US Death Toll Nears 1,000; Dozens Killed as Sadr City Erupts Again
Peace Activist Held as 'Danger to Israel'
Global Beach: Naomi Klein, Tim Robbins Star at the Alternative to the Venice Film Fest
Terror Case Collapse Blow to Bush
Scientist: Extreme Weather Will Kill Millions
Bush: OB-GYNs Kept from 'Practicing Their Love'
Moveon.org is hosting a new movie at their 10 Weeks website. Enjoy.
Amnesia in the Garden by Maureen Dowd, NY Times, 5 Sept '04
Snippet:
W. took a page from Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall," a futuristic movie about inserting fully formed memories into the minds of unsuspecting victims.
The president and vice president ignored all the expert evidence now compiled indicating no link between 9/11 and Saddam, and no Saddam threat to U.S. security. After talking about "the fanatics who killed some 3,000 of our fellow Americans," Dick Cheney boasted: "In Iraq, we dealt with a gathering threat, and removed the regime of Saddam Hussein."
Though the convention mythologized Mr. Bush's bullhorn moment at ground zero, there was no mention of Osama, the fiend W. vowed to catch that day. The speakers did not acknowledge the brutal spiral in Afghanistan and Iraq, or the re-emergence of the Taliban, now finding sanctuary with our ally, Pakistan.
This from the American Progress Action Fund's newsletter:
RIGHT-WING CULTURALLY INSENSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY: Roll Call reports, "Guess who's the latest victim of Cheney Potty Mouth Syndrome? Hard as it may be to believe, it's none other than the man formerly known as Mr. Family Values, one-time presidential candidate Gary Bauer." Walking outside Madison Square Garden, a protester yelled at the Christian activist. "Bauer, without skipping a beat, popped off the now commonly procured and deployed F Bomb. 'F--- you,' Bauer said as he kept walking."
I found both Paul Krugman's "Feel the Hate" and Bob Herbert's "Heads in the Sand" opinion pieces in the New York Times today very interesting. Krugman talks about the psychology of fear that has flourished in the Republican Party. Herbert discusses the schism between what the GOP speakers mentioned in their speeches and the reality of the world.
Here are the latest headlines from Common Dreams.
Veterans of Iraq War Join Forces to Protest US Invasion
Halliburton Says Officials Spoke of Nigeria Bribes
Complaints Swirl Over Holding Area for Arrested Protesters
A Father Gets Anti-War Message to the Floor
Iraq War Has Some Republicans Looking to President for Answers
U.S.-Backed Armies Firing Blanks
Traces of Toxic Chemicals Found in Supermarket Food, Study Says
I do not agree that "flip-flopping" is a necessarily bad trait in a president. In fact, I think that oftentimes positions need to be re-evaluated based on new facts that come to light. The idea that you are a good politician if you remain completely consistent on issues sets up a false dichotomy. But when a president bases his entire message on his rigidity and inability to bend, the hypocrisy of flip-flopping needs to be addressed.
The Center for American Progress has done just that. They have compiled a list of 30 major issues on which Bush has flip-flopped. Issue #29 concerns me greatly and I certainly hope that his "flop" side is the one that he'd stick with if re-appointed president.
Maureen Dowd is back to writing her column. Read her latest.
The following articles are featured on the Common Dreams website today. Just thought I'd share.
Three-Mile Long 'Unemployment Line' Gives Bush the Pink Slip
US Plans to Slash Many Rent Vouchers
Opium Trade Still Entrenched Across Desperate Afghanistan
Spy Probe Scans Neo-Con Israel Ties
FBI Seizes Computer from AIPAC Offices
Protesters in New York Planning to Take On Media Giants
Hundreds of Thousands March Against Bush, War
Human Cost of Iraq War Erodes Support for Bush
Gay GOP Leader Warns of a Cultural War Within Party
Iraq Success 'Catastrophic': Bush
Energy Firms Buy Bush Favors, Critics Say
Antiwar Demonstrators in New York Impress Seasoned Portland Protester
The South Dakota Corrections System must have some progressive thinkers in high places. Kudos to the designers of this program. Now, if only we could raise a beetle that roots out neocons......
Lots of good reading out there. Here's my "short" list of the day, in no particular order.
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New Book on How Corporations are Brainwashing Children, Organic Consumers Assoc.
Inflammatory title aside, the book looks interesting, if only to reinforce what we already know in a common sense sort of way. When I worked for the advocacy "group" Center for the Study of Commercialism, we had a large file labeled "Kids". It was, in fact, the file that Ralph Nader requested in a phone call with yours truly. Advertising to kids just makes good business sense in our capitalist society. Get them early and you get them for life.
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Tribe drops black eye on Bombers by Justice B. Hill, mlb.com
I had to include this here as well as in my last entry. This game deserves mentioning twice. But lest we rest on any celebratory laurels, these two teams get to play each other again tonight and the result is anyone's guess. Will the Yankees enact revenge? Will the game be an extra innings pitching duel? Will the Indians find another way to win? The fact that they do it all again tonight is just one reason why baseball is such a wonderful sport.
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President Admits War On Terror Cannot Be Won, Julian Borger, The Guardian UK
Is there a chink in the armor? Did the press catch Bush in an unguarded private moment? I would like to believe that despite his rigid exterior and steadfastly consistent behavior, the man is fraught with inner turmoil.
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Christopher Lydon Interviews...Richard Ben Cramer
This guy has talked with some very interesting people. His interview with Richard Ben Cramer looks excellent. If you haven't the time, at least read the accompanying text to the interview.
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Sierra Club Votes: Election 2004 Issues and Information
The fact sheets (in PDF form) that the Sierra Club has put together about the two major candidates are a quick read and should provide good talking points if you are at all inclined to write a letter to the editor, talk to RINOs (you did read the Moore article, right?) or just to convince you once and for all that Bush is ironically named.
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We’re Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore: How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the Party of Newt Gingrich’s Evil Spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch President, a Dull and Rigid Man, whose Philosophy is a Jumble of badly sutured Body Parts trying to Walk? by Garrison Keillor
Even if you don't listen to A Prairie Home Companion, you must still appreciate a man who can write a long-winded, 18th century title in this day and age of increasing belief that brevity=good. I've been a fan of the show (and Keillor) for years now. I was a regular listener of the program in the late '90s when I lived in Columbus. I have since fallen out of the habit, although lately Paul has shown moderate interest in trying to tune in on a regular basis, so I might just find myself enjoying more News from Lake Wobegon (by far my favorite segment of the show). The aforementioned article is a must-read.
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Crowning Prince George by Nicholas D. Kristoff, New York Times
I've recently signed up again for the daily mailing of NY Times Op/Eds. The reason: Maureen Dowd. I watched her on Charlie Rose and fell into a fit of hero-worship. Unfortunately, the Times have a evil policy of read-it-within-24-hours-or-pay, so it is not possible to read any of her stuff unless you have access to say Lexis-Nexus (thank God for my lingering university account). And since she's currently on vacation from the Times (she's out promoting her new book Bushworld), there are no new columns to read. But this one by Kristoff will do as a very good replacement.
ap recap :: box score :: game log :: last year
Just when you think that you know what's going to happen, the Indians come out of nowhere (again), this time to demolish Yankees pitching while holding their offense scoreless. This game marked the worst loss in Yankees franchise history. Omar Vizquel tied the record for hits in 9 innings with 6. Two batters (Hafner and Gerut) hit 3-run homeruns in the 9th. It was, to say the least, a tremendous outing. Read more if you like :)
I found Mike Bauman's article particularly good.
The Indians, after all, were on an eight-game losing streak in the Bronx. They had not won here since 2001. In the interim, they were not supposed to win here. They were rebuilding, retrenching, retooling. Tuesday night, they were beyond those building block steps. They were just hitting. And Jake Westbrook, once the property of the Yankees, was throwing seven shutout innings