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For The Trees
Who is our economy FOR, anyway? About the Authors: Dave Johnson John Emerson Richard Reich Thomas Leavitt
Recent Posts: BEST OF STF: Dave's: Articles not at STF: The ATLA Speech on building a progressive infrastructure Lowering the Bar The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law Who's Behind the Attack on Liberal Professors On the Right and their communications infrastructure: Why Republicans Win Win or Lose The "Conventional Wisdom" Machine Some History of the Conservative Movement HOW TO FIGHT BACK An Amplifier Of Our Own Don't Blame the Democrats How They Do It 1 2 3 4 Getting Rolled Other: You're Gonna Get Drafted Scalia and Self-Government Who is Our Economy For? Voting Machine Story Link Collection What's Wrong with this Picture? (Voting Machines) Like Meat in the Supermarket Get Active Thin Line 1 2 3 Fixing Social Security Seeing the Forest I, II, III "Incredibly Positive News" The Breadth of It The Republican Crony Club Moon Bush Ralph Nader is a Scab John's Best Of: Kerry Smear Page Bandar Bush 9/11 Commission Report Damages Bush -- if you read it Florida Goon Squad Intimidated the Supreme Court The Use and Abuse of George Orwell Zizka's Archives (John's previous identity) Zizka Sampler News Sources: AlterNet BuzzFlash Common Dreams Cursor Drudge Retort Information Clearing House Smirking Chimp TruthOut What REALLY Happened Links to Other Weblogs: |
 9/30/2004 Now Things Get Dangerous Kerry did very well, and even the Republicans admit it. Bush kept repeating "mixed messages" as he was supposed to but the focus-group magic didn't seem to work so well this time. Bush is actually everything we've all been saying -- a spoiled rich-guy who has always had someone show up and bail him out, and consequently hadn't prepped for the debate -- he kept expecting $150,000,000 of "flip-flop" ads to have already eliminated this guy -- or maybe he just couldn't believe that after being hit by that kind of money Kerry even showed up. So what happens now? We can let up a bit from worrying that the election is going to just continue rolling down a path toward Bush actually winning more votes than Kerry. After this debate it does not look very good for Bush. But are the Republicans going to accept that things are turning against them in the election? Are the corporations that have been enjoying no-bid open-ended defense contracts and huge subsidies and tax breaks going to calmly start figuring out how to make an honest living? Are Tom Delay and Dennis Hastert ready to loosen their hold on the balls of the Ethics Committee and take their medicine? No, now is when they get dangerous. How many people do you think are going to jail if the Republicans lose their power over the Justice Department and the FBI and the investigative committees of the House and Senate? How many of them stand to lose their heads to raving mobs if there is ever an audit of what has been happening to the Treasury since Bush took office? Nope. Now is when they get dangerous. You think the Swift Boat Vets smears were bad? Watch your backs. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 11:37:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post  
Trippi on Kerry Joe Trippi at Hardblogger - "Why this guy waits til the last days of a campaign to show this fighting side is beyond me— but it seems to work for him and it worked for him tonight." --- Posted at 9/30/2004 09:28:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Complete online polls list, with URLs Pay particular attention to Florida, Ohio and other swing states. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x927474 --- Posted at 9/30/2004 09:04:00 PM by Camilo Wilson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
He is And how can this be? For he is the Kwisatz Haderack! --- Posted at 9/30/2004 08:48:00 PM by richard Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
ABC Poll ABC poll: Kerry 45% Bush 36% --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:57:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Scorpion Remember the story about the frog and the scorpion? Bush smirked -- he can't help it, it's what he does. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:49:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Mixed Messages As I click through channels, most of the Republican commentators are repeating "mixed messages" undermine our safety. So that's the prepared message of the debate. It's clearly a POWERFUL focus-group message. And they know it. It is repeated over and over, especially by Bush, so it might be the only thing people remember tomorrow. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:41:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Online Polls Go vote in online polls: ABC News: http://www.abcnews.com/ CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/ CNN: http://www.cnn.com/ Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/ MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/ USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/ --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:33:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Bush Just Over His Head Bush is just a guy in waaayy over his head. It's obvious. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:08:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
ON HIS WATCH! Kerry said it! Kerry said that North Korea got nukes ON HIS WATCH! --- Posted at 9/30/2004 07:05:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Kerry Stomping Bush I never thought I'd be saying this, and there is still a half hour left, but it appears that Kerry is just fucking stomping Bush. Maybe the rest of the country will be under the focus-group-tested spell, but I think Kerry is just stomping him. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:56:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Iraq Attacked Us? Bush just said that Iraq attacked us, and that is why he sent troops there? --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:54:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Two Faced Bush says "you gotta have a president who'll pursue the terrorists" But he also said, "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." and, responding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts "I am truly not that concerned about him."  --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:40:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Bush On Defensive Bush is totally on the defensive, and he seems to only have one talking point that he repeats over and over: "What kind of message does criticism of the President send to our troops?" And "Sending mixed signals." Yes, it's a great, tested, focus-group line, but repeating it over and over to EVERY question? Update He has repeated that SEVERAL times now. He just said that Kerry driticizing the Prime Minister of Iraq undermines the war effort. It must have tested very powerfully in the focus groups! --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:32:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Earpiece? In the iddle of an answer, Bush was getting heated up, starting to shout. Suddeny he stumbled, looked down like he was listening to something, and completely changed the pace, smiled a little... I think he has an earpiece! Someone told him to calm down! Update After Kerry answered the last question, the camera was showing both of them. As soon as Kerry finished and before it was Bush's time Bush cocked his head to listen to something, then gave an answer. Update - Remember, Bush DOESN'T KNOW that he's on camera! It's against the rules, but the networks are doing it anyway. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:16:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Another Lie "Saddam had no intention of disarming." Disarming WHAT? --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:14:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
First Lie Bush lasted less than a minute. He said ten million Afghans are registered to vote. From June: Karzai Reports 3.8 Million Afghans Now Registered to Vote. (Karzai is President of Afghanistan.) --- Posted at 9/30/2004 06:11:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Did Bush Whiten His Teeth? Take a look when it starts. Word is that Bush whitened his teeth! --- Posted at 9/30/2004 05:54:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Help Me Make Truth and Facts Matter I want to make truth and facts matter. During and after the debate tonite please post comments here with details of Bush's misrepresentation or distortions of facts, outright lies, and other twisting of the truth. We know he is going to do this, it's what he does. I want to collect these and then get people to start contacting the media, local and national, to try to get them to report on this. Seeing the Forest is not one of the hugely trafficked sites, but there are enough people reading here to swamp phones and e-mail, and this DOES make a difference. If Bush lies or distorts I want us to pin it down, and drive it home. Help me. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 05:52:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Republican Intelligence Bill Allows Torture Surprised? Why? Go read at The Sideshow. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 05:23:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Rox Populi's Own Best Political Bloggers Contest Rox Populi : I Call Bullshit and Offer My Own Best Political Bloggers Contest. Go see what Seeing the Forest is nominated for, and add your own categories and nominations in the comments.  --- Posted at 9/30/2004 04:39:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Jobless Claims Up In case you missed this today: U.S. weekly jobless claims rise: "The number of Americans seeking first-time jobless benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as the impact of recent hurricanes battering the Southern United States continued to be felt.Not good at all. We're a big country -- lots of people lose jobs and find jobs each week. Brad DeLong has said that approx. 350,000 is a break-even level for our economy -- anything higher than 350,000 means the overall economy is losing jobs. They say this is beause of the weather in Florida, and it may be. But that's still a lot more people who have lost jobs than are finding them. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 03:30:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
After The Debate Tonite Some post-debate ideas from an e-mail I received: National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them: --- Posted at 9/30/2004 01:41:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Blatant Tax dollars blatantly spent to propagandize Americans and influence the election: U.S. Effort Aims to Improve Opinions About Iraq Conflict (washingtonpost.com): "The Bush administration, battling negative perceptions of the Iraq war, is sending Iraqi Americans to deliver what the Pentagon calls 'good news' about Iraq to U.S. military bases, and has curtailed distribution of reports showing increasing violence in that country.This is the kind of thing people go to jail for in free countries, unlike here. Bush brings us closer to the old Soviet model every day, with The State promoting The Party and The Party making all decisions. --- Posted at 9/30/2004 10:52:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/29/2004 Sedition Act Coming See this story, Bush camp rips Kerry rhetoric: "President Bush's campaign manager yesterday accused Sen. John Kerry's campaign of parroting the rhetoric of terrorists, signaling a new level of aggressiveness in advance of tomorrow's presidential debate.Criticizing the President in wartime... 'FIRE BAD!' My prediction: After the election - if Bush is the one in office (notice how I never say "elected" or "wins." We have learned that there are other ways to take office...) - the Congress will pass a partner to the Patriot Act. It will be a Sedition Act, making it illegal to criticize the govenment, especially the President, in time of war. --- Posted at 9/29/2004 10:59:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Boobs Confined Space says CBS is learning the lesson: "Don't try exposing boobs on television." --- Posted at 9/29/2004 09:43:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
A thought experiment ... A Thought Experiment, over at Media Matters for America: "A thought experiment --- Posted at 9/29/2004 07:33:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/28/2004 Because We Want To skippy the bush kangaroo writes, "we blog because we want to. when we stop wanting to, that's when it's time to quit." And I use capital letters because I want to. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 04:39:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
The Draft -- Will They Do That? The Draft. Will they do that? (Video clip) Will they do that? --- Posted at 9/28/2004 04:32:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Welcome New on the blogroll, Tough Luck Charlie, Debunking The Myth of the Frivolous Lawsuit. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 03:30:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Is E.J. Dionne Becomming a Blogger? In How to Win the Heartland, E.J. Dionne says what us bloggers have been all about ever since 9/11 happened: "The reluctance to explore what Bush knew before Sept. 11 and what he did about it stands as one of the great mysteries of American journalism."Yes, it does. Perhaps THE great mystery of American journalism - what's left of it, anyway. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 11:39:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
What Kerry Actually Said -- Entirely Consistent To people who accuse Kerry of "flip-flopping": If you want to be an honest person you owe it to yourself to actually read and understand Kerry's position before you accuse him of things like changing positions. Fair enough? I encourage anyone who really wants to know what Kerry's position on the war was to read the statement he made to the Senate when he voted to allow the use of force. He says his vote was based on President Bush's promises to get sufficient UN authorization (Bush didn't) if he was going to use force, and only to use that force as a last resort if Iraq did not let weapons inspectors in. (Bush didn't.) Excerpts from John Kerry's Statement on Iraq Before the War: First, he had been told by the Administration that there were WMD. (Remember, the Administration was NOT sharing intelligence reports that contradicted this case for war.): "... Why is Saddam Hussein pursuing weapons that most nations have agreed to limit or give up? ... Why is Saddam Hussein attempting to develop nuclear weapons when most nations don't even try, and responsible nations that have them attempt to limit their potential for disaster? ... Why does he develop missiles that exceed allowable limits? ... Why is he seeking to develop unmanned airborne vehicles for delivery of biological agents? [. . .] Although Iraq's chemical weapons capability was reduced during the UNSCOM inspections, Iraq has maintained its chemical weapons effort over the last 4 years. Evidence suggests that it has begun renewed production of chemical warfare agents, probably including mustard gas, sarin, cyclosarin, and VX. Intelligence reports show that Iraq has invested more heavily in its biological weapons programs over the 4 years, with the result that all key aspects of this program--R&D;, production and weaponization--are active. Most elements of the program are larger and more advanced than they were before the gulf war. Iraq has some lethal and incapacitating agents and is capable of quickly producing and weaponizing a variety of such agents, including anthrax, for delivery on a range of vehicles such as bombs, missiles, aerial sprayers, and covert operatives which could bring them to the United States homeland."ALL of these "intelligence reports" given to the Senate by the Bush administration turned out to be untrue, largely based on reports supplied by Chalabi plants -- and the Bush administration KNEW IT. Eventually he starts to get around to his reasons for voting for the resolution, ... I traveled to New York a week ago. I met with members of the Security Council and came away with a conviction that they will indeed move to enforce, that they understand the need to enforce, if Saddam Hussein does not fulfill his obligation to disarm."It's all there. It is exactly what he is saying now. He was voting for this in order to force Iraq to let weapons inspectors back in, which Iraq did. Kerry goes on to predict what will happen if we do not build a solid international coalition in conjunction with the UN, and the prediction is what is now occurring. It's long, really long, and it goes on (and on and on and on) from where I left off, but I encourage you to read it so that you will understand what Kerry said he was voting for, what the President had promised the Congress and the UN, and how the President broke the promise. The President asked Kerry for his support, appealing to his patriotism. It was a trick and a betrayal, and Bush is now twisting what Kerry did to make him appear unpatriotic! It is Bush who has flip-flopped all over the place. But worse, Bush conducted a bait-and-switch operation on us, and launched aggressive war, and is using every dirty trick lie in the book, accusing everyone else of what he himself has done, calling people unpatriotic, even treasonous, BECAUSE they supported him when he asked, in the name of the country. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 09:33:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
The Left Coaster Catches Gallup At It Again! The Left Coaster: Gallup Is At It Again - Yesterday's National Poll Had 12% GOP Bias: After supplying CNN and USA Today with a poll two weeks ago that showed a double-digit Bush lead amongst likely voters that turned out to have a significant bias in its sample favoring the GOP, Gallup did it again yesterday.This raises two questions in my mind:
2. This is exactly what we would expect to happen before the election if there were a conspiracy to undercount Democratic votes in the new voting machines. Steve asks, "By presenting these polls with this kind of bias, and then ensuring through CNN and USA Today the farthest possible media saturation, why is Gallup not guilty of engaging in a political disinformation campaign?"Indeed. Combine this with stories like the Ohio Repubicans refusing to allow new voter registrations because the paper is not heavy enough - and other irregularities there (another here), pluss all the news coming out of Florida, and it can start to look like this will not be a legitimate election. Surprise. Watch your backs! --- Posted at 9/28/2004 08:22:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
An Excellent Point Stirling makes an excellent point over at The Blogging of the President: 2004: "As the facts later showed, there were half a dozen scams to shave off votes from Gore - no one of which was enough to scew the election by itself, but taken together they were. The media put their thumb on the scales in favor of tax breaks and consolidation, we therefore got Bush. The political system fell into line, we therefore got a strong unilateral control of power. The legitimacy doves said 'tie election! tie election!'. But in a tie election one would get a government of national unity, a group that governed from the center by consensus. The other theory - the unspeakable one that the election had been stolen - predicted a government from the extreme. Which theory has turned out to be more predictive of Bush and his government? The tie election theory, or the election theft theory?"An excellent point. If it were a CLOSE election, we would have gotten a government of unity, governing from the center. But no, we got a far-right extremist government, governing by decree, excluding the Democrats from participating in legislation, using government agencies to consolidate their power, and launching attacks on the opposition. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 07:23:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Repetition Repetition works. Remember that. Repetition works. Poll Shows Bush With Solid Lead: "Bush's relentless attacks on Kerry have badly damaged the Democratic nominee, the survey and interviews showed. Voters routinely describe Kerry as wishy-washy, as a flip-flopper and as a candidate they are not sure they can trust, almost as if they are reading from Bush campaign ad scripts. [emphasis added]"Have I mentioned that repetition works? Someone ought to mention this to the Democratic leadership. They seem to like to pursue a strong theme for about a week, and once it starts looking good they think it worked, and move on. Bush has been on ONE theme since the start of the campaign about six years ago, and repeating that. He does that because repetition works. --- Posted at 9/28/2004 07:06:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/27/2004 Asking Again - Why Did Bush Stop Flying? I'm asking the question again. Why did Bush stop flying? The other day I wrote, Do any of you fly, or know any pilots? Ask ANY pilot if they can understand why a young man would stop flying fighter jets if they didn't absolutely have to. And not only that, why would someone refuse to take a flight physical and stop reporting for Guard drills? MOST of us would face serious consequences for such behaviour. (Of course, most of us would face serious consequences for selling shares of a company when we knew they are about to report a loss. Or for running up a massive deficit. Or for launching a war against a country that did us no harm and was no threat to us, when we were already in the middle of another war.)Keep asking the question: WHY DID BUSH STOP FLYING? --- Posted at 9/27/2004 10:09:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Digby! Digby! Digby! Please, please read this piece by Digby at Hullabaloo. I just want to repeat this because it is just so right, and should be echoed around the blogosphere": It is what led me to the point at which I am able to say without any sense of restraint or caution that I would put NOTHING past them --- even a staged terrorist attack. This is because every time I think they have some limits, they prove me wrong. As the old saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...won't get fooled again....THIS is what we have all been trying to say to the Democratic Party for more than three years now. This is NOT your father's Republican Party. They are NOT fooling around! This is NOT about America for the people who have seized control of the old, honorable Republican Party, or about the public good. No, it is about getting and keeping power and using that power to further a weird, cultish, ideological/theocratic agenda and they have been working toward this end for decades. This is the old John Birch Society crowd, and their current agenda reflects that right down the line. Read Digby's piece and the pieces it points to -- and WATCH YOUR BACKS! Update If you're STILL not mad enough, or don't believe that the Republicans are capable of ANYthing, then go read this. --- Posted at 9/27/2004 09:49:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Animation The Dancing Ass --- Posted at 9/27/2004 06:31:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Wow! Billionaires For Bush Video This is a must-see: Billionaires For Bush video. (Thru Atrios) --- Posted at 9/27/2004 06:25:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Cracking the Code Figuring out what the Republicans are up to is only partly a matter of understanding frames and framing. Sometimes those frames are also codes, a secret, insider language, to which those of us who are not evangelical Christians or otherwise up-to-date on neocon lingo haven't even got a clue. I'll give just one example, but it's a good one. It was recently reported that the RNC had sent out mailings to two states, Arkansas and West Virginia, on September 24 stating that liberals are going to take away their Bibles. I think that neither the press nor the Democratic party had the slightest idea what was really going on or what this means. It was understood as just another dastardly Republican scare tactic. Edwards responded by saying that this was outrageous and Bush should insist that they never do anything like that again. Ha! Rove must have been laughing up his sleeve, it was so obvious that only the insiders, those with secret knowledge, understood what was being said. The public response, in fact, helped to reinforce and spread the desired message. To most of us it would mean that the RNC is saying that secular liberalism will ban reading the Bible. I don't think that's how they meant their audience to understand it. A Google search on "liberals Bibles" brought up 59,100 hits. The battle about "liberals" and "Bibles" has been going on for many years. This battle is terribly important to those involved with it, and the rest of us not only know nothing about it but could care less. Looking into this immediately takes one into an arcane never-never land where only the initiated dare to go. I haven't been to West Virginia for years, but I've recently been to Arkansas. I dearly love Arkansas, so what I'm about to say is an explanation, not a criticism. In Arkansas towns, there seems to be a little church on almost every corner. Vastly more churches than, for example, grocery stores. The mainstream churches are represented, often have large impressive buildings just like everywhere else, but what's happened is that the denominations have split and split again into countless little, separate denominations, each accusing all the others of heresy. Heresy is a very important concept, and accusing each other of heresy is pretty much the local game, like bridge or baseball in other parts of the country. Arkansas is a poor state, and people have to have something to do on those long summer evenings. So what's a heresy? Mostly anything "liberal." "Liberal" does not mean what we think it means. Ultimately, "liberal" means anything that in any way could be traced to the Enlightenment. in other words, although this is never spoken, all the principles on which the Constitution is based, the ideal of society as a contract between reasonable people, everything we think of as the basis for modern civilization. The mainstream churches are understood as having been corrupted by the Enlightenment and to have fallen into "liberalism." The Episcopalians, of course, since they now have a gay Bishop, are the Devil's spawn. But so are the Unitarians, the Presbyterians, and even most of the Baptists. And they mean that literally. The word Bible is also a coded word. Their Bible, as they interpret it, in no way resembles the Bible most of us recognize. Each word has its own secret, arcane meaning and one has to find out what that meaning really is -- while, at the same time, taking the Bible absolutely literally. No allegorical or literary interpretations allowed. The Biblical controversies have also been raging on for years. How literally should one take it? Which version should one take literally? There are those who equate the King James version with the Antichrist, and those who would kill to preserve every sacred word of it. However, it doesn't really matter what the Bible literally SAYS. What matters is what the Bible is interpreted to MEAN. And each little denomination, each little congregation, has its own interpretation, with everyone else's version considered to be heresy. But the really BIG, dangerous, awful heresies are the interpretations of the Bible one learns in those literally damned, take that seriously because they mean it, mainstream churches like the Presbyterians and the Baptists (but not all of the Baptists.) That's the point on which all these little denominations can unite -- against the really BIG "liberal" Enlightenment inspired heresy. So -- one would have to somehow know that what the RNC mailing is really saying is something like if the Democrats win those heretics in the mainstream churches and their Biblical interpretations will be more important for setting public policy than yours. It will no longer matter how you interpret the Bible. They're not really saying that anyone is going to ban the Bible, but that they're going to ban their interpretations of it, and maybe the particular translation they've accepted as the Word of God. This could be why the moderate Republicans have become so unwelcome in the party. So many of them tend to be Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, the Devil's spawn (they're actually occasionally called that) liberals corrupted by the Enlightenment, for God's sake! Well, I said this was arcane. Somebody in the Democratic party should be paying attention to identifying these insider coded words and what they mean. There are millions of people who know all too well what they mean, relish the fact that the rest of us don't know, since we're going to Hell because we don't know, and they will vote for Bush on that basis. Because Bush knows. --- Posted at 9/27/2004 04:08:00 PM by Meryl Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Daily Two-Faced Liar Report A surprising story from Reuters! A press organization is actually investigating whether Bush's statements are true!! Key Bush Assertions About Iraq in Dispute: "Many of President Bush's assertions about progress in Iraq -- from police training and reconstruction to preparations for January elections -- are in dispute, according to internal Pentagon documents, lawmakers and key congressional aides on Sunday.I reprinted so much of this article because there is just so much in it that is astonishing. One article prints a little bit of the truth about what is going on, and it is just too much to take! It is so different from the news the public has been receiving. One question is, does Bush even have any idea what is oging on in Iraq, or even care? Another is, will it matter to the public, even if they DO find out this information? Of course, the Republican line on this is that the "liberal media" lies and should not be listened to. --- Posted at 9/27/2004 02:37:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Oregon, sane Republicans http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/109594063089030.xml http://www.oregonlive.com/public_commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/109611397171980.xml http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1096286180262511.xml?oregonian?lcg http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1096027307176160.xml?oregonian?lcwa http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040930/REPOSITORY/409300379/1037/NEWS04 --- Posted at 9/27/2004 07:08:00 AM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Nationa Guard Callup http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-ARMYPAPER-359116.php http://www.charleston.net/stories/091104/sta_11reserve.shtml http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2416732 http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned;=us&ie=UTF-8&q;=%22Individual+Ready+Reserve%22+&btnG=Search+News http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20794-2004Oct9.html --- Posted at 9/27/2004 06:43:00 AM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/26/2004 TalkLeft Suggests Draft Likely TalkLeft: Newsweek: Are Iran and Syria Next: Apparently, Bush's advisors agree that a preemptive attack is not on the horizon because we've expended our military wad in Iraq. Doesn't that just make a draft more likely? Not to Bush advisors, who say "covert action of some kind is the favored route for Washington hard-liners who want regime change in Damascus and Tehran."Shrill. --- Posted at 9/26/2004 08:47:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Too Insider I started this in the morning but was out all day... a comment on bloggers becomming too "insider" for new readers to understand. At Eschaton this morning, Atrios has this: "BalanceThat's the whole post. This is terribly blogger-centric and insider. I would bet that only a small fraction of his readers understand what he was trying to say. Compare this to Josh at Talking Points Memo writing about the same show: "Of the four panelists, one is the profoundly middle-of-the-road David Broder, a paragon of Washington's establishment assumptions. For the sake of discussion, let's call him balanced or neutral.Atrios, you have new readers at your blog -- especially today! They aren't "in the know" but they are interested and want to explore this online phenomenon. Bring them in, don't scare them away. --- Posted at 9/26/2004 08:51:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/25/2004 Framing MyDD :: Losing the Election One GOP Frame at a Time: "The term 'War on Terror' is a GOP frame invented by Bush's communications team in the rhetorical aftermath of 9/11. People who buy into that frame overwhelmingly support Bush." --- Posted at 9/25/2004 11:08:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
"Working the Ref" In sports, "working the ref" means blasting every decision the referee makes that goes against your side, with the hope that it will cause the ref to think he/she needs to "look impartial" and therefore give you a break you don't deserve. The Republican "liberal media" propaganda blitz is a similar strategy. By blasting everything the mainstream does as "liberal" the hope is twofold: First, that the public will not believe reports that are unfavorable to the Right, and second that the media, because they do not want to look "liberal," will "self-censor" and give the right an undeserved break. Well, this tactic is paying off in spades. CBS has decided not to tell the public some things it has uncovered about the Bush drive to war: The Fallout: '60 Minutes' Delays Report Questioning Reasons for Iraq War According to the Newsweek report, the "60 Minutes" segment was to have detailed how the administration relied on false documents when it said Iraq had tried to buy a lightly processed form of uranium, known as yellowcake, from Niger. The administration later acknowledged that the information was incorrect and that the documents were most likely fake. --- Posted at 9/25/2004 04:57:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/24/2004 They Don't? The Gweilo Diaries: Say it ain't so. Not that I would ever have any reason to try them. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 10:19:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Thank you Harpers! Naomi Klein's "Year Zero" article is online. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 10:15:00 PM by richard Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Milion Old-Man March Read about it at skippy the bush kangaroo. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 10:15:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Working America You've all joined Working America, right? --- Posted at 9/24/2004 07:51:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Bloggered Again Bloggered again. Can you even see this? Google has put a new verb in the dictionary: to Blogger. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 07:20:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Busted Here. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 07:17:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Coffee and Wireless I'm posting this while parked outside of a Starbucks, that is near a Pete's. I'm drinking a Peet's and using Starbuck's wireless. Starbucks has wireless, but Peet's has real coffee. (Spelling fixed) --- Posted at 9/24/2004 03:02:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
The Good Germans For months now Brad DeLong has been asking for the adult Republicans to stand up and be counted. Every once in a while little teasers make you think that it might actually happen. For example, just recently four Republican Senators stiffly criticized Bush's Iraq policy. A Wall Street Journal columnist described the Bush Administration as "hapless and incompetent." And when you think about it, there really are no reasons why a conservative should vote for Bush: his fiscal policies are the worst ever, his handling of the Iraq War has been a disaster from the beginning -- and there's a lot more. Nonetheless, all the above are still supporting Bush. With the exception of Lincoln Chaffee, no important Republican has distanced himself from Bush, and not a single one supports Kerry. A number of conservatives and moderates from the military, the State Department, and the intelligence and security services are supporting Kerry or have repudiated Bush, but almost no politicians have, nor have any of the conservatives in the punditocracy. This is appalling. Apparently the "grownup conservatives" and "moderate Republicans" value their party above their own integrity or the fate of the nation. They might criticize their miserable failure of a President, but they will not oppose him politically. Some even say that the Iraq War "should not be politicized", but that's actually what elections are for: getting the bad leaders out of office. (And of course, the ones who are being "political" here are the Republicans who support Bush even though they understand how wretched his performance has been.) Why is this happening? My guess is that it's because of fear. Karl Rove is known to be ruthless in punishing anyone who steps out of line, and my guess is that Senator Jeffords has been given good reason to regret going independent. Any Republican who deserts Bush can kiss his career ambitions goodbye. Rove and Bush have put together a political campaign which is directed entirely at the lowest common denominator. Almost none of the Republican talking points (which are almost entirely attacks on Kerry) can be taken seriously: flip-flop, raising taxes, not supporting the troops, fake Purple Heart, fake Silver Start, elitist windsurfer, ketchup, WMD, al-Qaeda in Iraq, democracy in Iraq, and so on. (And this is to say nothing of the extraordinary viciousness of some of the high-level attacks on the al-Qaeda-loving, Saddam-loving Democrats.) But it's quite possible that Bush will be able to win on these issues, without any help from the "Republican moderates and intelligent conservatives." In that case, Bush will owe them nothing, and they will be irrelevant forever. We will have a President who owes nothing to anyone who knows anything at all about the world -- and God help anyone who stands in his way. A lot depends on which way the adult Republicans swing, but they're even more gutless than Democrats. We shouldn't hope for much. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 02:00:00 PM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
"Support our troops" Here's a heart-warming story that doesn't warm my heart at all: "On Monday, it was Oprah Winfrey, who came to congratulateI happen to know a pregnant Guardswoman who has been told that she will be sent to Iraq two months after the baby is born. The GI Rights hotline tells me that she has virtually no options. The military is hard up for warm bodies, and they're grabbing everyone they can find and taking a very hard line on all petitions for exemption. She finished her two years of active service three or four years ago, but still has two or three years of obligation in the "Individual Ready Reserve". GI's are led to believe that the IRR is never called up except in case of national emergency, but Rumsfeld's lean and mean new model Army, combined with the Bush administration's disastrous mishandling of the Iraq War, means that the National Guard and the reserves are being drawn on the way they never have been before. (Ex-Guardsman Bush likes to hide behind this fact: unlike today, however, the Vietnam era Guard really was a way of staying out of combat). "Support our troops" is an age-old lie. Being lied to, ordered around, and sent to die or to be mutilated is what troops are for. They support us, and the best way for us to support them is to bring them back home. Unless something changes, the young Guardswoman I know is going to have her life made a living hell. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 01:45:00 PM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Why Did Bush Stop Flying? "'He just couldn't cut it,' says Linke. 'I was let to believe he was kind of a coward.' ": --- Posted at 9/24/2004 01:43:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Kerry Staff Read This The Candidates, Seen From the Classroom, on the communications skill of the candidates. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 12:08:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
WBLOG Radio - The Lost Episode Waaayyy back during the Republican convention I did a radio show with the DCCC. Well, they finally got it posted: The Stakeholder :: WBLOG Radio - The Lost Episode --- Posted at 9/24/2004 11:02:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Outsourcing Kiss Your New Job Goodbye got me thinking. Maybe an economist can answer this question: When we read about the number of jobs being "outsourced" does this count only existing jobs lost and sent out of the country? Or does it also count the number of new jobs that would have been created here but are not? --- Posted at 9/24/2004 10:17:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Back in 2003, Closing In on Bush and Harken... For a post below I dug up a post from April, 2003. It got me thinking. The press was closing in on the corporate corruption of Bush and Cheney, and their involvement with Harken Oil and Haliburton corruption. But then there was a war, and a series of major terrorist alerts and the story was dropped. Let's see if we can revive the story. Here is the entire post: (Yes, some links have disappeared, but there's more than enough info still there.) OK, That's Over, So Where Were We?And here is one from August, 2002: Ongoing Questions - Keeping Them In Your FaceDid these questions get ANSWERED? Or did we all just get DIVERTED? So what say we start looking into these again? --- Posted at 9/24/2004 09:53:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Cursor fund drive As far as I'm concerned, Cursor is the best one-stop political news source on the net, especially with their new election news feature. Their fund drive is still going. These guys are working for peanuts (I know-- I applied for a job there) but someone's gotta send them the peanuts. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 08:04:00 AM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Not Enough Troops Panel Calls U.S. Troop Size Insufficient for Demands: "A Pentagon-appointed panel of outside experts has concluded in a new study that the American military does not have sufficient forces to sustain current and anticipated stability operations, like the festering conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and other missions that might arise."This is how Bush has "protected" the country. Not enough troops. If you are draft age, see if you can guess what this means. Mr. Reed added that the study raises troubling questions in the event that the American presence in Iraq drags on and new emergencies arise. "Iran and North Korea are provocative," he said. "They very well might cause us to take military action; one hopes not. And then, as you often say, there's also the surprises that we don't even contemplate at this moment."Just one burp, anywhere in the world, in fact, and you will be wearing a uniform, wondering at the course your life is taking. An article published Thursday by Inside the Pentagon, a military affairs newsletter, quoted the study as concluding that "current and projected force structure will not sustain our current and projected global stabilization commitments."Let's see if we can break down those big words: "Current and projected force structure" -- how many troops we HAVE, and how many we NEED -- "will not sustain our current" -- not enough NOW -- "and projected global stabilization commitments" -- not enough at all for the future. Translation -- you're gonna get drafted. --- Posted at 9/24/2004 07:27:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/23/2004 George W. Bush's "fear of flying": an Erica Jong President? The sourcing here is a bit uncertain, but this is a great rumor, and it may be true. Let it all come out in the wash. "Contrary to some news reports that suggest Killian admired Bush, Linke says the officer didn't have much use for the young Lieutenant. He mentioned that Bush appeared to have a drinking problem, she recalls, but he was most offended by another incapacity: his fear of flying. According to Linke, Killian said Bush was grounded in his fourth year of flying after he became incapable of flying or properly landing a plane." Source Via Glenn Smith of Texans For Truth at BOP PS. Dave already posted this, but I thought the Erica Jong reference was worth keeping. UPDATE: Maybe he was afraid to fly because he was no good at it. --- Posted at 9/23/2004 10:27:00 PM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Who Went Instead Of Bush? When Bush found out that Harken Oil was going to announce they lost money, he raced to sell his stock before the news reached the public, which would make the price go down. (This is what Martha Stewart is going to jail for.) But no one asks about the person who BOUGHT the stock and suffered the loss in his place. Similarly, there is another side of the Bush National Guard story. That is the story of the people who who had to take Bush's place. SOMEONE took his place in Vietnam. SOMEONE took his pace in the Guard when Bush stopped showing up. (SOMEONE took command of the government while the nation was under attack and Bush sat stupified and immobilized in a classroom reading My Pet Goat.) When "protected" people like Bush screw up or screw us, SOMEONE takes the fall, takes the rap, takes the loss, or does the job. Read about another example of this over at The Blogging of the President: "This evening, reporters are calling. Janet Linke, an art teacher, said her husband was recruited to fill the slot abandoned by Bush. Jerry Killian, Bush's superior officer, told her Bush had grown afraid to fly.He SAYS he is the great wartime leader, fearless, resolute, staying the course... But who is the REAL man, the one we would find if only we could see past the fog of lies and cover stories that props Bush up? Update - Bush Harken Oil insider trading info here. (Notice from this April, 2003 post how the press was closing in on this story and was redirected by a major terror alert.) --- Posted at 9/23/2004 09:05:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Two-Faced So Bush says he is "protecting the country?" That he is a "war president?" That the country faces its threat ever? Well, forces are stretched thin in Iraq, no? Wouldn't a President who was intent on protecting the country be taking steps to do something about our military force levels? Or is he saying one thing, but doing another? --- Posted at 9/23/2004 08:47:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Where's Kelley? I'm watching John O'Neil of the Swift Boat Liars on Hardball right now. I just realized I've seen him on several shows this week. He just said that Kerry supported the Communists in Vietnam. So where is Kitty Kelley? She has an explosive new book out, much better documented than anything from the Swift Boat Liars! It says that Bush was using cocaine while his father was president. BUT I AM NOT SEEING HERE ANYWHERE! So why don't we see THIS author anywhere? --- Posted at 9/23/2004 04:32:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Draft Making a Comeback? John Lichman -- Is a draft making a comeback?: "However you choose to look at it, realize that the plan itself isn't imaginary, nor are congressional bills H.R. 163 or S.89 which state the plan."Watch your backs! --- Posted at 9/23/2004 04:29:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
BAGnewsNotes BAGnewsNotes has placed a BlogAd, and here's what he says about his site: "The blog has three purposes:So go visit. --- Posted at 9/23/2004 04:17:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Here It Comes U.S. Economic Gauge Signals Weakness: "A key gauge of future economic activity weakened for a third straight month in August as costlier oil spread worry among consumers and businesses, a report from a business research group showed on Thursday . "It should hit hard just after the election. let's see, massive trade deficits, massive budget deficits, housing price bubble, dollar overpriced, interest rates held unnaturally low... LOTS of rubber bands ready to snap back just after the election... Watch your backs! --- Posted at 9/23/2004 03:28:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
The ReBirchican Party Mary at Left Coaster notices that the 2004 Republican party agenda closely matches the 1950's John Birch Society agenda. --- Posted at 9/23/2004 10:41:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Draft News Daily Bush, talking about the draft, "What we need to do is - don't worry about it." (See #1) BushDraft.com From March, Agency initiates steps for selective draft, "The government is taking the first steps toward a targeted military draft of Americans with special skills in computers and foreign languages." Military Draft: A Sleeping Giant Stirs Rock the Vote: A NEW MILITARY DRAFT? April, Nader tells youths to brace for draft May, U.S. Preparing For Military Draft in Spring of 2005 -- Legislation in the works: Selective Service System already mobilizing Also May, Old Enough to Vote? Old Enough to Die. What happens during a Draft? TalkLeft: The Draft is Not a Republican vs. Democrat Issue: Despite his statements to the contrary, Bush may reinstate the draft. This is supported not only by his "stop-loss" orders extending soldiers' duties in Iraq and the acknowledgement that there is a shortage of soldiers for a prolonged war, which seems to be what we're in for with Bush at the helm, but also by actions of the Selective Service System,(more here), whose directors and members serve under the direction of his Administration.Scroll down for more on the draft. Especially see: You're Gonna Get Drafted --- Posted at 9/23/2004 08:37:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Election Reform I'm suddenly absolutely, completely burned out on politics. Just as we get close to the finish line I need a break! I have the awful feeling that I'm not the only person suffering from this, either. By the time we finally vote, who gives a damn? Enough money's being spent on this election to feed and house all the homeless in this country for life. Or to provide a free college education for every child. Or health care for everyone. This is no longer a Democratic process. Nobody who isn't independently rich and/or backed by powerful interests can possibly run for a national office. This is now true even on a local level, at least in states like New York and New Jersey and cities like New York. People spending this kind of money expect it to be a good investment. There's no better basis for corruption. Worse, no matter how much money is spent, the candidates for the party not in office are essentially invisible. Equal time on radio and TV for each party's candidates used to be required by law. We've got to restore the fairness doctrine. Because running for office is now so expensive, and because of the electoral college, only the "swing states" count. The rest of us are not exactly being told that our vote doesn't count, but it couldn't be more clear that we're written off as unimportant, so why should we bother to vote? There's got to be a better way to do this. We could analyze how we got ourselves into this mess from now until doomsday. Gigantic plot or unexpected results of previous honest attempts at reform? Undoubtedly some of each, and so what? We have to deal with the mess we have now. Reform has to begin on the local level and especially the party level. Congress isn't going to do anything that cuts its own throat. Once the election is over, regardless, we've got to start thinking about reforming the process. What we've been doing is crazy! No campaign should go on this long, and the sad truth is that the next campaign starts the minute the last one ends. Which means that nobody is taking care of business and the country just drifts. --- Posted at 9/23/2004 06:25:00 AM by Meryl Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Harry Speakup Diebold claims that their latest voting system security features are impervious to human tampering. So, Bev Harris of Black Box Voting trained a chimp to do it. Really. Bev said that at yesterday's press conference a reporter expressed some scepticism after seeing Baxter (the election stealing chimp) mess with Diebold's votes database. The reporter pointed out that surely chimps would not be granted access to the election computer room. Really. (Via Bev Harris appearance on today's Morning Sedition with Marc Maron and Mark Riley, a consistently excellent Air America show.) --- Posted at 9/23/2004 03:43:00 AM by richard Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/22/2004 TalkLeft: Selective Service Proposed Draft Plan Document TalkLeft: Selective Service Proposed Draft Plan Document: Here is the official document (pdf) calling for a reinsatement of the draft--for men and women--ages 18-34, not just to those who might qualify for active military duty, but for those with skills the Government finds helpful in war--linguists, medical workers, etc. Just about everyone.Maybe we should change the tagline of Seeing the Forest to DRAFT NEWS DAILY for a while. --- Posted at 9/22/2004 09:42:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Congressional Evaluation Project lightning writes: "Kit, of Kit's Concatenation has just put up her "Congressional Evaluation Project". If you want to know what your (or anybody else's) Congresscritter or Senator has been doing for the last few years, check it out." --- Posted at 9/22/2004 06:25:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Bush Music A great piece of music at skippy the bush kangaroo --- Posted at 9/22/2004 05:29:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Send An E-Mail That little picture of an envelope that follows each post allows you to send an e-mail about that post. I suggest trying it out with this post: You're Gonna Get Drafted! --- Posted at 9/22/2004 04:38:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Draft Alert! Here. (Be sure to scroll down to the cartoon.) --- Posted at 9/22/2004 04:32:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Elect Us A Congress Please go read what Joe Trippi has to say about how we can elect us a Congress! --- Posted at 9/22/2004 04:22:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Private Retirement Accounts I don't get it. Bush says we need "private personal savings accounts" for retirement. What am I missing? Is there something stopping people from setting up a private savings account NOW? I have an IRA, and the government gives me a good tax break when I put money in it. If you work for a corporation you might have a 401K account, and you get to put even more tax-free money in that. But Bush says that we need to get rid of Social Security and replace it with private accounts. From this story: "He [Bush] said allowing younger workers to set up personal savings accounts could bring them a better rate of return than the government gets with Social Security trust funds, which hold federal bonds. 'We've got to think differently,' he said."But we have private accounts NOW. So how is a plan to replace Social Security with private accounts different from just getting rid of Social Security? It seems to be little more than a word game to trick people into giving up Social Security. And, by the way, has the rule that rate of return = risk somehow CHANGED? Bush says we would get a higher return by taking our retirement money out of bonds and putting it into stocks. But doesn't that also mean that we then have our money at a higher risk? --- Posted at 9/22/2004 03:45:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Draft? Bush's War Needs Troops The Charleston Gazette - Draft? Bush's War Needs Troops: "ALARM is spreading that President Bush may seek a military draft, or mobilize more of the National Guard and Army Reserve, to obtain enough combat troops to wage his bogged-down Iraq war.They're gonna grab your asses off the street, put a rifle in your hands, and send you off to a place that is 120 degrees in the shade and the people hate you. Better get registered and vote. (Thanks to TruthOut.) --- Posted at 9/22/2004 03:34:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Today's Google Experiment: "Kerry Lied" and "My Lai" In today's Google experiment, let's see how many websites say "kerry lied". The answer is "about 41,200." (Yes, that search is for the phrase, not the words individually.) The first site found, "KerryLied.com" says, "John Kerry told the world we were war criminals who raped, tortured and murdered in Vietnam. Now, thirty-three years later, we told America the truth." Scrolling through what is found, most right-wing sites claim that Kerry accused the US of committing atrocities in Vietnam, which they say was a lie. Well, the first lie is that Kerry accused the US of committing atrocities. This is not what he said. And the second lie is that American forces did not commit atrocities. STF BONUS - Second Google Experiment in the same post! Let's see what happens if we search for "My Lai"? GOSH! There are "about 72,000" websites that say there WERE atrocities committed by US forces! Note - Some of the websites say Kerry lied about being in Cambodia - they say that the US was never in Cambodia... Well, Kerry made a mistake about when he was in Cambodia. It turns out he was there in January, not "Christmas." As for the claim that the US military was not in Cambodia, from a U.S. State Department report: "In April 1970, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces entered Cambodia in a campaign aimed at destroying NVA/VC base areas." --- Posted at 9/22/2004 03:13:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Whoa! Draft Coming Even Sooner Press Reports on U.S. Casualties: About 17,000 Short, UPI Says, Nearly 17,000 service members medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan are absent from public Pentagon casualty reports commonly cited by newspapers, according to military data reviewed by United Press International. Most don't fit the definition of casualties, according to the Pentagon, but a veterans' advocate said they should all be counted.Whoa! Looks like they're gonna need a draft even sooner than previously expected! And it's HOT there. IF YOU ARE DRAFT AGE YOU'D BETTER GET REGISTERED SO YOU CAN VOTE!!! (When you look at this report, remember the time difference and look a tomorrow's forecast. Loooks like they're in a cool spell.) --- Posted at 9/22/2004 02:18:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Good Today Altercation is good today. Funny, smart. Especially read the think that starts "Eric R. has more on this liberal conundrum thing:" --- Posted at 9/22/2004 02:15:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Kerry: Draft Likely to Return Under Bush Young people, pay attention now - if you don't want a drill sergeant shouting "Attention!" AT you. Kerry: Draft Likely to Return Under Bush: "Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, citing the war in Iraq and other trouble spots in the world, raised the possibility Wednesday that a military draft could be reinstated if voters re-elect President Bush. " --- Posted at 9/22/2004 01:08:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
War President = Draft President Bush is campaigning as the "War President." If we remind young people that THE DRAFT usually accompanies A WAR, then every time Bush repeats that he is the "War President" what they will hear is that he is the "GONNA DRAFT THEIR ASSES President." WAR PRESIDENT = DRAFT PRESIDENT --- Posted at 9/22/2004 11:03:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
How Ideas Circulate This just came in, one message in a digest from a list server. Compare it to the original from 5 days ago: Subject: YOU ARE GONNA BE DRAFTED c flyer for college campuses I loaded this 1/2 page Microsoft Word document YOU'RE GONNA BE DRAFTED Flyer into the file section of this yahoo group so that you can share it with your other yahoo groups and USE IT TODAY. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT FOR NEW PEOPLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE! I have been passing it out to college students, please pass it out where you live. It really does get their attention, and their help. If you make lots of copies, then cut them in half you WILL find volunteers who WILL help you pass this out which will result in more college students registering and voting. I carry my Fire Bush sign with me when passing them out. STILL WORKING TO TAKE BACK MY COUNTRY! You're Gonna Get Drafted The Draft - A Reason to Vote if You´re Under 30 If you didn't vote in 2000, or voted for Nader or Bush you blew it, and now you're gonna get drafted. There's no way around it now, the draft is almost a certainty, they´ve been hiring the staff & Congress has written the legislation to re-start the draft! You're hearing about the Reserve & National Guard units being called up, & about soldiers not allowed to leave the military even though their term is up, & about the back door draft? Have you thought about what this means to you? You KNOW this means they're having trouble finding enough soldiers to go to Iraq, right? Of course! Bush doesn´t want to start the draft BEFORE the election. Duh! But what do you think will happen the day after the election? I repeat, they are having trouble finding enough soldiers to go to Iraq so guess what; Young People ARE Going TO Get Drafted to Go To WAR! Ah, maybe you think they can't do that? Maybe you think the draft won´t happen to you? Maybe you think they can't just grab your ass up off the street, stick a rifle in your hands & send you off to war? Don´t deceive yourself and think Bush cares about YOU when he has NOT attended ONE funeral of any of our 1017+ dead Americans from the war! NOT ONE! Assault rifles are back on the streets & You are gonna be drafted just as fast! WAR. The word you have been hearing from Bush´s lips for months now. "I'm a WAR president", he says. Well, what did you think war MEANS? Who´s gonna replace the downsizing of Britain´s troops in Iraq and our 7000+ wounded and 1017+ dead?? YOU! WAR means young people getting drafted from off the street, out of school and sent off to fight. That. Is. What. War. Does! THE DRAFT IS HOW THEY WILL FORCE YOUNG WOMEN & MEN TO PARTICIPATE. No exemptions this time! If you don´t vote, you are supporting Bush: pre-emptive warS, deficit spending, & his divisive policies and rhetoric on the basis of religion, political party, race, choice and sexual preference. Bush says our preemptive war with Iraq was not a mistake so don´t you think we are more likely to go to (MORE) war with North Korea which has WMD? Which candidate do you want as YOUR Commander and Chief after you are drafted?? YOU HAD BETTER VOTE! Bush says, "we're at WAR, and that's the issue in this election". WAR! So call your friends and family, and make sure they are registered by Oct 2nd to vote Nov. 2nd. DON´T MISS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME; PASS OUT FLYERS, MAKE A DIF-FERENCE & VOTE 4 KERRY! You can make a difference because YOU COUNT when YOU VOTE!!! --- Posted at 9/22/2004 10:56:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
New Post at American Street I have a new post over at American Street, on how the Right communicates the message that "Democrats hate relitgion." --- Posted at 9/22/2004 10:43:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Fun Stuff Just for fun. (Found while researching a coming piece for American Street) 60 Hard Truths about "Liberals", 60 Hard Truths about gun hating Liberals. 25 More Hard Truths About Liberals Do The Democrats Really Hate America? Why Liberals Hate America Why "Liberals" are so despicable Liberals hate fellow Americans more than Islamists Update - Link in "60 Hard Truths" is fixed. --- Posted at 9/22/2004 10:03:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Every Single One of Us Every single one of us should read this post on press bias over at Eschaton, including the linked articles. CBS screwed up. But look at what the press has been doing for DECADES. --- Posted at 9/22/2004 08:10:00 AM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
9/21/2004 From most accounts, Bush appears to have received http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-AIRPAPER-357916.php http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/ --- Posted at 9/21/2004 09:09:00 PM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Kerry and Iraq The Washington Monthly has some good words about Kerry vs. Bush on Iraq: "Pundits have been kvetching for months now that Kerry hasn't produced a gift-wrapped miracle that definitively solves all our problems in Iraq. But that's just not in the cards anymore. Iraq is such a mess that there's nothing left except choosing the least worst of a bunch of bad choices.Someone else, I don't remember who, said asking what Kerry is going to do about Iraq is like when you have two kids, and one of them has knocked over your vase and it's in 1000 pieces on the floor, and you turn to the other one and say, "What's your plan for fixing the vase?" --- Posted at 9/21/2004 05:12:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Is it hopeless, folks? Awhile back Kevin Drum accused me and my kind of being hacks because I said we should treat the recennt accusations of memo forgery as political moves, rather than enlisting ourselves in a careful investigation of the claims. Just recently Kevin has said that he wished that the left-liberal Robert Scheer weren't writing for the LA Times. Today he gave a reason why. Basically, he wants Scheer to shade his message for political effect. Here's what Scheer wrote: "If they were true to their principles, moderate Republicans and consistent And here's what Kevin wrote about Scheer: [H]e needs to be confined to writing flyers for anti-globo rallies and polemics for CounterPunch. In the meantime, I don't feel like losing any elections because of him. Isn't this utter bullshit? The idea that Scheer is going to lose an election for us is hysterical paranoia. And second, Kevin is criticizing Scheer for telling the truth. Kevin wants Scheer to be a political hack instead. Awhile back Brad Delong made a similiar comment about Barbara Ehrenreich: Most sophisticated left-wing Democrats are aware of the contempt that centrist Democrats feel for us, and we fully expect to be frozen out once Kerry wins. Nonetheless, we're still plugging along, trying to get out the vote for Kerry. Drum apparently thinks of himself as a sharp political tactician, but this kind of thing isn't making our job any easier. --- Posted at 9/21/2004 04:39:00 PM by John Emerson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Really! Pictures of the bigger picture. (Got it from Left Coaster, who got it from Sideshow.) --- Posted at 9/21/2004 04:04:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
More Forgery Story (Trees) From this story (scroll down): "The hot rumor in New York political circles has Roger Stone, the longtime GOP activist, as the source for Dan Rather's dubious Texas Air National Guard 'memos.'The forgery story is a tree. It is a disctaction. See the forest, the bigger picture. The press was closing in on the big question, and someone shouted "look over there." Let's look back at the big picture now: WHY DID BUSH STOP FLYING? Do any of you fly, or know any pilots? Ask ANY pilot if they can understand why a young man would stop flying fighter jets if they didn['t absolutely have to. And not only that, why would someone refuse to take a flight physical and stop reporting for Guard drills? MOST of us would face serious consequences for such behaviour. (Of course, most of us would face serious consequences for selling shares of a company when we knew they are about to report a loss. Or for running up a massive deficit. Or for launching a war against a country that did us no harm and was no threat to us, when we were already in the middle of another war.) --- Posted at 9/21/2004 03:34:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Not Allowed to Vote TalkLeft: America's Disenfranchised: Excluded From Voting asks you to get involved in changing one of the schemes that was initially designed to keep African-Americans from voting. --- Posted at 9/21/2004 02:28:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
Lakoff's New Book Buy George Lakoff's important new book, Don't Think of an Elephant!, through Seeing the Forest by clicking here: From Amazon's description: Don’t Think of An Elephant! is the antidote to the last forty years of conservative strategizing and the right wing’s stranglehold on political dialogue in the United States. --- Posted at 9/21/2004 02:19:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
New Anti-Kerry Smear Out! I was driving, and Paul Harvey News came on. Paul Harvey is one of the most widely-listened to news sources, FYI. He said that even though it is illegal for governments to try to influence the elections of other governments, the Kerry campaign has been meeting with a "secret agent" from South Korea. They are trying to organize Korean-Americans to vote for Kerry. This brings to mind the anti-Asian stuff that was going on during the last election, linking Gore to "Budhist Temples," and donors with Asian names, etc. I guess they have data that shows this influences a certain number of voters. ALSO during the broadcast harvey said that two Kerry aides have "confired" that they were part of the planning of the CBS forgeries broadcast. Update - More here. --- Posted at 9/21/2004 01:58:00 PM by Dave Johnson Link to this | | | | e-mail this post
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