December 9, 2007 archive

My Independent Republican Friend Hates Huckabee

A good friend of mine who describes them self as an Independent Republican wanted me to post this entire email they sent me. Obviously, I haven’t been writing about the presidential races, but it is significant to me when Republicans are this concerned about one of their candidates. I mean really, really concerned. So concerned in fact, that I’m willing to listen to their point of view when they don’t want a president in office who believes “Divine providence was responsible for his (Huckabee’s) recent surge in the polls in Iowa” either, aren’t you?  

Weekend News Digest

Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Biden wants special counsel in tape case

By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer

1 minute ago

WASHINGTON – A Senate Democratic leader said Sunday the attorney general should appoint a special counsel to investigate the CIA’s destruction of videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists.

Sen. Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cited Michael Mukasey’s refusal during confirmation hearings in October to describe waterboarding as torture.

Mukasey’s Justice Department and the CIA’s internal watchdog announced Saturday they would conduct a joint inquiry into the matter. That review will determine whether a full investigation is warranted. “He’s the same guy who couldn’t decide whether or not waterboarding was torture and he’s going to be doing this investigation,” said Biden, who noted that he voted against making Mukasey the country’s top law enforcer.

America’s Real Religion

No, it’s not Protestantism or Baptis(m?)…

It doesn’t have anything to do with God, you see.

America’s real religion is Violence, with a capital “V.”

America was born out of violence, the massacre of the aboriginal North Americans, the war upon Britain for Independence, and the Civil War that solved the final question of the enslaving of other human beings.

America still worships violence, as can be seen on any television station (even religous programming talks of “War against Islam” and “Soldiers of Christ” and “Crusade…”)

And the 2nd Amendment, in my view, is what has so polluted and corroded the social fabric of American culture.

Pony Party: Sunday music retrospective

The Beatles:  Remembering



Something

Congress’s Leaders Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002

I’ve been reading the reports of the fact that Congressional Leaders, including Speaker Pelosi, were briefed about the CIA’s interrogation procedures and overseas detention programs.  I’ve read Matt Stoller’s comments about the mood of many people in the country, and the Congress at the time that these leaders were briefed in 2002:

“…The country went insane from 2001-2003… don’t buy that this stuff is new or restricted to our political leadership.  In all honesty, I don’t know that if I were in Pelosi’s position at that time that I would have objected.  Fear is powerful and I don’t assume that I would have done well in that environment, though I like to think that most of us have learned enough to change our relationship to human rights and authority in the last few years….Nevertheless, our collective failures, and Nancy Pelosi’s specific moral albatross, is to address this country’s use of torture. ..”

There’s More:  

A seven point plan

OK, my last diary was pretty much pro-Democratic party.  Just to show that I am a real progressive, here’s another diary.

I had a conversation on the phone with a staffer from the DCCC.  Nice guy, who described his own politics as “red and green” (he did not mean Republican Red).  We talked for about 10 minutes.  I eventually agreed to give a minimal gift – a gift so small it’s almost an insult, like leaving a nickel tip.  But he gave me a phone number to call, to tell them what I think.  He assured me, they are eager to listen.  Maybe he’s just blowing smoke.  But I’m gonna call

202 863 1500

Here’s what I intend to say.  I propose a 7 point plan:

1) Begin impeachment proceedings

2) Repeal the Patriot Stolen Freedom Act

3) Reverse the Bush tax idiocy

4) Eliminate the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Invasion

5) Back an inclusive ENDA

6) Repeal NCLB

and, oh yeah

7) De-fund the War

Pretty Bird Woman House: Giving Hope (Update)

[Update]

betson08 reminds us from over at Kos about this challenge from Bubbanomics.


Bubbanomics issued a challenge this weekend – he’ll match all contributions up to a total of $1000 through today. So, if you donate right now it counts double!

If you donate, leave a comment here (at Kos) or for bubbanomics about how much you donated.

ccamp made a comment over at Native American Netroots that I want to share and focus on. I then want to share a personal story of how much I think this fundraiser being successful will save lives by giving hope, and conclude with what betsyny has already told us.

Musings on Peacemakers

Today I’d like to write about peacemakers – who are they and what do they do? And no, not the kind that try to avoid conflict – but the kind that take on the war machine and attempts by the powerful to marginalize whole groups of people. The more I look into this, the more I see that there are peacemakers of all kinds who find their own various paths to peacemaking.

A few months ago I found a wonderful site that many of you might know of already, peaceCENTER. They have a list of peace heroes with short bios about their contributions to the world. I know you could never do an exhaustive list of peacemakers, but this one inspired me in all its wonderful history and diversity. Of course it includes the names of those we cherish in this work, like Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Bishop Oscar Romero, Henry David Thoreau, Bishop Desmond Tutu and The Dalai Lama. But how about some of these names?

Chinese Lesson #1

I’ve been living and working in China for 3 years now and thought you guys might like to learn some Chinese.

Lesson #1:

Chinese is very difficult

Let’s review now:

 Chinese is very difficult.

OK, you’re doing great!

Now, on to Lesson #2

Myths: Does your candidate believe them on Health Care

Health Care, not health insurance.  It’s not too hard a concept.  Universal Health Care, not universal health insurance.  Did the concept get any more difficult?  Universal Single-Payer Not-for-Profit Health Care, not universal mandated health insurance.  It’s still not too hard to differentiate between them.

LA Times: Bush Gutted Iranian Intelligence Before 2005

Remember this moment from President Bush’s Dec. 4 2007 press conference?

[The President]: People said, well, why is it that you can’t get exact knowledge quicker? Well, the answer is, is because we’re dealing with a regime that is not very transparent and, frankly, we haven’t had a very good presence in Iran since 1979. And that’s why I instructed the intel community to beef up its intelligence on Iran, so we could have a better sense for what they’re thinking and what they’re doing. And this product is a result of intelligence reform and, more importantly, the good, hard work of our intelligence community.

Yeah.  Well.  Look at what we see in this morning’s LA times.  Turns out that when Bush came into office, he gutted Iranian intelligence operations, to boost intelligence on Iraq.  He partially, but only partially, revived intelligence work on Iran in 2005.  

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