The fact that there were voter irregularities in 1960 in no way justifies the same behavior of the Bush campaign in 2000 and 2004. I know that the logic of two wrongs do not make a right appalls conservatives who would enjoy seeing the U.S. turn into a fascist military dicatorship that annihilates the Middle East, Cuba, and Venezuela, but I believe in a better world. How many millions died when the U.S. suppressed the leftist grassroots uprising in Indonesia in 1965 and installed Suharto. How about all the deaths in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, and now Iraq? The U.S. has …
All 172 comments by...
Liberal
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This excerpt from a recent article on tompaine.com summarizes nicely the tactics the GOP used to help steal the presidential election in Ohio in 2004: "Start with the run-up to Election Day. Acting under orders from a partisan Republican Secretary of State, J. Kenneth Blackwell, who also co-chaired the state’s Bush-Cheney campaign, local officials purged 300,000 voters from the state between 2000 and 2004. Did Democratic groups registering new voters in the summer of 2004 know they were playing catch-up, not getting ahead, with registration? No. Did these same groups know which precincts in minority and other Democratic strongholds would receive …
Posted to Was the Presidential Election Stolen?
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Scorp said: "And free-market economics in a democratic environment consistently delivers jobs, growth, and efficiency unparalleled in the world." The problem with that statement is that the United States has consistently favored autocracy that allows unfettered foreign investment over democratic movements in nations that promote socialism. The U.S. helped Suharto to massacre the left-wing social movements in Indonesia in the 1960s, which from that point on contained the "virus" of leftist nationalism in Southeast Asia. Look at the horrors the U.S. bought to Cuba after Castro came to power in 1959, or the decades long atrocities the U.S. funded in Nicaragua, …
Posted to Was the Presidential Election Stolen?
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Great, idiot right-wingers from the Indiana Congressional delegation once again represent my home state shamefully and tar the image of Indiana through the mud. Burton is a disgrace and represents the darkest form of the War on Drugs. An irrational obsession with the failed project leads to him supporting insane laws such as the one described in the article.
Posted to Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungus
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It never was, not that I know of. Crystal meth is more of a problem, but that is made in the basements of farmhouses out here, not imported from South America.
Posted to Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungus
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It makes sense that the U.S. occupying army is not concerned by this outrageous assault on gays in the Muslim world, because they are led by a religious extremist, a Christian religious extremist in Bush. Right-wing Islam and right-wing Christiantiy are quite similar in their agendas: death to all gays, interweaving church and state, and rolling back all gender progress. It makes sense that republicans never minded supporting Sistani inthe first place, but why does the religious right condemn fundamnetlaist Islam when it has the exact same agenda just under a different God's name?
Posted to Iran Exports Anti-Gay Pogrom to Iraq
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What this article also shows is how beneficial this war was to Iran. Religious Shiites in Iraq are very cozy with the Iranian Mullahs and militias loyal to Iran roam the streets of Basra and other parts of Southern Iraq. Far from fighting Islamic extremism, the invasion and occupation of iraq has greatly strengthened it. If only America had listened to the liberals, we wouldn't have been in this place at all.
Posted to Iran Exports Anti-Gay Pogrom to Iraq
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I admire Mr. Odom and other retired high-level military officials such as Anthony Zinni who have the strength to criticize what is clearly a disastrous and morally bankrupt policy. I specifically remeber seeing Odom on CNN prior to the invasion of Iraq with Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer was very skeptical of Odom's statements about Iraq and seemed preturbed at what he was hearing. I was quite angry after witnessing this clear journalistic bias. I lost complete respect for Blitzer after that.
Posted to General Condemnation
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Scorp, you are wrong on ALL counts. The U.S. misappropriation of reconstruction aid for Iraq makes the Oil-for-Food Scandal look like chump change. And worse, there is no call by "rightists" to hold meaningful investigations to determine the extent of the cronyism and corruption perpetrated by the Coalitional Provisional Authority. The U.S. and U.K. had veto authority over ALL Oil-for-Food contracts and vetoed ZERO. Duelfer was a Bush-appointee, who in his final report made it completely clear that Saddam had ended his WMD programs in 1991 and had not been reconstituted at any point. Gauging intent and ability is a subjective …
Posted to Were Sanctions Worth the Price?
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Scorp, your claim that leftists accomodate mass murderers is false. Even if it were true, at least leftists do not create alliances with and send military aid to such tyrants, the same cannot be said of "rightists." If by leftists, you mean Democratic presidents, it is true that ALL presidents have made unsavory alliances with dictators ostensibly to curtail the greater threat of communism. But if you mean that liberal PEOPLE desire to coddle tyrants, you are full of shit. Please be careful when you classify the left to avoid making an arse of yourself.
Posted to Were Sanctions Worth the Price?
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Cabdriverinchicago, I find your comments to be very informative and grounded in fact. Kudos to you. The basis for my claim that the ruling elites in Syria are Shiite came from a roundtable discussion with various Middle East scholars that was printed in the Nation last summer. Juan Cole, with whom I am sure you are familiar, stated that Syria was governed by Shiites, which he used to undermine the U.S. government's accusation that Syria was aiding and abetting foreign insurgents in Iraq. Of course, I could be wrong, but there still is no evidence that I have seen that indicates …
Posted to Were Sanctions Worth the Price?
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Cabdriver, I was not apologizing for Democratic presidents who made alliances with right-wing dictators, I was just trying to point out that Republicans did the same thing, and with MUCH greater zeal. Reagan's Central America policies should be evidence enough of that, not to mention the expanded ties the Bush II regime has sought with Indonesia and Pakistan. I desire to have a president that desires the value of human life, and is not willing to sacrifice it in order to maintain the American corporate hegemony.
Posted to Were Sanctions Worth the Price?
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Pardon the irregular wording of the last sentence in my previous post. I meant to say that I want a president that values human life, and is not willing to sacrifice it in order to maintain American corporate and military hegemony.
Posted to Were Sanctions Worth the Price?
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I admire your courage and determination Ms. Berrigan. I stand in solidarity with you and all of the innocent prisoners at Guantanamo.
Posted to Walking to Guantnamo
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Wow, it will be interesting to see how this murder trial implicates Abramoff and his "business associate" Adam Kidan. That money Kidan paid to the Moscatiello family sure looks like a down payment for an assassination, but hopefully the trial will find the unadulterated truth. I bet Bush is wishing he never had SIX pictures taken of him with Abramoff. I hope Ney goes down in flames too, as he had very close "relations" with Abramoff. Man, and Clinton was crucified for getting a bj!
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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What Clinton did with Lewinsky was consensual. How can you force someone to give you a blowjob? There are lies and then there are lies, think4yourself. What Clinton did was not worthy of impeachment. What Nixon and Reagan did, on the other hand, qualifies as high crimes and misdemeanors. Reagan pleaded ignorance about Iran-Contra, so either he was too out of the loop as President to know what was happening (not a good trait) or he was lying. I believe the latter. The scandal went beyond Ollie North. Bush and his clones in Congress are in deep cahoots with an unsavory …
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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However, what Democrats said has absolutely nothing to do with whether Bush and his administration officials distorted the intelligence and misled Congress, the United Nations and the American people. Just because some Democrats agreed that Iraq had WMD and posed a threat, that does not prove that Bush and his officials didn't lie or distort the intelligence. It is not a simple issue of whether or not Iraq had WMD. The administration made many false claims that Democrats did not. How many Democrats said, as Cheney did, that Iraq had "reconstituted nuclear weapons"? How many Democrats said Saddam was seeking uranium …
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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Here is what Vladimir Putin had to say about Iraq in October 2002: "Russia does not have in its possession any trustworthy data that supports the existence of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we have not received any such information from our partners as yet. This fact has also been supported by the information sent by the CIA to the US Congress." It was clear that either Bush or Putin was lying. Turns out Putin was right. So Bush was wrong, but did he have access to information that Putin was unaware of? Doubtful. Russia …
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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I am no girl. 6'1, 245 lbs of pure midwest muscle, think4yourself. Assumptions only make an a$$ out of oneself, do you agree?
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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WOW....That was superb luminous beauty. Good work. Maybe you listed it but the U.S. violated the Chemical Weapons Ban by using napalm in its assaults on Fallujah, which is corroborated by first-hand testimony of Iraqis and independent journalists.
Posted to Witness for the Prosecution
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Are blacks who were for nearly 250 years ill-paid, ill-housed and ill-treated supposed to feel tranquil and happy now that they can drink from the same water fountains as white people, or play football with white people? Come on tina1, as Katrina proved, one's race/class determined who would live and who would die. The poor blacks lived in the below-sea level Ninth Ward, whereas the wealthy whites lived on the high ground and were spared death and severe emotional distress.
Posted to Black History Month Matters
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The fact that black people are in writing seen equal before the law did NOTHING to improve race relations in this country. A law can end discrimination, but not prejudice against or discomfort with another race. The onus is on the people of this country to create bonds between all of mankind. I know tina1 will not participate, as she thinks racial injustice and inequality magically disappeared in 1965.
Posted to Black History Month Matters
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These encroachments on fundamental, Constitutionally protected freedoms by the Bush administration only embolden me to continue to protest and become a thorn in the side of autocracy. I am not fearful of government intimidation, I wear it as a badge of honor that I am so alarming to the powers-that-be that they feel the need to monitor my behavior. Nothing great was ever accomplished without resistance by those fearful of change and in entrenched power positions. This fight will be the test of our generation-can we keep the freedoms that our forefathers fought so hard to provide? I will do my …
Posted to FBI, DoD, NSA: All Spying on You
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Mirmir, since I live 1500 miles from Texas, I was unable to visit Camp Casey in person, but I attended a solidarity rally in my hometown that was designed to show support for Cindy Sheehan and her quest for justice. That was the best I could do and I was glad to have done it. I helped my hometown's local peace group to collect several thousnd signatures indicating support for a speedy withdrawal from Iraq which was sent to my local congressman, a Republican. I did this all during the summer of 2005. I do what I can and am proud …
Posted to FBI, DoD, NSA: All Spying on You
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I agree mirmir. The Constitution's economic dimension is clearly antiquated and in need of revision. The fundamental issue of religion and government and the fear that madison and jefferson had of the two mixing IS quite relevant, as history had proven that the two made a volatile mix even at the time of the Consitutional Convention. The Bill of Rights is still relevant as well. The ideas of economics were still in their infancy at the founding of this country. Adam Smith published the Wealth of Nations in 1776, the year Amerika began.
Posted to FBI, DoD, NSA: All Spying on You
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Some citizens of this country are willing to tolerate government-sanctioned torture based on the idea that a plausible terrorist attack scenario involves a ticking bomb in a locker at Grand Central and all that is needed to save thousands of lives is to cut a few fingers off of an Arab immigrant. The reality of terrorism is quite different. The 9/11 attacks were several years in the making and the perpetrators had the federal government's attention but since the Bush administration was still caught up in the antiquated belief that the nation-state presented the greatest security threat, nothing was done. The …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Point of clarification: the FBI had the names of two of the eventual hijackers acquired from conventional intelligence-gathering methods but that does NOT mean that it had sufficient computer power to search for phrases like "flight school." The FBI did not need expanded surveillance powers, but basic office resources such as a modern computer system.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Wait a sec, wileywitch. I in NO WAY support domestic spying. I was implicitly describing that the ultimate goal of domestic spying is to stifle and thwart dissenting voices and causes. I was simply proclaiming that I would not be frightened into silence and submission by this administration. So, instead of acquiescing to the expanding security-state, I am giving it the finger and stating my commitment to democracy and privacy.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Scorp, the U.S. violated the U.N. Charter by launching an aggressive war without authorization by the Security Council.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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But, but, were the freest nation in the world?! The great myth about Amerika as this shining beacon of freedom lies in its criminal justice policy. Highest incarceration rate in the world, not just among the developed nations. 42nd in infant mortality rate. Contrast Amerika with Finland, which has rehabilitation at the core of its criminal justice policy. Prisoners, even murderes, are sent to "camps" that have no walls or cells where they learn the error of their ways and focus on becoming productive citizens once they re-enter society. Finland does not have a violent crime rate higher than that in …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Tinytina, Florida has the most relaxed gun ownership and use laws in the country. In FLA, not only are you allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public, but you can shoot and kill someone with your gun if you think your person is in jeopardy arbitrarily! I wouldn't touch that state with a ten foot pole.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Tina1, you also negelct to mention whether or not you believe it would be better to invest some money into reforming these criminals in your state so they can be better citizens and contribute to the economy. Is money better spent on punishment, rehabilitation, or both? Finland and Canada have shown that varying degrees of rehabilitation in a criminal justice system does not result in higher crime rates. In fact, it seems that the less incarceration a society has, the less violent it is.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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As a signatory to the U.N. Charter, the U.S. is bound unequivocally to follow its specifications. The U.S. did not receive Security Council Authorization for the use of force against Iraq. Whether or not the Bush administration thought the country to be in danger is irrelevant. That matter is for the Security Council to decide. By invading Iraq without U.N. approval. the U.S. violated the charter and international law. Such laws are just as important as any passed by Congress. The Constitution calls treaties the supreme law of the land.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Woah Scorp. Schroeder's Iraq policy had NOTHING to do with his defeat. Germans are still widely opposed to the war. Same with Britain. People there despise the war in Iraq so much that they voted George Galloway back into parliament and gave an-anti war candidate with NO prior politcal experience 10% of the popular vote in 2005. The Labor Party lost 100 seats in parliament, but since the Tories also supported the war, people were left with little choice. Over 50% of the "bribes" and "kickbacks" under the Oil-for-Food "scandal" went to AMERICAN companies, scorp. Who has the $hit for brains …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Chirac is facing domestic opposition to his right-wing economic policies, and rightly so. The people in France said Non! to the Constitution because of its laissez-faire pro corporate trade policies. The left in France was entirely opposed to the Constitution and thus were victorious in the referendum. The left in France gained strength.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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The U.S. and U.K. had veto authority over EVERY conract under the Oil-for-Food Program, so they are just as much at fault for the scandal as the implicated parties. The U.S. has squandered FAR more money in the "reconstruction" effort of Iraq than ever was misused in the U.N. scandal. Resolution 1441 never said anything about force. It said that if Iraq did not fully comply with U.N. disarmament which was incredibly exhaustive and detailed that the matter would be referred to the Security Counil for further discussion. The weapons inspectors never found any reconstituted weapons programs when they returned and …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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The U.S. certainly did not seem to mind when Iraq invaded Kuwait. In fact the Bush I administration did an abrupt about face with respect to its stance on the crisis. Then we began to hear the fake stories of babies being thrown out of their incubators and had the whole charrade where the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S. lied to Congress by pretending she was an innocent Kuwaiti girl who had witnessed crimes firsthand by Iraq. Also, the U.S. exceeded it U.N. mandate by bombing civilian infrastuecture such as water treatment plants and power plants that sent …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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I would not entrust an American felon with my family tina1, because under the U.S. criminal justice system, these men and women leave no better than they came in. I am not advocating for the release of prisoners (no idea where you got that crazy idea) just a fundamental shift in the way we as a society treat prisoners and the entire criminal justice system. The current set-up is deeply flawed and detrimental to society.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Hey tina1, Amerika is a great place to live if you like: -Five consecutive years of stagnant wages. For the first time on record, household income has decreased five years in a row, down by nearly $2,000 since 1999. And that's despite relatively low unemployment and workers putting in more hours at the job. -Health care costs are soaring at double-digit rates. Every year, companies drop health care plans or raise costs for employees. Four million fewer people have health care at work than in 2000. -Household debt has reached record heights. Last year, for the first time since 1933, American …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Scorp, is it not also true that Amerika has seen its population increase steadily whilst Europe's has remained stagnant? The collpase of the Soviet Union and the transition period that it necessitated created poor economic conditions anathema to job creation. Western Europe has done well overall, as a result of (not in spite of) its compassionate and necessary social welfare programs.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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So what Scorp? Have you seen how rich people live? Color TVs have been around for over thirty years, the same with microwaves, and stereos, and dishwashers. It is no feat to proclaim possession of those things. The comparison of living quarters with Europe is misleading because people over there CHOOSE to live in smaller homes. You don't see the sprawling gated communities and suburbian subdivisions in Europe. The population is much more dense, requiring more cramped living quarters. That does NOT mean that people in Europe are any worse off than those in the U.S.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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The population in Europe has stagnated while America's continues steadily, mainly from immigration. Health care costs account for 15% of American GDP. The French do not pay that kind of money in the aggregate for health care. That fact alone closes the gap in per capita GDP extensively. The fact that GDP in France is lower does not mean that people are better off in the U.S. France has a lower infant mortality rate and a higher life expectancy than the United States.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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To equate economic status with the square footage of one's home is stupid scorp.
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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Scorp, each year the U.N. produces what it calls the Human Development Index. In 2005, the U.S. ranked 1oth with a score of .944, while France was ranked 16th with a score of .938. However, the U.S. was still behind quasi-socialistic European countries such as Belgium (.945), Switzerland (.947), Luxembourg (.949), Sweden (.949), Iceland (.956), and Norway (.963). Maybe France is not the best western European example to compare to the U.S. There are plenty of other industrialized, liberal European countires that consistently outperform the U.S. when it comes to overall quality life, which is not measured myopically by G.D.P. per …
Posted to Jack Bauer and the Ethics of Urgency
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But doesn't the author understand that ANY intervention by the government into the affairs of the PERFECTLY efficient private is socialism (rolleyes)? This article hits the nail on the head by demonstrating that unbridled capitalism jeporadizes the fabric of society in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Appropriate government regulation is the key to maintaining a healthy and porsperous society. Noone benefits by working in such dire and dangerous working conditions. It seems things haven't changed much in the past century with respect to workers' rights. progress was made in the 30s and 40s, but since then the interests of the robber …
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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FASCISM: The merger of the government with corporations. Think4yourself, the premise of the article is that a decrease in federal regulation and resources for the federal agencies in charge of enforcing safe workplace conditions led to the recent mine disasters. Neither I nor the author I believe, are calling for the abolition of private mining companies. Talk about extrapolation. What would you do then think4yourself, DECREASE governmental oversight? How would that improve the situation? Conservatives have a paranoid fear that government cannot do anything right. That is false, when government is stewarded properly. The deaths of the miners present a prime …
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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I have no problem responding to or debating people who have different viewpoints than my own. In fact, I welcome it. It allows me to coherently organize my thoughts and recognize where my deficiencies lie. The Internet is the last remaining medium through which regular people can have genuine discussions.
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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Wileywitch, you should be happy to know that I am one of those liberals that DO fight back and defend my argumnets. I joined this board last summer and had some good back-and-forth with various conservative posters. I am confident in my perception of the world and do not back down when it is challenged.
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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think4yourself, my comment about the NO buses was based on information I acquired from a different source and thought it worth presenting for consumption on this board. Now is the time for taxes to be raised. The U.S. is fighting two wars on tax cuts and has unprecedented debt. The administration is trying to eliminate funding for all programs not related to the DHS and DOD. I value personal privacy above not having taxes. A liberal government would not spend more money than the Bush administration, but would spend it BETTER, and in areas that need funding.
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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Good post wileywitch. I could not have said it better myself. I personally do not view taxation as an incursion into my personal freedom. Taxation to me is an investment in my community and country. The key is to have transparent budgets by all levels of government with accountability as to how the money is spent. The biggest waste of resources is the DOD, not welfare or unemployment programs. I am much more fearful of the government spying on me and telling me who I can or cannot marry than I am of the government taxing my income.
Posted to Coal Miners Slaughter
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Also, the article does not point out that Bush has made FAR more recess appointments than Clinton ever did and Bush has been in office only five years. Furthermore, Bush's cronies have demonstrated their utter inability to deal with national crises- see Michael "Brownie" Brown. The Clinton administration appointees may have been lucky that no serious disaster exposed their lack of ability, but perhaps the appointees were better qualified than Bush's. Furthermore, in addition to blatant nepotism and favoritsm, the Bush administration has appointed corporate moguls into key oversight positions within the federal government, who then proceed to gut regulations that …
Posted to Recess Appointments Reek of Cronyism
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Tsk, tsk, tsk tina1. So, the fact that public schools do not sufficently indoctrinate America's youth with conservative "values" they are liberal centers? Care to provide any proof of that wild accusation? Ever stop to consider that walking is not a viable option when one lives in a poor urban neighborhood that suffers from pollution and crime? So the fact that corporate food producers have extensive inroads into the public school system and spend BILLIONS on direct child advertising each year has no impaCt on personal choice? Don't you think that food producers would have stopped spending all that money on …
Posted to Let Them Eat Crap
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miatrans, there are two types of diabetes. One is genetically acquired from birth and the other is acquired in the course of one's life. The people mentioned in this article have type 2 diabetes, which is acquired through poor appetite, lack of exercise, etc. While it is true that someone may have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes, environmental factors and appetite are ultimately responsible. With respect to food stamps and McDonald's: have you ever heard of their dollar menu? I am sure that is quite appealing to poor people.
Posted to Let Them Eat Crap
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Been awhile since I posted here, but I can see that a newer wave of conservative trolls have appeared, the most recent manifestation of which is "tina1". Remember Jack Barnes and Michael Hardesty? Those kooks were trolls with a penchant for digging their heels in and throwing the mud. Anyways, tina, you are wrong about Ginsburg. She frequently voted along with her conservative co-judges, who included ROBERT BORK, as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Even Orrin hatch approved of her appointment in 1993. Breyer is also quite centrist as well. He cast the deciding vote last year …
Posted to An Imperial President
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Evidently tina1 forgets about the New Hampshire GOP operative that plead guilty to jamming Democratic get-out-the-vote phone banks that prevented mobilization of voters in 2002. Consequently, Sununu won re-election to the Senate by a slim margin. How 'bout them apples? Even more disgusting is your continuous ranting about liberals having little emotional control when you are the one ranting about "fags" and the "homosexual agneda." Also, give the CAPS LOCK a break, that is the most telling evidence of your conservative dymentia.
Posted to Alito Hearings Drowning in Words
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Jay Cline, you forgot to mention that the United States had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey in 1961 that were capable of hitting all major Soviet cities. In fact, the reason the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962 was defused was beacuse Robert Kennedy made a deal with the Soviet ambassador to Amerika that if the U.S. removed its warheads from Turkey, the Soviets would do the same with their warheads in Cuba. So the U.S.S.R. started as many if not more proxy wars than the U.S.? Hogwash. Let's take a look at all of the military/covert ops engagements Amerika has been …
Posted to See No Evil
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Jay Cline, you are looking for excuses to invade and fight other countries. Since WWII the U.S. hs not been involved in ANY foreign war that involved defending its national security, except Afghanistan in 2001. The rest of the conflicts were the acts of American aggression save the Korean War, because the U.S. at least had a U.N. mandate to go into the peninsula.
Posted to See No Evil
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Scorp, WTH, please come to the defense of your man, GWB. I want to see you spin your way out of this one. Perhaps now scopr sees the damage and recklessness of supply-side economics and the subsequent tax cuts for the wealthy that inevitably ensue. The government can do things better with your money than you yourself, LIKE BUILDING AND MAINTAINING LEVEES AND LOCKS ON CRITICAL INLAND WATERWAYS!!!! Would you voluntarily give up money for this cause? Of course not. The government needs to be adequately funded to meet the needs of a modern society. The market has no mechanism to …
Posted to Hurricanes Rain on Bushs Tax Cut Parade
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If the minimum wage were indexed for inflation, it would be around $8.50 today. Just shows the casual observer the relative purchasing power that the 6% of the U.S. workforce has making the minimum wage. The federal poverty line is just under $20,000. A person working full-time (40 hrs/wk) at minimum wage would earn about $10,700/yr. The numbers speak for themselves. What say you, scorp? Back to Roberts. He is a Scalia-Thomas clone wrapped in Souter's clothing. He refused to answer the majority of questions he was confronted with, so the Senate Judidiary committee will be making an uninformed vote on …
Posted to Bad on the Basics
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So the U.S. government can have an excellent coordination of all the necessary activities deemed necessary to support "Freedom Walk" with no problem at all, including water and volunteers, yet flaps its d**k in the wind when it comes to SAVING LIVES AND PEOPLE in New Orleans. This was so obviously political in nature that it makes me, well, not surprised. It is encouraging to see the lack of turnout at this event, especially since turnout for the anti-war protests in a week or so will be so massive. It is clear that the majority of America no longer supports this …
Posted to Operation Enduring Boredom
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“Indonesian security officials responded to human rights criticism aggressively, pointing to the United States invasion of Iraq and subsequent acts of torture in Abu Ghraib prison to justify Indonesia’s own military operations and question the credibility of American human rights policies.” Yes, the U.S. is the beacon of freedom and human rights to the rest of the world. How far low has this country sunk when corrupt, third-world governments justify their human rights abuses by pointing to America? Scorp, care to comment on the importance of faith in democracy? How do you explain the rehabilitation of U.S.-Indonesian ties under the Bush …
Posted to Brothers in Arms
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Scorp must share a personal bond with the opinion shaping efforts of the Chinese government. The article says: "However, some of China’s new media-control plans are focusing more on shaping opinion rather than controlling it. One such plan calls for government operatives to infiltrate Internet chat groups where criticism of the government is rising and improve the Communist Party’s image by posting pro-government propaganda." Sounds similar to what scorp has been doing on this site for the last few weeks. Just replace "Communist" with "Fascist" and the paragraph becomes a perfect description of scorp's behavior.
Posted to Chinas Press Crackdown
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Overlooked here is the complicity of corporations in the Chinese government's crack-down on free speech. For example, read this excerpt from an article by George Monbiot on TomPaine.com: "In April, Shi Tao, a journalist working for a Chinese newspaper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'providing state secrets to foreign entities.' He had passed details of a censorship order to the Asia Democracy Forum and the website Democracy News. The pressure group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was mystified by the ease with which Mr. Tao had been caught. He had sent the message through an anonymous Yahoo! account. But …
Posted to Chinas Press Crackdown
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When scorp evaluates the level of wealth in the U.S. as compared to western Europe, he is deceiving you. While the mean income in the United States is higher than that of western Europe, that is only due to outliers distirting the data. The U.S. has a very small collection of EXTREMELY wealthy people with the rest of the United States barely scraping by. For example, 75% of U.S. households survive on an annual income of $60,000 or less. In addition, Germany calculates its unemployment rate differently. If the rampant unemployment in the former East Germany is accounted for, the unemployment …
Posted to Will History Repeat Itself?
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Scorp shows his true colors for attacking my character. I never did this to him, so why does he now feel entitled to employ pejoratives to describe my character? I think it is becoming quite clear what the fundamental difference between conservatives and liberals is.
Posted to Will History Repeat Itself?
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Scorp is wrong to assert that NAFTA has improved the economies of the United States and Mexico. Economic growth in Mexico has stalled to 0.5% over the past few years, the worst since the 1980s. Real wages have declined in Mexico as well, and immigration to the United States is at an all time high. If NAFTA was supposed to help Mexico, then explain these statistics please. The U.S. trade deficit has exploded with Mexico since the enactment of NAFTA. The U.S. has lost nearly a million manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Ironically, those jobs that moved to Mexico have since left …
Posted to Will History Repeat Itself?
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The following is a more accurate description of NAFTA's consequenses from TomPaine.com: "Ten years after NAFTA we find that NAFTA's special protection for foreign investors did increase foreign direct investment in Mexico from $9.53 billion in 1995 to $24.73 billion in 2001 and Mexico was the world's eighth-largest exporter in 2002. Yet, the standard of living for most Mexican has declined under NAFTA, with Mexico now ranking 54th in human development indices. NAFTA's agriculture rules have resulted in tons of corn being dumped into Mexico below the cost of production—costing 3 million campesino farm families their livelihoods. Economic theory says these …
Posted to Will History Repeat Itself?
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I like the fact that this article pointed out not only how the race/poverty correlation was a largel taboo issue in America outside the progressive arena, but how the prevailing conception by the general American public of New Orleans as an upscale, tourist destination that was all fun and games was completely shattered by Katrina. I cannot think of a natural disaster that has so fundamentally altered the public conscience about fundamental issues such as race and poverty as has Katrina. This event may mark the beginning of the end of conservatism in this country.
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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Scorp is repeating a GOP talking point when he says the reason why Blanco declared Louisiana and New Orleans a disaster area was because of a call from George Bush. The original "evidence" for this claim was in AP article that merely pointed out that shortly before the press conference Bush spoke with Governor Blanco. The conservative blogosphere then distorted the assertion to satisfy a pre-existing belief. To anyone with a brain, the press conference had already been scheduled so it is unlikely that Bush's call minutes before provided the impetus for Blanco to make such a large decision. Rather, it …
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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think4yourself: Then your driver had an additional license and supplemental training. Only a limited number of drivers have such qualifications. Your anecdotal evidence STILL does not invalidate my initial claim.
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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CNN recorded Governor Blanco's actual statement concerning Bush's phone call as follows: "Just before we walked into this room, President Bush called and told me to share with all of you that he is very concerned about the citizens. He is concerned about the impact that this hurricane would have on our people. And he asked me to please insure that there would be a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." Later that evening, Governor Blanco spoke with Larry King about Bush’s phone call. She told King that the president “Was glad to hear that the mayor had already decided to do …
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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Scorp, I am not saying that there is a separate group of buses that are used for just ransporting adults or eople above a certain age. Thanks for putting words in my mouth. What I DID say was that the increased weight of the school bus requires an altogether separate driving approach, additional training and another license. Regardless of New Orleans' evacuation plan, you have yet to refute the fundamental charge that it is the federal government's responsibility to lead the disaster recovery effort and assist in the evacuation of areas at risk of destruction. DHS is obligated by law to …
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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To nayone still doubtful of the existence of race as a determinant in how the residents of New Orleans was treated, read this tidbit from the Independent (UK): A Louisiana police chief has admitted that he ordered his officers to block a bridge over the Mississippi river and force escaping evacuees back into the chaos and danger of New Orleans. Witnesses said the officers fired their guns above the heads of the terrified people to drive them back and "protect" their own suburbs. Two paramedics who were attending a conference in the city and then stayed to help those affected by …
Posted to Katrinas Racial Wake
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I feel I must come to the defense of my liberal colleagues to show scorp the error of his ways. First, the Iraqi Liberation Act did indeed make it a matter of policy that the U.S. government would support the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. What it DIDN"T say was HOW that would be done. Therefore, it is not clear that military intervention would be the logical extension of this piece of legislation. The U.S. could have supported exile groups, as we have done with Iran, or repealed the economic sanctions, which only solidified Saddam's power because it made the …
Posted to Beyond the Vietnam Syndrome
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You are wrong think4yourself. Only Iran refuses to acknowledge the existence of Israel. All other countries recognize it as a legitimate state. Saddam Hussein pledged to leave Kuwait in 1990 if Israel would leave the West Bank and Gaza, another illegal occupation, but the U.S. would have none of it. In fact, Saudi Arabia has had a proposal out there for years that if Israel would return to its pre-1967 borders, then it would no longer support Hamas and other militant groups. Finally, the U.N. accounted for 95% of Iraq's WMDs. Some kind of hiding job by Saddam Hussein's government! When …
Posted to Beyond the Vietnam Syndrome
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Scorpion- Noone is saying that Katrina was a direct consequence of global warming. Global warming is a massive and immense climatic alteration process that scientists are still beginning to understand the consequences of. Furthermore, there is NO way to attribute a single weather incident to something as pervasive as global warming. There are too many other varibales involved. But scientists do know that global warming leads and will lead to more irregular weather patterns, as well as more intense storms. Think of this analogy: crime goes up when a heat wave hits, but that does NOT mean that an individual who …
Posted to Unnatural Disaster
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Tim Christopher- I hear you on that last post. I was not trying to deny the fact that global warming alters weather patterns, just that one could directly attribute global warming to Katrina. If you read the latter part of my post I explicitly say that global warming does lead to more irregular and violent weather. I do not doubt the existence of global warming, just that a straight line of logic can be made from the greenhouse effect to this hurricane.
Posted to Unnatural Disaster
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Let's quit calling these anti-gay activist religious conservatives and describe them for what they really are: NAZIS. The Nazis targeted gays, as well as communists, Jews, and other groups they did not approve of. I doubt these intolerant fools have different feelings than the Nazis about the aforementioned groups. It is one thing to personally oppose homosexuality, but it is another to bring that prejudice into the public and manifest it into overt discrimination. People like Rhonda Storms fear what they do not understand, and instead of attempting to educate herself and her child (God! Now there's a thought!) about different …
Posted to Official Bigotry
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Wolf, gay marriage is the sanctification of a loving relationship between TWO people, not three or four, or two dozen. Legalizing it does not open a can of worms that leads to the legalization of all sorts of bizarre personal relationships. Loving another of the same sex is not a choice that is made, it is an incontrovertible, permanent physiological condition that is entirely different than the CHOICES of polygamy. One is not born a polygamist, but one is born homosexual. Can you not see the difference? Finally, if the purpose of marriage is to raise children to be good stewards …
Posted to Official Bigotry
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Excellent posts, theresabetterway. I sympathize with your plight. Just as in the great civil rights movement forty years ago, we shall overcome.
Posted to Official Bigotry
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Yes, I believe that wireless Internet access is a public right and should be regulated by local governments just like any current public utility. This is just a perfect example of how the private sector is placing its own short-term financial gain ahead of the long-term and far more pervasive benefits that society receives by having free Internet access. The government does have a role to play in our economy. This is a prime example of how the private sector fails to deliver for the American people.
Posted to Sand, Sun and Spectrum Policy
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“ 'It doesn’t seem right that we are poisoning the places we are supposed to be liberating,' Ramos says." I couldn't agree more. The use of depleted uranium (DU) and napalm, after it was made illegal, is one of the greatest unreported, unpublicized atrocities of our time. Not since Vietnam forty years ago when the U.S. military used agent orange and white phosphorus have we seen a greater example of our nation's moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy. Iraqis are free? From what? Certainly not the ability to live in a safe country free from radiocative waste that will haunt their offspring for …
Posted to Radioactive Wounds of War
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MiddleRoad, some of your criticisms of ITT are just based on the fact that you disagree with their opinions, not that what they siad was patently false. Take the issue of weapons proliferation in Iran. You seem to say that because ITT ran an article that suggested it might be a good idea that Iran have nukes, they are wrong. Well, what ITT did was run an OPINION, that you just happen to disagree with, because YOUR opinion is different. That does not make ITT objectively "wrong." At any rate, there is no indication that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon …
Posted to Nose-Ringed No More
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Natalie, you criticize Tom Hayden for casting a negative picture of the war from his living room, but what about all the right-wing pundits, Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly, that offer their assessments from a lavish network studio in Manhattan? Going by your logic, their opinions are no better. You offer a quote to support the notion that the U.S. mission over there is noble and that we are improving the lives of Iraqis. Only someone with their head in the sand would say that. Electricity is still sparse, the hospitals are woefully equipped (remember how the U.S. attacked and shut down …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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Natalie, you do not understand the un-democratic nature of your comments. It is clear YOU do not understand how the other half think. How can we discourage and disparage democracy at home while we ostensibly enforce it militarily abroad? The first amendment is meant to protect unpopular speech, for popular speech needs no protection. Free societies tolerate all sorts of viewpoints. If you don't like that Natalie, then you can leave and go to, I don't know, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Nepal, or Indonesia. The second and fourth countires on that list have recieved significant military aid from the U.S. government by …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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Wolf, Cindy Sheehan is not advocating kicking Israel out of the Middle East, neither is JF Lee. I believe he is advocating that Israel return to its pre-1967 borders and leave the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. If you look at a map, Gaza and the West Bank do NOT make up all of Israel.
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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WTH, you just don't get it. If the U.S. respected the right to Iraqi self-determination it would have left that country long ago. The Iraqis do not like Saddam, but they have seen the anarchy and mistreatment of its people that resulted from an invading power occupying its land. Thus by default some desire a return to order and the security from terrorism that Saddam's regime provided. The U.S. is not acting in favor of Iraqi freedom either. When you defy U.N. Security Council Resolutions and the 1907 Hague Convention and completely rewrite the economic policies for the benefit of foreign …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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WTH, your last line about Tom Hayden just epitomizes the violent filth that spews forth from Right-wing talking heads. Remember Pattie Robertson's little statement about the need to assassinate Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, despite that it is illegal under U.S. and international law to even threaten to do so? Remember what O'Reiily said about the Gitmo detainees, that he would execute them if he were in charge? Remember the felon G. Gordon Liddy's statment "aim for the head" with respect to how his listeners should deal with DEA agents?
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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WTH, how about the Muslim man who was beaten to death by his American guards? His leg muscles had turned to mush at the time of his death. How about the young Iraqi boys who were anally raped by U.S. soldiers and private contractors at Abu Ghraib? We have yet to see the footage because the government won't release it. I remember a domestic population that was similarly kept in the dark about its government's atrocities. That population was NAZI GERMANY!! The atrocities in Vietnam were not limited to the NVA. How about the use of chemical warfare in South Vietnam …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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To continue, you seem to deny that America can do any wrong. God Forbid any one of those U.S. soldiers ever mugs you! Cover your rear, WTH. I see a parallel between what you call Hayden and Fonda's acts, and the true-believers in GW's foreign policy. They are spewing lies about the greatness of America even while their fellow citizens are violating every human rights law the U.S. has signed.
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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I think Jon B pretty well invalidates Natalie's attacks against my previous post. Well done Jon B. On a final note, I have been protesting this war for several months now and we always tell men and women who say they are going to Iraq to come home safely and be careful. I protest this war to stop the loss of American and Iraqi lives, not to attack the personal integrity of individual service members. The right always accuses us of being anti-troop, but never provides a shred of evidence to buttress that claim. My father is an ex-marine and he …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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Natalie, I just have to say that your statements that the 2004 election validated Bush's Iraq strategy is clear nonsense. If you look at the exit polls in Ohio, for instance, it is clear that people who voted for GWB did so on the basis of "moral values" which translates into abortion and gay marriage. Similar results were found across the United States. Furthermore, the U.S. was not presented with the whole picture about Bush's pre-war intelligence handling. The Senate Intelligence Committee, at the calling of chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), postponed the final leg of its investigation of pre-war intelligence until …
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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I do not understand how one can posit that Robertson was speaking as a private citizen. He has his own show that is broadcast to hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. on PUBLIC airwaves. Now, if Robertson told his wife in their kitchen that he wanted Chavez assassinated, THAT would be speaking as a private citizen, but not when he has the bully pulpIt and is an influential member of the GOP.
Posted to Exiting Iraq
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A good article that reminds us that there is still inherent racism in this country with respect to access to resources that can improve one's economic standing. Learning of the antics of Verizon and SBC, the two big telecom corporations who opposed the spread of free wi-fi access, has enraged and I will now switch my cell phone service to a different provider. I praise the leaders of Philadelphia for taking a stand against segregation in access to economic resources and attempting to make internet connectivity more egalitarian.
Posted to The Whiteness of Wi-Fi
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Wolf- in this country, class and race are essentially the same thing. You can accurately predict one's relative economic standing just by knowing their race. There is no question that blacks, hispanics, and Native americans are the poorest groups in American society. Having a class-based affirmative action program wouldn't really be any different than a race based one.
Posted to The Whiteness of Wi-Fi
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Wow. ITT has had many good articles on their website, but this has to be one of, if not THE, best article I have read to date. It is so full of substance and yet it manages to weave the complexities of post-invasion Iraq together in a clear and very insightful manner. Today I read in my local newspaper that in order to get the constitution put together, the Shias and Kurds locked out the Sunni delegates from the drafting conference. Not to mention the problems of Kurdish autonomy and federalism within the Sunni community. It appears that the presence of …
Posted to Echoes of Oslo
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WTH, you are patently wrong about the makeup of the insurgency. 90% of it is homegrown Iraqi nationalism. See "Mideast Forum", The Nation, August 15-22 issue. Furthermore, it would not be in the interest of either Syria or Iran to allow foreign fighters to use their countires as staging grounds. The ruling Baath party in Syria is Shiite, so why would they let radical Sunnis use their border to enter into Iraq? The same goes with the Mullahs in Iran. Iran is one of the biggest winners of the invasion. Several of the major political parties in Iraq, including the Supreme …
Posted to End it Already
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The article to which I am referring was not written by David Corn, it was a forum on the MIddle East by several well-respected scholars of that region, among them David Cole and Shibley Telhami, who is actually quite moderate in his views on the situation in Iraq.
Posted to End it Already
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Actually, WTH, you do not understand Osama Bin laden's ambitions and aspirations at all. He wants to rid the holy kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all Muslim nations of western influence, and that means toppling the regimes of Saudi Arabia and Egypt because they have repressed their own people with strong U.S. backing for decades. It wasn't until after the Gulf War that OBL began to target U.S. assets overseas and at home due in large part to the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, which he viewed as sacriligious. This guy's ambitions are only regional, he will cease to …
Posted to End it Already
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I am not sure what to make of this article. Race relations are a sticky thing for me given that I am white and have not had the color of my skin be my defining characterisitc. It seems that "colored" people (we are all colored) are more trapped by the shade of their skin. What a pity. I can sense a growing hatred between African americans and chicanos. I do not know what causes it but I am worried. Perhaps I can be enlightened. Despite all the progress we have made in understanding race, it is still such a touchy subject …
Posted to Here Comes the Neighborhood
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Sorry if my last comment was offensive. I was saying it in jest because the rest of my post was pretty melancholy. I was not trying to demonize women in any way and apologize if I came across as trying to do such.
Posted to Here Comes the Neighborhood
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I am surprised musing mama put so much into that little statement I made. It was not a manifestation of my subconscious desires for the future of women at all. I have always supported the feminist cause. It's not like the picture was an actual person, it was merely a caricature.
Posted to Here Comes the Neighborhood
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I am sorry Ibyland that my comment has lowered your impression of me. I will say again that it was made merely in jest and was not meant to be taken seriously. I hope you understand where I am coming from. ITT never had a drawing like this one nest to a cover story so I thougt I might comment on it. That was my intention.
Posted to Here Comes the Neighborhood
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g-love is right. To date, Israel is in violation of 69 U.N. resolutions and probably many more had the U.S. not vetoed the others passed by the General Asembly in overwhelming majorities. I do not by this "disengagement" from Gaza as a concession to Palestinians. These ultra-right Jewish settlers are myopic in their assertion that they are the victims and there should be no disengagement. The only viable solution is a two-state solution with Palestininas in full control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with their capital in East Jerusalem. While Sharon is pulling out from Gaza, he is …
Posted to Will Withdrawal Make Gaza a Frontier Ghetto?
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I never said that a just resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would end terrorism but that it would eliminate a vast recruting base for Al-Qaeda in the Middle East. Al-Qaeda can only survive as long as it has a large group of young men to recruit from. Al-Qaeda capitalizes on their dissatisfaction with U.S. policies to get them to blow themselves up. Ending the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would take that recruting tool off the table and force Al-Qaeda to look for other issues. Remember, Al-Qaeda's ambitions are only regional- we get taken off their hitlist if we demonstrate and even handedness with …
Posted to Will Withdrawal Make Gaza a Frontier Ghetto?
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I agree with JF Lee that although there will always be groups like Al Qaeda, they will always exist on the extreme fringe of society unless they have a solid base from which to recruit. Eliminating this base must be the long term anti-terrorism strategy- not by murdering them but by giving those ordinary folks no reason to hate America and thus a likelihood of sympathizing with extreme Muslim groups. In the short term, we must decapitate the command structure of Al Qaeda, but we are so bogged down in Iraq creating more terrorists that it would be useless now. I …
Posted to Will Withdrawal Make Gaza a Frontier Ghetto?
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JF Lee is right that the people of a small North Carolina hill town did not lift a finger to help capture Rudolph, a wanted murderer. Not only that, I have read that he actually received material support from some of the locals, who knew this madman was hiding out in the woods just outside of town but did nothing. I have also read that some locals gave him food and other necessities. Now, aren't these people just as guilty of aiding and abetting terrorists as any Muslim charity or cleric? Shouldn't the people of this town who helped Rudolph be …
Posted to Will Withdrawal Make Gaza a Frontier Ghetto?
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IsThisThingOn? is whitewashing history to assert that there was near unanimity in the West as to the presence of WMDs in Iraq. Perhaps you are going by the HEADS of these intelligence agencies to justify your position. There certainly were quite a few analysts in the CIA that did not believe there were WMDs in Iraq, despite Tenet's assertion that the case was a "slam dunk." Tenet was more interested in courting the president's favor than with the truth. If there was consensus among CIA analysts, why did Cheney make several visits to the agency in the run-up to the invasion? …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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ITTO- hear is what hapened to the Brazilian man brutally gunned down in a London subway station: Scotland Yard had been monitoring this guy's apartment building because a suspect in the attacks lived there. When the Brazilian left that building, the police mistook him for the suspect, so they had no business following this man in the first place. The blood of this man is on their hands. While they were killing this guy, the real suspect could have been off planting another bomb. Appearances CAN be deceiving. The way to fight terrorism is not arbitrary search and seizure but through …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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Chopper says Clinton's criticism was "justified" but provides no evidence. Will he give a similar pass to liberals who criticize our current president? Anyway, scorp and chopper have yet to refute any of the reasons I asserted as to why an attack against Iran would be incredibly foolish and dangerous. Their last posts reek of emotional invective and typical baseless characterizations of what liberals stand for.
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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What CLinton said was that the hate speech in right-wing talk radio was the kind of hatred that leads to violence, and please do not tell me that it doesn't. Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and Liddy intentionally rile people up, make them angry and feel threatened so they will never let an alternative position enter their minds because their entire political philosophies are based on emotion and emotion alone. Clinton said we must combat hate speech not by suppressing it, but by confronting it with a different message. Nothing wrong with that.
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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Scorp- first off, the U.S. has subverted democracy as many times if not more than it has "promoted" it. Recall U.S. support for Suharto's regime in Indonesia for over thirty years? Recall the U.S.'s support for Indonesian suppression of the East Timorese drive for self-determination? Recall how the U.S. instructed Diem in South Vietnam on how to ensure he won the election in 1956? Recall the U.S. backed overthrow of the democratically elected Allende government of Chile in 1971 in favor of Hitler-wannabe Augosto Pinochet? I could go on.... Second, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea are not an axis in any …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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Scorp- there were not as many countries at he beginning of the 20th century as there were at its conclusion. The main reason for that is because many of these nascent nations were colonies of the "great" western powers of Europe and North America who had to face death and intimidation to gain independence. Remember the French massacre at Algiers? Remember all of the British atrocities committed against the peaceful independence movement in India? Contrary to your assertions, the west tried to prevent democracy in all of its colonies that eventually (some as late as the 60s and 70s) gained independence. …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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Scorp- if the war was waged on legal international grounds, why then did Kofi Annan later admit that the war was illegal? Don't give that "he was involved in the Oil for Food Scandal" crap. The Voelcker Commission exonerated Annan of any wrongdoing. Besides, it is clear to anyone with the brain that the U.S./U.K. axis runs the security council, and when they encounter opposition, they merely bypass it, as with Iraq 2003. So, the U.S./U.K. knew about and vetted all those contracts that had kickbacks to Saddam in them.Not to mention that the CPA misplaced far more money than did …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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Scorp- the only aspect of which this "recovery" is outperforming other historical economic recoveries is in corporate profits and revenues. Job creation is lagging behind past recoveries. You neglect to mention the aspect of wages. Wages have remained stagnant under the Bush administration resulting in a pay cut in real terms for most Americans, not to mention the spiraling health care and college costs. This recovery, like other recoveries under Republican leadership, have seen the benefits accrue to the very wealthiest members of society, of which I doubt you are a part. In addition, Reagan did take inflation out of the …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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By other Republican recoveries, I only meant Ronald Reagan. Didn't the oil embargo of 1973 have something to do with the inflation of Carter's administration? Furthermore, I believe you are the one blissfully ignorant when it comes to economic policy. Remember the widely underreported massive Savings-and-Loan scandal that went on unchecked during Reagan's administration? I think your basis for economic policy needs to proceed beyond your high-school economics textbook. Tax cuts, when directed towards the people that need them, namely middle and lower income people, can help stimulate the economy. Reagan introduced the Laffer Curve and tricke-down, supply-side economics. The Laffer …
Posted to Give Iranian Nukes a Chance
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I doubt the GOP really wants to extend the act because the African-American community is so heavily Democratic. While it would look VERY BAD to not reauthorize the Voting Rights Act on the part of Repugs, they have found other ways to disenfranchise voters more subtly. Black communities get the crappiest voting machines with the greatest likelihood of mistabulating the results. In addition, most black precincts do not have enough voting machines, meaning long waits in line which probably turns off a lot of voters. In Florida 2000, the GOP disenfranchised the black community through the use of a so-called felon …
Posted to Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
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Sorry I have not been able to come to Lefty's and Jane Doe's defense, but I have been on vacation. It is clear that not ALL trolls have been eliminated through the new login process on this website. I still stand by my initial assertion that Katherine Harris should be in jail for violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments. Natalie is idiotic to assert that Communists and criminals support the Democratic Party. She clearly has not been to any leading Communist websites. Oh how they loved Bill Clinton! Clinton/Kerry pro-criminal? Obviously natalie did not follow Clinton's relentless and deadly enforcement …
Posted to Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
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Jane Doe is from Australia, Natalie, whose government is a willing accomplice in the brutal occupation in Iraq. First, how do YOU know that those inmates at Guantanamo are guilty of anything? Hardly any have had charges brought against them, and thanks in part to John G. Roberts, the military can try these men in secret tribunals outside the the constitutional requirements of due process and a trial by a jury of one's peers. Second, it appears that the only way one does not coddle communism is to start violent and illegal proxy wars in the third world that defy self-determination, …
Posted to Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
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OK Natalie, I am not supporting the Democrats' historical approach to communism, I am just saying that they were very anti-communist and never scrupled to use the U.S. military to prevent its spread, even if communism had popular support in whatever country it took hold. See Cuba, Guatemala, and Vietnam.
Posted to Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive
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Any dynasty, such as the Daleys loses track of what it is there to do in the first place, GOVERN for the benefit of the people! Daley and his father have always shown a preference to cozying up to the establishment rather than actually helping people. I think Jesse Jackson, Jr. would make an excellent mayor of Chicago.
Posted to Dueling Dynasties
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Girl Power!! I am very glad to see women rightfully asserting themselves in the labor movement. I have heard about that nurses union in California and I greatly admire their commitment and tenacity in holding Schwarzenegger accountable for his reckless labor/pension policies. It is a travesty that there is still misogyny and sexism in the labor movement. How are unions supposed to be successful when they do not embrace ALL segments of society? Perhaps by reaching out to women more, male dominated unions will gain greater leverage over the political process. That is what they want, isn't it?
Posted to Women's Work
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It seems to me that labor has to forge a consensus alliance if it is to survive. The political climate towards unions is very negative, rivaling the pre-depression years. The best thing for big bidness is to see a cracked front in the existing union alliance. I am not advocating untiy at the expense of good and democratic policy; rather I am urging the existing alliances to try to find a way of solving their problems that avoid disintegration. The government and its corporate counterparts have been chipping away at union participation rates for the last 60 years, and they may …
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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When I say government I mean the Taft-Hartley Act and the spineless National Labor Relations Board that has not upheld the Wagner Act of 1935. But you are right that the federal bench is the biggest enforcer of union rights, however those judges are just an extension of the chief executive and the Congress that approves them.
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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Jane Doe- I was under the impression that Australians were more progressive than their counterparts here in the U.S. Is the populace taking kindly to this brazen use of political force to attack labor unions? Is the situation in Australia really as bad as it is in the U.S? America ranks last among the industrialized nations in terms of access to healthcare, infant mortality rate, workers' protections, and income ditribution. In addition, recent reporting in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal indicate one has a better chance of moving up the economic ladder in Britain or France than America. …
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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I appreciate your response. It seems that the progressive movement in Australia has its sh*t together much more than us Americans do. Just check out the thread under the story "Democratic Dos and Dont's." I am going at it with another democrat like you wouldn't believe. Anyways, it sounds like the Aussies have a much better grasp on democracy than the country that first used it in the post-Renaissance period. It is quite a shame to see our democratic-capitalist society turn into an autocratic-fascist one. Money and power corrupt the mind don't they. Your response gives me hope because you have …
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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I appreciate your insights Jane Doe. It does get worse before it gets better, but maybe America will come out of the dark tunnel of corporate power and political influence for the better in the end. Perhaps the consequences of living in a quasi-fascist society will make skeptics out of the American people for the next few generations.
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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I agree with Cabdriver's and Jane Doe's comments. The union movement must become more politically engaged and take stands against the war in Iraq and Bush's Social Security privatization scheme. The unions must reach out to the inner city workers and develop a strong influence on the streets before tackling Capitol Hill. Only with a large and involved base can the unions get the attention of Congress. Jane Doe makes a keen observation in noting how afraid the AFL-CIO is of appearing unpatriotic. I admire the approach the Aussie unions have toward patriotism. They have a spine and have enough confidence …
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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Amen to that, cabdriverinchicago. Now if we could only get the rest of middle America to realize unions are in their own best economic interest....
Posted to Labor Split a Mixed Bag
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While I agree politically with Rep. Schakowsky, I do not believe the democratic leadership in Congress is as progressive as her. Joe Biden is still a firm believer in the Iraq War. As long as the Dems have Senators like Mary Landreiu, Ben Nelson, Herb Kohl, Joe Leiberman, Dianne Feinstein, and Evan Bayh, the party will always capitulate to the GOP like it has so many other times on issues like privacy and national security. Contrary to the representative's opinion, the Dems do need an ideological makeover. The party has essentially forsaken its commitment to universal healthcare and middle class protections. …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Johnnyincentx cannot comprehend that wealthy, educated people just might have a concern for the welfare of others less fortunate. Being an "elite" in his eyes is more of a social attitude than it is an economic one. I am angered that johnnyincentx automatically believes that if one is wealthy, then they only care about their personal fortunes. Tell that to Siddhartha, or Gandhi, or the Kennedys or the Rockefellers. Not all rich people are like the Bushes, bud. I am also astounded that you think Clinton did not run on a progressive platform. He did! Maybe you should watch his address …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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You assume I did not read what you wrote: a false conclusion. Once again, Clinton gave the clear impression that he was a beacon of middle class values and even voiced opposition to the nascent NAFTA accord. He reneged on his stance once he became president. We see things very differently. The Democratic party has no ideas because the DLC adopted as a matter of policy to embrace unregulated globalisation and other conservative economic policies. Is it just me or has the Democratic Party had the lowest number of Senators in over 50 years? Does this not coincide with the rise …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Kerry did not have the most liberal voting record ever in the Senate according to the National Journal. He never became president. My error. Why was the presidency decided so much by values? When economics and foreign policy are not left on the table what else do people have to differentiate? See my point johnnyeccentrix?
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Johnny Eccentrix- so what if Kerry did? How many of the recent Democratic presidential nominees have been a U.S. Senator at the time? Not since McGovern over 30 years ago. You cannot compare the record of Kerry with that of Gore or Clinton becasue they held vastly different politcal offices at the time of their campaigns. Who knows how they would have voted. Plus the statement about Kerry being the most liberal senator WAS the accusation made against him by the GOP in the campaign. There never was an issue made of whether he was more liberal than Gore or Clinton. …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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A liberal vision embraces the free market but understands that it functions best and in the interests of ALL Americans when properly regulated by local, state, and federal governments. You prove my point about Daschle vs. Thune, you only show the differences between the two in terms of social issues. THAT WAS ALL THERE WAS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEM!! THAT WAS WHY DASCHLE LOST!! Oh, and the myth about progressives being wacko environmentalists and vegetarians is not true at all. I had pork chops for dinner tonight, johnny eccentrix. You have the right-wing spin machine and echo chamber to thank for …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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You say you support many progressive issues johnnyeccentrix- prove it. We may end up having more in common than you think. Do you: 1) Support a woman's right to choose? I do. 2) Support increasing the minimum wage? I do. 3) Support the war in Iraq? I do not. 4) Support using public funds to expand health insurance coverage to the underprivileged? I do. 5) Support fully funding agencies such as OSHA, the IRS, and the SEC? I do. 6) Support stronger environmental safeguards against mercury and CO2 which causes global warming? I do. 7) Support expanding Pell Grants to needy …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Johnnyeccentrix- Nader was not responsible for the Florida fiasco. You have Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, and the Supreme Court to thank for that. It is clear under any circumstances Gore still won Florida if the recount authorized by the Florida Supreme Court was allowed to contunue. Your castigation of the Nader crowd is disingenuous and overlooks the election fraud that took place with plenty of evidence to all those interested. I guess you are not one of them... Just so you know johnnyeccentrix, for the current minmum wage of $5.15/hr would have to be well over $8 today to have the …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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The last couple of posts by Richard2 and Jon B are some of the best I have EVER read on this site, and that is saying something. Richard2 is right to point out the hypocrisy of the GOP mantra for "states rights" only when it suits their interests. The same goes for the anti-abortion crowd. To these people, states rights is not a principle but a strategy to enforce their will onto the rest of us. Richard2 does a good job of laying out the serious problems with touch screen voting. Remember, its not who votes that counts but who counts …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Johnnyeccentrix, I cannot speak for the progressive movement in San Fransisco, a city of a mere 720,000 that is very small geographically. What I do know is that the voices of the progressive movement such as the Nation, TomPaine.com, and this website, are not inflexible and do an excellent job of framing the issues in terms of rockhard American values: security, justice, and community. Not all aqueducts are worth their cost in financial and environmental terms. Just look at the Colorado River Aqueduct a few hudred miles south. That serves the greater L.A. area. As a result of its water being …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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Sorry that my lack of omniscience offends you johnnyeccentrix. I am more concerned about progressive politics in my own communtiy and cannot read about what goes on everywhere all the time. Your demands of me are ridiculous. KERRY NEVER ADVOCATED A WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM IRAQ!! Tell me where he said that, please. The supposed "liberals" in the democratic party, from Bayh to Clinton, are so far to the right that it is hard to see where they end and the GOP begins. Seems like Hillary Clinton and Susan Collins agree on just about everything. All the progressives I personally know …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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The DLC has hijacked the name progressive from those who truly deserve it. Does the DLC run "Progressive" Policy Institute ring a bell?
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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The Democrats' 2008 Choice David Sirota July 27, 2005 David Sirota is a writer and veteran political strategist. Sirota's regular blogs can be viewed at HuffingtonPost and SirotaBlog. This first appeared on HuffingtonPost. "The 2008 Democratic presidential candidates this week are busy genuflecting at Corporate America's alter—otherwise known as the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). Now, it's true—the DLC is really just a group of Beltway-insulated corporate-funded hacks who have spent the better part of the last decade trying to undermine the Democratic Party's traditional working class base—a base that had kept Democrats in power for 40 years and now, thanks to the DLC, has been …
Posted to Democratic Dos and Donts
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I most heartily concur with Rick Perlstein's prescription for how to fix what is wrong with the Democratic Party today. He seems to draw similar conclusions to those of Thomas Frank in his fabulous, must read book "What's the Matter With Kansas?" The Democrats must draw the line on a number of issues that will define who they are to the American people. Those issues, in my mind are: health care, education, the environment, and national security. The Dems must not endorse corporate giveaways in the form of the 2003 Medicare bill, NCLB, and the recent bankruptcy legislation. The DLC Dems …
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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I don't disagree with that, Lefty. It seems that if the Democrats have a core set of values, in this case one, then it is pretty clear what kind of issues they will and will not support. The simpler the better. Heck, it worked for the Republicans in 2004.
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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I could not have said it better myself Richard2. The Democrats refused to concede on Bush's privatization scheme and he backed down. That was the only case I can recall in the last 4+ years where ALL Democrats grew a spine and stood up to the President. Now only if they had done that on Iraq and the Patriot Act....
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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This article is not an endorsement of the Democratic Party, but a prescription for how it can become better and gain more politcal traction in the years ahead. Yes, the Democratic Party has its flaws due in large part to the corporate funded Democratic Leadership Council and its offspring, the Progressive Policy Institute. But wasn't it Truman who gave us the Fair Deal which was then summarily rejected by the GOP? Didn't Truman integrate the military? Didn't FDR give us the minimum wage, Medicaid, child labor prohibitions, overtime pay, Social Security, the right to organize unions, and a 40-hour workweek? Didn't …
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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I for one DID NOT support either the Vietnam War, the illegal contra wars in Central America, AND the last two American wars in Iraq. The last time I checked, opposition to those conflicts arose from the Democratic side of the aisle. Do the names Fulbright, Kerry, Kennedy, or Byrd ring a bell? I in NO WAY condone the murderous legacy of U.S foreign policy but realize it would have been carried out with even greater viciousness by Republicans. I was no supporter of Clinton's hard line against Iraq or his massive bombing of the Balkans under the myth of stopping …
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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That litle line you had, Joseph, about Iraqis dying in greater numbers under Clinton than Bush is disingenuous since Bush has had only a little over 4 years as President and Clinton had eight! Who knows how many Iraqis have died due to this unjust invasion of Iraq and before when the economic sanctions were still in place. Bush didn't oppose the sanctions because they killed Iraqis but because they gave the opposition a leg to stand on when they declared Iraq a contained state. You should know that, joe. You seem to imply I was angry at 9/11 but not …
Posted to The Case for a Democratic Marker
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An excellent but saddening piece indeed. This article is a good repudiation of right-wing calls for an end to affirmative action, who disgustingly enough, validate their position by claiming "racism." Racism is alive and well in American society today, only it has changed in terms of how it is manifested. There may no longer be lynchings and racially motivated murders by the KKK and other right-wing domestic terrorist groups, but today's racism is reflected most strongly in income disparity and prison representation. Being a white man, it is easy to say racism is dead. To take racial equality for granted overlooks …
Posted to So Very Sorry
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This country reaped enormous economic gain through the use of slave labor. What is wrong with returning some of it to the ancestors of those laborers? I agree with most of what you said except the claim that the number of black men in jail is not indicative of racist state tendencies in this country. Black men do not have access to the high-profile lawyers and the connections to get them out of serving jail time. Most of the black men in prison are there for drug use/distribution. That behavior is the LEAST of this country's problems with respect to criminal …
Posted to So Very Sorry
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It seems to me that reparations would be symbolic in nature, and should go to the NAACP or to build a national memorial portraying the slaughter and exploitation of people of color that made this nation possible. You might not have descendants engaged in the slave trade, but wouldn't you want, g-love, to know your tax dollars were going to heal the racial divide in this country? The Civil War was not really about slavery. It was about individual states seceding because they did not want the federal government to intervene in their domestic economic issues. This was a war about …
Posted to So Very Sorry
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The "War" on drugs has got to end! If there ever was a bigger waste of time and money on the part of the Department of Justice, please tell me. We have so many men (read: black men)and women too that are serving 10+ years for in my opinion acts that deserve rehabilitation, not incarceration. Like pick of the litter said, it is overwhelming to think of all the families destroyed by federal criminal policy. We need to look toward Canada as a model upon which to base our criminal justice system. Up there, all criminals, from the petty thieves to …
Posted to So Very Sorry
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I have to hand it to NaderRaider on this one. The federal war on drugs is the worst way to deal with substance abuse in this country. Clearly, the fact that certain substances are illegal does not limit their use. We should do like the Dutch in Amsterdam and legalize pot! That substance is not abused in that city, and I can attest, I have been there. Anyways, back to the prison-industrial complex; the worst thing our country can do is place something as sensitive and consequential as criminal justice into the hands of private corporations. All that does is ensure …
Posted to So Very Sorry
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Another excellent post Richard2. You sum up the sorry state of affairs quite well.
Posted to So Very Sorry
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I couldn't agree more, Tim Christopher. The Democratic Party is in danger of losing the black community if it continues to ignore them.
Posted to So Very Sorry
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Lefty, This is Bud, but I go by Liberal now. I see your point in that the conservative industrialists do not directly partake in the violence, but the people they employ are not like the workers in that they have the power of the state on their side. The state has historically sided with the industrialists while the unions have not had that luxury, and are always backtracking as a result. It is scary that union members vote Republican in the numbers they do. That is a testament to the GOP's wedge issues and their appealing to these people's cultural and …
Posted to Power to the Pictures
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I am the real Bud, but I have changed my screenname to "Liberal." Thank you very much ITT for ensuring that only serious posters can utilize this feature. The possibilty of abortion being a state issue spells disaster for all of the women in red states. No, I believe abortion is a federal health issue and should be regulated by the federal government. Paul, abortion is already governed by laws and is severely, severely restricted in several states, what with mandatory waiting periods, parental notification, and other such obstacles. The comment I made in my last post was not meant to …
Posted to The Immoral Majority
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Back to the issue of abortion. If John G. Roberts, a patrician if there ever was one, gets approved by the spineless Senate, then we can expect to see Roe V. Wade overturned. People forget that O'Connor influenced Souter to uphold abortion in 1992. You can bet Souter will side with Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas in the upcoming New Hampshire case that deals with parental notification of abortions performed on minors. Paul, if abortion was made a state issue, it would be at an immediate risk in 21 states, moderate risk in 9, and secure in 20, according to the Center …
Posted to The Immoral Majority
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Amen to all you said, LeeAnnG. I tried to debate that guy from a historical perspective, to show what the real "original intent" was, but it did no good. I used the alias "Bud" at the time.
Posted to The Immoral Majority
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The "conservative" media has barely even touched the Downing Street memo, which is what this discussion is about in the first place. Natalie, if you need a litany of examples of the conservative media in practice, go to http://www.mediamatters.org for more information. This instance with Rove is far more grave than Monica-gate which the establishment media harped on constantly. Anways, with respect to Rove, the media barely touched the leak until news broke that the CIA had asked the Justice Department to investigate it. Need evidence of Rove's direct involvement? Newsweek's Michael Isikoff was able to obtain a damning email that …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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Natalie, you say you have "evidence" that the media is liberal but you do not provide it. The truth is, any systematic examination of reporting by the MSM does not reveal ANY liberal bias. The downing street memo is a big issue. At the time it was conceived, the administration said it wanted to go to war with Iraq only as a last resort. The case for invasion was thin, read my earlier posts in this thread under the alias "Bud." What the memo reveals is an impeachable offense, misleading the Congress and the public over matters of war and peace, …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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Regardless of what you think of Wilson, that still does not justify what Rove did. I thought this nation was ruled by adults, not children who operate out of a visceral desire for revenge. In 2000, the majority of newspapers supported Bush over Gore. How is that liberal? The MSM propogated the GOP propoganda that Gore said he "invented the internet." They never called Bush out when he said he never lived a day of his life in Washington, D.C., despite the fact that he HAD. Bush lived for eighteen months in northwest D.C. as a paid political consultant to his …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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I second the statements by Susie-Q (Margaret) and Lefty. The conservative accusation of a liberal media is patently false. See "The Repubican Noise Machine" by David Brock and "Big Lies" by Joe Conason for further info.
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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Regardless of what liberals think about the CIA, we NEVER advocated disclosing the names of covert agents for revenge. At that Senate Democratic Caucus hearing on C-SPAN, if you cared to watch, there were former intelligence officers WHO VOTED FOR BUSH IN 2000 testifying. They do not sound partisan to me. Rather, it seems they were motivated to speak out because they could no longer sit idly by and see a national security asset exposed for political revenge. Plame was working on WMD non-proliferation issues. She was not involved in overthrowing elected governments or any of that garbage. She was in …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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Natalie, Judith Miller did not report about Plame AT ALL, so she did not do any disclosing. She is stonewalling the special prosecutor likely because she has even more damning evidence against Rove and Libby but is too partisan to disclose it to Fitzgerald. She is no liberal, read her preinvasion WMD reporting and her more recent U.N. reporting if you are still unconvinced. It is a legitimate question to ask if Rove broke a law. Maybe the media is focusing on this issue now because the Bush administration has changed its own criteria from dismissing anyone involved in the leak …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media
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Whattheheck, you make it seem that almost everyone believed Iraq had WMD. Tell that to Scott Ritter who correctly stated that the administration HAD NO CASE FOR IRAQI WMD. He was teated as a traitor in the mainstream media. Just read the transcripts of the interviews conducted with him on CNN and FOX. Saddam gassed the Kurds in 1988, before his country was bombed back to the stoneage by the U.S., before dehabilitating economic sanctions were imposed, and BEFORE U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTORS DESTROYED EVERYTHING, as history has proven to be 100% accurate. Hussein Kamel stated in his debriefing before CIA officials …
Posted to Downing Street: A Dead-End In American Media