Politics

Politically, I’m very liberal — about as far left as one can go without sliding into Libertarianism.

Can Bush do anything but lie?

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The Washington Post takes a look at the slew of false advertising coming out of the Bush administration:

It was a typical week in the life of the Bush reelection machine.

Last Monday in Little Rock, Vice President Cheney said Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry “has questioned whether the war on terror is really a war at all” and said the senator from Massachusetts “promised to repeal most of the Bush tax cuts within his first 100 days in office.”

On Tuesday, President Bush’s campaign began airing an ad saying Kerry would scrap wiretaps that are needed to hunt terrorists.

The same day, the Bush campaign charged in a memo sent to reporters and through surrogates that Kerry wants to raise the gasoline tax by 50 cents.

On Wednesday and Thursday, as Kerry campaigned in Seattle, he was greeted by another Bush ad alleging that Kerry now opposes education changes that he supported in 2001.

The charges were all tough, serious — and wrong, or at least highly misleading. Kerry did not question the war on terrorism, has proposed repealing tax cuts only for those earning more than \$200,000, supports wiretaps, has not endorsed a 50-cent gasoline tax increase in 10 years, and continues to support the education changes, albeit with modifications.

Of course, as Tom Schaller points out on Daily Kos, it would be pretty damn difficult for Bush to run any campaign ads that actually told the truth about what he’s done for this country.

iTunes: “Ship Song, The” by Concrete Blonde from the album Still in Hollywood (1992, 4:20).

Bush displays Saddam’s gun as trophy

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Bill Clinton got his rocks off in the Oval Office and lied about it to the American people. He [nearly]{.underline} got impeached.

George Bush got his rocks off in Iraq and lied about it to the American people. He got a souvenir.

A handgun that Saddam Hussein was clutching when U.S. forces captured him in a hole in Iraq last December is now kept by President Bush at the White House, Time magazine reported Sunday.

[…]

Bush shows Saddam’s gun to select visitors, telling them it is unloaded, both now and when Saddam was captured, Time reported.

“He really liked showing it off,” Time quoted a visitor who had seen the gun as saying. “He was really proud of it.”

Sick and wrong.

(via Daily Kos, with thanks to 60s Reloaded for the initial 2-line summary)

Life in Fallujah today

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This is the democracy and freedom that our soldiers are dying for…

With U.S. marines gone and central government authority virtually nonexistent, Fallujah resembles an Islamic mini-state – anyone caught selling alcohol is flogged and paraded in the city. Men are encouraged to grow beards and barbers are warned against giving “western” hair cuts.

“After all the blood that was shed, and the lives that were lost, we shall only accept God’s law in Fallujah,” said cleric Abdul-Qader al-Aloussi, offering a glimpse of what a future Iraq may look like as the U.S.-led occupation draws to a close. “We must capitalize on our victory over the Americans and implement Islamic sharia laws.”

The departure of the marines under an agreement that ended the three-week siege last month has enabled hardline Islamic leaders to assert their power in this once-restive city 50 kilometres west of Baghdad.

(via Atrios)

Gore’s speech at NYU

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Excellent speech given by Al Gore at New York University yesterday (it’s a shame that this Al Gore wasn’t the Al Gore campaigning against Bush in 2000). This is a long one, but it is really worth watching, or reading, in its entirety.

C-Span Video (RealOne, 1 hour 9 minutes): Al Gore at NYU.

MoveOn.org Transcript: Remarks by Al Gore, May 26, 2004.

George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world.

He promised to “restore honor and integrity to the White House.” Instead, he has brought deep dishonor to our country and built a durable reputation as the most dishonest President since Richard Nixon.

[…]

As a nation, our greatest export has always been hope: hope that through the rule of law people can be free to pursue their dreams, that democracy can supplant repression and that justice, not power, will be the guiding force in society. Our moral authority in the world derived from the hope anchored in the rule of law. With this blatant failure of the rule of law from the very agents of our government, we face a great challenge in restoring our moral authority in the world and demonstrating our commitment to bringing a better life to our global neighbors.

During Ronald Reagan’s Presidency, Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan was accused of corruption, but eventually, after a lot of publicity, the indictment was thrown out by the Judge. Donovan asked the question, “Where do I go to get my reputation back?” President Bush has now placed the United States of America in the same situation. Where do we go to get our good name back?

The answer is, we go where we always go when a dramatic change is needed. We go to the ballot box, and we make it clear to the rest of the world that what’s been happening in America for the last four years, and what America has been doing in Iraq for the last two years, really is not who we are. We, as a people, at least the overwhelming majority of us, do not endorse the decision to dishonor the Geneva Convention and the Bill of Rights.

[…]

In December of 2000, even though I strongly disagreed with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to order a halt to the counting of legally cast ballots, I saw it as my duty to reaffirm my own strong belief that we are a nation of laws and not only accept the decision, but do what I could to prevent efforts to delegitimize George Bush as he took the oath of office as president.

I did not at that moment imagine that Bush would, in the presidency that ensued, demonstrate utter contempt for the rule of law and work at every turn to frustrate accountability…

So today, I want to speak on behalf of those Americans who feel that President Bush has betrayed our nation’s trust, those who are horrified at what has been done in our name, and all those who want the rest of the world to know that we Americans see the abuses that occurred in the prisons of Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and secret locations as yet undisclosed as completely out of keeping with the character and basic nature of the American people and at odds with the principles on which America stands.

I believe we have a duty to hold President Bush accountable – and I believe we will. As Lincoln said at our time of greatest trial, “We – even we here – hold the power, and bear the responsibility.”

(via MeFi)

So much for that idea

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My plan for the morning was to wander down the hill and see Kerry speak on today’s swing through Seattle. It even looked like I was going to be able to pull it off — I set my alarm an hour early, actually managed to haul myself out of bed, and was out the door by 8:45am.

Springtime in Seattle, though, doesn’t always have the best weather, and today is definitely one of the drearier days. Grey, windy, and rainy. I wasn’t terribly concerned about this on the walk down the hill, as one of the first things I learned about being a Seattleite is that an umbrella is a necessary part of one’s supplies. I walked down Pike to the Pike Place Market, took the stairs down through the market, and crossed Alaskan Way to head to the pier. One of the police officers on duty directed me to the line, and I started working my way down…

…and down…

…and down…

Waiting to see Kerry speak

…and about five blocks later or so, finally found the end. Still, I’ve got no big problem with queueing up for something that interests me, and I’ve been curious for a while as to how Kerry would strike me in person. What little I’ve seen of him (generally during snippets on CNN while I’m eating lunch, as I’m without TV at home) hasn’t really impressed me to date, but I also know that many people can come across far better in a personal appearance than in a compressed 15-second news soundbite. So, I staked out my spot in line and waited.

And kept waiting.

An hour later, after having moved only about the length of two blocks, it became very clear that chances of actually making it into the designated area when Kerry was still around were getting slimmer and slimmer. The final straw, though, was when word came down the line that due to security measures, umbrellas were not being allowed into the secure area. Bags not being allowed I was expecting — that had been mentioned on Kerry’s website — but umbrellas? Sure, I’m not going to melt, but that doesn’t mean that I particularly relish the idea of standing out in the wind and rain, either.

The pile of umbrellas

So, I gave it a few more minutes to think it over, decided that it wasn’t worth it, and wandered my way back home. On the way out, I passed the solution to the umbrella situation: a huge pile of umbrellas at the bottom of a lamppost close to the screening area at the entrance. Ugh. Talk about a quickly improvised and badly thought out solution. I was not impressed.

So, that was my morning adventure — an aborted and unsuccessful attempt to form better impressions of the Democratic nominee for the 2004 election cycle. Hopefully I’ll have another chance before November rolls around (and if I do, I hope it goes better than this one did).

iTunes: “Heartbeat (Armand van Helden)” by Somerville, Jimmy from the album Platinum on Black, Vol. 2 (1995, 4:53).

Alaskans against CAPPS II

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Stop CAPPS II button

Alaska can be a pretty interesting place to travel around in. Once you get out of the “big cities” (“big” being used in a fairly loose sense here) of Anchorage and Fairbanks, there are only a certain small number of places you can go by car. When you’re trying to get around a state as big as Alaska (more than twice the size of Texas) and most of the towns aren’t accessible by road, unless you’re planning on training for the Iditarod, your best bet is flying.

Because of this, aviation plays a huge part in Alaskan transportation, with six times more pilots per capita and 14 times as many airplanes per capita as the rest of the U.S. That’s a lot of airplanes, and a lot of flights.

And it’s also a lot of Alaskans that aren’t very happy about the proposed flight restrictions of CAPPS II.

Washington DC bureaucrats think we need their permission before we can get on a plane.

We think they’re wrong. They don’t understand that up here in Alaska, we use airplanes the way you use taxis.

And that’s why we, a group of Alaskans, are turning to the US District Court for help.

(via Mike)

iTunes: “Rasta Rave” by Aar from the album Zoo Rave 1 (1992, 5:32).

Kerry in Seattle tomorrow

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From the Seattle PI: John Kerry to speak in Seattle:

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will be in Seattle at a free public appearance on Pier 62 tomorrow morning.

The 9:45 a.m. event is open to the public. Those who want better seating can stop by the Democratic Party campaign headquarters at 1848 Westlake Ave. N. for reserved seats. The morning event is not a fund-raiser.

Kerry, who arrives in Washington late this evening, plans to talk about the steps he would take as president to make the country energy-independent. Kerry will speak tomorrow evening at a \$1,000 a plate fund-raiser at the Westin Hotel.

If I can get my butt in gear early enough, I may wander down the hill and see if I can make it to this. Early in the morning for me, but would be good to see how Kerry presents himself, as I have to admit that he hasn’t overly impressed me in what I’ve seen so far.

iTunes: “Posthaste” by Crack Machine from the album Freak Accident (1994, 3:41).

Disney Propaganda (I want this!)

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Oooers — anybody want to get me a late birthday present? ;)

Walt Disney Treasures: On the Front Lines

On December 8, 1941, the Disney Studio was taken over by the military as part of the war effort. Making the most of the talent that hadn’t shipped out yet, Walt Disney spent the next four years creating and producing training, propaganda, and educational films for the Armed Forces. In addition to these films, this extraordinary volume also includes the full-length feature “Victory Through Air Power.” Released theatrically in 1943, this powerful propaganda film has never been reissued until now. You’ll also see recently discovered on-the-set footage, and get rare firsthand accounts about the work and culture at the Disney Studio in interviews with Disney Legends Joe Grant, John Hench, and Roy Disney. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.

Yes, I’ve been working on drastically reducing my DVD library, and renting rather than buying. But some things are just too good to ignore, and given the combination of animation, history, and politics that this entails, I’d love to have my own copy.

Related: a DVDFile interview with Disney animator Dave Bossert, the producer of the set.

(via MeFi)

Republican lightbulb joke

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How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to replace a lightbulb?

The Answer is SEVEN:

  1. one to deny that a lightbulb needs to be replaced
  2. one to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the lightbulb,
  3. one to blame the previous administration for the need of a new lightbulb,
  4. one to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of lightbulbs,
  5. one to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries one million dollars for a lightbulb,
  6. one to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the lightbulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag,
  7. and finally one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.

(via Daily Kos)

iTunes: “Situation (Richard”Humpty\” Vission Radio Edit)\” by Yaz from the album Don’t Go/Situation (1999, 4:01).