During the debates Kerry forgot Poland,
but Bush forgot Uzbekistan.
Posted by: MarcinGomulka | Oct 25 2004 10:15 utc | 1
In case you are wondering, the second link is on the page describing The Coalition on the right side: Statements of Support from Coalition Members. But it is hard to remember, when your own webpage forgets, too.
Posted by: MarcinGomulka | Oct 25 2004 10:27 utc | 2
Democracy? Hmm, only one party on the ballot. Sounds like the ex Democratic Sowjet Union.
U.S. Is Said to Urge Its Iraqi Allies to Unite for Election
One U.S. official in Washington said the administration now believes Iraq needs a “negotiated resolution … a scaled-back democratic process.”
Between the two conflicting key goals, “I see the arguments for stability now outweighing the calls for democracy,” said the official, who declined to be identified. The formation of a unified slate would further entrench the U.S.-allied parties, which are mostly led by longtime exiles with dubious popular support and are still viewed with suspicion by many Iraqi citizens.
Posted by: b | Oct 25 2004 10:27 utc | 3
As this is an OT, I’ll take the opportunity to mention to those of you that don’t go to the Whiskey Annex that we have finally opened Le Speakeasy as a new watering hole.
Bernhard, do you think you could put up a link to it on your site?
Posted by: Jérôme | Oct 25 2004 13:55 utc | 4
OT: Anyone knows where Outraged went? He seems to have disappeared shortly after the Annex came up? (or shortly after the Bar’s demise, if you want)
Posted by: CluelessJoe | Oct 25 2004 14:49 utc | 5
Another interesting link: CEO Pay as a multiple of average pay
Posted by: Jérôme | Oct 25 2004 15:29 utc | 6
We have, of course, no major candidate nor political party that stands in opposition to the Nuremberg Laws. Voters who oppose it, but do not want to cast a ballot for a minor party or withhold their vote, will “come home” in the presidential election to the party with which they feel most comfortable despite its official, painful disagreement with them on this particular issue. For me, that’s still the NSDAP. Sure, I disagree with their treatment of the Jews, but other than that, I still agree on the real issues that matter to me, economy, taxes, environment, social issues, Evil Communism must be opposed.
Posted by: Hans Schmidt | Oct 25 2004 17:42 utc | 7
@JEROME – Glad to see you’re back more frequently. I trust that means good news on the home front. When you have time, would you provide your input into Amory Lovins new energy ideas for a transition out of a petrochemical world?
Posted by: jj | Oct 25 2004 20:13 utc | 8
My impression was that Outraged was hell-bent on a mission to provide enough info & intel to a group of people that might help make a difference in shaping public opinion and exposing the lies behind the truth. He was both relentless and voluminous in helpful links/leads/context in a short period of time. My impression could be naive, but his posts were always helpful and informed. The collapse of the popular front along w/ the rough start at the annex probably led to diminishing enthusiasm/returns and increased frustration/risk for his efforts. Or his schedule no longer affords him the opportunity to participate. He did sign w/ an email address — has anyone tried it? The world client site no longer responds and he stopped updating on the letter-to-editor campaign before the bar even closed.
Posted by: b real | Oct 25 2004 20:19 utc | 9
jj – thks. I hve written down Lovins’ name as something to read but have not come round to do so. News on the home front are better, yes, I will update the note at WA at some point.
b real – he also mentioned he has a big IT job during the summer. He may simply be very busy.
He may have been disappointed with our indiscipline…
Posted by: Jérôme | Oct 25 2004 20:51 utc | 10
re Outraged
He certainly did have a lot of information, seemingly from inside sources. My gut feeling was that there was something fishy about him. I may very well be wrong and if so I will apologise.
Posted by: Dan of Steele | Oct 25 2004 20:58 utc | 11
One of the biggest disappointments of the campaign has been the inability to stick this cabal with massive corruption charges. Gee whiz! The right was out of breath screaming about how Hillary had made a nice profit on some beef futures and there was a whole “whitewatergate” episode with some land deals in Arkansas. Yet Halliburton marches on. Here is another tidbit to shake your head over.
Posted by: Dan of Steele | Oct 25 2004 21:12 utc | 12
Culture of Fear at DoI
Just one example of the Mafia-thug ugliness that BushCo has brought to every government department, to city streets, and hopes to bring to the whole planet. Gee, Iraqis, Afghanis, Iranians, don’t you want a helping of US-style “good government”?
Notice that BushCo, in distinction to some earlier tricky US regimes and in harmony with some other, more notorious ones, has stopped focussing on the kind of spin control that hides or distracts, and is now focusing on kneecapping witnesses, suppressing information by repressing the people who would make it public. Nothing new here, ask the folks who ran pro-labour presses during the 20’s when the Pinkertons were smashing printers’ offices, burning bundled newspapers and beating the s**t out of anyone who objected. Nothing new, but it’s an indicator: the indicator of a certain attitude, a certain contempt for the entire unlikely notion of “democracy”.
Posted by: DeAnander | Oct 25 2004 23:56 utc | 13
Unfortunately we can’t expect all those who have dropped in at one of these sites to “stay in touch”. I agree that not hearing from Outraged or Helpful Spook or all the others with more than “public domain” knowledge is a loss to the forum as a whole.
Ideally this forum (or one of its brethren)
should contain “local” information placed in
the “public domain” by our local participants. I’m not expecting anyone from various black chambers to start blabbing for our edification, but sometimes
there are stories that are “well known locally” but not to a wider circle. For example, in this Sunday’s edition of La Repubblica, an Italian center-left newspaper, there was a detailed expose’ of
a phoney Al Quaeda operation in Lebanon, apparently concocted as a joint operation of the Italian and Syrian secret services. Even taking this case with the necessary “grain of salt”, it seems to me to be something
worth putting into the collective memory of these “hangouts”. I confess to an unhealthy suspicion that there are a lot of
dirty little hoaxes like this one going on.
Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Oct 26 2004 5:11 utc | 14
@hannah, thanks for the info. on the phony Al Qaeda operation in Lebanon. Was that reported in a Berlusconi paper? I was thinking last night that one of the major casualties of the Bu$hCo era is the loss of our ability to believe anything we hear or read.
thght. everyone might enjoy this pre-Diebold pattern:
HOW TO TELL ON SUNDAY WHO WILL WIN ON TUESDAY
http://www.benmaller.com/archives/2004/october/25-redskin_presidential_proph
ecy.html
BEN MALLER – The outcome of Washington Redskins football games has correctly
predicted the winner of every U.S. presidential election since 1936. The
Redskins have proved to be a time-tested election predictor. In the previous
15 elections, if the Skins have lost their last home game prior to the
election, the incumbent party has lost the White House. When they have won,
the incumbent has stayed in power. This election year, that deciding game
takes place on Sunday, October 31 … vs. Green Bay.
IT’S TIGHT: Washington has lost four and won 2, Green Bay has lost four and
won three
Posted by: jj | Oct 26 2004 6:11 utc | 15
U.S. Action Bars Right of Some Captured in Iraq
A new legal opinion by the Bush administration has concluded for the first time that some non-Iraqi prisoners captured by American forces in Iraq are not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions, administration officials said Monday.
…
They said the opinion would essentially allow the military and the C.I.A. to treat at least a small number of non-Iraqi prisoners captured in Iraq in the same way as members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban captured in Afghanistan, Pakistan or elsewhere, for whom the United States has maintained that the Geneva Conventions do not apply.
Thisf administration must go to jail!
Posted by: b | Oct 26 2004 6:12 utc | 16
@Jerome
I tried to get on the Le Speakeasy site on perhaps its second day, but somehow I got signed on without figuring out what my password was. I requested the password be sent to me recently, but I got a password for dKos instead (!!). How can I keep my “citizen” handle on Le Speakeasy?
I did try using my dKos information at Speakeasy, but no such luck.
Please advise.
Posted by: Citizen | Oct 26 2004 7:40 utc | 17
@jj No La Repubblica is definitely NOT a Berlusconi
paper, in fact it’s mixed up with both the political and financial opposition to Berlusca. Some of Berlusconi’s media outlets do a rather good job, others are “Fox-like”.
Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Oct 26 2004 9:28 utc | 18
@ jj:
“BEN MALLER – The outcome of Washington Redskins football games has correctly
predicted the winner of every U.S. presidential election since 1936. The
Redskins have proved to be a time-tested election predictor. In the previous
15 elections, if the Skins have lost their last home game prior to the
election, the incumbent party has lost the White House. When they have won,
the incumbent has stayed in power. This election year, that deciding game
takes place on Sunday, October 31 … vs. Green Bay.
IT’S TIGHT: Washington has lost four and won 2, Green Bay has lost four and
won three”
Knowing how she feels about the skins, I don’t know if my Mom will be willing to fall on that hand grenade.
Posted by: beq | Oct 26 2004 12:40 utc | 19
It was difficult to choose which paragraph to quote. Also Riverbend seems to see through the whole election process much better than many American TV pundits.
Riverbend on the US elections
Many, many people have asked me about the elections and what we think of them. Before, I would have said that I really don’t think much about it. Up until four years ago, I always thought the American elections were a pretty straightforward process: two white males up for the same position (face it people- it really is only two- Nader doesn’t count), people voting and the person with more votes wins. After the debacle of four years ago, where Bush Jr. was *assigned* president, things are looking more complicated and a little bit more sordid.
I wouldn’t normally involve myself in debates or arguments about who should be American president. All I know is that four years ago, we prayed it wouldn’t be Bush. It was like people could foresee the calamity we’re living now and he embodied it. (Then, there’s that little issue of his being completely ridiculous…)
…
Who am I hoping will win? Definitely Kerry. There’s no question about it. I want Bush out of the White House at all costs. (And yes- who is *in* the White House *is* my business- Americans, you made it my business when you occupied my country last year) I’m too realistic to expect drastic change or anything phenomenal, but I don’t want Bush reelected because his reelection (or shall I call it his ‘reassignment’) will condone the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. It will say that this catastrophe in Iraq was worth its price in American and Iraqi lives. His reassignment to the White House will sanction all the bloodshed and terror we’ve been living for the last year and a half.
Posted by: Fran | Oct 26 2004 14:59 utc | 20
Sorry b, saw only after posting the Riverbend article here, that you have been ahead of me already and posted it on Divide and Rule.
Posted by: Fran | Oct 26 2004 15:13 utc | 21
Why I believe in our president
I believe in President George W. Bush. I’ve always believed him.
I believe the president invaded Iraq to secure liberty and democracy for the Iraqi people. I believe he had compelling evidence that Iraq was a significant threat to America and the world, and presented that evidence in a complete and balanced manner. Like 42 percent of Americans – and 62 percent of Republicans – I believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the September 11 attacks.
I believe …
Posted by: b | Oct 26 2004 16:51 utc | 22
B: Tom Schaller’s piece is one of the most brilliant piece against Bush I have read in a long time. What’s so precious is that apparently he sent it to several newspapers and only senior editors overruled it because they noticed it was a bit fishy. Too bad it didn’t make it into the Washington Times.
Posted by: Clueless Joe | Oct 26 2004 20:52 utc | 24
The Road to Abu Ghraib Phil Carter of Intel Dump in The Washington Monthly. Long piece, but good.
Posted by: b | Oct 27 2004 13:42 utc | 25
I just registered over at the speakeasy and posted this but wanted to be sure everyone over here to saw it also.
There is, imho, a mind boggling full eclipse that lasts for 80 minutes tonight.. The shadow’s diameter is approximately 4 times that of the diameter of the moon. The full shadow first contacts the moon’s circumference at about 210 clockwise degrees but last contacts it at about 130 degrees. So the moon will be only in the top portion of the much larger shadow and totality could be even longer if the moon passed through the exact center of the shadow.
Amazing! I had thought that the diameter of the shadow was about the diameter of the moon but that would depend on the distance of the moon from earth.
May this portend moving through the darkness and back into the light.
For those who are in a location that can witness, weather permitting:
First contact: 9:14 PM EDT (10/28/04 1:14 UT). Totality begins: 10:23 (2:23 UT) and continues for 80 minutes.
The Pleiades will be in the same quarter of the sky and should make a pretty arrangement with the moon. Thanksbillmac.
Posted by: Juannie | Oct 27 2004 18:56 utc | 26
Amusing, but also right on! I know European politics at present isn’t much on the forfront, but this article is quite good – and I can agree with much of it.
Take two for democracy – The US election is a Hollywood blockbuster, but Europe’s arthouse version is a better movie to be in
So it was high noon in Brussels, but nobody came. Sheriff Barroso said he needed more time to consider his commission. Lurking up at the railroad, a German member of the gang murmured: “We are all confident to find a solution”. Then Hans-Gert Pöttering took another menacing swig of Perrier water. Meanwhile, in Washington, two heavily-armed men are striding up main street, each pretending that he’s Gary Cooper and the other is the murderous gangster Frank Miller. As surely as the sun rises, there’ll be a shoot-out next Tuesday at noon.
Contrast the drama of democracy in Washington and Brussels. On the right-hand side of your split screen you have the world’s biggest western. Hundreds of millions of people will be watching around the world as Kerry and Bush go mano a mano . We’re all familiar with the cast: a handful of big, vivid characters, many of whom look and walk like filmstars. This is a big-budget Hollywood production: an estimated $100m will be spent on political advertising in the last week, perhaps as much as $1bn on the campaign as a whole. It features the most powerful man in the world, as well as war, sex, God and lies. It’s a drama that affects us all. “I’m feeling quite nervous about Tuesday,” a Pakistani student told me, “even though it’s not my country.” What film director could ask for more?
On the left-hand side of your split screen, you have the postmodern Euro-drama, taken from the Franco-German arts channel Arte, with subtitles. The cast consists of hundreds of characters, most of them totally unknown to most viewers. (Pöttering? Who, where, why or what is Pöttering?) They speak 20 different languages, or English of a curious kind. The action takes place mainly behind closed doors, where complex deals are cut in smokeless rooms. Instead of God, war and lies, a typical episode features paragraph 257b of the consolidated widget-straightening directive. Rocco Buttiglione, a genial character from a spaghetti western, is the exception who proves the rule. Yet even the Buttiglione affair seems set to end with an anti-climactic compromise. And who of us feels it will really change our lives, as the American election will? Altogether, then, a film director’s worst nightmare.
…
If you look at the biographies of the more than 700 members of this new parliament, you find former dissidents, writers, scholars, unionists, economists and youth activists, as well as the usual dreary party functionaries, from 25 different countries. A collection of people infinitely more diverse and interesting than the US Congress; a kind of anthology of European history over the past half-century. Out of that history, and this complex political system, comes a politics of peaceful negotiation, consensus and compromise, not of high noon and winner-takes-all. Less dramatic, less fun, to be sure; but not necessarily worse. Given the choice between a Cheney and a Pöttering, I’d choose Pöttering any day. I say: let Europe keep Pöttering on.
Here, then, is the Discreet Charm of Eurodemocracy, a film by Buñuel, not Spielberg. Of course, we’ll all be watching the American blockbuster on Tuesday night, and few will tune in to the Brussels arthouse movie. Real life is a different matter. We love watching LAPD, but we’d rather live in Provence.
Posted by: Fran | Oct 28 2004 4:44 utc | 27
This is only tangentially political, but I just need to complain about The West Wing. It used to be such a great show, but it’s gone horribly downhill since Aaron Sorkin left. The wonderful cast is struggling along bravely under the weight of dreadful writing. At this rate I’m almost tempted not to watch the rest of this season.
Posted by: Leslie in CA | Oct 28 2004 6:09 utc | 28
I love this.
Film Fans Make Bush ‘Movie Villain of the Year’
LONDON – President George W. Bush may see himself as defender of democracy and compassionate conservatism but film fans have voted him “Movie Villain of the Year”.
The American “Axis of Evil” fighter is wooing voters with security pledges ahead of the presidential election next week, but it was Bush’s role in Michael Moore’s anti-war film “Fahrenheit 9/11” that won him the villainous title.
In a poll for Total Film magazine, the U.S. leader fought off competition from such well-known baddies as atomic scientist Doctor Octopus from “Spider-Man 2” and fellow Texan Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
“The overwhelming response of our readers voting Bush top villain just goes to show how frightening people found him in Fahrenheit 9/11,” Total Film’s editor Matt Mueller told Reuters.
“He was absolutely terrifying in that film. The infamous scene where he’s informed about the Twin Towers attack while visiting a school, and sits there absolutely paralysed, is enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart,” he said.
Posted by: beq | Oct 28 2004 13:27 utc | 30
Can we now officially call Bush the Butcher of Baghdad or Irak?
Household Survey Sees 100,000 Iraqi Deaths
On Kos someone mentioned that would be equivalent to 1.1 million American dead. I sure hope this whole cabale will be tried for war crimes.
Posted by: Fran | Oct 28 2004 20:04 utc | 31
this thread is getting a bit long but I didn’t know where else to put this
Hersh was asked why Sen. John Kerry isn’t easily leading the presidential race… when the war in Iraq is going so badly. “I think one thing you have to face up to is the fact there are roughly 70 million people in America who do not believe in evolution — and those are Bush supporters,” said Hersh. Plus: AlterNet interviews ‘Man On Fire’ Hersh.
Posted by: Dan of Steele | Oct 28 2004 20:41 utc | 32
But if Roberts and Burnham are right, the US has already killed a third as many Iraqi civilians in 18 months as Saddam killed in 24 years.
Good grief.
Posted by: DM | Oct 29 2004 11:03 utc | 33
Quote:
Can we now officially call Bush the Butcher of Baghdad or Irak?
***
It would be just right but no one in the world is brave enough to call him so…
I hear how Washington Times ( looks like Rep’s “official” paper , ha-ha ) writes that Bush administration now insists that Carla del Ponte should finish as soon as possible cases that are already in the process in Hague and they want further cases to be sent to local courts on the Balkan or to give them amnesty. Actually it looks like they want this tribunal to disappear… Guess why!
On the other hand Serbs in USA ( and there are lot of them specially in swing states) are likely to vote for Bush because of his policy for Kosovo NOT to let it become independent state. I am not very well informed but looks like Holbrook is sending totally different message in Kerry’s name. Looks like even Germans and other Europeans finally are against independent Kosovo but USA Democrats who helped escalate this problem are staying where they were during Clinton. But that’s another story…
Posted by: vbo | Oct 29 2004 11:56 utc | 34