October 27, 2007 archive

Blog Voices This Week 10/27/07

I thought I’d do a second installment about news from around some of the smaller blogs – with a special focus on those by people of color.

I have to say that the story that gripped me the most is one from The Latin Americanist that I’ve already blogged about here. That’s the one about Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa telling the US that they can keep their military base in Ecuador if he can build one in Miami. Gotta love a guy that can not only reframe the whole “US Empire” thing, but also do it snarkalishously.

The Brothers Agwunobi and Bush

TPM Muckraker wasn’t interested in my hot news tip, so you get the goods.

Keeping it all in the family:

Jeb and George W. Bush have been good for the brothers Agwunobi.

Four at Four

The afternoon’s news and open thread.

  1. A Tale of Two Iraqs. There are two differing stories coming from Iraq in today’s papers. The first comes from Joshua Partlow of the Washington Post who reports Members of one U.S. unit are tired, bitter and skeptical after 14 months in a Baghdad district torn by mounting sectarian violence. “Their line of tan Humvees and Bradley Fighting Vehicles creeps through another Baghdad afternoon… A bomb crater blocks one lane, so they cross to the other side, where houses are blackened by fire, shops crumbled into bricks. The remains of a car bomb serve as hideous public art. Sgt. Victor Alarcon’s Humvee rolls into a vast pool of knee-high brown sewage water…”

    Asked if the American endeavor here was worth their sacrifice — 20 soldiers from the battalion have been killed in Baghdad — Alarcon said no: “I don’t think this place is worth another soldier’s life.

    The second story is from Tina Susman of the Los Angeles Times with Marines declare war on garbage. The U.S. Marines see “trash pickup as the key to maintaining security in Ramadi, where a decision last year by Sunni Arab tribal leaders to turn against insurgents has brought calm to the once-violent capital of Anbar province… The desire for clean streets and pleasant surroundings has overtaken security concerns in Ramadi, where the population has declined by 100,000 residents since the war began four years ago.”

    “This is the fight — sewage, water and trash,” Lt. James Colvin said as he showed the landfill to a visitor. “I was a poor math major in college. I come here and they tell me: ‘OK, fix the sewage system!’ ” said Colvin, remembering how shocked he was to return to Ramadi and find that he could walk down streets that he once dreaded crossing in an armored vehicle. “But there’s no enemy to hunt down now, so this is our line of attack.

    I think these two different stories explain a lot why the occupation continues and Congress remains divided.

Below the fold today are stories about a Guantánamo military lawyer brave whistle blowing, CIA ‘ghost prisoners’, a conversation with Castro, “Guns of Greed”, and a “bonus” story of delayed justice for 28 African-American soldiers from World War II.

Admit One

Crossposted from To Us All.  Permission NOT granted to use at this time without express author’s consent.

I’m working on a novel outline for this year’s National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo.

Something wicked this way comes. A synopsis of the plot I’m working on:

Saturday Night Bike Blogging: Winter Bike Commuting

Uhhh … how do you do it? Anyone know?

I started this cycle commuting in Newcastle, Australia, where there is no winter, in the Northeast Ohio sense of the word … and restarted it at the end of May here.

So I have some vague ideas, but no firm knowledge.

Waddya reckon?

As always, this is also a cycling open thread.

My (gloomy) Prediction

I have a prediction to make.  I truly hope I’m wrong, but this is my fear.  I just wanted to write it down.

  • Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination to run for President.
  • She will campaign vigorously.
  • About a month or two before the election very damaging information will “surface” in which Hillary is purported to have done something Wrong.
  • Republicans will gain a lot of poll numbers because of this.

    My crystal ball becomes foggy from here on.  Will she win?  Will she be convicted of a crime?

    This is very gloomy I know and I hope I’m not bringing anyone down.  But take the case of Norman Hsu.  Larry Craig was outed on August 8th; Norman Hsu “decided” to turn himself in on August 31th.  Just coincidence?  Very convenient timing for the R’s, don’t you think.  Just when they need a distraction one comes out of the mists to help them (try to) divert attention from them and focus it on Hillary. 

    Well that’s all folks.  As I said I just wanted to write this down.  I don’t like feeling gloomy, and I hope I haven’t made anyone else gloomy, but this is a big fear I have.  I’ve never seen this idea anywhere and I want to be on record.

    Thank You.

  • What have we learned?

    It has been my custom to post the essay portion of Teacher’s Lounge here at Docudharma an hour or so after posting Teacher’s Lounge at Daily Kos.  That’s about when the conversation slows down a bit.

    I’m modifying this one a bit because it really is specifically about Daily Kos in many ways.  Or maybe it’s not.

    I’ll let you decide…

    The TaleMaster 4 ….Thieves & Taverns

    This little tale started itself about a dozen years ago. It was originally a one page background for a D&D character. Then came a dream or three which added so much more. Life & Death interfered for many years. I’ve begun dreaming of the tale again, recently. This will eventually be a book, I hope.

    If you’re just joining the story, here’s a Link to previous parts

    So please, go get yourself a tall cold beverage, adjust your reading glasses and settle into your comfy chair…

         “Thank you Sirrah. I really thought you were going to eat me.”

         All the dwarves burst into laughter at this, rising and coming over to surround him with their hugeness. They thump him on the back, telling him how much they enjoyed the tale. They keep thumping, talking, thumping, banging……

         The Seth awakens to find Slauti banging at his gate, the Guild Master just behind.

    Current TV Town Hall – An Invitation from Al Gore

    algore denimbl2000sqk2t

    Kucinich up to 7% in NH! Is there a move afoot? w/poll

    The latest Rasmussen poll has Dennis tied for 4th place with Bill Richardson at 7%.  While not up there with the big three, it’s movement in the right direction, and there’s time to make up the difference.  It will be interesting to see the reaction after the debate coming up.

    The first BlogTalkRadio “left vs right” debate TONIGHT!!

    Some of you know that me and thereisnospoon are managing BlogTalkRadio’s progressive radio lineup at Heading Left.  And for those who didn’t know this, please check out Heading Left for some real good progressive podcasts.


    But that isn’t really why I am posting this.  I am posting because one of the things that I really wanted to do was get more and more of us from the netroots involved, and one of the ways to do that was to use BlogTalkRadio’s “Debate Central” show to give us progressives the chance to show off what we got and stick it to our right wing counterparts.

    Book Review: The Sutras of Abu Ghraib

    The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector in Iraq

    Special Note:  Aidan Delgado will be online here at Docudharma to talk about the book and his experiences in Iraq. Please join in the conversation –

    Sunday, October 28th at 9 PM Eastern / 6 PM Pacific 

    A few weeks ago Aidan Delgado sent us an email asking if we would help promote his new book about the Iraq War and how he came to be a Conscientious Objector.  We were more than happy to do so.  A few days later I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Beacon Press.  The story is well written and captivating –  highly recommended.  Here are a few more thoughts I will share with you… 

    It takes courage to become a soldier and go to war.  It takes more courage to stand up for your principles and do the right thing.  This book is more than just a war story. As Delgado puts it: 

    This book is not about who I am and what happened to me, even though you will read about who I am and what happened to me.  It is a story about a struggle that we all face, a story about deciding what you believe is right and upholding that belief to the bitter end, come what may.



    Artist: Dadara

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