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!