 sj |
||
|
||
BS: State of the Republic
|
|
|
Subject: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 10 Oct 06 - 10:35 PM This thread is dedicated to clear and honest statements concerning the state of the American Republic. I would like to open it with some remarks from Garrison Keillor: "Mark their names Garrison Keillor Tribune Media Services TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2006 I would not send my college kid off for a semester abroad if I were you. Last week, we suspended human rights in America, and what goes around comes around. Ixnay habeas corpus. The U.S. Senate, in all its splendor and majesty, has decided that an "enemy combatant" is any non-citizen whom the president says is an enemy combatant, including your Korean green grocer or your Swedish grandmother or your Czech au pair, and can be arrested and held for as long as authorities wish without any right of appeal to a court of law to examine the matter. If your college kid were to be arrested in Bangkok or Cairo, suspected of "crimes against the state" and held in prison, you'd assume that an American foreign service officer would be able to speak to your kid and arrange for a lawyer, but this may not be true anymore. Be forewarned. The Senate also decided it's up to the president to decide whether it's okay to make these enemies stand naked in cold rooms for a couple days in blinding light and be beaten by interrogators. This is now purely a bureaucratic matter: The plenipotentiary (Bush) stamps the file "enemy combatants" and throws the poor shnooks into prison and at his leisure he tries them by any sort of kangaroo court he wishes to assemble and they have no right to see the evidence against them, and there is no appeal. This was passed by 65 senators and will now be signed by Mr. Bush, put into effect, and in due course will be thrown out by the courts. None of the men and women who voted for this bill has any right to speak in public about the rule of law anymore, or to take a high moral view of the Third Reich, or to wax poetic about the American Idea. Mark their names: Alexander, Allard, Allen, Bennett, Bond, Brownback, Bunning, Burns, Burr, Carper, Chambliss, Coburn, Cochran, Coleman, Collins, Cornyn, Craig, Crapo, DeMint, DeWine, Dole, Domenici, Ensign, Enzi, Frist, Graham, Grassley, Gregg, Hagel, Hatch, Hutchison, Imhofe, Isakson, Johnson, Kyl, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Lieberman, Lott, Lugar, Martinez, McCain, McConnell, Menendez, Murkowski, Nelson of Florida, Nelson of Nebraska, Pryor, Roberts, Rockefeller, Salazar, Santorum, Sessions, Shelby, Smith, Specter, Stabenow, Stevens, Sununu, Talent, Thomas, Thune, Vitter, Voinovich, Warner. To paraphrase Sir Walter Scott: Mark their names and mark them well. For them, no minstrel raptures swell. High though their titles, proud their name, boundless their wealth as wish can claim, these wretched figures shall go down to the vile dust from whence they sprung, unwept, unhonored, and unsung. Three Republican senators made a show of opposing the bill and after they'd collected all the praise they could get, they quickly folded. Why be a hero when you can be fairly sure that the Supreme Court will dispose of this piece of garbage. If, however, the Court does not, then our country has taken a step toward totalitarianism. If the government can round up someone and never be required to explain why, then it's no longer the United States of America as you and I always understood it. Our enemies have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They have made us become like them. I got some insight recently into who supports torture when I went down to Dallas to speak at Highland Park Methodist Church. It was spooky. I walked in, was met by two burly security men with walkie-talkies, and within 10 minutes was told by three people that this was the Bushes' church and that it would be better if I didn't talk about politics. I was there on a book tour for "Homegrown Democrat" but they thought it better if I didn't mention it. So I tried to make light of it: I told the audience, "I don't need to talk politics. I have no need even to be interested in politics - I'm a citizen, I have plenty of money and my grandsons are at least 12 years away from being eligible for military service." And the audience applauded! Those were their sentiments exactly. We've got ours, and who cares? The Methodists of Dallas can be fairly sure that none of them will be snatched off the streets, flown to Guantÿaanamo, stripped naked, forced to stand for 48 hours in a freezing room with deafening noise, so why should they worry? It's only the Jews who are in danger, and the homosexuals and gypsies. The Christians are doing just fine. If you can't trust a Methodist with absolute power to arrest people and not have to say why, then whom can you trust?" Garrison Keillor is the host of the American public-radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." This article was distributed by Tribune Media Services International. |
|
Subject: RE: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 11 Oct 06 - 12:44 PM Requested transfer to BS. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 11 Oct 06 - 01:48 PM Symptoms: The naval officer who revealed the depravations of Guantanamo in the course of doing his duty as a defense lawyer has been, essentially, shit-canned in revenger for the embarassment he caused: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/opinion/11wed2.html A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 11 Oct 06 - 02:04 PM BEtter than hopeless deficit: WASHINGTON -- The federal budget deficit, helped by a gusher of tax revenues, fell to $247.7 billion in 2006, the smallest amount of red ink in four years. The deficit for the budget year that ended Sept. 30 was 22.3 percent lower than the $318.7 billion imbalance for 2005, handing President Bush an economic bragging point as Republicans go into the final four weeks of a battle for control of Congress. Republican gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell, facing camera, is trailing double digits in polls. (Kevin Riddell -- Chillicothe Gazette Via Associated Press) SEE FULL COLLECTION Feedback In Today's A Section • In Ohio, 'Values' Decline As Voting Issue • China Says It Will Back Sanctions on N. Korea • North-South Relations Suffer A Sudden Chill • FBI Agents Still Lacking Arabic Skills • The Handwriting Is on the Wall » More in Today's Print Edition Save & Share Article What's This? DiggGoogle del.icio.usYahoo! Bush called the 2006 outcome a "dramatic reduction" in the deficit which allowed him to fulfill his 2004 campaign pledge of cutting the deficit in half earlier than his original 2009 target date. "These numbers show that we have now achieved our goal of cutting the federal deficit in half and we've done it three years ahead of schedule," Bush told reporters at a Rose Garden news conference. "The budget numbers are proof that pro-growth economic policies work." The pledge to cut the deficit in half was based on the administration's forecast that the 2004 deficit would hit $521 billion, a figure that proved to be too pessimistic by more than $100 billion. However, the administration has continued to use the forecast number as its benchmark for deficit reduction. Bush said he would continue to urge Congress to make permanent his first-term tax cuts, all of which are due to expire by the end of 2010. Republicans are hoping to appeal to voters in the upcoming election as the party that champions tax cuts while casting Democrats, who contend that those tax cuts primarily benefited the wealthy, as the party which would increase taxes. Both spending and tax revenues climbed to all-time highs in 2006. The sharp narrowing of the deficit reflected the fact that revenues climbed by 11.7 percent, outpacing the 7.3 percent increase in spending. The 2006 deficit was far lower than the $423 billion figure the administration had projected last February and also represented an improvement from a July revised estimate of $295.8 billion. Republicans said the big improvement showed that Bush's economic policies were working to stimulate growth and boost tax revenues. But Democrats said the narrowing of the deficit would be temporary as the pending retirement of 78 million baby boomers will send costs of the government's big benefit programs soaring. "The fact that some are trumpeting this year's deficit number as good news shows just how far we've fallen. Our budget picture is extremely serious by any measure," said Sen. Kent Conrad, the senior Democrat on the Budget Committee. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the deficit for the current budget year will rise to $286 billion. Over the next decade, the CBO forecasts that the deficit will total $1.76 trillion. Extending the Bush tax cuts, which are currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2010, would add another $2.2 trillion to the deficit through 2016, the CBO estimates. The 2006 deficit was the smallest deficit since a $159 billion imbalance in 2002, a shortfall that came after four straight years of budget surpluses, the longest stretch that the government had finished with surpluses in seven decades. Since that time, the government has recorded three of the biggest deficits in history including including an all-time record in dollar terms of $413 billion in 2004. The reason for the improvement this year was a second consecutive big jump in revenues, propelled by strong economic strongth. The 11.7 percent increase in revenues was the second biggest percentage gain in history. The administration credits its tax cuts for the improving economy, contending they helped the nation withstand the 2001 recession, the terrorist attacks and a wave corporate accounting scandals. Democratic critics, however, contend that this year's improvement in the deficit will be only temporary. They contend the deficit is set to explode over the next decade as the baby boomers begin to retire and demands on Social Security and Medicare increase. (From WaPo). A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Ebbie Date: 11 Oct 06 - 02:11 PM Thank you, Amos. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 11 Oct 06 - 02:55 PM Current polls reflecting new lows in confidence in the US' national leadship can be found here. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 11 Oct 06 - 03:21 PM Symptom: (CBS) Adam Gadahn, an American-born convert to Islam, has become the first American to be charged with treason since World War II. Gadahn has appeared in terrorist videos, including at least one released by al Qaeda. The crime of treason is laid out in the Constitution. It requires either testimony of at least two witnesses or an in-court confession for a conviction. No American has been charged with treason in the past 50 years. Deputy Atty. General Paul McNulty is set to announce the indictment at 4 p.m. at the Justice Department, CBS News reports. The indictment stems from officials' worries about the "propaganda effect" of Gadahn's threats and did not want them to go unanswered, CBS News' Stephanie Lambidakis reports. ...Gadahn is believed to be overseas, not in U.S. custody.... The treason charge would be based on recent videos in which he has made clear his calls for attacks on the United States and his allegiance to al Qaeda. Gadahn was featured in a 2004 video warning that "now it's time for Americans to die." In a 41-minute video, posted on an Islamic militant Web site and discovered in September, Gadahn appeared in a video that also featured Iraqi terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri. "We invite all Americans and unbelievers to Islam," Gadahn said, dressed in a white robe and turban with a long, thick black beard and a computer terminal in the background. Hmmmmm. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Mudjack Date: 11 Oct 06 - 03:44 PM Good post my friend, we are indeed living in dangerous times. Mudjack |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 12 Oct 06 - 12:06 PM According to today's Wall Street journal: THE U.S. TRADE DEFICIT ROSE to a record $69.86 billion in August, inflated by high oil prices and American demand for imports. Exports rebounded from July's fall, rising 2.3%, but were outpaced by imports. 11:46 a.m. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 12 Oct 06 - 12:58 PM Symptom: Some public responses to a new, and presumably well-founded, statistical report that says over 600 000 Iraqi civilians have dies since the invasion: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/11/bush-iraq-tolerate-violence/ A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 12 Oct 06 - 02:41 PM An excerpt from an an analysis by the Cato Institute on our political spectrum: October 18, 2006 Policy Analysis no. 580 The Libertarian Vote by David Boaz and David Kirby The main theme of political commentary in this decade is polarization. Since the battles over the impeachment of President Clinton and the Florida vote in 2000, pundits have been telling us that we're a country split down the middle, red vs. blue, liberal vs. conservative. Political analysts talk about base motivation and the shrinking of the swing vote. But the evidence says they are wrong. Not all Americans can be classified as liberal or conservative. In particular, polls find that some 10 to 20 percent of voting-age Americans are libertarian, tending to agree with conservatives on economic issues and with liberals on personal freedom. The Gallup Governance Survey consistently finds about 20 percent of respondents giving libertarian answers to a two-question screen. Our own data analysis is stricter. We find 9 to 13 percent libertarians in the Gallup surveys, 14 percent in the Pew Research Center Typology Survey, and 13 percent in the American National Election Studies, generally regarded as the best source of public opinion data. For those on the trail of the elusive swing voter, it may be most notable that the libertarian vote shifted sharply in 2004. Libertarians preferred George W. Bush over Al Gore by 72 to 20 percent, but Bush's margin dropped in 2004 to 59-38 over John Kerry. Congressional voting showed a similar swing from 2002 to 2004. Libertarians apparently became disillusioned with Republican overspending, social intolerance, civil liberties infringements, and the floundering war in Iraq. If that trend continues into 2006 and 2008, Republicans will lose elections they would otherwise win. The libertarian vote is in play. At some 13 percent of the electorate, it is sizable enough to swing elections. Pollsters, political strategists, candidates, and the media should take note of it. Full Text of Policy Analysis no. 580 (PDF, 173 KB) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 12 Oct 06 - 06:49 PM Excerpt on national trust from Time: Poll: Trust in the Administration Is Dropping A majority believe Bush "deliberately misled" the American people on Iraq, according to a TIME/Oprah Winfrey Show poll. Even the media get higher marks for trustworthiness By KEELEY TEEMSMA AND DAVID CIEMNECKI Posted Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006 A rash of books critical of the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war together with damaging leaks from the National Intelligence Estimate appear to have weakened President Bush's credibility, according to a a TIME/The Oprah Winfrey Show poll. A majority of Americans (52%) now believe that President Bush "deliberately misled" Americans to build his case for the Iraq war, up four points from late last year. Only 41% now believe that the President was "truthful and honest" based on the intelligence he was given — down four points from late last year. Views on Bush's truthfulness remain highly partisan, with large majorities of Democrats and a lesser majority of independents questioning Bush's truthfulness. ... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Richard Bridge Date: 13 Oct 06 - 04:29 AM Not much conversation here |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: John O'L Date: 13 Oct 06 - 04:46 AM That doesn't mean that no-one's reading. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: George Papavgeris Date: 13 Oct 06 - 06:26 AM Agree, John. What I find absolutely amazing is that "...41% now believe that the President was "truthful and honest" based on the intelligence he was given". Given the availability of media providing the full spectrum of views on current affairs, this indicates wilful blindness by 2/5 of the population, a societal rather than political issue. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 13 Oct 06 - 09:29 AM Selective hypnotic trances? A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 04:17 AM [T]his is without question the worst political situation for the GOP since the Watergate disaster in 1974. I think a 30-seat gain today for Democrats is more likely to occur than a 15-seat gain, the minimum that would tip the majority. The chances of that number going higher are also strong, unless something occurs that fundamentally changes the dynamic of this election. This is what Republican strategists' nightmares look like. Whether one looks at national or district-level polling data, or a survey like the new Democracy Corps survey that covered the 49 most vulnerable GOP districts, the conclusion remains the same: it is very ugly for Republicans. From "Category 5 Storm Heads for House GOP", on the http://fbihop.blogspot.com/ Blog |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 04:21 AM
|
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 04:39 AM An interesting series of essays analyzing the state of the nation and in particular its military strategies has been developed by Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired). An excerpt from one installment: "When hegemonic America goes to war, unless it has a very clear end-state strategy, it will be embroiled in that war for a long, long time. And our present strategic situation once again proves the wisdom of the ancient Chinese General Sun Tzu's admonition that "There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare." There may also be no instance of an empire that didn't fail to learn that the military power that established it was not sufficient to sustain it. It pains me no end to point this out, but the military might that brought America victory in the Great War, the Good War, and the Cold War failed to defend us from the 9/11 attacks, is not accomplishing our strategic objectives overseas, and has not made us safer at home. As I've described it before, our current strategic situation is a goat rope tied in Gordian knots and wrapped around a Moebius strip. The debate over what America's proper force structure should be will go on until brown cows give chocolate milk, but I firmly believe that the real solution to our conundrum is enlightened leadership--the kind of leadership that understands that while armed force is a vital tool of national power, its ability to achieve the strategic aims of a sole global superpower is profoundly limited. Sometimes "fighting them over there" accomplishes little more that giving "them" an opportunity to give you a bloody nose. You can't lose your front teeth in a bar fight if you stay away from the bar. " http://zenhuber.blogspot.com/ |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 01:58 PM Documents Reveal Scope of U.S. Database on Antiwar Protests E-MailPrint Reprints Save By ERIC LICHTBLAU Published: October 13, 2006 WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 — Internal military documents released Thursday provided new details about the Defense Department's collection of information on demonstrations nationwide last year by students, Quakers and others opposed to the Iraq war. The documents, obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, show, for instance, that military officials labeled as "potential terrorist activity" events like a "Stop the War Now" rally in Akron, Ohio, in March 2005. The Defense Department acknowledged last year that its analysts had maintained records on war protests in an internal database past the 90 days its guidelines allowed, and even after it was determined there was no threat. A department spokesman said Thursday that the "questionable data collection" had led to a tightening of military procedures to ensure that only information relevant to terrorism and other threats was collected. The spokesman, Maj. Patrick Ryder, said in response to the release of the documents that the department "views with great concern any potential violation" of the policy. "There is nothing more important or integral to the effectiveness of the U.S. military than the trust and good will of the American people," Major Ryder said. A document first disclosed last December by NBC News showed that the military had maintained a database, known as Talon, containing information about more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" around the country in 2004 and 2005. Dozens of alerts on antiwar meetings and peaceful protests appear to have remained in the database even after analysts had decided that they posed no threat to military bases or personnel. Some documents obtained by the A.C.L.U. referred to the potential for disruption to military recruiting and the threat posed to military personnel as a result. An internal report produced in May 2005, for instance, discussed antiwar protests at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and was issued "to clarify why the Students for Peace and Justice represent a potential threat to D.O.D. personnel." Shades of McCarthy and Vietnam. Coming soon to a Flashback Theater near you: Kent State! A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 02:01 PM Nearly one in five soldiers leaving the military after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan has been at least partly disabled as a result of service, according to documents of the Department of Veterans Affairs obtained by a Washington research group. The number of veterans granted disability compensation, more than 100,000 to date, suggests that taxpayers have only begun to pay the long-term financial cost of the two conflicts. About 567,000 of the 1.5 million American troops who have served so far have been discharged. "The trend is ominous," said Paul Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America, an advocacy group, and a former V.A. analyst. Mr. Sullivan said that if the current proportions held up over time, 400,000 returning service members could eventually apply for disability benefits when they retired. About 2.6 million veterans were receiving disability compensation as of 2005, according to testimony to Congress by the V.A. The largest group of recipients is from the Vietnam era. Of the 1.1 million who served in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf war in 1991, 291,740 have been granted disability compensation. The documents on the current conflicts provide no details on the type of disabilities claimed by veterans. Most were found to be 30 percent disabled or less, and one in 10 recipients was found to be 100 percent disabled. Payments run from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000 a month depending on the severity of the disability. A separate V.A. health care report shows that the most common treatments sought by recently discharged troops are for musculoskeletal disorders like back pain, followed by mental disorders, notably post traumatic stress disorder. About 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have sought treatment for post traumatic stress, which afflicts soldiers who have been under fire or in prolonged danger of attack. This is kind of a "toldja so". I made predictions about these hidden, long-term costs to our national manpower several years back. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/washington/11veterans.html?ref=us. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 14 Oct 06 - 02:10 PM WASHINGTON — A Capitol Hill sex scandal has reinforced public doubts about Republican leadership and pushed Democrats to a huge lead in the race for control of Congress four weeks before Election Day, the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows. Democrats had a 23-point lead over Republicans in every group of people questioned — likely voters, registered voters and adults — on which party's House candidate would get their vote. That's double the lead Republicans had a month before they seized control of Congress in 1994 and the Democrats' largest advantage among registered voters since 1978. (From USA Today). |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 14 Oct 06 - 04:09 PM I get annoyed at the way that fine old term "libertarian" gets hijacked by people who just mean they want to have a strong government that limits itself to protecting their privileged life style. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Hrothgar Date: 14 Oct 06 - 08:20 PM ... and our beloved Prime Minister John Howard (the lying rodent, as described by a Senator from his own party) is perfectly happy to see the US hold Australian citizen David Hicks for five years without any form of trial, and only a vague possibiity of being tried by one of these jacked-up "military commissions" at some time in the future. I think Johnny actually lies in bed at night giggling to himself at the prospect of Hicks' being found guilty by one of these kangaroo courts (that's appropriate, ay least!) so John can trumpet to the world how right he is to be supporting the war on terror so enthusiastically. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Bobert Date: 14 Oct 06 - 09:00 PM Ummmm, this is another piece of evidence that our system is broken... Yeah, Congressm in essence punted once again... Yeah, they knew that they were, for politacl reasons only, passing a law that ios clearly unconstitutional thinkingf that the Supreme Court will clean it up later... Problem is that this Supreme Court ain't yder grand-daddy's Supreme Corth and there is a chance that it will let the suspension of habius corpes stand which, in essence, would invalidate a common leagl therum that dats back to 1415 I (maybe 1514) and the Magna Carta... Godd going, boys... Won't miss you cowards when yer gone... Tghis will get corrected!!!! One way or another, it will get corrected!!! Bobert |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Richard Bridge Date: 15 Oct 06 - 03:21 AM Er- That might be 1215 and Magna Carta? British Museum pages on Magna Carta |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Bobert Date: 15 Oct 06 - 09:14 AM I knew there was a "15" in there Richard....Hmmmmmm??? Reckon that makes what Congress and Bush have done here is call off a legal principle that's about 800 years old... These guys gotta go!!! I'm even going to violate my own principles and support and vote for danged Democrats this year instead of 3rd party folks... Well, seein' as there ain't no Greens running for the Senate or House it makes it a lot easier but.... ...I even gave money to the Jim Webb campaign which ain't like me... Grrrrrrr.... We gotta get these creeps out and then stay on the new creeps backs and get back our country... Grrrrrrr.... Bobert |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Ron Davies Date: 15 Oct 06 - 10:57 AM Re: the Time poll: There's yet a another possibility not examined by the poll: Bush was completely truthful--based on the intelligence given to him---but he made damn sure that he would only see intelligence which would support his predetermined decision to invade Iraq. All intelligence contrary to this idea was extremely strongly discouraged--as a result--mirabile dictu-- none of it ever made it to him. And he never had anybody investigate the intelligence supporting the decision to invade--to check its reliability. And now he can even preserve deniability. I consider this actually to be the most likely course of events. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 12:30 PM " To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice." Magna Carta, signed by King John, 1215. Countermanded by GW Bush, 2006. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Richard Bridge Date: 15 Oct 06 - 12:50 PM Yeh, we ahve that her too in a different way withthe SIAC tribunal. There is a scandal about government lying to court and when I finish assembling the details I will post a thread. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: GUEST,Autolycos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 01:21 PM Another explanation for 2/5 of Americans trusting the prez is summed up in a phrase I've heard people use,"I didn't let myself believe/notice/see......." That's not entirely a societal explanation. A further part of the mix is that a vast proprtion of the population is information-poor, and would probably think differently if they were information-rich. Tho' not necessarily (see 1st para. above) PEDANT ALERT. BTW, King John didn't sign Magna Carta. He didn't cos he couldn't cos he was illiterate. What he did was seal it. Ivor |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 01:42 PM Thanks, Autolycus. I prefer to be corrected when I say something uninformed. A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 02:14 PM or Bob Casey Jr., it was one of the good days in his campaign to send Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) into political obscurity. Morning brought word of a new poll showing him with a 12-point lead over Santorum, who is the third most powerful Republican in the Senate, and evening brought an adoring audience to a fundraiser here in a private home, where Casey said with growing confidence, "I really believe this race is about America." His voice, in contrast to the high-pitched, battle-ready aggressiveness that is in Santorum's, was polite as he criticized his opponent and President Bush, touched upon his Catholic upbringing and discussed his work as a Jesuit volunteer in inner-city Philadelphia. "In the life of a middle-class family, things are not going all that well," he said several weeks ago to the middle-class crowd, and as he went on, his quiet words blended with the cricket chirps coming through the open windows. When Casey was done talking, the next sounds included scribbling pens and checks being torn out of checkbooks because of what Democrats say this race means: A Casey victory would not only topple one of America's best-known conservatives but would also enhance the Democrats' prospects of winning control of the Senate. The Democrats need to pick up six seats to take control of the Senate, and Pennsylvania has become one of their best hopes. Emboldened by polls showing widespread discontent with the GOP-controlled Congress, Democrats vow a fundamental reordering of domestic and foreign policy if their party sweeps to victory in the Senate and House on Nov. 7. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: GUEST,Autolycos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 03:54 PM Amos - no problem. Ivor |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Greg F. Date: 15 Oct 06 - 06:04 PM King John didn't sign Magna Carta. He didn't cos he couldn't cos he was illiterate... and his spitit lives on in the functionally illiterate President Bush. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 09:16 PM President Bush finds the world around him increasingly "unacceptable." (N.Y. Times) In speeches, statements and news conferences this year, the president has repeatedly declared a range of problems "unacceptable," including rising health costs, immigrants who live outside the law, North Korea's claimed nuclear test, genocide in Sudan and Iran's nuclear ambitions. Bush's decision to lay down blunt new markers about the things he deems intolerable comes at an odd time, a phase of his presidency in which all manner of circumstances are not bending to his will: national security setbacks in North Korea and Iraq, a Congress that has shrugged its shoulders at his top domestic initiatives, a favorability rating mired below 40 percent. But a survey of transcripts from Bush's public remarks over the past seven years shows the president's worsening political predicament has actually stoked, rather than diminished, his desire to proclaim what he cannot abide. Some presidential scholars and psychologists describe the trend as a signpost of Bush's rising frustration with his declining influence. In the first nine months of this year, Bush declared more than twice as many events or outcomes "unacceptable" or "not acceptable" as he did in all of 2005, and nearly four times as many as he did in 2004. He is, in fact, at a presidential career high in denouncing events he considers intolerable. They number 37 so far this year, as opposed to five in 2003, 18 in 2002 and 14 in 2001. Through a spokesman and then in a televised statement, he declared North Korea's claimed nuclear test "unacceptable" before and after it occurred Oct. 9. But he could also be heard on Jan. 9 lecturing students at an elementary school in Glen Burnie, Md., that their recent scores on math and reading proficiency tests were "unacceptable." Having a president call something "unacceptable" is not the same as having him order U.S. troops into action. But foreign policy experts say the word is one of the strongest any leader can deploy, since it both broadcasts a national position and conveys an implicit threat to take action if his warnings are disregarded. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 15 Oct 06 - 10:41 PM Recent Rating Changes Point to a November 'Nightmare' for GOP By Bob Benenson Published: October 15, 2006 NY Times In October 1994, Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report alerted its readers to the increasing possibility of a Republican takeover of Congress. Using the traditional symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, the cover illustration was a cartoon of a donkey having a nightmare of elephants storming up the steps of the Capitol. A dozen years later, it would be the elephant sleeping fitfully. And the dream keeping it awake could be titled "Nightmare on First Street II — The Donkey Stampede." The trend against the GOP is illustrated in changes that CQPolitics.com made to its ratings last week (Oct. 9-13). Congressional Quarterly's free elections Web site altered its forecasts on one Senate race and 17 House races — and in all but one case, the analysis showed the Democratic candidate gaining ground over his or her Republican opponent. (view CQ Weekly's election forecast chart) The momentum continues to clearly be on the Democrats' side: The job approval ratings for President Bush's Republican administration and the Republican-controlled Congress have plummeted deep into the danger zone. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Barry Finn Date: 16 Oct 06 - 12:00 AM Here comes Marshall Law. Just kidding Barry |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Hrothgar Date: 16 Oct 06 - 06:30 AM "... he made damn sure that he would only see intelligence which would support his predetermined decision' I thought it was generally accepted that Bush, Blair, and Howard all made sure that their intelligence agencies (a) knew what their governments wanted to hear, and (b) knew that there would be consequences for the people concerned in the agencies if unwanted information was presented to those governments. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 16 Oct 06 - 11:41 AM BALLOT WATCH The Home Stretch In three weeks, voters in 18 states will decide 76 ballot initiatives, the "largest number of citizen-sponsored referendums in a non-presidential election in nearly 100 years." (See a comprehensive list of 2006 initiatives.) In years past, conservatives have effectively employed state initiatives to create wedge issues and motivate voters -- one study found that Ohio's measure to outlaw gay marriage in 2004 "helped President Bush carry that state and win a second term" -- while progressives "remained largely on the defensive." But this year is different. For the first time, progressives have a coordinated national ballot initiative strategy to advance our priorities. Across the country, and across partisan lines, progressive initiatives on the minimum wage, clean alternative energy, stem cell research, and protecting privacy rights enjoy public support, while the "issue of same-sex marriage...has largely failed to rouse conservative voters." ..OPPONENTS OF MINIMUM WAGE HIKE GET DESPERATE: Polls continue to show overwhelming bipartisan support for six state initiatives that would increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation, including 73 percent of voters in Montana, 73 percent in Ohio, and 77 percent in Nevada. ...GAY MARRIAGE FAILING TO ROUSE THE RIGHT WING: Eight states feature anti-gay marriage ballot initiatives this year, and most "will see the harshest possible versions of the amendment on the ballot," which outlaw "not only gay marriage and civil unions, but all domestic partner benefits." While several of the measures are expected to pass, "their emotional force in drawing committed, conservative voters to the polls, many political experts say, has been muted or spent," the New York Times reports... OIL INDUSTRY THROWS THE BANK AT CA ENERGY INITIATIVE: Californians will vote this year on the Clean Alternative Energy Initiative, which would "impose a wellhead tax on oil companies operating in California" to finance $4 billion towards alternative-fuel vehicles and renewable energy and conservation research. (Watch Al Gore's new ad for the initiative.) A record-breaking $104.5 million has already been spent on the measure, including over $40 million from oil giants Chevron and Aera Energy, a joint venture of Shell and Exxon Mobil. The oil industry-funded ads have included the "insistent theme" that the initiative would send gas prices spiraling. But as President Clinton asked at a rally for the initiative last week at UCLA, "if they really thought you were going to pay for this, would they really be spending all this money trying to convince you to vote against it?" ...ANTI-CHOICE ACTIVISTS SING A DIFFERENT TUNE: South Dakotans will vote on an initiative to overturn the hard-line abortion ban passed recently by the state legislature, which included no exceptions for incest or rape. The latest polling shows 47 percent opposed to the abortion ban and 44 percent in favor, but that lead has narrowed as anti-choice activists in the state have tried to "deliberately avoid the familiar slogans of their movement." ...PROGRESSIVES LEAD ON STEM CELLS, ETHICS, ELECTION REFORM: In Missouri, 57 percent of voters support a ballot initiative that protects all stem cell research permitted under federal law (while prohibiting human cloning), compared to 27 percent opposed. The California Nurses Association has led the fight for an election reform initiative that would "raise the corporate tax rate by 0.2 percent -- to a level still below that at which it stood from 1980 to 1996 -- to bankroll campaigns for candidates who reject private fundraising and limit spending to the public dollars provided; show public support by gathering signatures and some $5 qualifying donations; and take part in debates." In Montana, 70 percent support a honest government measure that "would bar state legislators and other public and high-ranking appointed state officials from becoming lobbyists for two years after they leave office." The Iraq Study Group is considering two options: "withdrawing American troops in phases, and bringing neighboring Iran and Syria into a joint effort to stop the fighting." "It's not going to be 'stay the course,'" one participant said. "The bottom line is, [current U.S. policy] isn't working… There's got to be another way." Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said "his government will not force militias to disarm until later this year or early next year, despite escalating violence in Baghdad fueled by death squads and religious warfare." He also criticized the U.S.-military led coalition's overreliance on force in Iraq, calling it the "wrong approach." Former President Bill Clinton said this weekend that voters "know something is wrong" about the politics in Washington. "I have never seen the American people so serious," said Clinton. "I think I know why. People know things are out of whack." Meanwhile, Bush and Rove are "inexplicably upbeat." Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia yesterday debated American Civil Liberties Union president Nadine Strossen, arguing that nothing in the Constitution supports abortion rights or affirmative action. "Someday, you're going to get a very conservative Supreme Court and regret that approach," Scalia ominously warned. All the above bullets are from the Progressive news site at americanprogressaction.org They seem to indicate there is still some life in the Olde Republic yet... A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 16 Oct 06 - 04:42 PM An interesting commentary on Sea Change in Kansas. Thanks go to Wyop for this interesting editorial: Democrats endorsed by Kansas newspaper Editorial by Steve Rose of the Johnson County (Kansas) Sun newspaper: As we prepare ourselves to make political endorsements in subsequent issues, I can tell you unequivocally that this newspaper has never endorsed so many Democrats. Not even close. In the 56 years we have been publishing in Johnson County, this basically has been a Republican newspaper. In the old days, before the Republican civil war that fractured the party, we were traditional Republicans.... The point is, I can name on two hands over a half century the number of Democrats we have endorsed for public office. This year, we will do something different. You will read why we are endorsing Kathleen Sebelius for governor and Mark Parkinson for lieutenant governor; Dennis Moore to be re-elected to the U.S. Congress; Paul Morrison for Kansas attorney general; and a slew of local Democratic state legislative candidates. These are not liberal Democrats. They are what fairly can be described as conservative Democrats, and we can prove that in our forthcoming endorsements. But I could not help but put in perspective a more global phenomenon that has led us to re-evaluate our traditional support for Republicans.... The Republican Party has changed, and it has changed monumentally. You almost cannot be a victorious traditional Republican candidate with mainstream values in Johnson County or in Kansas anymore, because these candidates never get on the ballot in the general election. They lose in low turnout primaries, where the far right shows up to vote in disproportionate numbers. To win a Republican primary, the candidate must move to the right. What does to-the-right mean? It means anti-public education, though claiming to support it. It means weak support of our universities, while praising them. It means anti-stem cell research. It means ridiculing global warming. It means gay bashing. Not so much gay marriage, but just bashing gays. It means immigrant bashing. I'm talking about the viciousness. It means putting religion in public schools. Not just prayer. It means mocking evolution and claiming it is not science. It means denigrating even abstinence-based sex education.... But everything else adds up to priorities that have nothing to do with the Republican Party I once knew. Not in Kansas anymore? I have to wonder how far and deep this thread of thought runs through the great wide middle states of our Union, from Ohio to the Rockies... A |
|
Subject: RE: BS: State of the Republic From: Amos Date: 27 Oct 06 - 06:12 PM Symptom: "This story should raise the red flag for virtually all Internet users, since everyone is at risk for this sort of potentially serious misadventure: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061024-8062.html When an armed porn raid took place *at the wrong physical address* apparently based solely on ISP information derived from an IP address, the results could have been deadly. It appears that a dynamic IP address was incorrectly mapped to a subscriber. We've seen cases before where apparently nonsensical raids have been conducted for the MPAA based on IP addresses that may well have been incorrect. This isn't funny anymore, if it ever was. ISPs, search engines, and other sources of retained Internet user activity data are being treated as adjuncts of law enforcement, with the incredibly dangerous and faulty presumption that such data will always be accurate and reliable. In these kinds of situations, such errors involving retained data could get people killed. --Lauren--" |
