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Buzz, perspectives, insight and news from AlterNet

Goldman Sachs Plays at Giving Back to the Little People
Posted by Joe Costello, Archein on November 17, 2009 at 11:50 PM.

Goldman Sachs announced it was giving the little folks $500 million spread over five years, because as CEO Lloyd Blankfein says, "We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret,” and...wait for it.... “We apologize." If only all the boys sitting behind bars for sticking up a 7-11 knew all they had to do was apologize and give back a pittance of that they stole. All would be forgiven.

The Financial Times states the 500 million to be tithed to small businesses is "2.3 per cent of its estimated bonus and salary pool for 2009" and the yearly amount "is equivalent to a good trading day at Goldman. In the third quarter, the bank had 36 days in which traders made more than $100m." What would the small business person do without its Wall Street benefactors?

Last fall, Goldman was "gifted" $14 billion from the American taxpayer with the Fed and Treasury's fraudulent payment of AIG's worthless derivatives. I wonder if that's what Mr. Blankfein means by they "participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret," or maybe that's something else? But a tithe is supposed to be ten percent, so they're about billion short. Better, if they were made to payback the entire 14 billion and broke into a couple dozen pieces.

Do New Yorkers Want a Terror Trial in Their City? Depends on Who You Ask
Posted by BarbinMD, Daily Kos on November 17, 2009 at 4:44 PM.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Sorry Monsanto, You're Wrong: More GE Crops Mean More Pesticides
Posted by Tara Lohan, AlterNet on November 17, 2009 at 3:25 PM.

More genetically engineered crops means less pesticides are needed, right? That's what the big agricultural biotech companies, like Monsanto, promised. But, a report proves they're wrong. Really wrong.

First, the report was funded by a coalition of non-governmental organizations including the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Food Safety, the Cornerstone Campaign, Californians for GE-Free Agriculture, Greenpeace International and Rural Advancement Fund International USA.

They found that GE corn, soybean, and cotton crops have increased the use of weed-killing herbicides in the U.S. by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008. Why? Because the idea behind many of the big GE crops is to make them resistant to herbicides, for instance Roundup Ready Soybeans won't be killed if you spray the herbicide Roundup on them. Roundup instead is suppose to kill the weeds around the plant. But, crafty little nature has outsmarted biotech again and now we've got weeds that have become resistant as well. Woops.

So, maybe the biotech industry shouldn't be making farmers pay through the nose for these seeds, eh? Here's some more info from the report about the pickle farmers are in now, thanks to GE crops:

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Glenn Beck Defends the Right (For Terrorists) to Bear Arms
Posted by Byard Duncan, AlterNet on November 17, 2009 at 2:17 PM.

On Fox and Friends today, Glenn Beck was accidentally forced to confront a pretty devastating quandary -- one that plagues so many of his fear-mongering compadres on the Right: What’s more important, protecting U.S. citizens or reinforcing their ability to supposedly protect themselves? Gretchen Carlson, referring to Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter:

CARLSON: I agree with you completely on this whole PC that's invaded our culture and invaded, apparently, our own U.S. military. But here's one question about the gun situation. Apparently, even if you are on the terrorist watch list, you can still purchase a gun. Do you think that's okay?

BECK: I am not going to give these people any more laws, any more power until they fix the problems that they have created themselves. How much more are we going to give them?

It’s smart of him to steer the conversation into Dem-bashing territory as quickly as he does. But before getting all carried away with the partisan acrobatics, let’s be perfectly clear on Beck’s position here: he would rather see the United States endure more terrorist attacks than tighten gun control regulations. Period.

So while many in Beck’s shoes might simply marvel at the complexity of the issue (infringing on gun control rights is always a prickly political endeavor; yet how can the government not act on this loophole that left 12 dead and effectively devastated the country?), Beck prefers the WWCHD approach: What Would Charlton Heston Do?

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'Hit the Bitch': Domestic Violence PSA Goes Very, Very Wrong
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on November 17, 2009 at 1:15 PM.

A Danish PSA has managed to trivialize domestic violence to a degree unrivaled by our fashion industry, mainstream media and most irritating comedians (and all those people try really hard). HitTheBitch.com gives you a big, meaty hand with which to slap around a scantily dressed model who jabbers at you accusingly in Danish while sad rap music plays in the background. 

With every slap, the model’s face becomes more bruised, and a graphic at the top of the screen marks your progress from Pussy to Gangsta. I’m a pretty big pussy, so I only made it one fourth of the way to Gangsta before I got weirded out and had to stop. But apparently, once you've beaten the crap out of the model, the site totally topples all of your assumptions about intimate partner violence -- you know, that it makes you an offensive stereotype of a black man -- and you are told instead that you are "100% Idiot!"

And teen boys everywhere lean back and thoughtfully consider the relationship between aggressive ideals of masculinity and violence against women.

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Priceless: Gay Rights Activists Take Over Christian Right Hate-Fest in DC
Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet on November 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM.

I guess Dana Milbank just worships power and delights in picking on the marginalized. So while I've grown to detest him for years of snarky columns cherry-picking little vignettes to make progressives -- environmentalists, anti-war activists, human rights experts -- look like hopeless geeks who should be ignored when the GOP was in power, now that the Democrats are riding high he seems to be focusing that admittedly sharp pen on tea-baggers and the religious right -- the GOP's immoderate base.

Today he tells an interesting story that could have been titled: Reverend Smith Goes to Washington ...

Conservative Christian ministers from across the land, determined to test the bounds of a new law punishing anti-gay hate crimes, assembled outside the Justice Department on Monday to denounce the sin of homosexuality and see whether they would be charged with lawbreaking.

Needless to say, no arrests were made.

No hands were cuffed. In fact, the few cops in attendance were paying no attention to the speakers, instead talking among themselves and checking their BlackBerrys.

The evangelical activists had been hoping to provoke arrest, because, as organizer Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission put it, "we'd have standing to challenge the law." But their prayers were not answered. Nobody was arrested, which wasn't surprising: To run afoul of the new law, you need to "plan or prepare for an act of physical violence" or "incite an imminent act of physical violence."

But there was some drama ...

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Tea Party Protests Get Violent in Arizona (Video)
Posted by Dawn Teo, Huffington Post on November 17, 2009 at 11:43 AM.

Tea Partiers tussled with counter protesters during at least two of the nationwide anti-immigration Tea Party rallies on Saturday.

In Ft. Lauderdale, several Tea Partiers brawled in the street with counter protesters from the Florida Chapter of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).

The video, which was shot by Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), shows two Tea Partiers with their own video cameras making their way through the area designated by police for counter protesters from ANSWER. As the Tea Partiers reach the end of the ANSWER group, one of the Tea Partiers can be seen having an argument with one of the ANSWER counter-protesters when that counter-protester pummels him with his sign.

The brawl quickly spilled into the road, with some joining in and some trying to break up the fight. By the end of the incident, both Tea Partiers were on the ground, being battered by counter-protesters. 62 year-old Dave Caulkett of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement says he was kicked in the face just before being let up from the ground.

Police did not intervene on the video, but sirens can be heard in the background. It is unclear why no police were present to keep the peace between the two opposing groups.

Video of the incident was posted by ALIPAC, an immigration control organization. It includes captions depicting the Tea Party perspective of the incident:

 

Friday, the day before the Tea Party rally, ANSWER sent out a provocative email, which is now being cited and criticized extensively in conservative blogs. The email included the following statement:

Racism is like anything else in this world: in order to make it fall, you must smash it! That is why we are calling on all people to come out tomorrow, to organize a militant confrontation with the so-called 'tea baggers.' Beating back these forces will require us to organize together, take the streets, fight the racists wherever they show their faces and drive them out of every community.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Dobbs on Palin: She Has "Left a Lot To Be Desired" (Video)
Posted by Andrea Nill, Think Progress on November 17, 2009 at 10:45 AM.

In an interview on NBC’s Today Show this morning, host Matt Lauer sought former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs’ opinion of Sarah Palin and her presidential prospects. Dobbs — whose rumored next step is said to be a run for political office — provided a critical assessment of Palin as a potential presidential candidate. Dobbs stated that Palin is certainly “staking out her territory,” but he refused to endorse her:

LAUER: Is she [Palin] staking out an early claim for the Republican nomination in 2012?

DOBBS: Well she’s certainly the front-runner in terms of her popularity in the Republican party and therefore, de facto, it seems to me Matt she’s staking out her territory.

LAUER: Is she someone if the election were held today Lou, would you consider voting for her?

DOBBS: Would I consider voting her? Frankly based on what I have seen, personally no. … I think the woman had a brilliant address at the Republican convention last year. I think uh, since then, she’s left a lot to be — uh, I’ll put it this way — desired as a person who’s seeking votes.

Watch it:

Ironically, Daily Show host Jon Stewart joked last week that Dobbs is “going Palin, going rogue” by abruptly leaving his job at CNN to supposedly “engage in constructive problem solving.”

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Free Market Vultures Are Snatching Away the Livelihoods of Minorities in the Inner City
Posted by Allison Kilkenny, True/Slant on November 17, 2009 at 9:31 AM.

You would think during a time of vast unemployment, wealth disparity, and economic instability that great minds would unite in order to imagine and build a new tomorrow in which the suffering of the masses could be lessened. Of course, that fantasy includes the provision that The Smartest Guys In The Room are also The Most Moral Guys In The Room, which is rarely the case.

Enter T.A. Frank, a New America Foundation think tank lackey, who believes the solution to horrific living conditions in the ghetto is to privatize Section 8 housing and ship black people out to the subprime suburbs.

This is a bad idea for obvious reasons laid out in The Exile by Yasha Levine. First, the area where Frank wants to ship poor black people isn’t that great, according to Levine.

My adopted home of Victorville, California, a McTractHome paradise on the edge of the Mojave Desert 100 miles east of LA, has a buttload of crime, non-existent employment options, racial isolation and a gestapo police presence—just like the real ghetto.

If men like Frank were truly acting in the spirit of altruism, wouldn’t they want to improve the preexisting communities of poor black people, say, by increasing police presence, creating job programs, fostering small businesses, and rebuilding public schools? Frank’s idea to “help” poor people is the same strategy negligent pet owners employ when they want to get rid of an unwanted dog. Drive to the city limits and dump the mutt in the woods. Then drive away as quickly as possible.

Second, unless the government is also willing to supply cars for this newly created diaspora, I have no idea how these people are supposed to get around. L.A. isn’t exactly known for its wonderful public transportation, so I doubt there is an efficient bus fleet. Of course, these are all minor details. The main goal is to get the black, poor people the hell out of the way so that Frank and Associates can get their fingers on that prime real estate. As for the black people, it’s like Levine says:

Outta sight, outta mind.

That’s the best kind of charity!

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Video: Health-care Abortion Controversy No Joke
Posted by AlterNet Staff, AlterNet on November 17, 2009 at 8:31 AM.

The Center for Reproductive rights is raising money to run this pro-choice ad, just as the Senate prepares to unveil its health-care reform bill.

How Far Right Must GOPers Lean to Please a Crazy Base?
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 17, 2009 at 7:30 AM.

AN ODD WAY TO SHOW 'LEADERSHIP'.... It's almost tragic to see what a guy has to do to seek the Republican presidential nomination these days.

In the era of tea-party conservatives, [Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R)] is calculatedly veering to the right. Speaking to the Economist in St. Paul, he recently explained that the Earth might be warming but that it is unclear "to what extent that is the result of natural causes."

Pawlenty obviously knows better. We know he knows better because he has a lengthy, public record on environmental issues that bears no resemblance to his new positions. Lee Fang has a terrific timeline, which makes clear that "over the course of the last three years, Pawlenty has gone from an outspoken proponent of clean energy to a Glenn Beck pandering climate change denier." In late 2006, Pawlenty not only sought to reduce carbon emissions, he even promoted a regional cap-and-trade program. In late 2007, he declared climate change "one of the most important of our time."

That was then. Now Pawlenty opposes his own cap-and-trade plan and claims to question the basics of global warming.

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No Logo, Ten Years Later
Posted by Naomi Klein, Huffington Post on November 17, 2009 at 6:00 AM.

Almost ten years ago, on November 30, 1999, tens of thousands of protestors shut down a meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle. The activists were not against trade or globalization, despite the many misleading claims in the mainstream media. They were against a system of deregulated capitalism that was spreading around the world.

At the time of the Seattle protests, my first book, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, was at the printer. The book looked at the war being waged on public space by a new breed of corporate "superbrands," as well as the first signs of a fight back against corporate power. It was good timing for an author-activist: I had the rare privilege of watching my book become useful to a movement I believed could change the world.

On the ten-year anniversary of the Seattle protests, with anger mounting at the open collusion between corporations and governments, I am re-releasing No Logo with an extended new introduction. Among other developments, the new essay looks at the unprecedented bailout of Wall Street, as well as the rise of the Obama Brand (the most powerful brand in the world) and examines the troubling gaps between its marketing and reality.

As the new edition comes out, it feels like a "movement moment" once again. A new wave of exciting climate justice activism is underway in the lead up to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, one that builds on many of the networks born in Seattle. As I wrote in a recent article in Rolling Stone, now that a serious deal is off the table, many activists see Copenhagen as "a chance to seize the political terrain back from business-friendly half-measures, such as carbon offsets and emissions trading, and introduce some effective, common-sense proposals -- ideas that have less to do with creating complex new markets for pollution and more to do with keeping coal and oil in the ground."

One of our movement's challenges back in 1999 was that, in the midst of the euphoria of the dot-com boom, few were interested in hearing about the downside of capitalism. Ten years later, perhaps our movement's time has come.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

California Dems to Obama: Get Out of Afghanistan
Posted by John Nichols, TheNation.com on November 17, 2009 at 5:00 AM.

The California Democratic Party speaks with an loud voice in national politics.

It is, by any reasonable measure, the biggest party in the biggest state in the nation.

And it is a well-organized, forward-looking organization that since the 1950s has had a tradition of delivering vital messages from the base to national Democratic leaders. Indeed, in the 1960s, California Democrats were among the first and loudest critics of President Lyndon Johnson's decision to expand the war in Vietnam. They were not merely opposed to the war; they were worried, wisely, that committing resources, governing energy and political capital to an unwise and unnecessary war would undermine the ability of an otherwise popular Democratic president to deliver on his ambitious domestic agenda.

With their history and their heft in mind, it is reasonable to say that when California Democrats take a strong stand on a contentious issues, it matters -- both as a signal with regard to popular sentiment within the party and as an indicator of the issues that could cause political headaches for a Democratic president.

So what does the California Democratic Party have to say about the global conflict that many believe could be for Barack Obama's presidency what Vietnam was for Lyndon Johnson's?

"End the U.S. Occupation and Air War in Afghanistan."

That's the title of a resolution endorsed over the weekend by the 300-member executive board of the California party.

The resolution calls for establishing "a timetable for withdrawal of our military personnel" and seeks "an end to the use of mercenary contractors as well as an end to air strikes that cause heavy civilian casualties."

In place of a continuing U.S. military presence, the California Democrats are urging Obama "to oversee a redirection of our funding and resources to include an increase in humanitarian and developmental aid."

That's sound advice for a president who is wrestling with the issue of how to respond to a request from some military commanders for a surge of more troops into what looks to a many savvy observers like a quagmire.

Among those speaking for the resolution was former Marine Corporal Rick Reyes, who described how his experience in Afghanistan led him to the conclusion that the U.S. occupation was illegitimate. "There is no military solution in Afghanistan," said Reyes, a Los Angeles native. "The problems in Afghanistan are social problems that a military cannot fix."

An Afghanistan and Iraq veteran, Reyes was particularly blunt in his criticism of the corrupt regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

The National Review Continues to Sink: 'Frightened' Frum Resigns
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 17, 2008 at 4:11 PM.

Christopher Buckley was pushed out for praising Barack Obama; Kathleen Parker is persona non grata for failing to praise Sarah Palin, and the shake-ups at the National Review continue with David Frum's resignation.

...David Frum, a prominent conservative writer who enmeshed himself in a minor dustup during the campaign by turning negative on Governor Palin, is leaving, too. In an interview, he said he planned to leave the magazine, where he writes a popular blog, to strike out on his own on the Web. [...]

Mr. Frum said deciding to leave was amicable, but distancing himself from the magazine founded by his idol, Mr. Buckley, was not a hard decision. He said the controversy over Governor Palin's nomination for vice president was "symbolic of a lot of differences" between his views and those of National Review's.

"I am really and truly frightened by the collapse of support for the Republican Party by the young and the educated," he said.

I can't honestly say I've found Frum's perspective compelling, but I can acknowledge that he's been one of the magazine's better writers, and has been willing to at least question the party line from time to time.

Noting the recent departures, Andrew Sullivan added:

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Arianna Huffington Will Guest Host the Rachel Maddow Show Tonight: Be Sure to Catch It
Posted by Isaac Fitzgerald, AlterNet on November 17, 2008 at 3:28 PM.

Looks like Rachel Maddow is taking a much deserved break this evening, and Arianna Huffington will be stepping in as her guest host. Arianna described tonight's lineup earlier today over at The Huffington Post:

Thank you for all of your great suggestions for tonight's Rachel Maddow show, which I'll be guest hosting. They've been incredible and, as you can see from the emerging lineup, we're listening: Google CEO Eric Schmidt will join me to discuss the ways Obama can harness the Internet to make his administration more effective. Bill Maher will discuss the day's top stories. Newark mayor Cory Booker will weigh in on the impact the economic crisis is having on America's inner cities. And FiveThirtyEight.com's Nate Silver will crunch the latest numbers in the still-pending Senate races. Click here for some real time video of me behind-the-scenes at the show -- and be sure to tune in tonight at 9 pm on MSNBC.

Update: Huffington was on Maddow's show last Friday talking about the GOP and Sarah Palin, check it out:

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George Bush Is Using GM to Screw the Environment One Last Time
Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake on November 17, 2008 at 2:34 PM.

I was watching Dana "Pig Missile" Perino on CSPAN this morning, explaining how George Bush is in favor of helping GM.  But he wants to take the $25 billion in loans to automakers from the 2007 Energy Bill and repurpose them, he doesn't want to use funds from the $700 billion Wall Street bailout (which Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have indicated they would like to do).

Congress approved the funds for a Department of Energy program that would help the automakers to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.  

Got that?   George Bush wants to kill the program that would build more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Nobody at the press conference called Perino on it.

Big Oil, still in the White House.

Take Action on Lieberman Now
Posted by Chris Bowers, Open Left on November 17, 2008 at 1:24 PM.

 

The vote on Senator Lieberman's chairmanship will be held tomorrow. Even though it will take place behind closed doors and without a roll call vote, you can still make your voice heard by signing the Just Say No To Joe petition at FDL. Or, you could directly call a member of the Democratic Steering committee:

Debbie Stabenow, Michigan - Chairwoman (202) 224-4822

Harry Reid, Nevada (202) 224-3542

John Kerry, Massachusetts (202) 224-2742

Daniel Inouye, Hawaii (202) 224-3934

Robert Byrd, West Virginia (202) 224-3954

Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts (202) 224-4543

Joe Biden, Delaware (202) 224-5042

Patrick Leahy, Vermont (202) 224-4242

Chris Dodd, Connecticut (202) 224-2823

Tom Harkin, Iowa (202) 224-3254

Max Baucus, Montana (202) 224-2651

Richard Durbin, Illinois (202) 224-2152

Kent Conrad, North Dakota (202) 224-2043

Carl Levin, Michigan (202) 224-6221

Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin (202) 224-5653

Barbara Boxer, California (202) 224-3553

Hillary Clinton, New York (202) 224-4451

Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico (202) 224-5521

Mark Pryor, Arkansas (202) 224-2353

Even though he isn't on the committee, Natasha and I both called Senator Casey's office this morning, since he is our local Democrat, and all members of the Democratic caucus will vote on this one. Senator Casey's office said that he was undecided on how to vote, so clearly there is still time to make a difference. Also, I'm trying to get my family in Rochester and Syracuse to call Senators Clinton and Schumer. My main target is my popular 12-year old niece who was elected class President a couple years ago and recently tested as the most liberal member of her class in a Social Studies quiz. If she gets into it, that should mean a couple dozen more calls.

In the extended entry, you can find some suggested talking points for your call, culled from recent statements on Lieberman by Democratic Senators.

 

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Wanda Sykes Rallies Against H8: 'I'm Proud to Be Gay'
Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville on November 17, 2008 at 1:14 PM.

"I am very proud. I am proud to be a woman, I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay. And I love you all. Now let's go get our damn equal rights!"—Wanda Sykes, coming out at the Las Vegas Prop 8 protest and announcing she and her wife were married in California in October. (Via.)

I didn't think I could love her even more after she called herself a feminist on The Tonight Show; I was wrong.

 

 

Bailout Tally: $3.8 Trillion and Counting
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 17, 2008 at 12:10 PM.

CNBC is keeping tabs on the amount that the federal government has been forced to spend to bail out corporate America. The total? 'Three-point eight trillion dollars. That’s $3,800,000.000.000. More than what was spent on WW II, if adjusted for inflation, based on our computations from a variety of estimates and sources.' Check out CNBC’s line-by-line breakdown of where the taxpayer funds are going.

'Joe the Plumber' Becomes 'Joe the Fame Lover'
Posted by Digby, Hullabaloo on November 17, 2008 at 10:41 AM.

Damn, wingnut welfare is awesome:
 

Joe the Plumber’s latest small business? Apparently: himself. JTP’s deeply researched, carefully edited, thoughtful, and not at all hastily-put-together-to-capitalize-on-his-media-celebrity-before-it-expires treatise on The American Dream—written “with” spiritual novelist Thomas N. Tabback—is slated to be released December 1. Yes, of this year.

Oh, and it will be titled, humbly and rather delightfully, Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream.

To celebrate—and to ensure that copies of the book are sold!—YOU THE PEOPLE can now obtain a Freedom Membership from Joe’s hastily-put-together-to-capitalize-on-his-media-celebrity-before-it-expires Web site, SecureOurDream.com. The Membership, like Freedom itself, ain’t free…but the $14.95 yearly fee practically pays for itself! With it, you’ll get:

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Paul Krugman Schools George Will on the Great Depression
Posted by Staff, Huffington Post on November 17, 2008 at 9:55 AM.

On ABC's This Week, conservative pundit George Will took up the case against Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, arguing that it sent confusing signals to capitalists (who apparently might otherwise have pursued lucrative deals in the 1930s market place) and turned a depression into the Great Depression.

Thankfully, Nobel laureate Paul Krugman was around to remind Will of some history -- that the economy improved after the New Deal, and that it was FDR's attempt to balance the budget in 1937 (a move favored now by many conservatives) that then cut into that progress.

Watch:

Conservative Think Tank Admits America Is a Center-Left Nation
Posted by David Sirota, Open Left on November 17, 2008 at 8:04 AM.

The Hoover Institution is one of the major conservative think tanks in this country, so this op-ed in the Washington Post today is pretty incredible for its honesty:

Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, in Outlook last week: The United States "is indeed, as conservatives have been insisting in recent days, a center-right country." On election night, former Bush guru Karl Rove opined on Fox News, "Barack Obama understands this is a center-right country, and he smartly and wisely ran a campaign that emphasized it." And it's not just conservative pundits and operatives singing this song. Take Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, who wrote an Oct. 27 cover essay entitled "America the Conservative," which argued that Obama will have to "govern a center-right nation" that "is more instinctively conservative than it is liberal."

The only problem: It isn't true. Or at least, not anymore.

Here's the stark reality: It is now harder for the Republican presidential candidate to get to 50.1 percent than for the Democrat. My Hoover Institution colleague David Brady and Douglas Rivers of the research firm YouGovPolimetrix have been analyzing data from online interviews with 12,000 people in both 2004 and 2008. It shows an overall shift to the Democrats of six percentage points. As they write in the forthcoming edition of Policy Review, "The decline of Republican strength occurs by having strong Republicans become weak Republicans, weak Republicans becoming independents, and independents leaning more Democratic or even becoming Democrats." This is a portrait of an electorate moving from center-right to center-left.

Read the whole admission here. It's dead-on.

Boycott: Cinemark's CEO Supported Prop 8, Won't Be Getting My 'Milk' Money
Posted by Teddy Partridge, Firedoglake on November 17, 2008 at 7:45 AM.

Cinemark CEO Alan Stock, a Utah Mormon, donated $9,999 to the YES on Prop 8 campaign that stripped marriage equality from the California constitution.  Cinemark operates the Century, CineArts, and Tinseltown theatres throughout America.  Many of these theatres will screen Gus Van Sant's biopic "MILK" about our legendary San Francisco supervisor, a martyr of the gay rights movement, Harvey Milk.

You can tell Mr Alan Stock you won't see "MILK" at one of his theatres:

astock@cinemark.com
Alan Stock
Chief Executive Officer
Cinemark
3900 Dallas Parkway
Suite 500
Plano, TX 75093-7869
USA

(972) 665-1000 

You can join the Facebook No-"MILK"-for-Cinemark boycott right here. As I write this in mid-afternoon, there are more than 800 members; they are hoping for 1,000. That would deny Cinemark $10,000 at $10 per ticket. I bet we can get the Facebook membership way over 1,000 -- please invite all your Facebook friends to join.  

Cities everywhere are noticing the Cinemark boycott: Orlando; Chicago; Albuquerque; MovieBears in San Francisco, Seattle, London, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Phoenix and Chicago; Sacramento; and Los Angeles. If your local media has noticed the boycott, please put a link in the comments!

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Gingrich: Palin Will Not Be the Future GOP Leader
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 17, 2008 at 7:22 AM.

If there's a push in some conservative circles to consider Sarah Palin the future of the GOP, and I believe there is, some high-profile Republicans aren't exactly on board. Last week, members of the Republican Governors Association were less than pleased with a Palin-centered focus, and yesterday, Newt Gingrich resisted the idea of Palin leadership.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is batting down the hype that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin heads into 2012 as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.

...Gingrich, an architect of the Republican revolution of 1994, took Palin down a notch, asserting that she would not become the party's leader, as some have predicted.

"I think that she is going to be a significant player," said Gingrich during an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation". "But she's going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She's not going to be the de facto leader."

Since the defeat of the GOP ticket, Palin has pursued an aggressive media strategy, scheduling a full slate of interviews to keep her face on television.... But Gingrich on Sunday sought to divert some media attention away from Palin and to other governors such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Utah Gov. John Huntsman (R).

"She's going to be a much bigger story in the short run," said Gingrich, explaining Palin's higher media profile compared to other GOP governors. "But, I think, as she goes back to being governor and as she works in Alaska, you're going to see a group of governors emerge, not just Sarah Palin."

Palin may want to the ostensible leader of the party, but those with similar ambitions aren't going to just hand her the reins.

Record Numbers Seek Last-Minute Pardons From President Bush
Posted by Matt Corley, Think Progress on November 17, 2008 at 6:59 AM.

As President Bush enters his final months in office, a record number of felons are seeking presidential pardons or commutations from him, causing “one of the largest backlogs in clemency applications in recent history”:

A number of high-profile felons have already sought clemency, among them Michael Milken, the junk-bond king and financier convicted of securities fraud in 1990; John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban; Randy “Duke” Cunningham, the former California congressman who was convicted of tax evasion; and Edwin Edwards, the former governor of Louisiana convicted in 2000 of racketeering, according to the Justice Department.

In his presidency thus far, Bush has “taken a stingy stand on pardons,” granting fewer of them than any president in modern history. But Bush’s use of his clemency powers has not been without controversy. In 2007, Bush commuted former vice-presidential assistant Scooter Libby’s 2 1/2 years prison sentence for lying to federal prosecutors. Libby has not submitted a pardon request to Justice.

NYT: Clinton Vetting Underway
Posted by Staff, Huffington Post on November 17, 2008 at 5:31 AM.

The New York Times reports that Barack Obama's advisers have begun vetting HIllary Clinton for Secretary of State -- including a look at Bill Clinton's finances and activities:

President-elect Barack Obama's advisers have begun reviewing former President Bill Clinton's finances and activities to see whether they would preclude the appointment of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary of state, Democrats close to the situation said Sunday.
The examination of the former president suggests how seriously Mr. Obama is considering bringing his onetime rival for the Democratic presidential nomination into his cabinet. He met with Mrs. Clinton in Chicago on Thursday to talk about the prospect and word quickly filtered out. Many Democrats close to both camps said Sunday that it seemed likely that Mr. Obama would ask her to take the job, assuming they could work something out regarding Mr. Clinton's role.

A team of lawyers trying to facilitate the potential nomination spent the weekend looking into Mr. Clinton's philanthropic organization, interactions with foreign governments and ties to pharmaceutical companies, a Democrat close to both camps said. While Mr. Clinton has used his foundation to champion efforts to fight AIDS, poverty and climate change around the world, he has also taken millions in speaking fees and contributions from foreign officials and businesses with interests in American governmental policies.

Obama advisers are discussing what Mr. Clinton would need to do to avoid a conflict of interest with the duties of his wife, who is said to be interested in the post. "That's the first and most important hurdle," said a senior adviser to Mr. Obama. "He does good work. No one wants it to stop, but a structure to avoid conflicts must be thought of."

 

Will Bush Commute Barry Bonds’ Potential Prison Sentence?
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 17, 2007 at 2:00 PM.

This post, written by Faiz Shakir, originally appeared on Think Progress

Yesterday, baseball home run king Barry Bonds was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice for his testimony about his use of steroids. He faces up to 30 years in prison. White House spokesman Tony Fratto immediately rushed out this statement:

"The president is very disappointed to hear this," Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said. "As this case is now in the criminal justice system, we will refrain from any further specific comments about it. But clearly this is a sad day for baseball."

The White House response to Bonds' case recalls their reaction to the indictment of Scooter Libby. Libby too was charged with five counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Bush said, "We're all saddened by today's news." Cheney expressed his "deep regret" that Libby had to resign.

Libby was of course found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 30 months in jail, but before he served a day in prison, Bush commuted his sentence. Tony Snow claimed that Bush's commutation order was issued on the "basis of principle." So will the White House now operate on that same principle and also consider commuting Bonds' sentence if he is convicted? And if not, why should he be treated differently?

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Gonzales Hypocritically Tells Muksaey to Always Do the Right Thing, Follow the Law
Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress on November 17, 2007 at 1:46 PM.

This post, written by Amanda Terkel, originally appeared on Think Progress

Yesterday, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke at the Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, giving his views on "immigration, education and public service." The event drew approximately 1,000 attendees, as well as a few protestors who greeted Gonzales outside the venue.

He dodged questions about waterboarding by local station KIII-TV, but did give some words of advice for his successor, Michael Mukasey:

To do the right thing. And I have every confidence that Mike Mukasey will do the right thing. Always do the right thing. Follow the law. That was always my lodestar, my guiding principle, and I'm sure that will guide General Mukasey.

Gonzales must have forgotten this lodestar somewhere during his time in the Bush administration. He recently launched a defense fund to pay for his legal expenses, "which are mounting in the face of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether Gonzales committed perjury or improperly tampered with a congressional witness." A look at how he has always tried to "follow the law":

- Approved administration torture program. In 2002, Gonzales chaired a series of meetings that "set the course" for the administration's torture policies. He "raised no objections and, without consulting military and State Department experts in the laws of torture and war, approved an August 2002 memo that gave CIA interrogators the legal blessings they sought."

- Inappropriately coached a congressional witness's testimony. In May, Monica Goodling testified before Congress that, prior to resigning from the Justice Department, she had an "uncomfortable" conversation with Gonzales, in which he "laid out" his version of the attorney firings. Inspector General Glenn Fine is examining whether this attempt to "coach" Goodling was illegal.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Whatever Happened to Mark Foley?
Posted by Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend on November 17, 2007 at 12:00 PM.

This post, written by Pam Spaulding, originally appeared on Pam's House Blend

I'm sure the GOP isn't pleased that the disgraced former congressman from Florida is mulling a comeback or is being publicly welcomed back into the social fold. The Washington Post's Mary Ann Akers in The Sleuth column, gives a peek at Foley's plans.

In this week's installment of our new feature "Where Are They Now" we first look at former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who will forever be remembered for his tawdry instant messages to teenage male House pages.

Foley has been paying visits recently to Beverly Hills, where he was spotted just last weekend. We figure he may be looking for a job in Hollywood. Because in addition to his cringingly ironic role as chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, Foley - until he resigned on Sept. 29, 2006 - also served as head of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus. In that role, he cultivated lots of contacts in Hollywood.

...We're told Foley is quietly plotting a comeback in some form, political or not. "He's talking about how to re-emerge publicly after the investigation is over," a source close to Foley tells the Sleuth.

The same source says Foley sometimes stays with one of his sisters who lives in the LA area. And in Palm Beach, Foley and his longtime partner, a dermatologist, go to dinner parties where old friends "seem to be welcoming [Foley] back into the fold."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Dems Deny Bush Recess Appointments by Canceling Thanksgiving Break
Posted by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report on November 17, 2007 at 5:30 AM.

This post, written by Steve Benen, originally appeared on The Carpetbagger Report

Just yesterday, word leaked that Senate Democrats, unwilling to see what kind of mischief the president might consider during the congressional recess, might keep the chamber open with a series of pro forma sessions. In other words, there wouldn't actually be a recess -- lawmakers would go home, but Bush would be denied the opportunity to make recess appointments.

Apparently, this wasn't just a trial balloon -- Roll Call reports that Harry Reid pulled the trigger on the idea today.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has decided to keep the chamber in session over the Thanksgiving break to block President Bush from making any unsavory recess appointments while Senators are out of town.

In a statement inserted in the record Friday, the Majority Leader said he will hold the Senate in a series of pro forma or nonvoting sessions to prevent the controversial practice. In the statement, Reid argued that nominations need to get on track, and that Bush has not met the Democrats "halfway" in agreeing to Democratically backed nominees to "important commissions."

"While an election year looms, significant progress can still be made on nominations," Reid said. "I am committed to making that progress if the President will meet me halfway. But that progress can't be made if the President seeks controversial recess appointments and fails to make Democratic appointments to important commissions."

Good for Reid. He'd considered this move before, but was reluctant to go through with it. Today, he made the right call.

In the short term, this will almost certainly have an impact on Dr. James Holsinger, the president's controversial Surgeon General nominee, who resigned from the board of the Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, apparently because he believes he's poised to take office. By all indications, the president planned to appoint him once senators went home for Thanksgiving. Now, he won't get the chance.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

What's Worse? Fox News' Bias or CNN's Irrelevance?
Posted by Howie Klein, Down With Tyranny! on November 17, 2007 at 5:14 AM.

This post, written by Howie Klein, originally appeared on Down With Tyranny!

(click for larger version)

Two days ago at a barbershop-- which has since changed its TV viewing policy-- I experienced the extreme right wing propaganda of Fox News for the first time. I couldn't believe what they get away with.

Last night I switched on CNN to watch the debate and although it wasn't pornographic the way Fox is, it wasn't exactly fit for a mass audience. I mean where do they find such low-grade anchors and questioners? It must be difficult. I was relieved when they decided to have audience members ask the questions. And then I turned off the TV when one of the first questions was directed towards Hillary-- who is running for president (of the United States). "Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?" This is CNN, which is desperately trying to catch up to Fox in the ratings by appealing to people as stupid as Fox's audience. Like I said, I turned off the TV and went back to writing about the Republican hypocrisy of Bob Allen, Mitch McConnell, David Dreier, Larry Craig and the regular closet queen crew. It was almost refreshing.

But then a strange thing happened this morning. Maria Luisa, the UNLV student who asked the idiotic question wrote about the whole episode on her My Space page-- and she was as aghast as the rest of us were. She wanted to ask a pre-approved question about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and CNN made her ask the idiotic diamonds or pearls question. Mark Ambinder at The Atlantic has the whole sad story. Thank God for Keith Olbermann!

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Is Rove the Next to Go? [VIDEO]
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 17, 2006 at 12:23 PM.

ThinkProgress is reporting that:

[O]ne top West Wing advisor said that the unexpected ouster of Rove aide Susan Ralston over ethics questions was orchestrated by Miers as a signal to Rove to leave. The advisor said that Rove is aware of the situation and that a departure might come in "weeks, not months."

The co-author of the Rove tome, Bush's Brain, connects some of the dots between Susan Ralston, Jack Abramoff and a possible reason for a precipitous Rove departure...

Bush: Iraq's just like Vietnam!
Posted by Joshua Holland on November 17, 2006 at 10:20 AM.

I'm not sure if this is the smartest rhetorical tack for the preznit to take:

President Bush, on his first visit to a country where America lost a two-decade-long fight against communism, said Friday the Vietnam War's lesson for today's confounding Iraq conflict is that freedom takes time to trump hatred.

Uh hunh. Freedom®, indeed. Does he even know we lost that war? Does he know Vietnam is still a (nominally) communist country?

A baby boomer who came of age during the turbulent Vietnam era and spent the war stateside as a member of the Texas Air National Guard, the president called himself amazed by the sights of the one-time war capital.

What's that old joke? The difference between Vietnam and Iraq is that Bush sure had an exit strategy for Vietnam [rimshot].

… his critics see parallels with Vietnam - a determined insurgency and a death toll that has drained public support - that spell danger for dragging out U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Yeah.

Meanwhile …

Iraq's coalition of the willing is becoming an increasingly exclusive club.

Twenty-three countries remain in the U.S.-led coalition and the United Nations' mission serving in and around Iraq, down from a high of 42 that joined the United States in the invasion or the postwar occupation of Iraq. More than half of those contributors have fewer than 150 troops, engineers or military trainers in the Iraq theater.

Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands and Ukraine were among the countries that pulled out of Iraq in 2005. This year, Japan announced it was withdrawing its noncombat troops from Iraq. Italy, one of the largest contributors to the multinational force, plans to have all its 1,785 soldiers home by the end of the year.

Poland, which was given overall command of Iraq's south-central region, has cut its forces from 2,400 to about 900.

Yes, 900 Polish troops have "overall command" of South-Central Iraq. Somewhere, a member of some Shiite militia is having a good 'ole belly laugh about that one.

Smaller parties in Poland's governing coalition are pressing for a quick withdrawal of the remaining troops. The government of President Lech Kaczynski has sent conflicting signals on how long the deployment will last.

When he takes over next year, Gordon Brown's going to have a hell of a time trying to keep the Brits in Iraq, as he recently said he would.

One country that seems to be holding fast is Australia, even though 60 percent of Aussies oppose the deployment.

They need to get rid of John Howard, who this week lunched with Bush in Vietnam and said: "We need to remember what is at stake here, not only for Iraq and the Middle East, but also for American power and prestige around the world." That's an Australian PM blatantly fellating U.S. power. Call Bart Simpson -- someone needs a good booting.

Here's the money-quote from this piece:

Romanian President Traian Basescu told the Associated Press last week that his country's 600 noncombat troops will stay, despite pleas from the families with relatives serving there. "Romania's honor is greater than its feelings," he said.

Indeed.

Netanyahu cries: "Hitler! Hitler! Hitler!"
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 17, 2006 at 8:49 AM.

Israel's former (and possibly future) right wing Prime Minister, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is not the kind of person you want to make decisions about what to eat for dinner or which shirt to wear, let alone foreign policy.

This week, according to Ha'aretz, Netanyahu said [VIDEO]:

"It's 1938 and Iran is Germany. And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs," Netanyahu told delegates to the annual United Jewish Communities General Assembly, repeating the line several times, like a chorus, during his address. "Believe him and stop him," the opposition leader said of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "This is what we must do. Everything else pales before this."

While the Iranian president "denies the Holocaust," Netanyahu said, "he is preparing another Holocaust for the Jewish state."

Wow, that IS scary. Except for a few problems. Like Netanyahu's predilection for...

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Dems grow spine; oppose Military Commissions Act
Posted by Joshua Holland on November 17, 2006 at 8:24 AM.

The Hill:

Gearing up for a major clash with the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress, several key Senate Democrats are planning to overhaul the newly minted legislation governing military tribunals of detainees.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who is running for president and who, come January, will be the second ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, introduced legislation today that would amend the existing law.

"The bill goes back and undoes what was done," Dodd told The Hill. Dodd was one of the top critics of the military tribunal bill the GOP hashed out with the White House and was signed into law last month.

Dodd's bill, which currently has no co-sponsors, seeks to give habeas corpus protections to military detainees; bar information that was gained through coercion from being used in trials and empower military judges to exclude hearsay evidence they deem to be unreliable.

Dodd's bill also narrows the definition of "unlawful enemy combatant" to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants. The legislation would also authorize the U.S. Court of Appeals for the armed forces to review decisions made by the military commissions.

Moreover, Dodd seeks to have an expedited judicial review of the new law to determine the constitutionality of its provisions.

Dodd is the first Democrat to take aim at the controversial military tribunals bill. But Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the incoming Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, also said that he is in the process of drafting "major changes" to the legislation.

Among the planned changes are instituting habeas corpus rights for detainees and looking into the current practice of extraordinary rendition.

Leahy is among several other Democrats, including incoming Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who are concerned about the practice of sending suspected terrorists to countries other than the United States for imprisonment and interrogation.

The incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), said he is going to look into the rendition process.

"I'm not comfortable with the system," Levin said earlier this week. "I think that there's been some significant abuses which have not made us more secure, but have made us less secure and have also perhaps cost us some real allies, as well as not producing particularly useful information. So I think the system needs a thorough review, and as the military would say, a thorough scrubbing."

Congress rushed through the terror-detainee legislation before its election break in response to a Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year that Bush exceeded his authority by establishing military tribunals to try detainees without congressional authorization.

As I pointed out in an earlier post, this isn't being driven by public opinion. A CNN poll last week found that 39 percent of Americans think the administration has gone "too far in restricting civil liberties" and 59 percent think it's struck a good balance or not gone far enough.

It’s a principled stance and Dodd and others will no doubt be attacked by the right for taking it. So the senate needs to hear from voters about how important these efforts are. You can contact your senator here. Please take a few minutes and do so, and forward this on to people you know.

Bush to be honored for 'Freedom' in Israel
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 17, 2006 at 8:16 AM.

According to Ha'aretz, Israel's impotent, and disliked leadership (22% approval) has gotten the okay from our limp and shriveled leader (33%) to erect a freedom center in Israel.

Lame duck Israeli Ambassador, and friend to bigoted Christian Zionist leaders like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and John Hagee, Daniel Ayalon asked Bush about the center and: "Bush told Ayalon that 'freedom' would be a worthy subject for the center to focus on."

I suppose something should focus on freedom.

McCain pandering himself out of '08? [VIDEO]
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 17, 2006 at 7:29 AM.

Christian Right small fry, Jason S. Jones issued a press release on the Christian Newswire entitled: "Defining 'McCain Republicans,' Catholic Leader States: 'I know Conservatives, and John McCain is NO Conservative'"

He goes on to state that true conservatives believe in the Declaration: "'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"... etc, etc

And that true conservatives believe that that equality and pursuit of happiness do not extend to things like marriage: "...marriage—defined as a God-given institution between one man and one woman..."

This McCain-ing was in the context of McCain's flip-floppery as he heads toward a presidential run. Watch the clips (upper right) from a recent Hardball program during which McCain tries so hard to straddle the fence that he winds up hurting his... well...

Granted, this Jason Jones is just a dim star in the religious right's constellation but McCain has his job cut out for him as he tries to court the likes of Jerry Falwell while ensuring the center that he's not an enormous asshole.

NOTE: The video above isn't flip-floppery so much as it's an attempt to pussyfoot around a stance. Problem is, it's going to backfire. Primarily because religious conservatives aren't driven to the polls by laws as much as rhetoric. They want their leaders to unequivocally declare what Marriage IS, and then to act on that. Bush is having enough trouble with his inability to codify his bigotry, even with his unwavering rhetoric.

McCain thinks it's about staking out a public position which will hurt him with the rank and file evangelicals.

Conclusion: We can still call him "Pander Bear." Say it with me.

Not designed to make the right wing look stupid (video)
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 17, 2005 at 2:04 PM.

A couple of conservative "musicians" calling themselves "The Right Brothers" are petitioning MTV to get them to play the as yet unmade "'kickin' music video" to a song they've recorded called "Bush Was Right!".

Nico has some of the lyrics which, he assures us, are "not a parody":

Freedom in Afghanistan, say goodbye Taliban
Free elections in Iraq, Saddam Hussein locked up
Osama’s staying underground,
Al Qaida now is finding out
America won’t turn and run
once the fighting has begun
Don’t you know that all this means…

Bush was right! Bush was right!

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann has given them a head start by creating a video for them and comments [VIDEO]:

"Hey, if you're gonna make propaganda music you gotta make it good. And to answer a couple of questions, no it's not a spoof designed to make the right wing look idiotic, and yes they do really think they can get it shown on Total Request Live on MTV and if they don't it will be for political reasons and not because the song sucks."

"And no, neither Country Joe and the Fish, nor even the Backstreet Boys apparently have anything to worry about."

(ThinkProgress; video via Crooks and Liars)

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Texas GOP Promises To Stop Committing Crimes
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 12:56 PM.

The Texas Republican Party struck what might be the sweetest deal in criminal justice since Al Capone went to jail for income tax evasion:

The Republican Party of Texas avoided prosecution Thursday by agreeing to stop using corporate money in several ways being investigated by Travis County Attorney David Escamilla.

Escamilla's investigation, which is similar to allegations being pursued by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and the Texas Association of Business, is put on hold through March 31, 2007. In return, the Republican Party agrees to stop using corporate money the way it did during the 2002 election. The party's administrative expenses spiked five-fold to about $5.6 million that year.

State law generally prohibits corporate money being spent in connection with campaigns. The law allows political parities to spend corporate money to run their conventions and on administrative overhead. Escamilla had studied some 27,000 GOP documents, but his investigation in the end focused on three instances of using corporate money. [Austin American Statesman]

Here's how this works: If the Republicans promise to stop breaking the laws they broke in 2002, the County Attorney** won't prosecute them for the 2002 infractions until after the 2006 elections.

**Correction: Earlier I incorrectly described Escamilla, the County Attorney as a DA. Just to clarify, the actual DA of Travis County had nothing to do with this deal.

GAO Finds Fault With Ohio Vote
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 12:41 PM.

The Rock River Times cites a new report by the Government Accountability Office, the federal government's non-partisan investigative agency, on voting in Ohio in the 2004 elections:

[T]he GAO report stated that “some of [the] concerns about electronic voting machines have been realized and have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes.”

Perhaps the most egregious of the many shortcoming identified by the report:

The GAO additionally found that access to the voting network was very easy to compromise because not all electronic voting systems had supervisory functions protected by password. That meant access to one machine gave access to the whole network. That critical finding showed that rigging the election did not take a “widespread conspiracy” but simply the cooperation of a small number of operators with the power to tap into the networked machines. They could thus alter the vote totals at will. It therefore was no big task for a single programmer to flip vote numbers to give Bush the 118,775 votes. [Emphasis added]

Hat tip to Seeing the Forest.

[Rock River Times, Seeing the Forest]

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What If Thurgood Marshall Were Nominated Today?
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 10:54 AM.

Dear Thurgood,
The girl and boys at Justice believe we have developed a plan to ensure an easy, uncontroversial confirmation process. Just play along with us and you’ll be on the Court in no time. [...]

Read all the helpful hints at Balkinization.

[Balkinization]

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Porn Hearings
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 8:43 AM.

Somehow, Sam Brownback found time for porn hearings to "examinine the constitutional context for obscenity prosecution." Read: to figure out how to beat that pesky First Amendment.

Arthur Silber calls the porn inquisitors new Puritans. Silber notes that pace Brownback, most Americans don't agree that pornography is bad, at least not judging by their behavior.

Echidne of the Snakes finds it surprising that the committee was more interested in finding out how pornography might hurt the men who use it, as opposed to, say, the women and children who are exploited to make it.

Arthur Silber follows up with a thoughtful response to Echidne and her commenters about the potential subtle harms of pornography.

[Once Upon A Time, Echidne of the Snakes]

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Bodies Still Being Found In New Orleans
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 6:05 AM.

On October 3, official body recovery efforts in New Orleans were called off, even though over 100 homes in the Ninth Ward remained unsearched.

The search resumed amid public outcry. But it appears that residents are still returning to find the bodies of their loved ones.

Body collection was subcontracted out to Kenyon Worldwide Disaster Management, a private firm with close ties to the Bush family.

Ah, private sector efficiency--cutting costs by skipping black people's houses.

[Scoutprime, Pam's House Blend]

Katherine Harris Trails By 24 Points
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 6:04 AM.

Campaign Review reports that Former Secretary of State Katherine Harris is having a rough time on the Senate campaign trail.

"A new Quinnipiac University poll showed her trailing incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by 24 percentage points - the latest tally of many that show her down by double digits."

"Jim Dornan, who ran Harris' campaign for less than four months, said Tuesday he left because he had fulfilled his goal of putting a team in place for the November 2006 election."

Fundraising results have also been disappointing. Harris blames hurricanes

[Campaign Review]

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The Bazooka Is The Most Feminine of Weapons
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein on November 17, 2005 at 6:02 AM.

The Happy Feminist debunks seven bad arguments against allowing women in combat.

Amanda of Pandagon points out, the issue is already moot because American women are serving in a war that's one big potential combat zone.

Those who oppose women in combat often claim that we can't afford a risky experiment like integration.

In fact, the experiments have already been done. In World War II alone, hundreds of thousands of women served in combat.

In Britain, thousands of women served on artillery teams that shot down Luftwaffe planes. Women made up 8% of the Russian Army. Up to 150,000 Russian women were decorated in the war, including 91 who recieved the highest honor, The Hero of the Soviet Union.

Even the Germans reluctantly relaxed their policies:

In one such area, a 22 year old Pomeranian woman, "Erna" was awarded the Iron Cross (second class) when she, together with a male sergeant and private had destroyed three tanks with bazookas. Indeed, the German propaganda suggested that the bazooka was the most feminine of weapons.

It is a testament to the enduring sexism of American society that the role of women in combat is an issue.

[Pandagon, The Happy Feminist]

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