I visted Roger L. Simons's blog and by getting a new TypeKey account, I was able to leave a comment despite being banned. I realize that I don't have to read him to know what's on his blog: wingnut idiocy.
Here are just two examples:
We are a divided country unwilling to wage war against Islamic fascism. 11/11/06
I think most would agree that the Persian nation is at the heart of the world conflict. 11/18/06
We are willing to wage war, Roger, we just don't think Pres. Fredo can do it. And what's this stuff about Iran? I thought Iraq was the frontline in the WOT?
Thursday, December 07, 2006
GATES & McCAIN
Many news outlets reported the conversation between Sen. Levin and Robert Gates but few reported this one with McCain:
(From Lexis-Nexis)
(From Lexis-Nexis)
SHOW: AM 8:12 AM AEST ABC
December 6, 2006 Wednesday 8:12 AM AEST
Copyright 2006 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
JOHN MCCAIN: I'd like to follow on just what Senator Levin said. We are not winning the war in Iraq, is that correct?
ROBERT GATES: That is my view, yes, sir.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
THE DEAN INSIDE THE BELTWAY
(Via Atrios)
Yglesias finds this nonsense from the WaPo's David Broder:
That "wide range" did not include anyone who was opposed to the war. Again, via Atrios:
Feingold
On Countdown:
Crooks & Liars has the video clip.
Yglesias finds this nonsense from the WaPo's David Broder:
The nine men and one woman serving on the commission -- five from each party -- represented a wide range of political backgrounds and philosophical views.
That "wide range" did not include anyone who was opposed to the war. Again, via Atrios:
Feingold
On Countdown:
The fact is this commission was composed apparently entirely of people who did not have the judgment to oppose this Iraq war in the first place, and did not have the judgment to realize it was not a wise move in the fight against terrorism. So that's who is doing this report. Then I looked at the list of who testified before them. There is virtually no one who opposed the war in the first place. Virtually no one who has been really calling for a different strategy that goes for a global approach to the war on terrorism. So this is really a Washington inside job and it shows not in the description of what's happened - that's fairly accurate - but it shows in the recommendations.
Crooks & Liars has the video clip.
RADIO TIDBITS
Uh oh, ratfight! Mark "Foamer" Levin disparaged Michael Savage last night, accusing him of skinny-dipping with Alan Ginsberg. I don't know what's behind this but Freepers are on Levin's side. Is this because Savage is opposed to Bush's immigration policy?
THEY ALWAYS LIE
Panel: U.S. underreported Iraq violence
By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer
Dec 6, 4:06 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. military and intelligence officials have systematically underreported the violence in Iraq in order to suit the Bush administration's policy goals, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group said.
The panel pointed to one day last July when U.S. officials reported 93 attacks or significant acts of violence. "Yet a careful review of the reports for that single day brought to light 1,100 acts of violence," it said.
By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer
Dec 6, 4:06 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. military and intelligence officials have systematically underreported the violence in Iraq in order to suit the Bush administration's policy goals, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group said.
The panel pointed to one day last July when U.S. officials reported 93 attacks or significant acts of violence. "Yet a careful review of the reports for that single day brought to light 1,100 acts of violence," it said.
WHAT THE SOLDIERS REALLY THINK
U.S. soldiers in Iraq welcome new plans
By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer
(excerpts)
...many of the soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment were skeptical they'll be going home anytime soon, despite a high-level U.S. panel's recommendation that most combat troops leave Iraq by early 2008.
The U.S. Army troops, based in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, are still reeling from learning two months ago that their tour was being extended until at least February.
"We've been here for 12 months now and there's been no progress," said Spc. Richard Johnson, 20, of Bridgeport, Conn., as he manned a machine gun on the rooftop of an outpost ringed by a shallow moat of sewage.
1st Lt. Gerard Dow said he agreed with the commission's assessment that the situation in Iraq was "grave and disappointing." "In Iraq, we try to win the hearts and minds of population," said Dow, 32, of Chicago. "They want Americans out of here. They blame us for all their problems. They look at us as the terrorists and then they turn around and help the terrorists who are trying to kill us." "U.S. soldiers are dying trying to help people who don't want their help," he said. "That makes you angry."
Sgt. Christopher Wiacik, 28, of Lavonia, Mich., also was pessimistic. ... "We're just sitting around not making any progress. It's annoying. You're not motivated to help anybody," he said, adding his contract was up in 2008 and he did not plan to re-enlist. "I don't want to live my life like this," he said.
The soldiers here also welcomed news that Robert Gates had been named to replace Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates told a Senate committee Tuesday that "all options are on the table" about how to resolve the Iraq crisis. "Yes, please! All of us want to change what we're doing because we're not doing very much," said Staff Sgt. Rony Theodore, 33, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer
(excerpts)
...many of the soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment were skeptical they'll be going home anytime soon, despite a high-level U.S. panel's recommendation that most combat troops leave Iraq by early 2008.
The U.S. Army troops, based in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, are still reeling from learning two months ago that their tour was being extended until at least February.
"We've been here for 12 months now and there's been no progress," said Spc. Richard Johnson, 20, of Bridgeport, Conn., as he manned a machine gun on the rooftop of an outpost ringed by a shallow moat of sewage.
1st Lt. Gerard Dow said he agreed with the commission's assessment that the situation in Iraq was "grave and disappointing." "In Iraq, we try to win the hearts and minds of population," said Dow, 32, of Chicago. "They want Americans out of here. They blame us for all their problems. They look at us as the terrorists and then they turn around and help the terrorists who are trying to kill us." "U.S. soldiers are dying trying to help people who don't want their help," he said. "That makes you angry."
Sgt. Christopher Wiacik, 28, of Lavonia, Mich., also was pessimistic. ... "We're just sitting around not making any progress. It's annoying. You're not motivated to help anybody," he said, adding his contract was up in 2008 and he did not plan to re-enlist. "I don't want to live my life like this," he said.
The soldiers here also welcomed news that Robert Gates had been named to replace Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Gates told a Senate committee Tuesday that "all options are on the table" about how to resolve the Iraq crisis. "Yes, please! All of us want to change what we're doing because we're not doing very much," said Staff Sgt. Rony Theodore, 33, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
GATES GETS IT
The SECDEF nominee understands the reality of Iraq:
Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, asked Gates if he thought the U.S. was winning the war, to which the nominee succinctly replied, "No, sir."
Later, he clarified his remark, saying the United States wasn't losing either and that his comment pertained to Iraq as a whole, not just as a military endeavor.
"Our military forces win the battles that they fight. Our soldiers have done an incredible job in Iraq, and I'm not aware of a single battle that they have lost," he said.
"The situation is clearly much more complex than just the military action. The areas we are having our challenges, frankly, are principally in the areas of stabilization and political development and so on."
Pres. Fredo doesn't:
Q Are we winning?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely, we're winning.
(10/25/06)
Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, asked Gates if he thought the U.S. was winning the war, to which the nominee succinctly replied, "No, sir."
Later, he clarified his remark, saying the United States wasn't losing either and that his comment pertained to Iraq as a whole, not just as a military endeavor.
"Our military forces win the battles that they fight. Our soldiers have done an incredible job in Iraq, and I'm not aware of a single battle that they have lost," he said.
"The situation is clearly much more complex than just the military action. The areas we are having our challenges, frankly, are principally in the areas of stabilization and political development and so on."
Pres. Fredo doesn't:
Q Are we winning?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely, we're winning.
(10/25/06)
AL QAEDA'S NOT POPULAR IN IRAQ
The WPO poll taken in September found this:
Al Qaeda is exceedingly unpopular among the Iraqi people.
Overall 94 percent have an unfavorable view of al Qaeda, with 82 percent expressing a very unfavorable view. Of all organizations and individuals assessed in this poll, it received the most negative ratings. The Shias and Kurds show similarly intense levels of opposition, with 95 percent and 93 percent respectively saying they have very unfavorable views. The Sunnis are also quite negative, but with less intensity. Seventy-seven percent express an unfavorable view, but only 38 percent are very unfavorable. Twenty-three percent express a favorable view (5% very).
Al Qaeda is exceedingly unpopular among the Iraqi people.
Overall 94 percent have an unfavorable view of al Qaeda, with 82 percent expressing a very unfavorable view. Of all organizations and individuals assessed in this poll, it received the most negative ratings. The Shias and Kurds show similarly intense levels of opposition, with 95 percent and 93 percent respectively saying they have very unfavorable views. The Sunnis are also quite negative, but with less intensity. Seventy-seven percent express an unfavorable view, but only 38 percent are very unfavorable. Twenty-three percent express a favorable view (5% very).
BUSH REGIME CRIMINALS
Josh Marshshall's TPM MUCKRAKER has a nice list of the criminals and scumbags caught so far in the corrupt Bush Administration. This fellow is relatively speaking a small-fry but I'm glad he's gone:
Thomas Scully - Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - shortly after Scully resigned in 2003, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that Scully had pressured the agency's actuary to underestimate the full cost of the Medicare reform bill by approximately $100 billion until after Congress passed the bill into law.
ANOTHER ONE FOR THE AGES
This time, it's the National Security Advisor:
I know Hannity agrees but that only means you're down to the hard-core wingnuts.
"We have not failed in Iraq," Stephen Hadley said
I know Hannity agrees but that only means you're down to the hard-core wingnuts.
Monday, December 04, 2006
PIOUS PRAGER RESPONDS
Prager writes a follow-up to his "2 minute hate" column. He's naturally on the defensive, so he tries to convince us that what he wanted wasn't a religious test:
He did more than hint; he wrote that unless one uses the Bible, one should not sit in Congress:
It is true that Prager didn't want a law passed enshrining his intolerance. Leave that for other radical fundies:
I never even hinted that there should be a religious test.
He did more than hint; he wrote that unless one uses the Bible, one should not sit in Congress:
Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress.
It is true that Prager didn't want a law passed enshrining his intolerance. Leave that for other radical fundies:
The American Family Association, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the news media's influence on society, has entered the fray, calling on people to ask members of Congress to pass a law that would make the Bible the only book that could be used during swearing-in ceremonies.
RADIO TIDBITS
Slots Bennett read with approval two op-ed pieces today, one by Jeff Jacoby, the other by Mark Steyn, both about Iraq.
Here's some of the nonsense Jacoby has to say:
Ok, Jeff, where are we going to get the troops from? The Army and the Marines are near the breaking point as it is. BTW, sectarian violence started even before Saddam's statue fell, so it has no connection with any supposed Iraqi fear that we will leave. In fact, over 70% of Iraqis want us out in a year or less.
Now, for the other idiot, Steyn:
It's news to me that we are IN Venezuala, Russia & China but perhaps Steyn is using hyperbole to make a stupid point: Iraq is the key to the entire world. This is the neocon's "Son of Domino" theory and makes less sense than the original.
Steyn should ask himself whether or not the lack of WMD has hurt American prestige instead of making profundly ignorant remarks like this one about the size of the insurgency:
Slots has lots of agit-prop on his show but today I think he outdid himself in citing unreliable people. It's a good thing no one ever made him Secretary of Education. (Oops!)
Here's some of the nonsense Jacoby has to say:
Far from drawing down the number of troops in Iraq, Bush should increase them. ... The violence in Iraq is surging precisely because Iraqis fear that the Americans are getting ready to throw in the towel.
Ok, Jeff, where are we going to get the troops from? The Army and the Marines are near the breaking point as it is. BTW, sectarian violence started even before Saddam's statue fell, so it has no connection with any supposed Iraqi fear that we will leave. In fact, over 70% of Iraqis want us out in a year or less.
Now, for the other idiot, Steyn:
...as one Baker Commission grandee told the New York Times, ''We had to move the national debate from whether to stay the course to how do we start down the path out.''
An ''exit strategy'' on those terms is the path out not just from Iraq but from a lot of other places, too -- including Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Venezuela, Russia, China, the South Sandwich Islands. For America would be revealed to the world as a fraud: a hyperpower that's all hype and no power -- or, at any rate, no will.
It's news to me that we are IN Venezuala, Russia & China but perhaps Steyn is using hyperbole to make a stupid point: Iraq is the key to the entire world. This is the neocon's "Son of Domino" theory and makes less sense than the original.
Steyn should ask himself whether or not the lack of WMD has hurt American prestige instead of making profundly ignorant remarks like this one about the size of the insurgency:
Yet it's not big enough to see off an insurgency confined to a 30-mile radius of a desert capital?
Slots has lots of agit-prop on his show but today I think he outdid himself in citing unreliable people. It's a good thing no one ever made him Secretary of Education. (Oops!)
NOPE, NOT AL QAEDA
The BushBots and radio gasbags keep claiming that Al Qaeda is responsible for the violence in Iraq. Thanx to KnotLookin, a poster on AOL, I read Frank Rich's Sunday column and found that Al Qaeda accounts for a very small percentage of the insurgents. Following one of Rich's references, I found this segment on the 11/28 Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
JIM MIKLASZEWSKI, MSNBC PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Keith, there‘s no question, al Qaeda still remains a threat in Iraq. But U.S. military officials admit, it‘s not the primary threat by a long shot.
(voice-over): U.S. military and intelligence officials claim it was al Qaeda behind the Thanksgiving Day bombings that killed more than 200 Iraqi Shiites in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Al Qaeda in Iraq is looking to dominate Baghdad.
MIKLASZEWSKI: But a week ago, the same major general, Bill Caldwell, said the U.S. military had killed or captured so many al Qaeda leaders and fighters, it was all but incapable of pulling off such a highly coordinated attack.
CALDWELL: Systemically dismantling that organization and taking it down. If there ever was a time when it‘s more disorganized, it‘s right now.
MIKLASZEWSKI: And two weeks ago, the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East told Congress sectarian violence, not al Qaeda, is the primary long-term threat in Iraq.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: And al Qaeda, in particular, in Iraq, is not popular. I don‘t believe that it can become mainstream there.
MIKLASZEWSKI: In fact, according to military intelligence, al Qaeda makes up only 2 to 3 percent of enemy forces in Iraq, or about 1,300 foreign fighters.
LT. GEN. MICHAEL MAPLES, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY:
Attacks by terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in Iraq account for only a fraction of the insurgent violence.
JIM MIKLASZEWSKI, MSNBC PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Keith, there‘s no question, al Qaeda still remains a threat in Iraq. But U.S. military officials admit, it‘s not the primary threat by a long shot.
(voice-over): U.S. military and intelligence officials claim it was al Qaeda behind the Thanksgiving Day bombings that killed more than 200 Iraqi Shiites in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Al Qaeda in Iraq is looking to dominate Baghdad.
MIKLASZEWSKI: But a week ago, the same major general, Bill Caldwell, said the U.S. military had killed or captured so many al Qaeda leaders and fighters, it was all but incapable of pulling off such a highly coordinated attack.
CALDWELL: Systemically dismantling that organization and taking it down. If there ever was a time when it‘s more disorganized, it‘s right now.
MIKLASZEWSKI: And two weeks ago, the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East told Congress sectarian violence, not al Qaeda, is the primary long-term threat in Iraq.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: And al Qaeda, in particular, in Iraq, is not popular. I don‘t believe that it can become mainstream there.
MIKLASZEWSKI: In fact, according to military intelligence, al Qaeda makes up only 2 to 3 percent of enemy forces in Iraq, or about 1,300 foreign fighters.
LT. GEN. MICHAEL MAPLES, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY:
Attacks by terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in Iraq account for only a fraction of the insurgent violence.
HAYEK ON CIVILIZATION
Once in a while, I come across a poster who argues that he is a "self-made man" and as a result, he should not pay any taxes. I've tried to point out how much he relies on others but I don't think I've had much success. Hayek expresses what I tried to say very well.
(From The Constitution of Liberty, Chapter Two, "The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization, " page 22.)
(From The Constitution of Liberty, Chapter Two, "The Creative Powers of a Free Civilization, " page 22.)
Most of the advantages of social life, especially in its more advanced forms which we call "civilization," rest on the fact that the individual benefits from more knowledge than he is aware of. It might be said that civilization begins when the individual in the pursuit of his ends can make use of more knowledge than he has himself acquired and when he can transcend the boundaries of his ignorance by profiting from knowledge he does not himself possess.
HAMILTON ON THE NSA, ETC.
The Federalist VIII
Militarism, the inevitable result of disunion
by "Publius" [Alexander Hamilton]
(from The Debate, Part One, p. 334)
Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war—the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security, to institutions, which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free.
The institutions alluded to are STANDING ARMIES, and the correspondent appendages of military establishments.
Militarism, the inevitable result of disunion
by "Publius" [Alexander Hamilton]
(from The Debate, Part One, p. 334)
Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war—the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security, to institutions, which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free.
The institutions alluded to are STANDING ARMIES, and the correspondent appendages of military establishments.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
HOW LONG, LORD?
How long will we be paying for the incompetence of the Bush regime? Will anyone be held responsible?
Report Faults Training of Afghan Police
By JAMES GLANZ and DAVID ROHDE
Published: December 4, 2006
Report Faults Training of Afghan Police
By JAMES GLANZ and DAVID ROHDE
Published: December 4, 2006
Five years after the fall of the Taliban, a joint report by the Pentagon and the State Department has found that the American-trained police force in Afghanistan is largely incapable of carrying out routine law enforcement work, and that managers of the $1.1 billion training program cannot say how many officers are actually on duty or where thousands of trucks and other equipment issued to police units have gone.
BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM
That phrase is from Matthew 7:20 and applies to the GOP and conservative radio gasbags. Their use of fear, particularly of Muslims, to get elected has poisoned America. This is from Reuters:
In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep
Fri Dec 1, 2006 9:07 am ET
By Bernd Debusmann, Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters)- When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.
The show aired on November 26, the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday, and Klein said in an interview afterwards he had been surprised by the response.
"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes," said Klein. "There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed."
Those in agreement are not a fringe minority: A Gallup poll this summer of more than 1,000 Americans showed that 39 percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification.
This is the result of the hateful talk from conservative radio gasbags like Savage and Prager and the GOP's use of fear.
The Reuters article ends with this:
And optimists saw signs of change in the November 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. House of Representatives, which has 435 members.
Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old African-American lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."
The reporter was apparently unaware of Prager's "2-minute hate" column.
In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep
Fri Dec 1, 2006 9:07 am ET
By Bernd Debusmann, Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters)- When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.
The show aired on November 26, the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday, and Klein said in an interview afterwards he had been surprised by the response.
"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes," said Klein. "There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed."
Those in agreement are not a fringe minority: A Gallup poll this summer of more than 1,000 Americans showed that 39 percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification.
This is the result of the hateful talk from conservative radio gasbags like Savage and Prager and the GOP's use of fear.
The Reuters article ends with this:
And optimists saw signs of change in the November 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. House of Representatives, which has 435 members.
Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old African-American lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."
The reporter was apparently unaware of Prager's "2-minute hate" column.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
MORE FROM HAYEK ON CONSERVATIVES
Hayek published "Why I am not a Conservative" in his book, The Constitution of Liberty (1960).
I just came across this revealing passage:
Now it makes sense that former Trotskyites like David Horowitz and Irving Kristol are part of the modern American conservative movement.
I just came across this revealing passage:
To live and work successfully with others requires more than faithfulness to one's concrete aims. It requires an intellectual commitment to a type of order in which, even on issues which to one are fundamental, others are allowed to pursue different ends.
It is for this reason that to the liberal neither moral nor religious ideals are proper objects of coercion, while both conservatives and socialists recognize no such limits. I sometimes feel that the most conspicuous attribute of liberalism that distinguishes it as much from conservatism as from socialism is the view that moral beliefs concerning matters of conduct which do not directly interfere with the protected sphere of other persons do not justify coercion. This may also explain why it seems to be so much easier for the repentant socialist to find a new spiritual home in the conservative fold than in the liberal.
Now it makes sense that former Trotskyites like David Horowitz and Irving Kristol are part of the modern American conservative movement.
EVEN RUMSFELD CAN ADMIT THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ
Why can't the BushBots?
From his Nov. 6th memo:
Could it be because of the loyalty to Pres. Fredo?
From Oct. 27, 2003:
FREDO: It's in the national interest of the United States that a peaceful Iraq emerge. And we will stay the course in order to achieve this objective.
From his Nov. 6th memo:
In my view it is time for a major adjustment. Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.
Could it be because of the loyalty to Pres. Fredo?
From Oct. 27, 2003:
FREDO: It's in the national interest of the United States that a peaceful Iraq emerge. And we will stay the course in order to achieve this objective.
FILE SHARING
I managed to upload two files of news and other clippings to AOL's Xdrive system. Both files are in HTML so you can view them in your browser.
Here's the link:Access 'My Documents ' on my Xdrive
There a lots of nice tidbits, like this one, that I never got around to posting:
The Man Who 'Stood Up to Scaife'
By Greg Mitchell
Editor & Publisher
The episode began on Oct. 10, 1973. Carlton was serving as night editor at Tribune-Review. ... News flashed on the scoreboard that Vice President Spiro T. Agnew had resigned in disgrace.
Out in western Pennsylvania, someone else was among the vast majority of Americans who celebrated that day. After reading a wire service report on the Agnew resignation, a reporter at the Tribune-Review named Jude Dippold said, quite presciently, "One down and one to go." Of course, the "one to go" was President Richard Nixon, then embroiled in the Watergate scandal.
Dippold later said he was "just trying to be funny."
Word quickly got back to Scaife, who had purchased the paper four years earlier, and who had donated $1 million to Nixon's 1972 campaign against George McGovern. Two days later, Dippold was fired. The Columbia Journalism Review declared that the reason was that "his political views didn't mesh with editorial policy."
Carlton argued with Scaife about the firing, and ended up quitting in protest. Within hours, 10 of the paper's 24-person editorial staff also quit.
Here's the link:Access 'My Documents ' on my Xdrive
There a lots of nice tidbits, like this one, that I never got around to posting:
The Man Who 'Stood Up to Scaife'
By Greg Mitchell
Editor & Publisher
The episode began on Oct. 10, 1973. Carlton was serving as night editor at Tribune-Review. ... News flashed on the scoreboard that Vice President Spiro T. Agnew had resigned in disgrace.
Out in western Pennsylvania, someone else was among the vast majority of Americans who celebrated that day. After reading a wire service report on the Agnew resignation, a reporter at the Tribune-Review named Jude Dippold said, quite presciently, "One down and one to go." Of course, the "one to go" was President Richard Nixon, then embroiled in the Watergate scandal.
Dippold later said he was "just trying to be funny."
Word quickly got back to Scaife, who had purchased the paper four years earlier, and who had donated $1 million to Nixon's 1972 campaign against George McGovern. Two days later, Dippold was fired. The Columbia Journalism Review declared that the reason was that "his political views didn't mesh with editorial policy."
Carlton argued with Scaife about the firing, and ended up quitting in protest. Within hours, 10 of the paper's 24-person editorial staff also quit.
RICE IS DESPICABLE
She'll be glad to write books about the disaster in Iraq after the war but couldn't stand up to Cheney or Rumsfeld before the war. In her own words:
What about the Americans who will NEVER come back from Iraq because they are DEAD? Dead because Rice refused to be an honest broker when she was National Security Advisor and let Cheney & Rumsfeld lie us into war.
"When I'm back at Stanford University," she said, "I can look back and write books about what we might have done differently."
What about the Americans who will NEVER come back from Iraq because they are DEAD? Dead because Rice refused to be an honest broker when she was National Security Advisor and let Cheney & Rumsfeld lie us into war.
Friday, December 01, 2006
BEFORE THE CONSTITUTION
Something else I didn't know: many of the States discriminated on the basis of religion. (From The Debate..., Part One, pp. 1117-1122)
NEW JERSEY: Office holders had to be Protestants.
DELAWARE: Office holders had to be Christian.
PENNSYLVANIA: All members of the general assembly had to believe in one God and the divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments.
MARYLAND: Office holders had to be Christian.
NORTH CAROLINA: Office holders had to be Protestants.
GEORGIA: Office holders had to be Protestants.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Office holders had to be Protestants and the "Christian Protestant religion" was established in the state.
MASSACHUSETTS: Article III allowed the legislature to mandate public support for Protestant denominations, essentially continuing the establishment of the Congregationalists. The governor, senators and representatives had to be declared Christians.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Similar to Massachusetts.
The key point about this list is that despite religious discrimination being a major factor in these states, the federal Constitution did not favor any religion whatsoever.
NEW JERSEY: Office holders had to be Protestants.
DELAWARE: Office holders had to be Christian.
PENNSYLVANIA: All members of the general assembly had to believe in one God and the divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments.
MARYLAND: Office holders had to be Christian.
NORTH CAROLINA: Office holders had to be Protestants.
GEORGIA: Office holders had to be Protestants.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Office holders had to be Protestants and the "Christian Protestant religion" was established in the state.
MASSACHUSETTS: Article III allowed the legislature to mandate public support for Protestant denominations, essentially continuing the establishment of the Congregationalists. The governor, senators and representatives had to be declared Christians.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Similar to Massachusetts.
The key point about this list is that despite religious discrimination being a major factor in these states, the federal Constitution did not favor any religion whatsoever.
MORE ON PIOUS PRAGER
There's an AOL message board about Prager's comments and it already has over 8,500 posts. There are all too many posts like this one:
This is a Christian based Nation
#1 - 12/01/06 03:09 PM (Msg Id: 567109:4215)
RalphA1961
This nation didn't need a amendment or clause stating this is a Christian nation. Because we are a Christian nation!
On the other hand, there were many more posts that quoted Article VI, paragraph 3, of our Constitution, so I think the Fundies are losing this one.
This is a Christian based Nation
#1 - 12/01/06 03:09 PM (Msg Id: 567109:4215)
RalphA1961
This nation didn't need a amendment or clause stating this is a Christian nation. Because we are a Christian nation!
On the other hand, there were many more posts that quoted Article VI, paragraph 3, of our Constitution, so I think the Fundies are losing this one.
ARTICLE VI
I became tired of hunting this down so I could show the Fundies that America doesn't have a national religion and that in fact having one would be unconstitutional.
Article. VI.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Article. VI.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
NEWT FLIP-FLOPS ON THE SAME DAY
Or as close to the same day as I can determine.
This is from the Manchester Union-Leader 1:
1
Gingrich raises alarm at event honoring those who stand up for freedom of speech
By RILEY YATES
Union Leader Staff
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006
2
Newt on Iraq Study Group
SHOW: FOX HANNITY & CO
Fox News Network November 27 2006
This is from the Manchester Union-Leader 1:
Gingrich's speech focused on the First Amendment, but in an interview beforehand, he also hit upon wide-ranging topics.On Hannity & Colmes2, Newt changes his mind:
Gingrich said America has "failed" in Iraq over the past three years and urged a new approach to winning the conflict. The U.S. needs to engage Syria and Iran and increase investment to train the Iraqi army and a national police force, he said. "How does a defeat for America make us safer?" Gingrich said. "I would look at an entirely new strategy." He added: "We have clearly failed in the last three years to achieve the kind of outcome we want."
GINGRICH: Look, I think what we're faced with is an American establishment that is shaken by the failure of this second campaign, that is shaken by the unrest among the American people, and that is looking for an easy out. "Let's find some diplomatic cover to buy us just enough time that we can be defeated gracefully."
I don't see how any serious person can look at the Iranian dictatorship and suggest that there is any way that they will be helpful to the United States.
1
Gingrich raises alarm at event honoring those who stand up for freedom of speech
By RILEY YATES
Union Leader Staff
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006
2
Newt on Iraq Study Group
SHOW: FOX HANNITY & CO
Fox News Network November 27 2006
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