mousemusings...multimedia, music, progressive politics, video, web design and general rants
Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia.
~Kurt Vonnegut
Sunday, October 31, 2004

My local newspaper

the Ann Arbor News, endorsed Bush today. That's my 'liberal media'. I just put a permanent vacation stop in. I'll call Monday and cancel it completely.

After the election, regardless of the outcome, I will be devoting some of this blog space toward researching, defining and promoting companies that support the progressive movement. The voice of the consumer is the voice of the people. We have to learn how to speak in a collective voice.

I'm considering the impact and viability of a barter exchange similar to the WNC Barter Exchange that Susan of easy bake coven pointed to last week. Ann Arbor has quite a successful freecycling community, but there is room for a barter exchange too.

Help and suggestions are highly encouraged!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, October 30, 2004

Never Forget

Internets Vets for Truth
with video clips like:
uncovered-flipflop quicktime mov
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


5 EYEWITNESS NEWS confirms video shows Al-Qaqaa

5 EYEWITNESS NEWScan say with much more certainty tonight our crew was at Al Qaaqa. We can also report that at least one of the bunkers our crew saw there contained the high explosive HMX. That is the same type of explosive missing in Iraq, and an ingredient used to manufacture nuclear weapons.If the military was at Al Qaqaa on April 13, 2003, like they say they were, it now appears they left at least some HMX behind


"These pictures are pretty dramatic proof that the high explosives were there after Baghdad fell," physicist David Albright.

Wall around Al-Qaqaa compromised

Seals used by the IAEA still intact April 18, 2003
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, October 29, 2004

Caging Democracy

caged, cag·ing, cag·es

To put or confine in or as if in a cage.
1. A structure for confining birds or animals, enclosed on at least one side by a grating of wires or bars that lets in air and light.
2. A barred room or fenced enclosure for confining prisoners.


"It Will Be Worse Than in 2000"
NAACP head Julian Bond says the GOP is going all out to suppress the black vote. Can his "Election Protection" offensive stop them?

NAACP Faces IRS Investigation

As so much in the past three years, how effective could this possibly be? Perhaps the better question is who would it benefit? Bush Seeks Limit to Suits Over Voting Rights

'Caging' lists: God Help us if the Democrats Find Out
More details about "Caging" and what the Republicans have planned to do.
Of course, there is this flyer being passed around Milwaukee black neighborhoods.
Time was when Republicans were at least embarrassed by their efforts to keep African-Americans from the polls

Outrage is entirely justified.
All, an attempt at subtle and not-so-subtle attempts at intimidation, misinformation and suppression. This is America? I ask again, if we can't get it right here, who are we to be imposing freedom on others?

Why the harrassment? Marc Ash has an idea:
African America to the Rescue
The idea of an African American voting still strikes fear in the hearts of many Americans. The notion that such irrational fear only existed in the deep south is another myth. What's happening today in Cleveland, Ohio is not very different from what happened in Birmingham, Alabama in 1960. The violence is muted but intimidation and exclusion are still fair game.


To lighten things up a bit as you're thinking, here is Where Art and Democracy Collide:
The Voting Booth Project artists and designers transform actual Votomatic booths. On display Oct 8 - Dec 5 Gallery at 2 West 13th Street NYC
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Life in the USA

I got one of these in the mail today. I wonder how the families of the 911 victims feel being politicized by this pamphlet, especially when they see OBL still at large in their face today? I can't imagine. I'm disgusted and sad.


I've collected a few exceptional articles in the news today but have little time to comment or focus. Just the headlines ma'am:

The Explosives Depot was Looted a Year Ago
first reported Nov 13, 2003

It's Not Just Al Qa Qaa
by Paul Krugman

a minimum of 250,000 more tons remains unaccounted for.

A Hole in the Heart
by Tom Friedman

A Timeline of Failure
beginning January 2001

List of Bush excuses (LIES) about the missing Iraq explosives
one after another

All The Presidents Excuses
and another and another

Caught on Tape
if you needed any more confirmation

The article that most disturbed me today had nothing to do with the Bush Administration in particular but everything to do with the state of The Land of The Free, a place at one time where 'live and let live' was the creed.

Man found living in cave on Los Alamos lab land
Authorities have evicted a man from a cave on Los Alamos National Laboratory land where they say he apparently lived for years with the comforts of home -- a wood-burning stove, solar panels connected to car batteries for electricity and a satellite radio.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


It is Confirmed

Independent experts said several other factors - the geography; the number of bunkers; the seals on some of the bunker doors; the boxes, crates and barrels similar to those seen by weapon inspectors - confirm that the videotape was taken at Al Qaqaa.

"There's not another place that you would mistake it for," said Dean Staley, the KSTP reporter, who now works in Seattle.

No more excuses. No more lies. No more Bush Administration.
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Eclipse this Moon

Bob has a review of Robert Parry's book Secrecy and Priviledge
I've been a longtime reader of Consortium News where Robert Parry keeps an archive called the Dark Side of Rev. Moon. You can also find an interview with Parry here.
The book promises to have content regarding the Sun Myung Moon and Bush ties, and as John Gorenfeld continues to remind us, it is not a lovely thought.
I'm going to have to put this book on my personal to-read list.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, October 28, 2004

Video linked to missing explosives in Iraq

The news crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa, and drove two or three miles north of there with soldiers on April 18, 2003.

(...) During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS news crew bunker after bunker of material labelled "explosives."

(...) In one bunker, there were boxes marked with the name "Al Qaqaa", the munitions plant where tons of explosives allegedly went missing



UPDATE: The news site seems to require using IE as the browser of choice to view the video. onegoodmove has a quicktime version here.
I also mirrored his quicktime version here.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Explosive! and Substantial

The following are all selections from Juan Cole's 'Informed Comment'
When I have a chance I'll add some of his links to the (continually updated) timeline, but for tonight the reading illustrates the message. The message, as leaves no doubt is: Incompetence, poor planning, war without a reason. Yet the U.S. Wants No UN Help Probing Missing Explosives I wonder why.
There are no excuses. It is indeed criminal.

Bush is Making us Safer?
Bush not only failed to have al-Qaqaa guarded against theft of HMX and RDX, not only failed to guard against theft of dual-use equipment from a long-defunct nuclear program site, but also failed to do the elementary work of ensuring that the notorious al-Tuwaitha facility was secured against the theft of radiocative materials!

Since Tuwaitha was the great bugaboo impelling the Iraq war in the first place, you would imagine that Bush would have sent out a unit to secure and search it immediately. But no, he politely let the looters have a look-around first, waiting in line.

Iraqi Officials Deny Early Disappearance of Explosives
Dr. Muhammad Sharaa who leads Iraq's science monitoring department, denies that the 380 tons of high explosives that has gone missing could have been moved in spring of 2003 before or during the war.

Brown: 2004 Bremer Report on al-Qaqaa Looting
The reason we don’t know when the explosives disappeared is that we were not securing or monitoring the site.

Deadly Dual Use Explosives Missing: Part Deux
The Bush administration's attempts to pull the wool over the eyes of the American public fails on several grounds. First, there is every indication that al-Qaqaa was not secured and could not have been secured. That is because Bush did not send enough troops to Iraq to do the job that needed to be done. It was Bush's decision.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Looking for a Sample Michigan Ballot?

If you're registered to vote in Michigan, you can find it here.

UPDATE:
Regardless of where you live you can find your polling place,learn on what type of machine you will cast your vote and get instructions on how to use that machine by typing in your address.

To protect your right to vote, review this list of tips.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, October 25, 2004

Timeline of Looting and Incompetency

Here is a rough timeline of nuclear facilities, notably April 12, 2003, when the discovery of looting first occured. I will continue to update this link as developments unfold. It stands to reason that once the discovery was made, that the IAEA would have been consulted and other places of concern to them would have been secured, or, of course, should have been. That 377 tons of explosives are missing from an unsecured military facility absolutely blows my mind! Incompetence is a nice word for it.

Recall the first presidential debate when John Kerry said, ""When you guard the oil ministry, but you don't guard the nuclear facilities, the message to a lot of people is maybe, "Wow, maybe they're interested in our oil."

I'd personally go a bit further and say, "Wow, maybe they aren't even
looking for nuclear capabilities, or weapons of any type."

UPDATE:
May I just remind anyone who comes to argue here about anything prior to April 12, 2003; no one knows.

The Iraqi interim government says the explosives were missing AFTER April 9.

The IAEA saw the seals in place in March.

A Pentagon "official who monitors developments in Iraq" told the Associated Press today that "US-led coalition troops had searched Al-Qaqaa in the immediate aftermath of the March 2003 invasion and confirmed that the explosives, which had been under IAEA seal since 1991, were intact."


Go read.


UPDATE 2

April 5, 2003

April 6, 2003

The site seemed to be part of the al Qaa'qaa state establishment, a large industrial complex in Iraq which makes powder, explosives and propellants for all military industries.
It turns out what they thought might be chemicals were the explosives that later are found to be missing.
The Timeline We DO Know:

Rumsfeld on Looting April 11, 2003 before looting of nuclear materials was reported.
"Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things,"

April 12, 2003 First reports of Tuwaitha Nuclear Facilities being Looted (most links dead)

April 14, 2003

April 16, 2003

April 18, 2003

April 27, 2003

May 4, 2003


May 6, 2003

May 10, 2003

May 16, 2003

June 6, 2003

Then there is a time gap where no news is reported until:
October 12, 2004

and of course the most disturbing development
the
377 tons of explosives which TPM is covering indepth.
What the heck, just go to the top of his page and start reading. He's still going strong.
Also see
Progress Report
And you'll also find
The American Street has Deathgate parts 1, 2 and 3

UPDATE 3

October 25,2004
"At the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom there were a number of priorities. It was a priority to make sure that the oil fields were secure, so that there wasn't massive destruction of the oil fields, which we thought would occur." [Scott McClellan]

October 28, 2004


Initial Reactions from assorted Weblogs:

Hullabaloo who first called my attention to it
Total Information Awareness add him to your blogroll!
seeing the forest
Thudfactor
ISOU
Majikthise
at ease
Gentle Breezes
say anything
et alia
Rook's Rant
ratboy's anvil
LEFT is RIGHT
Loaded Mouth
The Left End of The Dial
Town and Planet another "new to me" weblog that's very good!
Why are We Back in Iraq? appropriately titled "TNT Done Dirt Cheap"
Rooftop Report
By Beauty Damned
Streak's Blog
Peace Garden
Last Day of My Life with indepth comments about the planning, or not planning
halfgeek.net
iddybud
Frogsdong also known as Blanton's and Ashton's but 'Frogsdong' makes me laugh!
SoapBoxBlog
Motor City Bad Kitty's LitterBox another 'new to me' blog grabbing my attention

Whew! Most of the above blogs were from the PBA. There are a lot of good blogs out there. Check em' out. Now I'll go read my regular blogroll, though I doubt I'll be linking much to this issue anymore today. I'm burnt and surely not feeling any safer.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Go Read Digby!

I'll have more later, but this is called 'head on a silver platter'.


click to enlarge image


Here is the weblog safe NY Times Link.

Kerry-Edwards Senior Advisor Joe Lockhart's Statement

UPDATE:
I'm covered up in real life work at the moment but I'll point to two paragraphs in the NY times article and then ask that you read the news headlines and my thoughts on April 12, 2003:

After the invasion, when widespread looting began in Iraq, the international weapons experts grew concerned that the Qaqaa stockpile could fall into unfriendly hands. In May, an internal I.A.E.A. memorandum warned that terrorists might be helping "themselves to the greatest explosives bonanza in history."


Earlier this month, in a letter to the I.A.E.A. in Vienna, a senior official from Iraq's Ministry of Science and Technology wrote that the stockpile disappeared after early April 2003 because of "the theft and looting of the governmental installations due to lack of security."


There is no excuse. Headlines w/possibly defunct links and my comments April 12, 2003

If I knew this, don't tell me the Bush Administration didn't.
I'll get back to this later with a timeline of horror.


posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, October 24, 2004

Speechless

Quite honestly, I'm speechless, except to say;
my apologies for thinking we could have matured enough as a country to consider having a choice in our vote using IRV.
We have much bigger underlying problems.
For anyone who doubts, and I really don't think anyone does, may I just remind them that suppressing the vote, be it in Detroit, Ohio, or any other state in the US by either party is a poor example of the freedom Americans profess to enjoy.

What of the freedom we are trying to impose on others if we can't even get it right here?

I feel like I'm in a time warp and it's the same time warp I felt I was living in when I lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and when I lived in South Carolina. Is it regression or did the policies of this administration just exacerbate issues we've never fully faced?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) Bill in Congress

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)
This post is going to sit right here until I start seeing some action and buzz about it, even if it means I quit blogging altogether, though I'll continue to update this post.


This is the first bill ever submitted regarding IRV.

Called the Majority Vote Act of 2004 (Introduced in House)
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
Submitted Oct 8, 2004

To require States to conduct general elections for Federal office using an instant runoff voting system, to direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States to defray the costs of administering
such systems, and for other purposes.


How does Instant Runoff Voting work?

IRV Flash demo

Potential Problems


Contact your Representative, ask him/her to attract visibility to and possibly co-sponsor the bill. Do all you can to educate people about IRV. Instant Runoff Voting.
To make it easy, go to the 'contact congress' box on my right sidebar, type in your zip, find your representative, select 'compose your own letter', write, and send.
The text of the letter I sent to my Rep. John Dingell was something like this:

I just heard about the bill, HR5293, Majority Vote Act of 2004, sponsered by Mr. Jackson of IL.
The intent: To require States to conduct general elections for Federal office using an instant runoff voting system.
I'm urging you to help with the visibility of this bill and co-sponsor it.
This can be considered a bi-partisan issue and, if passed, would go far toward abiding to representation of the will of the people.



To see the full text of the bill you must go to thomas.loc.gov and do a search for bill HR5293 108 Congress

for more info, see what's happening in my locality and extend it to yours.
http://www.firv.org/
http://www.a2irv.org/
Instant runoff voting is the topic of forum

and more:
S.F. takes lead with instant-runoff voting

dkosopedia


Proportional representation would further democracy

A Clean Count?

Progressive Vote

UPDATE:
I'm collecting links to people who are talking about this issue. It may be a long hiatus folks.
So far, only Bob, who has been working his behind off for IRV, has the only mention I see. Please leave a comment or a trackback if you've mentioned this and contacted your representative.

Bob's Links and Rants
American Samizdat because I posted it
PBA ditto

UPDATE2: a little action:

Gentle Breezes
Susannity!
Dyskeptic
Dialogic
Ray Garraud not IRV specific, but good references to the electoral college pros & cons
Jacqueline Mackie Paisley Passey Libertarian candidate Secretary of State Washington with pros and cons in her comments
sunsetchaser links to this WaPo article
sandcruiser
Yet Another Analyst
Thoughts from the Oasis amidst the Corn links to Vote Pair
Ryan McReynolds from Texas, where a vote for Kerry won't matter, good arguments
Fire and Knowledge also links to bill HJR 109 abolishing the electoral college
roguecode who points out that John McCain support IRV
Reinventing Democracy and other thoughts about the voting process
Procrastination with more about voting rights
Red Harvest who actually votes with IRV

UPDATE 3 I know it's boring, those little acronyms, that remind you of SUV or sumpin. Ah well, boring is sometimes important to get past that hump called 'broken'.

Very Recent News Articles:

Third parties make some inroads WI buzz
Worn out shoes for IRV written by Stacie/Tom Trescott
Ferndale, MI who is out beatin' the streets!

New voting method on Ferndale ballot
3rd District challengers: new policies needed MD buzz
Ralph Nader: the case for instant runoff voting FL buzz
More Than Bush and Kerry A look at the alternatives
Green Party Candidate David Cobb Answers Your Questions
'Of Grunge and Government': Smells Like Civic Spirit Krist Novoselic memoir turned civics manual great Book review.

Weblogs:
Colorless Green Ideas
blame the extended gestation
The Cardinal Collective
onegoodmove though he supports approval voting more, as do I. IRV happened to make it to Congress. Bills have a way of changing with input, as we all know.
scratchings who needs new improved congress people to bug
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Sigh...

Karen Hughes must think she still has credibility. It's sad really.
'He looks like a contented Christian with four aces.' Heh!.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


It's Not Over When It's Over

Kevin stops traffic on The American Street to ask "Is it just me, or am I seeing signs of Campaign Fatigue throughout blogtopia? ...what will become of the 5,936,237,541 political blogs AFTER the election?"

As much as I'd like to go right back to a more 'art and culture' focused blog, and am decidely weary of the campaign, there will be much left undone regardless of who takes control of the ship. The election is not an end-all. With the best outcome, it will be only a tiny step. In addition to continued vigilance, here are some suggestions:

Bob writes, Corporations Are Criminals. Read it and follow his links. The 'corporation as a person' does far more damage than any one person can fathom. A good focus after the election will be responsible consumerism. As we can see with Sinclair, consumer demand does have a voice. Bob also points to How to Save the World. A daily must-read for collecting, exploring and solidifying ideas.

On your local level there is still going to be much to do and it would be great to have ideas spread through blogtopia so we can all see what's working and what isn't working.
On my local level, helping to get the word out due to email communication problems, I want to pass on the latest happenings at the Green House. I copied, in its entirety, stacie/tom trescott's letter/agenda for November. These will be the last meetings at the current Green House with new, exciting things to come. They are also asking for help getting the word out in Ferndale about the upcoming vote on IRV. If anyone has time during the next two weeks to go to Ferndale and help knock on doors, contact me and I'll pass on the info. Next up -IRV for Ann Arbor.

Indeed, there will be much to do.

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Demand an Accounting!

The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
via | Another Liberal Blog
The Bush administration is suppressing a CIA report on 9/11 until after the election, and this one names names.
"What all the other reports on 9/11 did not do is point the finger at individuals, and give the how and what of their responsibility. This report does that," said the intelligence official. "The report found very senior-level officials responsible."

The stonewalling by the Bush administration and the failure of Congress to gain release of the report have, said the intelligence source, "led the management of the CIA to believe it can engage in a cover-up with impunity. Unless the public demands an accounting, the administration and CIA's leadership will have won and the nation will have lost."


UPDATE: You can send a message via secure online form here.
By phone:
(703) 482-0623
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., US Eastern time
By fax:
(703) 482-1739
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., US Eastern time

More:
Lawmakers Prod CIA for Pre-9/11 Accountability Report

Other Blogs calling attention to this:
Gentle Breezes
Bob's Links and Rants
thoughts on the eve of the apocalypse he's finally back from hiatus!
Comments From Left Field
The Rogue Angel
ISOU
The PBA
The Talent Show
Red Harvest
Talk Left
ratboy's anvil
FrogsDong
John P Hoke's Asylum
For Real Things I Know
Martini Republic
Total Information Awareness good commentary!
WTF? is it Now?? and she hardly finds it funny
Any Which Way
Arran's Alley
The Road to Surfdom
AMERICAblog
You Will Anyway
This is one to echo. If I haven't found you, let me know.
Have we had enough yet? I'm really Bushed, I want to keep Milliken's statement near the top of this page for awhile, but I am storing some good links in my del.icio.us on the left sidebar lest you think I'm slacking. I do know what it will take for me to feel un-Bushed!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, October 18, 2004

Michigan's Milliken Endorses Kerry

Former Republican Gov. William Milliken: "This president has pursued policies pandering to the extreme right wing across a wide variety of issues and has exacerbated the polarization and the strident, uncivil tone of much of what passes for political discourse in this country today,"

John Truscott, a spokesman for the Bush campaign: "We didn't have the threat from terrorists who want to kill us, We didn't have the same kind of war going on."

UPDATE: His Full Statement

UPDATE 2: On second thought I included his entire statement below.
Statement by William G. Milliken
October 17, 2004

As a lifelong Republican, I have had mounting concern watching this year's presidential campaign.

I have always been proud to be a Republican. My Republican Party is a broad-based party, that seeks to bring a wide spectrum of people under its umbrella and that seeks to protect and provide opportunity for the most vulnerable among us.

Sadly, that is not the Republican Party that I see at the national level today.

My Republican Party has always been a party that stood for fiscal responsibility. Today, under George W. Bush, we have the largest deficit in the history of our country - a deficit that jeopardizes economic growth that is so desperately needed in a nation that has lost 2.6 million jobs since he took office.

To make matters even worse, this president inherited a surplus, but squandered it with huge tax cuts structured primarily to benefit the wealthy and powerful.

My Republican Party is the party of Michigan Sen. Arthur H. Vandenberg who helped forge a bipartisan foreign policy that served this nation well and produced strong alliances across the globe. This president has, in a highly partisan, unilateral way rushed us into a tragic and unnecessary war that has cost the lives of more than 1,000 of our young men and women. In this arrogant rush to war, he has alienated this nation from much of the world.

What's worse, the basic premises upon which we were taken to war proved to be false. Now, we find ourselves in the midst of an occupation that was largely unplanned and has become a disaster from which we cannot easily extricate ourselves.

My Republican Party is the party of Theodore Roosevelt, who fought to preserve our natural resources and environment. This president has pursued policies that will cause irreparable damage to our environmental laws that protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the public lands we share with future generations.

My Republican Party is the party of Lincoln, who freed an enslaved people. This president fought in the courts to strike down policies designed to provide opportunity and access to our own University of Michigan for minority students.

My Republican Party is the party of Eisenhower, who warned us to beware of the dangers of a military-industrial complex. This president has pursued policies skewed to favor large corporations in the defense and oil industry and has gone so far as to let those industries help write government policies.

My Republican Party is a party that respects and works with the men and women of the law enforcement community who put their lives on the line for us every day. This president ignored the pleas of law enforcement agencies across America and failed to lift a finger to renew the assault weapons ban that they strongly supported as an essential safeguard for public safety.

My Republican Party is a party that values the pursuit of knowledge. But this president stands in the way of meaningful embryonic stem-cell research that holds so much promise for those who suffer from diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries and other conditions.

My Republican Party is the party of Gerald R. Ford, Michigan's only president, who reached across partisan lines to become a unifying force during a time of great turmoil in our nation's history. This president has pursued policies pandering to the extreme right wing across a wide variety of issues and has exacerbated the polarization and the strident, uncivil tone of much of what passes for political discourse in this country today.

Women's rights, civil liberties, the separation of church and state, the funding of family planning efforts world-wide - all have suffered grievously under this president and his administration.

The truth is that President George W. Bush does not speak for me or for many other moderate Republicans on a very broad cross section of issues.

Sen. John Kerry, on the other hand, has put forth a coherent, responsible platform of progressive initiatives that I believe would serve this country well. He wants to balance the budget, step up environmental protection efforts, rebuild our international relationships, support stem-cell research, protect choice and pursue a number of other progressive initiatives that moderates from both parties can support.

As a result, despite my long record of active involvement in the Republican Party, and my intention still to stay in the Republican Party, when I cast my ballot November 2, I will be voting for John Kerry for President.


posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Free Speech, Freedom From Job

The Washington bureau chief of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Jon Lieberman spoke out, (and got fired) because he said, "I feel so strongly that our credibility is at issue here. . . . I feel our company is trying to sway this election. ...Call it commentary, call it an editorial . . . but don't call it news," Lieberman said. He added: "Viewers aren't going to trust us if we call it news. . . . I couldn't be part of this special and call it news when what it is is political propaganda."
This should really help Sinclair's stock.
I like what Majikthise has to say:
"As legal persons, corporations have a right to free expression. However, Sinclair is also a publicly traded company. Therefore, the company's directors have a legal responsibility to the shareholders to put profits first. The directors simply have no right to knowingly sacrifice profit for any principle. As Matt points out, Sinclair's management is either unwilling or unable to follow their prime directive.

The corporate profit imperative may ultimately doom the human race, but it gives me a certain grim satisfaction to see it cut both ways."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Jon Stewart on Crossfire

Here is a mirror of Jon Stewart being serious.

CROSSFIRE quicktime video 15.7MB 13'24 310x210

CROSSFIRE quicktime video 8.1MB 13'24 155x105

Thanks to Norm, who also has the transcript and audio-only file here.

Amazing isn't it, that we flock toward honesty when we finally get a chance to see it?



posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


and then there was a flicker of light

While surfung around with BlogExplosion where it sometimes feels overrun with right-wing blogs, (join and balance it out) I ran across at ease a liberal blogger currently deployed to Northern Iraq as an Air Force Liaison to the Army. He pointed to Republican Switchers.
twinkling stars!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Obscenity Redefined

I could imagine if these women had shown up wearing wet t-shirts with no bra, but to consider this obscenity IS the obscenity. "Three Medford school teachers were threatened with arrest and thrown out of the President Bush rally at the Jackson County Fairgrounds Thursday night, after they showed up wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Protect our civil liberties. The women got past the first and second checkpoints and were allowed into the Jackson County fairgrounds, but were asked to leave and then escorted out of the event by campaign officials who allegedly told them their T-shirts were "obscene."


via Doug's Dynamic Drivel and yes Doug, I am very afraid!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, October 17, 2004

Progressive Blog Alliance Mission Statement

We are an emergent self-organized network of independent citizens and activists whose broad agenda includes world peace, human rights, sustainable development, environmentalism, and social justice. We do not identify with a singular nation, but rather our world society as a whole. We recognize that on a fundamental level we are all one. Blogging is our medium; our message will be the story of a new world.

Join us.
PBA logo" />

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Some Helpful Questions for Democrats Speaking With Republicans

1) For eight years Republicans savaged Bill Clinton for "gutting" the military. When George W. Bush took over he did not raise the force levels of the military by a single soldier. Even after 9-11, he still did not increase the size of the US Military and now claims that the current force levels are adequate for fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and, should it prove necesssary, Korea. Were Republicans lying for eight years, or have they been lying for the last four?

2) FDR went into World War II with an alliance. By the end of the war the alliance had grown. George H.W. Bush entered Gulf War I with an alliance. By the end of that war the alliance had grown. Even Lincoln managed to end the Civil War with more support at home, and stronger alliances abroad. George W. Bush went into his war with an alliance. Within months that alliance had begun to shrink. Please explain how losing support and alienating allies is a sign of strong leadership?

3) George W. Bush inherited the greatest surplus in the history of the United States, and within months turned it into one of the greatest deficits. He accomplished this with a GOP House and a GOP Senate. Explain how this represents good fiscal stewardship?

4) Newt Gingrich and the GOP revolution called for abolishing the Department of Education, and denounced federal control of education. George W. Bush brags about expanding the Department of Education, and of extending federal control of education. Please explain which of these positions is "conservative?"

5) The Roman Catholic church denounces the death penalty, birth control and abortion. Explain why conservative Catholics have a right to flout the church on the first two, but must obey the church's dictates on the third?

6) Lie about fellatio: impeachable offense. Lie about medicare costs, war costs and links between Saddam and Osama: leadership. Explain?

7) Eight years of relentless, vitriolic, hysterical, occasionally obscene attacks on a president's wife: moral. Mention of the well-known sexual orientation of a vice president's daughter: immoral. Explain?

8) The President's men projected that by now we would have fewer than 30,000 troops in Iraq, a nation the size of Texas and surrounded by terrorist states. This is only slightly larger than the number of NYPD, Transit Police and FBI deployed to defend the Republican National Convention. Explain this in one or more of the following terms: lies, fantasies or delusions.

9) President Bush was elected with roughly 49% of the vote. He now has the support of roughly 49% of the American people. Explain how this demonstrates the president's likeability.

10) In every previous war in US history taxes were raised and unemployment fell. Under President Bush taxes were cut and unemployment rose. Meanwhile, US troops lack body armor. Tell me how this represents leadership?

via | counterpunchblog
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Conditions

I've seen very little in the news about the abuses at Guantanamo. Instead all I see is Mary Cheney's name. Personally, I care as much about Mary Cheney and the conditions surrounding the media flap as I cared about Monica and the conditions surrounding that flap.

Conditions I do care about however, are barely being addressed in the media.
Corpus Callosum has pulled together quite a bit, including word docs of profiles of some of the detainees (published with their permission).

Did it fly right by you, for instance, that
Up to 28 U.S. soldiers face possible criminal charges in connection with the deaths of two prisoners at an American-run prison in Afghanistan two years ago or that Uncooperative Guantanamo Bay detainees were regularly subjected to highly abusive treatment over a long period of time?

What is it that led to these conditions? Who are the parents and lovers of this child?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Final Stretch

from Science and Politics:
Many born-and-raised American still do not understand that this election is not your regular, run-of-the-mill contest between Republicans and Democrats. As someone born and raised elsewhere, I can probably see it much more clearly.

This is a life-and-death battle between the Democratic party and the Un-Democratic party, between Enlightement and Inquisition, between modernism and medievalism, between 21st century and 16th century worldviews, between democracy and theocracy, between a democratic party and a crypto-fascist party.
This is not one of those once-in-four-years fun events. This is an armageddon struggle for the survival of civilization, not just in the USA, but in the world.

The GOP today is not the GOP you remember from the 1970s. The GOP today has been hijacked by a dozen traitors of humanity, and you still don't see it!? Act now, before it is too late.

and he has another post I want to get back to -- For those interested in cognitive linguistics etc., an interesting superposition of articles
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


More Suspect Documents?

Oh man, you know the Rathergate guys are going to be all over THIS, eyeballing every little serif! via | ISOU
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, October 16, 2004

The Unbreakable Wall

Last night a couple PBA members, including myself, were up for a discussion in the comments of this post: Military Families Trust Bush

It was a fairly productive discussion for awhile. He was defensive and was desperate to defend his president, but our points were solid. Then came the kicker. I see it as the fundamental barrier, the wall that divides this country in half, the point where I feel like I'm no longer talking to a human being. I'm stuck. I walk away in complete disbelief knowing there is nothing I can say. I've been talking to a robot, no humanity, no empathy, just some kind of pride I cannot comprehend. I search my brain for anything Lakoff may have said that would help me understand. It's not there.
When he wrote the following lines, I saw no sense in continuing.

Really, what is your objection to our invasion of Iraq? Is it because we rid the world of a brutal dictator? Do you hate the fact that we liberated millions of people? Does it tick you off that Uday Hussein doesn't get to shred people any more? Because it seems like you're going to great lenghts to stretch and spin this issue into something you can use against the President.

We made a mistake about the WMD's. Got it? Everybody knows that now. But it worked out ok. Afghanistan just had elections. Iraq is on its way there. Our action in Iraq scared Libya into giving up its WMD's. Once Iraq and Afghanistan get a decade or so of freedom under their belts they are going to be powerful allies in the continuing efforts to wrest control of the middle-east from the stoneage tyrants who control it now.

There will be less terrorism in the world because Saddam Hussein and his rogue state of Iraq is no longer around to provide aid and safe harbor to the terrorists. That is a cold, hard fact. Anybody saying otherwise is in denial.

So feel free cherry pick quotes from the President's statements about the war in Iraq. Engage in all the conspiracy theories you want. You're wasing your time. The truth of the matter is that we accomplished something great in Iraq and in Afghanistan. If you don't want to recognize that because of petty, partisan bickering than be my guest. Personally, I'll be taking pride in what my countrymen and women have achived in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will take comfort in the knowledge that the actions there have made my life that much safer.


How do I tell someone that I hate the fact that we needlessly killed tens of thousands of innocent people, maimed many others, tore their country to shreds, left a vast wasteland of depleted uranium and land mines that will make their country unsafe for decades and has become a new breeding ground for terrorists who have lost everything because they see little hope. Hussein was ready to deal just before we invaded. We ignored it. The possibility that he would have sought refuge somewhere else was within our grasp but we let it slip by. As we already proved to this writer, we knew there were no WMD's before we went in. It wasn't a mistake.
It was a blatant display of shock and awe. Now our soldiers are dying trying to clean up a mess. They are not happy about it. They do not, by any stretch of the imagination, trust the guy who sent them there.

I just can't grasp the polarity. I can't break that wall because I do not understand it. It would have been a waste of my time furthering the discussion. This is what we have to overcome. Ideas?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


He's Cute, But it's not Funny

Meet Baxter quicktime Chimpanzee Demonstrates How To Erase Votes
Read how he did it here.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, October 15, 2004

It couldn't happen again, could it?

2000 election alarms fall on deaf ears
Thousands of US voters disenfranchised, union says
Must read: GOP Theft of Our Election Is Under Way. with state-by-state problems outlined.
Paul Krugman writes about efforts to Block the Vote
The Republican-funded group, Voters Outreach of America trashes Democrat's registration forms.
Truthout has dedicated a page to protecting America's right to vote.
odessa street is having problems voting absentee from overseas.
As ratboy's anvil says, "There's something so 1930's Chicago/Huey Long about it all."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Who is Concerned?

I grabbed Norm's delightful evidence of Ex-ag-ger-a-tion It Isn't! quicktime mov and mirrored it. Someone mentioned that this is the Bush scream. I have yet to see it nearly as often as Dean's so pass it around.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, October 14, 2004

Unable to Vote

I was surfing around with my new blogexplosion account and ran across this:
Something is wrong with this picture.
I'm guessing this person is from Michigan. Is this truly the law? Can anyone shed some light and help?
UPDATE: I found a little more info here, although I don't know exactly what the criteria is to be "eligible to vote under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.”
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Influence Peddling of the Crassest Kind

Shari sent me this link about the Carlyle group and James Baker peddling his wares, both of whom seem to be accountable to no one, with the note that reading it made her weary.
I completely understand her weariness because I'm right there myself.
I answered her with this:
Why does this seem like an, "I'm in bed with him, while he's in bed with her, while their wives are dining with his brother who is taking out his trash, while they're all pocketing the jewells and honing weapons for the next affair?"

After reading a bit more I can only think of James Baker as America's pimp, sleeping with the devil and then robbing her.. I can sleep at night. How can he?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


I am Concerned that he Isn't Concerned that I am Concerned

I'm just not that concerned about him.
And here Norm has the video!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Sniff Some Mercury, You'll Feel Better

The president doesn't want to run the risk of allowing more affordable prescription drugs from Canada to come into the United States because he says they might kill us. At the same time, he wants us to breathe more mercury fumes that are already causing birth defects at an alarming rate and have made eating fish from about 40 states dangerous to your health.

Bush's order-relaxing rules on mercury emissions from coal-burning electrical power plants were made to pay political favors to polluters at the expense of public health.

Felice Stadler, a mercury pollution expert at the National Wildlife Foundation, says that Bush's gift to the corporations "is a dream come true for energy companies and a nightmare for children's health."

"I don't see how, in a time of war, in a time of uncertainty, you can change your mind because of politics," Bush twanged in Friday's debate.

He must have forgotten about his opposition to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the 9/11 Commission, and how, under political pressure, he did a complete about-face and supported both. Take another whiff of mercury and that might make sense.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Operation Truth Ad

They aren't asking for much, only to be heard, even if there are no words.
Go watch and help with a donation.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Big and Small, Up is Down

I have little to say about the debate. I had a tough time trying to follow anything Bush said as I was more attuned to his mannerisms, his smirk of denial, and all that annoying blinking. I noticed some of the jaw clenching that Nick indicated might be a side effect of Adderall, (and I do think Nick nailed that), but mostly I was trying to see if I could spot words or phrases that might be a repetitive code pandering to his fundamental base.
Here are two phrases I think have a bit more meaning above simple sound bites:
"armies of compassion"
and
"freedom on the march"
both a bit of his consistent Orwellian speak, with references to what, I have no clue.

Now, with that small observation out of the way, it's time to go after the big issue of the day, the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Kevin has an update and some good base research, especially regarding the underlying reasons for Sinclair to push it's partisan bashing at this particular point in time, which in reality affects everyone, partisanship aside. "It is an ultimate effort to protect itself from greater FCC scrutiny and FCC efforts to limit consolidations like Sinclair possesses" thereby leaving Sinclair and other media outlets unaccountable and free to be irresponsible and manipulative. "A Kerry victory would likely limit its growth and might even force it to divest some of its stations."

I have yet to wade through the links Kevin provides, but this is much more than simply roaring against the airing of a sloppy Kerry bash.
Yes Bob, I'm trying to persuade you! (and anyone else who thinks this is just a partisan issue) Go read! I just touch the tip of what Kevin has found. His post extends to Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition/PUSH and their ongoing fight, bigger madia players than Sinclair, and groups poised to fight this continued expansion of big media. We can't allow what regulations of media manipulation remain to be blatantly disregarded and crushed.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Book Project- Help Needed

David Scott Anderson is working on a project to bring schoolbooks to Costa Rican Schoolchildren. Project Apollonia is an ongoing project
of In Search of Utopia to help in this effort.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Take Action: The Sinclair Chronicles

TAKE ACTION
Kevin at The America Street has outlined some very specific actions we can take to let the Sinclair Broadcast Group know that we will not stand for their tactics and manipulation of media power. Follow his links and suggestions.
This is the most important thing you can do the rest of the week.
Coordination, like the actions of the Progressive Blog Alliance yesterday, aided by the organization already outlined by Kevin will show the seriousness of our convictions.
I won't post anymore today. I have work to do. Please join in the outcry!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Nuclear items missing in Iraq Oct 12, 2004

Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons have disappeared from Iraq, the UN's nuclear watchdog warned yesterday.
For more background info, follow the old link I revived in my previous entry. During the first presidential debate, Kerry said: "When you guard the oil ministry, but you don't guard the nuclear facilities, the message to a lot of people is maybe, "Wow, maybe they're interested in our oil." I'd personally go a bit further and say, "Wow, maybe they aren't even looking for nuclear capabilities and the WMD claims were a complete farce from the beginning". To further that thought do a google search.
Satellite imagery and investigations of nuclear sites in Iraq have caused alarm at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Before the war, the buildings had been monitored and tagged with IAEA seals to keep tabs on their function and content. But US authorities barred IAEA inspectors from returning to Iraq after the war began in March 2003, instead deploying US teams in an unsuccessful search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Mr ElBaradei has therefore relied largely on satellite imagery in the latest report. IAEA teams were allowed into Iraq in June 2003 to investigate reports of widespread looting of storage rooms at the main nuclear complex, at Tuwaitha, and in August to take inventory of "several tonnes" of natural uranium in storage nearby. [ read the article ]

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Echoing Outside the Walls

The Progressive Blog Alliance replied to Wizbang's open discussion (challenge) where people could give solid, positive reasons why one should vote for John Kerry. A novel and needed approach. No longer just an echo chamber but facilitating meaningful discussion. Wizbang has a few guidelines for the discussion so read and respond appropriately, but do go add your thoughts.
Here were mine off the top of my head:

I support John Kerry in part because:

His understanding of REAL threats, including the fact that when the US invaded Iraq all that was initially secured was the Oil Ministry and air fields, not nuclear facilities nor ammo dumps. Iraqi Nuclear site Looted This understanding alone elevates my trust that he actually has safety in mind, not domination. (I added some links here because between the time I posted this to Wizbang and now, the original link became a "register only" link, go figure)

He's actually read the Constitution. plays it straight with people instead of invoking code words, i.e. Dred Scott, and will protect the separation of church and state instead of invoking radical right wing agendas nor skewing the courts toward radical agendas. His agenda is to protect the Constitution as written by the founding fathers.

He won't be trying to run the country as a business with Enron-like creative financing lining the pockets of the CEO's and raiding retirement plans.

Norml's 2004 Presidential Candidate Report Card though revised from an earlier report, still show Kerry's position more inline with the majority opinion of Americans.

The support and renewed respect he will gain from the international community will bolster cooperation and intelligence sharing, most of which is lost now.

Give them something to think about!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Depot Town Debate for Degenerates

From Mark Maynard:

Bush will Lose


"I just spoke with the folks at Frenchie’s and it looks as though we can have the place on Wednesday night. So, if you’re free, and if you want to watch the final presidential debate with me, my friends, some other bloggers, assorted local Kerry volunteers, and a few random Bush-haters, just show up before the gavel falls at 9:00 and grab a seat (and a beer).

If you have a Washtenaw County-based blog, I'd appreciate it if you would copy this graphic and run it on your site as well. If you don't have a blog, just tell your friends. I’d like to get a lot of people to show up, whether they’re from Ypsi or not. I think it’ll be fun, and I know a lot of us could use the motivation as we enter these final two weeks."


Remember, only hot, young women and men with clothing from the 1970's will be spared god's wrath. Read Mark's Rapture post!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, October 11, 2004

Lie Music a new genre?

A friend of mine, and of Craig's, (who played backup on Craig's last CD incidently), billing his band as Dave Dubya and the Neo-Cons has compiled "It's The Lies, Stupid", two songs of collected quotes from our misleaders accompanied by original music.
Dave says:
"I have a great need to express my love and support for our country in these dark and trying times. I shine the light of music on the lies and the liars who pose the greatest threat to our freedom, our democracy, and our safety. I just needed to create a type of music never encountered before. Lie Music. I'm not proud of it, but it needed to be done."

You can listen here to mp3's
Liars
and my personal favorite,
G.W.B.
Thanks for sharing Dave. Creations born from frustration are motivating.

now, being the snoop that I am, and having never met the person who is hosting Dave's songs, I truncated the url and also found a lovely keyboard instrumental, written by his friend Chris. I hope it's ok that I linked it too.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Even Superman is Human

Is it because he was Superman and Superman doesn't die?
Is it because 52 seems like such a vulnerable age to me considering Craig was 52 when he died?
Is it because I spent much of my late teens and early 20's amongst quadriplegics watching the daily trials of living and hoping one day they could recover some of what they lost and that Christopher Reeve, years later, was breaking barriers previously unbroken, and I wanted to see more?
Is it the song below, running through my head all day, a song I put on my strange songs page, songs that gave me strange comfort when Craig died, just hitting hard?
Is it because something so seemingly benign as a simple pressure sore, which are never simple in reality, can't be treated effectively considering other miraculous medical advances?
Whatever it is, he gave us hope, and showed us that in the end even Superman doesn't get out of life alive.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


It's Just Too Heavy

Waiting for a Superman

Asked you a question
I didn't need you to reply
Is it gettin' heavy?
But they'll realize
Is it gettin' heavy?
Well I thought it was already as heavy
As can be

Is it overwhelming
To use a crane to crush a fly?
It's a good time for Superman
To lift the sun into the sky

'Cause it's gettin' heavy
Well I thought it was already as heavy
As can be

Tell everybody
Waitin' for Superman
That they should try to hold on
Best they can
He hasn't dropped them
Forgot them
Or anything
It's just too heavy for Superman to lift

Is it gettin' heavy?
Well I thought it was already as heavy as can be.

Tell everybody
Waitin' for Superman
That they should try to hold on
Best they can
He hasn't dropped them
Forgot them
Or anything
It's just too heavy for Superman to lift
The Flaming Lips

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, October 10, 2004

Finding Emeralds through Rose Colored Glasses

thehim has a great piece inspired by Tom Frank's book "What's the Matter With Kansas?" and L Frank Baum. What a vacation he must have had! Refreshing?!?
Before the plane could get up to its cruising altitude though, the wind picked up and almost immediately, the plane began to spin out of control. The passengers around me began to scream and hold onto their things. The pilot could only mutter something about “Hurricane Zell” before the plane began to break apart.

I don’t remember landing, but I opened my eyes and saw before me endless fields towards a flat horizon. I unbuckled my seat belt, stood up, and a group of children came up to me. At first, they were quiet, but eventually one little girl spoke. “Welcome, and thank you for killing the mean witch,” she said.

I turned around and saw a pair of Birkenstocks sticking out from underneath my airplane seat. “She was horrible,” continued the little girl. “She taught us that our grandparents were apes, and she doesn’t let us pray in class,” then leaning over to me, she whispered, “And I hear they’re going to take our Bibles away.” [ read it all ]
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


The Dred Scott Code

When Meryl at seeing the forest wrote about the code of fundamentalists it stuck in my head.
There is a lot we have no clue about since we're not partying in their club. We probably don't even come close to getting the handshake right.
I too wondered what the heck Bush's reference to Dred Scott had to do with his blabbering in the debate. Prometheus 6 was wondering and was writing some very good ideas as to what it meant but it still never came full circle.
After turning him onto links here and here, Prometheus 6 has been able to pull it into a very interesting discussion. I'm giving the main link to his page because he has more than one post, well worth scrolling!
Indeed those codes are abundantly confusing, and we need to break them!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


For Marines, a Frustrating Fight

Marines in Iraq Speaking on Record
via | AmericaBlog: "This is a big ass article. It needs to be passed around the Internets :-)"
I agree. So passing along I am.
"We're basically proving out that the government is wrong," he said. "We're catching them in a lie."

"Asked if he was concerned that the Marines would be punished for speaking out, Autin responded: "We don't give a crap. What are they going to do, send us to Iraq?"


No Draft??
Why can't we take Bush's word?
Now, just in case like me you've been seeing Tim Ryan's name around the past few days but didn't really know why, LEFT IS RIGHT has a link to the video which demonstrates his direct eloquence, following Kucinich I dare say, and he's also from Ohio. Go watch! More Congressmen like him please!
For those who aren't able to watch due to dial-up limitations Pacific Views has the transcript which was found via The Sideshow.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, October 08, 2004

Oddities

Everytime Bush is defensive he talks louder and gets more obnoxious. What was that jaw thing he had going? It reminded me of a coke head or speed freak. A commentator said Bush was amped up. I'm wondering what on. ...and that head, bobbing about like a little chicken! All shallow observations I know, but they were odd and certainly not presidential.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


I Know Something Is Deadly Wrong with This

Shari at an old soul perked my ears into suspicion mode with this post about Francis Harvey, his Carlyle connections, the fact that he has no military experience and yet is being nominated by the White House for the position of Secretary of the Army. I'm not in the position to dig for more at the moment but Shari has more that I want to get back to.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, October 07, 2004

Just a Reminder

complete with documentation:
Dennis Kucinich Was Right
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Her Name Is Vengeance

Vengeance
a seductive prostitute
hidden beneath
flowing cloaks of justice, unjustified
the nurturing breast of humanity
bound, hidden and smothered

Vengeance
enticingly beckons
with assurance
of strength
elevated phallus
and the promise of ejacualtion

Vengeance
collects patriotic coins
soiled with blood
and radioactive oil
found
lining the pants on the floor

Vengeance
preys upon the weakness
of those
who have mistaken a dick for a bush
seeking orgasm
through the faulty condom
of justice, unjustified

Vengeance
an attentive, expensive whore
with a tongue of promise
continues to stroke
the pain of delayed ejaculation
guided by deception
justice, unjustified
Cyndy
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Bush Like Me

by Matt Taibbi
Ten weeks undercover in the grass roots of the Republican Party!
I've yet to read anything by Matt Taibbi that didn't give me reason to smile on some level.
"The problem not only with fundamentalist Christians but with Republicans in general is not that they act on blind faith, without thinking. The problem is that they are incorrigible doubters with an insatiable appetite for Evidence. What they get off on is not Believing, but in having their beliefs tested. That's why their conversations and their media are so completely dominated by implacable bogeymen: marrying gays, liberals, the ACLU, Sean Penn, Europeans and so on. Their faith both in God and in their political convictions is too weak to survive without an unceasing string of real and imaginary confrontations with those people -- and for those confrontations, they are constantly assembling evidence and facts to make their case.

But here's the twist. They are not looking for facts with which to defeat opponents. They are looking for facts that ensure them an ever-expanding roster of opponents. They can be correct facts, incorrect facts, irrelevant facts, it doesn't matter. The point is not to win the argument, the point is to make sure the argument never stops. Permanent war isn't a policy imposed from above; it's an emotional imperative that rises from the bottom. In a way, it actually helps if the fact is dubious or untrue (like the Swift-boat business), because that guarantees an argument. You're arguing the particulars, where you're right, while they're arguing the underlying generalities, where they are.

Once you grasp this fact, you're a long way to understanding what the Hannitys and Limbaughs figured out long ago: These people will swallow anything you feed them, so long as it leaves them with a demon to wrestle with in their dreams.

Which brings me back to Left Behind. Who gets left behind? Nobody, that's who. How could they leave us behind? They couldn't live without us. Even their most intimate family meals would seem lonely if we were missing."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


In the Name of Afghan Women

Last night Cheney implied that Afghan women were making great strides saying "We've got 10 million voters who have registered to vote, nearly half of them women.
...they're making significant progress. We have President Karzai, who is in power. They have done wonders writing their own constitution for the first time ever. Schools are open. Young girls are going to school. Women are going to vote. Women are even eligible to run for office. This is major, major progress."

However, the Sept. 28 report from Human Rights Watch said, as found through the Washington Post's nifty Debate Referee says,
"The tally of registered voters in Afghanistan, over 10.5 million in a voting age population of 26 million, is now believed to be significantly inaccurate, the result of widespread multiple registration by voters. As explained here, pronouncements by Afghan and international officials boasting that 40 percent of registered voters are women ignores the likelihood that tens of thousands of women have been registered more than once (some believing their voting card would entitle them to benefits or food rations), and masks regional variation in the figures, including data from some southern provinces showing that less than 10 percent of those registered are women."

Bush continues to talk about America’s commitment to Afghan women, when
in reality less than 3 percent of U.S. assistance to the country has been
spent on women’s programs.

How have Afghan women fared in reconstruction?
Womens Edge Coalition is highlighting issues ranging from women’s role in rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq to girls’ education.
You can find statements from their Sept 22 press conference here.
Of course it's not as rosy as 'the corporation of Bush/Cheney' would lead us to believe, but you already knew that. Women's Edge does provide an Action Toolkit. It's important not to abandon what small progress has transpired.
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Tuesday, October 05, 2004

A Weak Ineffective President

If anyone can look at the headlines today and continue to want 'more of the same', I'd say the dumbing down of America is complete. The strong decisive leadership is instead clearly weak and ineffective.

Look at facts about President Bush
The Nuclear Bomb That Wasn't
US Job Cuts at 8-Month High in Sept
Nuclear fuel still missing from California plant
Sept. is 2nd-deadliest 2004 month in Iraq
Four U.S. Soldiers Charged With Murder
Bremer Says Not Enough US Troops in Iraq
Crude oil price surges to record high over global supply concerns
Donald Rumsfeld says no hard evidence links Saddam to al-Qaida
For each soldier lost, one flag 1,046 planted in Dexter woman's yard testifies to Iraq war's pain
CIA review finds no evidence Saddam had ties to Islamic terrorists
Factory Orders Drop Despite Expectations
Ex-key aide to McCain gives support to Kerry
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Rev. Billy tries to exorcise Halliburton employees at lunch

Reverend Billy decends upon Houston Center to try and exorcise the evils of profiting off of human misery as Halliburton and Chrevron employees nourish themselves with McFood. Only the God that is not a product can nourish our souls.
posted by Andy | link |   | |


Ummm... Be Afraid

Here are a few multimedia goodies. It appears that the debate was great inspiration.
Debate remix mp3
A video you may have already seen but definitely worth keeping a link to:
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition quicktime .mov
How Bush did with more links to video
and,
here's a NPR clip I heard this morning that was quite telling and very disturbing:
Religion and Politics: A Tale of Two Churches
and always, onegoodmove for your viewing and reading pleasure.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, October 02, 2004

Dr. W. David Hager makes the rounds again

I see the emails are making another round. While the substance of the email about his characteristics are entirely true, understand that Dr. W. David Hager was appointed to the FDA in December of 2002 and reappointed again this year. I wrote extensively about him 2 years ago, if you're looking for more info.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Antonin Scalia is a sex radical

Shaula Evans has an absolute gem today (the entire Oct 1 entry)at tsuredzuregusa!
She begins with Justice Antonin Scalia: "I even take the position that sexual orgies eliminate social tensions and ought to be encouraged." and takes it much further outlining The Hedonist Agenda. Brilliant! Go read!
"If sex radical Antonin Scalia's predilection for orgies is an accurate taste of things to come, let us explore other parallels between Caligula's colorful reign as Roman Emperor and the Bush Campaignistration.

Gaius Caesar Germanicus (August 31, AD 12 - January 24, AD 41), also known as Gaius Caesar, liked to dress up as a soldier and play with his father's troops as their mascot. He was soon given given his nickname "Caligula" (or Caligulae), meaning "Little Boots" in Latin, after the small boots he wore as part of his costume.

Likewise, George Bush enjoys playing dress up and is affectionately known as the "All Hat, No Cattle" President."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, October 01, 2004

Sound Bites

What really matters when the World's On Fire? awesome video by Sarah McLaughlin streaming QuickTime

Willaim Rivers Pitt:
No amount of spin will be able to undo the reality of what took place in Florida on Thursday night. What happened on that stage was an absolute, immutable truth. Bush looked bad. Worse, he looked uninformed, overmatched and angry. Worst of all, he's going to have to go through it two more times.

If he shows up.


Good lord deliver me . . .
From the cowardice that dare not face new truths
From the laziness that is content with half-truths
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth.

Kenyan prayer

"Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that." wmv file - Bush
UPDATE: Better yet a quicktime file is here thanks to onegoodmove!


If one were to substitute 'hard work' with 'death or dying':

. . . BUSH: . . . In Iraq, no doubt about it, it's tough. It's hard work. It's incredibly hard. . . .

BUSH: . . . There's a lot of good people working hard. . . .

BUSH: . . . There's a lot of really good people working hard to do so. It's hard work. . . .

BUSH: . . . And it's hard work. I understand how hard it is. I get the casualty reports every day. I see on the TV screens how hard it is. . . . The plan says we'll train Iraqi soldiers so they can do the hard work, and we are. . . .

BUSH: . . . It is hard work. It is hard work to go from a tyranny to a democracy. It's hard work to go from a place where people get their hands cut off, or executed, to a place where people are free. . . .

BUSH: . . . You know, it's hard work to try to love her [Missy Johnson, of Charlotte, North Carolina, whose husband PJ got killed in Iraq] as best as I can, knowing full well that the decision I made caused her loved one to be in harm's way.. . .

BUSH: . . . It's hard work. Everybody knows it's hard work. . . .

BUSH: . . . We've done a lot of hard work together over the last three and a half years. . . .

"I see on the TV screens how hard it is." - Bush

UPDATE: Once again Norm at onegoodmove comes through! He has two versions of Hard Work in quicktime. Take your pick!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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