Greetings, fellow Freedom Fighters™ and Defenders of Democracy™!
Here we are again, “celebrating” yet another Presidents' Day under the destructive yoke of the pretender, spoiled brat, drunken frat boy, and traitor in chief, resident George W. Bush. Despite his illegitimate reign via bloodless coup, George W. Bush will go down in the history books as our 43rd president. But will the textbooks paint a fair picture of Bush's legacy of hypocrisy, theocracy, exploitation, cronyism, and the dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights for Americans at home? Will our children and their children learn about Bush's failed saber-rattling, bring-'em-on policies of hemegony, exploitation, xenophobia, and empire abroad? The answer: it will depend on who owns the means of producing the textbooks and establishing the lessons taught in the schools. So far, Bush and other fundamentalist extremists have fought -- and won -- small-scale battles to keep evolution OUT of and prayer time IN PUBLIC schools. The bottom line: keep an eye on what your children are learning and be sure to supplement with THE TRUTH, like daily doses of DN! and “A People's History of the United States” by Howard Zinn.
On a happier note: kung hei fat choi to our Chinese Readers -- the Year of the Pig greeted the world yesterday! According to Chinese tradition, people born this year will be honest, deeply loyal, and good at keeping secrets. And we all know how intelligent pigs are: Winston Churchill once said that dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, and pigs treat us as equals. We of The Scallion thank the pig for its optimism and hope that our species can live up to the expectation of being as wise, honest, peaceful, and non-destructive as the pig. May Ding Hai bring you good health, good fortune, good luck, love, peace, joy, prosperity, and everything your heart desires!
Here are this week’s top stories:
-- Wounded soldiers suffer terrible neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (expose in HuffPo)
-- “Shut up and Sing”: the documentary on the Dixie Chicks details the chilling anti-American, anti-First Amendment treatment the group received for saying in public what so many Americans have been saying in private: we're ashamed that George W. Bush is from where we live.
-- Vulture funds: Greg Palast dishes on the greedy corporate practice of buying third-world debt at pennies on the dollar and then collecting repayment that is several orders of magnitude above and beyond the price paid to buy the loan.
-- Bush's call for 21,500 troops? That's only the tip of the iceberg!
-- Surprise: Hillary STILL supports Bush's little war-war!
-- American media ignore Dennis Kucinich -- again! Dennis is the original anti-war candidate, despite the “credit” that the media are giving Obama.
-- Russia's current and historical involvement in the Middle East
-- Obama's slick greasiness doesn't fool everyone.
-- More about George W. Bush's fantasy budget and how it feeds the military-industrial complex at ordinary Americans' expense
-- Lewis “Scooter” Libby “is going to be found guilty.”
-- Another surprise: NY police have consistently broken the rules on surveillance of political protests. It turns out that, under an agreement with the courts, they can survey criminal activity or suspected criminal activity, but they cannot -- as they have indeed been doing -- survey pure political activity (see today's DN!, the last entry in this issue's DN! stack).
-- Thom Hartmann implores us to exhort our elected and selected officials to repeal the Military Commissions Act, which, by eliminating the right of habeas corpus for Americans and non-Americans alike, repeals centuries of law since the Magna Carta.
-- Our love affair with plastic may be endangering our ability to reproduce as a species.
Don't forget to check out Bad Vista, a site that explains why Macro$hit Vista is bad for computers and the people who use them:
http://badvista.fsf.org/
and
http://apcmag.com/5348/vista_defective_by_design
And definitely remember to check out Amy Goodman's DN! interview with Chris Hedges on his new book, “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America,” which examines how Christian dominionists are seeking absolute power and a Christian state. (It's the last entry in the DN! stack.)
If we do nothing else, we must all work together to mandate Congress to revoke any further funding for Bush’s wars and invasions of aggression and greed.
Keep the faith and keep fighting: together, we WILL win our nation back!
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From our mailbag
The Scallion received this Stratfor article from more than one of our Readers. It will give you a good sense of Russia's current and past involvement in the Middle East.
Russia's Great-Power Strategy
By George Friedman
Most speeches at diplomatic gatherings aren't worth the time it takes to listen to them. On rare occasion, a speech is delivered that needs to be listened to carefully. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave such a speech over the weekend in Munich, at a meeting on international security. The speech did not break new ground; it repeated things that the Russians have been saying for quite a while. But the venue in which it was given and the confidence with which it was asserted signify a new point in Russian history. The Cold War has not returned, but Russia is now officially asserting itself as a great power, and behaving accordingly.
At Munich, Putin launched a systematic attack on the role the United States is playing in the world. He said: "One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way ... This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons." In other words, the United States has gone beyond its legitimate reach and is therefore responsible for attempts by other countries -- an obvious reference to Iran -- to acquire nuclear weapons.
Russia for some time has been in confrontation with the United States over U.S. actions in the former Soviet Union (FSU). What the Russians perceive as an American attempt to create a pro-U.S. regime in Ukraine triggered the confrontation. But now, the issue goes beyond U.S. actions in the FSU. The Russians are arguing that the unipolar world -- meaning that the United States is the only global power and is surrounded by lesser, regional powers -- is itself unacceptable. In other words, the United States sees itself as the solution when it is, actually, the problem.
In his speech, Putin reached out to European states -- particularly Germany, pointing out that it has close, but blunt, relations with Russia. The Central Europeans showed themselves to be extremely wary about Putin's speech, recognizing it for what it was -- a new level of assertiveness from an historical enemy. Some German leaders appeared more understanding, however: Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made no mention of Putin's speech in his own presentation to the conference, while Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, praised Putin's stance on Iran. He also noted that the U.S. plans to deploy an anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was cause for concern -- and not only to Russia.
Putin now clearly wants to escalate the confrontations with the United States and likely wants to build a coalition to limit American power. The gross imbalance of global power in the current system makes such coalition-building inevitable -- and it makes sense that the Russians should be taking the lead. The Europeans are risk-averse, and the Chinese do not have much at risk in their dealings with the United States at the moment. The Russians, however, have everything at risk. The United States is intruding in the FSU, and an ideological success for the Americans in Ukraine would leave the Russians permanently on the defensive.
The Russians need allies but are not likely to find them among other great-power states. Fortunately for Moscow, the U.S. obsession with Iraq creates alternative opportunities. First, the focus on Iraq prevents the Americans from countering Russia elsewhere. Second, it gives the Russians serious leverage against the United States -- for example, by shipping weapons to key players in the region. Finally, there are Middle Eastern states that seek great-power patronage. It is therefore no accident that Putin's next stop, following the Munich conference, was in Saudi Arabia. Having stabilized the situation in the former Soviet region, the Russians now are constructing their follow-on strategy, and that concerns the Middle East.
The Russian Interests
The Middle East is the pressure point to which the United States is most sensitive. Its military commitment in Iraq, the confrontation with Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and oil in the Arabian Peninsula create a situation such that pain in the region affects the United States intensely. Therefore, it makes sense for the Russians to use all available means of pressure in the Middle East in efforts to control U.S. behavior elsewhere, particularly in the former Soviet Union.
Like the Americans, the Russians also have direct interests in the Middle East. Energy is a primary one: Russia is not only a major exporter of energy supplies, it is currently the world's top oil producer. The Russians have a need to maintain robust energy prices, and working with the Iranians and Saudis in some way to achieve this is directly in line with Moscow's interest. To be more specific, the Russians do not want the Saudis increasing oil production.
There are strategic interests in the Middle East as well. For example, the Russians are still bogged down in Chechnya. It is Moscow's belief that if Chechnya were to secede from the Russian Federation, a precedent would be set that could lead to the dissolution of the Federation. Moscow will not allow this. The Russians consistently have claimed that the Chechen rebellion has been funded by "Wahhabis," by which they mean Saudis. Reaching an accommodation with the Saudis, therefore, would have not only economic, but also strategic, implications for the Russians.
On a broader level, the Russians retain important interests in the Caucasus and in Central Asia. In both cases, their needs intersect with forces originating in the Muslim world and trace, to some extent, back to the Middle East. If the Russian strategy is to reassert a sphere of influence in the former Soviet region, it follows that these regions must be secured. That, in turn, inevitably involves the Russians in the Middle East.
Therefore, even if Russia is not in a position to pursue some of the strategic goals that date back to the Soviet era and before -- such as control of the Bosporus and projection of naval power into the Mediterranean -- it nevertheless has a basic, ongoing interest in the region. Russia has a need both to limit American power and to achieve direct goals of its own. So it makes perfect sense for Putin to leave Munich and embark on a tour of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries.
The Complexities
But the Russians also have a problem. The strategic interests of Middle Eastern states diverge, to say the least. The two main Islamic powers between the Levant and the Hindu Kush are Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Russians have things they want from each, but the Saudis and Iranians have dramatically different interests. Saudi Arabia -- an Arab and primarily Sunni kingdom -- is rich but militarily weak. The government's reliance on outside help for national defense generates intense opposition within the kingdom. Desert Storm, which established a basing arrangement for Western troops within Saudi Arabia, was one of the driving forces behind the creation of al Qaeda. Iran -- a predominantly Persian and Shiite power -- is not nearly as rich as Saudi Arabia but militarily much more powerful. Iran seeks to become the dominant power in the Persian Gulf -- out of both its need to defend itself against aggression, and for controlling and exploiting the oil wealth of the region.
Putting the split between Sunni and Shiite aside for the moment, there is tremendous geopolitical asymmetry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia wants to limit Iranian power, while keeping its own dependence on foreign powers at a minimum. That means that, though keeping energy prices high might make financial sense for the kingdom, the fact that high energy prices also strengthen the Iranians actually can be a more important consideration, depending on circumstances. There is some evidence that recent declines in oil prices are linked to decisions in Riyadh that are aimed at increasing production, reducing prices and hurting the Iranians.
This creates a problem for Russia. While Moscow has substantial room for maneuver, the fact is that lowered oil prices impact energy prices overall, and therefore hurt the Russians. The Saudis, moreover, need the Iranians blocked -- but without going so far as to permit foreign troops to be based in Saudi Arabia itself. In other words, they want to see the United States remain in Iraq, since the Americans serve as the perfect shield against the Iranians so long as they remain there. Putin's criticisms of the United States, as delivered in Munich, would have been applauded by Saudi Arabia prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But in 2007, the results of that invasion are exactly what the Saudis feared -- a collapsed Iraq and a relatively powerful Iran. The Saudis now need the Americans to stay put in the region.
The interests of Russia and Iran align more closely, but there are points of divergence there as well. Both benefit from having the United States tied up, militarily and politically, in wars, but Tehran would be delighted to see a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq that leaves a power vacuum for Iran to fill. The Russians would rather not see this outcome. First, they are quite happy to have the United States bogged down in Iraq and would prefer that to having the U.S. military freed for operations elsewhere. Second, they are interested in a relationship with Iran but are not eager to drive the United States and Saudi Arabia into closer relations. Third, the Russians do not want to see Iran become the dominant power in the region. They want to use Iran, but within certain manageable limits.
Russia has been supplying Iran with weapons. Of particular significance is the supply of surface-to-air missiles that would raise the cost of U.S. air operations against Iran. It is not clear whether the advanced S300PMU surface-to-air missile has yet been delivered, although there has been some discussion of this lately. If it were delivered, this would present significant challenges for U.S. air operation over Iran. The Russians would find this particularly advantageous, as the Iranians would absorb U.S. attentions and, as in Vietnam, the Russians would benefit from extended, fruitless commitments of U.S. military forces in regions not vital to Russia.
Meanwhile, there are energy matters: The Russians, as we have said, are interested in working with Iran to manage world oil prices. But at the same time, they would not be averse to a U.S. attack that takes Iran's oil off the market, spikes prices and enriches Russia.
Finally, it must be remembered that behind this complex relationship with Iran, there historically has been animosity and rivalry between the two countries. The Caucasus has been their battleground. For the moment, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is a buffer there, but it is a buffer in which Russians and Iranians are already dueling. So long as both states are relatively weak, the buffer will maintain itself. But as they get stronger, the Caucasus will become a battleground again. When Russian and Iranian territories border each other, the two powers are rarely at peace. Indeed, Iran frequently needs outside help to contain the Russians.
A Complicated Strategy
In sum, the Russian position in the Middle East is at least as complex as the American one. Or perhaps even more so, since the Americans can leave and the Russians always will live on the doorstep of the Middle East. Historically, once the Russians start fishing in Middle Eastern waters, they find themselves in a greater trap than the Americans. The opening moves are easy. The duel between Saudi Arabia and Iran seems manageable. But as time goes on, Putin's Soviet predecessors learned, the Middle East is a graveyard of ambitions -- and not just American ambitions.
Russia wants to contain U.S. power, and manipulating the situation in the Middle East certainly will cause the Americans substantial pain. But whatever short-term advantages the Russians may be able to find and exploit in the region, there is an order of complexity in Putin's maneuver that might transcend any advantage they gain from boxing the Americans in.
In returning to "great power" status, Russia is using an obvious opening gambit. But being obvious does not make it optimal.
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From our information clearinghouse
These are items we receive from the countless mailing lists to which The Scallion collectively subscribes. They are worth the effort of at least a good skim.
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From AlterNet
Wind vs. Coal: False Choices in the Battle to Resolve Our Energy Crisis
By Tara Lohan, AlterNet
If you want to know what we can do to resolve our energy crisis, look no further than West Virginia. Understanding a recent battle over wind development in coal country could help us all. Read more
Assassinations, Terrorist Strikes and Ethnic Cleansing: Bush's Shadow War in Iraq
By Chris Floyd, TruthOut.org
The assassinations, terrorist strikes and ethnic cleansing that we're told is the work of sectarian violence is often directed by covert U.S. and British military: Here is Bush's other war in Iraq.
Fighting the Right Wing Smear Machines
By Paul Waldman, TomPaine.com
Obama and Edwards have already been slimed by right wing smear campaigns. But we're learning to fight back.
Dying for a Home: Toxic Trailers Are Making Katrina Refugees Ill
By Amanda Spake, The Nation
FEMA-supplied trailers for displaced Gulf Coast residents have been found to emit formaldehyde vapors, causing serious health problems.
Bush: It's Escalation, Stupid.
By George Lakoff, AlterNet
The media and progressives' ability to reframe Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq has changed the public's perception of Republican's Iraq agenda.
Love During a Time of War
AlterNet
Former Marine Sgt. Ty Ziegel, wounded in Iraq in December 2004 by a suicide car bomber, stands with his high school sweetheart, Renee Kline, at a photo studio on the morning of their wedding day, October 7, 2006.
Before the Invasion, There Was Feith
By Robert Scheer, Truthdig
How the scheming of Douglas Feith created the illusion of an Iraq-Al Qaeda partnership and led the U.S. into war.
Wolf As Underdog: Indy Media Journalist Needs Protection
By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate
Jailed journalist Josh Wolf has remained in prison so long because he lacks the backing of a large media organization that could agitate to protect his rights -- so Congress should step in.
Obama Is the Best BS Artist Since Bill Clinton
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
The "talent of the century" hits the campaign trail, and while it isn't clear who Obama really is, he's certainly helping make it clear who the bad candidates are.
Radical Feminists out to "Kill Cupid"? [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Some conservatives believe feminists have gone too far in trying to stop violence against women on Valentine's Day...
Vets' suicides: casualties that go uncounted and another hidden cost of war
By Joshua Holland
An e-mail from a reader with some first-hand experience and a follow-up.
Major right wing blogger calls for murder of Iranian scientists
By Lindsay Beyerstein
Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds advocates terrorism.
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Unhealthy Flowers: Why Buying Organic Should Not End with Your Food
By Jason Mark, AlterNet
Conventionally grown cut flowers are often raised in environments that are unhealthy and abusive to workers. Responsible alternatives have been difficult, if not impossible, to find -- until now. Read more
Climate Change Heats Up Washington
By Tara Lohan, AlterNet
Things are getting hotter in Congress around climate change, but can meaningful legislation be enacted to really turn the tide?
Arabs Fear the U.S. and Israel, Not Iran
By Jim Lobe, IPS News
Despite Condi Rice's talk of a "Sunni Crescent," a large poll conducted across the Middle East shows that 80 percent of Arabs consider Israel and the U.S. the two biggest external threats to their security. Six percent cited Iran.
Teens Often Use Cellphones For Stalking More Than Safety
By Stacy Teicher, Christian Science Monitor
Communication technology can facilitate teen dating abuse, enabling obsessive and controlling behavior.
Is the Deadly Crash of Our Civilization Inevitable?
By Terrence McNally, AlterNet
An interview with author Thomas Homer-Dixon about the social, political, economic and technological crises we face and how long we can sustain the lifestyle that brought them about.
A Concerted Effort to Fight Climate Change
By Bill McKibben, Grist Magazine
Musicians and artists add their voices to the fight against climate change.
New PBS Doc Misses the Media/War Story
By Rory O'Connor, AlterNet
Purporting to analyze the media's cozy relationship to those in power, PBS's new documentary series misses the boat...
Double Feature: Daily Show on Antifeminist, the next Rosa Parks [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Colbert on GOP silencing Iraq Debate...
So what if Iran is arming Shiite militias?
By Joshua Holland
Don't let the hawks frame the debate.
Harvard's new president is not just a woman
She has ideas! About Bush, War, America, 9/11...
Dixie Chicks get last laugh on Bush
5-for-5 on Grammys
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The Most Powerful Iraqi: Who is Muqtada al-Sadr?
By Patrick Cockburn, CounterPunch
The Shia cleric al-Sadr draws his influence from channeling the sentiments of the millions of Shia poor, preaching a mixture of militancy against Sunnis and skepticism against Shia elites. Read more
No One's Drinking Bush's Kool-Aid on Iran
By Robert Dreyfuss, TomPaine.com
Bush is discovering that boldly lying about Iran isn't enough. He needs his chorus of liars behind him ... and they're all gone.
John McCain Suffers Republican Mutiny Back Home
By Max Blumenthal, The Nation
Sen. McCain has suffered a significant political defeat in his home base of Arizona by local Republicans activists who think he's a hypocrite who will do anything to get elected.
The Most Important Conference You Never Heard About
By Frank Joyce, AlterNet
The recently concluded 7th World Social Forum in Kenya included 66,000 participants and was the most globally representative so far.
Journalist Josh Wolf's Courageous Stand
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Imprisoned reporter Josh Wolf and his attorney explain why his jailing for refusal to release video footage is an attack on journalism itself.
How To Prevent An Illiterate Workforce
By Amanda Paulson, Christian Science Monitor
Today the US denies education to illegal immigrants, and in 20 years more workers will be illiterate.
Obama Is the Best BS Artist Since Bill Clinton
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
The "talent of the century" hits the campaign trail, and while it isn't clear who Obama really is, he's certainly helping make it clear who the bad candidates are.
Juan Cole Challenges White House's Iran Intel [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
On Keith Olbermann's program, Juan Cole Calls Bullshit...
Republican calls for hanging of those who oppose president...
By Evan Derkacz
Peddles fraudulent Lincoln quote in Iraq debate .
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Short Changing 9/11: Popular Documentary Takes Us Nowhere
By George Monbiot, AlterNet
The English author charges that infatuation with the 9/11 conspiracy film Loose Change turns opponents of the Bush government into "gibbering idiots."Read more
There Was No 'Smart' Way to Invade Iraq
By Sam Rosenfeld, Matthew Yglesias, The American Prospect
'Liberal' hawks are stuck on blaming Bush's incompetent handling of the Iraq war instead of arguing that we should never have invaded in the first place.
Silicone Breast Implants Face Hearings in Congress
By Molly M. Ginty, Women's eNews
After the FDA lifted a 14-year ban on silicone breast implants many women are weighing the devices' potential side effects.
The End of the Novel?
By William Deresiewicz, The Nation
Milan Kundera, celebrated author of the "Unbearable Likeness of Being," predicts in his latest work that literary history drawing to a close.
Bush's Brinkmanship Emboldens Hardliners in Iran
By Kimia Sanati, IPS News
Whether or not the military posturing by the United States toward Iran actually results in conflict, militarist hardliners in Iran are using Bush's threats to strengthen their political status.
Global Warming: It's About Energy
By Michael T. Klare, Foreign Policy in Focus
Global warming is an energy problem, and we cannot have both an increase in conventional fossil fuel use and a habitable planet. Yet the United States is projected to consume 35 percent more oil, coal, and gas combined in 2030 than in 2004.
Nancy Pelosi: Iraq Stakes Too High for Recycled Proposals
By Nancy Pelosi, AlterNet
The Democratic Leader favors a resolution to oppose Bush's escalation of the war on Iraq, saying the stakes are "too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success."
Salt Lake Rampage Puts Bosnian Muslims on Hot-seat
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
In the aftermath of the recent shooting there are signs of hope and a warning of peril for the thousands of Bosnian Muslims in America.
Bush/Exxon Oil buddies fund 90% of US killed in Iraq [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Even if the Iran intel weren't bunk, this is the point...
Healthy Crisco?
By Heather Gehlert
Good news for synthetic lard lovers ...
Texas GOP memo: It's Jewish conspiracy that Earth revolves around sun
By Evan Derkacz
Glenn Smith: What would YOU do for a buck...
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737 U.S. Military Bases = Global Empire
By Chalmers Johnson, Metropolitan Books
With more than 2,500,000 U.S. personnel serving across the planet and military bases spread across each continent, it's time to face up to the fact that our American democracy has spawned a global empire. Read more
The Worst President of Them All
By Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation
Buchanan, Harding, Nixon, Dubya ...? Much more fun than your high school History class, this year's President's Day tribute is to the very worst of them.
One Great Big Plastic Hassle
By Jane Akre, Conscious Choice
Disturbing health trends indicate our passion for plastic may be threatening our reproductive survival.
Leaving Iraq: Apocalypse Not
By Robert Dreyfuss, Washington Monthly
Much of Washington assumes that withdrawing from Iraq will lead to a bigger bloodbath. We need to question that assumption.
Defenders Mobilize to Assist Teen Who Aborted
By Juliette Terzieff, Women's eNews
Legal advocates are closely watching the case of a Dominican teen in Massachusetts who faces possible homicide charges for performing a do-it-yourself abortion.
US Troops Attack Iraqi Sheep with Grenades [Video]
Bored soldiers+flash grenades+occupied country=sick laughs
Answers to key Iran questions
By Jan Frel
Such as, are US forces ready to attack, and would they lose?
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Wind vs. Coal: False Choices in the Battle to Resolve Our Energy Crisis
By Tara Lohan, AlterNet
If you want to know what we can do to resolve our energy crisis, look no further than West Virginia. Understanding a recent battle over wind development in coal country could help us all. Read more
A Concerted Effort to Fight Climate Change
By Bill McKibben, Grist Magazine
Musicians and artists add their voices to the fight against climate change.
Public Pushes Back Against Planned Test on Old Nuke Site
By Megan Tady, The NewStandard
Suspicious of government assurances that a planned desert explosion in Utah will not rekindle radioactive fallout from past events, Westerners and Native Americans want the plan halted.
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From the Center for American Progress
GOOD NEWS
"A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a proposal to change the rules so the public can learn about legislative earmarks before they reach the floor.
STATE WATCH
ILLINOIS: Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) looks to California's new emissions law to reduce greenhouse emissions in his own state.
MONTANA: Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) wants to spend $15 million to expand the state system of park and waterfront sites.
NEW YORK: "The New York City school system will open its first public school dedicated to teaching the Arabic language and culture in September, with half of its classes eventually taught in Arabic."
WASHINGTON, DC: The metropolitan area has repeatedly missed EPA deadlines to fix its smog problem.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Vice President Cheney snubs Japanese Defense Minister for saying decision to go into Iraq was "wrong."
THE OPEN HOUSE PROJECT: A new government transparency effort sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation and endorsed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
MYDD: Exxon Mobil reaches out to liberal bloggers.
CLIMATE PROGRESS: A "must read" speech by NASA's James Hansen, the government's top global warming researcher.
DAILY GRILL
"Asked directly if the administration is confident that the weaponry is coming on the approval of the Iranian government, [White House Press Secretary Tony] Snow said: 'Yes.'"
-- AP, 2/13/07
VERSUS
"We know that the explosively formed projectiles are manufactured in Iran. What I would not say is that the Iranian government, per se [specifically], knows about this. ... I would not say by what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit."
-- Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace, 2/12/07
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GOOD NEWS
The Kansas State Board of Education yesterday "approved new, evolution-friendly science standards...replacing ones that questioned the theory and had the support of 'intelligent design' advocates."
STATE WATCH
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin and the United Kingdom team up to pressure the United States to expand embryonic stem cell research.
TENNESSEE: Mayor Bill Purcell (D) vetoed a measure designed to make English the official language of Nashville, calling it "mean-spirited."
MISSOURI: Gov. Matt Blunt (R) is telling employers to ignore a law that would increase wages for tipped employees.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Join DC Vote, elected officials, and other citizen advocates as they walk the halls of Congress on Thursday to educate members and their staff on the DC Voting Rights Act.
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) weeps for "solemn" debate on Iraq, then says Iraq critics are taking Al Qaeda's "bait."
EAT THE PRESS: Long-time presidential correspondent Helen Thomas may lose her front-row seat at the White House press briefings.
BLOG FOR CLEAN AIR: GE lobbies against standards for diesel pollution, which causes thousands of deaths each year.
AMERICAN TORTURE: New blog on the American use of torture.
DAILY GRILL
"The US certainly does have intelligence tying these Iranian weapons shipments to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah ali Khamenei."
-- CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, 2/14/07
VERSUS
"Do we have a signed piece of paper from Mr. Khamenei or from President Ahmadinejad signing off on this? No. ... The question is, do we know that some particular senior official signed off [on the weapons shipments]? No."
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, 2/13/07
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GOOD NEWS
The House Education and Labor Committee yesterday approved the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make is easier for workers to join a union.
STATE WATCH
FLORIDA: Gov. Charlie Crist (R) wants conservatives to spend more time on "pressing" issues like public safety, and less time on anti-gay marriage initiatives.
MARYLAND: Climate change is threatening to drown a number of coastal historic burial sites as water levels rise in the Chesapeake Bay.
NEW YORK: New York City introduced 150,000 municipally sanctioned condoms on Valentine's Day as part of the city's campaign to reduce STD rates.
TENNESSEE: New legislation "would create public records identifying women who have abortions."
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Siding with big business, Vice President Cheney announces President Bush will veto workers' rights bill.
FP PASSPORT: An unhappy Valentine's Day in Baghdad.
BROADSHEET: "Rape only hurts if you fight it."
INFORMED COMMENT: Juan Cole throws doubt on the U.S. claim that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr fled to Iran.
DAILY GRILL
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."
-- Frank Gaffney, Jr., 2/13/07, using an Abraham Lincoln "quote" to attack lawmakers who oppose President Bush's escalation strategy
VERSUS
"Lincoln never said that. The conservative author who touched off the misquotation frenzy, J. Michael Waller, concedes that the words are his, not Lincoln's. Waller says he never meant to put quote marks around them, and blames an editor [at the magazine Insight] for the mistake and the failure to correct it."
-- FactCheck.org, 8/25/06
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GOOD NEWS
In a "first-ever show of national support," more than 100 prominent Americans, including former President Jimmy Carter and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, sent a letter to Congress seeking increased funding to restore America's national parks.
STATE WATCH
COLORADO: A state Senate panel rejects a bill that would ban abortions in the state.
NEW YORK: A group of Brooklyn students create a model of what their town would look like in 50 years after rising sea levels flood its coastline.
SOUTH DAKOTA: "A new abortion ban that would go to a statewide vote in 2008 sailed through the state House on Wednesday."
BLOG WATCH
THINK PROGRESS: Former CIA official: Former Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith's claims are "hogwash;" he took a "we have a war to sell" approach.
BLOGGING FAITH: Support for President Bush's Iraq policy continues to "erode among frequent religious service attendees."
THE BLOTTER: The Pentagon "rejected qualified experts for reconstruction work in Iraq" based on their political affiliations.
POLITICAL ANIMAL: Gay-bashing in Michigan.
DAILY GRILL
I d like to make a quote. Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.
-- Rep. Don Young (R-AK), 2/15/07, purporting to quote Abraham Lincoln
VERSUS
"Lincoln never said that. The conservative author who touched off the misquotation frenzy, J. Michael Waller, concedes that the words are his, not Lincoln's. Waller says he never meant to put quote marks around them, and blames an editor [at the magazine Insight] for the mistake and the failure to correct it."
-- FactCheck.org, 8/25/06
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From CODE PINK
SEND CODE PINK TO IRAN!
Today, as we shower our beloveds with hearts and flowers and boxes of chocolate, let's remember to throw our hearts open even wider. Let's send our love to the people of Iraq, whose lives have been shattered by our government's invasion, and show our love for the people of Iran by doing something today to stop yet another disastrous war.
The mainstream media is already jumping on the bandwagon about the Iranian threat. We hoped they would have learned their lesson after spreading falsehoods about WMDs in Iraq. But once again journalists such as New York Times' Michael R. Gordon, Judith Miller's sidekick in the WMD and phony aluminum tubes reporting, are quoting anonymous sources as proof that Iran is providing Iraqi militias with powerful explosives to attack US troops.
In fact, the evidence against Iran is insubstantial and full of exaggeration. Even General Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he hasn't seen any intelligence that supports the claim. We need to tell the press that now is the time to ask serious questions instead of blindly supporting the administration's headlong rush into another tragic and unnecessary war. As you send out your Valentines today, be sure to also contact media outlets and tell them we demand a critical, vigilant press. For more analysis of the press and Iran, click here.
Another way you can help counter the rush to war is to help send an emergency CODEPINK delegation to Iran. We are organizing a high-profile group of activists/analysts to meet with Iranian government officials and citizens about how to decrease tensions between our nations. This citizen diplomats delegation, led by CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin and Colonel/Diplomat Ann Wright, will return to pressure Congress, educate the public and speak to the media about Iranian and American perspectives for preventing another disastrous war. To help get this delegation to Iran ASAP, donate here.
On this day of love, let's work to stop war. What could be a more loving act?
You are our Valentine every day of the year,
Dana, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Medea, Nancy, Patricia, Rae, Samantha, and Sonia
P.S. Click here to see Iran through the eyes of CODEPINK peace delegates to Iran in 2005, and watch a moving slide show of daily life in Iran -- a beautiful reminder of our shared humanity. Be sure to circulate it widely--we need to remind people that the Iranian people are not our enemy.
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From “Democracy Now!”
* "From the Wonderful Folks Who Brought You Iraq": Craig Unger on How the
Neoconservatives Are Pushing For An Attack on Iran *
"Once again, neocon ideologues have been flogging questionable intelligence
about W.M.D.," Unger writes. "Once again, dubious Middle East exile groups are
making the rounds in Washington--this time urging regime change in Syria and
Iran. Once again, heroic new exile leaders are promising freedom."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/154246
* New York Times Trumpets Pentagon's Claims Over Iran Sending Bombs to Iraq *
The new accusations of Iranian-supplied bombs in Iraq first appeared in
Saturday's New York Times. The article was titled "Deadliest Bomb in Iraq is
Made by Iran, US Says." Some media critics immediately compared the New York
Times piece to its articles on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons program that
were used by the Bush administration to make the case for invading Iraq.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/154251
* Sen. Hillary Clinton Refuses to Acknowledge Making Mistake Over Voting for
Iraq War & Says No Options Should Be Taken Off The Table on Iran *
At a town hall meeting in New Hampshire resident Roger Tilton asked Clinton: "I
want to know if right here, right now, once and for all and without nuance, you
can say that war authorization was a mistake." Anne Miller later asked Clinton
about her views on Iran.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/154256
* Headlines for February 13, 2007 *
- North Korea Agrees To Close Main Nuclear Reactor
- 3 Die in Bus Bombings in Lebanon
- Gen. Peter Pace Questions Claim About Iran Arms in Iraq
- IAEA Chief El Baradei Warns Against Military Action Against Iran
- Sen. Obama Suggests He Would Expand Pentagon Budget
- Attorneys Question Competency of Jose Padilla
- Guinea Declares Martial Law After Months of Protests
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/13/154241
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* Vermont Becomes First State to Call for US Troop Withdrawal from Iraq *
The Vermont State Legislature made headlines yesterday when lawmakers passed
resolutions in both the House and Senate calling for the immediate and orderly
withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. We speak with the original author of the
House resolution, Representative Michael Fisher.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1646233
* Valentine's Day: Labor Conditions at US-Owned Plantations Show Hidden
Realities of Flower Industry *
Today is Valentine's Day. Chocolate, flowers, diamonds. How can gifts that bring
so much happiness have come from so much pain? We begin our coverage with a look
at the flower industry. Nora Ferm of the International Labor Rights Fund talks
about a new report on labor conditions at US-owned flower plantations in
Colombia and Ecuador. We're also joined by Beatriz Fuentes, President of the
Sintrasplendor Union at Dole's largest flower plantation in Colombia which has
become the site of a growing worker's struggle.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1646235
* “Diamond Life”: Documentary Examines How Diamonds Funded the Civil War in
Sierra Leone *
We turn now to the issue of conflict diamonds -- also known as blood diamonds.
The documentary “Diamond Life” looks at how diamonds funded the civil war in
Sierra Leone.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1646243
* Child Labor: The Hidden Ingredient to the Billion-Dollar Chocolate Industry? *
On Valentine's Day, chocolate is the currency in which people are supposed to
trade their love. Little do they know that chocolate might have been made with
slave labor. We speak with Brian Campbell, an attorney with the International
Labor Rights Fund.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1647217
* Global Witness Founder Charmian Gooch: “The Diamond Industry is Failing to
Live Up to Its Promises” *
For more on the diamond industry, we're joined by Global Witness founder and
director Charmian Gooch. Gooch says diamond companies have failed to deliver on
promises to reduce the prevalence of blood diamonds.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1647221
* Headlines for February 14, 2007 *
- Iraq to Expel Thousands, Spy on Iraqis in Baghdad Crackdown
- House Opens Debate on Troop Surge
- Vermont State Legislature Calls for Iraq Withdrawal
- 11 Killed in Iran Bombing
- EU Lawmakers Pressured on Extraordinary Rendition Vote
- CIA Contractor Sentenced to 8-Year Prison Term
- Attorneys: No Testimony for Cheney at Libby Trial
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/14/1646210
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* Read Amy Goodman's latest column *
Freedom of press needs shield law:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/303661_amy15.html
* “Vulture Fund” Company Seeks $40 Million Payment from Zambia on $4 Million
Debt *
“Vulture fund” companies buy up the debt of poor countries at cheap prices,
and then demand payments much higher than the original amount of the debt,
often taking poor countries to court when they cannot afford to repay.
Investigative journalist Greg Palast reports on one company trying to
collect $40 million from the government of Zambia after buying its debt for
$4 million.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/15/1528209
* 300,000 Rally in Lebanon on 2nd Anniversary of Slaying of Killing of Ex-PM
Rafik Hariri *
An estimated 300,000 demonstrators rallied in Beirut Wednesday to mark the
second anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
al-Hariri. The rally came one day after a pair of bus bombings killed three
people and wounded at least 20. We go to Lebanon to speak with columnist and
author Rami Khouri.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/15/1528214
* "Shut Up and Sing": Dixie Chicks' Big Grammy Win Caps Comeback From
Backlash Over Anti-War Stance *
Perhaps no musical act has paid a bigger price for speaking out against war
than the Dixie Chicks, the biggest selling female music group of all time
and the big winners at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. They have been largely
blacklisted since the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. That's
when the group's lead singer - Natalie Maines - said the group was against
the war and ashamed that the President Bush is from Texas. Barbara Kopple
joins us to talk about her new documentary, “Shut Up & Sing,” which
chronicles the period since.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/15/1528222
* Headlines for February 15, 2007 *
- Bush Backs Down on Iran-Bomb Claim
- 12 GOPers Back Non-Binding Vote Against Iraq Escalation
- US to Allow 7,000 Iraqi Refugees
- EU Parliament Rebukes Members on CIA Flight Cooperation
- Mozambique Appeals for Flood Relief
- US Ranks Second-Last in UN Child Welfare Survey
- Students Hold National Strike Against Iraq War
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/15/1528203
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* Bamako: Danny Glover Produces and Stars in New Film Putting the World Bank
and IMF on Trial in Africa *
Actor and activist Danny Glover joins us to talk about his new film
"Bamako." Set in Mali, the plot revolves around a trial that pits the people
of Bamako against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. We're
also joined by Bamako's co-executive producer, Joslyn Barnes.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/16/1548228
* Citing Democracy Now!/BBC Broadcast, Conyers Confronts Bush and Demands
Investigation of Vulture Funds *
House Judiciary Chair Rep. John Conyers (D - Michigan) joins us from Capitol
Hill as the House is poised to pass a non-binding resolution opposing
President Bush's escalation of the Iraq war. Conyers calls for a cutoff of
appropriations for the war in Iraq, saying "that may be the only way that
we're going to end the war."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/16/1548232
* Headlines for February 16, 2007 *
- 26 Americans to Stand Trial for CIA Kidnapping in Italy
- Ex-Spy Chief: CIA Discussed Kidnapping Days After 9/11
- 3,200 US Troops to be Sent to Afghanistan
- Dems to Link War Funding to Troop Readiness
- Chief of Staff: 21,000 Deployment “Tip of the Iceberg”
- US to Continue Palestinian Aid Freeze
- Trial Opens into Madrid Train Bombing
- NYPD Ordered to Stop Videotaping Protesters
- Hunger-Striking Jailed Professor Hospitalized
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/16/1548222
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* Chris Hedges on “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On
America” *
Chris Hedges's new book examines how Christian dominionists are seeking
absolute power and a Christian state. According to Hedges, the movement
bears a strong resemblance to the young fascist movements in Italy and
Germany in the 1920s and '30s. Hedges is the former New York Times Middle
East bureau chief and author of "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning."
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/19/1545218
* NYPD Spy Tactics Exposed: Democracy Now! Airs Exclusive Police
Surveillance Footage Recorded From Blimps, Helicopters and "Lipstick Cams"
During Republican National Convention *
On Thursday a federal judge has ordered the New York Police Department to
stop videotaping innocent protesters at political demonstrations. The judge
ruled the police have repeatedly violated what is known as the Handschu
guidelines that dictate how the police carries out political investigations.
Today we broadcast never-before-aired police spy video that show how the
police conducted widespread surveillance during the Republican National
Convention in 2004.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/19/1545225
* Headlines for February 19, 2007 *
- 66 Die in Train Bombing in India
- House Oks Non-Binding Resolution Opposing Escalation of War
- Sen. Clinton Refuses To Acknowledging Pro-War Vote Was a Mistake
- Iran Accuses U.S. of Involvement in Deadly Bombing
- NYT: Al Qaeda Running Training camps in Pakistan
- UN: 18,000 Children Die Daily From Hunger
- 100,000 Protest Expansion of U.S. Military Base in Italy
- Report: Record Number of Undocumented Immigrants Jailed in U.S.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/19/1545210
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From Dennis Kucinich
Dear Friends,
This week, Congress will have another great debate about Iraq. Unfortunately, Congress is going to be discussing a nonbinding resolution at a time when Congress ought to be taking a stand to cut off funds, to implement a plan - my plan, the 12-point plan to get out of Iraq.
But instead, Congress engages in these meaningless resolutions. We need the Congress to take a stand, but we also need presidential candidates to take a stand. As you know, I led the effort in the House of Representatives in 2002, in challenging the Bush Administration's march towards war. As you remember, among all the presidential candidates today, I not only voted against authorization, but I voted against each and every effort to try to fund the war. The only way we stop the war is stop the funding.
Yesterday, 60 Minutes had a show which credited Senator Obama with being the only Democratic presidential candidate who opposed the war. The fact is that Senator Obama wasn't in the Senate at the time, he didn't vote against the war, and the fact is that, as a Member of the Senate, he's voted eight times to fund the war.
Now, I can't say the media is always going to tell the truth. But it's important for you to fund this campaign, so we can get our message out. It's important for you to fund this campaign so I can challenge Senator Clinton, who, in voting for the war and voting to fund the war, now says that if she's elected President, she'll end the war immediately, and, if she had been President at the time, we wouldn't have gone to war.
Now think about it. The role of Congress is superior to the President when it comes to war-making power. The role of Congress is to give the President permission to go to war. The Democratic Senate could have stopped the war. Senator Clinton, Senator Edwards gave George Bush permission and, in effect, made it possible for the war to occur.
It's good that, now, everybody thinks the war is a bad idea. But the real question the American people are going to have to face is who had the clarity, who had the vision, who had the judgment to make the call at that time that the war was not supportable, that there was no evidence that merited a war.
I stand before you, not only as the only candidate who can say that, but as the one who is prepared to lead this nation forward in the cause of peace, in the cause of a world where we use diplomacy to solve our differences.
We're at the threshold of a war with Iran, right now. The same people who were buying the drumbeat for war against Iraq are basically buying into the necessity of challenging Iran aggressively.
We need a whole new approach, and I'm prepared to take it, with your help. So go to the website right now. Please contribute if you haven't already done so. And if you have, thank you, and help us more. Do everything you can to contact your friends. America doesn't have to be in the position it's in. We're going to lose our nation unless we stand up and assert that war is not inevitable, that peace is inevitable if we stay with the truth and if we insist that our public officials stand up for the American people.
We have so many things that we need in our country today. Our children need better education. American people need health care. We need to create jobs. We need to work on focusing on cleaning up our environment. But our entire domestic agenda is being shoved aside in favor of war mongering. This has to stop. And you can help stop it.
Go to the website right now. Make your contribution. I'll stand in there for you; I need you to stand there with me.
Thank you,
Dennis J Kucinich
Please support Dennis's work by making a contribution at http://kucinich.us/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1, and by forwarding this message widely.
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From Greg Palast
Palast Hunts the Real Life Goldfinger for BBC - watch it on Democracy Now!
"Vulture Fund Company Wins $20 Million Payment from Zambia on $4 Million Debt
Thursday, February 15th, 2007
Watch the BBC Newsnight investigative report at the BBC Newsnight website -- or at Democracy Now! with Palast and Amy Goodman.
Vulture fund companies buy up the debt of poor countries at cheap prices, and then demand payments much higher than the original amount of the debt, often taking poor countries to court when they cannot afford to repay.
Investigative journalist Greg Palast reports on one company that has won the right to collect $20 million from the government of Zambia after buying its debt for $4 million. In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush declared the United States was taking on the challenges of global hunger, poverty and disease, and urged support for debt relief, which he called the best hope for eliminating poverty.
But what exactly are wealthy nations doing to reduce the debt of impoverished countries?
Today we take a close look at companies known as "vulture funds." Vulture fund companies buy up the debt of poor countries at cheap prices, and then demand payments much higher than the original amount of the debt, often taking poor countries to court when they cannot afford to repay.
For an in-depth look at this issue, we turn to a BBC Newsnight documentary by investigative reporter Greg Palast. Greg Palast s BBC report on vulture funds. Today a high court judge in London ruled on the case that a vulture fund can extract more than $20 million from Zambia for a debt which it bought for just $4 million. To tell us more about this case and more we now turn to Greg Palast.
****************
Greg Palast. Investigative reporter for the BBC on this story is author of the books Armed Madhouse , The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Democracy and Regulation. www .GregPalast.com
The BBC Newsnight report was produced by Meirion Jones, BBC London; Rick Rowley, videographer/editor. Investigative research by Matt Pascarella, New York.
**********
You can comment on this story.
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From Jim Hightower
Howdy, folks!
Here at Hightower's headquarters, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new Hightower-inspired website that is sure to blow you away! The daily Common-Sense commentaries you have come to love, and see as a source for inspiration and agitation, have now been put to life in a series of weekly animations over at The Hightower Download . Be sure to sign up for the sneak previews while you're there -- you'll get the new weekly episode a day before everyone else!
Yours in agitating,
The Hightower Staff
BUSH'S HEALTH-CARE TAX
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower
Look out, everyone -- George W has had another idea!
The guy who told us that occupying Iraq would be a really smart thing to do, now has focused both of his brain cells on health... [read more]
BIG OIL SPEAKS FOR BUSH
Friday, February 9, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower
Anyone who thinks that money doesn't talk in our Nation's Capitol might be right. Cash doesn't really talk -- it screams!
Take George W's recent state-of-the-union speech. After six years in office, the prez... [read more]
MOLLY IVINS
Monday, February 12, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower
We progressives, we Americans -- and anyone, anywhere who loves liberty and justice -- have lost a true, trusted friend. Molly Ivins died recently.
Yet, Molly was more than a person. She is a... [read more]
CLEAN-MONEY CANDIDATES ARE WINNING
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower
Cynics say that we'll never get the controlling, corrupt corporate money out of politics. But those who say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.
For money reform... [read more]
BUSH'S RHETORIC ON RENEWABLES
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Posted by Jim Hightower
Just before George W's state of the union speech in January, a top administration official gushed that the prez would announce new policies for energy independence that "will knock your socks off."
Hmmm. George made... [read more]
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From Media Savvy
Will 24's Producer Be Able To Challenge The Daily Show On Fox News Channel?
"The Half-Hour News Hour" is the latest effort of the Hollywood conservative behind 24. The humorous slant on the news from the right will air on Fox News Channel.
Will Newspapers Do In A Pinch, Or Is The Internet The Way To Go?
As newspapers try to figure out hoew to survive the 21st century, one question inveitably arises: what will people line birdcages with when newspapers are gone?
Amanda Marcotte Quits Edwards Campaign After All
Edwards' controversial blogger, Amanda Marcotte, quits after a short but intesnse PR flap relating to the stuff she wrote. No word on Melissa McEwan, the other blogger targeted by Catholic League president Bill Donohue.
Reporters Avoid Jail In BALCO Steroid Case
In the infamous pro-sport steroid scandal, two investigative journos are spared a stay at the Big House--but should they have known better?
Ownership Of Media Devalues Democracy
When a wealthy elite controls the scope and content of the public discourse, democracy is defeated. Nowhere is the problem more acute than the manner in which we operate elections.
Bush's Fantasy Budget And The Military/Entertainment Complex
It should come as no surprise that the convergence between the media and the military, as both pursue the economies of war, would have alarming consequences.
The Real Media Mantra: "Let's Make A Deal"
A culture of buying and selling dominates the world of information and even entertainment. Market logic long ago invaded and twisted media logic.
Newly Elected Democrats Targeted By DC Media, But Some Stories Fail To Stick
Republican operatives mobilize some media to push stories about Democrats, but sometimes the facts don't exactly add up.
Financial Study Shows Cutting Newsroom Expenses Kills Newspapers
Cutting newspapers journalism budget only starts a downwards sprial, warns a study compiling 10 years' fo newspapers' financial data. But what about 'outsourcing' coverage to 'citizen journalists?'
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From HuffPo
Jeralyn Merritt: Defense To Keep Libby And Cheney Off Stand
From news.yahoo.com
Excerpted From Jeralyn Merritt's Blog:
Ted Wells announced they will rest their case tomorrow. Neither Libby nor Vice President will testify. Wells said he and Jeffress advised Libby and he accepted their advice.
The defense wants to call the three CIA briefers tomorrow for about 20 minutes. Wells said he will play some Russert tapes to the jury which will show he testified falsely...
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Arianna Huffington: Team Hillary's Latest Excuse for Iraq Vote: 9/11 Made Her Do It!
Jane Smiley: The End is Nigh
Larry Beinhart: Capitalism 104
Adam Hanft: The North Korea Deal: Bribing, Diplomacy Work with Atheists
Lawrence O'Donnell: Libby Is "Going To Be Found Guilty"
news.yahoo.com
Excerpted from Lawrence O'Donnell's Blog:
Libby is guilty. And he's going to be found guilty. The jury might not convict him on all counts, but he has no chance of surviving the perjury count that was proved beyond a reasonable doubt with Tim Russert's testimony...
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Arianna Huffington: Al Franken and Me: Coming Clean, Preemptively
Harry Shearer: Calling out the Dems on New Orleans
David Roberts: Gore Announces S.O.S.
Mia Farrow: Photo Essay: Crisis in Sudan and Eastern Chad, Part II
Gary Hart: Iraq and Homeland Security
AP
Excerpted from Gary Hart's Blog:
...Most important, the National Guard units in Iraq are not in the United States standing post over our nation's security at home. They are not being trained and equipped for this vital mission. If we are in fact at war with terrorism, we are leaving our homeland flanks totally exposed. The Administration and its supporters have excused this dereliction in security with the hollow slogan: We're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here.
This specious argument fails on several counts. The "them" we are fighting in Iraq are overwhelmingly Iraqi insurgents who have no interest in following us home. And the relatively small but growing numbers of al Qaeda in Iraq can do more than one thing at once, as the people of London and Madrid can testify. It is the United States that cannot fight them there using National Guard forces needed to fight them here...
Click here to read more.
ON THE BLOG TODAY
Marty Kaplan: Sincere Idiot, Persistent Ass, Incompetent President
Pachacutec: Barbara Comstock Named Washington Post Editor?
RJ Eskow: WaPo Gives Platform For a Partisan to Mischaracterize the
Libby Trial ... Again
Shelley Lewis: Expose: Wounded Soldiers Coming Home to Neglect at Walter Reed
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From Thom Hartmann
Repeal the Military Commissions Act and Restore the Most American Human Right
by Thom Hartmann
- "The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."
-- Winston Churchill
The oldest human right defined in the history of English-speaking civilization is the right to challenge governmental power of arrest and detention through the use of habeas corpus laws. Habeas corpus is roughly Latin for "hold the body," and is used in law to mean that a government must either charge a person with a crime and allow them due process, or let them go free.
Last autumn the House and Senate passed, and the President signed into law The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, which explicitly strips both aliens and Americans of the right of habeas corpus, the right of recourse to the courts (as provided in the Fifth through Eighth Amendments to the Constitution), and denies appeal through mechanisms of the Geneva Conventions to those designated to lose these rights by the President.
As the most conspicuous part of a series of laws which have fundamentally changed the nature of this nation, moving us from a democratic republic to a state under the rule of a "unitary" President, the Military Commissions Act should be immediately reversed. When a demi-tyrant like Vladimir Putin begins lecturing the United States, as he did just a few days ago, on how our various behaviors over the past five years have "nothing in common with democracy," we should pay attention.
This attack on eight centuries of English law is no small thing. While the Republican's (and 13 Democrats in the Senate) purported intent was to deny Guantanamo Bay Concentration Camp detainees the right to see a civilian judge or jury, it could just as easily extend to you and me. (Already two American citizens have been arbitrarily stripped of their habeas corpus rights by the Bush administration - Jose Padilla and Yasser Hamdi - and there may be others.)
Section 9, Clause 2, of Article I of the United States Constitution says: "The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it."
Alberto Gonzales testified on January 18th before Congress that "there is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution. There is [only] a prohibition against taking it away."
While there are many countries in the world where all power and all rights are reserved to the government, and then doled out to the people by constitutional, legislative, or executive decree, the first three words of our Constitution clearly state who in this country holds all the power and all the rights: "We the People."
Our Constitution does not grant us rights, because "We" already hold all rights. Instead, it defines the boundaries of our government, and identifies what privileges "We the People" will grant to that government.
When Gonzales suggested we have no habeas corpus rights because the Constitution doesn't grant them, his testimony betrayed a breathtaking ignorance of the history and meaning of the United States Constitution. And, because his thinking probably reflects that of his superior, George W. Bush, Gonzales' testimony demonstrates the urgency with which Congress must act to repeal the many laws, signing statements, and executive orders that have been issued by this administration.
But particularly, and first, with regard to habeas corpus.
Abraham Lincoln was the first president (on March 3, 1863) to suspend habeas corpus so he could imprison those he considered a threat until the war was over. Congress invoked this power again during Reconstruction when President Grant requested The Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871 to put down a rebellion in South Carolina. Those are the only two fully legal suspensions of habeas corpus in the history of the United States (and Lincoln's is still being debated).
The United States hasn't suffered a "Rebellion" or an "Invasion" since Lincoln's and Grant's administrations. There are no foreign armies on our soil, seizing our cities. No states or municipalities are seriously talking about secession. Yet the Attorney General says we have no rights to habeas corpus, and the Military Commissions Act now backs him up.
The modern institution of civil and human rights, and particularly the writ of habeas corpus, began in June of 1215 when King John was forced by the feudal lords to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede. Although that document mostly protected "freemen" - what were then known as feudal lords or barons, and today known as CEOs and millionaires - rather than the average person, it initiated a series of events that echo to this day.
Two of the most critical parts of the Magna Carta were articles 38 and 39, which established the foundation for what is now known as "habeas corpus" laws, as well as the Fourth through Eighth Amendments of our Constitution and hundreds of other federal and state due process provisions.
Articles 38 and 39 of the Magna Carta said:
- "38 In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.
- "39 No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land."
This was radical stuff, and over the next four hundred years average people increasingly wanted for themselves these same protections from the abuse of the power of government or great wealth. But from 1215 to 1628, outside of the privileges enjoyed by the feudal lords, the average person could be arrested and imprisoned at the whim of the king with no recourse to the courts.
Then, in 1627, King Charles I overstepped, and the people snapped. Charles I threw into jail five knights in a tax disagreement, and the knights sued the King, asserting their habeas corpus right to be free or on bail unless convicted of a crime.
King Charles I, in response, invoked his right to simply imprison anybody he wanted (other than the rich), anytime he wanted, as he said, "per speciale Mandatum Domini Regis."
This is essentially the same argument that George W. Bush makes today for why he has the right to detain both citizens and non-citizens solely on his own say-so: because he's in charge. And it's an argument now supported by the Military Commissions Act.
But just as George's Act is meeting resistance, Charles' decree wasn't well received. The result of his overt assault on the rights of citizens led to a sort of revolt in the British Parliament, producing the 1628 "Petition of Right" law, an early version of our Fourth through Eighth Amendments, which restated Articles 38 and 39 of the Magna Carta and added that "writs of habeas corpus, [are] there to undergo and receive [only] as the court should order." It was later strengthened with the "Habeas Corpus Act of 1640" and a second "Habeas Corpus Act of 1679."
Thus, the right to suspend habeas corpus no longer was held by the King. It was exercised solely by the people's (elected and hereditary) representatives in the Parliament.
The third George to govern the United Kingdom confronted this in 1815 when he came into possession of Napoleon Bonaparte. British laws were so explicit that everybody was entitled to habeas corpus - even people who were not British citizens - that when Napoleon surrendered on the deck of the British flagship Bellerophon after the battle of Waterloo in 1815, the British Parliament had to pass a law ("An Act For The More Effectually Detaining In Custody Napoleon Bonaparte") to suspend habeas corpus so King George III could legally continue to hold him prisoner (and then legally exile him to a British fortification on a distant island).
Now, the Military Commissions Act and Alberto Gonzales say that George W. Bush may similarly detain people or exile them to concentration camps on distant islands. Except these people are not Napoleon Bonaparte. "They" could even be you or me.
The Founders must be turning in their graves. As Alexander Hamilton - arguably the most conservative of the Founders - wrote in Federalist 84:
- "The establishment of the writ of habeas corpus ... are perhaps greater securities to liberty and republicanism than any it [the Constitution] contains. ...[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny. The observations of the judicious [British 18th century legal scholar] Blackstone, in reference to the latter, are well worthy of recital:
- "'To bereave a man of life,' says he, 'or by violence to confiscate his estate, without accusation or trial, would be so gross and notorious an act of despotism, as must at once convey the alarm of tyranny throughout the whole nation; but confinement of the person, by secretly hurrying him to jail, where his sufferings are unknown or forgotten, is a less public, a less striking, and therefore A MORE DANGEROUS ENGINE of arbitrary government.''' [Capitals all Hamilton's from the original.]
The question, ultimately, is whether our nation will continue to stand for the values upon which it was founded.
Early American conservatives suggested that democracy was so ultimately weak it couldn't withstand the assault of newspaper editors and citizens who spoke out against it, or terrorists from the Islamic Barbary Coast, leading John Adams to pass America's first Military Commissions Act-like laws, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. President Thomas Jefferson rebuked those who wanted America ruled by an iron-handed presidency that could - as Adams had - throw people in jail for "crimes" such as speaking political opinion, or without constitutional due process.
- "I know, indeed," Jefferson said in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1801, "that some honest men fear that a republican government cannot be strong; that this government is not strong enough.
But, Jefferson said, our nation was "the world's best hope," and because of our strong commitment to rights like habeas corpus, "the strongest government on earth."
- The sum of this, Jefferson said, was found in "freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected. These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation.
- "The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety."
When I was working in Russia some years ago, a friend in Kaliningrad told me a perhaps apocryphal story about Nikita Khrushchev, who, following Stalin's death, gave a speech to the Politburo denouncing Stalin's policies of arbitrarily arresting people and throwing them into prisons or mental institutions without the rights of habeas corpus. A few minutes into Khrushchev's diatribe, somebody shouted out, "Why didn't you challenge him then, the way you are now?"
The room fell silent, as Khrushchev angrily swept the audience with his glare. "Who said that?" he asked in a reasoned voice. Silence.
"Who said that?" Khrushchev demanded, leaning forward. Silence.
Pounding his fist on the podium to accent each word, he screamed, "Who - said - that?" Still no answer.
Finally, after a long and strained silence, the elected politicians in the room fearful to even cough, a corner of Khrushchev's mouth lifted into a smile.
"Now you know," he said with a chuckle, "why I did not speak up against Stalin when I sat where you now sit."
The question for our day is who will speak up against Stalinist policies in America? Who will speak against the man who punishes reporters and news organizations by cutting off their access; who punishes politicians by targeting them in their home districts; who punishes truth-tellers in the Executive branch by character assassination that even extends to destroying their spouse's careers? And why is our press doing such a pathetic job that in all probability 95 percent of Americans don't even know that our Attorney General says we have no rights to habeas corpus?
As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist Number 8:
- "The violent destruction of life and property incident to war; the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free."
We must not make the mistake that Jefferson and Hamilton warned us against. We must not remain silent, like Khrushchev's people did. We must speak out.
Contact your U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives (the Capitol's phone number is 202 225-3121) and tell them to stop this assault on eight hundred years of legal precedent by repealing the Military Commissions Act and thus restore the most fundamentally American human right of habeas corpus.
Thom Hartmann is a three-time Project Censored Award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of nineteen books and, for the past four years, the host of a nationally syndicated noon-3 PM ET daily progressive talk show which will, starting on February 19th, replace the Al Franken show on Air America Radio radio stations from coast-to-coast and on Sirius Satellite Radio. His website is at www.thomhartmann.com His most recent books are "What Would Jefferson Do? A Return To Democracy" and Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It.
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And now for something you'll really like!
New Element on Periodic Table
A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Bushcronium."
Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.
These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. The symbol for Bushcronium is "W."
Bushcronium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons in a Bushcronium molecule, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass."
When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an element that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.
- attributed (rightly or wrongly--we of The Scallion don't know!) to Prof. Roy B. Flemming, Department of Political Science Texas A&M University
posted by The Scallion @ 12:50 PM
