January 13, 2006
bush bash break
NEWSFLASH:
BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY DESTROYED BY FLOOD
Crawford, Texas-- A tragic flood this morning destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush. The flood began in the presidential bathroom where the books were kept. Both of his books have been lost.
A presidential spokesman said the president was devastated, as he had almost finished coloring the second one. The White House tried to call FEMA, but there was no answer.
Thanks to Danny for passing this one along.
September 12, 2005
bush v kerry, revisited
Today's Boondocks is right on the money. Harsh, but so true.
Is there any hope that voters will actually remember this in 2008? Heck, in 2006?
August 22, 2005
Swift Boating Cindy Sheehan
The New York Times' Frank Rich has written a compelling opinion piece called The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan, with specific emphasis on the (hopefully continued) failure of the Bush administration to contain growing dissent against the occupation of Iraq.
July 27, 2005
Coulter: "We have the media now!"
What? The media is not liberal? My own little brother (he's 32, okay, and over 6 feet tall, but he's my little brother) heard Ann Coulter make this interesting proclamation on the Sean Hannity show. He posted about it on Democratic Underground, and his post was eventually picked up by Crooks and Liars! And finally someone connected to Crooks and Liars put up this link to the Coulter audio.
And I am his proud, leftie big sis! You go get Ann, little bro'!
July 20, 2005
Not Your Daddy's GOP
"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest,
educate our children and, now, die, I think the Republicans have
done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives."
-- Sunday Portland Oregonian
May 27, 2005
adventures of governor flash
Can't figure out how to solve real problems? Take a tip from the Governator: make up your own problem and solve it as a little pick-me-up.
Sigh.
April 25, 2005
wanted: mayor
Whew! That caught me by surprise. How was I to know that the mayor of San Diego resigning would be national news?
My favorite part:
"Councilman Michael Zucchet, the city's deputy mayor, will become acting mayor. Zucchet, who faces a federal trial next month for allegedly accepting bribes from the owner of a strip club, defended the mayor as an honorable man whose resignation took courage."
I'm relieved to know the city will be in good hands.
March 18, 2005
gov't by the people
Here's a follow-up to my earlier post on this administration's budget priorities. A recent PIPA study shows that most Americans have similar budget priorities, but those priorities are very different from the budget proposed by the President and Congress.
“The American public as a whole takes a fairly coherent position. They favor redirecting a portion of defense spending to deficit reduction and social spending and look for savings by cutting spending on large-scale Cold War style capabilities...”
Fancy that. We all agree, red-staters and blue-staters alike. So why aren't our representatives being representative?
March 16, 2005
he sure can pick 'em
Does anyone else see a trend in the recent US nominations to world-facing positions? First Condi as Secretary of State, then John Bolton, a guy who hates the UN, as UN ambassador, and now Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank. Honestly, it's like making David Duke the ambassador to Kenya.
Peter Bosshard (from the article) put it best:
"In his career, Wolfowitz has so far not shown any interest in poverty reduction, environmental protection and human rights. His election as World Bank president would most likely exacerbate the current backlash against social and environmental concerns at the World Bank, and would initiate a new era of conflict between the Bank and civil society."
March 07, 2005
Screw the Children
The 2006 budget proposed by the Bush administration is truly sickening. This article by Molly Ivins says it so well that I'm too disgusted to comment.
For a friendlier version of how easy it would be to change our budget priorities, Ben Cohen explains it with cookies.
February 18, 2005
the best defense is a good... lie
OK, so let me get this straight. We're spending $9 billion a year on a 'missile defense' which a) doesn't stop missiles even in simple testing and b) wouldn't deter anyone from developing or deploying missiles. If that's the case, I have a "bullet defense" here that consists of waving a pen vaguely in the direction of a loaded gun. How much is that worth? Do I get extra points if having the pen constitutes a treaty violation?
January 21, 2005
Meanwhile, back in Iran...
Why is Dick Cheney smiling?
See Iraq for details.
Let's hope America (and Congress) won't be fooled so easily this time...
January 12, 2005
Meanwhile, back in Iraq...
In case you're still keeping score:
- Weapons of Mass Destruction found before invasion: 0
- Weapons of Mass Destruction declared by US before invasion: LOTS
- US Cost in dollars: 150,000,000,000
- US military deaths: 1,357
- Iraqi civilians killed: 15,289
- Weapons of Mass Destruction found after invasion: 0
January 10, 2005
Bluer than blue
The Depressed Democrat's Guide to Recovery. 'Nuf said. Enjoy!
January 03, 2005
er, happy new year
Here's hoping that 2005 will be better than 2004.
December 17, 2004
mayoral wraiths
It's nice to know that San Diego is becoming known for something politically positive instead of the usual.
December 15, 2004
Media Matters
In case you're feeling voiceless and depressed lately, here's a little article about sending a note to the FCC.
November 13, 2004
Stomachache Time Again
My brother Carl sent me the URL of Theocracy Watch. I guess being informed is our best defense... Still it makes me feel pretty scared in a tummy-twisting kind of way.
November 10, 2004
mumble red state mumble
Hey kids, I'm not sure I'm up to this idea of embracing the red states. I'm usually all for that kind of thing, but it gets difficult when they don't want to be friendly. (Josh Marshall explains my reluctance more eloquently than I could.) A case in point is this recent explosion of fascist vitriol masquerading as a "modest proposal" for mainstream America:
As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions...
When they tire of showering conservative victims with ideological mud, liberals promote the only other subjects with which they feel conversationally comfortable: Obscenity and sexual perversion. It's as if the genes of liberals have rendered them immune to all forms of filth.
As a final insult, liberal lawyers and judges have become locusts of the Left, conspiring to destroy democracy itself by excreting statutes and courtroom tactics that fertilize electoral fraud and sprout fields of vandals who will cast undeserved and copious ballots on Election Day.
(Yes, you heard that right. Our crimes include talking about sex and encouraging everyone to vote.)
Ugh. That commentary would have sickened me if I hadn't been bolstered by the simple beauty of Sorry Everybody, a collection of heart-felt apologies to the rest of the world (i.e. victims of our foreign policy) and sweet replies from the world community.
November 08, 2004
adrift in the red sea
OK, OK, I'll write something about the election. I was just giving it a chance to... cool off or something.
The bad news: four more years of Bush. No link for that, because everyone knows it already. The good news: four more years of Fafblog, and that almost makes it worthwhile. OK, it doesn't, but we can still laugh. Her. her. heh.
Oh, and in case you suddenly feel surrounded by hordes of brain-eating Jesus-talkin' red-state zombies, please review the map that puts the election results in perspective. Scroll down to that last map and behold our shredded country, at the very least. It doesn't change the basic fact that 51% of voters actually seemed to vote for Bush, but it tones down that feeling of "religious uprising" that we keep hearing about.
November 03, 2004
Exhaling
Alright, people, are any of y'all going to post with something helpful? I am feeling totally depressed. I'm trying not to. I console myself with "we lived through Reagan and the first Bush, we can live through this." But I alternate with, "so how do you know when the water is starting to boil and it's time to flee for your life?" I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors after all.
I consider the poor educational system in this country, our provincial attitudes towards the rest of the world -- I mean, how many people in the U.S. can actually name and locate an African country or a baltic state on a map? Forget that, how many could even find France?
I listen to Democracy Now! and realize that most everyone else is watching Fox News or some derivation. I really do think that Rupert Murdoch is the anti-christ and I don't even believe in that stuff. I do believe Michael Moore when he says that Americans are decent people -- or at least like to think they are decent people. So what is it? Are we, as a country, just so poorly informed that we fall for all the doublespeak? Are we so anti-intellectual that half of us are willing to vote for an arrogant upper class man who pretends to be a good ol' working class boy?
'Course it wasn't like the choices were terribly great -- giant douche or turd sandwich? You South Park fans will get the reference. Guess I'll just watch the Daily Show and South Park and try to keep my depression from becoming overwhelming.
November 02, 2004
holding our breath
From a post on Slashdot today:
Your friends are watching you
All around the world, we're watching you today. We love America, we want you to lead and inspire and show us what democracy and freedom and technology can do. But right now we're feeling scared, confused, and angry about what your President has lead you to do over the past three years.
Please, give us back the America we admire and believe in. Don't turn yourselves into a religious state. Don't turn your back on the UN and the other peoples of the world - in the end we are people first, American or French or Iraqi or Chinese second. Give us back the America that went to the moon and carried out the Berlin airlift and brought us the IT revolution. Give us back the America of Kennedy's vision and MLK's dream.
And please, don't let the world's most successful democracy be reduced to a joke with a repeat of last election's Floridan antics.
October 30, 2004
The Ghost of Election Day Past
I've been doing searches on where we were 4 years ago, just a few days before the election. I remembered polls showed the election was close. What I didn't remember was that Bush had 47%, Gore had just 43%, and Nader had 5% (link). Despite those numbers, the election was too close to call, and Gore (despite this interesting curio of an article) won the popular vote.
The most recent Reuters/Zogby poll has Kerry up by one point. That actually looks a LOT better than last election. Cross your fingers, pray, whatever. And go Packers!!!
October 28, 2004
nail-biting supplies
If you're going to be a nervous election-news junkie like me next Tuesday, USA Election Atlas might be a useful page to bookmark. They have a map of when polls close in each state, and it looks like they'll be filling in vote counts as they come in over time.
Or, like Ben, you could sleep the blissful sleep of one who doesn't know what all the fuss about Red and Blue is.
October 22, 2004
on polls and poles
I'm wary of posting links to anything pollish. Not that I have anything against polls, but they do tend to... what's the word?... lie.
However, I've become mesmerized by the Race 2004 poll summary site, mostly because it has pretty colors. Er, I mean it has a state-by-state breakdown of polling, with predictions of the election winner based on the electoral college, not the popular vote.
Watching the swing states shift from day to day underscores how tight this race really is, but looking at the "if the election were held today" numbers shows how a dramatic victory can be accomplished by shifting a few votes here, a few votes there...
If it gets too much for you, take your mind off it with some comedy: You Forgot Poland. Fnord.
October 20, 2004
terrified by terror
It's almost becoming a cliche that our President and his administration say one thing and do the opposite. The most recent evidence of this comes from the LA Times, where Robert Scheer has an excellent article on the CIA covering up a critical 9/11 report until after the election.
On a side note, all the legislation, spending requests, troop movements, and revelations that have been postponed by the administration until after the elections are going to make November a very busy month. I just hope that recount craziness in Florida, Ohio, or wherever (oh, there will be some) doesn't distract us from important goings-on in Washington.
October 12, 2004
Why We Should Dread Scott
Interesting (and utterly convincing) article from Slate.com on the real reason Bush said he wouldn't appoint a judge who condoned the Dred Scott decision. Turns out it was "an invisible high-five to the Christian right."
I'm even scareder now than I was before...
September 22, 2004
Dictation
Now that he can't use the WMD justification, the terrorist justification, or the International Community justification, Our Fair President has devolved to using the dictator justification to explain why we invaded Iraq at a cost of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. The Daily Mislead begs to differ with that reasoning.
September 20, 2004
Finally, some honesty
I just read the most astute, honest portrayal of the Iraq situation I've seen since the whole frenzy started. It's balanced, it's backed by facts, and amazingly enough it offers a coherent plan for how to both restore the country and get U.S. troops out of there as soon as possible.
The author? John Kerry. I know, I'm as surprised as anyone.
It really is a good read, and it's the only thing I've read so far that gives me hope of getting out of this quagmire.
September 13, 2004
Monumental failure
Talking Points Memo has an excellent article on why W and Kerry are still neck-and-neck in the polls despite W's disastrous policies in Iraq becoming more obviously disastrous each day.
Bush has sought -- with real success -- to edge Iraq out of the campaign dialogue by putting the issue back on to Kerry, asking what he would do differently...
...in this way, [he] has managed to derive political advantage from the magnitude of his own failure.
Politically, Kerry needs to ignore the commentators who will press him to come up with a twenty point plan ... though the way forward may be murky, the last person you want to lead the country down that foggy path is the guy who screwed everything up so badly in the first place.
September 09, 2004
A silly question
If we're supposed to be done "liberating" Iraq, then why are we still bombing it?
September 03, 2004
I love Jon Stewart
You didn't think I forgot about our political pickle, did you? Here's The Daily Show's take on the overarching message of the RNC: "Words Speak Louder Than Facts."
September 01, 2004
Excellent Coverage
Democracy Now has been doing some excellent coverage of the republican convention as well as the protests surrounding the republican convention -- this is the news as it should be reported!!!
August 30, 2004
Axis of Eve
Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Anyone who creates Panties with a Purpose is all right by me.
Perhaps they should coordinate with Barlow's DanceMob and really shake things up. So to speak.
Gall
As cynical as I am about the post-PATRIOT government, I was still shocked to hear that the Justice Department redacted this line from an ACLU court filing:
"The danger to political dissent is acute where the Government attempts to act under so vague a concept as the power to protect 'domestic security.' Given the difficulty of defining the domestic security interest, the danger of abuse in acting to protect that interest becomes apparent."
So, they abused "domestic security" privileges to remove a Supreme Court statement condemning the very same abuse of privilege.
I have no response to that...
August 20, 2004
Just Frustrated
Rant: Why has no one done anything with this Nov. 20, 2002 George W. Bush quotation? Bob Woodward used it in his book and the Washington Post, and I heard Bush saying it on 60 Minutes (It was what turned my lifelong Republican mom against Bush!). I think someone like MoveOn needs to just run an ad with a photo of Bush and his following statement: "I'm the commander, I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation...." Any idea how to get this idea to the right organization?
Conservatism and what's wrong with it
Phil Agre has written an excellent article on Conservatism, both defining what it is and illustrating its opposition to democracy and equality.
Liberals in the United States have been losing political debates to conservatives for a quarter century. In order to start winning again, liberals must answer two simple questions: what is conservatism, and what is wrong with it? As it happens, the answers to these questions are also simple...
August 12, 2004
Gotta love hypocrisy
"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So, I certainly wouldn't imitate it." --Alan Keyes, on Fox News, 2000.
[quote via BAGnewsNotes]
August 05, 2004
Brilliant
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
July 20, 2004
cuts both ways
I ordered my copy of Outfoxed today, and it's left me feeling ornery. Here are some political quickies:
- The bin Laden vote
- Something to make us ill with shame
- Refreshing humor
- The facts behind the film
- A little something to chew on
July 14, 2004
Idiocy
WARNING: rant alert! Read on if you don't mind me ranting about idiots.
July 12, 2004
horrible screaming monkeys
If The Onion hired Emo Phillips and Pee-Wee Herman to do their editorials, then it might turn out something like Fafblog. It's bizarre at first, but once you get past the odd characters and grammatic white noise the cutting political humor emerges, like the young lady becoming the old lady. Or something.
Continue reading "horrible screaming monkeys"
June 16, 2004
Faithful America
I know, it sounds like an ad for the 700 club, but actually it's an ad of apology and solidarity meant to be seen on Arab television.
June 10, 2004
The (over)long goodbye
I'm glad I'm not the only one looking for a bit of perspective about the Reagan presidency. The article calls for a bit more "balance" than I'd allow, but at least it's more thoughtful than the current love-fest has been.
Reagan's growing reputation as the great victor in the Cold War who made Mikhail Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall depends on looking at Reagan and his times through the light cast by subsequent events.
...To one who covered many of the key international events of that day, Reagan seemed in fact to come late to a realistic view of the Soviet Union and the world, and -- like most presidents -- to have improvised furiously and not always successfully in foreign affairs.
May 18, 2004
Just... so... blatant...
Today's Daily Mislead is a beautiful example of irony. A factory in Canton, Ohio touted in 2003 by Our Fair President as an example of how tax cuts for the rich will affect the future of employment has been shut down by its owner, putting 1,300 people out of work. I'm sure it's a comfort to the people of Canton that their former employer will receive more in tax cuts than all of them combined.
May 14, 2004
"Useable" nukes are no such thing
From TrueMajority:
Last year, TrueMajority and a whole group of other organizations urged Congress to stop funding the nuclear "bunker buster" bomb. The budget was cut in half. Now the Bush administration is trying to get it funded again.
Tell Congress the answer is still NO.
The chairman of our Military Advisory Committee, Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan (USN, ret.) literally had his finger on the button. Here's what he's got to say:
Continue reading ""Useable" nukes are no such thing"
April 11, 2004
Queer Eye Indeed
This is a cute satire put out by Planned Parenthood to promote their March for Women's Lives on April 25th.
April 08, 2004
LexiCondi
I'm not particularly interested in Condoleeza Rice's testimony today, but I love Slate's analysis of the careful wording she used to make the same action damn Clinton and let Bush off the hook.
Bake back the White House!
No, that's not a typo. MoveOn is coordinating a country-wide bake sale to raise money (and awareness) for the upcoming election. I hope someone has one nearby!
I also love the subtle parody of the Bush campaign. Folks who sell lots of baked goods will be "Pioneers" and "Rangers", the Bushie name for super-rich donors. Hopefully that will get lots of news coverage.
April 07, 2004
Cringe!
Bush is such a diplomat. Yikes.
[There's a non-subscription version of the same AP story as well. --Ed.]
March 26, 2004
All on the same side now
When Bush said he'd be a uniter, he probably didn't mean uniting Democrats against him.
March 25, 2004
Speaking of a fight...
From Geov Parrish in the WorkingForChange newsletter:
This year's presidential race is going to be the most important the United States, and the world, has seen in decades. At least. And it is going to be very, very nasty. Liberals had better stop being nice, stop being complacent or cynical or despairing or disengaged, and take your gloves off. Now.
If you were defending yourself, your spouse, your loved ones, your kids from a life-threatening menace, you wouldn't engage in polite debate with the menace. You'd do what was necessary to make sure it could do no harm. That's Election 2004. Your job prospects are on the line. Your retirement. Your future health care. Your civil liberties. Your constitutional rights. Your kids' educations. Their kids' portion of the insane debts now being paid off to the hyperwealthy, assuming there's a natural world left to be poor in by the time these parasites finish any second term. And, beyond it all, it's your city or town increasingly likely to be targeted by some fanatic from some far side of the world who hates what your government did to murder his family.
March 19, 2004
It's good to have allies
Since many folks seem surprised when I tell them about the Bush adminstration's latest problems with Medicare, jobs, WMD, mercury, and a host of other issues, I figured a link to the House Committee on Government Reform Minority Office was in order.
That's a mouthful, but basically it's an inside-the-beltway watchdog group investigating, among other things, the Administration's duplicitous statements about public policy. (i.e. the aforementioned Lies and Lying Liars.)
Bush Evades Own Trade Ban
From today's Daily Mislead:
According to a new report, President Bush's official campaign is selling clothing made in Burma - a country whose goods Bush banned for sale in the U.S. because of their awful human rights, narcotics and sex trafficking record. According to Newsday, "the merchandise sold on www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma, now Myanmar.
Read the rest and be sure to sign up for the e-mail newsletter. It's good stuff.
February 26, 2004
Send that rant to Congress!
The ACLU -- such a WONDERFUL organization, worthy of much praise and many donations -- has set up a web page so that you can fax your congressional representatives about the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
February 25, 2004
Amending the Constitution
Hello everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick!)
Um, just thought I'd post Salon.com's guide to the steps in ratifying a new constitutional amendment. Something to keep tabs on with all of this amendment against gay marriage talk that's been going on (and a response to the fear and paranoia I've expressed in earlier e-mails).
February 09, 2004
Howard Dean, Person
I just read this and thought you might find it interesting:
"The man is interesting, like him or not, and that's a rarity in US politics where candidates are as exciting as toothpaste or underarm deodorant, because that's exactly how they want us to view them, as products, not people. Enter Howard Dean, person."
February 02, 2004
Time Warp
I happened upon something interesting at Slate magazine. Apparently back in the early 70s, John Kerry was a subject of some old Doonesbury cartoons. When I saw the link, I thought that the comic strips might be "old" ones (as in not really old, but meant to look like it), but they appear to be genuine. So check out the "gorgeous preppie"!
January 30, 2004
Lies and lying liars
You probably all get the Daily Mislead already, but I just had to point out today's coverage because the lies are so amazingly blatant:
Bush's Economic Optimism Belied by Deficits, Unemployed
I can't say it any better than they do. I also find it astonishing that anyone believes anything this administration says anymore.
January 27, 2004
Grassroots Radio
There is a low power FM "micro-radio" movement (in case you hadn't heard) and Radio4All gives you access to the movement, downloadable (free!) audio and some of the stations.
Some of the audio comes from the LA Sound Posse who record and make available such items as Vandana Shiva's lecture at Scripps College last December on "Real Wealth, Real Poverty: How Economic Globalization is Robbing the Poor of Wealth."
Listen, learn and act, people! :)
December 18, 2003
Bush in 30 Seconds
MoveOn is sponsoring a contest to find a 30-second commercial that summarizes all the reasons why Bush shouldn't be re-elected. They were more successful than they thought. Over 1000 potential ads were entered, so they need your help to judge the ads and pick your favorites. You don't have to watch them all; just 20 at a time whenever you can. Who knows; you might find a real gem!
December 01, 2003
Heinlein the Prophet
No link, sorry. But I'm re-reading Friday by Robert Heinlein and our heroine has just arrived in the Confederacy of California:
"But only in California will you find the clear-quill, raw-gum, two-hundred-proof, undiluted democracy...They elect everybody, from precinct parasite to the Chief Confederate ("The Chief"). But they unelect them almost as fast. For example the Chief is supposed to serve one six-year term. But, of the last nine chiefs, only two served a full six years; the others were recalled except that one who was lynched. In many cases an official has not yet been sworn in when the first recall petition is being circulated."
Creepy, eh?
November 25, 2003
Holy Matrimony, Batman!
Will Massachusetts single-handedly destroy marriage?
This is a good article, kids, I highly recommend you read it, if only to discover "The Wiggles" website. But most importantly to support your married lesbian friends . . .
Note: Here's another good one. It's hard to respond to the ridiculousness of the issue with anything less than full blown sarcasm.
November 24, 2003
Rights eroding before our eyes
Looks like our fair legislature slipped one past us again. Since the PATRIOT II bill was shot down before it even made it to Congress, some of the proponents decided to sneak parts of it into an otherwise-innocuous spending bill. The new amendment widens the scope of the FBI's information-subpoena powers to include businesses like casinos, travel agencies, and the US Postal Service.
October 08, 2003
Oh, Crap.
As Karen says, Governor-elect Actor-pants is in.
Sigh.
He has two years (or so) to prove that he can successfully manage the world's 5th-largest economy.
September 30, 2003
Recall Posters!
Cute little posters for y'all to print out and display for "vote no on the recall" day!
September 24, 2003
Blood Money
Well, the Bush family wealth seems to have a bloody history according to this article.
Wonder if my grandmother was "managed" by Prescott Bush?
September 17, 2003
Newsworthy
I think Jaime might agree with this catholic nun again.
A (news)worthy read.
September 15, 2003
Vanguard of the Bush Backlash
I haven't had much time to comment on Bush administration lies lately. Luckily, folks are doing that for me:
September 12, 2003
Tell Bush to recall himself
I can't help but agree to this:
September 09, 2003
RAWA!
From the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan website:
RAWA is the oldest political/social organization of Afghan women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy and women's rights in fundamentalism-blighted Afghanistan.
If you are freedom-loving and anti-fundamentalist,
you are with RAWA. Support and help us.
Guess we're all with 'em, aren't we?
September 05, 2003
The Blogs of Iraq
This is the article that tells ya about it: Live from Iraq, it's the real story
by Jon Carroll
September 04, 2003
Voting No on the Recall?
If you're planning to vote NO on the recall, please let me know by signing the pledge at MoveOn.org.
Thanks!
August 28, 2003
You and Cancun
Why You Should Come to Cancun
By Starhawk
From September 10-15, the World Trade Organization will attempt to hold a ministerial in Cancun, Mexico. They will be opposed by campesinos, students, international activists, NGOs, and a strong contingent of the Mayan Gods and Goddesses (at least, in the form of giant puppets.) Here's why you should be there, too, if you possibly can-or in one of the many support actions around the globe if you can't get to Cancun itself.
Continue reading "You and Cancun"
August 27, 2003
The Bush Administration's Senseless Need to Retaliate
The following is a quote from an Al Franken interview I read this morning, with an explanatory link thrown in. I don't like this at all:
"So this is the mindset of the right, that they have to punish you. Joe Wilson, the former Gabon ambassador, was sent to Niger by the CIA and came back and said the uranium claims weren't true. And when the controversy started broiling again about the 16 words in the State of the Union address and Wilson wrote the piece in New York Times, senior administration officials blew the cover on his wife, who was a covert [CIA] operative. And it jeopardized the lives not only of her contacts but every American, because she was a covert agent in weapons of mass destruction. And it's a way of intimidating other analysts who might come forward, and there's a parallel here: You will be punished if you come after us.
I really think the Wilson thing is the most disgraceful action of any White House since Iran Contra."
August 23, 2003
More on breastfeeding and photos
Apparently it has been decided in Texas that pictures of breastfeeding are "lewd." Ah. Obviously. Chris and Karen had best be careful, when the time comes, not to shoot anything that is "equivalent to sex". This will make Karen very, very angry (if she hasn't heard about it already).
August 20, 2003
Instant Runoff Voting
Since there's all this interest in voting in California, you might want to take a moment to get to know the proposed Instant Runoff Voting idea. It won't make it into this recall election, but it should.
Continue reading "Instant Runoff Voting"
VICTORY cigarette, anyone?
Our beloved John Ashcroft is touring the country to campaign for the PATRIOT Act, extolling it's virtues in protecting us from terrorism. Why campaign for an act already enacted, you ask? Not only would he like to extend it, but soon we'll see the new, improved VICTORY Act which elevates his power to that of a full-fledged police state. (There's no little irony that Victory is the brand of choice in Orwell's 1984.)
Angry? Then do what I did and oppose the VICTORY Act before it even has a chance to rear its ugly head. It's an online petition, yes, but it's one that has the Dean campaign behind it, so it'll get press.
August 18, 2003
I'm a Dean girl, myself...
My brother Carl sent me this neat test to determine which presidential candidate (who has declared candidacy) is my best match for election 2004. I was 100% with Dean, but only 19% with G.W. Bush. Go figure!
Corporateering: the Gangs of America
Two new books worthy of our attention.
A new book by Ted Nace that you can read online.
From the Gangs of America website:
Corporations are the dominant force in modern life, surpassing even church and state. The largest are richer than entire nations, and courts have given these entities more rights than people. To many Americans, corporate power seems out of control.
And another book by Jamie Court with a forward by Michael Moore.
From the Corporateering website:
Corporateer: v. to prioritize commerce over culture; n. one who prioritizes commerce over culture
This book offers empowering strategies for counter-corporateering so we can reclaim our private lives, our right to health and safety, and other personal liberties.
Remember, knowledge is power.
August 14, 2003
GMO -- Genetically Modifying Oh, About Everything and Everybody
Well, some of the studies are in and the results don't look too good.
A bit propaganda-ish, but worth the read.
August 10, 2003
Meanwhile, back in Iraq...
Just a reminder that life in Iraq is still hell under the American occupation. Please do remember that when Bush says that war was justified for whatever stupid reason he's come up with this week.
August 06, 2003
More gay marriage ramblings...
My brother Carl wandered by and noted that he had listened to a bit of Rush Limbaugh Tuesday, for the sake of fun, and learned Rush was taking credit for the argument that marriage isn't about affirming one's love for another person, it's about having children. Apparently others on the right side of the pool are making the same argument and Rush wants us to know he thought of it first.
I suggested that elderly couples shouldn't be allowed to marry, by this token, and that single women should lose the right to marry as soon as they hit menopause. Carl told me to be quiet. Someone might hear me and run with the idea!
In a mood, I did some web searching and came up with this fun thing from a while ago by a heterosexual guy in Vermont. It actually is a fun thing, and it's called Civil Unions Destroyed My Marriage.
Lord, do I love Betty!
You may already be familiar with this, but here is one of my favorite (harsh) parody sites, BettyBowers.com. Betty Bowers is a Christian fundamentalist (I was going to say a caricature of a Christian fundamentalist, but I'm not so sure there's actually any exaggeration going on) with a lot to say on a lot of issues. The site always makes me happy....
For instance, Is Fabulous President George W. Bush a Fabulous Homosexual? analyzes the evidence! I had been whining about the word "fabulous" before, but they take it to a whole new level. Betty and co. even designed a protest letter.
August 01, 2003
Proof of my sad sense of humor
So, Larry Flynt is going to run for governor of California, is he?
I find this funny because:
1. I'd LOVE to see cheap-labor conservative Issa's face if his bid to oust Gray Davis led to Flynt coming into power...ha! ha!
and
2. I'll be far away in Michigan the day of the election, celebrating my birthday and pretending I don't know any of you weird Californians.
Cheap-labor Conservatives
Oooh, Deb's going to love this one: Defeat the right in three minutes.
Be sure to read it all the way through. The argument may seem oversimplified, but it provides a lever to achieve some really astute observations. The author's weblog takes the discussion further.
If you've ever found it difficult to understand the behavior of Cheap-Labor Conservatives (and I have), this may just shed some light.
Breastfeeding man = risque?
OK, who can explain to me why a poster of a man breastfeeding at work would be controversial? I just can't see it.
Let's tick off the elements:
A man in a suit with his chest exposed. If this was a problem, most Guess ads would be banned.
A man holding his child. Can't even imagine a problem there.
A man with his child on his chest. I've seen that in Sears catalogs, for cryin' out loud.
A baby in a diaper. Um, yeah.
An office. Uh-huh.
I got it. It must be the poster of Lucy Lawless' legs on the wall.
Seriously, though, the real reason it was pulled was the same reason it was made: it makes people think about the double-standard we still have. If men needed to breastfeed at work, do you think there'd be any problem?
July 31, 2003
And now for the ranting.
I would like to be as sophisticated as Chris, and as brief, but I can't. So I'll start with "AAAaargh!" I understand that the Vatican is all about tradition. I understand that homosexuality is a touchy subject for them, especially as it's turning out that many "celibate" priests are not, and at the expense of kids who are at a severe power disadvantage. Still, the Pope gets to make rules for Catholics, because that's how the system works. I accept that. BUT...
Now the Vatican thinks that it gets to make rules for everyone, even you and me. So everyone "committed to promoting and defending the common good of society" (which I actually THOUGHT included me), whether Catholic or not, is supposed to oppose homosexual marriage, and not just that, but any legislation that would give gay couples the same rights as married couples.
"Why?" you may ask. Go ahead, ask. Okay, I'll play Pope and explain. See, kids, homosexuality violates something called "natural moral law." God, who is omnipotent, didn't intend for there to be homosexuality. Humans are sinful creatures with free will, and homosexuality is just a terrible perversion of what God wanted, but since we can do what we want, it sometimes happens.
If our all-powerful God intended there to be homosexuality, there would be homosexual animals, right? See, animals don't have free will, they HAVE to follow God's laws. And since there are no verified examples of homosexual behavior among, say, oh, I don't know... penguins, bonobo chimps, whales, giraffes, rodents, geese or bears... (These are NOT just random examples.) ...then homosexuality must be unnatural, right? And a violation of this "natural moral law," right?
Our friends the Italians are fighting the good fight, though, with great protest signs like "Democracy, yes. Theocracy, no." and are comparing the Vatican to the Taliban. The Italians literally have Vatican City surrounded, so we can hope. And pray.
July 30, 2003
An honest, fabulous person
From:
Bush Accepts Blame for African Uranium Charge
Bush is taking responsibility for lying about the whole uranium/Iraq thing. But we're not to blame Condy Rice at all. In fact, Bush says of her, "Dr. Condoleezza Rice is an honest, fabulous person and America is lucky to have her service, period."
This sounds perfectly fair, except that according to my Webster's II, "fabulous" means both "of the nature of a fable or myth" and "barely credible." Bush's subconscious is starting to play on him, perhaps?