CIA Picking and Choosing

The OTB2 administration is using the CIA to pull quotations from 6 hours of testimony out of context. "U.S. officials told NBC News that the full record of Clarke’s testimony two years ago would not be declassified. They said that at the request of the White House, however, the CIA was going through the transcript to see what could be declassified, with an eye toward pointing out contradictions." This is incredible, in the literal sense of the word.

The Longer Version of the Commandment

Thanks to PatriotBoy!

Funniest Right-Winger(s) of the Week #4

Every now and then, I visit the sites of some more conservative bloggers and post my responses to their work. On several occasions, I've had people attempt to refute my positions, and then tell me to go back to my "talking points" from some leftist group. This has always left me somewhat puzzled, since my arguments are my own, and rarely are well enough phrased or researched to justify suspicion that they come from anybody but me.

Last week, though, I travelled twice to Jefferson City, and I had plenty of time to listen to am radio. Imagine my delight in hearing Rush Limbaugh shill his "Limbaugh Letter", which includes a "bonus gift":

It's elitist and cruel of me, I know, to laugh at the dozens (if that many suckers exist in the world) of intellectually-challenged Limbaugh listeners out there, painfully sounding out the words in Rush's 6 page book (any pictues in there?), lips moving and brows furrowed.

People, if you need talking points, you're only talking.

Blog En Fuego

Mr. Electablog manages to set aside his outrage at the attacks on Mr. Clarke, and comes up with some fine satire. Good stuff.

Anyone feel a Draft in here?

I am the proud parent of a son who is 18 and a daughter who will soon turn 17. If the OTB2 administration were to pull out of its tailspin and win the election in November (or get Ducky Scalia and his cohorts to over-ride the election again), they would be of prime draft age during a second W administration.

The evidence is mounting that OTB2's war machine will need more parts in the coming years. The Pentagon is building 14 "enduring bases" in Iraq. (link requires free Chicago Tribune registration) The Pentagon recently published an advertisement seeking people to fill draft boards. OTB2 threw $28 million dollars at the Selective Service with directions to be prepared to start a draft by June 15, 2005.

OTB2 won't be able to rely on the increasingly-dissatisfied reserves much longer in Iraq, and God only knows what he and his neo-con advisers will dream up next. I just hope they don't count on using my children for their dreams.

If I were a better person, I wouldn't find this funny

A couple loud-mouthed Republican punks got smacked around a little at a Kerry rally by some union guys. It's pretty funny to read the OUTRAGE and hand-wringing over this little flap. Even Limbaugh acted like this was a new Boston Massacre.

Just to be clear, I don't condone beating up whiny Republican punks, no matter how much they deserve it or ask for it.

Link corrected

Tom Friedman

Is an ass, if you didn't already know. Personally, I came to that conclusion when I suffered through the tedious and poorly reasoned book of his, The Lexus and the Olive Tree. If you want more proof, though, read how Tom Tomorrow proves that he makes stuff up to bolster his positions.

One Wright sees a Wrong

Judge Scott Wright addresses Justice Scalia's duck blindness:

As a member of the federal judiciary, I feel that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is making a grave mistake in refusing to recuse himself from the case involving the task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney (3/19, A-4, “Supreme Court justice explains refusal to recuse himself”).

Federal judges are required to recuse themselves when there is an appearance of impropriety. Justice Scalia, in going on a duck hunting trip with a person who is involved in a case before the court and accepting a free ride on a government plane, paid for by the taxpayers, to the hunting lodge at the invitation of the litigant, has created an obvious ground for recusal.

I have removed a number of jurors from the jury pool who have less of a conflict of interest than this.

The fact that Justice Scalia refuses to recuse himself not only reflects on him, but also reflects on the whole federal judiciary.

Scott O. Wright
United States district judge
Kansas City

Class Warfare?

The Wall Street Journal reports on investor concerns that Costco treats its employees too well. Not that Costco is unprofitable, or net income didn't go up 25% last quarter. But that's just not good enough:

"From the perspective of investors, Costco's benefits are overly generous," says Bill Dreher, retailing analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. "Public companies need to care for shareholders first. Costco runs its business like it is a private company."

Costco appears to pay a penalty for its largesse to workers. The company's shares trade at about 20 times projected per-share earnings for 2004, compared with about 24 for Wal-Mart. Mr. Dreher says the unusually high wages and benefits contribute to investor concerns that profit margins at Costco aren't as high as they should be.

I'm not knocking Wal-Mart here. They provide a lot of jobs, and they respond to market forces. If anything, I blame the market analysts who are unable to accept the proposition that the Costco strategy of treating employees well is a better long-term approach. But even they are attempting to fulfill their role in the market economy.

I have no solution. I only have frustration, and a sneaking suspicion that the "invisible hand" described by Adam Smith may be giving the finger to the non-wealthy.

UN-Funniest Right-Winger of the Week

This piece from David Corn in The Nation deserves a read - here's an excerpt . . .

Even if Bush does not believe he lied to or misled the public, how can he make fun of the rationale for a war that has killed and maimed thousands? Imagine if Lyndon Johnson had joked about the trumped-up Gulf of Tonkin incident that he deceitfully used as a rationale for U.S. military action in Vietnam: "Who knew that fish had torpedoes?" Or if Ronald Reagan appeared at a correspondents event following the truck-bombing at the Marines barracks in Beirut--which killed over 200 American servicemen--and said, "Guess we forgot to put in a stop light." Or if Clinton had come out after the bombing of Serbia--during which U.S. bombs errantly destroyed the Chinese embassy and killed several people there--and said, "The problem is, those embassies--they all look alike."

Yet there was Bush--apparently having a laugh at his own expense, but actually doing so on the graves of thousands. This was a callous and arrogant display. For Bush, the misinformation--or disinformation--he peddled before the war was no more than material for yucks. As the audience laughed along, he smiled. The false statements (or lies) that had launched a war had become merely another punchline in the nation's capital.

Condi Rice Realizing she's going to need a job soon

Clarke

The past few days have seen the most intensive spin effort put forth by the OTB2 administration since they were making up reasons to go to war. The target this time is Richard Clarke instead of Saddam Hussein. While I think that Clarke is an honest man who is brave to place himself in the line of fire (did you hear him actually apologize to the victims of 9-11?), I think that there are important parallels between Hussein and Clarke. Before he wrote his book, Clarke got along with Rumsfeld - just like Saddam used to. Furthermore, both Clarke and (I presume) Hussein thought that America should focus its attention on pursuing Al Qaeda rather than getting distracted by Iraq.

It really is bizarre to see the ferocity with which they are going after Clarke. They claim he was out of the loop, which, if true, proves his point. If your head of counter-terrorism is out of the loop, perhaps you're not focused on terrorism. They are releasing documents and acting like they significantly contradict what he is saying now, when they really don't. They even dug up his resignation letter and tried to act like his professionalism in resigning means that he was a happy employee. They trotted the Vice-President out for an interview on Limbaugh - fearing that they are losing even that base of support.

The only sad part about this incredible collapse of the Bush administration is that watching OTB2 bleed may distract the country from paying attention to Kerry as he describes his positive domestic and foreign policies to help our country get back on the right path.

Funniest Right-Winger of the Week #3

Watch Dennis Miller get eaten alive by Eric Alterman! Alterman anticipates and defuses the typical, no-brainer responses of the bend-over (formerly stand-up) comic. It's even more pathetic that Dennis (I can remember when he was funny!) Miller has to pay his audience to sit through his lame schtick.

I did not intend for the "Funniest Right-Winger" thing to become a weekly feature. I was just being flippant when I described that dunce from Evangel University that way. 3 weeks running, though, the right wing has delivered self-caricature to me. I make no promises for the future, but I'm thinking that this could easily be a weekly deal!

A Great Day

Sometimes you wind up in situations that are perfectly natural from the chronological perspective of the unfolding of events, but which are totally bizarre viewed from a more distant perspective. Today, I had the honor of serving as sort of an emcee for a recognition of Lewis and Clark done by the Missouri Bar in conjunction with the Rotary Club. No big deal, really. But, there I stand, at a podium in the middle of the marble steps of the Missouri State Capitol, with a crowd of people spread out on the lawn in front of me, and I have the microphone. I felt like Huey Long! And I thought how odd it was that I, a first generation college grad, should be in such a position.

Even better, I got to listen to am radio there and back. The right wing is in total disarray. Hannity, O'Reilly, Limbaugh - they were all apoplectic and totally incapable of addressing the criticism of OTB2 coming from those who have served in his administration. Like the administration, they really had nothing to say. We are seeing a total collapse of any claim of legitimacy or intellectual validity. All they can do is fulminate and whine that people are publishing books during the campaign, or lie. It was kind of pathetic.

The Text vs. the Pretext

This is old news for many, but it bears repetition now that former OTB2 administration officials are acknowledging that war with Iraq was a foregone conclusion. WMDs, connections to Al Qaeda, humanitarian violations, etc., were all a pretext. The lust to put our soldiers in harm's way in an invasion of Iraq was openly talked about by the Bushies 3 YEARS BEFORE 9-11!!

This really is a fascinating document. In 1998, Elliott Abrams, Richard L. Armitage, William J. Bennett, William Kristol, Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and a bunch of other right-wing crazies were calling on Clinton to ignore the UN and invade Iraq. They made noises about weapons of mass destruction, but, right there in the heart of the letter, is the real reason - if the US fails to attack, "the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil will all be put at hazard."

When Clinton refused to march to their drummer, they went out and found an idiot-child to put in the White House and take their commands.

Cofran in the Race

I know that Dan Cofran has enterred the 5th district race, and I should add him to the links on the right side of the page. But I'm not going to. While I'm supporting Cleaver - he's been a good public servant and a fine man, I can understand backing Jamie Metzl - he's a sharp young man who has built up a fantastic record of service, and will be able to serve for many years into the future.

I can see no reason whatsoever to vote for Cofran, though.

Perspective on the Passion

Some of my friends on the religious right are all excited by the financial success of the Passion. Kevin Smith puts some perspective on the hype:

CURTIS You made a controversial movie about Catholicism, "Dogma." What did you think about "The Passion of the Christ"?

SMITH I haven't seen it yet. I think it's funny, though, that people bring it up and ask me, "What do you think of the controversy?" I'm like, "What controversy?" The dude made a movie about Jesus in a country that's largely Christian — a very traditional movie — and it's made over $200 million in two weeks. There ain't no controversy, people. That's a hit. They took one or two Jewish leaders in the beginning and said, "This may be construed as anti-Semitic," and then spun it into a must-see movie for hard-core Christians. You've got to go see it if you love Jesus. I wish to God I had thought to do that when I was making "Dogma."

By no means do I have anything against the Passion - it's just getting a little tiresome to see the right-wingers work themselves into a tizzy, as if pandering to the "Left Behind" crowd is a brilliant achievement.

Follow the Money

Here is a site that every political junkie ought to have bookmarked. It allows you to find out about federal campaign donations of $250 or more. You can research the donors by name, by campaign, by zip code, and so on. While the site is willing to sell you material, you can search (and research), for free.

"a bigger way of thinking about them"

I've been told that gay marriage is about money and benefits. I've been told that gay marriage is about "rubbing our face in it". I've been told that gay marriage is about the degradation of American society.

Consider the voices of the children of gay couples. "It was so cool," said Gabriel, 13, who served as the ringbearer, after standing in line overnight with his parents. "I always accepted that `Yeah, they're my moms,' but they were actually getting married. I felt thick inside with happiness. Just thick."
. . .
From another child:
"It is something I always wanted. I've always been around people saying, `Oh, my parents anniversary is this week.' It's always been the sight of two parents, married, with rings. And knowing I'd probably never experience it ever."

That changed in the City Hall rotunda as his mothers exchanged vows. "The atmosphere was just springing with life," Alex recalled. "I just couldn't hold myself in. It was oh my god oh my god oh my god. I felt so happy I wanted to scream."
. . .
Another:
"I don't think they can take it away," said Alex Morris, mulling over a possible constitutional amendment. "Maybe they can go into the Hall of Marriages and rip up the papers. But emotionally, they can never take away the feeling that my parents are married."
. . .
Another:

"Before it was, `Oh, your parents are just partners,' " said Max Blachman, the 13-year-old son of lesbian parents in Berkeley. "Now, they're spouses. So it's a bigger way of thinking about them."
. . .
Yes, indeed, Max, it is a bigger way of thinking about them. That's the problem. Some people are afraid of "them". Whenever somebody needs something to bring a group of people into line, all that person needs to do is identify a "them". This time, the right wing has decided that your parents are a convenient "them". I'm happy for you that, despite the right wing's best efforts, for what may be a brief period of time, your parents have become married, and that you and other children have experienced such joy.

Link via Metafilter

Funniest Right-Winger of the Week #2

Absolutely hilarious to watch Rumsfeld get caught in his lies.

St. Patrick's Day

While I certainly intend to indulge in the stereotypical malt beverage of St. Patrick's Day, I also make a point every year to spend a little time with Irish poetry. Last year, as our nation faced the beginning of war on St. Patrick's Day, I sent to many friends the text of Yeats' The Second Coming. Indeed, on that dispiriting day, it seemed "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity," and I still wonder what rough beast slouches toward Bethlehem to be born. On this St. Patrick's Day, another of Yeats' poems catches my eye. No real political axe to grind here, just a love of Yeats' poetry.

AN IRISH AIRMAN FORESEES HIS DEATH

I KNOW that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My county is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

For all of Yeats' poetry absolutely free, go to this site. The web is a wonderful thing.

Sickle Cell Anemia

I'm not sure how long this link will last, but it leads to poems written by a 12 year-old girl suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia. Sad stuff. It seems that this disease, which preys mostly on young African-Americans and Hispanics, has fallen out of the public eye over the past couple decades.

Great Example

I wrote earlier about how many conservative columnists extrapolate a statement made by some loner and apply it to all liberals. This column by the inimitable Michelle Malkin, provides a laughable example of this technique. Because a couple people said some nasty things about John Ashcroft's heath on blogs, we are all "a nation of ingrates who take joy in his illness while terrorists continue to plot to kill us all". Further, those who disagree with Ashcroft's aggressive are beneficiaries of his work to keep us "free, safe and stupid." Ms. Malkin, those of us who oppose Mr. Ashcroft's actions are the ones trying to keep us free and safe. Enjoy being all three.

Funniest Right-Winger of the Week

Some imaginative person in Springfield, Missouri argues in the Springfield News-Leader that if we allow gay marriage, we will be forced to allow 14 year-olds to drive on our highways! I encourage all of you to indulge yourself and give this column a read - you'll walk away shaking your head at the lengths to which some people will go to cloak their religion-based position in what they think is logic.

A couple things dampen the humor of the situation. First, why would a paper with 182,000 daily readers publish nonsense like that? Second, this guy is the Chair of the Department of Social Science at Evangel University, an accredited institution of higher learning.

Caution! Republican strategies falling!

The supporters of OTB2 (One Term Bush the Second) are having a tough time coming up with talking points. Some have tried to assert that Kerry is not articulate - only to realize that is not a strategery that OTB2 can win. They also floated the idea that Kerry is a waffler, only to have Kos put the beat-down on them.

It must be a hard time to support OTB2. The polls are scary. The man you thought would be isolationist is jumping into every fight on the globe. The party you thought would be fiscally conservative is running up massive deficits. The media empires that support him are pumping smut into your living rooms.

I would be more sympathetic, but some of you (not a majority of the nation's citizens, or of Florida's citizens - but a majority of the Supreme Court, including Ducky Scalia) actually voted for this embarassment.

Now Term Limits Don't Seem so Smart?

Freshman legislators are now floating a bill to lengthen term limits from 8 to 12 years in each chamber of the legislature. Many of them are only there because more experienced legislators were swept out of office by term limits in the first place.

Personally, I've long opposed term limits as a blunt tool denying voters the opportunity to elect the best person for the job, but it's ironic to see the new crop of legislators getting hoisted on their own petard.

How to be Ann Coulter (or Rush, or Savage, or . . .)

I won't dignify Ms. Coulter with a link to one of her columns. I assume that you, as a reader, have happened upon her silly, vicious attacks on a world she cannot comprehend. If you haven't, then you live in a better world than mine.

I've suffered through enough of her columns, and I've listened to enough a.m. talk radio, that I have finally recognized the pattern. Here is the golden goose for those of you who want to make a fortune in talk radio or right-wing punditry.

First, find a target to attack. There are three main ways to do this. One way is to completely fabricate one. Rush Limbaugh specializes in this tactic. Claim that some person on the left has said or done something completely awful, and run with it. Another way is to take something totally out of context. The third method is not often used by these intellectual bottom-feeders, because it gets suspiciously slose to honesty, but it is to find some fringe nut-case and use him or her as your subject.

The next step is an important one. Extrapolate. I know that's too big a word for many of the regular consumers of Coulter, Rush or Savage. What I mean is that you should take a quotation (whether it's a lie, out of context, or from someone far from the mainstream), and stretch it far beyond what it really says. This is a fun part. This is where you get to take someone saying, "George Bush is not a good president" and claim that what they are really saying is that we should have Osama bin Laden in charge of our country. You need to free up your imagination to do this well. I understand that Oxycontin helps with this stage.

The next step is to extrapolate again. This time, you should take the position you have just imagined being voiced by someone, and then you need to apply it to "the left" or "the liberals". It's not enough that you've just fabricated the idea that Hillary Clinton believes that unprotected anal sex should be mandatory in our kindergartens - you need to now fulminate about how "those left wing loonies" all believe this, and are working on implementing their dastardly plans.

POP QUIZ: Are you paying attention? If so, you now can write a column about how respected media outlets have reported that Hillary Clinton believes that unprotected anal sex should be mandatory in our kindergartens. If you missed that scoop, you'll never be a Matt Drudge.

Here's your final step, and it's the toughest. You need to appeal to America's worst side, without being too blatant. You need to use racism, sexism, bigotry, greed, anti-semitism, homophobia, etc. as the subtext of your writing. If you don't like a quarterback, you need to make it clear that he is where he is only because he's black. If you want to refer to Islam, claim that it is a religion with a central tenet of killing people who don't agree with you. Create division among as many lines as humanly possible - then you'll be a success on the right.

Cost of War

This site provides a running tally of the cost of Bush's illegal invasion of a sovereign nation. Right now, we're at around $105 billion. Missouri's share is around $2.2 billion. According to that wild-eyed leftist Dwight Eisenhower, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
April 16, 1953

Kerry for President

Just made my first contribution to Kerry for President. I would have preferred John Edwards, but Kerry will be a great president, if he can fit into such tiny shoes!