Fear Up All Over Again

Fantastic post, Karen.

Embedded in your despair is a route out, though: we have only to break any of the bonds of fear-inducing power you describe:

Establish and maintain control over the source and the interrogation.
-How can we break that control? How can we remove the source from the interrogation or disrupt the interrogation?

Establish and maintain rapport between the interrogator and the source.
-How can we undermine that rapport? Get the source to distrust the interrogator or his motives?

Manipulate the source's emotions and weaknesses to gain his willing cooperation.
-How can we keep the source strong, unemotional? How can we take care of his "weaknesses" like poverty, poor schools, lack of employment, crime, so the "interrogator" cannot exploit those?

The lack of will undoubtedly dooms it to failure.
-Ultimately, how can we break the will of the interrogator? Or in 4GW terms, how can we make it so expensive or so dangerous or so emotionally fraught with potholes of ego-breaking infamy that the "interrogator" loses his will to continue?

A useful frame - not just for despair but a handbook for battle.

It is so refreshing to be surrounded by absolute intelligence.

It's the stupids, stupid.

Ralpheh
You keep mentioning Hillary Clinton and John Kerry as moderates (some of the country consider them liberals).
Anyway, what do you think about Joe Biden? Tom Daeschle?
They're both exploring a run.

Posted by: DiAnne at March 14, 2006 12:01 AM

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

I hate to say this but much of the way I vote depends on how candidates stand On The Issues. Hillary is 100% for the war in Iraq and has shown no leadership on any issue before the Senate. I cannot and will not vote for her. My Senator, Carl Levin, has done more to criticize this administration than Hillary or Kerry. When Levin held a press conference in which he said that the secret NSA wiretapping program was illegal only two other Senators bothered to show up (I guess other Dem Senators had more important things to do that day, busy busy busy) - Senator Jack Reed and Sen Feingold.

I start with the issues first and then look for a candidate.

I know how much the media wants to make the election into a beauty contest but I vote, for the most part, on the issues and trust...

Ellen's blog also provides some good insight into this regime's tactics. Here's a snippet, but I highly recommend reading her entire piece. (Her humor is what helps get me through sometimes.)

"All in all, the Bush administration is fairly competent at accomplishing what it wants to accomplish: war, fear, power, control, money. Never for a moment should we think these folks are really trying to govern the country or work to help the average American."
http://ellenofthetenth.blogspot.com/2006/03/what-does-incompetence-have-to-do-with.html

First of all, I did not mention Kerry at all. Secondly, I'm trying hard not to hold grudges, such as against the NYT or anyone/thing else. Thirdly, whether you like it or not, ralphe, the majority if the people in the country are moderates or further right. So I don't see how running a far-left liberal is going to win the Dems an election in '08.

Posted by: madame defarge at March 14, 2006 07:35 AM

@@@@@@@@@@@@

The majority of people in this country either - call themselves independents; are members of thirds parties; are apolitical/don't know what they are; OR DON'T BOTHER TO VOTE AT ALL.

If the Dems continue to be lame and spineless, I will enter on of the above categories.

Anyway, what do you think about Joe Biden? Tom Daeschle?
They're both exploring a run.

Posted by: DiAnne at March 14, 2006 12:01 AM

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Let the primary process work..... I don't know who will win.

Hardly anyone had heard of Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter before the primaries and both went on to win the White House...

Katherine Harris may drop out of the Senate race down here in Florida. She's trailing Bill Nelson in fundraising by 8 Million to 1 million.
It was reported in the news down here in Florida this morning that she will announce her decision later this week. That's bad news for Florida- any other candidate could do much better against Bill Nelson than Harris would. Nelson is viewed as somewhat wishy washy here in Florida- he always was the "little brother " to Bob Graham when Graham was in the Senate. Graham was much better known and much more active as a Senator.
I'm hoping Miss Cruella will be stubborn enough to remain in the race against her own party and all the odds. Guess we'll know later this week.
And as for the previous comments- I would never say that I wouldn't vote for any Democratic candidate for president. I'd vote for Hillary, I voted for Kerry (both voted for the war, BTW, all hair splitting about what they REALLY meant with their votes aside.) Because the alternative is too horrible to imagine, and realistically, the Democratic party is ALL we have. I was very disgusted yesterday when they refused to support Feingold with his censure resolution, but whoever the Democratic party supports in '08 will get my vote. To do otherwise- to join another party or to simply not vote- is to vote Republican. That's the reality of it. We are not a 3 party nation.
And yes, the majority is moderate or slightly to the right in this country. But the Republican party is NOT- either moderate nor slightly to the right. So, I'm a Democrat, because, even though the Democrats in Congress are a bunch of wimps, they're still the only people in this country who have any chance of making any change at all to the disastrous course of the last 5 years. That's just reality.

Ralpheh
Yes but if Daeschle and Biden re going to run, it would be good to know their positions on the issues and their voting records, along with Clinton and Kerry. http://www.ontheissues.org is where I'll start, for now.

Linda
You have articulated pretty much my position and it's not what I would choose had I more choice. On the other hand, I keep working with issues such as against the war, for the environment (that's simplifying it). I hope that some of this influences the overall platform, and in doing so I work alongside people who are not even Democrats sometimes (3rd party people). I agree that the alternative is too terrible to contemplate.

By the way, here is something from Harry Reid:

This past weekend I continued my "Give 'Em Hell Harry Red State Tour" heading to Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The Americans I met repeatedly expressed to me their frustration with the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress for their dangerous incompetence that has made all Americans less secure and less safe. Like American across the country, Gulf Coast residents are frustrated with a President who has repeatedly pursued flawed policies that fail to protect America and a rubber stamp Republican Congress that refuses to do its job and hold the President accountable. Today I want to tell you what I saw in Arkansas. At the Hope Airport there is a sea of 11,000 mobile homes set up for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. These dwellings are costing FEMA hundreds of millions of dollars; yet they remain empty even as thousands remain homeless. FEMA has been unable to use the trailers because regulations prohibit placing them in flood plains. Seeing those trailers I was mystified, disappointed and appalled. And this is just one example of dangerous mismanagement and costly incompetence. Last week, I wrote to President Bush urging him to sign an executive order for a temporary exemption from the flood-plain regulations. With the stroke of his pen, he could give flood victims homes, yet he chooses to do nothing. In fact right now in Pass Christian, Mississippi, more than 100 hurricane victims are living in tents. Are they better off? For the past two weeks I have written you about the lack of oversight that Republicans in Congress conduct on this administration. The shocking situation in Arkansas is yet another example of this unmet need. Last week you wrote more than 13,000 letters to the editor. Lets bring that number up to 20,000. Write a letter to the editor demanding that the Republican Congress conduct more oversight of the administration by visiting: http://giveemhellharry.com/page/speakout/NSA Good Congressional oversight protects America and it is long past time that the Republican Congress, in particular the House and Senate Intelligence Committee stop protecting the Administration at the expense of the security of the American people. On matters of national security, Americans expect their government to have a record of accomplishment, but today, sadly, our government is known more for its consistent misleading dangerous incompetence and leaders who have fallen asleep at the switch. We saw it with Katrina, where warnings about the storm's potential devastation were ignored at the highest levels. We saw it in the Dubai ports deal, where such an important national security decision was left to underlings and bureaucrats. And we see it in the decisions made in Washington about Iraq, where our troops are bravely fulfilling their mission but their civilian leaders are letting them down. These mistakes have had severe consequences for our nation. Incompetence has made our country less safe and less secure. It has stretched our military too thin and taken a great toll on our troops, active as well as guard and reserve, and their families. It has weakened our homeland defense, and along the Gulf Coast, uprooted millions of lives and devastated the economy.

Karen
Thanks for that from Anne Wright: "Hope Comes From the Feet" - I noticed that the other day but in this context, it's even better!

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself" always comes to mind. (FDR)

It does seem sometimes like the universe is running on two levels - daily life in the short term seems to go on pretty much as always, the chaos of world events can seem to be on a different track. But it's really not! Almost everything that changes in our lives is tied somehow to policies external to us. It always seems like it's hard to get some people to believe this. If an underlying fear is simply planted in their unconscious, that doesn't make them examine the real underlying causes, necessarily.

Posted by: DiAnne at March 14, 2006 09:15 AM

Reid was on the Ed Schultz show on AAR yesterday talking about the 11,000 mobile homes sitting on the airport's tarmac to waste due to our government's incompetence. A photo of those trailers with their cost overlayed on it would be great in a campaign ad. I'm sure many, many Americans don't know realize how much of our tax dollars are being wasted on a daily basis due to this administration's incompetence & lack of care/conscience.

Speaking of Biden and positions, I just went to the last bit of the thread below this and there's info on his new book and an interview with Tim Russert. Of course, if he's anticipating a run he's positioning himself, but this stuff had some meat.

Dianne- on the issue of the FEMA trailers- we're still having issues here in Pensacola with FEMA from Hurricane Ivan nearly a year and a half ago. Since Ivan destroyed a lot of low-rent apartments that were occupied by fixed income families here in Pensacola, the people who lived in those apartments were moved into FEMA trailer parks on land which was either purchased or leased by the government to hold them (I'm not sure which.)
One of the students I work with comes from a family that is living in one of these trailers. He's a young man of 11, and has a 9 year old brother and a 13 year old brother- all three are being cared for by their grandmother, who is probably in her mid 70's. The boys all have emotional and learning problems, due to their parents having abandoned them. The grandmother has severe respiratory problems and uses an oxygen bottle to keep her alive. She cannot drive, and the family has no vechicle anyway.
Yet FEMA threatened recently to drive this family out of the only home they have known for a year and a half, in order to close down the parks in Pensacola. I'm assuming they were going to move the trailers over to Louisiana or Mississippi. The low rent HUD -subsidized apartment this family was living in prior to IVAN is gone now, and they have no way to even look around for other housing. Housing prices in Pensacola, because of the shortage, have gone up at least 30% over the last year and a half, and that's if you can even find an apartment here, which is almost impossible.
The city's solution is to "encourage more housing to be built for low-moderate income families." Our paper reported that Pensacola was proud that a new investment company is moving into the area to build 150 new houses at the $140-200K range for these "low to moderate income families" to live in. Excuse me. This lady and her children could not even afford a 100K house, and the median income in Pensacola is around 43 thousand dollars. I'm not sure what the city fathers think low to moderate income means in P'cola, but they're delusional if they think brand new houses are the answer. FEMA has extended the eviction of our park residents until October- it was originally scheduled for March. These people will have NOWHERE to go- they'll be out on the streets. Some plan needs to be put in place that would allow them to buy their trailers as a reasonable cost and stay on the government owned land, but our government doesn't even seem to be considering that. Pensacola, having experienced Ivan before last years storms, seems to be a testing ground for what is going to happen in Mississippi and La. in a couple of years. I don't know what's going to happen to the 3 kids and the grandmother in the family I'm talking about, but I do know that this administration doesn't care.
And our local government certainly doesn't have any answers either.

For those who admire George Clooney and his movie, Good Night and Good Luck, there's this item from HuffPo via Common Dreams...

Published on Monday, March 13, 2006 by the Huffington Post

I Am a Liberal. There, I Said It!
by George Clooney

I am a liberal. And I make no apologies for it. Hell, I'm proud of it.

Too many people run away from the label. They whisper it like you'd whisper "I'm a Nazi." Like it's a dirty word. But turn away from saying "I'm a liberal" and it's like you're turning away from saying that blacks should be allowed to sit in the front of the bus, that women should be able to vote and get paid the same as a man, that McCarthy was wrong, that Vietnam was a mistake. And that Saddam Hussein had no ties to al-Qaeda and had nothing to do with 9/11.

This is an incredibly polarized time (wonder how that happened?). But I find that, more and more, people are trying to find things we can agree on. And, for me, one of the things we absolutely need to agree on is the idea that we're all allowed to question authority. We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out.

That's one of the things that drew me to making a film about Murrow. When you hear Murrow say, "We mustn't confuse dissent with disloyalty" and "We can't defend freedom at home by deserting it at home," it's like he's commenting on today's headlines.

The fear of being criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run up to the war. In 2003, a lot of us were saying, where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11? We knew it was bullshit. Which is why it drives me crazy to hear all these Democrats saying, "We were misled." It makes me want to shout, "F*** you, you weren't misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic."

Bottom line: it's not merely our right to question our government, it's our duty. Whatever the consequences. We can't demand freedom of speech then turn around and say, "but please don't say bad things about us." You gotta be a grown-up and take your hits.

I am a liberal. Fire away.

read the original here...
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0313-26.htm

Karen...there is a FEMA Congressional hearing Thursday in DC about Katrina trailers and other FEMA expenditures. The new FEMA head financial officer will be there as will Secy. Jackson (HUD).

I'll pass more information via email.

PS. One of the big reasons they are having trailer issues in the Katrina zone is due to local officials not allowing the trailer parks to be built near population centers, issues with utilities not providing hookups, etc.

Posted by: dwahzon at March 14, 2006 10:14 AM

Imagine that...liberal, intelligent, proud, mature, patriotic...and great on the eyes. What more could we ask for!

Linda.... As you know, state and local governments are being choked to the bone, even if they had a clue, which in most cases, they don't... they wouldn't have the resources available to execute any plan effectively.

OBL's plan working perfectly... it's almost as if he has inside connections.

Monkey- not all state and local governments are being choked to the bone. After all, this is the state of Jeb Bush, who has lowered taxes on the wealthy every year since he's been in office. He loves cutting the capitol gains tax- that seems to be his favorite.
So, if we're being choked to the bone, would Jeb have done that????????????
Hmmmmm...........
But at least Jeb will be gone from Florida by the years end. Thank God for term limits.

Sorry to be OT, but for those of you experiencing budget cuts to your public schools

Action Alert:

Hello, Federation Members!

We just learned minutes ago from Capitol Hill that a critical amendment to increase funding is going to occur TODAY.

A call to action is going to our grassroots members shortly, but please contact your senators and also send the following to your members as soon as possible.

Your Message to Congress:
Please contact your senators IMMEDIATELY and urge them to vote "YES" for the Specter-Harkin-Kennedy Amendment TODAY. The amendment would add $7 billion to the 2007 budget to be used in part for education.

You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121.

You can also email or fax the following pre-written letter at the following link:
http://www.capwiz.com/nsba/issues/alert/?alertid=8576756&type=CO

Additional Information:
** Votes are scheduled to happen today.
** This could be the only chance to increase funding for education in the FY 2007 budget.
** $7 billion would restore funding levels to FY 2005 levels.
** 51 votes are needed to pass this amendment.

Make the call or send the email, and spread the word, please!

Thanks!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031301777.html
Storm-Wracked Parish Considers Hired Guns
Contractors in Louisiana Would Make Arrests, Carry Weapons
Excerpt:
DynCorp International LLC, the Texas company that provided personal security to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and is one of the largest security contractors in Iraq. If the Federal Emergency Management Agency approves the sheriff's department's proposal, which would cost $70 million over three years, up to 100 DynCorp employees would be deputized to be make arrests, carry weapons, and dress in the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Department khaki and black uniforms.
But while the plan is for the DynCorp employees to eat and live with the other deputies in the same trailer camp, the hired guns would earn "significantly more" than the $18,000 annual salary of an entry-level deputy and the $30,000-a-year salary of a seasoned officer.

For DynCorp and other private security companies, the post-Katrina Gulf Coast, like Iraq, is a land of opportunity. Hired shortly after the storm to protect several New Orleans hospitals, its first domestic security job, the Texas firm has earned about $14 million from work in the Gulf Coast since Katrina, not all of which has involved security.

Blackwater USA, which protected the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and lost four employees in a brutal ambush in Fallujah in 2004, earned about $42 million through the end of December on a contract with Federal Protective Service, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, to provide security to FEMA sites. Most of the 330 contract guards now working in Louisiana are employed by the company.

The Homeland Security Department's Inspector General said the company's costs in its FEMA contract -- it earns $950 a day for each employee -- were "clearly very high," and it expressed hope that competition would lower them. But costs are not the only concerns raised by critics of the companies.

"Katrina broke all of the rules. It was the first time you had the deployment of armed private security contractors in the U.S.," said Peter W. Singer, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry."

{{{More on link. I didn't see any reference to the fact that DynCorp is a subsidiary of Halliburton in this article. Anyone besides me see the use of mercenaries within our borders as alarming - especially in view of the fact that Halliburton has an open-ended $385 Billion dollar contract to build concentration camps in CA (and wherever else - I assume there will be more than one - and I won't 'prettify' the issue by calling them 'detention centers')??? It was bad enough reading mercenaries are regularly employed in Iraq, but this is within the continental US, and both DynCorp and Blackwater are mentioned in the article, and both outfits have mercenaries in Iraq.}}}

But at least Jeb will be gone from Florida by the years end. Thank God for term limits.
Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 14, 2006 11:06 AM

Gee. That's convenient. I wonder if the neoCons will nominate him for president in '08 to carry on with the "Bu$h Dynasty."

Jeb Bu$h is one of the people who signed documents listed on the PNAC web site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031301094.html
Feingold Pushes to Censure President
Some Democrats Wary of Resolution On Wiretapping

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031301484.html
How's This for Satire?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031300640.html
Bush Taps Prosecutor for Anti-Terror Job

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/13/AR2006031300785.html
Bush Sets Target for Transition In Iraq
Country's Troops to Take Lead This Year
{{{Apparently a lot of the speech had to do with Iran providing IED's to Iraq. I personally believe that is a LIE to get people all geared for another war, but that's only my opinion, and I don't expect anyone else to think the same. But as far as The Cretin actually turning Iraq over to the Iraqis to govern "when" they have a stable police or military force... Ya, sure, you betcha... (head bouncing like a bobble-head doll). I suspect he'd only pull troops out of Iraq to "redeploy" them to illegally attack Iran based on another bunch of LIES....}}}

Karen,

What a well-written, insightful thread header. I don't know much about cross-posting, but I think it should be cross-posted!

Thanks for all you do.

Posted by: NonnyO at March 14, 2006 12:08 PM

When your local law enforcement falls apart or is otherwise inadequate in a disaster, would you prefer

a) National Guard
b) Contract law enforcement i.e. DynCorp
c) Regular military
d) Lawlessness and local people taking matters into their own hands
e) "A well-regulated militia" (which doesn't exist outside of the National Guard)
f) Other: you explain

Which is your choice?

Remember that there are challenges associated with each, revolving in many cases around jurisdictional authority and in all cases around who foots the bill.

Karen did crosspost it at dailykos... give it a recommend if you have a membership

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/14/7618/98467

Chuck in Houston for Veritas:

Well, I'm not NonnyO, but the answer "National Guard" seems obvious -- but that is only in the context of a short-term emergency. If I read NonnyO's post right, this private security solution is being considered some, half-a-year after the emergency. So my preference would be local police. That's the way it's always worked and I don't understand why we need to privatize local law enforcement. In fact, private law enforcement and private military forces seem crazy to me. At that point, the state is giving up it's monopoly on the use of force, or at least is diluting it significanlty, which to my mind is a textbook definition of anarchy in the modern context.

Chuck in Houston

PS: Linda -- there was never a vote in the Senate to go to war in Iraq -- there was a resolution authirizing the use of force as a last resort. That is not hair-splitting, that is a fact. Right after the vote our very own President George W. Bush went on record to say the vote made was LESS likely.

Oops -- I mean the "vote made war less likely" (again, paraphrasing POTUS).

Chuck in Houston

Also, on the DynCorps rent-a-cop scheme, I just don't get it. In the article, the local sheriff says his "cash strapped" department can't afford to police the parrish, but somehow we can afford to pay the much higher price tag for the private paramilitary cops? Something doesn't add up there.

Chuck in Houston

My guess is that FEMA or somebody will cough up money for "contractors" but won't cough up money for permanent employees that would report to the local sheriff. And the sheriff's department thinks it's a good idea because they're not spending the LOCAL taxpayer's money - you know - the people who could vote them out for being so wasteful.

Yeah... the system is really screwed up.

Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 14, 2006 09:51 AM

When I was in Pensacola three years ago, full time jobs were scarce, and rent was high even then. That's too bad about that family.

Dwazhon:

Sounds like robbing Peter to pay Paul to me, without even going into the inappropriateness of having private persons administer the law.

Chuck in Houston

Love this thread.

Fear exists only and until action is decided upon. Once a course of action is engaged, fear is replaced with purpose, purpose with passion, passion with sacrafice, sacrafice with results.

This Nation exists in Fear because we have no logical course of action. Our President is lost in a paranoid world of suspicion and power. Our Senate and Congress are weak and ineffective, or are part of the grab for power. Our Judicial system decided a presidential election, which it did not have the power to do.

This will continue until enough americans stand up and demand Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness within the framework of the Constitution. Until that time we will continue living guided by fear.

Posted by: Veritas at March 14, 2006 12:27 PM

a) National Guard

During the flood of '97 when the Red River of the North overflowed its banks and areas for miles around in two states were covered with water, in-state media showed instances where the MN and ND National Guard units rescued people stranded in their homes (surrounded by water), Guard helicopters getting hay to stranded cattle on farms way out in the rural areas so the livestock wouldn't starve, setting up temporary housing for people flooded out of their homes in the Grand Forks and surrounding areas, and other "good deeds" that (in my mind) constitute valor and heroism for helping their fellow citizens and neighbors.

When natural disasters happen out in these very rural areas that are difficult to get to, the National Guard is of enormous help to ordinary citizens who simply have no one else who can get to them by normal means, other than with National Guard equipment (big trucks that don't get mired in mud and two feet of water, helicopters to get where no one can go because of water depth, in cases of floods; or out to national forest areas that are inaccessible otherwise if/when brush fires or grass fires start, etc.) Other times the National Guard troops do things like assist local law enforcement with search and rescue operations.

Of course, no one is rioting and firearms are not necessary under the circumstances I've just described; people just need help and rescue, and that's all that's appropriate under those circumstances. List a different set of circumstances, I might give a different answer, or add other parts of your list of choices to help the National Guard.

I really can't think of any good reason to use mercenaries. In my humble opinion, mercenaries go after those kinds of jobs for (a) the money, and (b) the adrenalin rush. In the PBS Frontline story "Private Warriors," it was noted the mercenaries had no training, or very little training, and were ill-equipped and not adequately prepared to do their jobs (it was also implied the ones without firearms training were a bit trigger-happy).

~~~~~~
Posted by: chuck at March 14, 2006 01:52 PM

The "private security solution" could last up to three years, according to the article. Apparently that's not yet been voted on in Congress, but I'm thinking that Congress will not vote against funds for the area....
Posted by: chuck at March 14, 2006 02:20 PM

FEMA, via Homeland Security, would foot the bill, if the scheme is approved (see second paragraph - read the whole story on the link for full info), but DynCorp personnel would be deputized through St. Bernard's Parish, wear the same uniforms, and have the same law enforcement jurisdiction as the regular county deputies (if I'm reading it right - apparently the writer doesn't understand how law enforcement and deputizing people works according to jurisdiction - city, county, and state jurisdictions differ, and federal is another level up from that again, so law enforcement personnel are commissioned/deputized according to jurisdiction). St. Bernard's Parish is strapped for money and can't afford the cost of extra law enforcement personnel. I don't for one second believe Halliburton would do anything without first getting *our* tax money for themselves or their subsidiaries: DynCorp and KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root), whether their employees are in Iraq or on US soil or wherever else in the world. Dead-Eye Dick's former employer, and from whom he still gets money (or will, if his salary is deferred), is a robber-baron corporation.

~~~~~
Posted by: dwahzon at March 14, 2006 02:35 PM
Yes... the system is screwed. Money for mercenary salaries could be better spent to pay the salaries for the sheriff's department in St. Bernard Parish - regular employees who live and work there under normal circumstances, and who spend money in the local area under normal circumstances, not paid mercenaries who have no vested interest in the area....

Welshman at dailykos brings a remarkable RAF doctor to our attention -- someone who's taking a stand against the Iraq war at considerable personal cost.

read more here... http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/13/83129/8085

Maureen Dowd's definition of truthiness from a lengthy interview featured in the Guardian:

"America has got itself all twisted up with truthiness." Truthiness, she says, is a term coined by television satirist Steve Colbert. "Truthiness is a good story, one that feels right, but doesn't correspond to reality. Truthiness is what you want to be true. A White House press statement saying the army's doing fine in Iraq when their own military is telling them that the army is stretched so thin ... is truthiness. Or saying it's just a group of fierce insurgents when the country is on the edge of civil war ..."

read it all here...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329430371-103425,00.html

Posted by: Veritas at March 14, 2006 07:51 AM

.....potholes of ego breaking infamy........

If only....

Can not wait to read your series V.

What grows in potholes?

William Fisher: Experts Question Credibility of US Human Rights Report
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406L.shtml
William Fisher writes: Foreign policy, legal, and human rights authorities are raising serious questions about the credibility of the US State Department's annual report on human rights, released last week.
Excerpt:
Leavitt said, "The sad reality is that because of the Bush Administration's haughty unilateralism and its mockery of international prohibitions on torture, most of the rest of the world no longer takes the US seriously on human rights matters."

Carlyle Group Explores Acquisition of Port Operations
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406A.shtml
Private equity firm The Carlyle Group established a team to acquire public-purpose facilities, such as ports, a day after a United Arab Emirates company said it would transfer newly acquired operations at American ports to a US organization.
{{{No mention in this article that Pappy Bu$h is part of the Carlyle Group....}}}

Howard Zinn | Lessons of Iraq War Start With US History
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406D.shtml
On the third anniversary of President Bush's Iraq debacle, it's important to consider why the administration so easily fooled so many people into supporting the war. Howard Zinn provides two reasons which go deep into our national culture. One is an absence of historical perspective. The other is an inability to think outside the boundaries of nationalism.
{{{Excellent article. Highly recommended reading.}}}

Jim Lobe | Forum Over Substance
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406F.shtml
If the medium is the message, then US President George W. Bush's choice of forum to launch a new public campaign to defend his beleaguered Iraq policy should be troubling to those, particularly in Europe, who had hoped that his administration was moving toward a more even-handed stance in the Arab-Israeli conflict, writes Jim Lobe.
{{{Must be read to be "believed." To me, it seems like PNAC has spawned other similar organizations with the same aims. The last paragraph.... (bobble-head doll head roll/shake).}}}

Leaked Memo: Blair Told US Iraq Strategy "Unbelievable Mess"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406M.shtml
Senior British diplomatic and military staff gave Tony Blair explicit warnings three years ago that the US was disastrously mishandling the occupation of Iraq, according to leaked memos.

Is Rising US Public Debt Sustainable?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406O.shtml
Between 1989 and 2000, an electronic display near New York's Times Square tracked the rise of the nation's red ink until it reached $5.7 trillion. When it shut down, the federal budget was running a surplus. Today, the national debt totals $8.3 trillion, a level that could force Congress this week to raise the debt ceiling for the fourth time in George W. Bush's presidency.
{{{Mention of the obvious: future financial drain as Baby Boomers retire.... no mention of what could offset that cost: end that stupid war in Iraq through which so many of Dumbya's criminal corporate cronies benefit, don't invade Iran on a second set of LIES, and cut back on military spending - the amounts the military pays to corporations like Halliburton, Blackwater, Bechtel (and others), not salaries or veteran's benefits, is what I'm talking about. Don't just blame the fact that Boomers are retiring as the rise in any government costs. The billions paid to Halliburton alone could offset a lot of the Medicare costs.}}}

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/03/14/deja_vu_all_over_iran.php
Deja Vu All Over Iran

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060314/ap_on_hi_te/google_doj
Judge to Order Google to Give Up Some Data

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2519/
The Gulf Rush
{{{More on corporations cashing in on the misfortunes resulting from Katrina....}}}

Like ducks in a Cheney Gallery...

Key Bush Admin. Response Official Resigns
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 24 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - One of the Bush administration's principal advisers on bioterrorism and other public health emergencies has resigned.

Stewart Simonson, assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness, told the president in a resignation letter Monday that he had accomplished what he had set out to do, and it was time to move on.

Some Democrats, and a key Republican, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, had been critical of Simonson's work, saying it would be better to have a medical expert serve in his position rather than a lawyer. Davis is chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

Simonson joined the Department of Health and Human Services in August 2001 and served as general counsel before becoming assistant secretary.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060314/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/simonson_resignation

Posted by: monkey at March 14, 2006 05:11 PM

I don't know, what?

Pa. seizes paper's computer hard disks

The Attorney General's Office says they may show evidence of a felony: unauthorized use of a restricted Web site.

By John Shiffman
Inquirer Staff Writer

In an unusual and little-known case, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has seized four computer hard drives from a Lancaster newspaper as part of a statewide grand-jury investigation into leaks to reporters.
The dispute pits the government's desire to solve an alleged felony - computer hacking - against the news media's fear that taking the computers circumvents the First Amendment and the state Shield Law.

The state Supreme Court declined last week to take the case, allowing agents to begin analyzing the data.

"This is horrifying, an editor's worst nightmare," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington. "For the government to actually physically have those hard drives from a newsroom is amazing. I'm just flabbergasted to hear of this."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14084455.htm

Nutzees

Truth- there are lots of jobs in P'cola now, all due to Ivan. But housing is a critical problem, and I don't see any hope for the family I mentioned. The kids can't even go to their mother- the last time they tried to do that, they walked up onto her porch and she refused to open the door to them. It's a really tragic situation- and it's just the one that I know about. I wonder how many more stories there are just like that one in the FEMA park where they live. The park, BTW, is nowhere for kids to be raised. It's paved over with oyster shells, no trees, no play area anywhere. And all the government is doing is frightening these people to death by threatening to put them out on the street. FEMA doesn't want to give trailers to people in New Orleans, and they want to take them away from those who already have them here in P'cola. It's unbelievable.
Chuck- I never liked George Clooney until I found out he had a brain. I feel just like he does about the democrats who claim they were misled. I knew better, I never trusted a word that came out of W's mouth so why would they? They're supposed to be bright people. They were afraid to oppose W, and they still are. That was obvious yesterday when they let Russ Feingold stand all alone and propose his resolution. They're wusses, that's all. I'm thinking I hope my general runs again in '08. At least I know he's not a wuss. Go Wes Go!

Posted by: dwahzon at March 14, 2006 03:58 PM

Thanks for that link to the article on Dowd! :-) I enjoyed it!

An exclusive from Rawstory...

US quietly tightens access to classified information

John Byrne and Larisa Alexandrovna
Published: Tuesday March 14, 2006

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley quietly revised the guidelines for determining access to classified government information last year, increasing emphasis on allegiance to the United States and allowing the government broader latitude in rejecting candidates without a clearly articulated cause, RAW STORY has found.

In a December 2005 revision of the “Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information,” Hadley made semantic but substantial changes which seem to mirror a broader shift in Bush Administration policy. The document, found online, shows numerous variations from a previous copy of the guidelines published in 1997. Both are linked at the bottom of this article.

~snip~

But Hadley’s 2005 guidelines go further. In addition to requiring that individuals not engage in material breaches of U.S. allegiance – including voting in a foreign election or expressing a desire to renounce citizenship – the 2005 guidelines assert that simply the vocalization of allegiance to another country is grounds for denial.

Conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying now include “any statement or action that shows allegiance to a country other than the United States.”

~snip~
Whereas the 1997 revision declared that sexual orientation “may not be used” as a basis for disqualifying applicants, Hadley’s revisions declare that clearances cannot be denied “solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual.”
~snip~

There's a lot more that will at a minimum, raise your eyebrows if not your blood pressure. Read the rest here...
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/US_quietly_tightens_access_to_classified_0314.html

Karen,

Excellent blog article. That's actually been my m.o. since I first discovered the kerry blog.

First, I was scared about what I saw happening around me. And I was frightened about my name or i.p. being traced to me. Yet I did it anyway and felt empowered. It's what drove me to GOTV, get stalked in inner-city neighborhoods to GOTV, and to call people to get them to the polls.

As any of the original kerry bloggers who knew me. I was scared spitless! Yet I just kept one foot in front of the other, continuously. Before I knew it, I was an active participant and though still frightened, I became a lot more vocal.

Then I was thrust to make another frightening decision when we began the DCP. Should I use my own name or a fake name? As you can see, I decided that fear was going to be there regardless, so I decided to use my real name as an action over the fear was inside me. It's a way of fighting back at the oppression.

Everything we do is a step towards overcoming the fear. But Karen, you are right, put one foot in front of the other and just keep going and always keep your mind on the end goal.

Nutzees
Posted by: monkey at March 14, 2006 05:23 PM

Yupper-doo-doo.... It's one thing to feed media propaganda from the WH or Pentagon to control the message. It's quite another to take away the tools of the trade and physically control a press....

Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 14, 2006 05:48 PM

How about a Feingold-Clark or Clark-Feingold ticket? Those "undecided - swing" voters who are women could at least vote for them for eye-candy value if nothing else.... ;-)

Can't remember where I saw an interview with him years ago, but it surprised me that his brain functions quite nicely behind that handsome exterior and he has a calm, deliberate way of expressing himself when he's not cracking jokes; that he would produce a movie about Edward R. Murrow did not come as a surprise when I found out about it.

Posted by: NonnyO at March 14, 2006 06:11 PM

Urg... second paragraph is referring to George Clooney....

Posted by: NonnyO at March 14, 2006 03:35 PM

Nonny, as you allude to, it is an issue of laws and jurisdiction. The federal government (through DHS/FEMA) cannot be paying the salaries and directing the movement of state/local police. States' rights. But the parish has no money to hire cops. I'm not sure why the National Guard isn't being used, although it may relate to their deployment schedule overseas. Have to ask Gov. Blanco on that one.

So the feds end-run the laws by hiring in "private security" who work for them but are deputized to enforce local law. My guess is, based on the moonlighting the local law enforcement did around there pre-Katrina, probably a lot of them are going over to DynCorp and getting hired for twice their normal salaries.

We also have to consider that a lot of the pre-Katrina police force - which was understaffed to begin with - evacuated the area and has not come back.

Posted by: NonnyO at March 14, 2006 06:11 PM

Had a online survey from Zogby to fill out last night.

Interesting question:

Who would you vote for in 2008 if the choice was between Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

I don't think Hillary could beat McCain. Not that anything is wrong with her, but they have been slimeboating her for years, calling her cold, frigid, and worse.

I think the G.O.P. would love it if she runs.

Climate change 'irreversible' as Arctic sea ice fails to re-form

By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 14 March 2006

Sea ice in the Arctic has failed to re-form for the second consecutive winter, raising fears that global warming may have tipped the polar regions in to irreversible climate change far sooner than predicted.

Satellite measurements of the area of the Arctic covered by sea ice show that for every month this winter, the ice failed to return even to its long-term average rate of decline. It is the second consecutive winter that the sea ice has not managed to re-form enough to compensate for the unprecedented melting seen during the past few summers.

Scientists are now convinced that Arctic sea ice is showing signs of both a winter and a summer decline that could indicate a major acceleration in its long-term rate of disappearance. The greatest fear is that an environmental "positive feedback" has kicked in, where global warming melts ice which in itself causes the seas to warm still further as more sunlight is absorbed by a dark ocean rather than being reflected by white ice.

more... http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article351135.ece

Veritas:

Why can't the federal budget allocate funds to local governments in areas like that Parish? Is there some law against that? The payments would come from the municipal budget to the local law enforcement folks, of course, but that budget itself could be augmented by federal funds, it seems to me. I believe there are all sorts of federal matching funds for state-administered endeavors.

Chuck in Houston

Posted by: Veritas at March 14, 2006 06:22 PM

V.,

I know all this has been hashed over before. But the only thing I kept thinking just after I heard the levee breached in NOLA was "where is our National Guard"?

Shouldn't something be in place to facilitate a crisis of any kind so that the Feds can get the power they need from the local and state governments (and Fed government) to swiftly and smoothly step in and save lives? Whatever the mechanism, it should really be put into place before the tragedy.

I could very well be wrong, but the only thing I could think of while the people were dying in New Orleans during the flood was "Why isn't the National Guard here." They have been there before, as Nonny noted.

The only logical explanation I can think of would be that the money was missing, and the troops were spread so thin there wasn't enough of them to do what needed to be done.

And if that was the truth, then they have seriously undermined the security of the United States and sacrificed it by pouring money and manpower in to Iraq.

Truth/Veritas:

My sense of it is the National Guard is busy administering Iraq -- Year Four now. We don't have any federal resources for anything except sweetheart contracts for well-connected investors. Remember -- our government, as currently constituted -- does not believe in government action except insofar as lucrative contracts can be directed to political supporters at tax-payer expense. And this state of affairs will continue for as long as we keep rewarding the current administration with election victories.

Chuck in Houston

Nonny- I think a Clark-Feingold ticket would be a winner for sure. Yes, I did get the eye candy reference as being about George Clooney too, BUT, having met the Gen. in person a couple of times, you're right, he ain't too bad to look at either :-) I basically hadn't liked George Clooney before because he was TOO good looking, and I figured (stereotyping, I'm sorry to say) that he didn't have a brain in his head. I suppose Alec Baldwin should have taught me better than that though :-) I think a Clark-Feingold ticket would give us such a clear advantage in intelligence, honor, integrity and independent thinking over anything the Repugs could offer (including John McCain) that we couldn't lose. Not even to mention the " I just want to vote for them so I can look at them on the evening news and drool vote." That one is always important too.

Posted by: chuck at March 14, 2006 06:45 PM

Chuck. That is my point. It is as clear as a bell.

Anyone who can't see that there aren't any real plans to protect Americans in case of a national disaster just doesn't have brain cells connecting.

It's incredible that in spite of the Katrina disaster W's poll numbers aren't lower.

I think there is a big difference between Iran and Iraq.
Iraq was run by Sadaam and we all know what a cutie he is. Iran is run by Ali Khamenei who is as nutty and evil as they come. Does anyone really think he wants to build only nuclear reactors? He praises Hamas and wants the destruction of Israel. Iran went from being close to a democracy to a real dangerous nation within the time-span of the Iraq war.
So maybe what BushCo needs to do is really try to get the UN involved. Is something Bolton can do? With the need for Iran oils, is there anything any country is willing to do?
Iran has US troops on two of its borders: Iraq and Afgan. They are rightfully nervous. Now add the ramp up because the two principle players: Bush and Ali – are friggin nuts.
To me, it looks like we are sliding down a slippery slope toward another war.
Bush is trying to sell the public on the need for another war. This war could be justified as denying nuclear weapons to a mad man. (If the same logic were applied, Bush would give up the US nucs). Because of all the lying and double-dealing, Bush couldn’t sell a glass of water in the desert to someone dieing of thirst.
Maybe Israel will decide the only way out of this is for them to destroy the Iranian reactor sites. Everyone already hates them anyway.
This is going to get real ugly real quick.

Internal mercenaries? I'm ag'in 'em. External mercenaries, too. For the same reasons I'm ag'in sorta-legal bounty hunters, which are purt' much the same thing anyway.

Other the fact that they get paid way too much -- which actively demoralizes the genuine service personnel they're 'assigned' to work with -- as those of you who remember my history lesson in re Mitch Werbell & Co. here on the blog a couple of months ago may recall, I know some of them in person. And I for *damn* sure don't want to ever see any of them acting as official representatives of civilian law enforcement, period full stop.

As for the other thing... Frank Herbert had it right, when he wrote the Bene Gesserit litany against fearing-up in his classic 'Dune' books:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear's path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

be just and fear not,
Otter

Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 14, 2006 07:00 PM

Hey! I got to see and hear Alec Baldwin today, and I have photos to prove it. And he was wonderful. It was the Arts Advocacy breakfast on the Hill and I had the privilege of watching 15 students totally get it--all of it--right before my eyes. Alec was brilliantly clear.

They found their voices, and their passion, and their deep, concerned questions about how it might be possible to live a brave life within uncertain and shifting support.

I was moved--by each of them, and by my hopes for them, and for my longing for a better world for them. But they know, now, that they have to help create that better world.

Chuck in Houston for Battlebob:

Just out of curiosity, assuming Bush decides to take over Iran, where does he get the troops? It's a lot bigger than Iraq, both in terms of area and population (70 million, not 25). Boy, the leaders of Russia and China will be loving it if he pulls a stunt like that!

If we just bomb them, that will be probably ineffective but will greatly strengthen the Iranian regime.

Ditto for Israeli bombing them, which they can't do anyway without our explicit complicity, as they would have to fly over Iraqi airspace, which we control.

I don't think there is any serious military option against Iran unless we re-institute the draft and are prepared to fight (and probably lose) a proxy war against Russia and China in Central and South Asia for a couple decades. Wonder how that would work for India and Pakistan?

Chuck in Houston

Chuck,
Rumor has it, it's bombs. Right into their stockpiles--or into wherever we THINK their stockpiles are...

Karen:

Stockpiles of what?

Chuck in Houston

Clark has been very active again. His website - http://www.securingamerica.com/ - shows Clark has been making the media rounds.
Wes wants to try and talk with Iran leadership; it may be with folks several layers down.
Bush wants to somehow crank up a depleted military for another push.
Bush hasn't figured out yet that we will defeat any nation on earth in battle. We will loose to any nation on earth after the battle because he doesn't understand the need for a post-war strategy.
Clark understands that. As a four-star general, he had a lot of bureaucratic duties. But still, he has never held a political office. I think he is strictly vice-presidential material. Now, he could be SOS.

The most important issue is security and the war. Who has spoken out the most and supported it the least? I’ll probably be called a hypocrite over this, but Kerry gets my vote if he could find his anti-Iraq war footing, Give us something substantial. He needs to stop being all things for all people. He is a known quantity now and there is a lot of polarization with him. He probably feels the need to broaden his base. If he becomes to middle, he will loose the lefties. The extremes are where the passion is. The middle-of-the-roaders are not the ones who will be the campaign workers; or the ones to write the checks again and again. Go to any party office and they are manned by people who really care. They are not casual and have very strong opinions.
Each side has about 40 % hard core supporters. The remaining 20% is where the election is decided. Well, not quite. The Repub 40% votes more then the Dem 40%. The middle 20% went Repub because of the war. What reason is going to move the middle 20% to the Dems and get our 40% out to vote?

The war and security get top billing. All the other issues need to be addressed with the understanding that our ideas work for those that need help the most and the Repub ideas will only benefit the wealthy.

My choice was Kerry-Clark before. The synergy between these two was really terrific. Clark balances the defense issue very nicely. Edwards did very little; maybe Shrum and the staff shackled him.

Karen/Battlebob:

Sorry to be off-topic but this is a really interesting theme. We have no good options in the Middle East or South Asia anymore. The Bush administration has damaged our national security and our international position in very profound ways and in ways that cannot be fixed for decades. We are in complete crisis management mode in my opinion and we have handed the initiative over entirely to other powers. We will end up paying a steep price for this, but the biggest price will be paid, as usual, by the poor slobs that live in that region. And as far as I can tell our people are in deep denial over this.

Chuck in Houston

Come to think on it, this theme is sort of on-topic, as the whole "fear-up" thing is the driver as far as the American people are concerned.

Chuck in Houston

PS: I hope I am completely wrong about all of this.

Chuck,
We have the technology to wipe any army out without a lot of troop activity. We can vaporize whole armies before they even know it - without nucs. However, there has to be an army to fight or is willing to fight.
We still have about 200k troops available. Hooray. The necessary troops on the ground and the post term strategy is missing. Any army is too small in a guerilla war. The Iraq army pretty much disappeared by design. They lived to fight and die another day.
What happens afterward with China as Iran is their main oil supplier?
Does anybody think Putin will stand by?
Does anybody think Bush cares? After all, Faux News blessed it already.
The voices in his head say it is ok.
But Bush doesn't see any down side. In his Faux-news vision, he sees a bunch of folks wearing turbans riding camels. Doesn't sound like much of a fight eh?
You were there recently and I was in Tehran while the Shah was still around. These folks are resilient and are used to doing a lot with little.

tick...

tock...

tick...

tock...

tick...

tock...

boom.

say it ain't so joe,
Otter

Per my earlier post...
I think Nick's data shows the Repub faithful turned out while the Dem faithful didn't with the middle 20% being split.
The bottom line was voter turn-out. Their folks voted...ours didn't...
Ignoring election fraud (which may negate this entire discussion), we have to maintain the middle section we have and get Dems out to vote.
What does that mean?
I still say we have to show the magic three.
What is Dumbo doing that we won't do.
What is Dumbo doing that we can do better.
What is Dumbo not doing that we will do.
Every issue must end up in one of thsoe buckets. If not, ignore it.

Battlebob:

I personally think that bombing will strengthen the Iranian regime and make it easier for Russia or China to get more invovled in Iran and for Iran to get even more involved in Iraq. If we decide to invade, we can take out an army but we cannot administer these countries, especially when you add Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China and Russia into the mix, all of which have a very serious interest in the outcome. If we continue to escalate, the situation will just continue to get worse in the longer run (sort of like the deficits, come to think of it -- short term fix, long term potential catastrophe).

Chuck in Houston

BTW..the magic three came from Bill Clinton. He mentioned them in a speech during the pres election in Iowa.
I thought they were the clearest vision for dealing with issues.

Chuck,
There may not be an army to take out.
If the Iran army goes underground, what do you do with all your wonderful weapons?
The Iranians saw the capabilities of our war-making powers and the weakness of our post-war powers. So I am sure they will decide to go right to the post-war part. Why fight openly?
We could bomb a few places...kill a lot of civilians...piss everyone else off so that they fight us until the end of time.
We can't administer Iraq...How can we hope to deal with any other country. In Afgan, the Talaban is back in town. After 5 years, ObL is still enjoying himself.
You are right; Bush is taking us right into another huge train wreck.
We should start a lottery of when the bombing campaign starts.

Battlebob:

I am sorry to say I think I agree with everything you said. And to bring this theme on-topic, that's what happens when Americans vote fear and hate instead of strength and hope.

Chuck in Houston

A real good example is Pakistan.
Mushareff(sp) went out on a limb to support us. I am sure he got some goodies from Bush. His support was lukewarm as his folks near the Afgan border support the Talaban. Not a whole lot he can do.
Pakistan has a devastating earthquake and the US leads the relief efforts. Hey they like us for once.
Soon after, we destroy 3 homes looking for Taleban leaders with Predator launched missles. Killed a bunch of women and children. The folks targeted left hours before.
What did our great leader say?
Their empatheric response to this mistake was too bad...mistakes happen. No apologies or restitution offers of any type.
The Repubs said: Sometimes you have to take chances.
Excuse me...who are taking these chances? A bunch of innocent people trying to eke out a living in their homes?
That is why they hate us and one of the reasons they are so mad at Bush. His response to the suffering he causes is tough shit. Deal with it.

I think the G.O.P. would love it if she runs.
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at March 14, 2006 06:26 PM

True, I think, too. It wouldn't even surprise me if the back room pundits have already crafted slime machine ads against her, just in case....

I've gotten to the point that between Hillary's middle-of-the-road approach to things, her DLC connections, the fact that she has not come out against Dumbya's Iraq war..., and the way it SEEMS the right-wing Lamestream Media is pushing the idea of her candidacy - down our throats, as it were... Well, let's just say that I would think a few times before openly supporting Hillary. I might hold my nose and vote for her on an 'anybody but...' vote, but unless she does a 180 on issues I care about (like stopping that stupid war in Iraq), I couldn't openly endorse her or work for her. I liked Hillary better as First Lady; since she's become a senator, I don't like her so much because of her lack of anti-war stance....

I'd love it if a woman were president of this nation. I just do not personally believe she's the right woman for the job.

And, I think the slime machine would make sure she would lose - big time. This nation is not ready for a woman to be president any time soon, unfortunately.

Right now, I'm not looking at any of the 'big names' that have been bandied about for presidential candidates - most of whom have sorely disappointed me in the past or whose positions I do not agree with. I want to be able to vote FOR a candidate who clearly and concisely states definitive positions on all the major issues. None of that wishy-washy middle-of-the-road crap.... Movies and plays that are the best have plot structure and good dialogue (not gratuitous violence and gratuitous crashes and too much blood and gore special effects to fill time), and I want the same in political candidates: good solid structure and open dialogue.

As I said last night, if the election were held tomorrow, the one I'd vote for is Feingold, for the simple reason he took a stance against the Patriot Act to begin with.... That impresses me. I did check out a link that was posted on the last thread about where senators stood on the issues, and so far (barring any goofs in the future), I do like Feingold.

I'm deliberately "looking outside the box" for now, largely because I don't like what's being thrown our way so deliberately by right-wing media and spinmeisters that I have already found so disappointing. We still have two years (Oh, such a LONG time!) to think about these things, and I may change my mind a half a dozen times (or more) between now and then....

Remember in 2004? The Repubs were hoping it would be Dean as they knew Dean would not be a problem.
It’s the same thing again as they want Hillary because they know she would be easily beaten. Hillary is riding high with the media attention and the DLC now. Things change quickly.
Things change a lot if we get either the House or Senate in 2008.
For one thing, Dumbo's influence disappears. Dems can operate from a position of strength instead of weakness. It would be interesting to see what they do with it. Kinda getting ahead of myself aren’t I?

oops..House or Senate in 2006....just around the corner...

The latest on Code Pink's petition (which has been up longer than UFPJ but still it is doing much much better)

almost 63,000 signers

62823 March 14, 2006 Mary K. Andersonl Mc Kinleyville, CA, United States
62822 March 14, 2006 Thea Mercier Phoenix, AZ, United States
62821 March 14, 2006 Eszter Bauduin Bruxelles, ot, Belgium
62820 March 14, 2006 Tina Davis Peace in the World Joelton, TN, United States

Other info at the Code Pink petition:

March 10, 2006: Number of non-electronic signatures received: 11,551

Thanks to True Majority supporters, another 29,472 signatures added to the call!!!

Posted by: Otter at March 14, 2006 08:30 PM

It is so, Joe.

ABU GHRAIB PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AT SALON.COM

279 photographs and 19 videos from the Army's internal investigation record a harrowing three months of detainee abuse -- and make clear that many of those responsible have yet to be held accountable

http://www.salon.com/

Posted by: Linda Enterkin at March 14, 2006 07:01 PM

Actually, my "eye candy" remark was about both Feingold and Clark. I have always loved looking at tall, dark, handsome men, and men with youthful looks and silver-gray hair remind me of... well, someone I once knew! ;-) He was also one of the most intelligent men I've ever met, we had fascinating conversations over dinner, and after dinner, too. (Seriously; how many men can discuss existentialism and look sensual enough to make your knees go weak at the same time?)

I figure if the "swing" and "undecided" women voters won't budge to get out to vote FOR candidates based on political and philosophical positions (since they obviously wouldn't budge to waste their time voting for 'anybody but Bu$h'), maybe they can be urged to get out to vote strictly on 'eye candy' value?!? Like they would for people trying out for... whatever that TV show is which has singers and a nasty host that I hear about, and I can't think of the name of the TV show because I don't watch it. (Well, it's a thought. A lame excuse to vote, but we've had that evil and ugly mutt with eyes too close together in his skanky head to look at since 2000, and it's time to look at a nice face for a change.)

If we can't win "swing" or "undecided" women voters on the basis of issues, maybe we could win them over with the McDreamy factor.... ;-)

So, okay. I'm of an age I wouldn't vote for someone based on looks, and I would have to know their positions on issues first, but if I were young and dumb and hadn't studied the issues but wanted to vote anyway, I'd pick the eye candy (I think? - it would depend on whether he had nice eyes or not).

True, Clooney is also eye candy, and what a pleasant surprise he's intelligent besides! I suspect Clooney's father - who was a TV news anchor/reporter - had a lot to do with that.

Posted by: battlebob at March 14, 2006 08:33 PM

BB, let us not forget how they got their base out to vote, and alot of the middle to join them. The wedge issues.

The a word and the gay word.

IMHO, the only way we get those votes is to go on the offense with a morals campaign that puts them to shame. But, if we play the waiting game, they've got us.

Simple as that.

ABU GHRAIB PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AT SALON.COM

279 photographs and 19 videos from the Army's internal investigation record a harrowing three months of detainee abuse -- and make clear that many of those responsible have yet to be held accountable

http://www.salon.com/

Iran: Where do we go from here?
By Mike Whitney
The Bush administration has run into a rock wall at the Security Council. Neither Russia nor China will agree to any resolution that condemns Iran for “noncompliance” with its treaty obligations. In fact, there is general agreement that Iran has not violated the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) so the point is moot. This eliminates any chance that punitive action will be taken against Iran or that sanctions will be applied.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12338.htm

Dubai Firm May Not Sell US Port Operations
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031406R.shtml
The weeks-long saga of Dubai Ports World's purchase of operations in Miami and five other US seaports took another turn Monday, when the company's Fort Lauderdale nemesis publicized a private e-mail and charged the note shows the Arab company has no intention of selling its US assets.

Congress Should Pursue Windfall Profits Tax
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031406EB.shtml
Executives from America's six biggest oil companies will be defending their record profits before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a time when Americans have been paying record high prices for oil and natural gas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060314/ap_on_re_us/dam_burst
Dam in Hawaii Bursts; Seven People Missing

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/iraq
Iraq Edges Closer to Open Civil Warfare
{{{I thought they were already in a civil war. Isn't that one of the "justifications" for US military forces to stay there? To help the local Iraqi law enforcement and military keep order because they are not yet fully trained???}}}

Truth,
You are pretty much right...
The middle was fairly evenly divided. They got the vote out playing the god, guns and gay game. The biggest issue was the war as no sitting president ever lost.
The rural vote went hard for repubs as the military comes from more rural areas then urban.

What is Dumbo doing that we won't do.
What is Dumbo doing that we can do better.
What is Dumbo not doing that we will do.
Every issue must end up in one of thsoe buckets. If not, ignore it.
Posted by: battlebob at March 14, 2006 08:33 PM

YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Garrison Keillor at Salon.com:

REPUBLICANS MUST SAVE US FROM BU$H:

excerpt:

The Republican Revolution has gone the way of all flesh. It took over Congress and the White House, horns blew, church bells rang, sailors kissed each other, and what happened? The Republicans led us into a reckless foreign war and steered the economy toward receivership and wielded power as if there were no rules. Democrats are accused of having no new ideas, but Republicans are making some of the old ideas look awfully good, such as constitutional checks and balances, fiscal responsibility, and the notion of realism in foreign affairs and taking actions that serve the national interest. What one might call "conservatism."

Ralpheh
Thanks to you I'm back to signing petitions. I understand that if they have enough signatures they get delivered. Just signed MoveOn's latest. Then there are the phone calls.

Battlebob
Maybe Dean wouldn't have won - I don't know. He certainly did a good Dem address, following Bush's propagandistic one that I heard on the radio this morning. He wisely pointed out the size of our debt and deficit and projections, and that they're probably the greatest risk to our national security. He linked ownership of our debt to ownership of our ports. I quite liked it.

NonnyO
I picked up Amy Goodman "Democracy Now" on the way home (by being in the right place at the right time - heck with NPR tonight). I heard her report on Russ Feingold's "censure" motion and it's the first time I'd heard the audio of it. I am now going to support him too, as far as he can get.

The other recent hero(ine) is Sandra Day O'Connor. Some people I know are looking for audio of her speech so if anyone knows. I read in the Guardian that Nina Totenberg was the only reporter present. I should check NPR site. She used to D word (dictatorship).

Speaking of other heroic things that aren't covered - I also heard on Amy Goodman's show that Chicago had the largest rally ever and it got almost no media coverage. Somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 Hispanics in Chicago & Karen told me there was a big rally in DC too. I did not know that the US has 11,000,000 undocumented workers. That's more than 5 Seattles. These people are between a rock and a hard place wth globalization, NAFTA, protectionism, anti-immigrant sentiment and fear of terrorism. One speaker felt the proposed wall between part of US and Mexico was largely a political symbol.

Battlebob, Chuck
I see I missed the start of an interesting discussion on Iran.

Well I think Iran is spouting off because it has a thriving economy now after years of stagnation. It's an important power in the Gulf now that Saddam Hussein has been overthrown. So if Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea and China all have nukes, it's a matter of status for Iran. Ahmadinejad is a populist and he likes to show off. He can shore up his popularity with the masses by promising a share of the wealth and some power.

I doubt American can step in and stop it. Iran is far too large and America is not good at fighting guerilla wars. Bush could bomb the nuclear and military and oil facilities but there would be world outrage and our interests would be damaged. He could arm the Mujahedin, like Saddam used to do, but that would only cause a backlash. There are plenty Iranians who would like the theocracy to crash but also plenty who support it madly. I think if Iran were attacked, more would rally for the government. US hasn't had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979 or so.

I also doubt Iran would try to wipe Israel off the map. Israel can defend itself and Iran knows it. It's posturing as is most of his rhetoric against the US. In other words, he is a big blowhard. Israel could maybe attack Iran's nukes again like in 1981 but they're more isolated now and if the US backed this, it could spark more trouble. Oil prices would be out of this world. But if Israel really feels threatened it could happen. I think sanctions would mostly hurt the poor, as sanctions do. Also, Iran and Iraq seem on more friendly terms than before and connections also some other mideast countries. Wonder how China and Russia would sympathise - would they side more with US and Europe? Looks like Russia could negotiate somewhat of a compromise and Iran end up with some nuclear capability but somewhat monitored. Maybe some of the other forces within Iranian society will be more compromising than the leader.
The worst scenario I had think of is if Bush would get some wild hair about using the crisis for political fortunes for his party in time for the 2006 elections. That would be tragic.

Posted by: chuck at March 14, 2006 08:12 PM

Because of illegally invading a country and starting an illegal war of choice based on LIES, and then the "leader" of this country sanctioning and condoning concentration camps and torture (while hypocritically condemning other countries for "human rights" abuses and issues), the US has less than zero credibility with the leaders and the people from every country in the world.

With a "leader" like that, things can only get worse.

At some point the only way we will be able to go is up... but not without a very long road ahead to regain the trust of people in other nations first.... The next president of this country will have a very difficult time, internationally. That's the main reason we need a very strong Dem to succeed in '08. No waffling about on any issues. Clear, concise, definitive positions on all majo