Americacentric Vision Goggles

Casey,

Wow! He should KNOW and do better. Shame on him and shame on Judith Miller too.

I couldn't agree with your assessment more.

Casey, yor post shold be spread all arond the internets. Friedman is only one of the many who have waited far too long to wake p and speak p. Perhaps talking abot them individally will help open their eyes. (the letter between y and i on my keyboard seems to have stopped working. sorry for typos.)

Amy,

Please feel free to spread my post far and wide. Atrios slammed him as well--his post alluding to the fact that Friedman styles himself in his new book as obsessed with the internets and all things interconnected, but this column makes it seem as though his chief form of communication with the outside world utilize something more in the order of a dixie cup and a length of twine.

And I am sorry to hear that your keyboard no longer feels that they letter u is useful. How about if we look at this development as the first step in creating a DCP code book? (tee hee)

I am beginning to think that this whole trmped up Bush Invasion of Iraq was orchestrated to cover up the utter, complete, unforgivable and unconscionable incompetence of this administration pre-9/11.

Bush was playing a game when he became president. He and his buddies thought this was going to be fn. Live in the white house, go on tv, have secret service men, play golf with Tony Blair - how cool is that! Then 9/11 happened, and he thought "holy sh*t! Maybe I better pay attention!"

And now, thanks to our stalwart media, we have not only an indefinite immoral war with a crushing cost in lives and tax dollars for generations to come, but another 4 years of these kids playing cops and robbers, playing games with our lives!

The Republicans have done a really good job, don't you think?

I for one wonder when the media personel will stand up and skidattle from each "briefing" and look us in the eye and say, "we've hoodwinked you and we're sorry."

Democrats in Congress form a committee to investigate the prisoner abuse after years of the majority party refusing to perform this task.
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/democrats_bill_committee_prisoner_abuse_527

All across the internets people are creating ways to be the media. Here's a few:

http://www.justicefornone.com/handbills/

http://www.topplebush.com/flyers/antiwar2.pdf

The Media became willing allies with the White House, which is not their job. They abandoned responsibility and purpose, sold their objectivity and rented their Soul for a seat in the press room.

Karl Rove is smart, as is Karen Hughes and Condi Rice, etc. But smart can play its own brand of tricks, especially when you are surrounded and isolated with people that distort facts and realities to support an Agenda. Then smart rationalizes what is wrong and immoral to an Ideal that is just and ethical. Smart packages that Ideal and sells it to the Nation.

The Role of the Media is to hold a Mirror. To force cautious reasoning, examine the facts, encourage critical analysis, reach independant conclusions. Force what has been rationalized to undergo thoughtful and Honest debate in Your Senate as well as your kitchen Table. If that ideal holds up, then all is well in the Land.

The war on Terror evolved from reaction to the attack in New York, to a Political Campaign and Erosion of American Rights and freedoms. This happened with the complicit involvement of the Mainstream Media. It was a seamless, well planned manipulation of Patriotism and Emotion to garner Power at all levels of Democracy.

Helen Thomas stood and took the White House to task, and was remanded to the back of the press room. Everyone else went along to get along, avoiding questioning of motive and challenging intellectual Honesty. Helen held up that mirror, and she paid a price.

This white house could not have accomplished the distortion of fact and fraud of War without help from Media. All is not well in the land, and too late the boy crys wolf.

From Truthout:

Judge: Public Has Right to See Abuse Photos
By Larry Neumeister
The Associated Press

Thursday 26 May 2005

New York - A federal judge has told the government it will have to release additional pictures of detainee abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, civil rights lawyers said.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, finding the public has a right to see the pictures, told the government Thursday he will sign an order requiring it to release them to the American Civil Liberties Union, the lawyers said.

The judge made the decision after he and government attorneys privately viewed a sampling of nine pictures resulting from an Army probe into abuse and torture at the prison. The pictures were given to the Army by a military policeman assigned there.

ACLU lawyer Megan Lewis told the judge she believes the government has pictures of abuse beyond the Abu Ghraib images that sparked outrage around the world after they were leaked to the media last year.

snip...

The judge's decision stems from a lawsuit the ACLU filed in October 2003 seeking information on treatment of detainees in US custody and the transfer of prisoners to countries known to use torture. The ACLU contends that prisoner abuse is systemic.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/052705Y.shtml

Posted by: sparrow at May 27, 2005 02:13 PM

Well, don't hold yor breath.
Damn keyboard.

Toolmaker, wise as always.

I have no objection to an energetic fight against terrorism - though I don't like the phrase "war on ________" because it indicates a militaristic, war-mongering, violent society seeking perpetal revenge. We Americans seem to want to make war on everything.

But the Bush Invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with terrorism, nothing. Not one thing. Nada.

The government and the people of Iraq were destitute, there were no WMDs, not even a hint of one. In fact, the Iraqis are better armed now, since we virtally gave them all those weapons raw materials post invasion, and now reason to us them - to make bombs to kill and injure our troops.

No, there were no links to al queda, no links to the Saudi terrorists of 9/11, no links to bin Laden. Nada. And the atrocities of Saddam? Weren't those mostly committed back when we were great friends with him?

Posted by: Toolmaker at May 27, 2005 02:48 PM

Toolmaker,

If everyone asked the questions and got to the heart of the matter, they'd have a revolving front/back of room. They could just stand up and play musicical chairs, just as each question is asked.

Helen: "Scotty, what is President do-nothing's response to the allegations of his high crimes and misdemeanors?"

Scotty: "Helen we don't know nothin'. Now go to the back of the room."

Reporter 2: "Scotty, the allegations of high crimes and misdeamnors as shown in the Downing Street Memos indicates the President and his administration INTENDED to start a war with Iraq and further that they fixed the facts with Tony Blair six months before Bush went to Congress. Scotty, has the president regretted these actions?"

Scotty to Reporter 2; "The President stands resolved the way he is always resolved. Reporter two, you too may join Helen in the time out corner. The time out corner is the back of the room."

Reporter 3: "Scotty, the President was shown to be sitting like a deer in the headlights on 9-11, and sat reading 'My Pet Goat' while thousands of people were under attack."

Reporter 4: "Who ordered the fighter jets into the sky while our President resembled a statute? Furthermore, was President Bush happy with his bike ride when DC was evacuating the V.P., Mrs. Bush, and numerous people?"

Scotty: "My Pet Goat is a well-written book and the President just needed for those children to respect literacy--and a great photo o---I mean a great chance to learn how to be resolved! I mean, he was showing them how to keep your cool when reading, even if having difficulty sounding out words. (*sweat dripping off Scotty's brow now*) AND yes, President Bush happens to be a great cyclist and he was perfectly safe as we made sure there were no pretzels nearby. Reporters 3 and 4... you know the routine..."

(snip)

Helen is now back at the front of the room by now:

Helen: "Scotty, where is President Bush and why is he not giving us a press conference about the allegations in these memos. Does he know people believe he is guilty of war crimes? What does he have to say to those allegations?

Scotty; "Ummm...I'll check on that Helen. Thanks for coming to our press conference." Scotty mumbles as he leaves the room, "Dang...I sure miss that Jeff Ganon!"

MediaMatters website explores interesting topics this week:

Increased criticism of media coverage of Iraq war
and
Media quickly drops stories critical of Bush administration

http://mediamatters.org/items/200505270003#2

LOL Sparrow.
It does seem that the media will have to work together to correct the information logjam created by the white hose.

no one tells it better than Molly:

Irony Overflowing
By Molly Ivins,
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/22102/

Media quickly drops stories critical of Bush administration

http://mediamatters.org/items/200505270003#2

Posted by: on.to.victory4Dems at May 27, 2005 03:33 PM

clip:

"To name only the most obvious example: The same news organizations that pursued the Whitewater "scandal" as though it were Watergate, Teapot Dome, and the Lindbergh Baby all wrapped into one virtually ignored Bush's controversial sale of Harken Energy stock. The basic information about that sale -- that Bush, while serving as a Harken director and member of the company's audit committee, dumped more than 200,000 shares of the company's stock shortly before Harken publicly announced massive losses -- was publicly available long before Bush ran for president. Yet The Washington Post, to name one news outlet, gave the matter a total of 26 words of attention during the 2000 presidential campaign. The July 30, 1999, edition of the Post reported:

Even now, questions linger about a 1990 sale of Harken stock by Bush that was the subject of a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

That's it. Twenty-six words.

On matters ranging from the Harken stock sale to his National Guard record to the Downing Street Memo and nearly everything in between, Bush has escaped the level of media scrutiny one would expect after seeing how the media treated President Clinton. Some of that, as Neal noted, is a result of conservatives' highly effective use of their "echo chamber" to push back on negative stories. But not all of it; there was no "echo chamber" drowning out coverage of Bush's Harken sale during the 2000 campaign. Such an "echo chamber" was unnecessary: the Post and other leading news outlets chose to ignore the story all by themselves."

Always wondered what happened to the real Rather story - that the Bush NG documents did in fact exist at one time, and were destroyed. The woman who typed them said she did so on national television, before millions of viewers, and the media chose to ignore that.

What happened to the memos? Who destroyed them, at whose request? Is the destruction of government/military property acceptable in this country?

And Clinton gets impeached over a blow job. Sheesh.

Casey, there's no question in my mind that Friedman has blood on his hands.

He kept spinning for this war even though he knew that Bush was building his case on lies, and even though he knew that without widespread international support, the entire project was likely to fail, or at least be infinitely more difficult. But he believed that removing Saddam, and installing a "decent" (Friedman's word) form of government in his place, was worth the risk.

He was wrong.

And like everyone else who was wrong, he still has tremendous influence and a high paying job. And if you want to understand why America is going to hell in a handbasket, you can start right there.

Quote from LA Times editorial:

"Where did The Times' editorial page get the idea that winning the war on terrorism depends on persuading societies that breed terrorists that they should like us and adopt our values? Actually, this is not some wooly left-wing notion concocted over a joint during a lesbian wedding reception in Santa Monica. It is the cornerstone of the George Bush presidency, according to Bush himself.

In his State of the Union address in January, for instance, Bush said, "In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America...."

O'Reilly should be careful. Any further decapitation fantasies could get him in serious trouble with the Secret Service. "

More media fun:

Radio host Glenn Beck "thinking about killing Michael Moore"

Clear Channel radio host Glenn Beck said he was "thinking about killing [filmmaker] Michael Moore" and pondered whether "I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it," before concluding: "No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong?"

From the May 17 broadcast of The Glenn Beck Program:

BECK: Hang on, let me just tell you what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong? I stopped wearing my What Would Jesus -- band -- Do, and I've lost all sense of right and wrong now. I used to be able to say, "Yeah, I'd kill Michael Moore," and then I'd see the little band: What Would Jesus Do? And then I'd realize, "Oh, you wouldn't kill Michael Moore. Or at least you wouldn't choke him to death." And you know, well, I'm not sure.

Let's get these guys.

I haven't read this and very likley would agree in your criticism.

Regardless, I'm personally taking a one week moratorium on criticizing Friedman, except in case of extraordinary circumstances. (Of course I will decide what constitutes extraordinary circumstances in this case.)

The resason is that this week Friedman basicallly presented the argument as to why big business should abandon the Republicans and support the Democrats.

See:
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=956

Ron,

Maybe the reason why big business should abandon the Republicans and join the Democrats is because, according to Jack Welch, democratic presidents are far better for the economy and business, and he also said that Bill Clinton was the best President in history for business.

Of course it could be that we have an educational dilitante in the White House and Bill Clinton is a Rhodes scholar with a Master's in economics...

Ron I know that there are many people here very upset with Thomas Friedman's sucking up to W and I have noticed that Friedman, a reveared columnist and Pulitzer prize winner has become an apologist for W the last few years. I have seen his interviews with Tim Russert where Friedman has raved about how moral and wonderful W is and it has made me sick. Is there some magic charm or fear factor where even our best journalists have become brainwashed by W; where someone as bright as Friedman would fall for W's dissembling and bs?.

I won't forgive Friedman,as if he would care, for his selling this country down the Iraqi road and turning his back on the abuses at Abu Gra(sp). But I agree with you that he is the kind of reporter that Progressives need to suck up to b/c he is viwed as credible in the eyes of the mainstream media. If he now starts going after W now, even though it is late in the game, he can be valuable to our efforts to turn public opinion around and we need every oz of help we can garner. I would draw an analogy to how the Washington Post and New York Times helped take down Nixon but I don't want to try and suggest that here with the bogus impeachment posts I have read here lately.
But I agree with your post discussing how valuable Friedman's communicating that business needs to turn away from the RNC. Don't look a Gift Horse in the Mouth. Friedman may just be a gift that has suddenly fallen in our laps.

Casey sorry to contradict you but I watched Jack Welch being interviewed on CNBC earlier this week and he too was talking about how wonderful W is for business, how badly he wants his(Welch's) tax cuts, and is behind W's scurilous SS reforms. Welch is a scum bag that deserves to go down the same road as Skilling, Faustau and Evers. He ripped off GE and GE shareholders for at least 100 million dollars, so I wouldn't hold him us as an authority of good ethical business practices or good judgment. Sorry Casey.

Ron, was that Friedman's article or your paraphrasing on LUTD? Very interesting, thanks.

Ira,right on!

I just read this over at LTD:

"...I'll give you an example: my spouse is a new business owner. Guess who called within 5 weeks of his paperwork going through?

If you're thinking the dems did then you best get a new thinking cap! No, the repubicans did. They wanted to hear "his view..." and they even offered him a "prize" visit with the president for making a "large" donation.

Get the point? They are better organized, more effective, and they play to WIN!!!"

I'll volunteer to do the calling new business owners for the Dems if someone will help me (edited by poster's request)

Ira, in my humble opinion, the difference between Bill Clinton and George Bush with regard to encouraging and fascilitating corporate greed is really just a matter of degree. It doesn't surprise me at all that Jack Welch could support both of those presidents.

Rice calls for Bolton's confirmation
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Friday, May 27, 2005

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking Friday to a sold-out crowd in San Francisco, urged the Senate to confirm of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, saying though he is "a pretty tough person ... and he can have rough edges," Bolton will provide "a strong voice for reform of the United Nations."

Rice's comments about Bolton came after a 20-minute talk to an audience of 1,200 at the Commonwealth Club of California. The secretary offered a wide-ranging assessment of U.S. foreign policy and national security, which she said are intricately tied to "the spread of freedom and democracy in the world."

Rice defended Bolton a day after the Senate failed to end a Democratic filibuster against his nomination. The Senate is scheduled to resume its debate about President Bush's choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after it returns in 10 days from its Memorial Day recess.

Congressional opponents, including California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, have criticized Bolton's professionalism, accusing him of mistreating intelligence officers who did not agree with his foreign policy assessments.

But Rice dismissed the criticism, saying "it is time" to approve Bolton's nomination, because he is "well-positioned" to push for change at the U.N.

"The U.S. believes that a strong and vibrant U.N. is key to its goals ... but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the U.N. needs reform," she said. While Bolton has been criticized by some, she noted, there are also many who "would walk through a wall for him."

Rice said Bush's policies to encourage democracy in Afghanistan, Iraq and throughout the Middle East have "set a new course for America … one which summons the highest ideals of our nation."

Rice, 50, a former Stanford Provost, was interrupted by at least four protesters wearing black hoods and robes who, at the beginning of her speech, stood on their seats with hands outstretched in various parts of the audience, attempting to evoke imagery from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The protesters, chanting, "Stop the Torture, U.S. out of Iraq," were led from the audience by police without incident.

Rice proceeded with her address, but received applause when she acknowledged the disruption, saying, "Isn't it wonderful that we live in a country where people are allowed to speak?"

I WAS IN AN OFFICE JUST ACROSS THE BUILDING WHERE SHE SPOKE-OUTSIDE THERE WERE PROTESTS AND POLICE BARRICADES ALL DURING THE TIME OF HER SPEECH.

"Rice defended Bolton a day after the Senate failed to end a Democratic filibuster against his nomination."

Here we go, calling a decision to continue debate a filibuster. That didn't take long.

Hard to beleive it was a sell out crowd. Thanks for the post,Fe

"The U.S. believes that a strong and vibrant U.N. is key to its goals ... but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the U.N. needs reform," she said.

And Bush intends to remake it in his own image and likeness, no doubt.

Patti:

There are alot of Stanford grads in San Francisco.

Microsoft Severs Ties With Lobbyist Reed 1 hour, 1 minute ago

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said Friday it has severed ties with Ralph Reed, a conservative Republican lobbyist who once headed the Christian Coalition and is now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia.

"It would not be appropriate to have a consultant on retainer that is seeking elective office at the same time," company spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said.

The move came a month after liberal activists urged Microsoft to quit using Reed as a consultant. They were upset that the software company had withdrawn its support for a gay rights bill in its home state of Washington. The bill died by a single vote in the state Senate last month.

The company has since said it will support such legislation in the future.

Century Strategies, a public relations and lobbying firm Reed founded in 1997, lobbied for Microsoft on international trade and competitive issues, Terzano said.

"Microsoft retains and lets consultants go throughout the course of the year based on the company's needs. And that was the case here," she said.

Century Strategies did not immediately return calls for comment.

Reed was executive director of the Christian Coalition from 1989 to 1997. Last year, he was the Southeast regional chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign.

Important: JOHN CONYERS SEEKING SIGNATURES TO GET BUSH TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ. PLEASE BLOGSWARM THIS INFORMATION AND PLEASE EMAIL YOUR WHOLE LIST.

Conyers is fighting for us, now let's help him!

http://rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_petition_downing_street_527

Toolmaker and Amy--those are great ideas. We do need to do this too. We need volunteers in each state, the way they have OR we need to have a better organized party.

Fe,

Those people were charged with a misdemeanor. WHY? If CONDI is so proud of free speech they shouldn't have been charged with anything.

http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com/index.asp?Type=SUPERFORMS&SEC=%7B0F1B03E0-080B-4100-B143-36A5985EF1E3%7D

Direct link to sign the petition. Note bene.

Nikko

The only reason Microsoft severed ties with Ralph Reed is because he's running for office.

I will never forgive them for paying him $20,000/month to him in the first place.

Of course, I have never bought a Microsoft product in the first place.

This is what surprises me about the DNC. Either they dont understand organization, or have issues which prevent from implementing them. Its not brain surgery, Organization and Motivation start from the top down. There are better ideas and more heart in this DCP than what is seen at several thingies ive attended with higly paid speakers and strategists.
If the DNC needs good advice they should spend some time reading the ideas spread out in this community, and spend money on them. Look how well this site is thought out, that should be the first clue.

People are struggling to make ends meet, trying to educate themselves at the same time they are raising children. They dont have time to read through pages of literature or decipher complex political strategy. There is a way to grab these hard working peoples attention, and that is with Passion.

Progressives love this Nation, this system of Government, the Foundation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. There is great satisfaction in this struggle, a battle for the direction of a Nation and integrity of its Government. It is heating up before our eyes, and it is time for leadership to take its place.
Our edge is the Passion we have for this Nation, in the welfare of people we do not know and will never meet. The DNC must learn to unleash and focus it.

Organizing that passion is what terrifies the GOP.

Of course, I have never bought a Microsoft product in the first place.

Posted by: DiAnne at May 27, 2005 09:52 PM

I'm up to my eyeballs in Microsoft here. Is there some reason not to use Microsoft products? I like the charities they support.

Ira,

Welch made those statements in an interview a couple of years ago, where as you are seeing the new and fully programmed Jack Welch. What you are seeing NOW, is what has happened to him since he got religion, and I mean RELIGION, as in became an evangelical, like his latest wife, Suzy. He is now on full cult status.

Lovely.

Do ya think the Repub head of Viacom had a hand in this?.....

Nine Inch Nails drops MTV show over Bush backdrop
We were set to perform 'The Hand That Feeds' with an unmolested, straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop. Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor said in a statement posted on the band's Web site.

MTV said in a statement: "While we respect Nine Inch Nails' point of view, we were uncomfortable with their performance being built around a partisan political statement. When we discussed our discomfort with the band, their choice was to unfortunately pull out of the Movie Awards."

MTV is owned by Viacom Inc., the corporate parent of broadcast network CBS.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=4L25UZJUFLZROCRBAE0CFEY?type=domesticNews&storyID=8632305

From Wes Clark:

"On Saturday, I will be delivering the Democratic response to the
President's weekly radio address. I'll be thanking all of our
brave men and women in uniform for their service. And I'll be
urging Congress and the White House to honor their service - by
providing our soldiers and their families with all of the
support they deserve, in and out of battle. It's the least we
can do - and it's high time that we do it.

I invite you to listen to Saturday's radio address on a local
station near you. You can also check back at SecuringAmerica.com
Saturday afternoon, where we'll post a link to my remarks online
as soon as they become available."

Amy

Hiring Ralph Reed as consultant for $20,000/mont is one reason (not to support them). They may support some good charities & they backed off on the anti-gay stuff but it's a tax writeoff. The main reason for me though is that I'm an absolute Apple Macintosh fanatic (& Gore is on the Board of Directors) - I have had 10 of those computers in the last 20 years or so, starting with the little 128k. It's not really a political thing - they're user friendly & very good for artists & creative people.

Sorry again Casey. That interview of Jack Welch was with Joe Kiernan and aired on CNBC last week. It was a live interview. Sorry guys to disappoint you but I trade stocks and watch CNBC religiously every morning before going into work and turning on Jerry Springer and Al Franken in my office. Call me insane but I see nothing inconsistant with that. Nothing I saw in that interview with Welch indicated anything other than pure greed which continues today. He reminded me of Gordon Gecko/Michael Douglas. I don't know what Jack Welch you have been watching but the guy that grabbed the $60 million dollar golden parachute from GE turns my stomach.I just don't like the guy and the things I heard him say about how great W is. GE shareholders may be filing a derivative suit against Welch so it wouldn't surprise me if you saw a different face somewhere.He is probably worth a billion dollars any wonder why he would want his tax cuts. Its too petty to argue but with friends like him...
Its about time that Rusch understands that there are progressives that invest and are capitalists and unlike what my local newspaper alleges we are not socialists but are also responsible citizens that don't live their lives like Mr. Greed aka Jack Welch nor will we invest in companies like Walmart, Haliburton or Phillip Morris.In fact anyone that has invested in the stock market like I have and I am sure many here have, better understands that the stock market is the precise wrong place to park your social security cushion. Sorry Casey just had to say my piece before logging off.

Hey All:

Chuck in Houston here. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here and just haven't had the latitude to check in that often. Please keep up the good work!

Chuck (used to be in Baku)

PS: Sorry that was off-topic.

"Ira, in my humble opinion, the difference between Bill Clinton and George Bush with regard to encouraging and fascilitating corporate greed is really just a matter of degree. It doesn't surprise me at all that Jack Welch could support both of those presidents."

I am going to turn many folks against me but that is of no regard. Amy what you call corporate greed under Bill Clinton was the strongest economy of the 20th century. Corporations were making money, yea big money. But Amy real people had jobs.My family was unemployed for a long time under this administration. Minority employment was at record levels under Bill Clinton. Personal bankruptcies were down and real incomes were up. Common people, highly educated people, and middle class people were able to find and hold jobs at godd an rising wages. No longer. That means that we could pay our rent, our mtgs., we were able to put their kids through college without bankrupting ourselves and led happy, healthier less stressful lives. If that meant that corporations made profits so be it. Corporations paid fairer taxes and the corp tax loopholes encouraged under Reagan were closed. We could also sue corporations when they were negligent and hurt our children, our union workers, and our loved ones for manufacturing defects and medical mal practice. No more.
John Kerry tried to teach us that as Dems and Progressives we need to also be pro business and pro environment. Clinton's biggest failure and not for lack of effort was national healthcare. That would have been tremendously pro consumer but also a great windfall for corporate profits who see their healthcare costs rise 14% annually. Amy if you read John Kerry's healthcare plan, it gave tax cuts for corporations that don't move jobs overseas and would help corporate profits by protecting corporations against catostrophic healthcare losses.

If I do anything at all constructive at this site I will preach until '08 that as Dems,Progressives, we need to be pro consumer, pro environment and pro business and that is from someone who's clients are constantly kicked around by the chamber of commerce folks. We can and should be pro responsible business and capitalism; it is good for all of our lives Amy.

Hey Chuck if you are still awake hopefully you can ad to my diatribe about how progressives need to learn to speak the language of being pro responsible big business. Give me a 'call' and let me know how things are going here for you (my email here is only to my office).I was bragging about you guy about how wonderful it was to meet you and how great it is to have another progressive around and how articulate you are.

Casey

Thanks for the article on Friedman - I'd picked up that someone had made the reference about Guantanamo & morale or standing in the world .. didn't realize it was Friedman. He's been an apologist for putrid foreign policy for awhile. I read a book of his recently because it didn't cost me anything (library book) - about the leadup to 9/11. Not impressed.

I remember during our primaries even & certainly for our general election - people in Europe were staying up late to find out the results, sitting on pins & needles just as we were. Now I'm feeling the same - it's the EU referendum. Germany voted yes, but France polls as though it will reject it on Sunday, then the Netherlands may. This would be terribly dangerous & disruptive. The far left & far right have different reasons for voting no but the combination is lethal to the centrist government. We are learning what it feels like to be polarized here. They don't need it there either.

Sometimes it feels like the whole planet is veering to the right. I've said for a long time that we have to stick together & not pay so much attention to national boundaries. The neocons are not isolationist in their wars - why should be be insoliationist in our peace and justice? John Kerry said "We need to start making some friends on this planet" and I supported him from that instant. Voinivich said essentially the same thing 2 days ago. I don't think there is anything more important.

Funniest thing I heard today (a bit out of context) - Juan Williams was interviewing Condi Rice on NPR (I can imitate her by slightly plugging my nose). He asked if she thought hip hop was mysoginistic. She said, "I don't listen to hip hop .. I'm too old." It was incredibly funny. There I was sitting in the parking garage..

Other wierd stories..Viagra causes blindness? Medicaid money has been paying for Viagra for sex offenders in several states? Ohio state govt invested millions in a coin collection, which then was stolen? Amazing ..

Ira
Thanks for mentioning the Chamber of Commerce.
Those folks are evil.

Analysts behind faulty Iraq intel rewarded
Army staffers who bolstered tube claim received bonuses

By Walter Pincus
The Washington Post
May 27, 2005

Two Army analysts whose work has been cited as part of a key intelligence failure on Iraq — the claim that aluminum tubes sought by the Baghdad government were probably meant for a nuclear weapons program rather than for rockets — have received job performance awards in each of the past three years, officials said.

The civilian analysts, former military men considered experts on foreign and U.S. weaponry, work at the Army's National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC), one of three U.S. agencies singled out for particular criticism by President Bush's commission that investigated U.S. intelligence.

The Army analysts concluded that it was highly unlikely that the tubes were for use in Iraq's rocket arsenal, a finding that bolstered a CIA contention that they were destined for nuclear centrifuges, which was in turn cited by the Bush administration as proof that Saddam Hussein was reconstituting Iraq's nuclear weapons program.

The problem, according to the commission, which cited the two analysts' work, is that they did not seek or obtain information available from the Energy Department and elsewhere showing that the tubes were indeed the type used for years as rocket-motor cases by Iraq's military. The panel said the finding represented a "a serious lapse in analytic tradecraft" because the center's personnel "could and should have conducted a more exhaustive examination of the question."

Read more... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7985035/

Navy SEAL acquitted in beating of Iraqi
Prisoner later died; lieutenant denied punching

The Associated Press
May 27, 2005

SAN DIEGO - A military jury acquitted a Navy SEAL lieutenant Friday of beating an Iraqi prisoner who later died.

Jurors deliberated about three hours before finding Lt. Andrew K. Ledford not guilty of all charges. The 32-year-old SEAL had faced up to 11 years in military prison if he had been convicted of assault, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer and making false statements.

Ledford, who had stood at attention for the verdict’s reading, burst into a huge smile and embraced his attorney upon hearing he was acquitted. He later brushed away tears and shook hands with the prosecutors.

“I think that’s what makes this country great is that there is a system in place and it works,” he said outside court.

Ledford’s family, including his pregnant wife, wiped away tears as several SEALs who had served with him in Iraq applauded.

Read more... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8010085/

Florida Dem,

Hmmm...do you think they would let a picture of Clinton be used as the backdrop without any qualms?

Or

Did they show the purple hearted bandaids last summer?

Yep, censorship and blatent withdrawal of the freedom of speech. I wonder if a class-action lawsuit could be brought against the media.

Posted by: MoNkEy at May 28, 2005 07:19 AM

I'm still waiting for those trials to go up the chain of command.

Posted by: mOnKeY at May 28, 2005 07:17 AM

I am applying for a position within the Bush administration. After all, isn't it everyone's dream job where you can really **** up and still receive a bonus and a promotion.

Here's my resume:

Captain Sparrow
(phone and address edited)

Seeking job to utilize my pirate skills and my love of skulldulgery for the purpose of pirating oil from oil rich nations while imposing freedom by using my sword.

Job experience

Self employed--a jack of all trades.

Captain of the Black Pearl--Hijacked valuables from other ships and transported them efficiently to distant shores. In my day, it was called "profiteering".

Wordsmith--expert at doublespeak.

I am applying for a position within the Bush administration. After all, isn't it everyone's dream job where you can really **** up and still receive a bonus and a promotion.
Posted by: sparrow at May 28, 2005 08:19 AM

... AND you can run an entire country into the ground on virtually all fronts and get re-elected too.

Is this a great country, or what?

Ira,

I agree that Democrats have to been seen as pro-business, but I'm not clear that being pro "big business" is doing this nation much good in the long run.

For instance, as retail businesses like WalMart become more and more powerful, they make it impossible for mom and pop businesses - which were always the bedrock of the American economy - to compete against them. The WalMarts of the world use predatory pricing to make local competition impossible, and flood the United States with products produced by 3rd world laborers who may make less in a day that an American manufacturing worker makes per hour. And having crushed their local mom & pop competition, they increasingly leave many Americans no choice but to become employees - typically in non-union, often borderline exploitative environments. And Wall Street and the increasingly unconscious American consumer love it - at least for today. But, longer-term, this is a formula for economic disaster.

IMHO, Clinton drank the Kool Aid, and sold out both American and foreign workers by choosing to protect the interests of capital rather than those of economic justice. That worked for a while in the bubble years, but I'm not at all clear that it's going to work for this nation longer term. As Krugman again pointed out in yesterday column, once the real estate bubble begins to implode, and Americans' false sense of continued prosperity vanishes, we may find ourselves in the midst of a huge economic crisis.

We need economic policies that protect the rights of workers to organize, and of small businesses to compete. We need to change the tax code so that no corporation gains any economic advantage from outsourcing a single American job, and where the ones that do - and then expect to sell those products here in the US - pay penalties that fairly reflect the negative impact of their selfish behavior on the infrastructure of towns, states, and the Federal Government.

I think Democrats need to again become advocates of small and medium-size business, not multi-national behemoths that would sooner impoverish a nation than risk their own profitablity.

Posted by: mOnKeY at May 28, 2005 08:27 AM

No, you don't get reelected, you get a few corrupt people to steal votes from your opponent and add them to your tally.

Not that hard when you've got friends in the business.

Ira,

I agree with you. I wrote the following some time ago but hadn't gotten around to posting it. Progressives own businesses too. And we need to look to them to be leaders in how to conduct business in an ethical manner; not verbally abuse them along with all business owners. And you work with those who aren't really aware the same way you work with others who've not yet really woken up to the facts... one at a time, patiently.

Since I know some CEO's of modestly sized businesses who work their butts off 70-90 hours a week to keep the doors of their businesses open, their employees employed, provide health insurance for them, etc., I am always disturbed when I see CEO's and corporations painted with one broad brush. 14-15 hour days Mon-Fri plus 6-8 hours on Saturday and/or Sunday are the norm for these people and that includes the senior management.

Is ethical perspective distorted in the boardrooms and senior management of the Fortune 500? More than likely, yes; in fact, some of the activity appears unethical if not outright criminal. But there's a whole lot more to the business world than the F500 and many of those people support us and believe in the America we believe in.

A CEO is not crooked because he or she takes into account the shareholders' wishes for return on investment. In fact, one could argue that CEOs are failures if they do not do that.

The real issue is whether they can lead a company to provide reasonable return on investment while conducting the business of the company in an ethical, good citizen approach. It is when the company mission does not include conducting business in an ethical manner as a good corporate citizen supporting local interests in whatever locations the business occupies, that there are real issues to protest about. That's what the real issue is here.

Where many businesses start to go wrong is when the push comes to them to maintain low or lower prices from a customer of theirs, whether corporate or retail, and the leadership of the company does not examine where their threshold is, the point where they will no longer do business with that customer. Much of it rests on their shoulders to turn the company in a different direction, to do a different type of business with a different type of customer that allows them to continue to do business in a ethical manner.

Many CEOs have faced decisions that in order to stay viable and be a good corporate citizen, may require leaving one type of business altogether because it is no longer possible to be competitive and maintain the standards of corporate citizenship one wants. That decision can be portrayed as responsible or as a betrayal. And usually both happen.

The goal of those clamoring about corporatism should be identifying those companies who do not observe a 'good citizen' role and have discarded consideration of any corporate responsibility for the living conditions created in their locations for their employees and their customers so that maximum monetary return can be achieved.

And as in all the rest of life, this is not a black & white scorecard but a scale, a continuum from black to white. Any given company may have some "black marks" as well as "white marks" in their scoring on this scale. How does one decide when the black marks outweigh the white marks?

I guess in the end, I cringe when I see blanket condemnation of CEO's as ruthless and crooked individuals because some of those same CEO's lead companies that provide jobs and health care insurance, are good corporate citizens and even make charitable contributions to causes we all support. If they were to visit our site or similar sites where such condemnation is common, they would just walk away shaking their heads about how ignorant we are about how the real world works.

Posted by: dwahzon at May 28, 2005 09:36 AM
==================
Dwahzon --

I agree 100%. We do ourselves no favors with blanket condemnations of the business community. We need to recognize the good corporate citizens, and take a strong hand in helping business who are not good corporate citizens become so. A strong hand, as in, dare I say it, 'regulation.'

Unfortunately, this administration goes beyone "pro-business" to "anti-worker." That's not right either. States shouldn't be paying millions in health care costs for WalMart employees. WalMart needs to look at a better balance, but that won't happen under this administration. It's no good to have companies doing well if the people who are employed by that company are going down the shitter.

The recent bankruptcy court pension decision regarding American Airlines is a good example. Those people were promised a pension, they paid into that fund, and it's gone like a puff of smoke. The government needs to regulate that kind of bailout, and not just say it's okay.

Balance. Not 100% in either direction is what will make the economy work for everyone, not just the CEOs.

Thanks, Victoria... And I agree with you too.

You said JOBS?
That's the core of the French YES/NO answer to the EU Treaty...

Those last 2 months have been rich in debates and confrontations, but at least it proved the interest of people in politics.

What will come out tomorrow? I have no idea.

As a strong pro Europe, I have to admit that the noers have some good arguments too, but I don't want the process to stop, because we have to stand between America and China and propose a multilateral vision of the world.

This is hard to explain to the French plumber who dreads to see the cheap labour coming from the new Eastern comers in EU, when our companies are not outsourcing there... That's why the noers wanted the treaty to be more social, but it's a "compromise" between 25 nations. So, it cannot be perfect.

The SF Gate explains it very well.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/28/MNGRGD0BPP1.DTL

I keep hoping for the Yes.

dwahzon: "If they were to visit our site or similar sites where such condemnation is common, they would just walk away shaking their heads about how ignorant we are about how the real world works."

And that is exactly why I constantly post here why we need to be Pro Responsible Business.We should encourage Pro Business Republicans of all stripes to join us. Many of them object to cultural conservative positions and are looking for a home. That is why Sen Sarbanes wrote landmark legislation Sarbanes/Oxley despised by many large corps like Walmart and why Bill Clinton signed ADA and FMLA legislation opposed by George Bush(he opposed FMLA but I believe b/c of Bob Dole actually signed ADA),Dick Army and Phil Graham who constantly told us that raising the minimum wage and passing the ADA and FMLA will destroy jobs and would shove "or economy into the ditch"; 15 million jobs later.
Funny thing happened yesterday. I turned on Book Notes and saw Newt Gingrich on and turned to my wife and commented oh they have one of those moderate Republicans on. She shook her head in disbelief and commented oh how far we have sunk.

Sorry again Casey. That interview of Jack Welch was with Joe Kiernan and aired on CNBC last week. It was a live interview.

Ira,

I meant the interview I wqas talking about...the one where he praised Bill Clinton was during the 2000 election.

And considering how much money he made for shareholders, $60 million for 40 years isn't much.

Now the other pigs out there taking golden parachutes after they run companies into the ground, turns my stomach.

No, I agree with you ira, Jack is now CLEARLY on the side of the Bush and moreover, he is with the evangelicals. I think the most disgusting thing I heard him say is that the last three years of his life with SuZy have been the happiest. Can you imagine being the ex wife or worse yet, one of his kids and hearing that.

THAT turns my stomach.

Posted by: dwahzon at May 28, 2005 09:36 AM

I think that would make a good thread on its own. It's not corporations per se that are the bad guys. It's the short term gain, rape the company, loot the pension fund, greed filled parachutes that are disturbing.

There are plenty of good companies, Wegman's and Costco are two that come to mind. What makes those two a standout to me, is that they are two very, very employee friendly companies that are in an industry which has razor thin profit margins. Now, if they can do for employees what they do on those kind of margins, there are other companies who can do the same.

This is not about good guys versus bad guys. It's just not that simple, would that it were! This is about making things win-win for all parties. About government HELP companies to make good choices. This is about HELPING companies to put in place preventitive healthcare, or onsite childcare as a way to lower absenteeism (always an issue at companies). This is about helping companies to value employees as the biggest asset they have.

Government isn't about making the easiest and most profitable choices in the near term, it should be about looking forward to the financial health of companies, the economy and the workers in both the near term and the long term.

But I think that something that Ira AND DW are talking about in building political strength si the PERCEPTION out there, and incorrect one I might add, that one party is better or more pro-business that the other.

My post got wiped out but basically I was trying to say that its OK to disagree and not be disagreeable here. I seek to challenge and at times be a devils advocate, but it is not my intent to be disagreeable. We ceratinly don't come here to sing to the choir but to challenge each other.
If Amy or others have recommendations of books to read that disagree with our positions please share them here. Several weeks ago a jerk called mk insulted oncall when he asked mk to go read God's Politics. mk's comments were that Wallis is a lefty he disagreed with but refused to look at it.We don't do that here. If there are conservative or progressive writings that broaden our horizons and show other views I welcome them (sorry not Kitty Kelly). Again not to berate the point but no Republican Senator in 1993 voted for Clinton's economic deficit reduction plan, not one. Many Dems who did vote for it were swept out of office on that single bold vote. Phil Graham made dispariging remarks about the Clinton budget constantly sucha saying if it passes it will certainly drive our economy into the ditch, so did Dick Army and most every other Republican.As to Clinton's healthcare plan, Phil's comments I recall were that it would pass over his cold dead body. Republican's did take over in 1994 but my recollection was that by that time the economic recovery and Greenspan's interest rate reductions were just taking hold. Did Clinton raise millions for 527s from Ca. tech companies, yep. What is our choice to unilaterally disarm and let Perry Homes and the swift boat liars have the complete floor.

My life, my family's and friend's lives and economic security were better in the 1990s. I personally saw hundreds of V.P.s, CFOs, CPAs, Lawyers, and CFPCs unable to find jobs paying 80% of their salaries b/w 2001 and the present.Sorry but Clinton's tax policies and economic team folks like Bob Ruben knew what they were doing even if it meant growing corp profits. It also meant the growth of the middle class, fewer people in poverty and greater job security. Policies like the ADA, FMLA,a living wage, Sarbanes/Oxley and corporate responsibility for negligence was an integral part of Clinton's 's and Congressional Dems policies that I think we should support and be proud of instead of just slamming corporations. The Walmarts, Enrons and Haliburtons of the corp world are just not typical of all corp mentality.

cyrano's post I believe summarizes the JK corporate tax and healthcare plan:"We need economic policies that protect the rights of workers to organize, and of small businesses to compete. We need to change the tax code so that no corporation gains any economic advantage from outsourcing a single American job, and where the ones that do - and then expect to sell those products here in the US - pay penalties that fairly reflect the negative impact of their selfish behavior on the infrastructure of towns, states, and the Federal Government."

And no Casey I was not insuating that you had not read JK's healthcare plan, which I know everyone here can probably recite in their sleep. My point was that JK's plan unfortunately did not reach those folks we wathecd in the Peter Hart Columbus focus group who swore that JK was for raising their taxes personally to each one and that JK had no plan regarding healthcare. The campaign dropped the ball on what I saw was a fair and balanced plan that would reduce corporate healthcare costs and would make US corporations more competitive (and higher profits). There is absolutely nothing wrong with higher corporate profits if it is also serving the public interest, something this administration could care less about.

Amy we welcome you and especially any converted Republican to our site (if I read your post correctly).Casey I believe you would agree that our party and this site strive to broaden our base even when we don't agree 100%.