December 2005 Archives
From today's NYT:
WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 - The commander of American-run prisons in Iraq says the military will not turn over any detainees or detention centers to Iraqi jailers until American officials are satisfied that the Iraqis are meeting United States standards for the care and custody of detainees.
Merry Christmas!
See this video posted at Crooks and Liars, showing example after example of Bush and Cheney assuring everyone that wiretapping requires a court order. Now that they have been caught with their pants down, BushCo is using other justifications, centered essentially on lies that Congress OK'ed the warrantless eavesdropping and that the Constitution gives the Commander in Chief virtually unlimited powers during "times of war". An apparently Owellian war without end.
Through the years I have been personally concerned that the powers that be will come after their opponents and have collected information to that end. We are now, again, seeing concrete evidence that this is true. The Defense Department collects information on PETA, vegans, the Quakers, anti-war protesters, and on and on. Bush, due to abysmal poll numbers agrees to not press against anti-torture amendments ... but it is becoming clear that he will do whatever he wants, even if it against the law and the Constitution.
I have always admired my activist friends who are so much bolder than me in speaking out and acting out. In my small way, with contributions to groups, writing letters to legislators and newspapers, and now with this blog, I trust that I actually have the freedom to do so, without retribution. But there is much risk in doing so, as is evidenced by the breathtaking arrogance that the administration has exhibited since day one. Who knows what they do if and when their back is really against the wall?
This is a presidency that was put in power under dubious circumstances five years ago, with fewer popular votes than Al Gore and with the connivance of a Republican Supreme Court. It then took that lack of mandate and has governed as "dividers, not uniters". It has then used the circumstance of 9/11 to justify broad abuses of power and is trampling on the rights of the citizens of this country, alienating people around the world who should be our friends and wreaking death and destruction in Iraq.
I am afraid.
From a news link on Salon.com:
December 22,2005 | BANGKOK, Thailand -- Talk about a working mother. A Christmas Island frigate bird named Lydia recently made a nonstop journey of just over 26 days and covering nearly 2,500 miles -- across Indonesian volcanoes and some of Asia's busiest shipping lanes -- in search of food for her baby.
A good question is raised by Josh Marshal at Talking Points Memo:
When was the last time there was a major terror alert? They were something like a regular occurence for the eighteen months or so before the 2004 election. And through 2004 the administration pushed the line that al Qaida was aiming to disrupt the elections themselves. But as near I can tell there hasn't been a single one since election day.Through 2004, of course, critics of the administration routinely questioned whether the frequency and timing of the various terror alerts were not all or in part for political effect.
How do we explain what appears to be a night and day difference between the year prior to November 2004 and the year since in terms of terror alerts and scares?
From a news link on Salon.com:
December 22,2005 | BANGKOK, Thailand -- Talk about a working mother. A Christmas Island frigate bird named Lydia recently made a nonstop journey of just over 26 days and covering nearly 2,500 miles -- across Indonesian volcanoes and some of Asia's busiest shipping lanes -- in search of food for her baby.
From my just drunk Snapple Diet Lemon Iced Tea bottle cap:
The topics on this blog are usually dour, skeptical, cynical and depressing. This past week however has brought some welcome "good news" and I thought I'd cheer us all up by recapping some of it.
First, the attempt to tack on authorization of the Arctic oil drilling outrage to a defense appropriations bill was blocked. See poor Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska (who recently refused to swear in oil company executives at a Senate hearing, and days later the executives were found to have lied about their participation in Cheney's energy policy cabal) proclaim that yesterday was “the saddest
day of my life“. Boo hoo.
Next, while it pains me to see our civil liberties abused as is being exposed with revelations regarding the Cheny administration’s warrantless, illegal and unconstitutional domestic phone taps, it encourages me that so much attention and seriousness is being paid to this outrage.
From Why won't the Bush administration obey the law? By Dahlia Lithwick in Slate:
There are two explanations for the Bush administration's failure to stay within the boundaries of the legal structures for which it's bargained: One is that the administration believes it is fighting this war on its own; the courts, the Congress, and the American people are all standing in its way. The other is that the administration is convinced that none of our statutes or policies or systems will actually work in a pinch. Our laws aren't just broken. They are unfixable....
So, which is it? Does the Bush administration refuse to honor its legislative and constitutional bargains with Congress, the courts, and the American people because it believes we are all just getting in its way? Or does it sidestep us because it believes that all these trappings of a democracy—the courts and the laws and public accountability are broken and unfixable? The first possibility is grandiose and depressing. The latter is absolutely breathtaking.
The Administration's attitude is neatly summed up by this post (shamefully lifted in total by me) from Billmon
The FederalesQ: If FISA didn't work, why didn't you seek a new statute that allowed something like this legally?
GONZALES: That question was asked earlier. We've had discussions with members of Congress, certain members of Congress, about whether or not we could get an amendment to FISA, and we were advised that that was not likely to be -- that was not something we could likely get, certainly not without jeopardizing the existence of the program, and therefore, killing the program. And that -- and so a decision was made that because we felt that the authorities were there, that we should continue moving forward with this program.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
December 19, 2005GOLD HAT: We are Federales . . . You know, the mounted police.
DOBBS: If you're the police, where are your badges?
GOLD HAT: [puzzled pause] "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! [angry] I don't have to show you any stinking badges!
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948
Next, I was overjoyed when our Dear Leader was "forced" to go along with Senator McCain's anti torture provision after he previously had vowed to veto any legislation containing such directives.
And finally, readers of this blog will know what a warm spot (NOT!) in my heart that I hold for proponents of so-called Intelligent Design. Therefore I feel their pain (at least to the degree that they have been causing pain to me) when the decision in the Kitzmiller v. Dover lawsuit was handed down earlier this week, denying the teaching of creationism disguised as psudo-science in the classroom. Judge Jones, in his 139 page decision (which I am joyfully working my way through) states:
The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for the ID Policy. It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy.
There is more, much more going on that suggest that the wheels may be coming off of BushCo's train. and the radical right is losing some of their traction. Here's to a hopeful 2006 !!!
While the pneumatic plastic pop princess has always provoked uncomfortable feelings in me I didn't know that for some, particularly members of the target market, the feelings run a bit deeper. From the Sunday Times of London:
Barbie, that plastic icon of girlhood fantasy play, is routinely tortured by children, research has found.The methods of mutilation are varied and creative, ranging from scalping to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving, according to academics from the University of Bath.
The findings were revealed as part of an in-depth look by psychologists and management academics into the role of brands among 7 to 11-year-old schoolchildren.
The researchers had not intended to focus on Barbie, but they were taken aback by the rejection, hatred and violence she provoked when they asked the children about their feelings for the doll.
Violence and torture against Barbie were repeatedly reported across age, school and gender. No other toy or brand name provoked such a negative response.
In today's interview with Brian Williams of NBC, Bush demonstrates his fine grasp of reality and straight talking to the American people ... NOT!
Williams: A lot of people have seen in this series of speeches you're giving on Iraq, a movement in your position. They call it an acknowledgement that perhaps the mission has not gone as it was originally planned — three points: That the U.S. would be welcomed as liberators, that General Shinsecki, when he said this would take hundreds of thousands of troops in his farewell speech, might have been right. And third, that it wasn't a self-sustaining war in terms of the oil revenue. Do you concede those three points might not have gone as planned?President Bush: Review them with me again.
Williams: Number one — that we'd be welcomed as liberators?
President Bush: I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome. There were some in society, rejectionists and the Saddamists and the terrorists that have moved in to stir them up that said, "We're going to prevent a democracy from emerging." But I think a lot of people are glad, I know a lot of people are glad we're there. And they're glad we're helping them train their troops so they can take the fight.
"I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome". What a piece of work.
From Frank Rich’s column in the NYT (unfortunately behind a paid subscription wall) today:
When a government substitutes propaganda for governing, the Potemkin village is all. Since we don't get honest information from this White House, we must instead, as the Soviets once did, decode our rulers' fictions to discern what's really happening. What we're seeing now is the wheels coming off: As the administration's stagecraft becomes more baroque, its credibility tanks further both at home and abroad. The propaganda techniques may be echt Goebbels, but they increasingly come off as pure Ali G.
Also from an item in the NYT titled Dear Great Leader:
The government of Pakistan was embarrassed to learn that an English textbook for teenagers contains an anonymous ode, in which the first letters of each line spell "President Bush." The poem, "The Leader," appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper:Patient and steady with all he must bear,
Ready to accept every challenge with care,
Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,
Strong in his faith, refreshingly real,
Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,
Doesn't conform to the usual mold,
Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do
Never back down when he sees what is true
Tells it all straight, and means it all too
Bracing for war, but praying for peace
Using his power so evil will cease:
So much a leader and worthy of trust,
Here stands a man who will do what he must.
When I was about 11 or 12 and living in Montebello, CA, I had a dream that John Lennon had walked though a door from our garage and was standing in our dining room. Nothing more than that.
As you probably know, yesterday was the 25th anniversary of John’s murder.
Nation columnist David Corn wrote yesterday about and how he reacted to this tragic event by organizing a a demostration for gun control at the NRA in Washington.
The event--as far as such events go--was a success. There was media coverage. Those who had come felt they had done something with their grief and anger. And as almost always happens when a prominent act of gun violence occurs, the topic of handgun was again on the radar screen. Not because of our effort, but we had done our part. However, that moment--like all moments--quickly faded. It is now 25 years later. John Lennon is still dead. (And so is George Harrison.) The NRA years ago moved to a bigger and better headquarters in suburban Virginia. The gun lobby has had its ups and downs, but it's been mostly ups of late (such as the expiration of the ban on assault weapons). Lennon's death, it turns out, was no catalyst for action. And we have still--after all this time--not learned how to stem the tide of gun violence. Which is one of several reasons why this anniversary of Lennon's death is a sad day.
I was strongly affected by the Beatles. I remember being so excited when my dad brought home the "I Want To Hold Your Hand" single (probably the first record I ever owned, although that might have been the Beach Boys "Fun, Fun Fun 'Til My Daddy Took The T-Bird Away") with the four of them on the cover ... Paul intriguingly holding a cigarette! My dad also brought home a Beatles wig for me. My grandfather had given me a a burgudy red Toshiba transitor radio, with a brown leather case. I was glued to that thing, listening to KRLA and KHJ (Boss Radio) especially. Follow the links to take a trip down memory lane. Just reading the DJ names from the '60s is a trip.
George was and is still my favorite Beatle. The "quiet" one. But all of them and their music were and still are very special to me.
John, I miss you.
A new online magazine promises to be a great source of in depth analysis of current event and issues. Among the key contributors is Robert Scheer, who I have posted about previously.
The purpose of our new Web magazine is to provide you with insightful and accurate reporting on current subjects and on issues that need to be brought to your attention. We want to challenge conventional wisdom. Over time, we hope to build a solid and reliable resource for those of you who want to explore particular topics by drilling down to unusual depth. In addition, we hope to create a home for thoughtful, provocative ideas and dialogue by a group of talented contributors and editors.
Only in its first week of publication, Truthdig has already published some great articles.
LAS VEGAS - August 22, 2005 - Grand Canyon West, a destination offering breathtaking panoramic experiences at the Grand Canyon's western rim, is in the phase of building its latest attractions including The Skywalk glass bridge, The Indian Village and The Hualapai Ranch, announce The Hualapai Corporate Board.The Hualapai Tribe is sharing their private land with visitors from around the world, so guests can join them in experiencing its uniqueness and untouched beauty. As owners and protectors of one million acres of land throughout the Grand Canyon's western rim, the Hualapai's main goal is to keep a balance between form, function and nature, while protecting the tribe's culture and values, which are deeply engraved in the canyon walls.
...
Guano Point will feature an all-new Hualapai Buffet with breathtaking views of the Colorado River above the Historical Guano Mine and Tram remnants. Additionally, wedding and renewal of vow packages will be available at several viewing points including The Skywalk, The Hualapai Ranch, Guano Point and Eagle Point.
