What's Going On?

"One thing that's going on is a climate of fear for those who try to enforce laws that religious extremists oppose."

Krugman trys to wrap his head around the Shiavo affair. "Everyone knows about the attempt to circumvent the courts through "Terri's law." I states. BushCo maintains the religious and moral front when really it is an assault on the judicial system. They do not have full control of that branch yet and think that they are above the law. Some folks think Democracy is all about the laws or rule, and has no room for rule of law. Well, bad mouth Krugman all you want. If the shoe were on the other foot, as it was back when the GOP was the minority in the early 90s, then we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Randi Rhodes of Air America keeps saying the Schiavo affair is really about the control of the courts. She usually hits it on the mark... Be prepared.

Air America celebrates 1 year anniversary...

Via annatopia: Even the Washington Times has something to say...

It is great to see that alternatives are presenting themselves on the radio, even in the climate of media consolidation. HBO to Air Docu on Air America: "Left of the Dial"

The Culture of Each Life

"It's a primal demand for a personal sense of control in the face of intrusive government, intrusive medicine and intrusive strangers who think holding a crucifix like a blunt instrument makes them righteous when it really only makes them sanctimonious."


Ah, very true, and most Americans agree. Anna Quindlen of Newsweek talks about the real issues concerning the Schiavo case and that it should be one's own private matter. Period. As the national conversation attends to this politically driven morality play, real issues that affect many peoples are happening right now. A war is still going on, our budget is being decimated, and our health care system needs more than reform. Don't you think we should leave the Schiavo Family alone and deal with our own problems?

List of Schiavo Donors Will Be Sold by Direct-Marketing Firm

Ehh? No gain, more pain. Ultra-right wing groups capitalizing on folks who had genuine concern for the Terri Schiavo saga… Welcome to America. Call it "Religitisim," I guess. But talk about immoral. When are folks going to wake up and smell the crap these right wing groups are shoveling? BushCo's "Culture of Life" program is more about money and politics than actual genuine concern for people. The same day Bush and fellow corrupt Repubs, DeLay and Frist came in on a Sunday to pass special legislation for Schiavo, they cut Medicaid for millions. Who has the right to live? One person vs millions? Or was this a distraction from DeLay and his criminal activities?

Questions, questions, questions...

Is This A New Dark Age? / Little proof to the contrary that we are indeed in a very long, bleak tunnel. Is there any light?

Another Morford rant, though rather morbid indeed for Mark's sake... However, he brings up good points. Even in the Bay Area, there is no escape from BushCo's onslaught. (For those of you in other areas of the country and world, there is a local story in the city of Berkeley that Morford starts out with...)

My wife has this Journey fetish she can't seem to shake and listens to "The City" song everyone freakin' day. But, I got me to thinking. The songs of Journey were big around 1978-1983. Bleak years to those who remember them. Energy crisis. Terrorism in Iran. War in the Middle East. Bad US government. Beginning of the neo-conservative American movement and Reagan. Recession, conflict, division... It is oddly and eerily familiar. The "City" of course could be any city and any place for that matter and could very well be a reflection of present day.

The realization that BushCo represents nothing that it "sold" to the public in 2000 dogs me constantly. I a sure it takes its toll on most progressives in this country and probably some conservatives. GWB. No compassion. No conservative.

I watched the latest episode form "The West Wing" last night, which I occasionally do when I need a dose of Clintonian politics. There was this pretty good scene between President Bartlett (played by Martin Sheen) and Arnold Vinnick (played by Alan Alda), who is the Repub candidate for President. They were sitting in the White House kitchen eating ice cream and discussing religion and politics. Vinnick is a moderate Repub candidate from California running for Pres to succeed Bartlett and is being dogged by the right wing as to his lack of church going and belief on abortion. He wants a fair and moderate government - no ideology, no nonsense. Fair enough. He has to consider VP picks as he just secured the Repub presidential nomination. He is conflicted - going to church or praying all the time should not be a test to get into government. He asks Bartlett how to keep religion out of government. Bartlett says that church and state separation will work its way out and religion will always be in politics. "It is just the way it is...” He goes on to say the he prays just to get through the day. That is what helps him. Vinnick listens and comes out later to the press to say what he believes - officials should not have to take some kind of religious test to get into government. He is there to do his job and not be political about religion. Politicians are lying to you if they playing the religious card... and should be dealing with governmental issues.

This entire exchange, while existing in the idealized world of TV, has its point. Government has a mission. Religion has a mission. Both are to be respected. Both are to be checked. Both have the right to express. Both should never flaunt absolute power. It is time for our elected officials to do their jobs, stop grandstanding, corrupting, and hurting Americans in the process.

From MoveOn PAC regarding Schiavo:

On Sunday, Tom DeLay and Bill Frist, the Republican congressional leaders, convened an emergency meeting of Congress to pass a bill that that interferes with the Terri Schiavo tragedy. And although in five years no other issue has prompted President Bush to return to Washington during a vacation—including the tsunami—Bush flew back from his ranch in Texas to sign it.[1]
Bush, Frist, and DeLay claim that they're acting out of concern for Ms. Schiavo. But a memo intended only for Republican Senators—uncovered by ABC News—reveals Republicans' true concern: "The pro-life base will be excited...this is a great political issue...this is a tough issue for Democrats."[2] This story also takes the heat off Tom DeLay, who is facing a number of serious ethics charges and legal scandals.[3]

Americans can have different personal opinions about what should happen to Terri Schiavo—life is precious, and this case raises some important ethical questions. But we can all agree that that's what the courts are for: to make the call in difficult circumstances. That's why Congress' interference is such an ugly and shameful incident of political grandstanding. There's no legislative purpose here, just a blatant attempt to play politics with someone's life.
We need to tell the Republican leaders in Congress that this kind of pandering and demagoguery will not stand. Will you sign our urgent petition to Congress to tell them they must stop using one person's tragedy for their own political gain, and move on to the important business facing our country?

Sign now at:http://www.moveonpac.org/grandstanding/?id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg

Even many right-wing activists are concerned about Congress's interference in this case. GOP pollster Tony Fabrizi told the L.A. Times, "It becomes a more crystallized proof point that we are no longer the party of smaller government. We have become a party of 'It doesn't matter what size the government is as long as it is imposing our set of values.'"[4]

The New York Times talked to David Davenport of the Hoover Institute, a conservative research organization, who said, "When a case like this has been heard by 19 judges in six courts and it's been appealed to the Supreme Court three times, the process has worked even if it hasn't given the result that the social conservatives want. For Congress to step in really is a violation of federalism."[5]
Medical ethicists are also outraged at the armchair diagnoses of Republican doctors in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. As the Associated Press reported:

"It's disturbing that doctors who would never venture a comment about the health of anybody from a homemade video are sitting on the floor of Congress making declarations," said Art Caplan, chairman of the Department of Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. "My own impression, from a distance, is that they've subverted what they know to be good medicine for the aim of achieving a political goal."[6]

And reporters are now raising questions about a right-to-die law Bush signed as Texas governor, contradicting his position in the Schiavo case. Just last week, the law was applied for the first time, allowing doctors to remove a critically ill infant from life support against his mother's wishes. According to the Houston Chronicle, this marks the first time in American history that courts allowed a pediatric patient to die against the wishes of their parent.[7] As the Knight Ridder News service reports:

"The mother down in Texas must be reading the Schiavo case and scratching her head," said Dr. Howard Brody, the director of Michigan State University's Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences. "This does appear to be a contradiction." Brody said that, in taking up the Schiavo case, Bush and Congress had shattered a body of bioethics law and practice."[8]

It's time to speak up about this kind of political posturing, and ask Congress to get back to work. Can you sign our petition to Republican leaders in Congress to stop grandstanding on the Schiavo tragedy?

http://www.moveonpac.org/grandstanding/?id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg

A large majority of the American public agree that Congress was wrong to interfere in the Schiavo case, and less than a quarter believe Congress acted out of real concern about Schiavo's life, according to an ABC poll.[9] And the nation's editorial boards agree. Check out this sampling from many of the nation's papers, compiled by the National Journal's Hotline:

"The U.S. legal system is not supposed to be one of legislative 'do-overs... Lawmakers may believe that they acted this weekend to save a life, but they also took a step that diminishes the rule of law" (Washington Post, 3/22).
"When the Founders wrote the Constitution, they devoted the largest section to spelling out the powers of Congress. Nowhere did they include the right to play doctor. Terri Schiavo's story is tragic enough without political malpractice"
(USA Today, 3/22).
"The Bush administration and the current Congressional leadership like to wax eloquent about states' rights. But they dropped those principles in their rush to stampede over the Florida courts and Legislature...It may be a formula for short-term political success, but it is no way to preserve and protect a great republic" (New York Times, 3/22).
"Congress' unwarranted and brash effort to seize judicial power in the case of Terri Schiavo is shameful truly a low point in its recent history" (Kennebec Journal, 3/22).
"What has happened here is that the GOP, famously the party favoring limited government intervention into people's personal lives, has inserted the federal government squarely in the middle of an incredibly personal medical issue. And they've done it all in the name of making sure that some of their core voters stay with them" (Athens Banner-Herald, 3/22).
"Terri Schiavo has the right to die ... Congress and President Bush should be ashamed
for prolonging the suffering and trying to legislate what is clearly the authority of the courts to adjudicate" (Atlanta Journal Constitution, 3/22).
"Coming at a time when crucial health care services are being slashed, it is
particularly upsetting to see this kind of expensive grandstanding on the part
of congressional Republicans over one high-profile case. This is not compassion:
This is cold-blooded political calculation" (Charleston Gazette, 3/22).
"One by one, the bedrock conservative convictions of the national Republican Party
are giving way...yielding to the demands of a raucous religious right that has
become the Republicans' most reliable electoral base" (Trenton Times, 3/22).
"Washington's empathy for Schiavo centers on vying for political points, not merely concern for one family's personal, medical plight. That makes this unwise intervention by elected officials even more distasteful" (Philadelphia Inquirer,
3/22).
"To have the legislative and executive branches of the federal government mobilize on a Sunday as fast as if we'd declared war in order to intervene in a family's medical dispute is, frankly, frightening. It's an unprecedented intrusion by the highest echelons of federal power into a private hospital room. It's dangerous. And more than a little Orwellian" (Augusta Chronicle, 3/22).

Let's tell Tom DeLay and Bill Frist to get back to business. Please join us by signing the petition at the link below, and sending this message on to your friends and family.

http://www.moveonpac.org/grandstanding/?id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg
Together, we can restore some common sense to a Congress that's out of control.

Sincerely,

--Eli Pariser and the whole MoveOn PAC Team March 23rd, 2005

Footnotes:
1. Schiavo case exposes political divide in U.S., Reuters AlertNethttp://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21351168.htm
2. GOP Talking Points on Terri Schiavo, ABC Newshttp://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Schiavo/story?id=600937
3. DeLay Under Fire Over Ethics, Associated Presshttp://www.moveon.org/r?r=667&id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg
4. Some in GOP Fear Effort May Alienate Voters, L.A. Timeshttp://www.moveon.org/r?r=668&id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg
5. G.O.P. Right Is Splintered on Schiavo Intervention, New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/23/politics/23repubs.html
6. Physicians in Congress criticized, Associated Presshttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/7263055/
7. Baby dies after hospital removes breathing tube, Houston Chroniclehttp://www.moveon.org/r?r=669&id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg
8. Law Bush signed prompts cries of hypocrisy, Knight Ridder Newspapershttp://www.moveon.org/r?r=670&id=5254-5395501-UKE1hgf9U0xnXA33dumJQg
9. ABC News pollhttp://www.pollingreport.com/news.htm

GOP's Schiavo Talking Points Revealed In Full

A key point: "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida - has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats."

Shameful politics and hypocritical at best. Santorum, DeLay, and others are dragging this issue through the political trough. The real issue is being neglected. Dave Johnson from See The Forest Blog sums it up with his plea to bloggers:

Dear Progressive Bloggers

You're doing it again. You're not seeing what is really going on. You are missing the bigger picture. You are looking at trees and missing the forest. Do you really, after all this time and all these defeats, think the Right is stupid?

You mock the Republicans for blatantly acting politically, and ignore that they ARE ACTING POLITICALLY. In other words, they're acting in the way that will in the long term gain them more support for their candidates and issues.

You mock their politicians for flocking to this because of a Republican talking points memo telling them this will gain them a political advantage, yet you do not see that THIS WILL GAIN THEM POLITICAL ADVANTAGE.

You're nitpicking details and ignoring the larger narrative. They are "trying to save this poor woman." They are "defending this poor woman's family." Meanwhile, you are pointing out discrepancies in the finer details. "What about her husband?" you ask when they talk about her parents. "She can't feel pain," you say, when they accuse Democrats of starving her to death. How many people hear that they are trying to save this poor woman? Everyone. How many people, over time, will pay attention to the nitpicking details?

You THINK what the Republicans are doing is unpopular with the public because you see the issue details in the polls and think they matter. Polls say people wouldn't want to live if they were in her situation. Polls say the state should have precedence over the Feds. But have you seen polls that reflect the larger narrative that the Republican machine is spreading? Do the polls ask if Republicans are trying to save this poor woman's life, while Democrats are trying to kill her? What do you think those polls would say?

You point out how hypocritical the Republicans are being without thinking about WHY. Stop arguing details, getting all caught up and pinned down. Start arguing the larger narrative.

Tune in to Limbaugh. Go read the Right's press. They are escalating this. Ask yourself why.

And watch your backs.

Update Never mind polls showing the public thinks Congress shouldn't interfere, feels they would want to die in the same situation, etc. Those are narrow issue points. WE ALREADY KNOW that we win on issues. But they win on the larger strategic narratives. We know all these things and here we are doing it all over again.

We're arguing the details of their lies instead of reaching the broader, general public with a larger narrative that reinforces public acceptance of the benefits of underlying Progressive values.

Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy

"It appears that President Bush felt, as governor, that there was a point which, when doctors felt there was no further hope for the patient, that it is appropriate for an end-of-life decision to be made, even over the objection of family members," Wasserman Schultz said. "There is an obvious conflict here between the president's feelings on this matter now as compared to when he was governor of Texas."

Yep...

What's shameful here is that BushCo spends more time pandering to the ideological right wing than helping out seniors in this country. Disability Rights Groups, who also believe that the tube should not have been removed from Terri Schiavo, are concerned that Congressional and Senatorial Repubs are using this more for political gain, than out of actual concern for Schiavo's plight. Even further, civil libertarians emphasize that the government had and still has no right to get involved here, which with most people agree.

Wow, 3 fronts. BushCo's slight of hand on the 2 year anniversary of the Iraq invasion is not fooling anyone. It may work for the abstract "War of Terror," but not real issues.

Wolfowitz Asks Critics to Give Him a Chance on World Bank Job

Yep, something to chew on this weekend as you protest or watch March Madness. Haven't we given this guy a chance already. He plunders and screws up everything he touches. C student, I guess. Bad resume? Try the White House.

These string of nods from BushCo in the last weeks makes everyone sick. AG Gonzales condones torture, Sec of State Rice lied about Iraq, UN Ambassodor nom Bolton wants to dismantle the UN, and now Wolfowitz, who has a terrible foriegn policy record at the World Bank!

When is this madness going to stop???

WANTED: 250,000 Americans to Fight Fake News & Government Propaganda - Center for Media and Democracy

This so-called steroids in Baseball "crisis" and Congressional inquiry is all a big act. Ryan, of the San Francisco Chronicle questions: Steroids? Alcohol is real problem. Right, she is... in pointing out that the real problems are being ignored, while the "fake" ones are grandstanding about. But, what are we to expect from BushCo and its legions of Congress people. Faux news, false war claims, fake reporters, corporate giveaways and useless distraction. One of those distracting elements, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky), gets the award for most underhanded dig on Barry Bonds when he stated:

"Mr. Chairman, maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I remembered that players didn't get any better as they got older," Bunning said. "We all got worse. When I played with Henry Aaron and Willie Mays and Ted Williams, they didn't put on 40 pounds and bulk up in their careers, and they didn't hit more home runs in their late 30s than they did in their late 20s. What is happening in baseball now isn't natural and it isn't right."

Hmmm, I realize that Bunning was a former athlete of sorts, but does that make him a bona fide expert?

But, let's get back to the major hypocrisy of these "hearings." The point Ryan and others, including most baseball fans I know, are trying to show is that our government is doing a grave disservice but neglecting the issues and well-being of its peoples by not investigating and taking responsibility for the quagmire in Iraq, the treasonous act of outing CIA agent Valerie Plame, not doing anything to deal with the healthcare and economic problems in this country, and not ensuring our safety and security....

Coalition of the withering...

Judiciary Committee quashes Democrats effort to demand credentialing info on Gannon

This does not surprise me... Apparently BushCo's plan to replace real news with fascist propaganda fake news is in full gear.

Democrats Warn on GOP Judge Rule Change

Dems are beginning to fight back. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. said the unilateral change in filibustering is "an unprecedented abuse of power...” You bet it is. The point of checks and balances is to prevent just this. Changing the rules to overcome a filibuster is a detriment to our Democratic way of life. The filibuster is a Constitutional necessity. In this case, it keeps one political party from stacking the courts in their favor just because they have the power right now.

The GOP bitches and moans about so-called "activist" judges every time a court makes a decision that they don't favor, even if it is upholding the law. The Judicial System's sole responsibility is to interpret the laws that stand. Most laws are warranted to maintain a civil and free society. The United States has worked hard to keep its Democracy the "most just" in the world. Don't you think that the rule of law should be maintained on a legislative level also?

Life and values change and rules and laws change with them to reflect the majority's views. Some change more slowly than others and some remain the bedrock of our society. Laws in our government follow the same course. Otherwise, the ruling party can do whatever it wants regardless of what the people or the government say.

With the likes of Frist, DeLay and Lott trying to take all the power away, it behooves the Dems to fight this time, consequences or not...

Daily Kos weighs on in on DeLay:

Jesus, how many times can this guy make a mockery of ethics before House GOoPers start worrying about their own private Rostenkowski moment?

A delegation of Republican House members including Majority Leader Tom DeLay accepted an expense-paid trip to South Korea in 2001 from a registered foreign agent despite House rules that bar the acceptance of travel expenses from foreign agents, according to government documents and travel reports filed by the House members [...]

DeLay was accompanied to Seoul by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Ander Crenshaw, both Florida Republicans [...]

The purpose of the trip is spelled out in documents filed with the Justice Department by the Alexander Strategy Group, a firm created by former DeLay chief of staff Ed Buckham that boasts dozens of large corporations and trade associations among its clients. Buckham is close to DeLay, and associates of both men say that DeLay agrees to meetings with corporate officials on Buckham's recommendation.

DeLay is claiming ignorance.

Luntz' strategy memo argues Republicans should continue to run against DC and associate Democrats with DC. It's a lot easier for Democrats to heed the advice, since Republicans control all levers of power in the capital. There is rank corruption in DC, and it all comes from those in charge. Republicans.
Democrats can and must be the party of reform. DeLay and his cronies can't help but give us new ammunition almost daily to make our case. "

Framing The GOP is a difficult job nowadays. TomPaine.com presents Peter Blackman's ideas on fighting back the GOP's "framing" of policy, agenda and pr. It is amazing how well the GOP has done to distort truth at its core. They have the ability to take fundamental lies and turn them into truth. In the meantime, the people who swallow the nonsense get hurt the most. It is time to start being assertive, as Blackman elaborates, and call some of these conservative officials, including our favorite Tom DeLay, for what they are - "Reckless, Irresponsible, Extreme, Radical..."

Fighting back is not an unpatriotic action. In fact it seems that it should be our duty. I am not saying all conservatives are bad, as balance is necessary in out political world. I am saying that the ones the lead us into harm's way to satisfy their own needs are the ones that just do not belong there, period. I realize a good half of you out there don't believe me. That's fine. But, without checks and balances, my friends, we are always left holding the bag, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. If we can't keep our own people from destroying our Democratic values, then what do we own?

It time for Tom DeLay to go.

The Post talks about increasing concerns over DeLay's criminal activities, even from the GOP. This guy is a real piece of work. His tactics are ruthless and are less about representing his constituency and more about greed and power.

"If death comes from a thousand cuts, Tom DeLay is into a couple hundred, and it's getting up there..." - words from a Republican consultant. ""The situation is negatively fluid right now for the guy..." Hmmmm. It looks like things are beginning to crack from the master liar. We shall see how long this lasts.

Attention San Francisco BAY Area residents! You are invited to attend an event hosted by a friend of mine, Dave Berman, founder of The No Confidence Movement. See details below...

Election Reform Workshop - The No Confidence Movement
Friday, March 25 @ 7:30pm
SF Green Party HQ - 1028 A Howard Street, between 6th and 7th

Please come and hear about the No Confidence Resolution. Read it here: http://guvwurld.blogspot.com/2004/11/no-confidence-resolution.html. This resolution says we have no basis for confidence in the legitimacy of US federal elections. The word "basis" makes a very powerful frame. Since the resolution was first written last April, I have not found a single person willing to claim a basis for confidence. How about you - do you think there is any room left for faith in secret vote counting?

This resolution is pending before the Arcata City Council. Pressing it in Eureka has led two City Councilmembers to co-sponsor a town hall forum on election reform. It is time that SF and Berkeley take a look. Please come to this workshop and see if this is something you think others need to know about.

The resolution is a tactic in a broader strategy. This workshop will be an installment in an ongoing conversation we are all having about the Consent of the Governed. Clearly this Consent is not freely given by all. An even better frame, which comes directly from the resolution, says the Consent of the Governed is being denied, ignored and otherwise deemed irrelevant. The Consent is not even sought anymore. This is not a tough argument to make. How many cities will have to say it before it is understood that the Consent of the Governed has been withdrawn?

This is the plan. Please come find out how you can help make it happen. I'll send you one more reminder right before the event on March 25 but I encourage you to get updates and explore the story of the No Confidence Movement here: http://guvwurld.blogspot.com. Please pass this on to interested parties and post in appropriate public forums.

In Respect and Peace,
Dave Berman

Election Reform Workshop - The No Confidence Movement
Friday, March 25 @ 7:30pm
SF Green Party HQ - 1028 A Howard Street, between 6th and 7th

"We spend everyday gathering information to locate Osama bin Laden..." claims Bush. New intelligence chief, Porter Goss, is shocked!

This is funny, courtesy for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The Senate Opens Fire on U.S. Consumers

Arianna comments on this dreadful bankruptcy bill smoothing its way through the Senate. "It's one thing for credit card companies to exact their pound of flesh even as their profits soar. But shouldn't we hold our elected officials to a higher standard? The bankruptcy bill is morally bankrupt. And so is any senator who votes for it."

Damn straight.

What she doesn't mention here is that Senate Dems and turncoats like Lieberman let it go without a fight because of Frist and Hatch calls to dismantle the filibuster. Dems have been aggressive in a tactic to stop BushCo judicial nominees buy using the filibuster. As the minority party they don't have much power, so they have been using this as their key.

How many have they blocked? 10. Out of 350! More than the total number confirmed during the entire Clinton Administration. Now they feel that they have this right to change the rules... The filibuster - over 200 years of Democracy just to satisfy the greed of a few.

More on this later...

2 House members linked to junkets

Tom DeLay infests everything he touches. The LA Times has been pursuing this case. Now the Chicago Tribune is joining in. Seems that other GOP boys in Ohio and Florida were involved in the ultraconservative buying of favors through trips to Scotland. And this lobbyist is currently under federal investigation. Any good that will do...

Italy steps up 'row' with US over checkpoint killing

CSM offers a good listing of what international papers are saying relating the Italian Journalist shooting. Interestingly enough, The Washington Times, ultra right-wing paper sponsored by Scaife (of Clinton Impeachment bankrolling fame), is mentioned. Although, I would not agree that is a reputable source of news, I assume it is added for effect.

I would say that this incident with US and Italy shows, if anything else, the fragile connection these "allies" share. BushCo has so alienated the US that most peoples in this US- backed "Coalition" actually agree with Bush and his failed policies. If it weren't for their eager or scared governments, not one country would be on board. Not one. The US government is truly alone here - no majority, no mandate.

Il Manifesto Founder on Sgrena Shooting: This Was an Attack on Unembedded Journalism

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviews Luciana Castellina, founder of the Italian newspaper, Il Manifesto and the journalist who was shot by American soldiers in Iraq, Giuliana Sgrena.

This has turned into another international affair - pitting one side versus the other. It seems that there is an increasing tension between states broken down to a "he said-he said" amongst Allied states. It has come to this. Bullying invokes others to be on the defensive. It doesn't take a therapist to understand that the level of communication have degraded to the schoolyard argument of pointing fingers and blaming the other side. Even our allies are disputing BushCo claims in this shooting incident.

A Hawk is a Hawk is a Hawk... Bolton is the epitome of neo-conservatism, a stauch support of unilateralism, member of The Project for New American Century, and all round mess maker for US Foreign policy. His nomination by Bush is another example that BushCo has absolutely no desire to pursue peaceful relationships in the world.

Bush's recent "goodwill" trip to Europe was nothing but a farce. His response to the Europeans reaching out is to nominate the one who drove the wedge in the first place...

Gonzo Gone, Rather Going, Watergate Still Here (Free Regt required)

"What's missing from News is the news."

Frank Rich of the NY Times nails this one and relates to Hunter S. Thompson. We seemed to have lost touch with the news these days. Facts have become a blurred state of mind between "Gannontainment" and talking heads spouting off one inconsistency after another. And it gets worse... Rich goes on to comment, "As a blogger, Mr. Gannon's new tactic is to encourage fellow right-wing bloggers to portray him as the victim of a homophobic left-wing witch hunt that destroyed his privacy." It's true. Search those sites, Powerline, Just One Minute. EtherHouse... They assume this ridiculous stance that the Left is homophobic. Now that's news!

All this nonsense attached to The Gannon Excuse is despicable. Let's not forget, and Rich alludes to it, that Guckert or Gannon is attached to the outing of Valerie Plame, CIA agent. This is a treasonous offense, of which not one person has been indicted (including Bob Novak of Crossfire on CNN). It is a shame - homosexuality has nothing to do with it. The fact the Gannon could be let into the WH Press Corp with a fake name is... These deflective tactics of right-wing blog Drudgery is just that. Let's hope the rest of the "press" steps up to squash this. Rich is less optimistic: "But we've now entered a new twilight zone: in 1972, at least, the press may have been stacked with jokers but not with counterfeit newsmen...Don't expect news organizations dedicated to easy-listening news to get to the bottom of it."

Ah, to understand HST in his madness is to see what is before us now. The BushCo machine and its crew destroy people like Dan Rather, while the fake Gannon becomes a "victim" of fictitious attacks. These are truly fictitious times.

CNN Fact Check: Bush on Social Security - Mar 4, 2005

This could be a fluke, but considering how important Social Security is to folks, CNN is probably realizing that it is time to address some "facts." Let's hope this continues...

The Air America Plan

"'Americans are ultimately skeptical of media commentators who seem to have a political agenda that supersedes their search for the truth...'"

True. Or, at least they should be. This great article by Joshua Green at The Atlantic Monthly talks about the emerging liberal talk radio empire and how its emulation of the former conservative tactic may indeed lead the Democrats to a similar outcome. The statement above, by Michael Harrison of Talkers does have that ring of truth to it - especially in context to what we have seen in Limbaugh and others, but does it really mean that liberals like Franken and Rhodes have to follow the same path?

Inherently, there IS something different between Dems and Repubs, or Libs and Cons, not unlike men being from mars and women from Venus, so why do people presume that they suffer the same fate? Green does point out that Dems will fail if they try too much. Franken is no liberal Limbaugh, and he should not act that way. Liberals need to shape the agenda entirely differently in order to take positive charge. As Green notes: " the network is already infected by the corrosive negativity, strutting egotism, and bizarre paranoia that marked much of what traversed the conservative airwaves in the late 1990s." Here, I would have to agree and it may prove valuable to widen its reach to more moderate Dems and pragmatic progressives as well, while not straying from its roots. Practically speaking this makes sense and symbolizes a compassionate and balanced value. That is a goal. Many should not be excluded but drawn in for healthy democratic debate that concentrates on making change in our ailing communities. I am not talking about appealing to that crazy Right-wing nut job on your block - the one that argues in Bush-speak at random -, but showing those folks that practical steps fix problems, not shock and awe…

A Marin, CA senior, Sarah Nome, highlights the real crisis in America these days, by squatting in a hospital until adequate care is provided... She's 82 years old and has a few things to say. It is sad that it comes to this - somebody is home, nobody is listening. Now seniors have to become social activists and outlaws JUST to receive medical care after many years of paying health insurance.

When will it even be possible that Americans will wake up long enough just to set the record straight?? And hold our officials accountable for their increasingly indefensible positions?! This “new value” system seems to be leaving everyone behind - your children, your healthcare, and your parents. It is deafening. And they want to take away Social Security too?

It is time to stand up for real values – those values that protect your children from toxins in our food and pollution in our communities, those values that provide compassion and care for the elderly among us, those values that provide benefits for those who go off to fight for our security, those values that provide us with a high quality of life that includes a workable workplace, a viable and productive education system, and a sustainable marketplace, those values that are truly important to us and represent what is called Democracy…

It is time. So you continue to fight Sarah Nome, for you are the bravest among us.