shalit's abduction, including 33 elected members of the Palestinian legislative council and five cabinet ministers. Most have been held without charges, as Israeli law permits when someone presents a security threat. Some, according to a request by the Monitor for information on their cases from the IDF, are accused of "membership in an illegal organization" - Hamas.

Barghouthi, an independent who is not a member of Hamas but was appointed to the Ministry of Labor because of his professional management credentials, was released more than six weeks later on Aug. 14. By then, he was so thin and disheveled, his family recalls, that when he came home his children cried and his mother collapsed.

Ten Big News Stories You Aren't Hearing


If you are as old as I am (which is slightly older then dirt) you will recognize the names John Dean and Liz Holtzman.

If not then start learning your history kids.

John Dean and Liz Holtzman Square off on Impeaching Bush

The impeachment proceeding against Bill Clinton was itself a congressional abuse of power. There were no grounds for impeachment. It was a partisan effort to undo an election. It was not to protect the country from an abuse of power, which is what impeachment is all about. The framers understood—because they had lived through a monarchy—that when you have a president, even though you have a limited four-year term, even though you have checks and balances through the Supreme Court and the Congress, a president can still abuse his power, become a despot, oppress the people, and have to be removed from office. That’s why they created the impeachment power; it’s part of the way of preserving our democracy; but it has to be very carefully used, because it undoes the results of a presidential election. It cannot be used as the Republican majority tried to [with Clinton]. The American people won’t stand for it and shouldn’t stand for it.

Contra-wise, when you have a president who so seriously abuses his power as President Bush does, who signs a bill into law but says that he doesn’t have to obey it; that he doesn’t have to obey 750 bills that became laws because of his signature; that he doesn’t have to obey the explicit terms of the federal wiretapping law.... What happens to a democracy if a president says, “I’m above the law”? We dealt with that in the Nixon impeachment. The Supreme Court dealt with it when President Truman said, “I’m the commander in chief; I can seize steel mills.” [In the famous Youngstown decision] The Supreme Court said no.

by Elizabeth Holtzman

Wandering down memory lane

Man, I'm so old. The first song I learned the complete lyrics to was "Leaving on a Jet Plane". I think I was four or five. I know my parents and I were still living on Shawnee Lane in Trumbull.

I still remember all the words. It was on the radio so often when I was a kid, the lyrics just stuck with me.





Where's the music of the protest movement? Shit, for that matter... where's the protest movement?







I couldn't find a video of PP&M doing one of their songs that's been stuck in my head for days now, so here's the lyrics:

Tell me why you’re crying, my son
I know you’re frightened, like everyone
Is it the thunder in the distance you fear?
Will it help if I stay very near?
I am here.

Refrain:
And if you take my hand my son
All will be well when the day is done.
And if you take my hand my son
All will be well when the day is done.
Day is done, day is done
Day is done, day is done

Do you ask why I’m sighing, my son?
You shall inherit what mankind has done.
In a world filled with sorrow and woe
If you ask me why this is so, I really don’t know.

(refrain)

Tell me why you’re smiling my son
Is there a secret you can tell everyone?
Do you know more than men that are wise?
Can you see what we all must disguise
Through your loving eyes?

(refrain)



~ ~ ~

Airline Could Pull Ads From ABC.

Good. I hope they sue too.

Fall Fashion Statement: Fear is the new black

Finally, it's September 12.

I've been avoiding the bullshit about September 11 all weekend. By bullshit I mean the false mourning of the Media and the politicalization of our sorrow over that horrible day by the President. Oh, and the out-right lies by ABC/Disney.

Sickening. And a slap in the face to those who died that day - to all who lived through it and all who lost someone they loved.

So, I avoided all contact with it.

It is beyond shameful"

~ ~ ~


Global Media Abhors US Response to 9/11


September 11, Permanent Fear

"Humanity now is under the impression of living in a state of permanent insecurity, where fears of violent death and of a nasty, brutish, and short life dominate," political scientist Pierre Hassner explained already in 2003. "The issue therefore, has become that, in order to eliminate fear of the other - by definition a mysterious, multiform, and more or less anonymous other - further risks are taken that give birth to other fears: the risks of outrages to personal freedom and the fear of violence coming from those same states or empires that we had charged with protecting us."

Dedicating September 11th to Bush

George W. Bush is an ordinary human being, in fact a quite stupid one. So are all of his handlers. They are ordinary people, and we have the power, should we choose to use it, to throw them out of our public housing.

Gaping Holes in the 9/11 Narrative

After five years of official deceit, it is not too difficult to believe that the isolation of those prisoners was done less for reasons of learning the truth about 9/11 and more in an effort to politically manage the narrative released to the public.

The Day That Changed Everything Wasn't 9/11

A recent poll tells us that only 14% of Americans feel safer now than they did five years ago. Seventy-nine percent expect another attack on U.S. soil within the next year, and 60% think it's likely in the next few months. Four out of five say that "we will always have to live with the threat of terrorism," though only one in five admits to being "personally very concerned about an attack" in his or her own area. A Florida woman captured the prevailing mood when she told a reporter: "When I stop to think about it, I don't feel very safe. But then again, on a day-to-day basis, I feel fine." As Rep. Peter King, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, put it: "It's like we live in two parallel existences."

~ ~ ~


The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.


~ ~ ~


Do you want to stop living in fear? Impeach Bush. It's that simple.

Impeach Bush.

Impeach Bush.

Impeach Bush.

Impeach Bush.

Impeach Bush.

This just cracked me up

I need a hobby or a life or something.

Pointless Palaver

Freeway Blogger - Impeach Campaign

~ ~ ~



Why isn't the United States government interested in capturing Osama bin Laden anymore?


~ ~ ~



Live in fear.

Is There Still a Terrorist Threat?

Or live in truth.

It's your choice.


~ ~ ~


Raising Yousuf, Unplugged

Gaza seems so far away, yet it is every day in my heart. And it pains me to watch it suffer in the distance. I miss everything, from its sweeping, desolate shores to all it embodies in madness and character. But as I watched what little news I could stomach on the television, I realized, we are not considerd as human; our tears, our blood, it is all more affordable. An entire population is still surrounded, deprived, occupied, but its ok-things are calm on the northern front, that's all that matters.

Gaza's Darkness

In large parts of Gaza nowadays, there is no electricity. Israel bombed the only power station in Gaza, and more than half the electricity supply will be cut off for at least another year. There's hardly any water. Since there is no electricity, supplying homes with water is nearly impossible. Gaza is filthier and smellier than ever: Because of the embargo Israel and the world have imposed on the elected authority, no salaries are being paid and the street cleaners have been on strike for the past few weeks. Piles of garbage and obnoxious clouds of stink strangle the coastal strip, turning it into Calcutta.

UN warns of Gaza 'breaking point'

Updates and Cartoons

Hat tip to AMERICABlog for posting this letter from the Democratic leadership of the United States Senate to Robert Iger, President of The Walt Disney Company:

September 7, 2006

Mr. Robert A. Iger
President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521

Dear Mr. Iger,

We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney’s plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation.

The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.

Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, “When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right.”

Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong.

Despite claims by your network’s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree.

Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, “As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission’s findings the way that they had.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as “deeply flawed” and said of the program’s depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, “It’s 180 degrees from what happened.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, “he thought they were making things up.” [MSNBC, September 7, 2006]

Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns.

These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows.

Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings. Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace.

As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, “It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why – so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer.”

Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Byron Dorgan

Scathing. I hope it works.


~ ~ ~

Think Progress is requesting help in pressuring ABC/Disney to pull the program "The Path to 9/11".


~ ~ ~


Clinton Officials Protest 9/11 Mini-Series:

Calls to ABC seeking comment Thursday were not returned.

Neither were emails. None of the dozens of emails I sent yesterday were responded to. I didn't think they would be.


~ ~ ~


In case you missed Keith Olbermann the other night, Truthout.org has the transcript: Have You No Sense of Decency, Sir?.

More over, Mr. Bush, you are accomplishing in part what Osama Bin Laden and others seek - a fearful American populace, easily manipulated, and willing to throw away any measure of restraint, any loyalty to our own ideals and freedoms, for the comforting illusion of safety.

~ ~ ~


Election 2006 & World War III:

As Americans go to the polls in two months, they should have one thought fixed in their minds: they will be voting on whether to commit the nation to fighting World War III against large segments of the world's one billion Muslims. Beyond the cost in blood and treasure, this war will mean the end of the United States as a democratic Republic.

~ ~ ~


Disney wasn't always in service to evil.

"To speak his thoughts is every freeman's right, in peace and war, in council and in fight."

Homer

Some freedoms are too important to be abused.

~ ~ ~

So Bush has finally admitted to what everyone else has known for months... we're operating illegal prisons. Surprise! They lied again. I've lost track of how many times this has happened.

Do you hear anyone in Congress using the I word yet? Nope, me neither. What's it going to take? Seriously, do these people have to bbq the baby Jesus before Congress begins impeachment hearings?

~ ~ ~

ABC television is to air a "docudrama" about September 11 on September 10 and 11. It contains numerous factual errors - it's so bad former President Clinton has requested it not be aired.

I suggest that you not watch this program. I also suggest you not purchase products or use services provided by the following companies:

ABC Network and ABC Radio and all of their affiliates
ESPN
ABC Family
Disney Channel
Toon Disney
SOAPnet
Walt Disney Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Miramax Films
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Pixar

This list hurts me - Publishing:

Book Publishing Imprints
Hyperion
Miramax Books
ESPN Books
TheiaABC Daytime Press
Hyperion Audiobooks
Hyperion East
Disney Publishing Worldwide
Cal Publishing Inc.
CrossGen
Hyperion Books for Children
Jump at the SunVolo
Michael di Caupa Books
Disney Global Children's Books
Disney Press Global Retail
Global Continuity

They also publish:

Automotive Industries
Biography
Discover
Disney Adventures
Disney Magazine
ECN News
ESPN Magazine
Family Fun
Institutional Investor
JCK
Kodin
Video Business
Quality

Do not go to:

Disneyland Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort
Disneyland Resort Paris
Hong Kong Disneyland
The Disney Store
Disney Cruise Line
ESPN Zone
Disney Toys
The Baby Einstein Company
Walt Disney Internet Group

A large portion of this list was created by someone identifying themselves as Boycott ABC/ Disney/ ESPN at AMERICABlog. Also, Scholastic Books is (was maybe?) going to distribute this film, this "docudrama" to kids. I suggest complaining to them at:

1-800-SCHOLASTIC
(1-800-724-6527)
custserv@scholastic.com
www.scholastic.com/custsupport/index.htm

Edited to add: SCHOLASTIC REPLACES “THE PATH TO 9/11” CLASSROOM GUIDE WITH NEW DISCUSSION MATERIALS FOCUSING ON CRITICAL THINKING AND MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS, which will be available on September 8, 2006.

"Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful... Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.

" Charles Bradlaugh

In ordinary circumstances, I would agree with the esteemed British reformer. But when we live in an era where the press refuses to address the abuses of a government, when the government refuses to address the abuses of one of its branches, freedoms we normally just take for granted must be guarded against those who will turn them against us. ABC/Disney, et al, are using the Mass Media to tell lies about one of the most painful days in the history of this country. This administration has done nothing but wave the bloody flag of 9/11 at us for five years. They have used that horrifying day to justify the continuing evisceration of our civil liberties, to wage wars on people who had nothing to do with that sad, cruel day.

I haven't seen the other films about September 11 and probably never will. I don't like that they've been produced - it's too soon, the pain is still too deep - but I don't object to them because they don't seem to have an agenda. They are only telling a story. "The Path to 9/11" seems to have a slant to it, so that others are blamed for the destruction of the Towers, the Pentagon, the crash into the Pennsylvania field. The message seems to be that Democrats, and the previous administration in particular, are to blame for what happened five years ago. Two months before an election. Coincidence?

The sad reality is no one, no one government, can prevent determined people from doing something horrible if they have the will and the money to do so. Five years on we are still not dealing with the root causes of terrorism: poverty of mind, of body, of soul. Charismatic and evil people cannot take root and flourish in regions where all people have enough to eat, safe water to drink, medicine or access to it, free education and the right to worship the Creator of their choosing. Without those basic necessities of life people can be led to strap bombs onto themselves and blow up ships, bars, hotels; they can be convinced that the best way to their Creator is to fly planes into buildings. They have nothing left to live for and everything to gain in the afterlife. Being a martyr brings honor, and occassionally much needed cash, to families left behind in this life. It's a win-win situation for them. Until their needs are addressed there will always be people willing to listen to anyone who promises them something, anything, better than what they have right now.

Please don't buy or use products or services listed above. Instead, send some money to:

Oxfam
Heifer
AmeriCares

or a charity of your choice ~ you can find many other worthy organizations at Charity Navigator.

Just testing

Blogger had issues with the pictures from last week so I'm testing with roses this week.

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof"

It's been a busy week.

Busy with what I no longer remember.

Busy.

I'm tired. Not quite sure why, but I am. I think I'll spend the weekend unwinding.

Quietly.

I've been trying to ignore the anniversary of Katrina. I can still feel the rage leftover from last year. Just thinking about it starts the bile rising.

I've been trying to ignore Iraq, Iran, Bush and his evil cohorts.

I'm not succeeding, but I'm stubborn enough to keep trying.

Anger. Deep, deep anger. It's not a good thing to live with. I'm angry with this country; I'm angry with the stupidity of humanity. With things I cannot control. So, why should they control me?

Sick world. Always has been, always will be. It pisses me off and I should just let it go.

So, I'm letting go.

Well, I'm trying.

I get brownie points for that, right?

I'll settle for brownies.

Onward!


Friday is art appreciation day!

And today's artist is: William Bouguereau.




Petites Maraudeuses



La Charité



Petite mendiante



L'art et la litterature



L'innocence

There is so much more at that site ~ Art Renewal Center. Well named. In addition to William Bouguereau, see the works of Lord Frederick Leighton, John William Godward and any others who might strike your fancy.

Renew yourself.

~ ~ ~

Today's title, children, is from Leonard Cohen's song Hallelujah.


I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you

And even though

It all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah




Hallelujah.

Awww...

Poor Pluto. No longer a planet.

I can't access the IAU website for text of the decision yet.

Probably because the rest of the planet is doing so.

A bit more sense

is coming out of the IAU:

Positing new planets divides astronomers.

I do think Pluto should be left alone (though I'm glad to see the term "pluton" is, apparently, history). It's been a planet for 76 years - leave it that way.

Not quite sure what to make of the "dwarfs", but I will have the soundtrack to Snow White running through my head for the rest of the day.

Does the term "orbital dominance" strike anyone else as a bit... kinky?

Edited to add ~

I Heart Pluto

"The solar system is a mess."

Funny! Hat tip to AstroCocktail for pointing this article out.

BY THE LIGHT OF A BURNING BRIDGE: A Permanent Goodbye to the United States by Michael C. Ruppert.

My country is dead. Its people have surrendered to tyranny, and in so doing, they have become tyranny’s primary support group; its base constituency; its chief defender. Every day they offer their endorsement of tyranny by banking in its banks and spending their borrowed money with the corporations that run it. The great Neocon strategy of George H.W. Bush has triumphed. Convince the American people that they can’t live without the “good things”, then sit back and watch as they endorse the progressively more outrageous crimes you commit as you throw them bones with ever-less meat on them. All the while, lock them into debt. Destroy the middle class, the only political base that need be feared. Make them accept, because of their own shared guilt, ever-more repressive police state measures. Do whatever you want.

~ ~ ~


Impeach

Call To Action

Impeach For Peace

Evidence

After Downing Street - Resource Center

Draft of Articles of Impeachment

Impeach

Call To Action

Impeach For Peace

Evidence

After Downing Street - Resource Center

Draft of Articles of Impeachment

Woke up to a whole new definition of the local space.

This is weird.

Nine Planets Become 12 with Controversial New Definition

I'm with Michael Brown on this one:

"It's flattering to be considered discoverer of the 12th planet," Brown said in a telephone interview. He applauded the committee's efforts but said the overall proposal is "a complete mess." By his count, the definition means there are already 53 known planets in our solar system with countless more to be discovered.

Alan Boss said:

"It looks to me like a definition that was written by a committee of lawyers, not a committee of scientists," Boss said. "I think these criteria are as arbitrary as any other you might come up with."

and again, I agree.

Here's the draft: Draft Resolution 5 for GA-XXVI: Definition of a Planet

Bizarre.

I consider Pluto a planet, though I understand the argument that says it's not. But 12 planets, including Ceres, which is (in my opinion) clearly an asteroid? Holy frioles Batman! I hope this doesn't pass the IAU.

That's all folks - for today, anyway

The Israeli-Lebanon truce is holding. I'm still betting some fool will do something stupid to end it. Mr. Ahmadinejad isn't helping keep things peaceful: Ahmadinejad gives 'victory speech' before masses

"The problem in Lebanon did not end with the obtaining of a ceasefire. A holding of account with Israel must be held and with those who stood at its side. The stance of America and Israel harmed the image of the Security Council. The two don't have the right to be members of the Security Council," said the Iranian president. He added that "the nations of the area demand a Middle East clean from the American-British hegemony."

Syrian President Bashar doesn't want to be left out, so he's cheering on Hezbollah as well. As I said yesterday, this isn't much of victory for anyone - but try telling that to Mssrs. Ahmadinejad and Bashar, as well as Bush and Olmert.

If everyone claims victory, does that mean no one wins?

The end of August and beginning of September should be interesting.


I've read Seymour Hersh's take on the Israeli attack on Lebanon. For the most part, it makes sense, and some points I thought of in July, especially about this being a dress-rehersal for an Iran invasion. And since Bush thinks Israel won... you gotta wonder what these fools are going to do next.

"The Israeli plan, according to the former senior intelligence official, was “the mirror image of what the United States has been planning for Iran.” (The initial U.S. Air Force proposals for an air attack to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity, which included the option of intense bombing of civilian infrastructure targets inside Iran, have been resisted by the top leadership of the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps, according to current and former officials. They argue that the Air Force plan will not work and will inevitably lead, as in the Israeli war with Hezbollah, to the insertion of troops on the ground.)"

“There is no way that Rumsfeld and Cheney will draw the right conclusion about this,” he said. “When the smoke clears, they’ll say it was a success, and they’ll draw reinforcement for their plan to attack Iran.”

Read the article and draw your own conclusions.



How I never quite fell for South Africa

"After almost four years in Johannesburg, the time has come to move on, and I do so with a sense of detachment. This never really became home. Partly it was running to the airport every other week for overseas trips; partly it was being white and European; but mainly it was because South Africa was such a fraught place to live. The anxiety about crime, the crunching on racial eggshells, the juxtaposition of first-world materialism with third-world squalor - it all added up."

Excellent article by Rory Carroll of the "Guardian Unlimited".