Dec 29 2007
We were going to go to Alabama, but the weather looks to be rainy and my MIL won’t appreciate muddy dogs. Now I am forced to confront the horrors of neglected housework.
But here is a little something to contemplate to get your day started…
Remember, don’t rec pony party…. hang out chit chat and then go read some of the excellent offerings on our recent and rec’d list.
Dec 29 2007
MANCHESTER, N.H., Dec. 28 PRNewswire-USNewswire — The assassination of Pakistani opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto not only underscores the dangerous and heightening political volatility throughout the entire Middle East, it should also send a message to U.S. voters about the importance of electing leaders whose foreign policy records and pronouncements reflect sound judgment in mitigating hostilities, not contributing to them.
Dec 29 2007
This an Open Thread: Where the Truth Does Not Hide
Robert Fisk: They don’t blame al-Qa’ida. They blame Musharraf
Published: 29 December 2007Weird, isn’t it, how swiftly the narrative is laid down for us. Benazir Bhutto, the courageous leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, is assassinated in Rawalpindi – attached to the very capital of Islamabad wherein ex-General Pervez Musharraf lives – and we are told by George Bush that her murderers were “extremists” and “terrorists”. Well, you can’t dispute that.
But the implication of the Bush comment was that Islamists were behind the assassination. It was the Taliban madmen again, the al-Qa’ida spider who struck at this lone and brave woman who had dared to call for democracy in her country.
Of course, given the childish coverage of this appalling tragedy – and however corrupt Ms Bhutto may have been, let us be under no illusions that this brave lady is indeed a true martyr – it’s not surprising that the “good-versus-evil” donkey can be trotted out to explain the carnage in Rawalpindi.
USA
In Bush’s Final Year, The Agenda Gets Greener
People find all sorts of ways to lobby President Bush. Sometimes it comes in the form of a handwritten note slipped into his palm during a bill-signing ceremony.
Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) tried that last week when Bush signed energy legislation that will curb greenhouse gases. “Congratulations and good work,” Carper recalled writing. “By the way, Joe Lieberman and John Warner have a very good global warming bill that needs your support and you ought to support it.”Bush tucked the note into his pocket and promised to read it later. Carper hoped he would find it at the end of the day when he slipped his suit off. No one knows what effect such a note might have, but it was just one more small foray in a battle for Bush’s attention that has been raging for years, one in which European leaders, American governors, corporate executives, evangelical preachers and key lawmakers have pressed him to lead what they see as a bid to save the planet.
George Bush’s concern for the environment extends as far as corporate greed.
Crisis Overseas Is Sudden Test for Candidates
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa – For the presidential candidates, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has emerged as a ghoulish sort of test: a chance to project leadership and competence – or not – on a fast-moving and nuanced foreign policy issue.
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Democrats who have struggled to attract voters’ attention, edged into the spotlight on Friday after talking about Pakistan for weeks.Mr. Biden tried to sound presidential as he expressed concern about loose nuclear weapons in Pakistan, and he also emphasized his foresight by noting that he had long called Pakistan “the most dangerous nation on the planet.”
Mr. Richardson, a former diplomat, made an effort to cast himself as a man of action, meanwhile, calling for President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to step down.
Dec 29 2007
Motivated by her love, Benazir Bhutto risked her life and ultimately lost her life in her effort to bring freedom from fear to everyone.
Motivated by cowardice, George W. Bush has taken hundreds of thousands of lives to imprison us in fear.
Before I continue, I’ll explain why my haitus was so brief. I realized I can’t abstain from the debate at such a crucial period of time. I can limit the time I spend to a short period once a week, so I can work and play a part in the dialog. I’m going to leave this website and all other political forums blocked on my personal computer, and only use a friend’s computer when it’s time to share my opinion.
After I announced my intention to back off and mind my own business, Budhydharma said this:
Try to, as you say, focus on changing the world OUTSIDE of the blogosphere.
I disagree. The best use of my time is influencing people INSIDE the “blogosphere”. That’s what it’s for and it’s my biggest influence. The best thing I can do is to influence you, Budhy, and through you, perhaps Markos. I will try.
Dec 29 2007
Christmas is the time for forgiving; and it is in the spirit of Christmas that I had, well before I read his exemplary obituary of Ms. Bhutto, decided to grant Christopher a reprieve for his earlier sins as Bush cheer-leader and restore him to the ranks of scribes of wit, if not reliable common-sense.
Hitch does not disappoint. He is fulsome in his praise of Ms. Bhutto, citing her undeniable courage, before quickly moving in for the kill.
How prettily she lied to me, I remember, and with such a level gaze from those topaz eyes, about how exclusively peaceful and civilian Pakistan’s nuclear program was.
More meat below the fold…
Dec 29 2007
there are no thoughts before my dull burning thud of a brain went all dull burning and thud-like thud-like thud-like*
a street artist places a headless man in such a way as to appear that his head was enveloped by the concrete of an office building in Philadelphia
that mannequin knows what I’m talking about
that mannequin he understands
was it the fifth concussion
or the fifteenth
was it a brother pleading for revenge before parent returned home
or was it a mother saying kick him in the head and not the legs
he has to race later today you know
or an older mother saying
well i wanted a hug but just look at him —–>me
was it the 10th crack of my dad’s school ring on my skull
or the 40th
when did I go dim
I never realized I was disabled
but god i must be
looking back
at the attacks
on the smallest human in the house
my time to pack came at 15
I never looked back
but stepped into footprints
too tiny to fill
and a keg or two in order to do my own damage to my own brain
for once
how many times was I left in the rain
how many times did i cry
what is the name of this American game
oh that’s right…Abuse.
*hat tip to Capt. Beefheart in all his glory
Dec 29 2007
Ambulance crew spent two hours finding care for 89-year-old
An 89-year-old woman in Osaka Prefecture died after an ambulance crew spent two hours trying 30 hospitals before later finding one that would accept her for treatment, officials said Friday.
The woman’s family called an ambulance early Tuesday morning after she started vomiting and suffering diarrhea the previous evening, said Hideto Matsumoto, a fire official in Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture.
The ambulance crew and local fire department contacted 30 hospitals before one finally said it could admit her, Matsumoto said – about two hours after her family had called for an ambulance, he said.
Nara is now battling a scandal over the death of a 32-year-old pregnant woman who died last November as a result of being denied emergency care.
Following complications during childbirth the woman died after she was rejected at 18 hospitals in Nara. During a police investigation, hospital authorities explained they had no choice but to refuse care because of a lack of obstetric personnel and beds for babies.
Dec 29 2007
Today the puppeteers pulled the puppets strings and the puppet says it will veto the Defense Department bill passed by the House and Senate containing
The bill is important to members of the military and their families, since it provides for a 3.5 percent pay raise for the troops and contains measures intended to improve the much-criticized health-care system for veterans.
Dec 29 2007
Yes, Virginia, there is a Kucinich candidacy. In fact, the Democratic Party of Virgina has held an online poll of the six candidates who have qualified to be on the state’s ballot.
Dec 29 2007
Well I don’t have a lot to say tonight — but given my proclivities, I’m sure I’ll use a lot of words anyway.
I’ve had a tough couple of blogging weeks. Mostly dealing with the issue of public housing in New Orleans. ‘Course I also got in some scathing comments on a couple of immigration diaries. Oddly, some of my enemies and I are beginning to acquire a bizarre form of camaraderie. Ah, familiarity breeds a whole lot of things, it seems.
It wasn’t so much that I was fighting folks as struggling to communicate, which was frustrating. Nightprowlkitty, SuperKitty of Justice(!) does not LIKE to be patient! Seems, though, that patience is a requirement.
ek hornbeck has, though his writing, helped me enormously when it comes to another quality I have found is necessary if one is to engage in the dirty work of real communication of ideas and information and values – often to folks who may not know or trust me – and that is toughness.
To illustrate this helpfulness, I shall link a comment and response from one of his issues of the Stars Hollow Gazette. I had commented one needs toughness to “save the internets” and his response has become my new mantra for 2008:
You can’t expect that people will treat you in any particular way.
Dec 29 2007
Even before the California Supreme Court’s ruling that shopping malls can’t bar protestors, participants in Iraq Moratorium #4 last week were taking their message to the malls.
Some of the action moved to the malls because that’s where the people were, doing holiday shopping four days before Christmas. Most “mall walkers” did just that — walked the malls wearing antiwar shirts or singing carols, not staging actual protests.
An exception was Madison, Wisconsin, where seven people were “arrested” — and later “unarrested” at West Towne Mall. Organizer Joy First tells what happened:
When we got to the center [of the mall], we unfurled our banners saying “3896 US soldiers killed in Iraq,” “Over 655,000 Iraqis killed” and “Stop the War Now”. A couple of us began slowly and loudly reading names of Iraqis and US soldiers killed in the war, and a couple handed out leaflets. It was only about 5-10 minutes before the mall security and manager came over and told us we had to stop. We talked to them about why we were there and why we couldn’t stop.
We felt we had the right to be there and that we needed to get this message out. Doing this action at the mall is important to juxtapose the suffering of the Iraqi people with the commercialism of the holiday season in the US. So, we continued and mall security called the police.
Bonnie, Susan, and I laid down on the floor and were covered with the banners we had been holding. Someone laid a red rose on top of each shroud. It is very uncomfortable laying there because once you are covered with the sheet, you cannot see what is going on any more. But I did continue to hear the clear, strong voices of my friends reading the names of people killed in the war as the jolly Christmas music from the mall played in the background.
I could also people walking by – some of them supportive and some not. One comment I heard several times was that we shouldn’t be doing something like this because there were kids around. I am listening to names being read, such as Mariam, daughter of Haider Mujed, age 3, or Ayat, daughter of Jaider Mujed, age 1 or Saif Alwan, age 14, or Ali Hamid, age 2. Do you remember your 2-year old and how sweet and lovable they are at that age? People are complaining that we shouldn’t do this with children present, but I think about all the Iraqi children who are being killed and wonder who will protect them.
You can read the full report and see a video of the entire action on the Iraq Moratorium website. Go to the reports section.
Elsewhere, mall walkers in San Mateo, California confronted Marine Corps recruiters in the mall (above.) Palo Alto and San Jose groups also did mall walks, and protestors sang antiwar carols outside of Macy’s in San Francisco. In Nashville, activists held signs along the roadway entering a busy mall.
A group in Hobart, Indiana pioneered the mall walks for peace in October, strolling the mall and buying a few items while wearing “Out of Iraq” T-shirts and armbands.
Being “shoppers” or mall walkers seems to remove some of the legal questions about holding a protest on private property.
There have been arguments over the years that malls are the new town squares, public places where free speech should prevail. The California decision does not answer the broaader question, but dealt with union members asking shoppers to boycott a store.
The First Amendment Center offers a summary and links to stories on some of the cases, most of which have come down on the side of property rights over First Amendment rights:
Court upholds Florida candidate’s petition rights in mall
State district court agrees that Kevin Wood should not have been convicted of trespassing for seeking signatures. 02.07.04‘Peace’ T-shirt spawns legal fight against N.Y. town, mall
NYCLU argues that since Crossgates Mall receives tax incentives from town of Guilderland, it’s a public area in which free speech is guaranteed. 05.31.04Mall owners can limit speech, Connecticut high court says
Justices rule managers legally prohibited union members from distributing leaflets, saying shopping center is private – not public – entity. 07.20.04Protesters at Hawaii malls can be prosecuted for trespass
State high court rejects argument that shopping center’s common areas should be considered public space where free speech is protected. 08.14.04La. man wins right to protest in front of Wal-Mart
Federal court order allows Edwin Crayton to picket on public sidewalk in front of store without permit from city. 11.14.06
Prediction for 2008: More mall walks, more protests, more legal challenges as antiwar actions escalate.
Says Joy First in Madison:
We must and we will continue to speak out against the war and occupation. As the devastation in Iraq continues and more and more people are hurt and killed, as more people become refugees, as more US soldiers come home with injuries physical, emotional, and spiritual, as more children in this country are starving and homeless because we are using all resources in Iraq, we will continue to take more and more risks in speaking out against the horrors that are caused by our government’s actions. We cannot and will not remain silent. It is our duty and responsibility to speak out.
Dec 29 2007
The following petitions are important ones. We ask that you consider taking a moment to sign the ones you agree with. Most are linked up to government representatives who are sent the results and lists of names at or about the time legislation is to be considered on the issue.
Stop Aerial Wolf Kills in Alaska
Stop the EPA’s California Waver Denial
Stop Japan’s Whale Killing Fleet 1
Stop Japan’s Whale Killing Fleet 2
Save the Endangered Species Act
Education for Children of Darfur
End the use of plastic bags in L.A.
Thank you!
This list will change as new issues are brought to our attention and others are resolved.