The Right Reverend Al Sharpton ~ Educator

There are times when I appreciate Reverend Al and yet I'd just as soon trade him in most days. His involvement with the Education Equality Project gives David Brooks ammunition to raise issues about Barack Obama's education policy. Fresh from his claiming that Obama wouldn't fit in at an Applebee's salad bar when in fact they have none, one might wonder if Mr. Brooks likewise knows squat about education.

I note that various big city superintendents are involved with EEP, most notably NYC's Joel Klein. I'll pass on figuring out "the former Clinton official" Andrew Rotherham. I do note that the Education Sector biography offers that he is completing his Doctorate in Political Science at UVA. He is a Senior Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, an outfit infamous for their "third way" centrist weenieism.

Returning to Mr. Brooks, he writes (in the allegedly liberal New York Times where he supposedly plays the part as the token conservative) the following:

He proposes dozens of programs to build on top of the current system, but it’s not clear that he would challenge it. He’s all carrot, no stick. He’s politically astute — giving everybody the impression he’s on their side — but substantively vague. Change just isn’t that easy.

Obama endorses many good ideas and is more specific than the McCain campaign, which hasn’t even reported for duty on education. But his education remarks give the impression of a candidate who wants to be for big change without actually incurring the political costs inherent in that enterprise.

I've looked high and low for the October 2005 speech referenced by yet the closest thing I've found is this TNR piece from March that reads rather like Mr. Brooks column. I agree that change isn't easy, perhaps especially so in the complicated work of educating children in this society, and yet his positions on education on his campaign website isn't that much about the carrot but more about removing the stick. Surely there are sorry teachers that need to be removed yet right now I'd suggest more good teachers are leaving the profession thanks to right wing's sticks. St. John simply follow the right's belief that markets solve everything.

My take on No Child Left Behind from back in February of 2006 still essentially works for me yet with hopes that a Democrat will be in the White House with a solid majority in Congress perhaps the need is even greater to take a long, hard look at rolling back the right's stranglehold on education policy. David Brooks, or Reverend Al for that matter, isn't interested in taking that long, hard look. John Gunn

Until Sunday I'll be with Baby Plaid

A strapping young man he is. He'll turn thirteen at the end of the month. Baby Plaid is flying in tomorrow to spend a few days with me about Tacoma-Seattle. A tip of the tam is due the eldest sister and the bride in getting him to and from the Atlanta airport. I'll do little if any posting and only wish I'd have him with me longer. Then again, being back home with my gal and the boy would be the ideal situation. I'll do my duty as that is what I promised. Still, if I could call it even with Uncle Sam and then find another way to serve my world closer to those I love it would suit me just fine. John Gunn

About my friend's suicide ...

I'd mentioned back in May some grief over a friend taking his own life. Via another dear friend, I've found a truly sad piece covering his life and death. Way back in high school he and I once had a nasty fist fight, with me carrying a small scar even now on my nose. I think he went to the ER that night yet I went to a doctor a few days later as he'd knocked a contact behind my eye. I recall we fought like gentlemen rather than as the common might.

I can't help but think of this in learning how he handled his death. A touch of class even while doing something I wished he hadn't. He ought to have called me! If only I knew he was so troubled. I've surely been there, perhaps not the point he'd gotten yet surely bent and battered, so I would like to think I'd have been able to help. Another friend, a lawyer back home, took his life a couple of years ago and I felt the same way. Then there's the lawyer down in Chambers County that also killed himself. He'd helped me so much getting started and was the best criminal defense lawyer I've yet to work around.

In the future, if you are my friend, and let's err on the side of "Yes, you are!", please have the decency to talk with me before doing anything so drastic as checking out. Sure, there's a time maybe when maybe that decision will work. But over money? Not hardly!

The image above appeared back in that May post. Better days come. There are cycles to life. I'll now look at these trees for at least the time I'm out here at Fort Lewis and think of my friends. But I'll still miss them and wish they were here. John Gunn

Centrist Weenie of the Day ~ OK's Dan Boren

There's Merle over to the left with his Okie from Muskogee cover. I used the lyrics when teaching modern U.S. History as I think they work for demonstrating "backlash" as solid as anything I've stumbled across. As to stumbling across ... here's a good one as to when country went right. We have this Okie theme due to the recent half-baked support with qualifications yet no endorsement of Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Boren given to Barack Obama's candidacy. Centrist Weenie! He's a Blue Dog of course.

"Faith in Oklahoma" on his barely functioning campaign site means we'll have faith in exactly what Dan? That folks like you playing into the right's framing will save our collective hides? Dan has at least shown his wisdom to the AJC's right wing tool Jim Wooten. While Dashing Dan is certainly free to do his own thing, I was disappointed with his acceptance of the foolishness that Senator Obama is the most liberal of his colleagues.

The son of a Senator who is now over the University of Oklahoma plus the grandson of a Congressman, Representative Boren certainly has a solid background. Born on at least first base, I hope he doesn't think he's hit a double. Daddy David, plus Georgia's own Sam Nunn, endorsed Senator Obama way back in April. I'll not address the various ways that Daddy seemingly managed to avoid Vietnam yet he's considered a heavyweight in at least some circles.

I'll close with what Hunter at Daily Kos offered on Dan Boren:

So here's my gentle question for Rep. Boren. Let's just suppose that he was right, and Obama really was "the most liberal senator" in the entire Democratic contingent -- a term magically conferred by conservatives on whatever figure wins the nomination, election after election, while hyper-mega-death-penalty-mocking-war-humping-salmon-punching-archconservative Republicans magically turn into "moderates", using those same conservatives' exact same terribly objective calculations for such things.

So let's just stipulate that someone might be "the most liberal" senator. My question for Rep. Boren, and for his Oklahoma constituents, is this: so what? So what if someone is a "liberal"?

What exactly are you afraid of?

What, will he start some wars? Will the economy go to hell? Will gasoline suddenly cost four bucks a gallon, so that getting from one end of town to the other starts to be something you have to plan for in your family budget? Oh, wait, no -- that's what conservatism has wrought. So what big, scary menace will "liberalism" rain down upon us all?

The horror of free public education? The apocalypse of affordable healthcare for families and the elderly? An energy policy that consists of something other than "hell, let's just sit on our asses and see what happens"? My God, maybe we'll have a foreign policy that doesn't revolve around sucking thousands of dollars out of your constituents' pockets, lighting all that money on fire, and using the pyre to make super-special Democracy Smores in the middle of the Iraqi desert?

What, are we afraid less American soldiers will die? That our trade deficit will be, if not reversed, at least addressed? Are Oklahomans all huddled in their closets, lest some of the now-legions of outsourced jobs start reappearing in their towns? What? What is it that is so absolutely alarming about the word "liberal" that you'd rather stomach having everything that's happened to America for the past decade continue, rather than being seen as someone who might secretly have tolerance for, shudder, that word?

Well put Sir! And Amen! John Gunn

Laura Ingraham may get her own Faux News slot

I'm no fan of many talk radio personalities, even some on the left, Rachel Maddow being one exception, yet Laura Ingraham is certainly a frustrating case. She has a rather serious education and is certainly easy on the eyes. I agree somewhat with her idea that our culture has us heading to hell in a handbasket (that's my line not hers!) yet her advancing movement conservatism suggests she's being had. The news dropped today that Faux News is going to give her a chance to go beyond merely filling in. Some background on her appears via Campus Progress and AlterNet yet her efforts at getting her dittoheads "to jam a phone line set up by Democrats to investigate alleged voter irregularities" ought to be enough to understand why Faux News wants her. John Gunn

You can't fly with eagles if running with turkeys

Darcy Burner's team has put together a top drawer web poll to remind us “conscience–driven independent” Dave Reichert has some rather extreme friends coming out to my neck of the woods to help him raise campaign cash. There was Dubyah, then the First Librarian, and now Dave is getting some love from Newt Gingrich. Help Dave "pick the next of his far–right national Republican friends to bring to Washington State to raise the big money Reichert needs to convince voters he’s not a conservative Republican!" Smart folks are apparently over there at Darcy's campaign as they demonstrate how to challenge rather than accept conservatism. That they can do this while making people laugh is even better. John Gunn

Thank God for Georgia?

Some years back I taught in Georgia. Although a small number of my colleagues and students were thoughtful souls, a good number were remarkably ignorant and damned proud to be so. One in particular was a serious conservative who spent most of her free time on various Georgia Bulldog fan sites. She was certain of everything and aware of little. That she taught Social Studies made it all the worse. I do recall many frustrating and yet entertaining conversations. I do consider her a friend even now. I recall her being thoroughly amused when I showed up totally tanked on the morning after Kerry lost in 2004. I digress ...

Today's discovery across the river is Mary Grabar. Her blog is here. With I think a tip of the tam to Kos or ..., I stumbled upon this "scholar" via one of her Townhall columns titled Obama’s Presidency: Victory in the Culture Wars. OMG! I need to run over to Susan Jacoby's work on our nation's long history of anti-intellectualism and see if Dr. Grabar made the index.

That she's from Stone Mountain should surprise me not. Her Ph. D. From UGA is also noted. Dr. G has been noticed before, with both a negative and positive ( ... Conservative Christian Superstar via her "Letter to a Stupid Atheist" effort) view. Perhaps Dr. Grabar is just trying to make do, feel relevant, make a living, ... Still, she's engaging the whole of the blogosphere when she puts her ideas out there. I suggest taking them on with no holds barred. Little if any of what she suggests is correct. Sic em?

Yesterday I wrote on Georgia's Representative Lynn Westmoreland, one of few that could make Alabama's own Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III look sharp. I'd mentioned Marietta's Obama t-shirt controversy recently also. There was one on Newt Gingrich as well done within the last month. In April I covered Johnny Isakson's "meat of the coconut" approach to illegal hirings of undocumented brown people. Today I mention Saxby Chambliss and Dr. Grabar. It used to be for folks in Alabama that we'd rather often say "Thank God for Mississippi". Possibly we should look east rather than west? John Gunn

Manning the barricades? With Saxby Chambliss?

There's Saxby Chambliss over to the left while he, Huggy Bear, and South Carolina's Huckleberry Graham (McCain's little jerk) do a walk about in Iraq so that Americans might get a "full picture" of what's going on over there. The gunships and other weaponry aren't pictured of course. Huckleberry managed, as did St. John of course, to actually serve in the military. However, Saxby was too busy leading the party charge at his fraternity plus trying to play varsity sports during Vietnam, all this occurring after he secured a medical release from the draft.

That this pretty boy and Bu$hCo managed to defeat honest to God war hero Max Cleland through Rovian tactics make it all the more shameful. He's clearly a tool of Big Ag and other corporations. His boy Bo is in fact the top lobbyist for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange! Given this statement I assume Saxby is also part of Senators Southern Company.

We learn today that the GOP is counting on Saxby Chambliss' race to hold the line on their losses this fall. The Democratic candidate isn't certain yet, and I'll not go off on a rant on the powers that be not having a top drawer candidate lined up long ago for this seat, yet the polling indicates they might actually have a shot. Who'd have thunk it? So Saxby is the GOP's firewall?

Good for the AJC's Don McAdam going after Saxby in The Iraq war: Did Bush lie? YES: Flawed information and falsehoods carried the day. In Georgia, Bu$h surely is at least somewhat of a liability. The right approach could and would call BS on the GOP.

Yet, I'm afraid it will remain more Republican Lite. Relax my ass! is what I want to tell Michael Lind of the often centrist weenie New America Foundation. He and plenty of those at NAF are smart and indeed partially right. Yet they don't appreciate "movement conservatism" plus how far to the right our national discourse has moved.

When goobers like Saxby Chambliss can get elected and then not face solid opposition from a unified effort on the left we've sunk rather low. This is not a time to relax. Rather, we should push, educate, distinguish, contrast, embarrass, ... John Gunn

Across the river for Lynn Westmoreland's "thinking"

An instant classic and yet he keeps on talking. I first posted on Georgia's Lynn Westmoreland on Captain Bama a couple of years ago. I taught in Troup and Heard County right there in Georgia's 8th Congressional District. While plenty of those jokers deserve this joker, I truly feel for Georgia and our nation.

Westmoreland appeared before the White Oak Golden K Civic Club recently where he managed to praise both Norway's and Hitler's approach to energy. That Norway follows a rather democratized form of socialism and highly managed economy might escape poor Lynn. He certainly demonstrated his ignorance of Iraq over a year ago. He leaves much out of Norway's situation in fact. The obligatory insult to Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party was of course delivered. Drill, drill, drill ... seemed to the the theme. I love this portion:

He also was critical of suggestions to not put oil into the nation's oil reserves this year. He said the reserve supply is what keeps America from being at the mercy of OPEC oil producers. "They know we'll use that oil (in the strategic oil reserve) to go over there and kick their tails," Westmoreland said.

It gets worse! Apparently at the same meeting, Westmoreland was able to get in a hit on intellectualism, noting he'd only had two years of college. He was quoted as sharing, "You can have more education than you can use." He apparently didn't learn much history during his two years as he offered the following:

He said that when America was being formed, leaders such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were "actually recruited by their neighbors" to serve in Congress. Although many of those early patriots would have preferred to stay at home, they served.

I've read several works about both of these men and I'd hardly describe either as lacking in ambition. They were also brilliant men but that also likely escapes poor Lynn. He was familiar with The Vegematic however. Another gem follows:

Westmoreland said he believes Americans would fight a foreign power that sought to destroy the country. "Our enemies right now are really within," he said. "If something does happen to this country, it will come from within, not the outside."

Ya' think so Lynn? Which enemies are within Lynn? Another Red Scare? Godless liberal hippies? Can Fort Benning really be in his district? I know that district loves Baby Jesus so the the White Oak Golden K Civic Club also got ...

Westmoreland said that too often "how God has blessed America" has been forgotten. He said God has been "very merciful" toward the United States and that God needs to be "put back in" public life, not removed from it.

Do you reckon Lynn could recite even half of the Ten Commandments now? John Gunn

Some perspectives on late term abortions

Jennifer Wolff Perrine of SELF/MSNBC shares When there is no good choice: Tragic pregnancies at center of late-term abortion debate. These are rare cases yet are far more complicated than I think some on the anti-choice side might wish to admit. John Gunn

Bu$hCo's "warmed-up leftovers" on Jack Abramoff

McClatchy's Marisa Taylor reports Abramoff met Bush at least 6 times, House panel confirms and AP's Pete Yost reports Report criticizes White House Abramoff review. Mr. Yost's reporting includes, "The draft report says that as White House officials were telling the public they were thoroughly reviewing contacts with Abramoff, they failed to question five former officials who were key points of contact for the Abramoff lobbying team." I'm not sure if the evidence included that which Bu$hCo tried to keep secret under the "Sensitive Security Records" exception. Bu$hCo's Tony Fratto, who had served as the communications flak for "The Finest Man of the 13th Century", dismissed the media's interest in these "warmed-up leftovers". John Gunn

Blogging is good for you

Jessica Wapner appears on Scientific American with Blogging--It's Good for You: The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of study. "Self-medication" with "many physiological benefits" sounds about right to me. John Gunn

Would that St. John were facing this "liberal"

No, this post isn't about the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also known as McCain-Feingold. It might have been a step in the right direction yet I'll agree it has several flaws. Another post for another day perhaps? With a tip of the tam to Media Matters for sending me down this path, I'll tackle the notion that Barack Obama is some sort of radical leftist.

For some time I've been hearing and reading in the so called liberal mainstream media themes based around claims from The National Journal that Barack Obama is the most liberal member of the Senate. They (thus then the RNC and Bu$hCo and ...) had John Kerry tapped in 2004. They claimed back in 2004 some discomfort that their rankings had been turned into a talking point yet they did the same thing this cycle. Their methodology is flawed beyond any semblance of professionalism. Here's some background on their owner David G. Bradley, surely one of the swells that might just as soon keep the GOP in power.

Here's a more accurate ranking from Professors Jeff Lewis and Keith Poole that shows Russ Feingold, my hero indeed, earning the #1 spot. Chris Dodd is #2. Bernie Sanders is #3. Senator Obama is way down in the ten spot for the left. Please also note that John McCain is at that same level on the right. He's no Bomb Thrower like Jim Demint or James Inhofe. With Tom Coburn at #3 St. John has a long ways to go yet that's a scary list of folks he's to the right of. Even Alabama's Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III is only at #20. Huggy Bear is trying his best to both embrace Bu$hCo and also keep The Maverick reputation intact. I certainly don't think this will be an easy task yet with the media giving his such cover it might be somewhat easier.

I'm certainly going to support Senator Obama and yet RDF, Gore, Dodd, Edwards, ... would have been my choices. They are solid Progressives/Liberals and they'd make Huggy Bear earn every yard. John Gunn

Gamer Sandy D follows up on Grand Theft POTUS

Above you have Justice and Mr. O'Connor with Dubyah just after she announced her retirement in 2005. Claudia Parsons of Reuters reports Retired Supreme Court Justice Unveils Video Game: Free online 'Our Courts' game is designed to teach kids about the judicial system where Justice O'Connor was quoted as follows:

"In recent years I've become increasingly concerned about vitriolic attacks by some members of Congress, some members of state legislatures and various private interest groups ... on judges. ... We hear a great deal about judges who are activists -- godless, secular, humanists trying to impose their will on the rest of us."

Wired's Chris Baker shares Sandra Day O'Connor: Game Designer and provides the following:

O'Connor said that the No Child Left Behind act of 2001 has "effectively squeezed out civics education" from public schools. "We can't forget that the primary purpose of public schools in America is to produce citizens who have the skills and knowledge to sustain our form of government," she said. "Public education is the only longterm solution to preserving an independent judiciary and constitutional democracy."

Certainly Justice O'Connor is worthy of praise for lending a hand as relates to publicity and the like for this effort. I'd have loved to have had such a promising tool as Our Courts when I was in the trenches teaching civics.

Yet I wonder if I'd have had time given the reality of trying to teach in the testing driven climate that I fled. According to Bu$hCo and others in the "accountability" camp, educational results must be measurable. I regret that high stakes testing controls pretty much everything one does as an educator. Your decision in 2000 was but one step in the march toward where we are today in education. Seriously, bringing the false "Texas Miracle" to DC is a consequence of your vote and also the conservative tradition that helped bring you to the Supreme Court.

However, I'm also steamed that Justice O'Connor expresses disappointment over attacks on judges. She's reaping what she's sown I'd offer. And which party/philosophy frequently uses labels of "activist judges" Justice O'Connor? John McCain is using that language even now! Hot Tub Tom DeLay and other right wing nut jobs rely on this construct regularly. I can accept the argument that Bu$hCo and the GOP are the ones truly pushing for activism from the bench however. The fact that five of the Supremes, some that even claim to be in the State's Rights camp, told Florida to stop counting votes seemed rather activist to me.

There's also some truth to the clear conflict of interest that Sandra Day O'Connor, among others, had in the Bu$h vs. Gore case. She had told people she very much wanted to retire and would do so only under a GOP President. She was visibly upset upon hearing early reports that Al Gore had won. Her reputation as a reasonable swing vote was trashed by her own judicial activism in 2000.

Doing good work now is appreciated yet if Sandra Day O'Connor really wanted to create change she'd talk openly and plainly about her alleged concerns. She's be able to speak I'd think with some weight behind her if she'd do the right thing. But the right thing goes way beyond videogames. John Gunn

More people ought to be feeling bamboozled

No matter what happens, just keep shopping! is the theme of Berkeley Breathed's Opus provided by Salon. You might need to view an ad to get a free pass yet at least you'll be shopping. An existential and very smart penguin, I think Opus is right to feel bamboozled. I only hope come this fall's election enough will realize they've been had to not decide to pull the lever for John McSame. I often wonder how future generations will look at the Bu$hCo Reign of Error. I'll hope that history might reflect that I was against him way before he had approval ratings in the high twenties. Conservatism is a construct that I have empathy for in some respects but three decades with movement conservatism has nearly ruined us all. John Gunn

AJC's tool Jim Wooten's Right Thinking on Obama

Jim Wooten always provides an easy target. Known as "The Tool" (old posts are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and ...) from frequent visits across the river as Captain Bama, Jim's sharing his normal typical false arguments and then applying twisted logic on the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic Party nominee. Although he's no Sean Hannity, I'd still like to whip Jim Wooten's ass. There's little point in tackling his flawed logic and foolish assertions so I'll not attempt the same. He's a tool of the right wing and I suppose he'll continue to get ink in the AJC. Perhaps there he'll do little real harm. John Gunn

Josh Silver of Free Press discusses media's future

Josh Silver's opening remarks at the National Conference for Media Reform are certainly worthy of a full read. Free Press (which he, Robert McChesney, and John Nichols established back in 2002) is doing a fine job in pushing for long overdue change. Just one portion of his talk contained, "Government and corporate propaganda have laid waste to journalistic integrity." Amen! The warning label pictured here would indeed be appropriate. There's Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting as well to share ideas about what ails journalism today. The Stop Big Media Coalition is yet another resource. As critical an issue as faces our nation, media reform is certainly at the top of my lists of political interests. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ Evening of June 7, 2008 - This February 2008 piece from Harvey Wasserman titled There’s Nothing Mainstream About the Corporate Media is a gem.

Hillary's exit provides good place to look at sexism

Amanda Marcotte is on FDL's Book Salon to promote her new book It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments plus I also found the Women's Media Center's collection of just a small sampling of the sexism directed toward Hillary Clinton during this campaign. I was certainly no fan of Hillary, or Obama for that matter, before this primary began yet I'll certainly accept I've learned much about this nation because of their campaigns. Either would do and I do hope Barack Obama will live up to the trust we've placed in him. Regardless of the outcome, the way that Hillary Clinton was treated by some in the media at least gives us a chance to examine sexism. Racism will be in the mix as well with Senator Obama running for office. 2008 may prove to be as important an election as any we've had and it might not even depend on the outcome. John Gunn

Two plus years later and it's still the same angle

I also expect the historical Jesus was a complex thinker yet I'll up front offend some by offering that I think the Bible should seldom if ever be taken too literally. The image isn't perfectly suited for my theme but I hope it works.

I stumbled across one of my older post from January of 2006 titled "Not all Conservatives are stupid but most stupid people are Conservative" that ties in with a conversation I had from back home earlier today. While those back home that are somewhat frustrating me and the one I certainly love the most of all aren't exactly in the Bible Thumper set, they do seem a bit narrow minded in some other areas. I think all, and certainly some, are very smart. And yet I doubt I could engage them on an intellectual level as I expect their plans for voting this fall are more from emotions and fears and prejudices and ...

I also had to bite my tongue several times just yesterday listening to a particularly young and angry Sergeant that I didn't know rant and rave about his frustrations while he was in Iraq as I sat in a Arabic class yesterday. He wouldn't stop talking long enough to listen the the Iraqi instructor try to intelligently speak to his legitimate frustrations. He said something that was obviously contemptuous of the Democratic Party yet I wasn't sure of his exact words. Again, trying to engage him I fear would have been a futile and frustrating effort.

Professor Lakoff's work is likely where I ought to turn for help and guidance yet for now I'll just fume. Blogging lets me vent. It did that back in early 2006 and it does even now. Maybe I've done what I can to stretch some minds and I've surely learned much from the effort. I do hope to continue to do my small part and look forward to the fall of 2012 or earlier when I can get back fully into the political fray. I'll be a better man for the experience. John Gunn

Michael Ledeen's long march ~ Iran-Contra to Iraq

If any background on Reagan's Iran-Contra is needed Wikipedia supplies a decent summary. I'll not vouch for the whole work however. The news isn't everywhere in the so called liberal media yet Michael Ledeen's name is turning up in at least a few places since the Senate Intelligence Committee's Phase II report dropped.

John Walcott of McClatchy Newspapers work titled Did Iranian agents dupe Pentagon officials? is a good place to start. The question isn't answered fully but at least we know Michael Ledeen was surely a part of the mix.

I'll quickly touch on the reporting that in 2003 Rummy shut down the investigation of Dead Eye Dick's minions in the White House and Pentagon. That DOD's counter-intelligence investigators recommended that U.S. officials attempt "to map Ghorbanifar's relationship within Iranian elite social networks and, if possible, his contacts with other governments and/or intelligence organizations," in that month or so before Rummy pulled the plug. This seems very relevant. I suppose Bu$hCo would have been so embarrassed and in fact turned out in 2004 if it had been revealed that they and theirs got played by Iran. Getting to the truth via a "comprehensive analysis" was perhaps just too dangerous. That the allegedly liberal New York Times, plus other media outlets, also sat on other stories that might reflect poorly on Bu$hCo until after the election comes to my mind as well.

Air Force Reserve Colonel/Pentagon official Larry Franklin, then working for Douglas Feith, is mentioned as well in the McClatchy reporting. Don't forget Franklin's guilty plea to passing secrets on to AIPAC.

That Doug Feith has been given an academic post at Georgetown and manages to churn out work will be mentioned later. He gets to appears on 60 Minutes to try to sell his apologia and even Jon Stewart books him on The Daily Show. I'd have wanted to interview the TSFGOTP as well, and Jon did a fine job as indicated by this Crooks and Liars piece, yet I'm bothered that Feith is still rocking on and likely earning a decent living as one of the swells. As an aside, I applaud certain Georgetown faculty members raising questions about Feith joining their ranks. At least Feith could have the decency to go on wingnut welfare like Michael Ledeen at AEI.

William O. Beeman asks and answers, Who is Michael Leeden? Katherine Yurica also provides Everything You Need to Know About Michael Ledeen and notes his sympathy toward both “Christian” Dominionism and at least temporary dictatorships. Ledeen even has his own blogging effort at Pajamas Media, noted by Jane at FireDogLake way back in 1995 to be "subsidized". and it hasn't always been pretty there either.

The news that Ledeen and others of the neo-cons and Bu$hCo set were up to no good lets us note that Digby plus John Marshall, Laura Rosen, and Paul Glastris were anticipating in 2004 much of what we've now learned. Returning to what Digby was writing I'll share:

This is another edition of "when you let Republicans get away with murder, they will do it again." In this case, it's literally true. The worst decision Bill Clinton ever made was letting Iran-Contra slide in the name of healing and "getting things done." He got impeached for his trouble and these people came back and perpetrated the Greatest Strategic Blunder In Modern Memory.

Amen! What Digby goes on to share from Richard Clark is also well received. We can't let these outlaws back into polite society. Be it a truth and reconciliation commission or something else, to move past this Reign of Error the nation has a collective need for authentic healing rather than making nice with Machiavellians like Michael Ledeen. John Gunn

What has the smart Bu$h brother been up to?

What might Karl Rove have managed if he'd latched on to Jeb rather than W? So what exactly has the favored of the Bu$h boys been up to lately?

Way back in March of this year Carl Hiaasen (I've always liked his fiction!) told us Don't trust this gang with our state's future in regards to Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. The Miami Herald's Marc Caputo gives us plenty of details about how former Governor Jeb Bu$h has done an end around on his long effort to radically "reform" Florida's public schools. Joseph L. Conn of Americans United for Church and State provides Storm Clouds Over The Sunshine State: Jeb Bush And His Cronies Have Provoked A Church-State Showdown In Florida With National Ramifications to finish out the background for the story.

The Foundation for Florida's Future is the right place to start understanding the game being played out by Jeb, whose political ambitions might still have legs despite brother's dreadful record, yet to find their splash page referencing positive coverage from the Goldwater Institute says much. In the article The James Madison Institute was also referenced. The wingnut think tank machinery is once again shown to be alive and well.

I've written rather frequently about the voucher movement. There's here, here, here, here, here, here, ... "Conservatism" gets much wrong! Still, in education I think right wingers do more harm than in perhaps any other place.

And let's not forget the stellar work Neil Bu$h has done in education. What a tangled web we weave. John Gunn

__________________ Is a Secret Muslim Terrorist!

Via Daily Kos, tsunami reveals Prince Charles Is a Secret Muslim Terrorist! The consumption of rutabagas surely was a clue to those in the know. Who knew? It goes beyond the throne across the pond however as John and Cindy Mccain are also falling prey to this menace. The black veil does do much for Cindy's eyes. John Gunn

On the wish list ~ Jeff Sharlet's "The Family"

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power might be another one that I'll need to read. I don't want to get off in tin foil hat land but he's raising some seriously conspiratorial themes here. Nevertheless, Jeff Sharlet seems like a legit source. Yet when will I find the time? Seriously, to carve out space for reading is becoming a daunting task. One of the positives I imagined about enlisting was that I'd have time to read and write. That's hardly working out so great. John Gunn

What does Professor Juan Cole think?

I frequently turn to Dr. Juan Cole's Informed Consent in an effort to understand the current mess in Iraq and the balance of Southwest Asia. I'm learning Arabic even now and find it tremendously difficult to understand the language and the culture in that region. We surely need to heed experts in this mysterious and complex place. Professor Cole also can handle Farsi and we all know that might be a blessing given these difficult days. John Gunn

HuffPo's 23/6 ~ Swing 'Em Home

Dubyah's war sacrifice is giving up golf yet these Patriots show that hitting the links is a way to stick it to al Qaeda. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ Evening of 5 May 2008 - Golf We Can Believe In from the McCain campaign.

Chuck Hagel once again does the right thing

Above we have a 1968 photo of Chuck Hagel while he's in Vietnam. Note the blue infantry cords! This infantry squad leader earned two Purple Hearts. I've long been a fan of Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. His actions often confirm my affinity yet he and Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine surely did the right thing today by joining with their Democratic colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Jonathan S. Landay of McClatchy Newspapers reports Senate committee: Bush knew Iraq claims weren't true with news that Republicans Orrin Hatch of Utah, Christopher Bond of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia (who got out of Vietnam by claiming he had a bad knee yet was healthy enough to try out for UGA's baseball team when he was playing fratboy in Athens) carried the Bu$hCo water. The only charge Saxby ever led was at every fraternity party! Orrin Hatch even defended Abu Gonzales so obviously he'll cover for Bu$hCo whenever he's needed. Kit Bond compared waterboarding to swimming! Richard Burr's name is even being floated in the GOP Veepstakes yet I admit to knowing little of his record.

Let us also not forget how Kansas Senator Pat Roberts delayed this portion of the investigation for YEARS! Other reliable Bu$hCo defenders like Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III immediately turned to defending John "Huggy Bear" McSame. Jeffy B. said, “If John McCain were president and the nation was considering a military operation, we couldn’t have a better person in the country cross-examining the intelligence officers". Cross-examining? Could there be a more bizarre way to try to throw the blame onto the help?

CNN also covers the report with news that although she's not read the report Press Secretary Dana Perino didn't "know of anything that's particularly new in it". Considering Dana's struggles with basic American history I'm hardly surprised. Then again for her to try to get Dubyah off the hook via a "he was kept in the dark" defense shows how low this administration has fallen.

The Weekly Standard's Stephen F. Hayes is reduced to cobbling together some of Senator Rockerfeller's past statements in an effort to try to limit the damage to the neo-cons and Bu$hCo. Indeed as the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee his past statements might be relevant yet Senator Rockerfeller is hardly with true Progressives on many issues. Then again, Mr. Hayes admitted he'd "leave it to someone more industrious to correct the numerous errors in the report." What errors? Give me details please. Human Events' Peter Huessy at least tries yet I've not the time this evening to dig about and see how their case stands up. Given that Jed Babbin is the online editor I'll not expect much.

And given Mr. Hayes many, many, many ... failures to deliver accurate reporting and his standing as "Conservatives' favorite authority on 'The Connection'" one might ask if in fact Senator Rockerfeller was relying on Mr. Hayes and his ilk? Mr. Hayes not only got to shill the neo-conservatives foolishness back in the day but now he also gets to go back and use quotes from those that might have relied on his work that have now had the scales lifted from their eyes. Once again I can't help but be somewhat impressed by wingnut welfare and the right's message machine.

I'd like just one right winger to explain away Chuck Hagel's vote. I bet they can't. John Gunn

Jerry McNerney Captain America image gets snaps

Kos weighs in on political images and even mentions Jerry's effort. Mother Mary, Big Dog, Pete "I'm a Marine Man's Man" McCloskey, ... We called the above "Captain America" and knew we had a gem. John Gunn

Is "Iran is an existential threat ..." a Bushism?

AP/MSNBC reports Bush says the world needs to take Iran seriously: President tries to reassure Israelis worried about Iran's nuclear ambitions" with the following quote that struck me as odd:

"Iran is an existential threat to peace."

Huh? Wikipedia suggests an "existential crisis" is some sort of "mid-life crisis" where one has "a sense of being alone and isolated" yet there's also "an existential crisis is the sudden awareness of not knowing what one's life is all about and/or the sudden awareness of one's inevitable impending personal doom". How appropriate!

I also noted assertions that the President is "enormously popular" in Israel. He's certainly not here. That "Israel's beleaguered prime minister Ehud Olmert" needed to come across the pond for some support says much about his standing as well.

Here's some more irony. Dubyah just got through railing about appeasement and the perils of talking to folks we might not like yet Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is making yet another trip to Iran this week to meet with Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad.

Does Dubyah have an idea what the hell he's talking about? He wouldn't be able to explain existentialism to save his tortured soul! He's proof that you can get an Ivy League education and still turn out to be as dumb as a bucket of spit! Bushisms will soon fade away as we've only just a few more months of this lightweight to endure. Our nation has survived much and perhaps we'll get past this disaster. I am on record from way back when that he would prove to be a dreadful leader. I told you so! John Gunn

Who mentioned the Sunshine Law Larry?

I've pretty much avoided commenting on Henry "Spec" Bonner's troubles back "home" yet here goes something that might get the family stirred up. Up front I'd hope any reaction might involve where I'm wrong in facts or reasoning.

I saw Mr. Spec just recently when I darkened the doors at the church I grew up in. I usually spoke to him as "Mayor" Bonner but used the Mr. Bonner greeting since he's entered guilty pleas and resigned. I was a bit surprised that he was called on for the obligatory prayer as we left the service. I've known Mr. Spec all my life and there's plenty to like about him. Then again, I've bumped heads with him at least once. I've surely had my own stumbles and surely believe that bumps and bruises often demonstrate that at least you've been in the fray.

I think the deal was a good compromise. Based on what I understand, Spec goofed up big time, ... likely violating the law. One bottom line is that if he thought he could win at trial he ought to have taken the case to the jury. In Alabama we don't allow a "no contest" plea so he had to 'fess up to something.

The idea of a "best interest plea" doesn't wash either and I think that was an invention of a crafty lawyer. Well played Sir! Reckon which reporter that lawyer called to get that out? Apparently it worked in that Bob Jackson of Huntsville used that same language as he wrote in to defend Spec and scold The Leader, Attorney General Troy King (who is a dick indeed!), and ...

I'm not sure how the mental state angle might have played out yet I expect he'd have had a hard time explaining what he did.

Here's the last straw. Larry Armstrong, who was the Pastor of my youth in the church I referenced above, wrote in to The Randolph Leader. Here's just a portion of what he wrote:

It was not a defense of the Sunshine Law since news media were present for the meeting of Mayor Bonner with his department heads. It was not a lesson to future office holders in the county. They are schooled in their responsibilities and do's and don'ts. ...[I]t was just an unnecessary reaction to the fact that your reporter was not allowed in the meeting and was your last opportunity to take a "cheap shot" at the mayor. ...

A small town ... which struggles to attract industry and jobs for its citizens could always use a positive "shot in the arm" from its main media source, not negative, angry attacks.

In fact, the media has been exposed so many times with lies, bias and slanted reporting, I don't know that the mainstream media knows how to handle honest, "straight forward" reporting with no hidden agenda or prejudice. I hope the Leader is above this deception.

Apparently someone didn't think they got a fair hearing with him or he hurt their feelings or didn't give them something they wanted. So, in their vindictiveness they notified the attorney general of something that was so insignificant as to be considered a misdemeanor and something that could have been handled in minutes if brought to the mayor and city council. The attorney general has far more important things to do than run around the state prosecuting misdemeanors, but when reported to him he had no choice but to investigate.

The Leader was mild in merely questioning how their reporter was denied access for an announcement of his resignation. To have police officers allow other reporters, once they were determined to not be representing The Randolph Leader, access to hear the Mayor speak and be given a copy of his written statement is outrageous! They could have hauled Spec and the City's collective asses into federal court after all. Larry goes into "victim" or martyr" mode on the "mainstream media" rather easily doesn't he? Has even this decent, smart man been warped? You're also throwing around "vindictiveness" rather casually.

That the Reverend Armstrong references the "Sunshine Law" is strange in that The Leader's editorial he's complaining about only references the 1st and 14th Amendment. There was no deliberation of a governing body so perhaps Alabama's Open Meetings Act didn't apply. The issue was selective access. Again, 1st and 14th Amendment Larry.

Also, did Spec meet with friends or his department heads? I'm confused.

That the Leader uses this opportunity to remind other local officials of the law seems wise. Seriously, we have people running for local office known as "Fatboy". I've searched high and low for a link yet I recall District 2 Commissioner Ed Creed getting into a fight and then facing charges for hitting another county employee with a ham (no, this isn't a typo!) at a Christmas party some years back. Wadley's Council and Mayor are at war over a dump truck for Christ's sake! Don't forget Dr. Joanne Jordan at Southern Union and others in the JuCo mess. Yet Larry thinks they are "schooled in their responsibilities and do's and don'ts"?

Insignificant misdemeanors? He was charged with various felonies. The deal resulted in misdemeanors. Larry, this mess was brought to the attention of the City Council. My God Larry, at least three Council members confirmed they asked for the investigation! And how is this reporting for instance biased or slanted? It seems rather a list of quotes and facts and ... Obviously Penny Pool was into hatchet jobs given this piece. Bob Bradshaw of Dadeville went after her nevertheless as he also wrote The Leader singing Spec's praises.

Finally, several people that wrote in to thank Spec for his service were a testament to what makes living in a small town so wonderful. Stanley Cofield and Nick Nichols are men that I think much of. I note their LTEs didn't attack The Leader or their reporter for doing their jobs.

I am so very disappointed in Larry Armstrong however! He's far too smart and decent I'd think to have done this type of drive by. John Gunn

St. John McCain - It's OK to leave military to work for Halliburton yet bad if for attending college

A tip of the tam to Jane at FireDogLake and Vote Vets for this one. How ironic! John Gunn

So McCain drops Hagee yet thumpers stay groovy?

Digby suggests, "McCain being "forced" to repudiate Hagee actually reinforces the Christian Right's feelings of victimization at the hands of the secular majority. It's entirely possible that this will strengthen McCain among some of the Christian Right. They live for that stuff." Digby's angle might indeed be right. Huggy Bear cuts his losses on the nut jobs John Hagee and Rod Parsley yet the Bible thumpers will likely think he had to do so in reaction to the Godless liberals and their control of the mass media. Who'd have thunk it? John Gunn

Senators Shelby and Sessions earn their keep

Three puppets. And if Richard Shelby were pictured we'd have four. Senators Southern Company are back in the news. Mary Orndorff of the B'ham News reports Alabama senators Sessions, Shelby critical of cap-and-trade global warming bill. While I'm not sure we have to rely on the markets, alleged by the right wingers to make even schooling go better, to address environmental concerns the move toward a cap and trade system to combat carbon emissions seems like a step in the right direction.

Yet Southern Company doesn't feel the same way and thus they call in their favors. Ms. Orndorff reports,

"Political action committees affiliated with Southern Co. and several of its employees are regular contributors to the re-election accounts of both Alabama senators. Collectively they add up to become Sessions' largest contributor over the past six years, at about $76,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. They add up to $62,000 for Shelby, his fourth-highest contributor."

I loathe Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and I've blogged on him often. Senator Water Carrier still might be as good a name for him as any given his toeing the Bu$hCo line on pretty much everything but as relates to brown people from South of the Border. Richard Shelby has earned my attention as well yet he's hardly as dreadful as Jeffy B. These two corporatists don't represent Alabama citizens but rather the Big Mules. It's time to send them home. The Bible thumpers, gun nuts, ... keep getting fooled yet is there any doubt on the GOP being geared for taking care of the fat cats when you get votes like this? John Gunn

Might McCain-Jindal be the GOP ticket this fall?

The NYT's Adam Nossiter shares In Louisiana, Inklings of a New (True) Champion of the Right. For more on the young Governor, Time's Jindal Triumphant in Louisiana is a short and sweet summary of his rapid rise in office as of the fall of 2007. That Time reminds me of the Auburn vs. LSU football game is painful given that last boneheaded play called by Les Miles that worked out to his benefit.

Connections or at least affinity between Governor Jindal and Louisiana Family Forum were noted by the Gray Lady piece. These Dobsonites apparently possess some serious backing and muscle. Jindal has been actively courting the religious right and his views on evolution should especially be noted.

He's surely smart, young, ... Ezra Klein provides more info, links, and a YouTube of Mr. Jindal on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. If Big Fat Idiot thinks he might be the next Ronald Reagan that says much. John Gunn

Jim Hightower on our globalized shrimp industry

Jim Hightower looks at "the costly consequences of a globalized food supply" by focusing on imported shrimp. The carbon footprint in getting the shrimp some 8000 miles is worthy of mention. The consequences to our American shrimpers is also worthy of note. He cites a CNN report on abuses in the Asian shrimp industry as well. The safety of the imported shrimp is certainly another issue yet he barely touches on that concern. The way that Hightower explains a rather complicated quandary is priceless. John Gunn

Is this Katie Couric's Walter Cronkite moment?

After Jessica Yellin's admission there's cute, perky CBS anchor Katie Couric weighing in on the Scott McClellan "enablers" angle. With her admitting to the pressure from “the corporations who own where we work and from the government itself to really squash any kind of dissent or any kind of questioning of it” I'd hope that even more Americans might accept the reality of the media mess we have. John Gunn

The deflated shell of Buckley's alliance between religious traditionalists, small-government advocates, free-marketers, foreign-policy hawks ...

H. Brandt Ayers tells the truth when he writes in today's Anniston Star the following: "Today, if you're not rich, Southern or born-again, the chances of you being a Republican aren't great." There are others in the strange coalition that made up the modern GOP plus one could add gun nuts, flat earthers, and others to those that might by odds be Republicans but I still like Mr. Ayers' thinking. John Gunn

Meteor Blades tells the McCainocrats "Bite Me"

Via Daily Kos Meteor Blades (Timothy Lange)delivers a rant titled McCainocrats: Eager to Tell Me You Told Me So that is worthy of a Scot indeed. A seasoned lefty indeed. Well stated Sir! John Gunn

Commentary from San Francisco in Mobile's P-R?

Over to the left I share an image of a seemingly younger Lawrence McQuillan of The Pacific Research Institute of San Francisco. Some people might indeed be smiling if they were a kept man. Dr. McQuillan got space in the Mobile Press-Register's op-ed pages today with Good tort system a budget key. Perhaps the print version of the paper identified him as an "economist from the Pacific Research Institute" as Doc's Political Parlor did yet the version via the internets doesn't reveal that he's a paid shill.

I've actually mentioned "Lawrence McQuillan, author of the righteous PRI study" before when Lewis Fuller of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse and ... went off on a tear combining anti-intellectualism and anger in a rant worthy of the hall of shame. This spawn of George Mason University and Stanford's Hoover Institute, his veracity has been challenged before. He references two "studies" that's I'll tackle.

First we get, "According to a McKinsey & Co. study, when a company is deciding where to expand, tort risks rank second in significance, trailing only the availability of qualified workers." Is it this McKinsey and Company? Their work for a major insurance company doesn't reference the Allstate "Tough Hands" policy did it? While I've labored under space restrictions myself, I think it odd that he passes this "global management consulting firm" off as some sort of pseudo-academic outfit.

He then writes, "A University of California-Berkeley economist found that implementing just one of six common tort reforms boosts a state's employment by 1 percent." It might be that he's thinking of Steve Sugarman? He's actually a law professor but he's done work that might be suitable for use or at least distortion. You'd think space would allow for specificity.

I'm guessing that he's writing of Lisa Kimmel given this Detroit News Op-Ed he penned with National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler. She was but a doctoral candidate when she wrote the NYTs way back in 1999 calling bullshit on one of Bu$hCo's signature issues, that being caps on damages. "To date, no well-accepted empirical evidence shows that these reforms either increased employment or reduced insurance rates." seems clear enough.

Once again, and I'll not bother with a link ... a good number of lawsuits often cited in all these statistics involve disputes between businesses. Also, let us not forget that workmen's compensation laws apply to when employees get hurt on the job. Throw in OSHA and EOC and ... regs and it seems to me that there's not a whole left for states to do as applies to jobs that employ a good number of people.

Is Alabama doing that poorly in the mix? After all, Thyssen-Krupp located a plant near Mobile and even Engler's NAM praised their choice. What about EADS? There's Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes Benz in Bama. What about rumors of Volkswagen? You'd think all these major players would have known better!

I couldn't help but wonder if Gary Palmer and Michael Ciamarra were bothered about an outfit from San Francisco (the home of Nancy Pelosi no less!) treading on their home turf? Anybody paying attention knows they are funded by the same fat cats and share the same mission to distract and divide so as to keep their corporate masters in the money yet I could see them being a bit bothered by not doing their part to keep earning that Wingnut Welfare. John Gunn

He'd have been a hell of a baseball commissioner

That Dubyah wanted to become the MLB Commissioner was suggested by Fay Vincent. If only it had been granted. I'm thinking the mid-eighties was when Dubyah gave up the booze and that's fine. I personally think our world would be better if he'd have stayed on the sauce.

Covering a Bu$hCo graduation speech at Furman University in South Carolina, the WaPo's Dan Eggen reports "Commander Codpiece" reflected on "a time in my life when alcohol competed for my affections". Dubyah claims he got "back on track" and is now apparently somewhat of a "model citizen". Huh?

That he's rather frequently publicly discussing his past troubles with the booze is interesting as I'm sure he'd love a few belts given his many, many woes. It could be that reflecting on maybe that one time his will controlled reality gives him comfort.

It's down to 232 days left until January 20, 2009! John Gunn

Another one goes up on the Amazon Wish List

Let me first confess that I'd rather not use Amazon so often. They have been generally a Republican leaning outfit. I like the idea of supporting local bookstores as well. The thing is that Amazon has some impressive features like their widgets, affiliates program, ... and my Wish List. And if they have indeed seen the error of their ways that helps me along. True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society by Farhad Manjoo seems like one I'll really enjoy. Slate's Steven Johnson exchange with Farhad Manjoo gives me even more certainty. John Gunn

Some fear and smear from the abstinence industry

The WaPo's Rob Stein reports U.S. Campaign to Promote Abstinence Begins: Groups Are Enlisting Parents in Effort to Lobby for Changes in Sex Education. The National Abstinence Education Association is attempting to recruit a large number of parents in an effort to stave off presumed reverses in Congress and certainly in the White House. I also note that part of the effort is to lobby local schools to adopt curriculum that these profiteers will be situated to provide. Looking at DC primarily we get ...

"The campaign comes as Congress is debating whether to authorize about $190 million in federal funding for such programs, which have come under increasing criticism because of a series of reports that concluded they are ineffective."

Evidence suggest that abstinence only programs fail so the providers decide to scare the hell out of Mom and Dad. Classy!

They hope they've got St. John in their corner yet his conservative credentials are hardly without concern to the Dobsonites and their type. Under their "action alerts" portion NAEA has the following:

May 20, 2008: Organizations: Sign your name to this letter asking Presidential Candidate John McCain to support abstinence education.

So maybe they aren't certain they have Huggy Bear, despite his May 2007 effort to reach out to the Bible Thumpers via CBN. Let's recall John McSame had yet another "stumble" on yet another issue. Here's Johnny from back in March of 2007:

Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

How can you stump someone on their own position? Does St. John really think he can run with and against Bu$hCo? This and other "stumbles" really give me hope yet I digress.

These abstinence only "educators" surely don't want their millions from the government teat to dry up. So they are willing to just downright twist and lie? Are they? Check out their video effort via the WaPo coverage. Here's how low they will go:

The three-minute video depicts a mother of a 13-year-old girl becoming alarmed after learning details about sex ed curriculum being used in her school, including suggestions that teenagers can take showers together and give each other condoms.

Proponents of comprehensive sex ed condemned the campaign as misleading, noting that the "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" curriculum cited in the video was developed to reduce the spread of the AIDS virus among African American males ages 13 to 19. Showering was cited as an example of a behavior that entailed a low risk of transmitting the virus.

"It's a classic fear and smear campaign," said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a private, nonprofit Washington advocacy group. "It's absolutely misleading."

Mercy! The "truthiness" of this video will likely be close enough for those parents that the NAEA will be e-mailing. Still, I'm wondering if this stretch might not supply a wonderful opportunity to totally embarrass these abstinence only hucksters and the pandering politicians that fall for their foolishness. John Gunn