Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The War at Home


The war party are on an offensive here at home. They are worried. They know that their lies have been found out, their policies are failing and most importantly there is waning support now for the war even within military families and within the military itself.

You will now hear a lot about "a plan for victory." They know, unlike the Left and the anti-war movement, that in politics one needs to be for something and setting the agenda. They like talking points so listen to the roar everywhere now for 1) we are for a free society/democracy, 2) we are on the offensive economically and militarily to win and 3) Iraqis will eventually take over militarily. All this requires patience and lots of time. In other words, we will win deomcracy in Iraq and we are withdrawing. This is a lie.

Democracy in Iraq would mean a withdrawal of US troops, control of oil production and Shia control. The US does not want this. Withdrawal will occur on US terms if they are able to meet their objectives, control of Iraqi oil, a weak Iraq and thus strength for US strategic interests.

If you are for self-determination in the world your position should be US OUT NOW! If not you side with imperialism, soft or hard your still an imperialist. Meaning you want the US to control what happens in Iraq not Iraqis.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Of All People

Larry King gets it right, speakng of Bob Woodward and others:

"Noting that Woodward was able to avail himself of lengthy interviews with President Bush for a recent book, King said: "He's given you three hours. He'll help you with the next book. Doesn't that give him an edge with you?" And, King pointed out, the benefits of such arrangements run in both directions, for author and president alike: "He's not going to come out looking terrible because you want him for your next book and you'd like to have that in."

Normon Solomon on the Woodward scandal.

Random Chance


I was looking for a picture of a 1930's big band and I came across this site. That anyone can listen to the Washingtonians or whomever whenever they want blows the mind. Check this out!

NY Commie Midwestern Humor


Pee in your pants funny.

Andy Rooneyish

I know this may sound like an Andy Rooney rant but (did you ever notice (:) why is the weather a lead story? I know we have all said this and we know why but when it snows in Minnesota is this a fucking idea that has any freshness or value?

Another nonstory story: people went shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Holy shit, really? That's amazing. I think NPR should get a Pulitzer for that one.

OK, I feel better.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

New Sound


Check out the new feature on the right, Audio. Lots of links to creative radio around the world.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Monday, November 21, 2005

Athiest Gillete

"I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond Atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?"
The entire essay.

You Know Your In Trouble When Mass Murderer Ariel Sharon is Organizing a "Centrist" Party


Sharon quits Likud to form new bloc.

Here's just one instance of his nastiness.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Most Americans Support Torture

Well at least the mob is a humane keeper of empire. Ghastly!

The Democrats Are 98.7% For the War

403 to 3. Pathetic. Even Murtha voted yea. This party is not part of the anti-war movement. Build the movement in your neighborhood because the only way there will be a withdrawal of troops from Iraq is if there are millions in the street. I'm glad the Republicans called their bluff. Their right the Democrats are playing politics with the war and cynically trying to be on all sides. The Democrats are for this occupation plain and simple.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

A Left/Libertarian/Isolationist Alliance for the Anti-war Movement?

US OUT NOW! should welcome all parts of the anti-war movement, including right libertarians and isolationists.

All I Want For My Birthday Is A Crack In The Empire

John Murtha calls for an end to the occupation of Iraq.

Life Expectancy Calculator

Your life expectancy is 87.8 years.

Your life expectancy.

Dining With the Devil


Some local comedy. For the out of towners, this guy is SATAN!

Matt got me this for my birthday.

Why Small Radical Left Rags Like Counterpunch Matter

Two stories that show why Cockburn and St. Claire's, Counterpunch, count. One of their hobby horses has been how Bob Woodward has gone from investigative reporter to mouthpiece of reaction. They also have taken on the Guardian for the hatchet job they did on Chomsky. Massive criticism will now rain on Woodward and the Guardian has apologized.

Counterpunch on Woodward.

Send in your 50 bucks!

Cheney Lashes Out


"Half a heart" Dick Cheney attacks war critics. As usual he gets the best material. My favorite, honestly, is his line about the Senators who voted for the war and now claim ingnorance on intelligence, like John "I have 8 positions on the war" Kerry. All this means that the anti-war movement is driving the agenda and they are on the defensive and once again the Democrats are the weak link. Prediction: it will be Republicans that force a withdrawal from Iraq with the Dems in tail particularly if there is a Democratic president.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

How Anti-evolutionists Have Peddled Their Snake Oil

With less and less god.

Woodward, Another Lackey of the Adminstration

Woodward's role in the Plame case.

Frank Deford's Racist Rant

"Every year, countless racehorses are sent to slaughterhouses and to foreign markets where horsemeat is cuisine. Commentator Frank Deford finds the practice inhumane."



Listen here to national chauvinism mixed with a little cute little animal pablum.

Internationalize the Internet?

The US prevails in effort to maintain control of the internet.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

France

Race or class? Or both? A multicultural success?

Monday, November 14, 2005

Bush's Veterans Day Speach

Dissent = disloyalty.

Another Round of Pardons in the Offing?

A. Cockburn on the trail of lies and the pardons that followed in the Reagan/Bush years.

Jordan's King Warned Of This In 2002


In 2002 King Abdullah warned the US and Britain that the war would unleash anger and violence throughout the Arab world and beyond. Unfortunately his prediction has come through.

"The US newspaper publisher Knight Ridder...reports that one of the suicide bombers involved in the attacks, Safaa Mohammed Ali, seems to have been captured a year ago by US marines in Falluja.
He was then released because he seemed to pose no threat to security.
Ali was captured in the same mosque in Falluja where a cameraman filmed a US marine shooting dead a wounded prisoner.
That, according to Knight Ridder's investigation, increased his hatred of the US."

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Bush Takes On Critics of the War

Fuck You Bush! You lied about the war and all you know how to do is go on the offense. Good for you tactically but as in poker your bluffs will be called. We all know that Iraq was never a threat, WMD was ca-ca and 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq. Except now Iraqi couples are blissfully blowing up themselves in fucking Jordan because of your adventure. You have so much blood on your hands that you should awake with night terrors like I do and jump out the White House fucking window!
OK, I feel better. Tommorow I will go door to door to end this fucking slaughter. US OUT NOW!
A summary of the Bush speach.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Jarhead as Homoeroticism

A remake of Priscilla Queen of the Desert?

Don't Blame Imperialism That's Soooo 19/20th Century

I remember getting in a very heated debate in graduate school over this topic, why imperialism is bad. It seemed kind of obvious to me but I guess people from Wawautosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, find these arguments very inconvenient.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

BBC Reports On CRIME OF THE CENTURY!

Lula watches pirated movie!!! A first world headline if there ever was one. Does this mean every time I humm Brown Sugar I have to send Mick and Keith 10 cents? Yes it's their labor and intellectual workers should get paid but once you make your movie, painting, song, etc... sell it and then it's all of ours to do with it what we will. Should I have to give an auto worker a check everytime I drive my car?

As an intellectual worker I would be pissed if my lecture was videoed and then sold but if someone wanted to give it away I think they should be able to.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

IRS Goes After Anti-War Church

Just imagen if a Democrat was in office and the IRS went after one of the many right wing churches that are pimping for the Bushes?

Major Victory For Civil Liberties In Britain


Parlimentarians choose civil liberties over fear as Tony Blur's 90 days without charge "terror laws" go down to defeat. Hip-Hip!

Cool Idea

The Forbes (I'm a coporate whore) people are making an email time capsule. Check it out. They will send you an email in twenty years.

No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No

Not as good as Headless Body Found In Topless Bar or Vanessa The Undressa but catchy. The LA Times skinny on Aaarnold's defeat.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

France

Liberty, Equality anf Fraternity for all?

If I Were Voting in California Today

In the end Arnold is a right wing populist but I do think he is honest. Here's a critique of his ballot measures.

If I were voting today:

-- Proposition 74 would increase from 2 to 5 years the time it takes for public school teachers to get tenure and job security. This measure would devastate public schools by dramatically increasing teacher turnover and severely weakening the power of the teachers' union to protect its members. As a major attack on a union whose leadership showers Democratic legislators with contributions (for very little in return), Schwarzenegger calculated that he could intimidate other unions to boot.

YES-I'm a proud union member and a public school teacher and I support tenure. I support due process for all workers. But what is needed in many school systems is a process to attract and retain GOOD teachers. It starts with small class size and decent pay and benefits. But one of the major problems I see is that there are very few decent administrators. This means that a significant minority of teachers do what they want, which is very little. I am not calling for a boss driven system but one that holds both administration and teachers accountable for teaching students SOMETHING. Maybe a longer time for gaining tenure will discourage the dead weight.

-- Proposition 75 targets all public-sector unions, requiring them to get written approval from each member to use dues money for political purposes. Like the attack on teachers, this measure aims to cripple the union movement's capacity for political campaigning. No similar restriction would be imposed on corporate donors.

NO-unions and other organzations should have the right to do what they want with their dues. I think there are some first amendment issues here. But would any worker in any corporation be able to get some of thier money back from a corporation or government institution that did something that they disagreed with? Of course not. That is why this is just an anti-union tactic plain and simple.

-- Proposition 76 would simultaneously grant the governor executive powers to cut the budget by declaring a "fiscal emergency" and reduce the constitutionally guaranteed percentage of the state budget dedicated to public education.

NO-Executives in goverment have WAY to much power already. This is a power grab plain and simple.

-- Proposition 77 would give three retired judges the power to redraw legislative districts in California. Arnold wants to follow the Texas example and eliminate as many safe Democratic Party seats as possible, tipping state government in favor of suburban Republican voters.

YES-Gerrymandering by partisans has made this country a two party dictatorship. This is a half measure that has the potential, if the right people were appointed, to eliminate the non competetive nature of our political system.

Colin Powell Tries To Rehabilitate Himself

Colin Powell'a angst filled political life.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Why der zwiebel is America's Finest

Dems Force Closed Senate

Chuck Erskine,
Firefighter
"I for one am shocked that the Democrats would attempt to have an effect on national politics."

American Voices

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Capturing the Friedmans

Have you seen Capturing the Friedmans? Freaky. I grew up in Jersey at the time and remember the witch hunt. Or was it?

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

How the Right Emerged From Its Slumber

An old debate that I have had with friends over the years is how the Right has come so thoroughly to power in the last 30 years. One strain argues that think tanks and big money allied and propagandized the elites and took over the Republican Party and now THEY RULE THE WORLD. My position is a more bottom up explanation that argues evangelicals and anti-abortion folk in particular have organized the white working class in reaction to globalization and other cosmopolitan (race and gender) forces that have caused a backlash against liberal elites. Here's a discussion of the issue in the Nation.

The First Amendment and Its Uses

Robert Scheer on Judith Miller and her First Amendment defense,

"This case was never about protecting government sources who risk their careers by telling the truth, but rather about punishing those like Wilson who do. That Miller cared far more about protecting someone who abused his power as the Vice President's chief of staff than about protecting the right of Wilson to speak truth to power says volumes about her priorities.
That the New York Times again editorialized last week in defense of its knee-jerk support of Miller, even after knowing she deceived her editors, is a startling indication that even some of our most respected media leaders still are missing the point.
The First Amendment protection is not a license for mischief on the part of journalists eager to do the government's bidding. To the contrary, it was conceived by the founders to prevent government from subverting the free press in an effort to misinform the public. Unfortunately, that is precisely what occurred here."

The entire article.

The War on Drugs

Here's (video lower right) the real purpose of the war on drugs, propaganda and military spending. Will this capture have any effect on cocaine use? No.

What Exactly Is Scooter Covering Up?

As Colin, I'm ready to be president because I'm a moderate even though I killed thousands in Vietnam and acted as a cover for the lies of the Iraq war," Powell has recently stated, the neocons used 9/11 to further thier cause of expanding US power by invading Iraq and lied about WMD to this end. The cover-up is about this cabal of liars and imperialists and the Plame case is just one example of how these guys are a bunch of big fat lying liars. Here's a good discussion of Scooter and the real issues at stake.

Why the Right is Winning

A good story by Nina Totenberg on why the Right is effective. They attack the president over thier issues and support him when he is their toady. Imagen a labor leader attacking ANY Democrat. The liberal social movement activists; labor, color, gender, environmental, have basically become water carriers for a party that actually defends Wall Street more than thier concerns. Because of this lcge has spent most of its time on electoral politics and raising money for losing candidates on all levels but particularly at the presidential level. Remember Sister Souljah v. Clinton? What did the civil rights community do in reaction to this? Call him the greatest president ever. Remember NAFTA and GATT? What did the labor and environmental community do in reaction to this? Give Clinton/Gore/Kerry more money and grass roots activism then ever. If these movements don't put more energy into organizing their won't be anything left to defend, particularly for the labor movement.