In case you haven't seen these links, they're worth following!To see one of the two ads CBS won't run during the SuperBowl, go here: http://www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/According to moveon.org, almost a half-million people have so far called CBS asking them to stop their censorship (CBS Comment Line: 212/975.4321) Take these presidential match quizzes: http://www.ontheissues.org/quizeng/XPresMatch2004/ http://www.presidentmatch.com
Monthly Archives: January 2004
14 posts
The House of Bush Rep. strategist Kevin Phillips on the Bush family's hunger for power [ link ] By Eric Bates | (Rolling Stone, January 5, 2004) Listening to Kevin Phillips talk about politics, it's easy to mistake him for a populist firebrand from the 1890s. He rails against the growing inequality of wealth in America. He bemoans the unprecedented influence that private corporations hold over public institutions. He attacks the “smug conservatism” of George W. Bush and accuses the president of attempting to establish a family dynasty better suited to royalist England than to democratic America. But Phillips is […]
by Brendan Lalor, thereitis.org Head WMD-hunter David Kay has “concluded that Iraq had no stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons at the start of the war last year,” according to the New York Time article below. Yet he's “stepping down” from his position before expected. I'm wondering if Kay might have been “encouraged” (through under-funding) — because if he did not step down, his final report would constitute a serious and untimely blow to the Bush for President campaign. Let me spell out my speculations … Kay was leading the Iraq Survey Group, which is trying to locate the WMDs […]
[ Below is a nice interview with registered Republican and previous Bush contributor, Larry C. Johnson, a decorated intelligence analyst, who demands that Congress “hold the White House accountable for deliberately revealing the identity of undercover CIA operative.” What the White House did was illegal, aids terrorists, and, Johnson says, may amount to treason. Thanks to A. Dadlez for sending this article. — doclalor ] The CIA revolt against the White House Former intelligence official Larry C. Johnson blasts the Bush administration's “outright pattern of bullying.” http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/01/23/johnson/print.html by Mark Follman Jan. 23, 2004 | In President Bush's State of the […]
[ For those not familiar with Lakoff's competing-models analysis of moral politics, this is a timely introduction. — doclalor ] The Hidden State of the Union http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17643 By George Lakoff, AlterNet January 22, 2004 We all heard what the President said in the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, but what did he mean? The speech, like most right-wing discourse these days, is in a kind of code, based on a moral system that not all Americans share. Lying below the 50-50 political schism in this country are two opposing worldviews. Each sees national politics through the lens […]
[ Thanks to Sundra Flansburg for sending this article. ] Labor Department 'cheat sheet' puts screws to workers South Bend Tribune, January 18, 2004 [ link ] by EILEEN APPELBAUM, KRT Forum NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Just when you thought the Bush administration's disdain for America's working families couldn't get any worse, along comes another cynical move to prove you wrong. This time it's the Labor Department putting out tips for employers on how they can avoid paying overtime to low-income workers when the government's new rules on overtime pay go into effect in March. A cheat sheet, if you will, […]
Seven Myths About Faith & Politics The truth about the politics of evangelicals, Catholics and seculars by Steven Waldman, Slate I heard about this guy who called himself “evangelical,” said he lived a “Bible-centered life,” had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ — and voted for Al Gore over George W. Bush.A confused, lonely, iconoclast? Actually, in 2000, at least 10 million white “evangelical Christians” voted for Gore.Many people, especially secular liberals, misunderstand the nature of religion in politics-which is, to be fair, ever shifting. To them, if it's not about Jerry Falwell or Joe Lieberman, it's kind of a […]
by Brendan Lalor, thereitis.orgIf Iowa is an indication of voter turnout to come, it's worth noting that Democrats are coming out in droves by historical standards. According to the Des Moines Register, “More than 122,000 Democrats attended caucuses Monday, of which roughly 45 percent were first-time participants, according to entrance polls.” Compare that to the mere 61,000 caucusers who turned out in 2000!There should be no mystery why we're seeing the leap in civic engagement. We finally have something for which we can thank Acting President George W. Bush. (I know, I'm grasping a little.) He has activated Dems (Independents, Greens, […]
John Passacantando, AlterNet | October 30, 2003 http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17073 Yesterday the Greenpeace ship MV Esperanza arrived in Miami. However, rather than pulling into port, as Greenpeace ships do throughout the world, she will remain at anchor. The Port of Miami has refused us entry because John Ashcroft's Justice Department is prosecuting us for a protest action last year. The prosecution is unprecedented. Never before in U.S. history has an entire organization been prosecuted for a peaceful protest by its supporters.
[ As the presidential election approaches, it's worth remembering what happened last time. This is a nice piece on an issue which we have been too willing to forget: How cheating illegitimately landed George W. Bush a job as Acting President. Liam Scheff here interviews Greg Palast, author of the acclaimed The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. WARNING: The content of this interview may shock some, but it is pretty widely known in other parts of the developed world, and was even given brief (if late) treatment by some mainstream U.S. media, including the Washington Post. For a nice example of […]
[ Cynthia McKinney (former Congresswoman from Georgia) belongs back in Congress, after being run out by the Bushies in retribution for her attempts to pry the cover off electoral fraud in Florida. — doclalor ] Greg Palast, AlterNet | http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16172 June 13, 2003 Have you heard about Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congresswoman? According to those quoted on National Public Radio, McKinney’s “a loose cannon” (media expert) who “the people of Atlanta are embarrassed and disgusted” (politician) by, and she is also “loony” and “dangerous” (senator from her own party). Yow! And why is McKinney dangerous/loony/disgusting? According to NPR, “McKinney implied […]
01/21/2004 @ 12:34am | from David Corn's “Capitol Games” section of The Nation http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=1198 “No one can now doubt the word of America.” That's what George W. Bush told the United States and the world public in his State of the Union address this evening. He was referring to the war in Iraq, which he defended vigorously in the speech. But this remark made it seem he was oblivious to the fact that many people around the globe believe that the war in Iraq demonstrated that Bush's word is worth nothing.
The Rev. Albert Pennybacker is a Bible Belt preacher with a drawl who's urging people to support “basic religious values.” But he's no Jerry Falwell clone.– – – – – – – – – – – – By Leslie R. Guttman Dec. 24, 2003 | LEXINGTON, Ky. — In the heart of the Bluegrass, a Bible Belt preacher is rallying people to political action around what he calls “basic religious values.” Think you can describe his politics? Think again. This man of the cloth wants “regime change” in Washington. The Rev. Albert Pennybacker, a Lexington, Ky.-based pastor, is head of […]
[ From the article: “Bush's political opponents are caught in a fantasy that they can win against him simply by proving the superiority of their ideas. However,people do not support Bush for the power of his ideas, but out of the despair and desperation in their hearts…. Bush's opponents must combat his dark imagery with hope and restore American vigor and optimism in the coming years…. This is the linguistic prescription for those who wish to retire Bush in 2004.” ] The Nation, by RENANA BROOKS [from the June 30, 2003 issue] http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030630&s=brooks George W. Bush is generally regarded as […]