Blaming Bu$hCo for Teen Birth Rate Increase

The WaPo's Rob Stein will provide the coverage I'll use for background yet here's hoping most have read the news by now. Is a "Heck of a job Bu$hie!" appropriate? I've yet to study the report closely yet have to note the spin seems to reflect agendas, perhaps on various sides of the political divides.

The usual suspects on the right like NewsBusters used the news as an excuse to go after "liberal media bias". Tony Perkins' Family Research Council thinks the millions spent on abstinence education under Bu$hCo's DOE isn't "authentic" enough. Huh?

I've long been a critic of pretty much every facet of Bu$hCo yet their emphasis on abstinence only sex education has to rank near the top of the many reasons I loathe this administration. Perhaps they can get these teens to marry?

I've taught teens. Comprehensive sex education, with an opt out for parents and/or kids that want to pass on the learning, makes sense to me. Abstinence only approaches seem like wishful thinking to me. Of course this is true for pretty much any policy coming from the current White House. Peace ... or War!

Alabama State Senator Wants to Arm College Kids

Hank Erwin is a classic. Brian Lyman of the Mobile Press-Register provides coverage of Hammering Hank's latest "thinking" with Bill would let some college students tote guns. I've written Hank before on his rapist bill of rights legislation yet I'll not bother contacting him now on the wisdom of this idea. Senator Erwin made Alabama proud for opining that Katrina hit New Orleans for her culture of "gambling, sin and wickedness" as demonstrated by this World Nut Daily article. Peace ... or War!

LA Times/Bloomberg Polls Military Support of Bu$h

I recall forcing myself to watch some of the GOP convention in NYC where I saw plenty of folks like this with their flip flops and band aids falling for Bu$hCo's BS. The Kerry Kewl Kids let them get away with that foolisheness and until the Left/Progressives fight back I fear we'll see this spectacle again. Faye Fiore of the LA Times covers her paper's recent polling of military families as to Dubyah and confirms that pretty much everyone knows this bunch is in over their head. How the left can do a better job in reaching voters from military frames of reference might be a post for another day yet comments are welcomed in the meantime. Peace ... or War!

Pandering and/or Preaching from Mitt Romney?

I think the toon from David Horsey is the answer to the question. He'll do what it takes to win. (For those that need to brush up on Mitt Romney I'd start with The Boston Globe's effort.) As to Romney's recent speech where he essentially said only the religious need to apply for political office, Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune believes Romney flunks a religious test and Bonnie Erbe of U.S. News and World Report opines Romney: No Jack Kennedy. The Gray Lady's reliably conservative David Brooks seemed to sorta, kinda liked Mitt's moment if I've read his Faith vs. the Faithless correctly and surely some on the right aren't ready to give up on this smooth operator just yet. This secular humanist is for one simply horrified, yet not surprised, that the reaction to Romney's remarks haven't been more harsh. It's First Amendment 101 to this lefty yet Romney finds it all too easy to just leave non-believers out of the equation. Peace ... or War!

Tip of the Tam to Thomas Ricks of WaPo and ...

I've long wanted to tackle Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas Ricks of the WaPo yet I only finished the thing last night. Well done! Thomas Ricks remains one of the go to guys on the military and especially Iraq as demonstrated by this E&P piece and this NPR effort. His indictment of Bu$hCo and some of the military "leaders" is thorough and well written. "Fiasco" seems too kind. Peace ... or War!

Captain Plaid is back in the saddle

Just today I've received word that I could post. I'd had twenty plus missives saved as drafts that I've put up just prior to this post. I'm perfectly thrilled to be back as I missed the process of sharing. I learn from the reading and writing plus the creative release is good, clean fun. As always, know I'm writing this as a mere individual. If anything troubles you about my effort please let know. Comments are welcomed yet I'll perhaps dump foolishness. Keep it civil and generally cordial please. Peace ... or War!

Bu$hCo's Stephen Hadley Spins NIE on Iran Nukes

The Guardian's Ewen MacAskill reports US spies give shock verdict on Iran threat : Intelligence agencies say Tehran halted weapons programme in 2003 yet the GOP's Faux News provides Hadley: U.S. Policy Toward Iran Nuclear Weapons Must Continue. Truly Iran's current government poses risks and yet the prospects of a generally peaceful resolution must be explored. I've little confidence in the current White House yet surely this NIE has to be a positive. Peace ... or War!

Bu$hCo's Friday Night Filing on Abramoff Records

MSNBC/AP reports Secrecy invoked on Abramoff lawsuits : White House laying out new secrecy defense in effort to end court battle. Let's hope the Washington Press Corp doesn't let this one slide. Peace ... or War!

Halimah Abdullah of McClatchy on NCLB

I am often asked why I left teaching. Calvin gives me one answer. Where I've wound up for the next five years is certainly a larger part of the question. Still, one large reason I'm here is Bu$hCo's No Child Left Behind. I like the reporting of Halimah Abdullah of McClatchy on NCLB as a summary of where things stand now up in DC on this bizarrely flawed approach to learning. I'd missed this story yet kudos to David Wasserman for being a “conscientious objector” during this year's testing in Wisconsin. I'd have likely gone ahead and administered the test under protest if I'd have been in his shoes yet admittedly Wasserman got some coverage that I'd have not received. Peace ... or War!

Alabama's Randy Brinson Helps Mike Huckabee

Via the WaPo, Cillizza And Shailagh Murray provide The Man Who Helped Start Huckabee's Roll referring to Alabama's own Dr. Randy Brinson of Redeem the Vote. Dr. Brinson's list of emails came about mostly from his work with Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ." Governor Huckabee got 414,000 contacts in Iowa alone. Anybody have any understanding of the status of Brinson's lawsuit against John Giles? Peace ... or War!

Social Security and Magic Ponies

Devilstower's Congratulations, Citizen! begins with

Back on 2001, right after Inauguration Day, $10,000 of your Social Security funds were placed in a special private personal magic pony account where it would enjoy the explosive benefits of the our surging prosperity, and the Longest Peacetime Terra-fightin' Expansion in HISTORY... History... history. All of this made possible by cutting taxes on the productive people at the top of the food chain and removing those regulations that prevented our financial institutions from using all their imagination in creating new ways to loan give... to give you money! We at the Treasury know there was some discussion about not going along with the president's plan, but I think you'll agree that what we've learned over the last seven years is that the president can do anything he wants and no one will do more than talk about stopping him. So we just did it! Say, why not send us a subpoena? That'd be a hoot!

Now, as we close in on the last year of this glorious wondertime, here's a quick report on how your outsourced, privately-managed fund has done.

Scary stuff courtesy of Bu$hCo and that's before the collapse of all those bad mortgages. Peace .. or War!

Mike Huckabee Gets Stoned

Matt Taibbi on Mike Huckabee, Our Favorite Right-Wing Nut Job appears via Rolling Stone. He serves up a brutally honest look at religious whack jobs, even one that for me comes across as rather kind and charming. I guess the idea that anybody with a brain knew the Bu$hCo bunch was faking it does make this next time a little more scary. As a Jimmy Carter fan I'll have to ponder how to distinguish the two men but can start with the fact Carter wasn't a Republican. Of course back in 1976 that didn't mean the same thing as it means since the early 80s. Peace ... or War!

Robert Reich Goes After Supercapitalism

I'm working through an older Robert Reich book as of late and his Supercapitalism has been on my Amazon Wish List for some time. Consumer-Driven Culture Is Killing Our Democracy, from Terrance McNally appears on AlterNet that is surely worth reading. Even if rather silenced in the Clinton White House this man is a serious thinker who we'd do good to heed. Peace ... or War!

Rudy Giuliani's Troubles with Facts and Figures

Michael Cooper of the NYT (via MSNBC) serves up Citing statistics, Giuliani misses time and again yet questions of his "mistress fund" might finally allow the "values" crowd to get the Mayor pushed aside for the GOP's nomination. CNN's Wednesday piece revealed some early coverage yet today's E&P claims the story "has legs". The NY Post provides a scathing headline with their RUDY'S HIDDEN LOVE-NEST $$. Peace ... or War!

Mike Sutton Returns to Randolph Leader Op-Eds

Mike Sutton of Lewisville, Texas (just north of Dallas) is back in my hometown paper with even more Doomsday than the last time I posted on his "thinking". His contribution this week is Hillary must be stopped for country's survival. I'd have loved to supply the title yet I digress. Since the text might disappear eventually I'll copy the whole thing as follows:

Hillary Clinton is Hugo Chavez in a pant suit, the difference being that once in power she would be more ruthless than Chavez in the suppression of liberties and the exaltation of "The State" as mankind's only true savior. This is not what most Americans want for their children's future -- so what are our alternatives?

Is Mike Huckabee the answer? I believe it was Spurgeon who said, "If God calls you to preach, don't stoop to be a king," which begs the question --why is Rev. Huckabee even running for president? Just as the Osteen mouse had done on The Larry King Show; Huckabee denied that Jesus Christ is man's only way to salvation while being interviewed on The O'Reilly Show. Since a major tenet of the Christian faith is that Christ is "the way, the truth and the life," and since Rev. Huckabee claims to be a Christian minister, his evasiveness and his denial during the interview define him as a weakling and a fraud.

America needs a thoroughly Christian president who is tough and smart, who has the vision to see what has made this nation great, and the courage and faith to stand for those principles -- a man like Judge Roy Moore. To our everlasting shame it appears that there is no longer a place in American politics for such a man, but does that mean we should just give up and hand the country over to Hillary? A thousand times no!Common sense Americans should accept the fact that we do not live in a perfect world, and rally behind Hillary's opponent, whether it be Thompson, Giuliani or Romney. We should pray that the Lord will give that man wisdom, courage and strength; and pray that he has the good sense to take a running mate like J.C. Watts or Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

A fatalist might argue that the flow of history makes it inevitable that all great nations will eventually fade, crumble and fall. If this is true, then for the sake of our children and grandchildren, for the sake of those who have died to secure our freedoms, for the sake of the gospel; we Americans should dedicate ourselves, with God's help, to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
Mike Sutton
P.O. Box 551
Lewisville, TX 75067

Mike's riffing off the work of Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute yet I'll send you to the Freepers rather than BMI, as both are part of the Right's Mighty Wurlitzer, for his Hillary Clinton: 'Hugo Chavez in a pantsuit' piece. Mr. Gainor apparently makes the scene at Faux News rather often. Nuff said? Also, in that his outfit is part of Brent Bozell's Media Research Center, Inc. one would hope reasoned folks would understand the game. I pictured and posted on Brent Bozell, the nephew of William Buckley, back when I posted on How a Right Winger Reads the NYT. Once again I'm amazed at how shills for the right have jobs a plenty yet lefty types pretty much labor out of love rather than to draw even adequate wages.

I'll not even bother addressing Sutton's "thinking" beyond reminding folks of prior posts (here and here) and then sending you to World Nut Daily where Sutton's candidate of choice, Alabama's favorite theocrat Roy Moore, opines. If people are inclined to believe either Sutton's or the slightly less radical Gainor's position they'll likely not respond to what I have to offer. Perhaps in a long, long conversation a breakthrough might occur? Peace ... or War!

Economic Consequences of Bu$hCo and ...

At times I wondered if Mike Keefe didn't have it right given that Bu$hCo was all about cutting taxes it seemed. That their tax cut was the first in a time of war and favored the elite has been something covered be plenty. The following appears in the link below:

The first major economic initiative pursued by the president was a massive tax cut for the rich, enacted in June of 2001. Those with incomes over a million got a tax cut of $18,000—more than 30 times larger than the cut received by the average American. The inequities were compounded by a second tax cut, in 2003, this one skewed even more heavily toward the rich. Together these tax cuts, when fully implemented and if made permanent, mean that in 2012 the average reduction for an American in the bottom 20 percent will be a scant $45, while those with incomes of more than $1 million will see their tax bills reduced by an average of $162,000.

Via Vanity Fair, Nobel laureate, Joseph E. Stiglitz, sees a generation-long struggle to recoup our losses in his The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush. A "reckoning" indeed and yet I also appreciated how he also blames Clinton and the American public for the mess we are in. There are solutions offered as well. Near the end he writes:

What is required is in some ways simple to describe: it amounts to ceasing our current behavior and doing exactly the opposite. It means not spending money that we don’t have, increasing taxes on the rich, reducing corporate welfare, strengthening the safety net for the less well off, and making greater investment in education, technology, and infrastructure.

When it comes to taxes, we should be trying to shift the burden away from things we view as good, such as labor and savings, to things we view as bad, such as pollution. With respect to the safety net, we need to remember that the more the government does to help workers improve their skills and get affordable health care the more we free up American businesses to compete in the global economy. Finally, we’ll be a lot better off if we work with other countries to create fair and efficient global trade and financial systems. We’ll have a better chance of getting others to open up their markets if we ourselves act less hypocritically—that is, if we open our own markets to their goods and stop subsidizing American agriculture.

Some portion of the damage done by the Bush administration could be rectified quickly. A large portion will take decades to fix—and that’s assuming the political will to do so exists both in the White House and in Congress.

Peace ... or War!

Alabama's Public Transporation Challenges

Markeshia Ricks of the Anniston Star reports on the increasing need for solid public transportation systems in Alabama. A tremendous need indeed, made all the more complicated perhaps with the "patchwork" of current providers, and yet I'm not so sure Joe and Jill Sixpack are going to be able to see past the usual distractions to elect leaders that will be up to tackling these issues. Andy Singer nails at least one part of the problem. Peace ... or War!

Australia's PM John Howard Exits Stage Right

The AP via MSNBC reports Labor's huge win down under. Bu$hCo's essentially lone remaining ally John Howard's saw his Conservative Party simply trounced by Labor, leading to the likely rise of Kevin Rudd as Australia's PM. Peace ... or War!

Thanksgiving of Dubyah and Dick

I woke up yesterday thinking how only one Thanksgiving will remain to the Bu$hCo Administration. The image is from Keven Siers of the Charlotte Observer yet Scarecrow's Crossing Bush's Line on FireDogLake sums up all I'd want to write. The link to Joseph Galloway's McClatchy Commentary: Good riddance to them all serves up some writing that is likewise perfect. Peace ... or War!

It's Buy Nothing Day

Via the LA Times I located Joseph Barnbrook's take on Buy Nothing Day. As a Scot, linking to a Brit is tough. Still, this designer has simply nailed conspicuous consumption. As for the image above, that also says much on how we tend to live. Peace ... or War!

Clinton Appointed Federal Judge Does Justice

Lousiana Senator David Vitter has admitted "sin" in regards to the DC Madam list yet at least he'll avoid testifying before a a federal court. While the press would have enjoyed, and perhaps others than value schadenfreude when yet another of the GOP's values crowd gets caught, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler did the right thing. Reckon if a loyal Bushie would have?

Senator Vitter's official website still has the following language up:

David Vitter is dedicated to making life better for his young family and all Louisiana families. He’s focused on putting Louisiana first as an independent and outspoken reformer, and on advancing mainstream conservative principles.

There's even reference to an award he "earned" from the Family Research Council still up! I'm sure Dr. Dobson is so proud. It's been a tough year for Dr. D. with Senator Craig's scandal as well. You'd think he'd have tweaked this a touch given the last few months. Then again when his wife Wendy spoke out so boldly in 2000 over the Clenis' indiscretions there's apparently little shame in the Vitter household. As lectors at St. Francis Xavier Church perhaps they are above things of this earth? Peace ... or War!

John Kerry and T. Boone Pickens Are a Feuding

Sasha Issenberg of the Boston Globe gives us Swift Boat issue becomes crucial to Kerry anew yet it is too little and too late for most of us. T. Boone Pickens is surely an interesting character and those nasty Swift Boaters had the funds san his zillions yet this ought to be fun to watch. Peace ... or War!

There's Life After Bu$hCo's for Ari and Scotty

Although news today is of Scott McClellan whining about being left in the dark for lies he told on Plamegate I'll mostly focus on what Ari Fleischer has been up to with his role in Freedom's Watch. A nasty group and yet they can be I suppose. At least they aren't pretending to be a neutral group as do a rather large number of the 501(c)(3) outfits that make up the Right's Noise Machine.

Going after my very own candidate this past fall, namely Congressman Jerry McNerney, who admittedly hasn't always done everything I'd have wanted one in DC (the idea of tossing aside perhaps the best of the Progressive taxes, the estate tax, for instance) has certainly brought Ari's latest adventure back in my sights. As for Jerry, I'm going to still try to find a way to help him this next year. Carl Pope is right in how better off we are sans Dirty Dick Pombo. I'll hope Jerry will prove to be the Progressive I'd like, or at least close enough for CA-11. As a Progressive from Alabama, I've surely learned to not expect too much from plenty of candidates I've helped. I can surely hang in there with Jerry. Plus he and his mean plenty to me.

I suppose Ari and Scotty will be cashing the checks for some time, despite their association with Bu$hCo. As an aside, is Ari's brother Michael still working with whatever might remain of the Coalition Provisional Authority? While the GOP is trying to disassociate with Dubyah for 2008 I'd expect anyone that could work in the Bu$hCo White House will live to lie another day. Peace ... or War!

Bu$h and LBJ - Big Spenders

Comparisons of Dubyah to Nixon in a prior post and now we have, courtesy of David Lightman, one to LBJ. And it is not just their Texas roots! His McClatchy piece Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ surely shows that Bu$hCo, like so many Conservatives, is mostly talk and hardly any walk. The image above is from Jeff Parker and I do appreciate the fact he's covering the veteran. Truly Bu$hCo and the modern GOP, as well as some supposedly on my team, have long been looking out for the fat cats rather than regular folk. Peace ... or War!

Superb First Newsweek Column from Kos

Of course Karl Rove is off our federal payroll (yet another Bu$hCo outrage that a craven political operative ever was!) so obviously the above John Cole image is a bit dated. Markos Moulitsas delivers a superb Newsweek piece, titled Make the Bush Record the Issue : Absent amnesia—which only happens on soaps—Democrats will be fine, in his first effort in that venue. He starts off in part with the following:

Earlier this month, according to Gallup, more people strongly disapproved of George W. Bush than any previous president since the advent of polling—and, really, how could things be any different? Bush can boast of an unwinnable quagmire in Iraq, a decimated housing market, economic instability and a collapsing dollar, a dysfunctional health-care system, a still-devastated Gulf Coast, a wealth gap of a scope unseen since the Great Depression and a pervasive and disturbing image of America as a hapless, blundering giant, rather than a beacon of freedom and morality in the world.

His close 'aint bad either where he writes:

Democrats, on the other hand, believe government can be a resource for promoting the common good and thus are invested from the beginning in governing competently, efficiently and fairly. Their ideology demands it. And what better way for Democratic candidates to illustrate this contrast than by running against the Republican trifecta—the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court—that governed throughout most of Bush's eight years in office?

Democrats should and will use Bush and his destructive policies on the campaign trail as the primary example of what happens when people who hate government are elected to run it. The message will be that Bush isn't a historical anomaly: he's the embodiment of modern conservatism.

Dead on true words. Conservatism, at least that practiced by the Republicans in the last thirty or so years, simply fails the test. Peace ... or War!

Some Time Spent with a Libertarian

I recently came across Robert Higgs Resurgence of the Warfare State: The Crisis Since 9/11. While I'm hardly a Libertarian, this work, courtesy of The Independent Institute, was worth the time spent reading. However, one of Higgs' inclusions originally appeared at VDARE, a questionable outfit I stumbled across via Captain Bama. I also noted some references to The Mises Institute way down yonder in the loveliest village on the Plains. Peace ... or War!

Saudi Court Sentence Rape VICTIM to 200 Lashes

This BBC report reads best yet at least some mass media here in the States covered this outrage. An appeal yielded a doubling of the sentence! With friends like the Saudi Royal family and Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf I'm truly wondering how Bu$hCo continues to sell the idea of spreading democracy. Peace ... or War!

How Bu$hCo Teaches Iraqis Democracy

Mary Ann Akers and Paul Kane of the WaPo report that Manuel Miranda, the former senior Senate aide who previously obtained various Democrats documents and communications from an apparently unsecured computer system, has been hired by Bu$hCo's State Department to teach "democracy" to the Iraqi "government". He'll be the working in the "Office of Legislative Statecraft" and as a loyal Republican soldier I'm sure he'll do just fine for this administration. Peace ... or War!

Andy Singer and David Sirota on "Free Trade"

Andy Singer provides the image and David Sirota supplies analysis related to the 2008 primary candidates which builds off his Flattening the Great Education Myth piece from last year. Peace ... or War!

Alabama's Republican Supreme Court Saves Exxon 10% of Last Years Profits

To the middle left you'll see Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker, a favorite target of Captain Bama, along with some of his wingnut buddies. Recently "Justice" Parker proved his worth to the very folks that likely ran Judge Naybors against him for the Chief slot this past year by writing the opinion for his seven other GOP colleagues in overturning the 3.5 billion punitives award against Exxon/Mobil for dirty dealing the state on gas revenues.

Complicated case is some respects but it looks like lack of "reasonable reliance" on the State's part was how the GOP Justices justified their decision to toss the fraud and thus the punitives. Here's the actual slip opinion, all 125 pages, if you want to read the thing.

If this Exxon/Mobil outfit made 40 billion last year the 3.5 was about 10% in punitives. Hardly draconian, especially after the thing had been tried twice and Judge McCooey had cut the punitives from 11.8 billion. The compensatory damages were over a hundred million at trial but the Supremes, at least the eight Republicans, dropped that by half. Exxon's last CEO got a 400 million retirement deal yet the BCA and others in Alabama are celebrating I'm sure the wisdom of the decision. Scott Horton of Harper's has a nice take on the decision, especially given his role in representing fat cats of commerce. Note also how he also connects some of the players in the ongoing saga of The Don.

Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb correctly provided the lone dissenting voice for the little man. Perhaps Joe and Jill Sixpack will pay some attention to this case come the next elections yet I'll not hold my breath. I still favor the Alabama State bar's Missouri Plan approach for selecting Judges. Peace ... or War!

Soak The Rich!

Within the last month or so I had a good conversation with a smart conservative where I dropped the old Huey Long line of "Soak the rich!" While I'm not really wanting them soaked, merely dampened will do, I strongly believe in a Progressive Tax Code. A tip of the tam to R.J. Matson for the above image yet one is also due to Warren Buffett for today's testimony before the Senate Finance Committee. As an aside, I'm so frustrated seeing how Congressman Jerry McNerney's estate tax position is "evolving. I appreciate the Progressive Connection for news of CA-11 yet also for how they handled the "save the family farm" angle with this post. I'm all for helping the little guy yet I thought that was what I was doing when I helped Jerry get to DC. Peace ... or War!

Drug Money?

This toon of Bob Englehart might explain the following MSNBC coverage as much as anything. Lobbying stalls generic drug legislation contains the following:

An Associated Press review of lobbying reports, from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, found that $38.8 million was spent by at least a dozen generic and brand-name companies and their trade associations on issues including the Senate legislation.

I reckon 38 large buys a lot of access. I've long favored some type of Universal Health care and so far the plan of John Edwards works for me. That he's honest enough to admit an increase in revenue will be required to fund his plan speaks well for him. Peace ... or War!

T-town News Gets it Right on Rudy and Pat

On the eve of the Iron Bowl I'll look to Tuskerlooser for at least one thing positive. They've seemingly summed up both Rudy and Pat with their November 12, 2007 Editorial. The work of R.J. Matson above says what's left. Peace ... or War!

Did Bu$hCo Ignore Hart-Rudman Commission?

Above we have former Senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman. I was totally ignorant of the Senators' work on The US Commission on National Security/21st and yet it surely seemed, and still seems, relevant. Thanks to my finally finishing Professor Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media? I've learned at least a little that I now want to share. Jake Tapper's Salon piece, namely Commission warned Bush; But White House passed on recommendations by a bipartisan, Defense department-ordered commission on domestic terrorism., from just the day after September 11, 2001, is the best summary I can find yet the Google is having trouble coming up with much subsequent coverage. Reckon why? From the start of the Bu$hCo reign it surely seems that Dubyah and Dick and Condi and ... have plenty of questions remaining as to exactly what they did regarding the threat of terrorism. Peace ... or War!

Dr. Robert Entman on American Media & Voters

Another addition to the Wish List. Professor Robert Entman of GWU likely has plenty to offer on a multiplicity of subjects yet if I understand a central premise of this book it is that a "vicious circle of interdependence" impacts both our media and citizens. "To become sophisticated ... Americans need high-quality, independent political journalism". However, to "stay in business while producing such journalism, news organizations would need an audience of sophisticated citizens". RIght now I'd argue the supply of either is very limited. Peace ... or War!

More Questions on Siegelman Judge Mark Fuller

As to The Don, issues as to the trial judge, Mark Everett Fuller of the Middle District of Alabama, continue to interest me. I've found Scott Horton of Harper's to be a tremendous source of information. Serious questions do seem to be present as to Judge Fuller. His image appears to the left.

Scott Horton weighs in on Saturday with The Curious Case of the Missing Transcript and in part explains that it is rare for defendants convicted on public integrity issues to not be granted release pending appeal. Horton writes

... fair application of the rule would have gotten in the way of the theatrics that Judge Fuller had planned for sentencing day. As that day commenced, the Montgomery court room was packed with U.S. Marshals who had been summoned by Fuller. After sentencing, Fuller directed that Siegelman be placed in manacles and dragged before the camera to provide full propaganda benefit for the Alabama Republican Party, on whose Executive Committee he had previously served (a fact the defense didn’t know until it was disclosed this summer in this space). Indeed, the event appears to have been well coordinated with the Alabama G.O.P., which immediately exploited it in press releases.

More follows as to the idea that the 11th Circuit is seemingly not pleased with how the Judge responded to their last Order requesting information on why release pending appeal isn't appropriate. There's also some rebuking of David Prather of the Hunstville Times ( a Newhouse paper ... need to look at that one) although I've often found his writing solid.

On the Alabama GOP's Executive Committee and truly a fortunate son, Mark Everett Fuller was a Bu$hCo appointee. Close ties to Congressman Terry Everett (note the "Everett" in his name) from their church in Enterprise to defense contracts to ..., it would seem the Judge continues in his good fortune. Questions as to his large interest in Doss Aviation remain, at least for Scott Howard (see his The Pork Barrel World of Judge Mark Fuller and ... ) yet few if any of the press down in Alabama seem troubled. Bob Martin, Glynn Wilson, ... are exceptions.

More to follow on this mess I'm sure. In the meantime, I'd argue The Don (and Richard Scrushy for that matter) ought to be released pending the outcome of his appeal. Let's hope the 11th Circuit sees it that way. Peace ... or War!

Fraud Req'd to Ratify Alabama's 1901 Constitution

Today's B'ham News reminds us that only massive voter fraud in the Black Belt allowed Alabama's 1901 Constitution to become the oppressive and now bloated document which continues to limit this state. The ending to this editorial sums up the belated remedy.

When the Legislature goes into session in February, it should pass a bill that would let the people decide - in an honest election - whether they want a convention of their fellow citizens to write a new fundamental charter for Alabama.

It won't make up for 106 years of constitution-fueled racial injustice, shabby treatment of the poor and ill, wretchedly funded schools and throttled local governments, all for the benefit of an oligarchy of the deep-pocketed. But letting the people vote would be a start toward undoing the massive fraud of Nov. 11, 1901.

Long overdue yet I'll still not hold my breath. Peace ... or War!

Dubyah's Nixonian Disapproval Numbers

Actually he's at 31% yet the image is close enough to pass muster. Eugene Robinson of the WaPo points out that he's actually beating Nixon in the "strongly disapprove" measure. Good language on what a mess the next President will inherit. Peace ... or War!

Who Needs Knowledge? I Reckon I Do!

Professor Todd Gitlin asked the question via TPMCafe building off Sunday's WaPo piece from Ahmed Rashid (image to the left) questioning Bu$hCo's "talent" on merely understanding Pakistan.

I will first give snaps to Dr. Gitlin for closing with:

I await ... Tim Russert's indignant question to Republican candidates, Will you pledge that the State Department will be staffed by people who have a clue about the countries they're in charge of?

His ending is great but to appreciate fully you perhaps need some background as to Tim Russert's most recent inanity. For more on this inanity check out Paul Waldman's recent American Prospect work. Oh mercy another book to add to my wish list it appears.

I suppose what I want to do with this post is once again lament, and also celebrate in some way, how long it takes to understand almost anything of substance. I am finally finishing Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media? and admittedly I'm frustrated with how the right often gets to keep the simple stuff so simple for the simple. Yet isn't it great that we can track down ideas and resources so easily on the internets. More on that to follow.

The bottom line from all of this is that ...

Retired American officials say that, for the first time in U.S. history, nobody with serious Pakistan experience is working in the South Asia bureau of the State Department, on State's policy planning staff, on the National Security Council staff or even in Vice President Cheney's office.

It gets worse however in that ...

Current and past U.S. officials tell me that Pakistan policy is essentially being run from Cheney's office.

Here we go again? Truly I expect few people with any real grasp on this area would want to work for these Mayberry Machiavellis. Especially with Dead Eye Dick ready to use the dark side of the force on anyone that crosses him.

I want to learn. I want to understand. And I want to share. Once again I understand why I am so attracted to the process of blogging. Peace ... or War!

Developments for The Don

While I was disappointed in the Siegelman administration at times I'll still admit to supporting him with donations of both time and money. I'm becoming more and more convinced he was hosed by Bu$hCo and others of the extreme GOP set. Given the politicization of DOJ under Dubyah nothing now seems beyond reach I suppose. And politics in Alabama has always been a contact sport. Don't forget that Karl Rove had worked in Bama before.

Our own Glynn Wilson (he's been all over this mess as evidenced by these archives) appears in The Nation with "A Whistleblower's Tale" to provide plenty of background and also some new developments. Snaps to Glenn for the coverage! Also Bob Martin of The Montgomery Independent is due some snaps as well. With the trial judge's potential conflict, or at least the appearance of impropriety, being raised, plus the news of Jill Simpson's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee being leaked, I'm thinking The Don is at least due another day in court.

Stay tuned to this one. Let's also hope the mainstream papers in the state don't forget this case. Peace .. or War!

UPDATE - I've not time to digest this Bob Johnson reporting the The Advertiser but worth adding just for the smell factor that continues to add up. The more you scratch this case the more it seems to signal some monkey business was going on as to prosecuting The Don.

Left Coast Reporting on AL-GA-FL "Water Wars"

Jennie Jarvie of the Los Angeles Times provides solid coverage of the issue with her "Atlanta water use is called shortsighted : The rapidly growing metropolis' 'cavalier' attitude toward conservation is the real problem, critics say" . More to come as time allows yet expect little from Bu$hCo and these three GOP governors in the way of solid solutions. Peace ... or War!

Tip of the Tam to Paul Krugman

Even if often hidden behind the pay wall of the Gray Lady, Paul Krugman's New York Times work usually manages to get out to the poor masses. In fact, The Unofficial Paul Krugman Archive seemingly appears to be at least tolerated by the Professor. His recent The Conscience of a Liberal is certainly one of my must reads this fall and winter.

The growing gap between the haves and have nots is surely something we've got to grasp and hopefully solve. If we can't keep and ideally grow the middle class then our nation/world is surely headed in the wrong direction. Professor Krugman has long been working in this fertile field and I look forward to understanding what he's sharing.

Even now portions of this heavy hitter's thinking are available at TPM Cafe's Book Club. Yesterday's The awful truth, and the better future is likely just the start of good things to come. To offer just a portion of yesteday's work I'll clip the following:

But what I learned when doing research was that the most consistent source of the rightward drift of American politics in the face of growing inequality is race. In fact, the simplicity of the story is almost embarrassing: American politics changed because Southern whites started voting Republican after the civil rights movement.

To give you a sense of just how little there is to be explained once you take this shift into account, here’s a statistic from Larry Bartels, my Princeton colleague. Everyone knows that white men have left the Democratic Party. But what everyone knows isn’t true, if you exclude the South. In 1952, 40 percent of non-Southern white males voted Democratic; in 2004, that was down to, um, 39 percent. (And no, the choice of years doesn’t matter – a fitted trend line tells the same story.)

Not this Southern white for the record! I've been voting under the rooster (Democratic) in I think nearly all races since I got the franchise. Also, that statistic group was one that surprised me. On behalf of the South I'm sorry. Thankfully Professor Krugman is relatively optimistic that race is losing the power it once held in voting patterns. Regretably, the Deep South is behind the balance of the nation in this trend. Thoughts? Peace ... or War!

Reading and listening lets you ...

Last night, after some time with Baby Plaid, as I drove back to Auburn, the Loveliest Lillage on the Plains that I'll miss terribly, for one particular person living here especially, I used AM radio for enlightenment and entertainment (the XM/Sirius portable option remains beyond my budget) as I dodged deer. I stumbled across Willie Cunningham. Oh mercy! I'll not attempt to delve into the depths of his wingnuttery beyond a few ideas to follow.

Given Willie's soliloquies on the media (interesting that Willie belongs to Premiere which is owned by Clear Channel) being to blame for all that is hurting our nation and their support for the dark forces of the Clintons, coupled with his cheerleading for conservatism, even Bu$hCo (making him a little odd among the right these days) for the most part, I was surely bothered. Claiming we live in the best of times was another of his reliable themes, again taking his fantasy of a liberal media fooling the American people to ridiculous levels. I'll give old Willie one that the media distracts our voters yet that's another day's posting. A little jingoism here and a little religiosity there, Willie kept the right wing's Mighty Wurlitzer pumping air as good as anyone could I suppose. He's a Great American after all.

As Willie claimed the American soldier for the right wing I was also frustrated yet I was simply baffled upon hearing Billy explain how the American soldier deserved a Nobel Peace Prize rather than that dastardly Al Gore. Huh? Fuming, I reflected back on a recent FireDogLake post titled "The Rules of Power" from Ian Welsh and a reference to Hannah Arendt in a comment (#35 for the record) which contrasted nicely with Willie's "reasoning". Typical top drawer work from Ian. Reflecting back on what I'd read just this Saturday let me find some measure of peace.

"A position not founded upon reason cannot be swayed by argument!" came to mind. And is reasoning really part of the equation for much of the GOP and the rabid right? I'll continue to try to learn and engage. But I'll pretty much pass on trying to engage with folks like Willie and the alleged million or more that make up his brand new audience. As a replacement for Drudge with first guests like Surely Sean and last night's Dinesh D'Souza and ... is Willie up to the task of keeping the noise going for the true believers? If not then the right's bench is deep with "talent" I'm sure.

As an aside, I'll admit to being weak on some of the heavy hitters like Hannah Arendt yet at least one of her works will be added to my Amazon wish list. Perhaps I'll have some time to read soon? Hope springs eternal. Packing and then heading to the Northwest on Wednesday. Likely little if any posting will occur in next few days yet we'll see how that goes. I do hope to start back writing and perhaps even rebuilding some regular traffic here should that prove possible. Peace ... or War!

Who'd Have Thunk It?

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at http://www.fightconservatives.com/Inside-the-Book/What-Breed-of-Liberal-Are-You.html

Another reason to flee the classroom ...

Eduwonkette on KOS and also Marc Fisher of the WaPo both give us something to ponder after looking at the sorta kinda incentive plan that NYC is apparently going to be trying. Perhaps after five years I'll be ready to give teaching another run but with developments such as these I'm hardly optimistic. Peace ... or War!

Dragging Up the Past

Off Fort Benning's Sand Hill since October 12th (Amen ... yet I worry that my right shoulder will never be the same!) and headed slap across the country to Fort Lewis at the end of the month. I'm still not clear, although clear enough to proceed I suppose, on Uncle Sam's policy on blogging by soldiers so likely just one post for now. More to follow I hope (There's plenty I've been stewing on indeed ... although I've admittedly been as news deprived these last few months as I've been since I was embryonic!) if I saddle back up on Old Blogger.

An especially scary slate seeking the White House from the GOP this cycle and yet I fear the masses will hardly grasp the radicalism these candidates are spouting in their present effort to secure "the base" that makes up a large chunk of today's Republican party. Rudy Giuliani appears to be their boy yet it is way too early. Coverage like what I'll reference below, at least for the rare voters that bothers reading even these common resources, might help educate those on the fence as to some of the perils of going with the GOP's "I'm not Hillary but can beat her in the general" candidate of choice. I'll have plenty to offer on the Democratic candidates (Is there still hope for Progressives?) later I hope, even if merely offline, yet the term "Yellow Dog Democrat" surely applies in 2008 for not just this ornery Scot.

I was pleased to see Michael Cooper and Marc Santora of the Gray Lady today up on MSNBC with their "Mideast hawks help to develop Giuliani policy : Team includes Podhoretz, Pipes and Rubin" piece. I'd noted Fareed Zakaria's recent "Stalin, Mao And … Ahmadinejad? : Conservatives have become surprisingly charitable about two of history's greatest mass murderers" where he also pointed out the lunacy of Norman Podhoretz. In that I was already aware of old Norman's influence on at least Rudy, if not most of the GOP's field, the blogging sirens were calling especially lovely to me.

Truly we've got to understand the past as this old history teacher so often preached. That Dubyah needed all the help he could get to try to understand pretty much anything is a given. However, from Grandpa Fred on down, the GOP's team doesn't exactly seem that "sharp". So is this peril and/or opportunity? How the Vulcans (and yet another book is added to the Amazon list!) influenced a weak-minded "leader" elected by a weak-minded electorate is hardly a past lesson I want to be dragged through again. And I'm hardly sure the American public will pay enough attention to the details to set things straight. Thus the use of The Donald in our image. One works with what they've got I suppose. Peace ... or War!

See you in October or ....

Captain and Baby Plaid are pictured above as of June 2007. We look you in the eye and then look forward. Mercy if he doesn't need a haircut and yet I surely need some hair. Baby hadn't seen me sans beard as the cover came well before his arrival. I went ahead and shaved since Uncle Sam will expect me to keep the chin naked. Forty one and gray as could be so maybe I look younger.

I surely hated to leave the blog with George Will as the image folks might see if they visited and figured these might be the best representations of what I'm about when it comes down to the nut cutting. Far from an ideal parent and woulda coulda shoulda applies for much that Baby Plaid has had to deal with. Still, good Scots always move forward and I've done the best I could by the boy.

Note the view in the background. Highlanders indeed!

Once again, I hope to saddle back up this fall or soon thereafter yet at least know I'll spend the next four or so months down at Fort Benning. Ready to make a top drawer soldier so if posting never occurs again then so be it. Hooah! And of course I must end with the the obligatory Peace ... or War!

George Will Made Me Lie

Although a baseball man, a rather decent and smart one from what I've gathered, George Will has been a frustrating fellow to follow in recent years. I suppose that he, like plenty of those on the right, is struggling mightily under Bu$hCo and the wounded yet still powerful remnants of his Rubber Stamp Congress. Yesterday's WaPo column from Mr. Will, The Case for Conservatism, is surely not the best he's got and yet it makes me nearly certain I'll be back in the saddle. So one more post.

In the meantime, I'll read, study, learn, etc. I'll perhaps be a rare Progressive lefty in the next five or more years. I expect there will be plenty of time for talking and sharing. I've read Lakoff and others that suggest Progressives' failure to frame, and otherwise use language as well as the right has managed, which will I hope serve me well. I've long believed that "centrism" as practiced by many in the Democratic Party is very flawed and yet there are admittedly ways to meet in the middle with some rather serious conservatives if in fact they come at things from an intellectual foundation. Paleo-conservatives are reachable as well in some areas. They can be tough nuts to crack but on many issues we can at least agree to disagree. Then again, even some "social conservatives" can be swayed if given a reasoned and principled path they can walk.

Pompous, dismissive, wordy (not that I can throw stones!) the column is classic George Will. He gets much wrong I'll argue but, assuming he's one of the increasingly rare intellectuals on the right that does still have some influence, I suppose a visit would be a good use of one's reading time. The main reason to link to Will is for a partial understanding of what the right is thinking. If Progressives will get a handle on their concerns, at least those that aren't completely bonkers, then we'll be better situated to join issue.

One can hope the Democratic candidates and their handlers are reading George Will and his ilk in preparing to run a campaign in 2008 that will manage to challenge and also use the concerns of thinking conservatives. Again, that's not "centrism" exactly but winning elections is where changes in policy begin. We've got a long row to hoe in the decade or more to follow so getting thing right in these next few election cycles is truly critical. Picking off conservatives votes is I think often best accomplished on a small scale and I intend to get at least a few votes that the other team would have gotten but for the work of this ornery Scot. How many will you get? Peace ... or War!