« Why does CBS hate the Constitution? | Main | We Can't Balance a Checkbook But We Promise To Do Better With Your Social Security Checks »
Exposing Tom DeLay's Friends
It all started with a phone call one afternoon almost two weeks ago. I called Representative John Sweeney's office to see how he voted on the DeLay rule (allowing DeLay to stay in power even if he is indicted). After being given the run around for the next five days, I discovered that Sweeney was indeed a DeLay man.
Then I passed my findings on to Josh Marshall, who published and quoted my experience in his web column, Talking Points Memo.
Then I called political reporter Elizabeth Benjamin of the Albany Times Union. Two days later this story, critical of Sweeney's treatment of constituents and futher exposing his deep support of Tom DeLay, appeared in the Albany Times Union.
And in today's Albany Times Union, Editor Rex Smith has written a blistering thirteen paragraph editorial about the the Sweeney-Delay Connection, saying in part:
They voted two weeks ago to change their rules so that Mr. DeLay wouldn't have to step down as majority leader in the case of an indictment. That was just fine with Mr. Sweeney, hesitant as he and his own aides are to talk about that vote.
It was a shameful vote, so much so that his office's clumsy handling of it makes sense, in a way.
Why would Mr. Sweeney want to be led by a man who's under indictment?
Why indeed?
The people with the power want you to think that democracy is hard. So hard that *silly you* can't possibly have any influence. We've got some news for them.
Democracy can be as easy as picking up your phone.
First?
Article about John Edwards tour- he's a class act!
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/10300768.htm
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000729691
Jesse Jackson Column Draws Heat from Ohio Sec. of State's Office
By Joe Strupp
Published: December 01, 2004 6:00 PM ET
US Generals in Iraq Were Told of Abuse Early, Inquiry Finds
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A23372-2004Nov30?language=printer
excerpts:
A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in December 2003 warned that members of an elite military and CIA task force were abusing detainees, a finding delivered more than a month before Army investigators received the photographs from Abu Ghraib prison that touched off investigations into prisoner mistreatment.
The report, which was not released publicly and was recently obtained by The Washington Post, concluded that some US arrest and detention practices at the time could "technically" be illegal. It also said coalition fighters could be feeding the Iraqi insurgency by "making gratuitous enemies" as they conducted sweeps netting hundreds of detainees who probably did not belong in prison and holding them for months at a time... [snip] ...
Herrington's findings are the latest in a series of confidential reports to come to light about detainee abuse in Iraq. Until now, US military officials have characterized the problem as one largely confined to the military prison at Abu Ghraib -- a situation they first learned about in January 2004. But Herrington's report shows that US military leaders in Iraq were told of such allegations even before then, and that problems were not restricted to Abu Ghraib. Herrington, a veteran of the US counterinsurgency effort in Vietnam, warned that such harsh tactics could imperil US efforts to quell the Iraqi insurgency -- a prediction echoed months later by a military report and other reviews of the war effort.
...&more
US Generals in Iraq Were Told of Abuse Early, Inquiry Finds
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A23372-2004Nov30?language=printer
more excerpts:
A separate report by the Center for Army Lessons Learned, issued this past May and intended for internal use, gave the sense that some Army tactics served to "alienate common Iraqis who initially supported the coalition."
The 134-page CALL report singled out the practice of detaining female family members to force wanted Iraqi males to turn themselves in, similar to Herrington's findings.
"It is a practice in some U.S. units to detain family members of anti-coalition suspects in an effort to induce the suspects to turn themselves in, in exchange for the release of their family members," the report stated. The CALL report also was critical of the delays in notifying family members about the status of detainees held in U.S. custody, reminding family members of Hussein's tactics.
Herrington's report also noted that sweeps pulled in hundreds and even thousands of detainees who had no connection to the war. Abu Ghraib, for example, swelled to several thousand more detainees than it could handle. Herrington wrote that aggressive and indiscriminate tactics by the 4th Infantry Division, rounding up random scores of detainees and "dumping them at the door," was a glaring example.
As the United States recently has picked up its counterinsurgency efforts, the number of new detainees has again surged.
...&more
Red Cross Finds Detainee Abuse in Guantánamo
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/politics/30gitmo.html?pagewanted=print&position=
excerpt:
The report of the June visit said investigators had found a system devised to break the will of the prisoners at Guantánamo, who now number about 550, and make them wholly dependent on their interrogators through "humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, use of forced positions." Investigators said that the methods used were increasingly "more refined and repressive" than learned about on previous visits.
"The construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture," the report said. It said that in addition to the exposure to loud and persistent noise and music and to prolonged cold, detainees were subjected to "some beatings." The report did not say how many of the detainees were subjected to such treatment.
Asked about the accusations in the report, a Pentagon spokesman provided a statement saying, "The United States operates a safe, humane and professional detention operation at Guantánamo that is providing valuable information in the war on terrorism."
____________
Professional?
Rumsfeld in Iraq abuse complaint
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4057531.stm
excerpts:
US constitutional rights lawyers say they have filed a criminal complaint against the US Defence Secretary.
Donald Rumsfeld and others are named in the complaint, lodged in Germany, over the abuses in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison...[snip]...
The New York Times also said the ICRC found earlier this year that some doctors and medical workers helped plan interrogations of detainees "in a flagrant violation of medical ethics". ...[snip]...
[Guantánamo]
One Pentagon spokesman said the ICRC had its own point of view on whether the detention policies at Guantánamo Bay amount to torture, but it was not shared by the Bush administration.
But the Pentagon response, essentially that the two sides agree to disagree, will not satisfy its critics, especially given the ICRC's reputation.
And despite numerous denials from the Pentagon, the reports, leaks, and allegations about treatment and mistreatment at Guantánamo Bay continue to swirl.
The Bush administration sees its facility there as an essential tool in its global war on terrorism.
"Collaboration between government [U.S.] and the many benefits of private sector [media] thinking and skills should be strongly encouraged."
Why we're going to see a lot more entertainoganda like Fox News in the future.
From:
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2004-09-Strategic_Communication.pdf
Socialism lives!!:) (Can you tell I just got off work?!
* The Internationale (new version/rendition)
Listen to the most festive rendition of "The
Internationale" ever, played by a Japanese band Soul Flower Mononoke Summit.
http://montages.blogspot.com/2004/11/internationale.html
BTW, in case you don't speak Japanese, the lyrics in English:
The Internationale
Arise, ye prisoners of starvation!
Arise, ye wretched of the earth!
For justice thunders condemnation,
A better world's in birth.
No more, tradition's chains shall bind us,
Arise ye slaves, no more in thrall.
The earth shall rise on new foundations,
We are not nothing; we are all.
'Tis the final conflict,
Let us stand in our place.
The international working class
Shall be the human race!
'Tis the final conflict,
Let us stand in our place.
The international working class
Shall be the human race!
We'll have no condescending saviors
To rule us from a judgment hall.
We workers ask not for their favors,
We must consult for all.
To make the thief disgorge his booty,
To free the spirit from the cell,
We must ourselves decide our duty,
We must decide and do it well!
'This the final conflict,
Let us stand in our place!.
The international working class
Shall be the human race!
'Tis the final conflict,
Let us stand in our place.
The international working class
Shall be the human race!
Canadian Authorities Arrest US President on War Crimes Charges:
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_14050.shtml
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
-Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (1858-1919)
http://www.dubyamovie.com/large.html
Coming soon to a theater near ya ..
Seems like the MORAL and ETHICAL party is not too moral and not too ethical. I cannot beleive that they did this and were not called on it--and then CM has the audacity to say we need a "regular" guy.
What a bunch of crock.
DiAnne, I'm so disgusted by what Ann Coulter and Tucker Carlson have been saying about Canada while Bush is over there spewing his own garbage, I'm about to throw up. In case anyone missed it:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200412010011
Biggest Loser on Nov. 2 Was Press, Not John Kerry, Say 21 Columns
By Erin Olson
Published: November 29, 2004 2:45 PM ET
NEW YORK Feeling a bit lost lately? You should, at least according to a compendium posted today at Jay Rosen’s popular PressThink Web log, because the biggest loser on Election Day was not John Kerry but the mainstream media.
Daniel Henninger, writing in The Wall Street Journal’s Opinion Journal, put it this way: "It is often said that the only sure winner in American politics is the media. Amid GOP victory parties or the ruined dreams of the Kerry candidacy, the one constant is that the media marches on. Maybe not this time. Big Media lost big."
"I was interested in figuring out why so many people were saying it and surveying the range of reasons they might have had," explained Rosen, a press critic, author, and chairman of the New York University journalism program.
[snip]
Most of the writers Rosen quoted expressed the opinion that liberal bias in the press became more apparent than ever during the election, even taking the stance that the media was actively trying to get Kerry elected.
[snip]
More: http://editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000727601
Amy,
Ann Coulter is our best weapon. Let her keep talking. The more she talks people who voted for the Repug agenda will become more ashamed of their vote.
Peggy Noonan on Nov. 4, also in Opinion Journal, went wild over the whole idea. After affirming that “the biggest loser was the mainstream media,” she added that conservative bloggers had slain the dragon: “It was to me a great historical development in the history of politics in America. It was Agincourt. It was the yeomen of King Harry taking down the French aristocracy with new technology and rough guts. God bless the pajama-clad yeomen of America.”
****************************
What in the world is Peggy Noonan talking about? Conservative bloggers blasted through "old media." Hmmmmm, I thought this was the election were progressive blogs were at the forefront and made a difference.
What a skewed world these conservatives live in!
Friend of the Devil
by The Grateful Dead
I lit out from Reno, I was trailed by twenty hounds
Didn’t get to sleep last night ’till the morning came around.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
Ran into the devil, babe, he loaned me twenty bills
I spent the night in utah in a cave up in the hills.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine,
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
I ran down to the levee but the devil caught me there
He took my twenty dollar bill and vanished in the air.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
Got two reasons why I cry away each lonely night,
The first one’s named sweet anne marie, and she’s my hearts delight.
The second one is prison, babe, the sheriff’s on my trail,
And if he catches up with me, I’ll spend my life in jail.
Got a wife in chino, babe, and one in cherokee
The first one says she’s got my child, but it don’t look like me.
Set out runnin’ but I take my time,
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine,
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.
don't forget to check out molly ivins...
http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv
"AUSTIN, Texas -- Goody, goody, gumdrop. We could get Phil Gramm back again, this time as secretary of the treasury. Oh how I've missed that little ray of sunshine, the bleeding heart from Bryan, the man who thinks poor people are all fat. As author Jim Hightower used to say, if you need a heart transplant, try to get Phil Gramm's -- it's never been used.
Just what we need for treasury secretary: the banking industry's errand boy. The man who helped bring us Enron."
Just in case we needed some more bad economic news... thought I'd contribute.
Good morning -
Just reading over the end of the last thread - I need to go back to that for a minute.
On the CBS censoring the UCC ad situation, Nonny seemed to argue that there should be NO religious stuff on TV period. Alternatively, I think the UCC ad is our way of taking back "moral values" as an issue. Perhaps this is why CBS and NBC don't won't run the ad - it doesn't fit their right wing agendas. Everyone knows - including the religious right - that they do not have a lock on morality. They are afraid they will lose that arguement, so they don't want to give anyone who might be questioning their faith a chance to see what true christianity looks like.
On today's thread - we may spread the word on the internet, but not everybody - particularly the uninformed - blogs, so they don't get this info. TV is still the main transmitter of info. As I said yesterday, we need a new major network company that is committed to truth, honesty, REAL reporting of the news, and is funded by socially responsible advertisers. PBS but more mainstream - to counteract FOX and, more and more, the big 3.
Posted by: Carol | December 2, 2004 09:35 AM
Hi Carol.
Yesterday I emailed George Soros and pleaded that he consider starting a broadcast and cable Network. I suggested he contact Ted Turner who is still reeling from Time Warner/AOL forcing him off the board and out of control of his beloved CNN.
George Soros oversees the Open Society Institutes. Please email and, in your own words, ask Mr. Soros to consider starting a REAL Network...with Ted Turners experitise and resources they could be world wide in a matter of months.
I suggested the Open Society Network...OSN...not very creative but exactly to the point. Soros/Turner would have a probable audience of over 50 million viewers in the US alone. Please remind them of that when you write your email.
http://www.soros.org/
At the bottom of the page is a contact link.
Indy, thanks for link. I will add my voice. And Carol, as usual, you make great sense.
I am of the opinion that the rope the right wingers have is long and easily strong enough to strangle themselves... metaphorically speaking, of course. And what we, as the loyal opposition, must do is to create our own networks, our own media, using our own language. Enough with attempting to inflitrate ground that has already been taken, I say, let them have that ground, however "publically owned" it is supposed to be, and let's create our own.
Enough with defense. Time for offense. Our game, our rules, our language. We are our own leaders.
Just one person's point of view.
The Katie Courics of the world have, and want, big, very fat multi-million dollar contracts and paychecks. Greed, plain and simple, is one of the motivaters for talking heads like her. And Paula Zahn and Charlie Gibson and Chris Matthews etc. Greed. Face time. Good hair.
Change that? I don't think I can. Nor do I want to attempt to bring anyone with those sensabilities to enlightenment. To each their own.
There ARE people out here whose motivations have more to do with basic ideals of fairness than the size of their paychecks or their own egos. These are the people I want to be in contact with. These are the people I want to pour my energy into. These are the ideas I want to get behind and support.
And in the process, provide a clear alternative to what passes for American culture today. A clear, attractive, alternative.
I want to change what I can, and not bother with what I can't. I want to do an end run around these people and their agendas.
And that's exactly what I plan to do, with all of you. :-)
Hey KJ...
UP >>>> Soap Box
We all witnessed what happened to Sinclair braodcasting when we on the internet speak in unity. We went after the advertisers and lo and behold, Wal-mart is down by over 3% in sales blowing their forecast and costing them hundreds of millions in stock value.
It is not that writing CBS or NBC will not make a difference, but we need to focus our energies upon the ADVERTISERS who stand to lose millions in sales when their products/services are boycotted.
If all they understand is supply and demand, we need to email everyone we know to wite and let these advertisers know that we live in a free society and the airwaves belong to the American People...not to corporate interests, not to the networks and NOT TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!!
Soap Box >>> Down
Thank you for your continued support of your Nation and Her People.
Indy, I've gone after advertisers in my day. :-) So yes, I understand the power of phone calls and petitions. I've also done more than my share of phone calling Congress. All that work is important.
I just saying... I want to provide a clear alternative to what is being sold now, as well as going after those who are selling it. Mostly because I have faith in the law of Karma and the "give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves" philosophy... as well as just having a gut need to create.
And that is the beauty of this democracy cell project... we can all utilize our own passions, strengths and talents to make the changes we want to make.
BTW Indy, I really enjoyed your post re: the Gospel of Thomas the other day. One of my favorite reads.
MEDIA CONTACTS
For all those who would like to send your favorite (or least likeable) reporter or network a love letter (or hate mail)...knock yourself out!
http://kerrylibrary.forumflash.com/index.php?showtopic=185
Although it is not for us mere mortals to comment upon Karma and Cosmic Justice or those that use Dogma for their own political or financial gain...I locked my keys in my Karma and my Dogma ran away so...
Below are the links for contacting the congress, senate and all sinners and saints who reside in the Peoples' House.
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/general/one_item_and_teasers/contacting.htm
Vive la Revolution!!!
Thanks, Indy!
I'll contact Mr. Soros as well. He and Ted Turner sound like a great team - wouldn't it be great if they really got something going? A long shot, I know, but....
Thanks for getting the ball rolling - you're the best!
Indy, et al
How much longer is the Kerry library link available?
I've been on an Activist Tour of different group meetings this week and will be at two more next week. I'll write more when I have time and input.
I don't even know who alot of those newscasters are because I quit watching tv during the lst Gulf War. We're trying to avoid all corporate buying. That's hard with things like gasoline but even for that we're looking at contributions & environmental record/program.
I don't miss tv at all.
Indy,
What happened to Al Gore and Al Franken who started talks about the same kind of editorial line and programs, early this year?
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_8602.shtml
The concept is genius anyway. Without a media of your own, you will never be able to pass your messagen, nor debunk the lies of mainstream media and radical right.... And there is an aufience waiting...
Great Indy, great.
What will be your show's name??
Posted by: Marjorie G | December 2, 2004 11:43 AM
You'll have to ask Ron Chusid, it is his site, but as long as people use and add resources he will keep it going. =]
DiAnne:
My daughter just said to me this morning, "Mom, you don't watch very much TV anymore". I've been strictly on NPR for news, and, while sometimes I get tired because it does take more effort to listen, I don't miss it either. If I watch, I just end up getting mad at them for pandering to the lowest, right, common denominator.
We need that new network!
Posted by: Andrée - France | December 2, 2004 12:04 PM
Bonjour Andree'!
I was pleading with Mr. Soros and intend on contacting Mr. Turner as soon as I can find a contact for him to ask that they combine their resources to create and Open Society Network...perhaps Sinclair's stations are for sale...cheap! LOL!
I tried to email you Andree' and my emails were sent back. =[
Thanks for checking in and I will try to contact you again.
Indy =]
kj, i take a great deal of solace from your posts above. I agree, new game, new court, new language. I think the orwellian corrupt language of the Rovebots has served them very well, and I agree with the earlier stated notion that we don't play into their hands.
They like to have their own alternate universe, we can too. One where truth matters.
Indy, OSN would have millions of viewers on day one. Great idea!
Back to the 'give em enough rope' point of view. It is clear that the GOP is in the process of "Stepping on its dork" so to speak. If you look at history, there is always a tendency for the victor to take it too far and for there to be a rebound. DeLay is a good example of this; corrupt money-wasters is what the GOP have become; thier own worst enemies.
I like to look at it sometimes through thier own glasses. What would Jesus do? Cozy up to the heathen Saudi government? Bomb a hundred thousand civilians to death? would Jesus in his infinite mercy steal money from America's children and future children to give to America's wealthiest fat old white men?
Of course not.
Perceptions change slowly. Keep DeLay on top of the GOP (stinking) pile as long as possible. As long as that face/mask is the face/mask of the GOP, they're hurting themsleves.
Now we can get back to the order of the year, 2005 - investigate, indict, convict.
*******************************************
NEW THREAD
*******************************************
Most people living in dictatorships eventually learn to tune out propaganda.
& it's sad when many skip education for entertainment & news itself becomes largely entertainment & sensationalism.
HEXHAM said: "I like to look at it sometimes through thier own glasses. What would Jesus do? Cozy up to the heathen Saudi government? Bomb a hundred thousand civilians to death? would Jesus in his infinite mercy steal money from America's children and future children to give to America's wealthiest fat old white men?
Of course not."
Exactly. Of course not. For what it's worth Hexham, I'm glad we're on the same page re: creating. Gives me hope. :-)
BTW, I've ordered George Lakoff's "Don't Think of an Elephant..." and H.W. Brands "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin." The second book is supposed to show in detail how Franklin used persuasion vs. conflict to promote his ideas. Something I'm interested in exploring.
There's an old axiom that seems particularly applicable to Tom DeLay:
"You are what your friends are."
Another old saying comes to mind as regards those who voted for Bush based on his so-called "values":
"Be careful what you wish for: You might get it."
Lengthly essays could be, and have been, written about those two sayings and how they apply to those people and the current political situation in this country, but sometimes the brief and succinct sayings of old say it all........
DiAnne,
Thanks! Talk about perfect casting... That will have to become the best biography of Bush's life ever created. Bravo!
oncall,
"The more she talks people who voted for the Repug agenda will become more ashamed of their vote."
Sorry to disappoint you oncall. You should have realized by now it isn't going to happen. Someone supporting Bush in 2000 could be almost forgiven. Back then it would have take about 1/2 hour of research to realize that everything that the GOP and the mainstream media was saying about Bush was total BS and that they were also projecting Bush's faults and character defects onto Gore(it's SOP)
Anyone voting for Bush in 2004 is way past the point of comprehending or caring about even a shred of ethics, honesty or shame. Well the brain dead contingent might care, well if they weren't brain dead and were capable of thought or reason, which they aren't. The GOP has understood this for years, which is why they now always campaign almost 100% based on knowledge that the average American is either clueless, stupid or both.
resolute,
Noonan would be referring to the right-wing blogger that "determined" within hours that the ANG document Rather used was a fake. The doc he presented as part of his case that Shrub never fulfilled his time in the ANG after Daddy got him in. I assume Rove might have even tipped the blogger off before it was released. That was really brilliant giving that fake doc to CBS so that nobody would pay attention to all the other info, including the secretary who said that although the doc appeared to be fake, what it said was in fact correct.
Carol/Indy/KJ
I was actually thinking the same thing the other day. Soros or someone else who could swing it should start, or better yet, buy a current cable station such as CNN or MSNBC. A network station would be nice too! Though taking over one of the current big cable or network ones would be awfully expensive.
Doesn't even have to become a "liberally biased" station. I'd be thrilled to just have one news station on TV that was informative, honest, and not biased or flagrant right-wing (or cowed by the right which results in the same thing.)
Since the election I'd been thinking that one of the most productive things to work on would be to start going after the media big time. First target, Sinclair should be put out of business or at least force the current brothers in control to be removed by the board. The way to do it is the same way we got them to back out of their broadcast of their Kerry smear film. If you threaten their bottom line, which will affect the stock price, wall street and investors will insist the "problem" be corrected or both will punish them greatly.
Other targets to follow in different degrees, the big three broadcast networks, CNN, MSNBC and then of course FauxNews. It would be nice if CNN and MSNBC understood that they could do much better if they became real unbiased news sources or even shudder, a little liberal leaning . Trying to out fox fox is never going to work. No matter how biased right they become, they will always be considered "Liberal" by the droolers. Except for Olberman, MSNBC in the evenings is basically a Fox clone already. Reality doesn't undo brainwashing.
Its about time we started doing what the right-wing has been doing since the 70s when the "liberal media" went after poor Dick Nixon.
sick - found on Reverend Moon's news service (UPI)
Black Tie & Boots Ball January 19, 2005
Wednesday Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington , District of Columbia
Unless specifically noted, all seats are together, side-by-side in the same row.
Tickets Displayed by:
Official Texas State Society Ball - Del 1/16/2005 $1,620.00 each
Max. Available: 18