Virginia Metze: Reading list for Monday March 14, 2005

[Guest guest]

" Virginia Metze " <vmetze

 

Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:30:18 -0600

Reading list for Monday March 14, 2005

 

I don't generally do alerts here, as the goal of this mailing list is

to " catch up " and see what we missed. But I promised a friend, and so

am reminding you to call your Senator and complain about the attempts

to change Senate rules so that Bush can get his most reactionary

appointments to life terms in our federal and Supreme courts. The

call-in is supposed to be done tomorrow (Wednesday). Think of this:

Ashcroft could well become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Now THAT is scary.

 

Dish It Out, Ladies

By MAUREEN DOWD

OP-ED COLUMNIST

Published: March 13, 2005

The New York Times

 

When I need to work up my nerve to write a tough column, I try to

think of myself as Emma Peel in a black leather catsuit, giving a kung

fu kick to any diabolical mastermind who merits it.

 

I try not to visualize myself as one of the witches in " Macbeth, "

sitting off to the side over a double, double toil and trouble,

bubbling cauldron, muttering about what is fair or foul in the hurly

burly of the royal court.

 

There's an intense debate going on now about why newspapers have so

few female columnists. Out of what will soon be eight Times Op-Ed

columnists - nine, counting the public editor - I'm the only woman.

[...] Read more to find out how a woman fares as columnist

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/opinion/13dowd.html

 

Extreme Cinema Verite

GIs shoot Iraq battle footage and edit it into music videos filled

with death and destruction. And they display their work as entertainment

By Louise Roug, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

March 14, 2005

 

BAQUBAH, Iraq — When Pfc. Chase McCollough went home on leave in

November, he brought a movie made by fellow soldiers in Iraq. On his

first night back at his parents' house in Texas, he showed the video

to his fiancee, family and friends.

 

This is what they saw: a handful of American soldiers filmed through

the green haze of night-vision goggles. Radio communication between

two soldiers crackles in the background before it's drowned out by a

heavy-metal soundtrack.

 

" Don't need your forgiveness, " the song by the band Dope begins as

images unfurl: armed soldiers posing in front of Bradley fighting

vehicles, two women covered in black abayas walking along a dusty

road, a blue-domed mosque, a poster of radical cleric Muqtada Sadr.

Then, to the fast, hard beat of the music — " Die, don't need your

resistance. Die, don't need your prayers " — charred, decapitated and

bloody corpses fill the screen. [...] Read the rest at:

http://tinyurl.com/6v6gx

 

I can't believe the web pages that are out there. Now there is

The Republican Wife-Cheating Hall of Fame

The Internet Web Page Considered " Public Enemy Number One " by the

Hypocritical Republican Party!

 

Many toothless, militia-sympathizing morons like to believe that

Democrats somehow own the franchise on wife cheating, probably because

of the legend of John F. Kennedy and the " Bash-Clinton " psycho cottage

industry which employs retard inbreds like Kenneth Starr and Paula

Jones' attorneys. But when you tally the facts, there are a huge

number - more than three times as many Republicans who have cheated on

their wives than Democrats. Let's count up the Randy Right

Wingers......Don't forget - Republican women can be adulterous, too!

There are lots of cheating Republican ho's on our list! [...] See

the list at: http://www.americaheldhostile.com/cheating.html

 

Marines driven out of UAW lot

The union says Marines in foreign cars, displaying Bush stickers

unwelcome.

By Eric Mayne / The Detroit News

 

DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers says Marine reservists should show

a little more semper fi if they want to use the union's parking lot.

 

The Marine Corps motto means " always faithful, " but the union says

some reservists working out of a base on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit

have been decidedly unfaithful to their fellow Americans by driving

import cars and trucks.

So the UAW International will no longer allow members of the 1st

Battalion 24th Marines to park at Solidarity House if they are driving

foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers. [...]

Read the rest at:

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0503/13/C01-115531.htm

 

 

Tomgram: Greenberg on the Legal War on Terror at Home

posted March 13, 2005 at 3:21 pm

Tomdispatch web site

 

In the rush of recent news about renditions, extraordinary renditions,

the beating to death and systematic abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan,

the holding of children as young as 11 in Abu Ghraib prison, the

desire of Donald Rumsfeld to transfer large numbers of prisoners in

Guantánamo back to their countries of origin, and other tales of

detention mayhem, a piece tucked away in the crease column, deep

inside last Tuesday's New York Times, was easy enough to overlook.

According to Neil A. Lewis (U.S. Eroding Inmates' Trust at Cuba Base,

Lawyers Say), " Defense lawyers for detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba,

say the military has been working to undermine the inmates' trust in

them. " [...] To read more of the comment and then the Greenberg

article, go to http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?emx=x & pid=2256

or http://tinyurl.com/6cqvg

 

 

Hunter Thompson, Bush, and Jeff Gannon and much more...

 

Los Angeles Indymedia

 

If the secrets lie with Thompson, he is no longer able to talk about

it. Now, there will have to be some gonzo guerilla journalists to pick

up where Thompson left off.

 

Reporting the uncomfortable sins of a nation is a responsibility and a

very dangerous job. That is why some reporters meet the fate of

Thompson, Webb, Hatfield and the countless others. Either they are

wiped out in order to shut them up or they just get to a point where

they can't put up with the bullshit anymore.

 

Read the rest of these (long) musings at:

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/123303.php

 

While looking at the article below, I found two articles about

anti-war protestors and police on the site:

 

POLICE HARASS PROTESTERS ON VENICE BOARDWALK by Barbara Peck and

Cops Disrupt Anti War Meeting. The URLs, if links in last sentence

don't work, are: http://www.la.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/123684.php

and http://www.la.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/123660.php Show's not so

 

'purrfect' for female forces in Iraq

 

By Pamela Martineau and Steve Wiegand -- Bee Staff Writers

Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, March 12, 2005 Sacramento Bee

Sharon Kibiloski is in Baghdad, and she's fighting mad.

 

The target of the U.S. Air Force captain's ire is the U.S. Army - and

what Kibiloski views as the Army's misguided efforts to raise troop

morale by sending a scantily clad female troupe called " The Purrfect

Angelz " on a two-week tour of military installations in Kuwait and Iraq.

 

A lavender flier advertising the troupe's Baghdad show Thursday

portrayed a quartet of women wearing faux military uniforms that

consisted of headgear, halter tops and hot pants. According to its Web

site, the Angelz' act consists of singing, provocative dancing and

acrobatics. [...] Read the rest at:

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12549895p-13405165c.html

 

 

Satire Alert! Satire Alert! Borowitz Report, March 13, 2005

 

JUSTICE DEPT. CONSIDERING TORTURE IN SPACE

'Thinking Outside the Box,' Gonzales Says

 

Acknowledging the legal barriers to torturing detainees in U.S.

custody, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confirmed today that the

Justice Department was exploring the feasibility of torturing

prisoners in outer space.

 

According to a Justice Department memo, lawyers for the department are

exploring whether interrogation methods banned by the Geneva

Conventions would be legal if used on a space station orbiting the

earth, or perhaps on the moon.

 

The memo validated rumors that the Bush administration was actively

planning to begin launching detainees from Guantanamo Bay into orbit

in order to expand the menu of available interrogation options. Read

the rest at:

http://www.borowitzreport.com/archive_rpt.asp?rec=1087 & srch=

 

Have you received that delightful picture of lions laying in the shade

of an airplane wing? Well, Urban Legend site snopes.com says that it

is TRUE! Fantastic! If you haven't seen the picture, go to

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/lionplane.asp

 

DeLay And Company

The G.O.P. leader's troubles mount, with new questions about his

dealings with the former aide who helped build his political machine

By KAREN TUMULTY

Time Online edition

Sunday, March 13, 2005

 

Ed Buckham's name was one you didn't hear much outside the secluded

corridor where he worked on the first floor of the Capitol. But in

that suite, which houses the majority whip's offices, Buckham was far

more than an ordinary congressional aide in the three heady years

following the Republican takeover of the House in 1994. Thanks to an

unusually close and trusting relationship with his boss, Tom DeLay's

chief of staff quietly became one of the most powerful people in

Washington. " He was the guy DeLay turned to when he made a final

decision, " recalls a former aide to a member of the House Republican

leadership, " and even after he made the final decision, the guy who

could talk him out of it. " What even fewer people outside that office

knew was that the two shared a bond that transcended power and

politics: Buckham, a licensed nondenominational minister, was also

DeLay's pastor. For a while, in DeLay's early days as whip, they

organized daily voluntary prayer sessions for the staff—until it began

making some aides uncomfortable. After that, according to two sources

who worked in the office at the time, the two of them frequently

prayed together privately, joining hands in DeLay's office. [...]

Read the Time's take on the Delay scandal at:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1037627,00.html

 

Evolution is critical to a number of sciences. Is it any wonder that

our children are faring worse and worse in comparison to children in

other countries?

 

Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens

By Peter Slevin

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, March 14, 2005; Page A01

 

WICHITA – Propelled by a polished strategy crafted by activists on

America's political right, a battle is intensifying across the nation

over how students are taught about the origins of life. Policymakers

in 19 states are weighing proposals that question the science of

evolution.

 

The proposals typically stop short of overturning evolution or

introducing biblical accounts. Instead, they are calculated pleas to

teach what advocates consider gaps in long-accepted Darwinian theory,

with many relying on the idea of intelligent design, which posits the

central role of a creator.

 

The growing trend has alarmed scientists and educators who consider it

a masked effort to replace science with theology. But 80 years after

the Scopes " monkey " trial -- in which a Tennessee man was prosecuted

for violating state law by teaching evolution -- it is the

anti-evolutionary scientists and Christian activists who say they are

the ones being persecuted, by a liberal establishment. [...] Read

the rest and worry at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32444-2005Mar13.html

or http://tinyurl.com/45kq4

 

DeLay Ethics Allegations Now Cause of GOP Concern

By Mike Allen

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, March 14, 2005; Page A01

 

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) has dismissed questions about

his ethics as partisan attacks, but revelations last week about his

overseas travel and ties to lobbyists under investigation have

emboldened Democrats and provoked worry among Republicans.

 

With some members increasingly concerned that DeLay had left himself

vulnerable to attack, several Republican aides and lobbyists said for

the first time that they are worried about whether he will survive and

what the consequences could be for the party's image. [...] Read the

rest at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32389-2005Mar13.html

or http://tinyurl.com/4dphw See Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's Ice

Cream in another animation about the federal budget.

http://go.truemajority.org/fun/

 

Gads, the flood gates have opened and suddenly long buried scandals

are erupting. The Boys Town one is particularly pathetic.

 

Peculiar Ties Connect Boys Town to CIA

 

Although the national media have focused on pedophilia and abuse

committed by Catholic priests in the Boston area and elsewhere, the

media have consistently suppressed an even more explosive and related

story.

 

For years, former Nebraska State Sen. John DeCamp has spearheaded an

inquiry into a massive pedophile ring with a base of operations in

Omaha, Nebr., that has been linked to high-ranking political figures

in Washington. Recently, DeCamp won a $1 million civil judgment

against former big-name Republican Party figure Larry King (an Omaha

credit union founder) on behalf of a young man, Paul Bonacci, who

charged that King had molested him and brought him into the pedophile

ring.

 

DeCamp was the guest on the Feb. 24 broadcast of Radio Free America,

the weekly talk forum sponsored by AFP with host Tom Valentine.

Valentine's questions are in boldface. DeCamp's responses are in

regular text. Caller's comments are in italics. [...]

 

When in the course of your investigations did you begin to realize

that Boys Town in Omaha was essentially a " farm " for what you

determined to be a national network of pedophiles that extended well

beyond pedophilic priests?

 

When the children I was representing—and in the course of interviewing

others—brought the role of Boys Town up as a central point. At least

certain elements of Boys Town were being improperly used. [...] Read

the rest on the American Free Press web site: http://tinyurl.com/47ww7

 

 

Former Intel Officer: The US Considered Her a Military Target

 

Targeting Guiliana

By JERRY FRESIA

Former US Air Force Intelligence officer

March 11, 2005

Counterpunch

 

The top U.S. general in Iraq, Army gen. George Casey, has stated that

the US had no indication that Italian officials gave advance notice of

the route of the vehicle in which Giuliana Sgrena and slain officer

Nicola Calipari were riding. As a former Air Force intelligence

officer, I would argue that this statement is absolutely ludicrous.

Based upon intelligence collection capabilities of even 3 decades ago,

it is reasonable to assume that the US intercepted all phone

communication between Italian agents in Iraq and Rome, monitored such

traffic in real time and knew precisely where Sgrena's vehicle was at

all times, without advanced notice being provided by Italian officials.

 

During the early 1970s, it was my job to monitor intelligence

collected on the Korean peninsula. It was my responsibility to report

serious anomalies to the White House by means of a secure phone. [...]

Read the rest at http://www.counterpunch.org/fresia03112005.html

 

More about child sex scandals in Washington

Photographer for White House child sex ring arrested after Thompson

suicide

by Tom Flocco

 

WASHINGTON -- March 13, 2005 -- TomFlocco.com -- Photographer Russell

E. " Rusty " Nelson was recently arrested two days after journalist

Hunter Thompson reportedly committed suicide four weeks ago on

February 10, according to two phone interviews with attorney John

DeCamp last week.

 

Nelson was allegedly employed by a former Republican Party activist to

take pictures of current or retired U.S. House-Senate members and

other prominent government officials engaging in sexual criminality by

receiving or committing sodomy and other sex acts on children during

the Reagan-Bush 41 administrations. [...] Read the rest at Flocco's

web site: http://tomflocco.com/modules.php?name=News

 

Counterpunch article on capture of Saddam. " Just Another Bush Lie?

Saddam's Capture " by Mike Whitney, March 11, 2005.

http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney03112005.html Karen Hughes picked

to polish U.S. image

If confirmed, she will be have task of shaping views held by the

world, especially Muslims

By JULIE MASON

March 15, 2005, 12:17AM

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

 

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday tapped adviser Karen Hughes, the

flinty powerhouse who built his image through four political

campaigns, to help improve the nation's standing abroad, particularly

among Muslims.

 

If confirmed by the Senate as undersecretary of state for public

diplomacy, Hughes will hold the rank of ambassador.

 

" Her return to public service in this important position signifies my

personal commitment to the international diplomacy that is needed in

these historic times, " Bush said. [...] Read it on the Houston

Chronicle web page:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3084985 Framing the

 

GOP

Parker Blackman

March 14, 2005

Tom Paine web page

 

How can a party containing such principle-challenged people as Tom

DeLay and Bill O'Reilly dominate the moral values discussion? How are

Democrats castigated as " outside the mainstream " when President Bush

is leading the charge to dismantle a hugely popular government

program? It's all due to Republicans successfully and consistently

framing their opposition. Communications expert Blackman has a

strategy for fighting back.

 

Parker Blackman is deputy general manager and managing director of

Fenton Communications' West Coast office. A longer version of this

piece can be read on the Fenton Communications website. [...] Read

the rest of this article on the Tom Paine web site:

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/framing_the_gop.php Is Bush really

implementing a full-court press on media?

by David Shaw, Media Matters, Los Angeles Times

March 13, 2005

 

Cyberspace is increasingly our culture's primary hotbed for

interesting, provocative theories — many of them as paranoid as they

are provocative. One of the most interesting and provocative (and

paranoid) of those espoused in recent weeks argues that the Bush

administration has embarked upon a determined, systematic campaign to

" decertify " the professional press corps, " to strip them of their

traditional influence in national affairs, " to eradicate the very idea

that they have a " legitimate role to play in our politics, " according

to Jay Rosen, a media critic, professor of journalism at New York

University and creator-author of the Pressthink.com website

(www.journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/press think).

 

Although Rosen first began writing about this theory last September,

it didn't begin to gain critical mass in cyberspace until March 2,

when Eric Boehlert vigorously advanced the debate on Salon.com. [...]

Read the rest on the LA Times web site: http://tinyurl.com/5kgxz

 

William Pitt of Truthout has written about " Tipping a Beer with an

American Fascist. "

It is dated Monday, March 14th, 2005, and is on the Truthout web site:

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/3/14/10853/2270

 

Former UN weapons inspector, who worked with CIA, sees 'terminally

ill' intel operation.

by Larisa Alexandrovna of Raw Story Staff

March 14, 2005

See the story at: http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=174

Talking Points Memo

by Joshua Micah Marshall

March 14, 2005

 

Josh writes below about Sebastian Mallaby's column in the Washington

Post today. Josh mostly addresses Mallaby's political argument, that

the Democrats are hurting themselves by opposing privatization. I

thought I'd touch on the other half of Mallaby's argument, which is

that Democrats are making a substantive mistake opposing

privatization. Mallaby is a truly interesting writer who researches

his columns thoroughly and argues them in innovative ways. That's why

it's so disappointing that his column today simply recycles a

Republican talking point that has become ensconced as mindless

conventional wisdom. I'm sorry this site is devoting so much space to

beating up on a normally astute writer. But his view is so

influential, at least among elite circles, that it's worth dissecting.

[...] Read more about the erroneous view of privatization of

Sebastian Mallaby at:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/005150.php

 

There will never be a charge for this reading list and I won't ask for

contributions.

 

It may be freely distributed as long as it is sent out in its entirety

with this statement attached and no charge is made. Of course you are

free to use the URLs in your own posts, etc.

 

© Virginia Metze

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