Lesse, we’ve got Roe vs Wade on the scales, Halliburton building detention centers for an awaited “sudden influx” of prisoners, immigrants and/or refugees, and we have, as you mentioned, an opposition party that is so browbeaten that it cannot act in its own interests, much less in the interest of the people it is supposed to represent.
We have a press that is letting itself be pushed around for fear of upsetting radical Islamists, a governor threatening to send National Guard troops to seal of the border with Mexico, a South American demagogue threatening to cut off oil to the US and another Middle Eastern nutbag threatening to cut off oil shipments through the Straits of Hormuz.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 3 2006 11:56 utc | 4

me above (new service pack – not saving cookies)

Posted by: DM | Mar 3 2006 12:01 utc | 6

Billmon’s site is back up so I’ll have to eat humble pie or shit or something.

Posted by: DM | Mar 3 2006 12:32 utc | 8

I have been hoping for some news on the matter of election cheating with respect to next election in the US. Is something in the works to stop it from being Diebolded?
And on that note, the statisticians on National Election Archive Project released a new report in january, with the titel The Gun is Smoking: 2004 Ohio Precinct-level Exit Poll Data Show Virtually Irrefutable Evidence of Vote Miscount.
If there is someone here who moves in circuits of american statisticians it would be good to know how (and if) this report is viewed.
So that is my tip for a thread, a discussion on the upcoming election fraud of 2006.
Otherwise, I second HKOL.

Posted by: A swedish kind of death | Mar 3 2006 13:43 utc | 10

Please keep doing what you are doing – I find it valuable and really appreciate it, as well as the posts of other people here.
You might mention the general thinking and attitudes of newspapers in your area, how “Valley of the Wolves” is doing these days, and anything else that you personally find out or see.

Posted by: Owl | Mar 3 2006 15:19 utc | 12

There’s an interesting report out today about how chimps collaborate toward a shared goal. I’ve blogged about the implications for understanding neocons here, but I’m sure there’s much more that could be said on the topic.

Posted by: truth4achange | Mar 3 2006 15:57 utc | 14

I think you are doing fine. But I also sense that you feel you are struggling. You could post a ‘mailto:’ link on the webpage saying something like, “Potential contribution? Send it here.”
Once or twice I have thought about sending you something for posting, but I couldn’t find the email, so I just posted it where I thought best. Many of them, like “The Role of the Public Intellectual,” did not seem to elicit much response, so I felt that people weren’t interested in them becoming posts in their own right, anyway.
We could also crib posts fom otherwhere if they seem applicable to the spirit here. I find ‘Democracy Now’ and ‘Counterpunch,’ two places I visit regularly, to be excellent places for material. We could discuss more of their stories.
I personally wish we had some more new blood here. Not a ton more posters, but a few more. ET seems to have drawn away some of our contributors. I value having perpectives from all over the world.
I miss the old days when the likes of r’giap, theodor, debs and others would discuss politics all night long, employing quotes and ideas from radical thinkers I had never heard of, like some wild Ginsburg jazz rift in cyberspace. I learned a lot from those arguments. But blogging was new then, and there was less choice of sites, and more simple fun of discovery.
A few times, I have attempted to engage posters in vociferous debate; sticking, I felt, to the issues, and they have simply disappeared. Perhaps I drove some people away.
We could also write Billmon a collective letter of appreciation for his past posts, and a request for some more.
Hope I haven’t been politically incorrect or hurt anyone with my thoughts. I appreciate everyone’s contributions.

Posted by: Malooga | Mar 3 2006 16:03 utc | 16

b. , i love it here. excuse my recent paralysis.
wouldn’t it be loverly to scratch all these recent disasters up to sheer incompetence. perhaps the MO is to assume the american public will become so accustomed to scandal, ineptitude and dishonesty we will fail to realize there is consequence. we are witnessing the undoing of empire,hopefully.
i’m w/hannah

Posted by: annie | Mar 3 2006 16:34 utc | 18

What to blog about?
something that i was thinking about the other day that i’d find to be useful in these days (daze?) of what seems to be nothing but bad news getting worse would be an occassional feature (weekly? bi-weekly? monthly?) on some effort or movement that has actually made some progress in regaining autonomy, sustainability or anything positive along that line that didn’t/hasn’t necessarily rely/relied on the normal channels of power. i wasn’t thinking of this kind of feature being done specifically at MOA, but that’s a possibility. in a nutshell, most blogs covering political material dwell in the area of analysis & critique in a reactionary capacity when the only thing that will actually change the status quo is creative proactivism. of course, we all know this, and informative analysis & critique are crucial components to addressing what’s wrong, but by highlighting communities or whatnot that are implementing successful programs, strategies & campaigns – and sharing what works and what hasn’t – new creative energies & ideas can arise. rather than getting overwhelmed by the big question – what is to be done – this type of feature would show “what is being done”.
just a thought.
outside of that, b, you do a stellar job. maybe others will take you up on the call for submissions. i’ll try.

Posted by: b real | Mar 3 2006 17:04 utc | 20

one more thing. i would like a thread on 9/11. there are daily references to it in mainstream blogs like but aside from the sites that only focus on 9/11, there isn’t much chat on the topic. as if going there implies some wingnut tendency. i am really curios to know what most people here think and what percentage of americans think, now that the dust has settled somewhat. i would like a day when a handful of blogs all post about it just to have a little flushing, or a general consensus. i think it would help the country move forward to get past this 9/11 hurdle. 9/11 is so continually sited and yet there is for the most part a silence about a growing number of the population that believe the administration was involved on some level.
just my 2 cents.

Posted by: annie | Mar 3 2006 17:12 utc | 22

Just keep keeping on. It’s really hard to continue fighting the good fight when nothing changes, even though it seems sometimes like throwing in the towel. They are not and we should not make ‘quitting’ an option. They will continue creating their fantasy world and we must continue to hammer away at every aspect of distraction they throw at us. One thing that amazes me is: How they seem to be able to cow the other nations into ‘apparent’ obedience or at least aquiescence and all on credit. The military and every aspect of the greatness of the Empire seems to be done on some kind of ‘Enron’ creative financing. How can a nation be bossing the rest of the world around while running up the most collossal debt in history? Could it be they not only have control of all branches of government but also of the ‘World Bank’? I am not smart enough to have answers to these questions but there are plenty of brilliant people on MoA who can.
Hang in there Bernard and everyone else who make up this wonderful bar. It’s a great place to hang out and I hope it never closes.
Maybe it would be nice to link to ET once in a while. Jerome a’ Paree was a great contributor in the old days over at Billmon’s Whiskey Bar.

Posted by: pb | Mar 3 2006 18:41 utc | 24

Bernhard, you are doing a splendid job. Thank you. Your work has contributed to enlighment and learning for many, myself, and others I am sure.
Limitations and difficulties arise from the very nature of the board, a discussion of mainstream news, sometimes, its ‘alternative’ counterpart. As the news is crap, fatigue is bound to set in, some snippets are seen as important, others are left aside, the choice is difficult. A hard slog.
Well annie I felt I maybe chased ppl away with 9/11 posts and tried to keep it cool. Billmon, for example, believes the official version, as far as I could see (unless he has changed his mind recently and not posted about it.)
I know some of my posts may seem weird, or not up to the intellectual standards du jour. Some are badly written as well. My point has always been that no cogent analysis is possible if one starts off with false premises, i.e. that muslim fundamentalists filled with hate for freedoms flew planes into the WTC. That did not happen, and yet is is the defining fact of history 2000 – today. It is lynchpin event, conditions what came after, and how the ‘before’ is viewed.
There is no point, no point at all, in hand wringing about lousy, complicit media, about corrupt Gvmt, about local scandals (taxes, social security, scamming, Diebold machines, etc. etc.) , when the US invaded two countries, is set to invade another (still don’t believe in that btw), killing an untold numbers of people, all on the basis of a myth, upheld both by left and right, by rednecks and progressives, company CEO’s, local police, grannys in the sewing club, and little children who scream Ay-rabs have cooties.
It sounds tinny, it is tiring. Hollow.
Ultimately, it also illustrates why a board like this will ultimately die out – or why right now B. is tired or hesitant – it is impossible to continue behaving as if one was in stable world, where Gvmt. was basically necessary and right, democracy shines its beacon or light on the hill, or whatever, but where rogues like Rove or Cheney (btw, the second most powerful man in the world..) might just for personal revenge leak the name of a CIA operative (Plame) … but putting them in jail for it seems intractably — hum difficult. Impossible. It is impossible: these people are masters (perhaps temporary and to be replaced, the figure itself means little), they are the overlords, they are immune, and if they like to pretend that the rule of law still pertains (e.g. Fitz and his fizzy christmas crackers) is is only to fool, bamboozle and distract.

Posted by: Noisette | Mar 3 2006 20:38 utc | 26

sorry for the typos.

Posted by: jdp | Mar 3 2006 23:35 utc | 28

@ gylangirl – Maybe this will cheer you up. Embracing Your Inner “Poon Nazi” What the heck, it’s Friday night.
From d r i f t g l a s s

Posted by: beq | Mar 3 2006 23:54 utc | 30

no cogent analysis is possible if one starts off with false premises, i.e. that muslim fundamentalists filled with hate for freedoms flew planes into the WTC.
Exactly.

Posted by: DM | Mar 4 2006 2:15 utc | 32

Ah well Groucho, let’s see if you can be smart as well as a smartarse, and explain to us slow types exactly what happened. Because, other than repeating a mantra that 19 a-rabs done this, I haven’t seen any evidence to support the Gov-mint conspiracy theory.

Posted by: DM | Mar 4 2006 3:13 utc | 34

@citizen:
Until i see something that is proof, Yes.

Posted by: Groucho | Mar 4 2006 3:41 utc | 36

Until i see something that is proof, Yes.
Um, actually, it is the American government that says 19 Arabs and Bin Laden done this. This is an accusation. Is it not that the burden of proof rests with the accuser? So, am I being perverse by rephrasing the question and answer here?
You don’t believe that muslim fundamentalists filled with hate for America’s freedoms brought down the WTC?
Until i see something that is proof, No.

Posted by: DM | Mar 4 2006 3:56 utc | 38

hm, let me try that again
went to the wrong site last time

Posted by: annie | Mar 4 2006 4:12 utc | 40

just realized – b, i forgot to say thank you. THANK YOU! i got so caught up in what i was writing i forgot the most important part.

Posted by: conchita | Mar 4 2006 6:05 utc | 42

With regards to 9/11/01:
Rumsfeld Sept 10, 2001: The Pentagon cannot account for $2.3 TRILLION
This should have been a huge scandal. $2.3 Trillion dollars amounts to almost $8000 for every man, woman, and child in the US.
But look when this was announced. September 10th, 2001. Just 24 hours later, the events of 9-11 wiped this scandal from the newspapers.
Rather interesting timing, don’t you think?
Like the stillness in the wind
‘Fore the hurricane begins
The hour when the ship comes in – Bob Dylan

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Mar 4 2006 6:18 utc | 44

This seems as a good place as any to mention that Mrs. Lupin’s book, OVER HERE: AN AMERICAN EXPAT IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, is now out and available from the publisher:
publisher’s website.
The link above leads to a page about the book with cover, sample chapter, sample photos and PayPal buttons for credit card orders.
It should also be on both amazon US and amazon.co.uk in about two weeks’ time.
OVER HERE is basically my wife’s blog diary from the moment we decided to leave our life of 30 years in Los Angeles just after the “reelection” of the Butcher of Crawford; it follows our one year relocation journey to the Aude in the South of France, and features about 100 b&w photos by yours truly.
OVER HERE is like a cross between A YEAR IN PROVENCE and DAILY KOS; if you like Tuscan Sun, Chocolat, Peter Mayle, etc. and hate George Bush, you should like it.

Posted by: Lupin | Mar 4 2006 8:19 utc | 46

To continue, I recognize the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that your posters share with all of us readers.
Sometimes it is hard to see where people are coming from; the context is often difficult to discern. Slothrop’s academic knowledge of Marxism comes to mind — it is alway stimulating but difficult to follow because I have few referents to the issues being discussed.
Why not start a thread about knowledge, education, things that we all should know but probably (at least in my case) didn’t pay attention to in school, if we even went to school at all.
Suggested post:
What areas of education do we wish we had, and where has that been done well and where poorly? Countries, public or private schools, is our children learning?
This could lead into a good (Malooga?) analysis of elite theory (what is that?) and Chomsky’s ideas, and also I would ask our experts on non-Western thought to weigh in on traditional schooling in other cultures — as a Canadian growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I learned a bit of history but have no knowledge whatsoever about for example Islam’s actual contribution to mathematics and philosophy, the true origins and meaning of logic, rhetoric, argument.
This leads naturally into a discussion of the role of sites like MoA in our education and social networking.
That’s my two cents Canadian. Speaking of which, why is the US dollar at $1.13 Canadian right now. The US dollar has been dropping steadily vs. Canadian dollar since January 2003, and still falling.
Is it falling against the Euro too? If so, why?
My original joy was reading Billmon for economics and his catbird seat at places like Davos.
Perhaps those discussions (education, economics) could attract some of our favorite posters.
One more thing: we don’t have to be so analytical, I would welcome more humor and personal stories from our group. Of course, like many others here I carefully filter my postings because I am a little scared about the fact that any post I make will be permanently available to anyone with access to Google — but still I feel it’s worthwhile to exercise my ability to speak freely.
That is another, possibly controversial topic: censorship, monitoring, privacy, politeness and threats to privacy. Can we open that as a topic with international replies?
How do you feel about speaking openly on the Internet about topics that might attract government attention — the British pop singer Morrissey has been recently investigated by British agencies as well as the FBI for speaking out.

Posted by: jonku | Mar 4 2006 9:12 utc | 48

Yeah. Bug annie about her work. We had a litttle to and fro the other day by email on relevance. I think Bernhard would say: Under the moon, everything is relevant. As one of our artists, she should share. Happily I’ve already had a peek.

Posted by: beq | Mar 4 2006 13:10 utc | 50

b, your doing a fine job. Keep up the good work but you should depend on persons that post here more. I write letters to the editor of our local paper constantly, but they deal with mostly state and local issues since I work in local gov.
As I posted last night, (even though I had to many Buds) I would like a debate about going back to state legislatures electing the senate. While I’m all for democracy, we have not been represented well in the senate for a while.
Second, I believe the key to winning the debate is to get it closest to the people as possible. On the federal lvel in the US and I’m sure other places the elite create these high minded notions for public policy, but when they are implemented and trickle to the state and local level they usually harm the interest of the great majority. We should have a debate about getting power out of Washington and back into state where more light can be shined on potential policy.
Third, we must continue to debate energy policy and it’s impact on the US, Europe and the globe. We are in a transitional period that will move us from a fossle fuel world to some sort of mixed energy economy relying on wind, sun, ethenol, bio-diesel, you name it, it will be put in a car or truck to run it.
also, Thanks b for providing this forum for us to just rant. That helps sometimes. Especially when putting up with Dumya.
If someone can find it, please link to the transcrip of Lou Dobbs for Friday night. Him and his panel really ripped Bushies ass. Joe Klein said this is the worst admin he’s ever seen.

Posted by: jdp | Mar 4 2006 13:51 utc | 52

here ya go jdp
transcript of Lou Dobbs Tonight

DOBBS: President Bush praised the virtues of outsourcing in India despite the devastating impact on this nation’s middle class. President Bush acknowledged losing jobs is painful, but the president said the solution is educating Americans so they can fill the jobs of the 21st century.
So we thought you might be interested in knowing just exactly what those jobs in the 21st century are. And we wanted to use the most reliable source possible. We turned to the Labor Department. Well, here we go.
Nursing assistants will be the fastest-growing job. The government says the job involves changing bed pans and offers low pay, little opportunity for advancement. As for education requirements, no high school diploma needed.
And the restaurant industry proud to say it’s a leader in job creation and the cornerstone of the nation’s economy — 12.5 million people, in fact, work in restaurants. Nearly as many employed in manufacturing. That, by the way, should please Gregory Mankue (ph), a professor at Harvard. He, of course, the president’s economic adviser. He’s the one who said making hamburgers should be classified as manufacture.
Tonight it would appear that some in Congress care more about illegal aliens than they do about their middle class constituents. The Senate has begun debate on legislation that would grant sweeping new rights and protections to illegal aliens at the expense often of middle class working men and women. The bill is sponsored by Senator Arlen Specter.

Posted by: dan of steele | Mar 4 2006 15:41 utc | 54

Wanted: Competent Big Brothers
As the Senate frets over whether the NSA has violated the outdated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, no one is paying attention to the real issue: proficiency.
MSNBC WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
Also, one might want to acquaint themselves w/the following EO’s before they redact em…
President Gerald R. Ford’s Executive Order 11905: United States Foreign Intelligence Activities

The purpose of this Order is to establish policies to improve the quality of intelligence needed for national security, to clarify the authority and responsibilities of the intelligence departments and agencies, and to establish effective oversight to assure compliance with law in the management and direction of intelligence agencies and departments of the national government.

Also, see:
EO 12-333

GOALS, DIRECTION, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITH RESPECT TO THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE EFFORT

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Mar 4 2006 16:25 utc | 56

And how about a Comedy Corner, like this recent article from http://www.newsmax.com, and I paste;
“The Bush administration is working behind the scenes to defuse the Dubai Ports World controversy by having the UAE-based firm team up with an American company.
According to the New York Daily News, which first reported the new White House strategy on Saturday, “one snag may be that sources say the U.S. company best equipped to partner with DP World is Halliburton, once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.”
I can’t stop crying, I’m laughing so hard…

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 4 2006 18:14 utc | 58

Would like to see a rhread on Maloogas post (on the fresh ot) exploring the evolution of empire/colonal into corporate, as opposed to national control, especially as it applies to Iraq as a work in progress.

Posted by: anna missed | Mar 4 2006 22:22 utc | 60

hi b,
just wanted to say thanks. If and when I bump into you in a bar and realise you are “b”, from the moon of alabama website, I will say, “B! Let me buy you a drink!”
I was thinking you could have some Alabama links, or comments. Debs is Dead had an excellent series of posts about coal miners, but I’m not sure they were in Alabama. Bringing it down to the personal level, a global local news. And I second gylangirl, she is right, sez me. And I vigorously second b real’s idea of commenting on positive progress. What’s working, and what does it find itself up against?
It’s a whisky bar, here’s a double, and the bottle, and a pile of glasses.
Argh!

Posted by: Argh | Mar 5 2006 1:05 utc | 62

I’d have to agree w/ the Reagan comment above…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Mar 5 2006 1:53 utc | 64

how about the reagan’s vp, the former director the cia, one george hw bush who, taking advantage of the fact that reagan didn’t have any interest or aptitude for intelligence, integrated the rogue elements of the cia into more direct roles (“outsourcing” is the term du jour) in foreign policy operations for private benefit?

Posted by: b real | Mar 5 2006 3:50 utc | 66

interesting stuff Uncle.
not so much about the spying but the Amdoc thing. the info they collect would be very useful to a lot of people. nice to see that criminals are still resourceful even if the rest of us are in self induced comas.

Posted by: dan of steele | Mar 5 2006 12:04 utc | 68

While the above may be wild conjecture the following however, is not:
Amdocs man grilled in Israel spy case and the Odigo says workers were warned of attack tie in quite nicely.
Isn’t it striking that everybody in the Bush Administration associated with the planning of the attack on Iraq, and the creation of the lies told to lead to that attack, are Jewish intellectuals with close ties to the extreme right-wing Zionists in Israel?
Dick Cheney and the American Likudniks

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Mar 5 2006 17:54 utc | 70

Congrats on your book, Lupins.

Posted by: Dismal Science | Mar 5 2006 19:12 utc | 72

I, too, miss Billmon’s majestic economic bravuras. They were so chock-full of insight and humor–always right at the limits of my ability to follow, and yet, never quite losing me; always leaving me feeling that I was on the verge of understanding just how the world really works.
One day, when Billmon had just posted another of his “Best Billmon Ever” posts, I thought that I might share it with my brother, who is a prominent business reporter, as a means of talking about what was happening in the world–something we don’t naturally talk about. So, I sat him down behind the computer and he began to read. He skimmed the entire piece–which took me 45 minutes to read–in about a minute and ten seconds, got up, turned to me, and said, “He needs an editor.” That was it. Couldn’t get anything more out of him. So much for communicating with your family. I would like to think that appreciating Billmon is a rare and precious ability, shared by special kindred souls.

Posted by: Malooga | Mar 6 2006 18:11 utc | 74

I would like to think that appreciating Billmon is a rare and precious ability
hmm, not so rare. that’s why he’s so popular. maybe your brother just felt threatened

Posted by: annie | Mar 6 2006 22:59 utc | 76

how many other blog writers crafted such in-depth, well thought out, and persuasive arguments?
don’t forget the SOH

Posted by: annie | Mar 6 2006 23:50 utc | 78