trafficker of information

You know, Gore still can't give a speech for the life of him... you really have to cringe at times

But it was really fun to see him with the gloves off. I think he did really well....

MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action: "FREEDOM AND SECURITY"

see it: here

highlights from the draft:

"I want to challenge the Bush Administration’s implicit assumption that we have to give up many of our traditional freedoms in order to be safe from terrorists.

Because it is simply not true.

In fact, in my opinion, it makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Osama Bin Laden.

In both cases, the Administration has attacked the wrong target.

In both cases they have recklessly put our country in grave and unnecessary danger, while avoiding and neglecting obvious and much more important challenges that would actually help to protect the country.

In both cases, the administration has fostered false impressions and misled the nation with superficial, emotional and manipulative presentations that are not worthy of American Democracy.

In both cases they have exploited public fears for partisan political gain and postured themselves as bold defenders of our country while actually weakening not strengthening America.

In both cases, they have used unprecedented secrecy and deception in order to avoid accountability to the Congress, the Courts, the press and the people.

Indeed, this Administration has turned the fundamental presumption of our democracy on its head. A government of and for the people is supposed to be generally open to public scrutiny by the people -- while the private information of the people themselves should be routinely protected from government intrusion.

But instead, this Administration is seeking to conduct its work in secret even as it demands broad unfettered access to personal information about American citizens. Under the rubric of protecting national security, they have obtained new powers to gather information from citizens and to keep it secret. Yet at the same time they themselves refuse to disclose information that is highly relevant to the war against terrorism.

They are even arrogantly refusing to provide information about 9/11 that is in their possession to the 9/11 Commission – the lawful investigative body charged with examining not only the performance of the Bush Administration, but also the actions of the prior Administration in which I served. The whole point is to learn all we can about preventing future terrorist attacks,"

"Rather than defending our freedoms, this Administration has sought to abandon them. Rather than accepting our traditions of openness and accountability, this Administration has opted to rule by secrecy and unquestioned authority. Instead, its assaults on our core democratic principles have only left us less free and less secure."

"Instead of trying to make the “War on Terrorism” a bipartisan cause, the Bush White House has consistently tried to exploit it for partisan advantage. The President goes to war verbally against terrorists in virtually every campaign speech and fundraising dinner for his political party. It is his main political theme. Democratic candidates like Max Cleland in Georgia were labeled unpatriotic for voting differently from the White House on obscure amendments to the Homeland Security Bill.



When the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Tom DeLay, was embroiled in an effort to pick up more congressional seats in Texas by forcing a highly unusual redistricting vote in the state senate, he was able to track down Democratic legislators who fled the state to prevent a quorum (and thus prevent the vote) by enlisting the help of President Bush’s new Department of Homeland Security, as many as 13 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration who conducted an eight-hour search, and at least one FBI agent (though several other agents who were asked to help refused to do so.)"

"The White House timing for its big push for a vote in Congress on going to war with Iraq also happened to coincide exactly with the start of the fall election campaign in September a year ago. The President’s chief of staff said the timing was chosen because “from a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”

White House political advisor Karl Rove advised Republican candidates that their best political strategy was to “run on the war”. And as soon as the troops began to mobilize, the Republican National Committee distributed yard signs throughout America saying, “I support President Bush and the troops” -- as if they were one and the same."

Our framers were also keenly aware that the history of the world proves that Republics are fragile. The very hour of America’s birth in Philadelphia, when Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What have we got? A Republic or a Monarchy?” he cautiously replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

" And even in the midst of our greatest testing, Lincoln knew that our fate was tied to the larger question of whether ANY nation so conceived could long endure.

This Administration simply does not seem to agree that the challenge of preserving democratic freedom cannot be met by surrendering core American values. Incredibly, this Administration has attempted to compromise the most precious rights that America has stood for all over the world for more than 200 years: due process, equal treatment under the law, the dignity of the individual, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from promiscuous government surveillance. And in the name of security, this Administration has attempted to relegate the Congress and the Courts to the sidelines and replace our democratic system of checks and balances with an unaccountable Executive. And all the while, it has constantly angled for new ways to exploit the sense of crisis for partisan gain and political dominance. How dare they!"

Yahoo! News - GOP Plans 'Marathon' On Judges: "A brewing rebellion by conservative activists has prompted Senate Republican leaders to plan to devote at least 30 straight hours of debate next week to their bid to confirm a handful of judicial nominees being blocked by Democrats. The Republicans are bringing in food and cots for the 'Justice for Judges Marathon,' scheduled for Wednesday night through Friday morning."

The Emerging Democratic Majority WebLog - DonkeyRising

You and Me and Bill Gates Makes Three
Three of what? Why the “investor class” of course! This is the absurd concept, promulgated by Republican operatives and ideologues, that because you and me and zillions of other Americans have at least some money in the stock market, even if only indirectly in retirement plans, we’re all in the same class with Bill Gates and other people with the big bucks. And because of that we–our class!–want to cut regulation, taxes and social spending so that the health of America’s companies can be safeguarded and our stock portfolios can keep going up. Furthermore, since the investor class is growing–more and more people have at least some investments in stocks–the future of the GOP is bright, since Republicans are the party that supports such policies.

Put this way, it almost sounds too silly to be taken seriously–the quasi-Marxist (capitalists of the world, unite!) pipe dream of Republicans frustrated by the many ways demographic change is hurting the GOP. But, somewhat amazingly to DR, people do take it seriously.

Case for war confected, say top US officials:

"An unprecedented array of US intelligence professionals, diplomats and former Pentagon officials have gone on record to lambast the Bush administration for its distortion of the case for war against Iraq. In their view, the very foundations of intelligence-gathering have been damaged in ways that could take years, even decades, to repair."

"The case for accusing Saddam Hussein of concealing weapons of mass destruction was, in the words of the veteran CIA operative Robert Baer, largely achieved through 'data mining' - going back over old information and trying to wrest new conclusions from it. The agenda, according to George Bush Senior's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Chas Freeman, was both highly political and profoundly misguided.

'The theory that you can bludgeon political grievances out of existence doesn't have much of a track record,' he says, 'so essentially we have been neo-conned into applying a school of thought about foreign affairs that has failed everywhere it has been tried.'"

"'My attitude was, wow, CIA people, I thought these were the bad guys,' Mr Greenwald said. 'Not everyone agreed on everything. Not everyone was against the war itself. But there was a universally shared opinion that we had been misled about the reasons for the war.'"

Machine Politics in the Digital Age: "BUT the controversy surrounding Diebold goes beyond its chief executive's political activities. In July, professors at Johns Hopkins University and Rice University analyzed the software code for the company's touch-screen voting machines and concluded that there was 'no evidence of rigorous software engineering discipline' and that 'cryptography, when used at all, is used incorrectly.'
Making matters worse, the software code for the machines was discovered in January by a Seattle-area writer on a publicly accessible Internet site. That the code was unprotected constitutes a significant security lapse by Diebold, said Aviel D. Rubin, an associate professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, co-author of the study of the code."

Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Governator's race: porn to run: "The story of Arnold Schwarzenegger's race to become governor of California is to be turned into a porn movie starring one of his fellow candidates."

The 'mouse' that caused an uproar in China | csmonitor.com: "Experts have debated for several years now whether expression in China is opening up or whether a steady stream of key arrests or removals of Chinese writers and editors means that speech is being diminished. Some argue that while individuals like Liu and others are detained, in the long run overall media freedoms in China are expanding, due to the rise of commercial press competition."

Kathleen and Bill Christison: Zionism as Racist Ideology: "It was a common line but with a new and intriguing twist: what if the Palestinians had accepted partition; would they in fact have lived in a state at peace since 1948? It was enough to make the audience stop and think. But later in the talk, the speaker tripped himself up by claiming, in a tone of deep alarm, that Palestinian insistence on the right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced when Israel was created would spell the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. He did not realize the inherent contradiction in his two assertions (until we later pointed it out to him, with no little glee). You cannot have it both ways, we told him: you cannot claim that, if Palestinians had not left the areas that became Israel in 1948, they would now be living peaceably, some inside and some alongside a Jewish-majority state, and then also claim that, if they returned now, Israel would lose its Jewish majority and its essential identity as a Jewish state.*"

"The UN General Assembly based its 1975 anti-Zionist resolution on the UN's own definition of racial discrimination, adopted in 1965. According to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, racial discrimination is 'any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.' As a definition of racism and racial discrimination, this statement is unassailable and, if one is honest about what Zionism is and what it signifies, the statement is an accurate definition of Zionism."

Hit & Run: New Frontiers in Private Surveillance: "November 06, 2003

Reader 'Jean Bart' passes along a Louisville Courier-Journal story about War-Line, a group that videotapes people as they enter porn shops or nudie bars and then posts their pictures on the Web. Kind of like one of those voyeur sites, except it's for folks who don't approve of voyeur sites."

OrlandoSentinel.com: Seminole County News: "A judge on Wednesday ordered junkman Alan Davis to prison for a year.

Even so, the 47-year-old Seminole County resident, who calls himself a political protester, remained defiant.

Moments before Circuit Judge Gene Stephenson imposed sentence, Davis, shackled at his wrists and feet, said that sometimes the only way to bring about change is through 'provocative defiance.'

Davis has been defying code enforcement authorities and Seminole County deputies for more than a decade, building hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

He's refused to clean up his yard, arguing that the airplane parts, auto parts, barrels and big pieces of fiberglass that choke it are art supplies, and that he's an artist."

What's Conservative about the Pledge of Allegiance?: "It's probably too much to ask politicians to reflect a little before they lunge for a political hot-button issue. But any conservatives so inclined should think about what they're defending. What's so conservative about the Pledge?
Very little, as it turns out. From its inception, in 1892, the Pledge has been a slavish ritual of devotion to the state, wholly inappropriate for a free people. It was written by Francis Bellamy, a Christian Socialist pushed out of his post as a Baptist minister for delivering pulpit-pounding sermons on such topics as 'Jesus the Socialist.' "

"Bellamy's recommended ritual for honoring the flag had students all but goosestepping their way through the Pledge: 'At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the Flag the military salute--right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it... At the words, 'to my Flag,' the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, towards the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.' After the rise of Nazism, this form of salute was thought to be in poor taste, to say the least, and replaced with today's hand-on-heart gesture. "

"Regardless of the legal merits of Newdow's case -- which rests on a rather ambitious interpretation of the First Amendment's Establishment clause -- it's ironic to see conservatives rally to such a questionable custom. Why do so many conservatives who, by and large, exalt the individual and the family above the state, endorse this ceremony of subordination to the government? Why do Christian conservatives say it's important for schoolchildren to bow before a symbol of secular power? Indeed, why should conservatives support the Pledge at all, with or without 'under God'?"

The Soviet Republic of Texas (washingtonpost.com): "YOU MIGHT THINK America's rigged system of congressional elections couldn't get much worse. Self-serving redistricting schemes nationwide already have left an overwhelming number of seats in the House of Representatives so uncompetitive that election results are practically as preordained as in the old Soviet Union. In the last election, for example, 98 percent of incumbents were reelected, and the average winning candidate got more than 70 percent of the vote. More candidates ran without any major-party opposition than won by a margin of less than 20 percent. Yet even given this record, the just-completed Texas congressional redistricting plan represents a new low. "

Yahoo! News - Japan Election Ends, Koizumi Leads Polls: "Japan's ruling coalition will narrowly retain power in parliamentary elections Sunday, an exit poll indicated, bolstering Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's mandate to press ahead with economic reforms. "

Who actually needed an academic study to tell you that???
MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Embedded reporters 'sanitised' Iraq war: "Television reports produced by 'embedded' correspondents in the Iraq conflict gave a sanitised picture of war, according to an academic study published by the BBC today."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | What next for Iraq? Experts have their say: "But Ms Pletka was more optimistic. 'Things are going, in many ways, better than expected,' she said. 'Surprisingly enough, the Iraqis are working extremely well together. They have great commonality of purpose ... Some of the biggest problems really come from us, not them.' "

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | What next for Iraq? Experts have their say: "Improving security, establishing a stable government and reviving the Iraqi economy are the three key steps to resolving the crisis in Iraq."

"All our experts agreed that the Americans had got it wrong. How to put it right was where they differed. "

here's one brillian idea "'We could stop driving around in Humvees without actually arresting anybody,' she said. 'We could arrest a lot of people, including all of the Ba'athists, the mukhabarat [secret police] and senior military who are floating around freely in Iraq. We could stop releasing people after we arrest them, often within 24 hours.' " Seriously, lets just throw everyone in jail

"But Ms Pletka was more optimistic. 'Things are going, in many ways, better than expected,' she said. 'Surprisingly enough, the Iraqis are working extremely well together. They have great commonality of purpose ... Some of the biggest problems really come from us, not them.' "

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Lula renews call for fairer trade: "Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has renewed calls for fairer trade rules for developing nations."

"In Mozambique Lula said Brazil wanted to repay the 'debt to Africa' by establishing a new policy of co-operation with the continent and contributing to its development.

Brazil imported African slaves as late as 1850 and abolished slavery only in 1888.
'Brazilian society was built through the work, sweat and blood of Africans,' Lula had noted."

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Violence feared as Guatemala votes: "Guatemalans are preparing to vote in presidential and congressional elections which have been overshadowed by campaign violence."

Ummm I hope so...

"All my friends are embryonic, all my friends are dead and gone..." -Hole

Salon.com Life | The feminine antiques: "What the hell happened to feminism?

It's the question that was almost -- but not quite -- addressed at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan on Wednesday night, when a bevy of broads, including writers Erica Jong, Susan Cheever, Wendy Wasserstein, and actress Sarah Jessica Parker gathered for a panel discussion. The event, billed as a discussion of 'Sex: Then and Now,' was being held in honor of the 30th anniversary of the publication of 'Fear of Flying,' Jong's seminal celebration of dirty talk. "

"It was time to ask Sarah Jessica Parker another question about 'Sex and the City.'
'The girls talking on 'Sex and the City,'' began Jong.
'Mmmm,' said Parker, deeply.
'Here are four women, sharing their lives ...'
'Mmmm-hmmmm,' said Parker.
'Their questionings about life ...'
'Hmmmm,' said Parker, more seriously.
'I am wondering if it opens the door for new kinds of television,' said Jong. She turned to Parker. 'Do you think so?'
'Um ... I hope so,' said the actress, perhaps taken aback at the ridiculousness of the query."

sieg heil

Salon.com News | Osama University?: "On Oct. 21, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that could require university international studies departments to show more support for American foreign policy or risk their federal funding. "

Salon.com Technology | Gone in the blink of an eye: "If every white-collar job that could be easily outsourced to Russia, China and India goes the way of the customer-service call center, 14 million positions will be eliminated in the U.S., according to 'The New Wave of Outsourcing,' an academic study released in late October. "

Salon.com News | They ban textbooks, don't they?: "Texas school officials rejected a widely used environmental textbook, claiming it was filled with errors. The author says they're censoring him because they didn't like his green views -- and he's suing."

Salon.com News | Mission demolished: "Bush and Co.'s Iraq adventure grows bloodier by the day -- thanks to the delusional hawks who planned only for a victory parade."

Salon.com News | A predictable tragedy

The government knows that Iraqi insurgents have a cache of shoulder-launched missiles. So why are troops still ferried in unprotected aircraft?

Economist.com: "A discussion with John Parker, Washington bureau chief of The Economist"

“As America takes a bigger slice in the world's affairs, more and more people are going to be conscious of the fact that some of the underlying qualities that make this possible are very strange to them...”

My retirement age is going up faster than you can say blatant fraud...

Economist.com: "America's fiscal position has deteriorated fast during George Bush's presidency. It will not be easy to reverse"

We got problems, big ones. For many complex reasons and quite a few simple ones to boot--one of those being a president capable of getting into a spat over what the definition of 'is' is when it comes to the economy. "While Team Bush touts tax cuts, it never mentions the other hallmark of this administration's fiscal policy: soaring federal spending. For all his rhetoric about keeping Washington in check, Mr Bush, as one Republican analyst puts it, has been spending like 'a drunken sailor'. " And this cut-tax and spend--not only a masterful starving of the beast--is a brilliant way to put todays issues onto tomorrows economy so that even if Bush doesn't get reelected we'll still have to fix whats getting broke now.

And its not just me...."[m]ore sober analysts are also worried. In their most recent poll, members of the National Association of Business Economists described the federal deficit as the biggest problem facing America's economy. A bipartisan coalition of three economic think-tanks—the Committee for Economic Development, the Concord Coalition and the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities—recently declared that, without a change in course, the next decade might be the “most fiscally irresponsible” in the country's history."

Because as anyone--including one of the leading promarket magazines of record can tell you--"[c]ontrary to the Bush team's rhetoric, America does not have a small, temporary fiscal problem. It has a large and growing one."

"The economic consequences are indisputably negative. Big budget deficits reduce America's already abysmally low saving rate. As the economy's slack is worked off, Uncle Sam's demand for dollars is likely to crowd out private investment and reduce long-term economic growth. Even if the global capital market helps out, America is already enormously reliant on foreigners to fund its spending: the current-account deficit, the measure of annual borrowing from foreigners, is at an historic high of 5.1% of GDP. Big budget deficits will aggravate these external imbalances and so raise the risk of financial volatility, even a dollar crisis. Over the next few years, that is perhaps the biggest risk that Mr Bush's fiscal policies pose for the world economy. "

So while Bush's fact-checkers (sic) are falling down on the job; and the media is allowing him to get off easier than someone who say lied about his sex life... my retirement age is going up faster than you can say blatant fraud...

"Look closely, and Mr Bush is also much less of a tax reformer than Mr Reagan was. In 1986, the Gipper presided over the biggest tax reform in modern American history. The tax base was broadened and rates were lowered, but the overall tax burden remained unchanged. Although Team Bush wants a reformed tax code, aimed at consumption rather than income, their strategy of tax reform via tax cuts will not produce a clean reform. Many of the subsidies and loopholes of the current system will remain. The result will be a narrower tax base, full of distortions, which shifts the burden of taxation towards poorer Americans.

The other big difference with the Gipper is that Mr Reagan was not averse to putting up taxes when too much red ink appeared. Taxes were raised several times during his presidency. Congressional rules on deficit reduction were introduced during Mr Reagan's second term. So far, at least, Team Bush has shown no such flexibility. There is no admission that America faces a fiscal mess, and no shifting from the mantra that all tax increases, at all times, are bad."