Eisenhower

Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
By JOHN EISENHOWER

As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry.

The fact is that today’s “Republican” Party is one with which I am totally unfamiliar. To me, the word “Republican” has always been synonymous with the word “responsibility,” which has meant limiting our governmental obligations to those we can afford in human and financial terms. Today’s whopping budget deficit of some $440 billion does not meet that criterion.

Responsibility used to be observed in foreign affairs. That has meant respect for others. America, though recognized as the leader of the community of nations, has always acted as a part of it, not as a maverick separate from that community and at times insulting towards it. Leadership involves setting a direction and building consensus, not viewing other countries as practically devoid of significance. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance.

In the Middle East crisis of 1991, President George H.W. Bush marshaled world opinion through the United Nations before employing military force to free Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. Through negotiation he arranged for the action to be financed by all the industrialized nations, not just the United States. When Kuwait had been freed, President George H. W. Bush stayed within the United Nations mandate, aware of the dangers of occupying an entire nation.

Today many people are rightly concerned about our precious individual freedoms, our privacy, the basis of our democracy. Of course we must fight terrorism, but have we irresponsibly gone overboard in doing so? I wonder. In 1960, President Eisenhower told the Republican convention, “If ever we put any other value above (our) liberty, and above principle, we shall lose both.” I would appreciate hearing such warnings from the Republican Party of today.

The Republican Party I used to know placed heavy emphasis on fiscal responsibility, which included balancing the budget whenever the state of the economy allowed it to do so. The Eisenhower administration accomplished that difficult task three times during its eight years in office. It did not attain that remarkable achievement by cutting taxes for the rich. Republicans disliked taxes, of course, but the party accepted them as a necessary means of keep the nation’s financial structure sound.

The Republicans used to be deeply concerned for the middle class and small business. Today’s Republican leadership, while not solely accountable for the loss of American jobs, encourages it with its tax code and heads us in the direction of a society of very rich and very poor.

Sen. Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. I will vote for him enthusiastically.

As usual, it was way worse than anyone knew

The decision in Bush v. Gore, which stopped the Florida recount and essentially gave the presidency to Bush, came down about 9 months before I took my first law school class. And while most of us thought the fix was in, I reserved judgment in the legal sense because my ability to understand the reasoning behind the opinion was obviously limited. However, after reading the case several times over the course of my law school career, each time with a greater knowledge of the legal leanings of each justice, I became convinced that the conservative majority of the court knew which outcome it wanted and set out only to develop a passable legal argument to justify that end. After reading this article in Vanity Fair, (Part 1. & Part 2. ) there is now no doubt that the cynic in all of us was correct. Again. And as always, it was way worse than any of us thought possible.

So where does this get us? Well, obviously you don't need a legal education to understand that people, no matter who they are, cannot divorce themselves from their partisanship. Let that be a lesson for future Judicial confirmation hearings in the Senate. And confirmations of future CIA directors. And FCC chairmen. And FERC regulators. And...

Caption Contest #34

With just 34 days remaining until Judgement Day, Waingroh wants to do his part in mobilizing the anger on our side. So, every day until then, Waingroh will be counting down 34 revolting pictures that won't let you forget why Kerry must win. Prizes will go to the best captions for each picture (expect 6-8 weeks for delivery).

Coming in at #34:



"Thanks" to McGeggy for this vomit inducing gem. If you've got a pic that you think should make the list, send 'em to Waingroh.

I still love you, Al

How to Debate George Bush
Senator Kerry can also use these debates to speak directly to voters and lay out a hopeful vision for our future. If voters walk away from the debates with a better understanding of where our country is, how we got here and where each candidate will lead us if elected, then America will be the better for it. The debate tomorrow should not seek to discover which candidate would be more fun to have a beer with. As Jon Stewart of the "The Daily Show'' nicely put in 2000, "I want my president to be the designated driver.''

The debates aren't a time for rhetorical tricks. It's a time for an honest contest of ideas. Mr. Bush's unwillingness to admit any mistakes may score him style points. But it makes hiring him for four more years too dangerous a risk. Stubbornness is not strength; and Mr. Kerry must show voters that there is a distinction between the two.

If Mr. Bush is not willing to concede that things are going from bad to worse in Iraq, can he be trusted to make the decisions necessary to change the situation? If he insists on continuing to pretend it is "mission accomplished," can he accomplish the mission? And if the Bush administration has been so thoroughly wrong on absolutely everything it predicted about Iraq, with the horrible consequences that have followed, should it be trusted with another four years?

The biggest single difference between the debates this year and four years ago is that President Bush cannot simply make promises. He has a record. And I hope that voters will recall the last time Mr. Bush stood on stage for a presidential debate. If elected, he said, he would support allowing Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada. He promised that his tax cuts would create millions of new jobs. He vowed to end partisan bickering in Washington. Above all, he pledged that if he put American troops into combat: "The force must be strong enough so that the mission can be accomplished. And the exit strategy needs to be well defined."

Comparing these grandiose promises to his failed record, it's enough to make anyone want to, well, sigh.

The Big Lie

Readers were greeted today by the collective gnashing of teeth and beating of breasts by well-known voices of the national print media. Adam Nagourney cautioned that the debates may turn out to be judged more on fashion than on substance. David Broder waxed remorsefully over the fact that "a scurrilous and largely inaccurate attack on the Vietnam service of John Kerry " took the place of a discussion of the real issues. And over at Editor and Publisher, supposedly influential journalists piss and moan that the format of the debates is so scripted as to render them meaningless. Well, here is my question.

What fucking country have you guys been living in for, oh, say the last 25 years?

Every four years we go through the same song and dance and nothing ever changes. Remember Willie Horton? How about the secret hostage deal Reagan struck with the Iranians? Was anyone watching the debates in 2000 when Al Gore sighed defeat out the jaws of victory? The only thing different this time around is the transparency of the right wing's tactics.

Its one thing for the media to legitimately point out the flaws in our current state of politics and more importantly, be self-critical at a point in time when it matters (i.e. when public opinion is still being formed). But these jackasses facilitate the very situations they claim to abhor by "reporting the facts of both sides in a fair and balanced manner." No fact checking, no reporting designed to ensure meaningful debates. Just drunken, frenetic coverage of the horserace. And only when the mind of the public is made up, and we're past the point of no return, and most importantly, there is no risk of right-wing intimidation, they slowly regain their senses, shake off the hangover and say, "Man, I gotta stop having these hot PDX nights."

Cure for Apathy

A growing sentiment around the country by educated people on both sides is that this is the most important election of our generation. Another strong feeling that I share with other educated people on the left is that that the large majority of Americans are liberals, but are convinced that the Republican party stands for their values, for whatever reason (usually lack of education and direct misinformation). American social institutions that we take for granted today and are accepted by both sides, like women's rights, welfare, medicare, minimum wage, public schools, etc. were originally opposed by Republicans, yet the right continues to claim that the liberal thinking is "out of the mainstream" or "radical".

Yet Democrats, in general, are lazy when it comes to politics. Waingroh, for instance, will be voting for the first time this year. This apathy can be shown in the 2000 election, when only 42% of Americans voted. Why so few? A lot had to do with the fact that we were still snoozing in a sunday nap politically, with 8 years of Clinton's (in retrospect) utopian policies still in memory.

Well, nothing makes you get up from a snooze in the backyard hammock like a sudden swarm of angry bees. If anything can cure the laziness and apathy of Democrats, it's the infuriating, evil-spirited, selfish greed of a blood-boilingly pompous and humiliatingly inept administration.

One thing that Bush should not underestimate is the unprecedented amount of resentment and outright hatred for him that exists in this country. Everyday people, funny, smart, good senses of humor, will look at that man and feel their bile ducts quiver. It's never been like this on such a broad scale. This is why I think the polls and other election forecasting apparatus can be tossed out the window. This election is simply unpredictable.

According to the cable news networks, Kerry has not run a very good campaign. Pundit topics last week included "how badly is Kerry crashing?". He has also caught criticism for not talking to national media, and only local newspapers in key areas. Well, this tactic may actually be working on one level, along with other democratic "get the vote out" organizations. With a flood of new voters in key states like Ohio, Missouri, and Florida, Kerry is concentrating his efforts on just those areas that will shift the balance.

New registered voters in Miami-Dade County, a crucial Florida county in 2000, grew by 65 percent through mid-September, compared with 2000. New registered voters jumped nearly 150 percent in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) in Ohio, one of the most hard-fought states this year. In Oregon, where new registrations grew by 4 percent from January through Sept. 1, Democrats outregistered Republicans two-to-one.

Since there are more of us than them in this country, and there is a surge of new voter registration (especially in poor urban areas), one has to believe that most of those are going to be on our side. Now if we can just deal with the October surprise.....




Just in case you doubted my theory on your quivering bile-duct.

Bush V Bush

Just saw the new Bush ad, using clips of Kerry against Kerry, pretty effective. When the fuck will the Kerry people do the same? If there was ever a candidate that this would work against, it would be Bush. Or would that be to mean, maybe not fair? Wake the fuck up.

Not My Fucking Blog, Billmon You Fucking Asshole

I think the response to Billmon's article, kind of proved his point. This has been the first interesting day in the blogosphere in quite some time.

I don't agree with everything he says, but I think the main point of his article is valid. Not just that money has made bloggers sell out, but that the money has made many blogs indistinguishable from the mainstream media. In the past six months it's gotten harder to tell the two apart.

I started going to blogs to get the stories that were overlooked by the mainstream media. It was like a whole new world had been opened up to me, with thousands of others inside as well. It was a great release and escape, an assurance that everyone in this country wasn't a total ignorant asshole.

But in the last six months or so, things have changed quite a bit. I think it all started when Ben Chandler started advertising for his special election on Atrios. It was a great thing, and it could have been the deciding factor. But then the secret was out, blogs could be a great way to raise money. And almost over night, all my favorite blogs were plastered with ads.

I don't think this is a bad thing, per se, but once money starts pouring, there is no way that content won't be affected. And it has been. Most of the ads on blogs are from political campaigns or related organizations, and all you need to do is go to Atrios or Kos to see that they have become, in content, not just appearance, "Elect candidate X" blogs. Sure this is great, our side needs to find creative ways to raise money, and the right would never have a problem with this. But it's not why I originally enjoyed reading these blogs. Nowadays I can just check yahoo top stories and there is not going to be much difference than many of the top blogs. That is where Billmon is right, and why it pisses so many bloggers off.

I think once the election is over things will probably calm down quite a bit, and a lot of bloggers will be having second thoughts about quitting their day jobs once those ad dollars stop rolling in.


***Update
It's not just the ads when I say that certain blogs have turned into "elect candidate x" blog. The bloggers themselves are have realized what influence they yield and promote certain candidates they want to help. Again, not that there's anything wrong with that, it just gets a little old.

Found: Billmon

Billmon has been found, but not at his usual place. Yesterday in the LA Times

Blogging Sells, and Sells Out
By Billmon

By most accounts, blogs — web logs to the uninitiated — scored a major coup last week when CBS News admitted that it couldn't vouch for the authenticity of memos supposedly written by George W. Bush's commander in the Texas Air National Guard. The conservative bloggers who led the charge against the CBS story were hailed as giant slayers. And yet it's the blogging phenomenon itself that may need the last rites.

That may seem a strange thing to say, given the flattering coverage of blogs triggered by the CBS affair. But the media's infatuation has a distinct odor of the deathbed about it — not for the blogosphere, which has a commercially bright future, but for the idea of blogging as a grass-roots challenge to the increasingly sanitized "content" peddled by the Time Warner-Capital Cities-Disney-General Electric-Viacom-Tribune media oligopoly.

Count me among the mourners. For almost two years, I blogged the political scene, first as a guest writer on the popular Daily Kos site, and then on my own blog, Whiskey Bar. During that time, I was able to indulge my passion for long-form writing — a relative rarity in the blogging world, which leans toward snippy one-liners and news nuggets — and to mix satirical humor with serious analysis, all without the worries of deadlines, editors and advertisers.

It was intoxicating while it lasted, as was the sense of community I found with my readers. At the peak of Whiskey Bar's popularity, I could count on receiving 100 or more comments about each post — articulate, querulous and sometimes profane voices from the Internet hinterland.

Recently, however, I've watched the commercialization of this culture of dissent with growing unease. When I recently decided to take a long break from blogging, it was for a mix of personal and philosophical reasons. But the direction the blogosphere is going makes me wonder whether I'll ever go back.

Even as it collectively achieves celebrity status for its anti-establishment views, blogging is already being domesticated by its success. What began as a spontaneous eruption of populist creativity is on the verge of being absorbed by the media-industrial complex it claims to despise.

In the process, a charmed circle of bloggers — those glib enough and ideologically safe enough to fit within the conventional media punditocracy — is gaining larger audiences and greater influence. But the passion and energy that made blogging such a potent alternative to the corporate-owned media are in danger of being lost, or driven back to the outer fringes of the Internet.

There's ample precedent for this. America has always had a knack for absorbing, and taming, its cultural revolutionaries. The rise and long, sad fall of rock 'n' roll is probably the most egregious example, while the music industry's colonization of rap is a more recent one.

When I say blogging is headed for a kind of commercialized senility, I'm talking primarily about political blogs — those that have, or claim to have, something to say about government, economics, foreign policy, etc. Not surprisingly, these are the blogs most likely to show up on the media's radar screen.

Media exposure, in turn, is intensifying an existing trend toward a "winner take all" concentration of audience share. Even before blogs hit the big time, Web stats showed the blogosphere to be a surprisingly unequal place, with a relative handful of blogs — say, the top several hundred — accounting for the lion's share of all page hits.

But as long as blogs remained on the commercial fringes, the playing field at least was relatively level. Audience was largely a function of reputation — for the frequency or quality or ideological appeal of the blogger's posts. Costs were low, and few bloggers were trying to make a living at it, so money wasn't an issue. It may not have been egalitarian, but it wasn't strictly hierarchical, either.

That world of inspired amateurs still exists, but it's rapidly being overshadowed by the blogosphere's potential for niche marketing. Ad dollars are flowing into the blogosphere. And naturally, most are going to the A-list blogs. As media steer readers toward the top blogs, the temptation to sell out to the highest bidder could become irresistible, and the possibility of making it in the marketplace as an independent blogger increasingly theoretical.

I should have seen the writing on the wall earlier this year when the World Economic Forum, the ferociously trend-following CEO club, sponsored a panel session on blogging at its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The discussion quickly turned to the commercial possibilities of blogging, leading one advertising executive to wonder why the big media companies didn't swoop down and buy up the popular blogs while they were still cheap.

At the time, the idea of buying a blog struck me as funny, like trying to buy a conversation. Now, having seen blogs I admired mutate into glorified billboards, and having witnessed the emergence of the "sponsored" blog (in which the blogger is literally an employee of, or contractor to, a corporate owner), I can see who's likely to have the last laugh.

As blogs commercialize, they are tied ever closer to the mainstream media and its increasingly frivolous news agenda. The political blogosphere already has a bad habit of chasing the scandal du jour. This election season, that's meant a laser-like focus on such profound matters as the mysteries of Bush's National Guard service or whether John Kerry deserved his Vietnam War medals.

Meanwhile, more unsettling (and important) stories — like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal or the great Iraq weapons-of-mass-destruction snipe hunt — quietly disappear down the media memory hole. And bloggers either can't, or won't, dig them back out again. As the convergence with big media continues, I suspect there will be progressively less interest in trying.

To be sure, there are still plenty of bloggers out there putting the 1st Amendment through its paces, their only compensation the satisfaction of speaking the truth to power. But it's going to become more difficult for those voices to reach a broad audience. If the mainstream media are true to past form, they will treat the A-list blogs — commercialized, domesticated — as if they are the entire blogosphere, while studiously ignoring the more eccentric, subversive currents swirling deeper down.Not the most glorious ending for a would-be revolution, but also not a surprising one. Bloggers aren't the first, and won't be the last, rebellious critics to try to storm the castle, only to be invited to come inside and make themselves at home.

Uh...a couple of....wavy lines?

Like the 9/11 commissions, or anything that the Bush administration is frightened will expose them for the fragile-minded lying masochistic hypocrites they are, Bushy & co. wanted to skip one of the presidential debates. The second debate is to be held as a town hall meeting, with questions posed by an equal number of "soft" supporters of each candidate chosen by the Gallup Organization. No surprise there, what with the extreme lengths they go to on the campaign trail to make sure everyone in the audience is an oath-signing Bush lover. It would be great to see real people asking real questions to Bush's face on national TV (how hard do you think the RNC is working to infiltrate and taint the Gallup Organization's "soft" choices?)

However, both sides made an agreement to keep the number of debates at 3 - the first of which is this Thursday at 9 e.t. Of course, there had to be some special provisions:

In each debate, according to the agreement, "the candidates may not ask each other direct questions, but may ask rhetorical questions." Too bad. Hopefully that wil be different for the Vice Presidential debates (a.k.a. The People vs. Halliburton).

A senior Kerry source said the Bush campaign was "hung up" over whether a light or something audible like a buzzer would be used to tell the candidates when their time is up. A Bush official acknowledged that last-minute questions, mostly over the time cue issue, held up the agreement.

Classic. Howbout some electroshock therapy? Would that be enough stimulation? C'mon Bushy, which box is the banana in? ZZZZZZZZZZZ! Oooops, wrong AGAIN! No coke for you.

Proof Bush's Rapture is coming!

Doctor Peter Venkman: This city [world] is about to face a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical?"
Doctor Raymond Stantz: We mean real wrath-of-God type stuff. Plagues, darkness--
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Doctor Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes--
Doctor Peter Venkman: Riots in the streets, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

All about the pageantry

Link

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Writer

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The members of Beastie Boys are flashing liquor and cash while betting on a street-level parlor game — with a Jewish twist. Instead of a 40-ounce brew, Adrock throttles a bottle of Manischewitz wine. In lieu of dice, MCA tosses a dreidel as Mike D hangs back with a gold Kiddush cup. Moments later, MCA, the band's self-styled Kung Fu master, chops through a thick stack of matzo bread like Bruce Lee busting through three-ply mahogany.

The cliche rap video hijinks, performed for a magazine photo shoot, are vintage Beastie Boys, whose pioneering white-boy send-up of rap seemed equal parts put-on and homage when they started out nearly two decades ago.

Now, a string of critical and commercial success behind them, the seasoned rap slingers from New York are taking their summer hit album, "To The 5 Boroughs," on tour.

The Boys are all nearing or fresh into their 40s, but they're not short on rhymes.

"You could look at it like, here's a group that's been around for a while, been in the game for a while," Mike D (the D stands for Diamond) says backstage at the Long Beach Arena, the fourth stop on their U.S. tour.

"But at the same time, I feel like we're brand new to the pageantry game," he says. "We've only just begun within the world of pageant. That's given us an entire new lease on life."

Is he joking? You never can tell with the Beastie Boys. Especially after several small dogs open the show by jumping through hoops and walking on wires to carnival music.

"We should make it clear that this is not a concert tour, so much as a traveling pageant," says MCA, a.k.a. Adam Yauch. "We tried to gather feedback about the kinds of things that children are into and what came back to us was a pageant, repeatedly."

For the uninitiated, a pageant is a spectacular, colorful display or celebration.

"It involves certain kinds of dress, certain kinds of festivities, celebrations, feasts or food. I'd like to emphasize the feasts, if I might," Yauch says. "You don't just nosh, you feast, you don't just throw on some clothes, you get dressed, and these are the differentiations."

When the group eventually takes the stage, they strut, jump and flex their brand of old-school rap in bright green and yellow track suits.

The pageant action presumably kicks in during one segment when they strap on powder blue 1970s-era tuxedos and musical instruments, then run through some of their 1990s material under strings of colored light.

After years of touring, pushing boundaries, the group has to find motivation anywhere they can. It's not easy to stay fresh.

"By watching the dog show, I get inspiration," Yauch admits. "'Cause you see them and like, they don't hold back, you know? And they know how to work the crowd. They get up there and they know when to use subtlety."

Diamond is also quick to underscore how the canine troupe inspires the B Boys' own show.

"There are times when one dog will jump off the ladder and take a spill — and that's for the team. You know, there's no 'I' in team," he deadpans. "We realize when we get out there, it's a group effort, it's a team effort and we gotta leave it all on the floor, which the dogs also do."

Fans can look forward to hearing the group's biggest hits during their tour, which started Sept. 10 in Denver. They are digging deep into their musical past — and apparently, Aerosmiths' as well.




"We go way back," Diamond says. "We do some songs from 'Toys in the Attic,' 'Rocks,' 'Dream On.'"

Yauch chimes in: "'Destroyer.'"

But it's not just about recycling old hits.

"We also do some of our newer songs that we feel really proud of like, 'Dude Looks Like a Lady,'" Diamond says.

The B Boys are determined to keep action on the stage lighthearted, despite the fact that over the years, they've grown more socially conscious. Their passion for causes such as Tibetan freedom and their opposition to the war in Iraq (news - web sites) are well known.

But they're not intent on weighing down their pageant with political preaching.

"We realize people are paying good, hard-earned pageantry cash to see and be part of the pageant, so we try keep the focus on that," Diamond says.

During the Long Beach show, there are sparse references to President Bush (news - web sites). There's a short video of "Saturday Night Live" alum Will Ferrell (news) portraying Bush-as-idiot. And later, the group dedicates "Sabotage" to the president.

Despite their feelings on Bush, the group would consider a White House show, if asked.

"Yeah, we could put on our flight suits and go down there," says Yauch, "smoking roaches in the stair well."

Not that it matters

Nader off Oregon ballot.

Hey Rube

From Hunter S. Thompson's ESPN.com's Page 2 column.

Irsay called me last week from the ancient and honorable POLO Lounge in Beverly Hills, saying he was terribly nervous about his team's huge season opener in Foxboro -- somewhere on the outskirts of Boston. And he wondered if some of his players were planning to vote for George Bush in the coming November election.

"That's ridiculous," I told him. "Edge and Marvin would never vote for a criminal freak like George Bush. He is a failure in everything he touches."

"Well," he replied. "I don't know about that. Those two little daughters of his are extremely wild and hot. I've been sweet on those girls for a long time; I want them on my side when the deal goes down."

"Be careful, James," I said. "Those cupcakes are crazy as barn-cats, and they will never be on your side. Don't even think about inviting them up to Indianapolis for a game. Old Man Bush will call the cops on you and have you put in prison."

He laughed.

"Don't worry, Hunter," he said. "I know how to handle women. Those girls will be like putty in my hands. They will be worth at least three points in close games -- and I want those three points. I need them"

Only a sadist would have scheduled Indianapolis to visit Foxboro for the first game of a new NFL season. Nobody wants to open a season against the best team in the league, especially on a foreign field that brings back cruel memories of failure, defeat and suffering. But that is exactly what happened, and the Colts lost again by exactly three points. It was horrible.

The Bush girls were nowhere to be seen that night, and Irsay was carried out of the stadium in a brown rubber sack.

Missing: Billmon

Where the fuck is Billmon? His last post, which claimed he was going out to sea for a week, was well over a month ago. He hasn't even bothered to put up the closed sign at the whiskey bar. Have I missed something? I haven't heard any talk in the blogosphere about Billmon's extended absence. Was he thrown off the boat by a freeper assassin, or has he just decided life is a lot easier when you're not blogging? If any one knows, let me know, cuz I need a drink pretty bad.

More reasons Portland is better than where you live
Link

Portland area tops in firms owned by women
Women own or equally co-own 58 percent of the region's privately held companies
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
BOAZ HERZOG

The Portland-Vancouver area retained its nation-leading rank this year in the concentration of businesses owned by women, a report released Monday shows.
An estimated 58 percent of the region's privately held businesses are either majority owned by women or equally split between men and women, says a report by the Center for Women's Business Research, a -nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. The Seattle area ranked second and Phoenix third in the report. The Portland area held the top spot in the center's last such report in 2002.

Monday's report, titled "Women-Owned Businesses in 2004: Trends in the Top 50 Metropolitan Areas," concluded that businesses owned by women are increasingly fueling the nation's economic health through job creation and revenue growth.

The analysis, which generated estimates using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that the Portland area's 100,449 privately held companies that are at least half-owned by women generate more than $24 billion in annual sales and employ more than 196,000 workers. Portland ranks 15th in the growth in the number of such firms from 1997 to 2004, third in job growth and ninth in sales growth, the report said.

Women are the majority owners of 38 percent of the area's businesses, the report says, and ownership of an additional 20 percent is split equally between men and women. Men are the majority owners of the rest.-.

Puma vs. Pres

Kerry on the offensive

Washington Post:

Kerry said the onus is on Bush to present a plan for winning in Iraq. "What you ought to be doing, and what everybody in America ought to be doing today, is not asking me. They ought to be asking the president: What's your plan?" Kerry told Imus. "What's your plan, Mr. President, to stop these kids from being killed?"

USA Today

John Kerry attacked President Bush's record on the economy Wednesday, saying that middle-class Americans are suffering from poor choices made by a stubborn incumbent who "has created more excuses than jobs."

Kerry to the National Guard

But I believe he failed the fundamental test of leadership.  He failed to tell you the truth.  You deserve better.  The Commander in Chief must level with the troops and the nation.   And as president, I will always be straight with you – on the good days, and the bad days. 

Two days ago, the President stood right where I’m standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq.  He did not tell you that with each passing day, we’re seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings.  He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder – that Pentagon officials report that entire regions of Iraq are now in the hands of terrorists and extremists.  He did not tell you that with each passing month, stability and security seem farther and farther away. 

He did not tell you any of this, even though – as the country learned today in the New York Times – his own intelligence officials have warned him for weeks that the mission in Iraq is in serious trouble.   But that is the truth – hard as it is to hear.    You deserve a president who will not play politics with national security, who will not ignore his own intelligence, while living in a fantasy world of spin, and who will give the American people the truth about the challenge our brave men and women face on the front lines.

New DNC Ad

"This President has a credibility problem. He cannot admit when he's wrong or when he's made a mistake. And if he can't admit that he's made a mistake, he can't fix it. Until George W. Bush starts being honest with the American people, Democrats will be holding him accountable with ads like this one."

To view the ad click here

Morning In America Missile

More evidence of the rapid decline of the Bush Bounce.

Action Jack is Back

And I can't believe all the new features Blogger has to offer-- I feel like Ward Weaver at a roller rink. Anyway, after a much needed blogging hiatus, I'm ready to start contributing on a semi-regular basis.

Call it Return of the Assmann.

So let me start off by saying the much vaunted "Bush Bounce" should be more appropriately titled the "Morning (in America) Missile." Yeah... it seems pretty solid from the outset, but then it deflates faster than a WonderWheel operated by Jack Brown.

That should do it, thanks Ray...

If you've had your Kerry/Edwards sign stolen lately (i.e. Sunday morning between 3-8), feel free to follow McGeggy's Craigslist example and respond in kind.

Assholes

I wish our press cared about these forged documents, being that they are actually forged and over 1000 Americans have been killed because of them.

Weighing In...
Did CBS get punked?
I'm taking a risky step, but I'm gonna weigh in on the forged document thing... WHO THE FUCK CARES??? An article in the Agonist sums up my thoughts exactly:

Why is the media talking about this? Haven't more than 1,000 US soldiers been killed in Iraq? Right?

Isn't our budget deficit higher, in dollar terms, than it ever has been before?

Isn't our current account deficit over 5% and unsustainable? Do people even know what a current account deficit is?

Where is Osama bin Laden?

And heaven forbid, let's certainly not talk about North Korea and Iran's nuclear programs.

Instead, the chattering classes, are well, chattering on and on about whether 30 year old documents were forged or not (would that they have focused this much energy on the forged Niger-Uranium documents).

Who cares? Can we please move on.

Okay, here's my only addition... regardless of whether or not those documents were produced now or then, are they factually accurate? If they weren't I would think the white house would go nuts refuting the claims made in the memos, but...

The White House distributed the four memos from 1972 and 1973 after obtaining them from CBS News. The White House did not question their accuracy

NEXT!!!

Buy it Now: A Clue

Admittedly, Waingroh doesn't know the ins and outs of Economics, and always thought it was the most boring subject in school next to Advanced Quantum Astrophysics (String Theory? yawn). But even Waingroh can smell the BS that is pouring out of Dick Cheney's mouth when it comes to the economy. He would be laughed out of any high school Economics class with his latest comment:

Indicators measure the nation's unemployment rate, consumer spending and other economic milestones, but Vice President Dick Cheney says they miss the hundreds of thousands who make money selling on eBay.

"That's a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago,'' Cheney told an audience in Cincinnati on Thursday. ``Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay."

At least Edwards was quick to jump on the ball this time:

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards responded that Cheney's comments show how ``out of touch'' he and President Bush are with the economy.

``If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking,'' Edwards said in a statement.

Well, there's only one way to test out Dickie Boy's theory. Buy as many of these as you can.

Afghani-where?

Bin Laden Deputy: Mujahedeen in Control
CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, said mujahedeen, or holy fighters, have taken control of much of Afghanistan and driven U.S. forces into the "trenches," according to a tape aired on Al-Jazeera TV Friday.

Wearing a white turban, the bespectacled Egyptian surgeon said "southern and eastern Afghanistan have completely become an open field for the mujahedeen."

"As for the Americans, they are now lying in their trenches, refusing to come out to meet the mujahedeen, despite the provocation of attacks, hits and carjacking."

Lovely.

Did a plane really hit the Pentagon?

A coworker sent this video to me. I'm not really sure what to make of it, except I remember there was speculation about the events surrounding the Pentagon.

Video

Any thoughts?

Bring 'em On

Well, you got your wish, asshole. 1000 dead. For what?

Pussy

Dipshit didn't look at ease tonight until Dickie boy came out and put Bush under his arm.

What if Bush wins?

It's a question I've asked myself a number of times. The Washington Monthly has 16 different authors' opions on the subject, ranging from Paul Begala to Grover Norquist. Check it out here.

Tech Tuesday

First off, I know it's wednesday, but how cool does Tech Wednesday sound? Second, Waingroh, keep your comments to yourself.


Apple has unveiled the new iMac, and it's pretty fucking cool. No box, all screen. Complete with wireless keyboard, mouse, and just about everything else. Tape drive/burner is an upgrade. I'd love to get my hands on one, but my cab only supports one computer at a time. I was thinking though, if each of our regular readers donated around $100 I would be about half way there. They begin shipping in about two weeks, so step up and give me some sugar, baby.

And before the Microsoft Borgs come at me, check this out:

Tonight and all this week: Vomit

The media coverage over the past few weeks have made me physically ill, and disillusioned once again. Culminating with this weeks convention, journalism has soared to new heights not seen since Baghdad Bob was forced off the air. Not that I really had any faith left in the major media, but I am gonna have to sit this one out. Hopefully until the debates, but I doubt I'll last that long

Worse than I thought
Wow, I thought I'd be able to do it, I really did. I mean, I've sat through the press conferences, speeches, and horrible interviews with George W (some of them multiple times with tivo). I thought I'd slowly built up an immunity to the bullshit and be able to stomach the GOP convention. I lasted 3 minutes tops. I missed McCain, but according to other bloggers, I didn't miss much. I turned it on when I returned from finding out that I do indeed own the cutest kitty of all time and started up in the middle of a 9/11 tribute. Don't get me wrong, I believe in paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11. What they did tonight in the 3 minutes I was watching was disgusting and an insult to their memories by tying their heroism to Bush's policies. The Bushies ignored all warnings to 9/11 and then paid little heed to the actual threat (Afghanistan) and moved on to fucking over Iraq. The worst part of it all, was that the tribute was being done by the families of people who died in in 9/11. I'm used to Bush and gang's horrible distortion of facts, but to have people who should genuinely be pissed and feel utterly betrayed spewing talking points was more than I could handle. I have great respect for those of you who can stomach it. I lasted up until the last woman, whose brother died in 9/11 and whose son was in Iraq. Of all people, she should be outraged, instead she tried to connect 9/11 to Iraq, and then some guy broke into Amazing Grace. They remind me of this horrible church I went to once as a teenager because everyone else was going. All they did was try to play on our emotions and fears. I thought it was dirty back then and it's even dirtier now. The Bushies, instead of doing it themselves (although they have and no doubt will), have enlisted people who have already been victims, and now they will be victims again, they just haven't realized it yet.

The Falcon

Little did Waingroh know it when he woke up this morning, but he would soon gain access to national security secrets that are usually classified for only the highest officials in international intelligence to see. Waingroh is no spy, but has now made a contact that has top-level security clearance and access to information that is so dangerous, this liason's real name cannot be revealed here. To his intrictate web of Government contacts, he's known only as: "The Falcon".

The Falcon pumps gas at the Shell station on 82nd & Foster. As he was filling up Waingroh's Turbo this morning, waingroh made a casual remark about how the price of gas was on the rise. Little did I know, this comment activated The Falcon's subliminal conditioning. He first looked around to make sure no one else was listening (and I could tell he was incredibly well-trained at this, because his right eye continuously wandered around in a circle as he spoke).

"Yup, they expect it to hit $3 a gallon by the end of the year, when the blackouts come," The Falcon said through his two remaining front teeth; he must've taken quite a few beatings in foreign interrogation rooms.

"Really. Blackouts huh? What kind of blackouts?" I asked. The way his haggard face perked up, those must have been the secret code words - and lucky Waingroh happened upon them by chance! The Falcon launched into a monologue about the war in Iraq, the secret war inside the US, the real problems with oil, and the coming "blackouts" that will knock out all communications throughout the country.

"'Cause that's what'll happen when the nukes hit." Whoa. I played it cool, like that's nothing I haven't heard before, but of course I knew I was on to something special; secrets that not just every lucky driver who pulls into the Shell station at 9a.m. can get access to. "Nukes, huh?"

"That's how they'll hit us. 40 briefcase nukes that they'll bring into the country, and explode 'em all at once. Each one's got about a 35-mile radius too, that's how they'll do it. Then they got no choice but fer blackouts." I knew I hit a goldmine of information, but The Falcon was beginning to break down. He was obviously sweating, and I think some of his past CIA training was failing and was affecting his speech, which was a little slurred and drool-producing.

As I was about to ask "So when they hit us with 40 nukes, the price of gas will still only be $3 a gallon?", I decided instead that I didn't want to press him too much further. The Falcon probably had surveillance from all kinds of intelligence agencies on him, and to keep our initial meeting low profile, I drove off with a charity smile. I could hear the Falcon yelling "35 mile radius!" as I drove off, a reminder of my password for the next meeting.

Keep your eyes out, I have a feeling that The Falcon may just be one of a vast gas-station intelligence network.

Nice Goin', Asshole

Link

Clackamas County puts Alfred French on leave after he says he misled his supervisor about an extramarital affair

Friday, August 27, 2004

STEPHEN BEAVEN

Clackamas County prosecutor Alfred French, who called Sen. John Kerry a liar in a political commercial, acknowledged Thursday that he lied to his boss when confronted about an extramarital affair with a colleague.Hours later, the Clackamas County district attorney's office said French had been placed on a 30-day paid leave while it conducts an investigation into his conduct.

French's former boss, James O'Leary, said he asked French about the rumored affair with a secretary about 10 years ago, but French denied it. O'Leary said he would have fired French if he'd admitted the relationship because it violated office policy.

French, who said he served in the same military unit with Kerry for two months in 1969, has come under intense scrutiny in the past week as the anti-Kerry ad has become a central issue in the presidential campaign. Suddenly, the well-respected Oregon prosecutor found himself the target of questions about his own credibility and the truthfulness of his statements against Kerry.

French's affidavit supporting the ad accused Kerry of exaggerating his war record, yet French conceded that he was relying on the account of war buddies, not what he witnessed. Since then, he's faced pickets outside his office and complaints of unethical conduct to the state bar.

As a sidenote, who names their kid Stephen Beaven?

Commercial Troubles

So the Bush campaign is obviously struggling to find any accomplishments to highlight in their commercials. They've got the swiftboat liars doing some of the dirty work and if any of you have watched the olympics, you've seen the terrible ad highlighting the two new "democracies" at the games. Unfortunately, the Iraqi soccer team was pretty pissed.

Midfielder Salih Sadir said that the Iraqi team - which won its group stage in Greece - was furious that it had been used in Bush's re-election campaign ads.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Sadir said .

One player accused the U.S. President of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting U.S. occupation troops if he were not at the Olympic Games in Athens.

Did you hear that Bush? If he wasn't playing soccer he'd be in Iraq fighting against our kids over there. But that's not all, now the olympic committee is criticizing the ad and calling for the ad to be removed. Why not just campaign on the issues Georgie Boy??? Oh, that's right, then you're totally fucked.

More Shenannigans

link

African American leaders from across the country are voicing their support for President Bush. Join the African American Team to show your support today!

It really says that, so I thought I'd better join up! I figure they've got so many African American leaders that they could use a Dutch/Irish whiteboy from the Northwest, just to keep it real.

Wow

Is all I have to say about Christopher Allbritton's latest reports from Najaf. Go check it out.

Shenannigans

I was just surfing the BC'04 site and found something rather interesting. Under the "5 ways to help right now" section, #4 is "vote early for George W. Bush." Link

This election could be as close as 2000, and there is nothing more important you can do to help reelect President Bush than make sure that you and those that support President Bush cast their vote. If you are a registered voter, you may be eligible to cast your vote early by mail or in person.

Not my emphasis.

Gee, I wonder why that is so important?

Fucking Asshole

Link

Less than a half-hour before the 5 p.m. deadline, Nader supporters gave the state what officials later said were 18,186 signatures. That's well over the 15,306 they need.

But the fight may not be over. Although county elections workers have verified the signatures, state Elections Division officials said they will scrutinize the petition sheets again after claims of fraud. And a union that has investigated the petition drive said it might mount legal challenges.

----

For all the infighting over Nader's presence on the ballot, a poll released Tuesday suggested he may not have much effect on the presidential race in Oregon. The survey shows Kerry leading Bush by 54 percent to 43 percent and Nader with 1.5 percent.

I think the fact that Nader has been exposed as a Republican stooge, and the desire to beat Bush has overwhelmed even the most idealistic Nader supporters, at least here in Oregon.

I still want those signatures checked, just to fuck with him.

Hammer of the Gods


Link

The former Led Zeppelin guitarist cast his hand prints in cement Monday as the first music legend to feature on London's reply to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Fitting.

Jack McCoy would NEVER!!!
What about this isn't perjury?

Before recording the ad, French signed an affidavit that said: "I am able to swear, as I do hereby swear, that all facts and statements contained in this affidavit are true and correct and within my personal knowledge and belief..."

In an interview with The Oregonian newspaper last week, French said he relied on the accounts of three other veterans in making the statement about Kerry and did not personally witness the events. French did not return two messages left at his office Monday...

District Attorney John Foote released a statement Monday chiding French for bringing unwanted publicity to the suburban county's office, but stood by his employee.

"I do not personally share the opinions expressed by our prosecutor," Foote wrote. "However, all of our employees have the right to their own opinions on these subjects and to express their opinions on their own time."

Once he signed an affidavit the "right to his opinion" was replaced by an obligation (or legal requirement) to tell the truth. This guy is a D.A. He knows how it works. Someone please clarify: WHY ISN'T THIS PERJURY???? Adam Schiff would never let this fly.

Pat Buchannan is Making Sense

No, really. Link

So it appears that the decisive test of the Bush Doctrine will come in Iran. And that test is probably not far off.


The Israelis have reportedly practiced strikes on Iran by crossing Turkish airspace and have special forces in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. There are rumors Sharon has told the White House that if we do not effect the nuclear castration of Iran, Israel will do the surgery herself, because she cannot live under the cloud of an atomic bomb in the possession of the patrons of Hezbollah.


Enter the "cakewalk" neoconservatives. Though disastrously wrong about Iraq's receptivity to U.S.-imposed democracy, and though they face disgrace and oblivion if Bush loses, they have one last card to play: That is to have America widen her wars with Afghanistan and Iraq with a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. For the neoconservatives, Iraq was simply Phase II of "World War IV" for imperial domination of the Middle East and serial destruction of the regimes in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.


The neocons have not abandoned this imperial project. Nor has Bush removed a single one from power, though they may yet cost him his presidency. And the neoconservative commentariat is again beating the drums for war – this time on Iran.


This is their hole card. If they can ignite a new war, the country may forget how they bungled the old war. In escalation lies vindication.

I know Pat hates the neocons for different reasons than I do. Mainly, he longs for a more traditional, caveman conservative movement. But you know what they say about politics and bedfellows. Welcome aboard Pat, hop in the bed and just close your eyes... it all feels the same.

Muqtada Lars-sadr

Venomous ranting. Religious Fervor. Maniacal senses of self-importance. Absolute intolerance of differing viewpoints…

Am I the first to notice the striking resemblance between the jowly al-Sadr and the rotten-toothed Lars Larson. What? It’s the other way around? Sorry about that, it happens a lot.

Whatever the case, I’ve gotta call similarities on wind-filled assbags like
I see em.

guest post by mcgeggy

What a Dud

When dubya came to Portland on Aug. 13, he was greeted at the airport by former Trailblazer Chris Dudley. Dudley, whose foundation helps children with insulin deficiency health problems, was honored to learn that Pres. Bush himself would present this year's Freedom Corps award to his foundation in person.

Dudley had to make special preparations to excuse himself from the final day of his Dudley Foundation camp; recording a video explaining to the kids that he couldn't be there because the President was recognizing them for a special award.

As it turns out, the only honor available that day was "getting" to be used as a photo opportunity by the Bushy camp. Karl Rove wanted a beloved local hero to meet the prez in town, so all the local media could print that special Kodak moment. They concocted the story about the presentation. Instead, expect 4-6 weeks delivery, probably C.O.D.

"Hi."

Not so fast, Karl.

The Iraqi soccer team are apparently not fans of Bush. Link

US media has touted the success of Iraq's under-23 team as it beat Portugal 4-2 and Costa Rica 2-0 and sailed through to the quarterfinals.

However, the sudden interest in the team - particularly from the US Republican re-election campaign platform - has irked some of its members.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi player Salih Sadir told SI.com.

"He can find another way to advertise himself."

Sadir has so far scored two goals for the team.

But some players went further: substitute Ahmad Manajid, who played as a midfielder in Wednesday's match against Morocco (1-2) told the monthly sports magazine "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?"

"He has committed so many crimes."

Defending Iraq

Manajid went on to say "I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?"

"Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."

According to Sports Illustrated, one of Manajid's cousin was a resistance fighter who was killed by US occupation forces. He allegedly told SI.com that he would have become a resistance fighter had he not been on the Olympic team.

Too good to miss!
The NYTimes maps out all the connections between the Bushies and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. As Kos says, it's breathtaking..


click the image to see the full size

c'mon Floodgates....

Congressman Doug Bereuter for Nebraska wrote a four page letter today that blasted Bush's Iraq War as the miserable failure everyone knows it has become. What is significant is that Bereuter is a Republican, and has dared to break ranks and criticize the President. In this backbiting political climate, where any sign of "disloyalty" to the King - I mean President - gets you an instant reprimand by Emperor Rove, why would a Republican risk his political future by speaking out?

Congressman Bereuter is retiring next month. He has a rare opportunity as a Republican to speak the truth about Bush's policy without fear of future career consequence. It's my belief that Bushy is rubbing most of the conservatives in Washington the wrong way, but Rove's reputation as a career-ender for whistle blowers goes back to Bushy's days as Texas Governor. Bereuter's 4 page letter probably contains a lot of common sentiment among righties, but only now as a retiree is he free to speak even this small amount.

As the Republican Doctrine dictates, anyone who speaks against Herr President's policies must immediately be attacked and personally discredited (though no actual defense of the criticism itself is given, it's enough in their minds to simply attack the man). Same-day Rove Textbook responses include suggestions that this letter is a parting shot from a bitter man, that he was passed up for promotion and has an agenda, and the fact that he is not in a "leadership" role so his opinion isn't significant. Yawn.

I hope he didn't sign one of those "oath of loyalty" agreements that Cheney loves to pass around, Bereuter might be facing charges soon. More likely, he'll just become Fox News' attack campaign target du jour for a week, following the likes of Richard Clarke, John Dean, Joe Wilson, etc.

Frothy!

Waingroh knew that Senator Rick Santorum is a disgusting, backward, evil religious zealot, but now a little light has been shed on why he's the foremost ant-gay marriage crusader. Type in "santorum" in a google search and you'll see he's made quite a reputation for himself in his closeted private life.

Evil Genius?

Evil?
Yes.

Genius?
I think not.

Nick at Tapped agrees.

Very Scary

This guy needs to be stoped.

Chavez:
'I don't believe in the dogmatic postulates of Marxist revolution. I don't accept that we are living in a period of proletarian revolutions. All that must be revised. Reality is telling us that every day. Are we aiming in Venezuela today for the abolition of private property or a classless society? I don't think so. But if I'm told that because of that reality you can't do anything to help the poor, the people who have made this country rich through their labour and never forget that some of it was slave labour, then I say 'We part company'. I will never accept that there can be no redistribution of wealth in society. Our upper classes don't even like paying taxes. That's one reason they hate me. We said 'You must pay your taxes'. I believe it's better to die in battle, rather than hold aloft a very revolutionary and very pure banner, and do nothing ... That position often strikes me as very convenient, a good excuse ... Try and make your revolution, go into combat, advance a little, even if it's only a millimetre, in the right direction, instead of dreaming about utopias.'

Go read the whole article by Tariq Ali

Chavez

In case anyone cares, Hugo Chavez survived the recall vote and Carter has certified it.

Defeated Man

Saw the last 10 min. of Larry King interview, Bush is already defeated. He just sounds pathetic.

Friday Cat Blogging (If Atrios can do it...)

Say hello to the newest member of the Leberson family, Puma

Escape From New York

The Republican National Convention is just three weeks away, and it promises to be the biggest political spectacle this country has seen in years. No, not because Arnold is speaking, or anything going on inside Madison Square Garden for that matter, but because of what will be taking place outside the convention. This year's RNC will be the scene of the largest political protest in the United States since the 1968 Chicago DNC riots.

For the first time in history, the Republican Party will hold its convention in New York City. Normally considered "enemy" territory for repubs, the choice was obvious for this administration that continues to capitalize on 9/11 for political gain. This transparent basis for choosing New York hasn't been lost on its citizens, either. Some activists and protestors have had this convention circled on their calendars for years, and early estimates have placed the total number of protestors at over one million.

Unlike Chicago in 1968, with thousands of random street protests and outbreaks of violence, this year's protest has seen unprecedented organization and planning. United for Peace & Justice is an organization formed in 2002 whose sole purpose is coordinating anti-Bush protests, in particular the 2004 RNC convention. Over 800 organizations around the US will be participating in the NYC protests, and the UPJ covers everything from securing city protest permits to scheduling bus trips into the city for protestors around the country.

But as the organization of protesting has gotten more advanced, this year's level of law enforcement has kept pace. Bushy is known to travel worldwide in so-called "security bubbles", sort of like travelling green zones. You'd better believe that New York City at the end of August is going to be one huge "bubble" (i.e. shitstorm). This may produce some of the least American imagery ever taken place inside the states: concrete roadblocks on downtown streets, police checkpoints to verify people's "papers", movable barricades supported with heavy weapons, bizarre police car "swarms", an estimated 40,000 police & law enforcement personnel - many with machine guns, helicoptors flying overhead. Lockdown. Full details (a must read!) ....

In addition, the police dept. has taken a lesson from the Department of Homeland Security, and issued its own type of "terror warnings" :

Such words are meant to encourage some sections of the protesters to "distance" themselves from more militant and confrontational forces--and to set up justification for police brutality against those who refuse to stay within the bound of allowable protest as defined by those in authority. Dropping such items into the media is an attempt by the authorities to set the terms in advance for police tactics like charging into protests--permitted or not--to "extract" and arrest demonstrators. The NYPD has specially trained squads--made up of nine cops each and led by a sergeant--to move into crowds of protesters and single out specific people for arrests.

Protestors now must apply for special permits to protest (many have been denied), and then are given isolated "freedom zones" (fenced-in city blocks, or "pits") that are miles away from the convention. Needless to say, many activists have taken to protesting the permits themselves. Here's a preliminary description of expected protest activites (expecting 1,000 arrests per day).....

What does it say about an administration, when it needs to shutdown and suppress the civil liberties of its people wherever it goes, all for the purpose of maintaining the "democratic process"? As well organized and thought out as both the protests and law enforcement are for this year's events, all the ingredients are there for something to go wrong. Angry protestors, paranoid law enforcement, vietnam-style divisive political beliefs, all taking place in the busiest city in the country (is there anything less settling for an American than seeing their own city being controlled by machine gun wielding troops?) . It will be interesting to see if all this gets as much news coverage as anything Arnold has to say.

....JINGLE ALL ZEE VAY!

Fuck You Lars

Link

Limbaugh, pals get liberally thrashed

Attention, Rush Limbaugh and everyone else who thought that liberal talk radio couldn’t work: Portland is proving otherwise. At least if you believe the folks who measure listenership.
The spring Arbitron ratings show that KPOJ (620 AM), which carries the upstart Air America Network with Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, et al., has made huge strides since its March 30 launch.
In the important 25-54 age category, KPOJ ranks third in the Portland market with a 4.9 share (which means a 4.9 percent share of the listening audience). It’s ahead of all other AM stations and finished behind top-ranked country-music KUPL (98.7 FM) and No. 2-ranked adult rock station KINK (101. 9 FM).
In a three-month period, KPOJ went from 12,000 listeners to almost 80,000 listeners per week, with little promotion or marketing. Previously KPOJ had been airing golden oldies, drawing a 1 percent share.
With numbers like that, KPOJ’s success could very well spawn other stations featuring “progressive” talk in Portland and around the country where underperforming stations may be looking for a new format.
“There are a lot of stations out there that were just kind of watching and waiting to see what happened,” said KPOJ Program Director Tony Coles. “My guess is that for Air America and for Ed Schultz, the phones will be ringing off the hooks once stations see the Portland numbers.” Schultz, whose show can be heard on KPOJ from noon to 3 p.m., is syndicated through the Jones Radio Network rather than Air America.
Of the 16 stations around the country where Air America is featured, Portland is the biggest success story, showing the most substantial growth. It also was one of only a handful of stations that carried Air America from the beginning, when financial problems almost sunk the network in its first month.
In the midday period from10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Air America’s Al Franken and Schultz rank No. 1, leaving Limbaugh, KPAM’s (860 AM) Sean Hannity and KXL’s (750 AM) Lars Larson in their wake.
However, when measured by listeners ages 12-plus throughout the day, KPOJ is in 11th place overall with a 3.7 share. KEX (1190 AM) is in sixth place with a 4.2 share, and KXL is eighth with a 4 share.
The hour-to-hour breakdowns had not been released at press time, so it’s not yet known whether Franken actually beats Limbaugh head-to-head from 9 a.m. to noon.
KPOJ is owned by Clear Channel Communications, which also owns KEX, the home of Limbaugh. In the mornings — from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. — KPOJ ended up in ninth place in the 25-54 age group, ahead of No. 11 KEX, which took a serious hit from its sister station.
As long as we’re keeping track, the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ratings indicate that Howard Stern on KUFO (101.1 FM) is No. 1 in the mornings among listeners 25-54, with a 7.6 share. He’s followed by KGON (92.3 FM),KUPL, KKCW (103.3 FM) and KWJJ (99.5 FM).
The Arbitron ratings are based on listener weekly diaries, and theories abound about how accurate — or inaccurate — they are. Some inside the industry speculate that fans of KPOJ and what it stands for are writing down in the Arbitron diaries more hours than they really tune in for.
But Arbitron is the only radio ratings game around, and advertisers have little else to go on.
“People have created their own bumper stickers and yard signs in support of the station,” says Mary Lou Gunn, market manager of Clear Channel Radio Portland.
For Air America, it’s still early in the game. To ensure its survival, the network must pick up stations in dozens of markets and needs to grow audience in places such as New York and Los Angeles. But in Portland, it’s on a definite roll.

Kerry's not a hero..........well that's WHAT I HEARD!

John McCain continues to be the most frustrating American politician to get a read on. Just when you want disregard him as a sellout for heading Bush's campaign in Arizona, he goes and pulls a stunt full of uncharacteristic integrity for a Republican and gives you hope for accountability in Washington.

"Swift Boat Veterans For Truth", a Republican funded 527 lie factory, just released a commercial denouncing John Kerry's vietnam heroics in several key swing states. Stating, among other things, that there was no direct gunfire when Kerry rescued his shipmate from the water. Yep. You read it right. Hold your horses Kerry - you've been EXPOSED!!! Better change your campaign strategy now! Seriously though, even if this account was true (and that's highly doubtful - SBVT includes no servicemen who were actually on Kerry's boat), it's absolutley deplorable the level of nitpicking of 30 year old events the Repubs feel inclined to do.

It was a war. Kerry won medals. Your guy didn't, because he didn't go. There's no room for spin here.

Thankfully, John McCain's sense of honor and ethics hasn't been totally beaten out of him by Karl Rove just yet; he called the ad dishonest and dishonorable, and directly challenged the White House to condemn the ad.

"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me,'' McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press, comparing the anti-Kerry ad to tactics in his bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush.

Scotty McClellan, as usual, diverted the question and instead condemned the whole institution of 527 groups, particluarly the $62 million spent on attack ads against W from "shadowy groups" (Huh. Makes you wonder if the whole SBVT stunt was a way to bring stricter campaign finance reform back into the limelight, what with the incredible success and popularity of anti-Bush groups like MoveOn.org). You can read an incredible excercise on how to spin an issue in today's White House briefing.

Joe Conasson from Salon wrote:

"Arguments about the war in Vietnam seem destined to continue forever. For now, however, the lingering bitterness and ambiguity of those days provide smear material against an antiwar war hero with five medals on behalf of a privileged Guardsman with a dubious duty record. The president's Texas allies -- whose animus against his Democratic challenger dates back to the Nixon era -- are now deploying the same techniques and personnel they used to attack McCain's integrity four years ago. Bush's 'independent' supporters would apparently rather talk about the Vietnam quagmire than about his deadly incompetence in Iraq."

More interesting facts on the Swift Boat Veterans for Lies.

Bush's Brain

Waingroh's number one nemesis, the evil emperor Karl Rove, is now the subject of a documentary movie. Based on the book by the same name, Bush's Brain is slated to come out on August 27. You can see the trailer here.

Creepy.

Nice Strategery

Steve G reports on Bush's flawed strategy.

Friday MickBlogging

A Big Timeout

From Overspun


He's done a couple of these, but this is the best so far.

It's not Osama, but.......

Waingroh has been detained in Guantanamo Bay for the last few weeks, for an unspecified violation of his parole, and has bargained for limited internet access during his stay of an unspecified amount of time.....

As Waingroh posted three weeks ago, the Bush clan was pressuring Musharraf and the Pakistani boys to come up with a High Value Target, and that "it would be best if the arrest or killing of [any] HVT were announced on twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July"--the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Boston." Well, they missed it by one day (I'm sure Karl Rove will have to give Pervez a nasty call), but they got their man.

The term "like clockwork" is becoming synonymous with Rove's transparent and scripted campaign. Like a bad movie, cliche plot twists can be seen a mile away and events unfold just to set up eye rolling one-liners. Maybe that's why Ahnold's become such a rising star in the Republican Party. "AghgHagh! Come see my holiday classic JINGLE ALL ZEE VAY!!!"

Edwards

He is the man.

CNN of course gave Ralph Reed almost as much time as Edwards to spout his vomit in response.

Will Ferrell does George W.

Watch the video and then donate (they match dollar for dollar)

History

Is it possible we could have a black president before a woman president? Obama makes me think so, wow. And despite what the right says, I don't think Hillary would mind too much.

Vision does not ensure wisdom
My favorite quote so far from the convention was from President Clinton:

Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won't stand up to the terrorists -- don't you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values.

It's amusing to watch the GOP respond to that statement:

Republicans gathered at the GOP war room on Tuesday tried to pick apart a suggestion by former President Clinton that Kerry has the "strength and wisdom" to keep America safe.

"Part of wisdom is having a vision and being consistent with that vision," said Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman. "With Senator Kerry, we have seven different positions on his vote against the 87 billion dollars for Iraq.

Notice they bring up vision, not wisdom. Not really comparable in my mind... Name a dictator that had a vision and wasn't consistent with it... are they saying that consistency is a sign of wisdom? My dog shits in the same part of the yard every day. Now, as I've mention in the past, he is quite smart, but do I think he should run the country because he has a vision of shitting in the yard that he is consistent with, probably not.

Convention Coverage: Day Two

There is no doubt in my mind that Shepard Smith of Fox Report is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Has Reagan always been so cool? Not just his speech, but I've been watching him on MSNBC lately (don't ask), and he seems like a pretty good guy.

I know his speech has been billed as "non-partisan", but so far it seems like a not so subtle jab at the religious right. Gotta love that.

AAAAAHHHHH
Just listened to Sean Hannity on the Al Franken show. I want to pull my hair out. Apparently if you just talk over everyone, no matter what you say, you're right. The bullshit spewing out of his mouth, I don't know how Franken didn't slug him. What a fuckin sleaze.

Convention Coverage You'll Get Nowhere Else

Updated in realtime.

Bob Novak is gross. He makes me physically ill.

Wonkette is kind of hot... kind of.

Is Anderson Cooper in his 20's, or 50's?

Most bloggers are too ugly to be in radio.

According to channels 44 - 48, "Shove it" is just as offensive as "Go fuck yourself".

Apparently, this is Atrios.

Remember what a real President was like?

Why can't we repeal the 22nd amendment?

Clinton: "They need a divided America... We don't."

He is a rockstar.

It's Official

Lance just one his sixth Tour in a row. Amazing. This one wasn't ever really close either. From the prologue on, Lance let it be known that there would be no gifts this year and he was out to set the record. Lance normally wins it in the mountain stages, be he just destroyed the mountains this year, and with that, the rest of the competition.

It will years before history will be able to sort out how great Lance really is, but I put him up higher than MJ, easily one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Not Scared Enough...
So apparently we aren't scared enough of another terrorist attack. Maybe because announcements by Tom Ridge, or Asscroft for that matter, come at times when the White House is trying to divert attention, or maybe because people are starting to realize that the Bushies have been playing off of our fears for too long, but this new one seems to combine ideas... It's released the day after the 9/11 report comes out, at a time when the talking point of the day is "we're safer than we were on 9/11, but we're not safe," which makes as much sense, as Randi Rhodes so eloquently put, "These shoes fit, but they pinch." So in order for them to really grind it in that we could die at any moment Tom Ridge jumps into the spot light...

U.S. Warns Sports Officials of Al Qaeda Threat
HERNDON, Va. (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Friday warned top executives of major American sports organizations that al Qaeda may strike soon -- possibly at large sports events...

He repeated a warning that the government fears al Qaeda might try to stage another large-scale attack in the United States, though he said he had no details on the time, place or method.

So you hear that? You know that game you were gonna go see this weekend, be careful, cause you may DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Found Them!
It was an inadvertent oversight that they said they inadvertently destroyed them...

Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Friday released newly discovered payroll records from President Bush's 1972 service in the Alabama National Guard, though the records shed no new light on the future president's activities during that summer.

A Pentagon official said the earlier contention that the records were destroyed was an "inadvertent oversight."

Like records released earlier by the White House, the newly released computerized payroll records show no indication Bush drilled with the Alabama unit during July, August and September of 1972. Pay records covering all of 1972, released previously, also indicated no guard service for Bush during those three months.

The records do not give any new information toward determining whether Bush kept his National Guard commitments during 1972, when he transferred to the Alabama National Guard unit so he could work on the U.S. Senate campaign of a family friend.

Not that I ever had any doubt, but this really seals the deal for me. If Bush had been there, with all the resources he's got, he could have proved it by now.

UPDATE: Sorry, I didn't read it closely enough. For some reason when I read "shed no new light" I assumed they were right. Shoulda learned by now. Look at the highlighted portions... doesn't that say he WASN'T there? That seems pretty clear! Leave it to the Bushies to document dump on a Friday night.

Nice Try, Fuckstain

I just saw on the news that Nader failed to make the ballot here in Oregon by fifty votes. Too bad.

Berger Sock Experiment
Finally, a scientific study of the sock stuffing theory... courtesy of Myrick

Armed with a pair of mid-length dress socks and a Brooks Brothers' sock suspenders I attempted walking about my house with various materials – both with and without the braces.

Click here for the results...

No healthcare... but FREE BOOBS!!!
Finally, the incentive I've been waiting for...

Bigger Breasts for Free: Join the Army

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime.

The New Yorker magazine reports in its July 26th edition that members of all four branches of the U.S. military can get face-lifts, breast enlargements, liposuction and nose jobs for free -- something the military says helps surgeons practice their skills.

"Anyone wearing a uniform is eligible," Dr. Bob Lyons, chief of plastic surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio told the magazine, which said soldiers needed the approval of their commanding officers to get the time off.

Between 2000 and 2003, military doctors performed 496 breast enlargements and 1,361 liposuction surgeries on soldiers and their dependents, the magazine said.

The magazine quoted an Army spokeswoman as saying, "the surgeons have to have someone to practice on."

Geez, someone to practice on? Ummm... maybe I won't join. I was soooooo close.

The Daily Show
It started off making fun of the news... but now, as the news is SOOO bad, the Daily Show's spoof on the news, is actually better than the news...

TV critics vote for merit, message
Only television critics, for instance, would have conferred this year's prize for outstanding news and information programming to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" — vaulting it over rivals like PBS' "Frontline" and ABC's "Nightline."

It was a decision made on both merit and message. As my cross-town rival, Melanie McFarland of the Post-Intelligencer, said when presenting the award, at a time when the mainstream media seem cowed, Jon Stewart and company embody "a core of truth."

The rest of the news media, as Ed Helms would say, "are a bunch of pussies."

What an ass

Well, the Republican party came to Ralph's rescue in Michigan with 40,000 signatures to get him on the state ballot. Ralph, not a man to refuse a gift from his newest and bestest buddies, gladly accepted.

The Whiskey Bar opened up briefly tonight, and the bartender weighed in; Ralph has obviously switched sides. Go have a drink.

Dog Days of Summer

It seems that there hasn't really been much going on lately, well at least anything new going on. And I have been incredibly busy with work, so I am not even gonna try to blog for the next few days.

If you're a total junkie, check out the Agonist or Cursor, for daily Iraq updates, Juan Cole is the way to go.

Big News

link

Blackwell Halts Deployment Of Diebold Voting Machines For 2004
July 16, 2004


COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell today halted deployment of Diebold Election Systems’ electronic voting devices in Ohio for the 2004 General Election. The decision is based on preliminary findings from the secretary of state's second round of security testing conducted by Compuware Corporation showing the existence of previously identified, but yet unresolved security issues. Hardin, Lorain and Trumbull counties had selected to use new Diebold equipment this November. Those counties will use their current voting devices in 2004.

“As I made clear last year, I will not place these voting devices before Ohio’s voters until identified risks are corrected,” Blackwell said. “Diebold Election Systems has successfully addressed many, but not all, of the problems that were identified in our first security review. The lack of comprehensive resolution prevents me from giving county boards of elections a green light for this November.

There is hope after all...

We've Got a Winner!


"Now the correct position of the thumb in the Dancing Butterfly position is here. Otherwise you are just giving your partner the inverted nightcrawler, which is fun but not as satisfying."

Congatulations to The Dunbar, and thanks to all 7 who played.

Friday Micky Blogging

It's getting better all the time

It has seemed like the media has quit covering troop casualties in Iraq, especially since the "handover" took place on 6/28. Is that because a sovereign Iraq has become safer for our troops? Apparently not. From the latest numbers I can find, 36 US have been killed in the 16 days following the "transfer of power". As a comparison, the first 27 days of June saw 38 US casualties.

I don't point this out because of how it reflects on Bush, or shows how pointless this war has become. These men were sent to their deaths on at best a blundered, but well meaning plan, and at worst, a blundered, deceitful plan. The least the media can do is honor these men's ultimate sacrifice by acknowledging their deaths.

No spin here... seriously

David Cole confirms what we all know, as he reports on his first and last visit to the No Spin Zone.

Bill O'Reilly is a major-league asshole. Big Time.

Spin this...
Wonkette's got a huge list of memos sent to journalists by the makers of "Outfoxed" to support their claim that Fox is the propoganda machine of the republican party. Some highlights:

"Let's not overdo the appearances by Kerry's swiftboat mate John O'Neil."

"The so-called 9/11 commission has already been meeting."

"today is likely to be the apex of the so-called 9/11 commission hearings."

"As is often the case, the real news is Iraq is being obscured by temporary tragedy."

"We'll have to devote some time to the tornadoes, simply out of respect to the magnitude of damage they did."

"It won't be long before some people start to decry the use of "excessive force." We won't be among that group."

The events in Iraq Tuesday are going to be the top story, unless and until something else (or worse) happens. Err on the side of doing too much Iraq rather than not enough. Do not fall into the easy trap of mourning the loss of US lives and asking out loud why are we there? The US is in Iraq to help a country brutalized for 30 years protect the gains made by Operation Iraqi Freedom and set it on the path to democracy. Some people in Iraq don't want that to happen. That is why American GIs are dying. And what we should remind our viewers.

"Also, let's refer to the US marines we see in the foreground as "sharpshooters" not snipers, which carries a negative connotation."

"Do not ignore the Oil for Food story, please."