Reporting on Iraq is a very difficult and dangerous job, so I'm offering this form story for anyone who wishes to cover Iraq without actually going there. Here it goes.
Today in ---Insert City Here---, a car bomb exploded killing ---Insert Number of Dead Here---, and wounding ---Insert Number of Wounded Here---. The bombing is the latest in a string of sectarian related bombings by ---Insert Bombers Sect Here--- against ---Insert Victims Sect Here---. This brings the total number of dead since ---Insert Recent Event Here--- to ---Insert Number of Recently Killed Here---.
In the wake of this bombing, ---Insert Prominent Cleric Here--- has called for calm and a period of mourning to last ---Insert Duration Here---.
That should cover most of your day to day reporting in Iraq.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Fear The Sphere
Great, now it looks like the Antarctic ice sheets are melting faster than expected as well to the tune of 36 cubic miles of ice a year.
Of course, the Washington Post finds some out of the mainstream scientist collecting a check from big oil to provide some balance to the piece. From the Washington Post:
Yea, that's brilliant. Let's stall. Look, the research has been done and we need to reduce the release of greenhouse gases, period. These days only stupid people don't buy into the effects of global warming.
Of course, nothing will be done while the republicans are running this country. The fact of the matter is that keeping them in power to neglect the environment is most likely a death sentence for your children.
Of course, the Washington Post finds some out of the mainstream scientist collecting a check from big oil to provide some balance to the piece. From the Washington Post:
"The Antarctic is really a puzzle," said Taylor, who writes for the Web site TSCDaily, which is partly financed by fossil fuel companies that oppose curbs on greenhouse gases linked to climate change. "A lot more research is needed to understand the degree of climate and ice trends in and around the Antarctic."
Yea, that's brilliant. Let's stall. Look, the research has been done and we need to reduce the release of greenhouse gases, period. These days only stupid people don't buy into the effects of global warming.
Of course, nothing will be done while the republicans are running this country. The fact of the matter is that keeping them in power to neglect the environment is most likely a death sentence for your children.
Investers Wanted
Dominoes Pizza founder Tom Monaghan is building his own fundamentalist Christian town in Florida where pharmacists will be asked not to distribute contraception, no pornography will be sold, and clinics will not give abortions. The town, called Ave Maria (I guess Boringston was taken), is being built about thirty miles east of Naples, and has plans to build about 11,000 houses around a giant church with what they say is the largest crucifix in the country. (65 ft)
Anybody interested in buying a property right outside the town to build a strip club with an even bigger crucifix that strippers can do high dives off of into a vagina shaped pool?
Anybody interested in buying a property right outside the town to build a strip club with an even bigger crucifix that strippers can do high dives off of into a vagina shaped pool?
Thursday, March 02, 2006
When Stupid Laws Attack
Olivia Shelltrack recently moved into a new home in Black Jack, Missouri with her three kids and her long time boyfriend. They have been denied an occupancy permit due to the fact that there are more than three people living in the house that are not related by "blood, marriage or adoption."
These laws do have their place, I suppose, but this isn't one of them. I'm sure the law was originally put in place to stop groups of younger people from living fraternity style to keep the neighborhood a quieter place to live.
Residents may appeal to the Board of Adjustment, and that's just what Shelltrack and her fiance, Fondray Loving did. Not only did they lose their appeal, but the following happened. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Girl, you better make that man put a ring on your finger!
Seriously, though. Black Jack isn't some backwoods small town where town officials are often nitwit relatives of someone important who can't understand the complexities of modern life, it's a suburb of St. Louis. Then again, I don't know to whom Mitchell is related in Black Jack.
Anyway, this law is clearly being misused in this case, and I have to wonder if the reasons for denying this couple their occupancy permit doesn't lie in something more nefarious than the board member simply being stupid.
Sometimes I wish I lived in a place like Black Jack. Can't you imagine the fun I would have driving the locals nuts?
Found via Americablog.
These laws do have their place, I suppose, but this isn't one of them. I'm sure the law was originally put in place to stop groups of younger people from living fraternity style to keep the neighborhood a quieter place to live.
Residents may appeal to the Board of Adjustment, and that's just what Shelltrack and her fiance, Fondray Loving did. Not only did they lose their appeal, but the following happened. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
At the hearing, Shelltrack said, one board of adjustment member, Norma Mitchell, even pointed at her and asked, "I don't understand why you as a woman didn't exercise your right to marry that man," before being hushed by another board member.
Girl, you better make that man put a ring on your finger!
Seriously, though. Black Jack isn't some backwoods small town where town officials are often nitwit relatives of someone important who can't understand the complexities of modern life, it's a suburb of St. Louis. Then again, I don't know to whom Mitchell is related in Black Jack.
Anyway, this law is clearly being misused in this case, and I have to wonder if the reasons for denying this couple their occupancy permit doesn't lie in something more nefarious than the board member simply being stupid.
Sometimes I wish I lived in a place like Black Jack. Can't you imagine the fun I would have driving the locals nuts?
Found via Americablog.
Smart Move
The House Democrats are planning to force a vote on the Dubai ports deal. This is a really smart move, if for nothing else, political purposes. I still think this deal is going to go through and this vote will be a nice national security battery ram to use against anyone who votes against it.
Side Note: I've had a nasty head cold this week, thus the lack of posting.
Side Note: I've had a nasty head cold this week, thus the lack of posting.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Neil Cavuto
For the benefit of Fox News' Neil Cavuto, could the sectarian factions in formenting Iraqi civil war draw up some sort of declaration for articles of war?
Does he really believe the media is making this shit up?
Does he really believe the media is making this shit up?
Growing Pains
I found this statement by Rep Mark Foley (R-FL) pretty funny. From The Washington Post:
How about that. Little Marky is all growns up. After five years of laying on his back with his feet pinned behind his head, he now wants to participate. How quaint.
The republicans have ran Congress ever since Bush was inaugurated in 2001. Never in those five years have they wanted to participate. They've shirked their oversight responsibility throughout the Bush administration's reign, and now, and only now, with a tsunami of backlash coming through the ports of even land locked states, they realize they have a job to do.
Well, it's too little, and it's too late. They passed that stop many miles ago. Welcome to the end of the line.
"We simply want to participate and aren't going to be PR flacks when they need us," Foley said. "We all have roles. We have oversight. When you can't answer your constituents when they have legitimate questions . . . we can't simply do it on trust."
How about that. Little Marky is all growns up. After five years of laying on his back with his feet pinned behind his head, he now wants to participate. How quaint.
The republicans have ran Congress ever since Bush was inaugurated in 2001. Never in those five years have they wanted to participate. They've shirked their oversight responsibility throughout the Bush administration's reign, and now, and only now, with a tsunami of backlash coming through the ports of even land locked states, they realize they have a job to do.
Well, it's too little, and it's too late. They passed that stop many miles ago. Welcome to the end of the line.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Bremer On Bush
Undoubtedly, the most talked about paragraph of the day today will be the one excerpted from Paul Bremer's book in the New York Times Review Of Books. From NYTROB:
While I don't doubt Bush was this myopic going into the Iraq war, it is important to remember that this comes from a CYA effort on the part of Bremer, and while he isn't as much to blame as Bush for this fool's folly, he did fuck up quite a few things in the post war occupation.
Bremer says that Bush "was as vigorous and decisive in person as he appeared on television." But in fact he gives an account of a superficial and weak leader. He had lunch with the President before leaving for Baghdad —a meeting joined by the Vice President and the national security team—but no decision seems to have been made on any of the major issues concerning Iraq's future. Instead, Bremer got a blanket grant of authority that he clearly enjoyed exercising. The President's directions seem to have been limited to such slogans as "we're not going to fail" and "pace yourself, Jerry." In Bremer's account, the President was seriously interested in one issue: whether the leaders of the government that followed the CPA would publicly thank the United States. But there is no evidence that he cared about the specific questions that counted: Would the new prime minister have a broad base of support? Would he be able to bridge Iraq's ethnic divisions? What political values should he have? Instead, Bush had only one demand: "It's important to have someone who's willing to stand up and thank the American people for their sacrifice in liberating Iraq." According to Bremer, he came back to this single point three times in the same meeting. Similarly, Ghazi al-Yawar, an obscure Sunni Arab businessman, became Bush's candidate for president of Iraq's interim government because, as Bremer reports, Bush had "been favorably impressed with his open thanks to the Coalition."
While I don't doubt Bush was this myopic going into the Iraq war, it is important to remember that this comes from a CYA effort on the part of Bremer, and while he isn't as much to blame as Bush for this fool's folly, he did fuck up quite a few things in the post war occupation.
Conflicting Reports
The big story in today's Washington Post reports that sectarian violence in Iraq has actually claimed over 1300 victims since the bombing of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra. Ned Colt on MSNBC this morning puts the number closer to 400. Both claimed similar sources for their numbers, but that is a pretty wide variation. The actual number probably lies somewhere in the middle.
One thing is for sure, these numbers are larger than were known when administration officials gushed over progress in Iraq on the Sunday talk shows this past weekend.
You have to wonder if the administration purposely depressed these numbers to allow Bush some cover until he bolts for India and Pakistan this week to allow for a little cooling off time.
One thing is for sure, these numbers are larger than were known when administration officials gushed over progress in Iraq on the Sunday talk shows this past weekend.
You have to wonder if the administration purposely depressed these numbers to allow Bush some cover until he bolts for India and Pakistan this week to allow for a little cooling off time.
The Ports Deal
I appear to be in the minority of people who still believe that the DPW ports deal is going to go through. Sure, they'll go through the charade of a forty five day review, but for what ever reason, Bush wants this deal to go through, so it will.
The reality is that at least four key republican Senators (Frist, McCain, Santorum, and Allen) are eyeing a run for the White House in 2008, and know that only one of them is going to gain access to the vast fund raising ability of the Bush machine, and none of them is willing to let a little thing like national security get in the way of that access.
They should be able to stop any legislation from getting through the Senate.
We'll see.
The reality is that at least four key republican Senators (Frist, McCain, Santorum, and Allen) are eyeing a run for the White House in 2008, and know that only one of them is going to gain access to the vast fund raising ability of the Bush machine, and none of them is willing to let a little thing like national security get in the way of that access.
They should be able to stop any legislation from getting through the Senate.
We'll see.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Bush Off The Cliff
In the first polling I've seen since the port deal was made public, President Bush's approval ratings have fallen eight points from last month to 34% according to a new CBS news poll. Seventy percent of Americans disapprove of the ports deal.
The camel's back is broken.
The camel's back is broken.
DOJ Warns Congress
In what is not necessarily good news, the Department of Justice has warned Congress that they need to get the Ethics committee up and running, or they will clean house. From Time:
Sounds promising, doesn't it? It isn't. It all boils down to overturning the intent of the voter. What the DOJ is really saying here is look, if you don't start to deal with your problem, a lot of you are going to jail, and we don't want to do that, so you better get the ethics committee running so we can hand these investigations off to you and be done with it.
With the current scandals being almost entirely republican scandals, it would be a bad thing for us if the DOJ drops their investigations in return for the Ethics Committee to do the heavy lifting, which will probably not get done. For what it's forth, the Ethic Committee really doesn't like to overturn the intent of the voter.
This was always the danger as the depth of the Abramoff investigation began to reveal itself.
The Justice Department has a message for Congress: clean up your house or else we may have to do it for you. A senior federal law enforcement official told TIME that the paralyzed and often lax House ethics committee has created a vacuum that prosecutors won't hesitate to fill. The House’s internal mechanism for keeping corruption in check is "broken," says the official.
Sounds promising, doesn't it? It isn't. It all boils down to overturning the intent of the voter. What the DOJ is really saying here is look, if you don't start to deal with your problem, a lot of you are going to jail, and we don't want to do that, so you better get the ethics committee running so we can hand these investigations off to you and be done with it.
With the current scandals being almost entirely republican scandals, it would be a bad thing for us if the DOJ drops their investigations in return for the Ethics Committee to do the heavy lifting, which will probably not get done. For what it's forth, the Ethic Committee really doesn't like to overturn the intent of the voter.
This was always the danger as the depth of the Abramoff investigation began to reveal itself.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Too Illegit To Quit
Somebody planning to make the Ohio governor's mansion his home may have an illegitimate child, and apparently missed some payments. He's also really, really, really keen on Jesus.
You find out a lot in Canada.
You find out a lot in Canada.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Beyond Ridiculous
Something smells in Left Blogistan. It started with a letter from the United Steel Workers which has been republished here, here, and linked to here. The text of the letter reads as follows:
Kos and Matt Stoller at MyDD went as far as to publish names and phone numbers of the various consultants for their readers to harass. It's not just wrong, it reeks of McCarthyism from the left. Look, I certainly would like to see Ciro Rodriguez defeat Henry Cuellar in the Texas-28 primary. I don't like Cuellar, but I don't think we should be in business of blacklisting people due to their clients. It only serves to hurt our overall movement.
Fuck it, I'm going to Canada to make sure the ladies of Windsor are equipped with the proper floatation devices should the Detroit River ever flood.
In addition, the USW calls on labor unions, the three Democratic national committees (DNC, DSCC, and DCCC) and other progressive organizations to follow suit and contact these consultants immediately. We ask you to call these consultants and ask them why they are under contract with Cuellar. We also ask that we collectively decide to support the decision to protect labor’s values and not hire political opportunists.
Henry Cuellar is an anti-worker, pro-CAFTA, a Democrat In-Name-Only. Cuellar actively campaigned for President Bush and sat on the Republican side of the aisle as Bush delivered his State of the Union address last month.
Anybody working for Cuellar’s reelection, therefore, is openly working against the interests of our members and the entire Labor Movement. Cuellar has consistently voted against working people by voting for CAFTA, against OSHA, supporting Bush’s budget and siding with Wal-Mart on child labor law, his close ties to anti-union groups such as the Club for Growth and BIPAC (Business Industry PAC) are more than enough reasons for the Labor Movement to urge that Democratic consultants Drop Henry Now. We urge you to join us by calling these consultants immediately and demanding that they Drop Henry Now. Together, we will send a strong message to Cuellar -- our values are not for sale. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.In addition, the USW calls on labor unions, the three Democratic national committees (DNC, DSCC, and DCCC) and other progressive organizations to follow suit and contact these consultants immediately. We ask you to call these consultants and ask them why they are under contract with Cuellar. We also ask that we collectively decide to support the decision to protect labor’s values and not hire political opportunists.
Henry Cuellar is an anti-worker, pro-CAFTA, a Democrat In-Name-Only. Cuellar actively campaigned for President Bush and sat on the Republican side of the aisle as Bush delivered his State of the Union address last month.
Anybody working for Cuellar’s reelection, therefore, is openly working against the interests of our members and the entire Labor Movement. Cuellar has consistently voted against working people by voting for CAFTA, against OSHA, supporting Bush’s budget and siding with Wal-Mart on child labor law, his close ties to anti-union groups such as the Club for Growth and BIPAC (Business Industry PAC) are more than enough reasons for the Labor Movement to urge that Democratic consultants Drop Henry Now. We urge you to join us by calling these consultants immediately and demanding that they Drop Henry Now. Together, we will send a strong message to Cuellar -- our values are not for sale. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
Kos and Matt Stoller at MyDD went as far as to publish names and phone numbers of the various consultants for their readers to harass. It's not just wrong, it reeks of McCarthyism from the left. Look, I certainly would like to see Ciro Rodriguez defeat Henry Cuellar in the Texas-28 primary. I don't like Cuellar, but I don't think we should be in business of blacklisting people due to their clients. It only serves to hurt our overall movement.
Fuck it, I'm going to Canada to make sure the ladies of Windsor are equipped with the proper floatation devices should the Detroit River ever flood.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Bush Didn't Know
ABC News is now reporting that President Bush didn't know anything about the Dubai Ports World deal which would allow them to operate six US ports until the deal was completed.
The whole story is not up yet, but I have to ask. Who's running the show at the White House?
The whole story is not up yet, but I have to ask. Who's running the show at the White House?
Interesting
In January, George Bush nominated David Sanborn to be our new head of the Maritime Administration in the Department of Transportation. Sanborn was previously an executive at DP World.
I'd have to think something nefarious is at hand here, he actually seems to be qualified for the job.
I'd have to think something nefarious is at hand here, he actually seems to be qualified for the job.
Six Ports In A Storm
I'm sure you've seen the coverage of the sale of the British company P&O to Dubai Ports World, who would then operate six US ports. Let's take a look at the political ramifications of the deal that has been approved by the Bush administration.
As far as the political side goes, Bush really stepped on his dick with this one. Republicans in Congress are rightfully pissed over the approval, because Bush really cut their throats in an election year. Now he's actually threatening to veto any legislation they may pass to stop the deal.
The polling shows it, and Karl Rove has actually stated it, the republicans have to run on national security this year. It's the ONLY issue people believe republicans have ANY credibility on. Now, they are being seen as giving the key to six American cities to the enemy. That's not going to sit well with many voters who simply aren't going to be able to understand this complex issue. They'll also probably be shocked to find out that a lot of our other ports are operated by foreign companies, including Chinese ones, who by the way, actually have nuclear weapons.
You see, that's what all the backlash from the American people is all about. They're worried that an Islamic terrorist could smuggle a nuclear weapon into this country through these ports, no matter that American customs agents and workers actually staff the ports, and that the odds of that happening are no better or worse than any other port in America.
This deal shines the light brightly on port security though, which the Democrats have been trying to make an issue ever since 9/11. Port security has been vastly underfunded by the republicans ever since then, but now the DPW deal gives us a canvas to paint this failure on that has now been burned into their minds by the news coverage of it.
This will also have the effect of making it harder for Bush to raise money for Congressional republicans, none of which should be wanting to have their picture taken with him right now. They're going to have to run far away from Bush or face diminished chances of winning re-election. All good.
Lastly, here in Ohio, we get a little added bonus. Remember Rob Portman, the rising star in the republican party that used to hold OH-02 before that wacko Jean Schmidt? He's now the US Trade Representative, and as a member of The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, he signed off on the deal. That's an albatross he will carry into any future campaigns he should choose to mount.
As far as the political side goes, Bush really stepped on his dick with this one. Republicans in Congress are rightfully pissed over the approval, because Bush really cut their throats in an election year. Now he's actually threatening to veto any legislation they may pass to stop the deal.
The polling shows it, and Karl Rove has actually stated it, the republicans have to run on national security this year. It's the ONLY issue people believe republicans have ANY credibility on. Now, they are being seen as giving the key to six American cities to the enemy. That's not going to sit well with many voters who simply aren't going to be able to understand this complex issue. They'll also probably be shocked to find out that a lot of our other ports are operated by foreign companies, including Chinese ones, who by the way, actually have nuclear weapons.
You see, that's what all the backlash from the American people is all about. They're worried that an Islamic terrorist could smuggle a nuclear weapon into this country through these ports, no matter that American customs agents and workers actually staff the ports, and that the odds of that happening are no better or worse than any other port in America.
This deal shines the light brightly on port security though, which the Democrats have been trying to make an issue ever since 9/11. Port security has been vastly underfunded by the republicans ever since then, but now the DPW deal gives us a canvas to paint this failure on that has now been burned into their minds by the news coverage of it.
This will also have the effect of making it harder for Bush to raise money for Congressional republicans, none of which should be wanting to have their picture taken with him right now. They're going to have to run far away from Bush or face diminished chances of winning re-election. All good.
Lastly, here in Ohio, we get a little added bonus. Remember Rob Portman, the rising star in the republican party that used to hold OH-02 before that wacko Jean Schmidt? He's now the US Trade Representative, and as a member of The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, he signed off on the deal. That's an albatross he will carry into any future campaigns he should choose to mount.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Latest Wiretap Triumph?
Three men here in Ohio have been indicted on charges that they planning attacks overseas to try to kill U.S. and coalition military personnel in Iraq and other countries. (Good thing they're federal charges, what with republicans clogging our state courts.)
This strikes me as very odd though. Why would terrorists want to recruit manpower in the US to attack in Iraq? If you had assets placed here, it would make much more sense to use them here. Getting their people into the US is the hardest thing for terrorists to accomplish.
It doesn't add up. After all, Iraq doesn't seem to have a shortage of manpower used to carry out attacks anyway.
We won't know for sure until more information comes out, but I see this as a bunch of guys who probably just ran their yaps a little too much. Probably all talk, much like those militia idiots in the nineties; however, I'm pretty sure this will be triumphed as a major breakthrough brought about by, you guessed it, Bush's illegal wiretapping program.
It's pretty sad that I even feel compelled to write this, that our government has inspired such a lack of trust that I just can't take it at face value, and to be clear, I can't. Given the lies that this administration perpetuates on a daily basis, I feel I have to scrutinize every single thing they say.
This strikes me as very odd though. Why would terrorists want to recruit manpower in the US to attack in Iraq? If you had assets placed here, it would make much more sense to use them here. Getting their people into the US is the hardest thing for terrorists to accomplish.
It doesn't add up. After all, Iraq doesn't seem to have a shortage of manpower used to carry out attacks anyway.
We won't know for sure until more information comes out, but I see this as a bunch of guys who probably just ran their yaps a little too much. Probably all talk, much like those militia idiots in the nineties; however, I'm pretty sure this will be triumphed as a major breakthrough brought about by, you guessed it, Bush's illegal wiretapping program.
It's pretty sad that I even feel compelled to write this, that our government has inspired such a lack of trust that I just can't take it at face value, and to be clear, I can't. Given the lies that this administration perpetuates on a daily basis, I feel I have to scrutinize every single thing they say.
And The Lord Said, "Go Negative Early, Go Negative Often"
Ken Blackwell released scathing negative ads yesterday against Jim Petro calling his ethics "worse than Taft." From the Columbus Dispatch:
All in all, nothing but good news for us Democrats. I loves me a nasty republican primary, especially given the dynamics here.
What Ken Blackwell's extremely negative ads will do is force Jim Petro to respond in kind. I know, everyone says they hate negative ads, but they do work. There is a side effect though. They also suppress turnout, and that favors Blackwell. The higher the turnout, the more likely Petro will win, so if Petro responds with negative ads, he could possibly end up hurting his own chances.
This is all good news. I don't think Blackwell can win in the general election. Too many moderate republicans simply will not vote for him, especially as the cult of George Bush continues to wane here in Ohio. Bush currently has a 37% approval rating in Ohio.
A primary can be a good thing for a party if it's done right, this one isn't going to be, it will be fought in the gutter.
Using unflattering images of Petro and Taft, the ads refer to the "Coingate" scandal involving former Maumee rare-coin dealer Thomas W. Noe, who was indicted last week on 53 felony counts of corruption and theft, and note that Taft last year was "guilty of ethics violations."
"Petro gave $129 million in unbid legal contracts and expected campaign kickbacks in return," says the TV ad, flashing newspaper articles. "He’s used the special counsel program as a fundraising ATM. His ethics are worse than Taft’s."
All in all, nothing but good news for us Democrats. I loves me a nasty republican primary, especially given the dynamics here.
What Ken Blackwell's extremely negative ads will do is force Jim Petro to respond in kind. I know, everyone says they hate negative ads, but they do work. There is a side effect though. They also suppress turnout, and that favors Blackwell. The higher the turnout, the more likely Petro will win, so if Petro responds with negative ads, he could possibly end up hurting his own chances.
This is all good news. I don't think Blackwell can win in the general election. Too many moderate republicans simply will not vote for him, especially as the cult of George Bush continues to wane here in Ohio. Bush currently has a 37% approval rating in Ohio.
A primary can be a good thing for a party if it's done right, this one isn't going to be, it will be fought in the gutter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)