Notes From The Overground

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41421202011-04-21T21:27:09.387-07:00Notes From The OvergroundProgressive-minded weblog devoted heavily to politics and media with some music and popular culture sprinkled throughout working on the assumption that anything that comes out of Washington or the mass media is bogus propaganda unless proven otherwise.Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comBlogger2231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-1059094350233370982003-07-24T17:52:00.000-07:002003-07-24T17:55:54.480-07:00Business Proposition

What follows below may just be the controvercial "smoking gun" evidence that dubya got from the CIA and used for his "state of the union" address. Like the rest of us, the White House is not immune to spam. Please read the entire document as it is very enlightening... TO: GEORGE W. BUSH CC: GEORGE TENET, CIA AGENCY, WASHINGTON, USA FROM:MRS. M SESE-SEKO DEAR FRIEND, I AM MRS. SESE-SEKO

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-1056591387939311072003-06-25T18:36:00.000-07:002003-06-25T19:06:33.976-07:00Mein RIAA

WASHINGTON — The embattled music industry disclosed aggressive plans Wednesday for an unprecedented escalation in its fight against Internet piracy, threatening to sue hundreds of individual computer users who illegally share music files online. The Recording Industry Association of America, citing significant sales declines, said it will begin Thursday to search Internet file-sharing networks

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-1056584525462033302003-06-25T16:42:00.000-07:002003-06-25T16:46:26.036-07:00Not Quite a Field Day

I found this in the latest Rolling Stone. It's not available on-line so I retyped a section from the print edition of their write-up on Field Day. This is absolutely outrageous... Other evidence suggests that a competing promoter may have tried to squash the festival. Bill Schulman, who runs the golf course adjacent to the planned Field Day site, says he received a "ranting and raving" phone

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2004371172003-06-18T16:06:00.000-07:002003-06-18T16:06:04.813-07:00New Site

Check out my new work-in-progress music site, Blue Eyed Son.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2004370892003-06-18T15:50:00.000-07:002003-06-18T16:01:59.000-07:00Down(load) the Hatch

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Orin Hatch, came out against illegal downloading by favoring the development of new technology that can destroy the computers of people who illegally download music and movie files. This is brilliant in a way that only sociopathically moronically spiteful ideas can be. Great idea: destroy somebody's $1000+ machine for the computer equivalent of "

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2004370712003-06-18T15:36:00.000-07:002003-06-18T20:15:18.000-07:00Saving Private Lynch part 824 (The Saga Continues)

The Washington Post released a lengthy investigative piece that discounts most of their original unquestioningly patriotic account of the trials of Pfc. Jessica Lynch... The account, published on April 3 under the headline "She Was Fighting to the Death; Details Emerging of W.Va. Soldier's Capture and Rescue," was widely repeated in other news reports, and helped make her story an inspirational

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2004054102003-06-09T17:41:00.000-07:002003-06-09T17:41:46.000-07:00Guess What? You Were Lied To

Months have passed. No WMD. And to think they impeached Bill Clinton for lying about sex... But there's still time to get those WMD where they need to be... After nearly three months of fruitless searches, weapons hunters say they are now waiting for a large team of Pentagon intelligence experts to take over the effort, relying more on leads from interviews and documents. (Emphasis added)

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2004053482003-06-09T17:23:00.000-07:002003-06-09T17:33:07.000-07:00Back in the Saddle Again

Apologies to my readership (all three of you) for the extended hiatus. Life circumstances (other duties, etc.) coupled with disgust and contempt for what constitutes our current state of affairs (culture, gov't, etc.) kept me off the blog for a while. Hopefully, I'll be back more than sporadically. Lots of things have happened. The FCC was effectively rendered useless by young Powell and Shrubya

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2003190372003-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:002003-05-20T17:06:37.000-07:00I've Got My Spine, I've Got My Orange Crush

You know the drill... it's "ORANGE" time again... Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said the threats were not specific to location, time or method of attack. The warning sets in motion new security measures for the federal government and advises cities, states and businesses to take extra steps as well. Somewhere in the heavens, George Orwell is shaking his head at the pathetic

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2003106992003-05-19T06:25:00.000-07:002003-05-19T06:26:02.000-07:00Oh, But He Was So Funny...

...In an easily-led, narrow-minded, condescending yet ignorantly self-righteous kind of way. NEWS ALERT Ari Fleischer, White House Spokesman, to Step Down in Summer (9:14 AM ET)

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002923082003-05-14T15:29:00.000-07:002003-05-14T15:37:09.000-07:00President Nero Does the Voodoo So Well

Bob Burnett at Alternet.org has an interesting take on the Bushites' tax cuts for the rich and shameless. So what if the economy's funeral pyre will burn ever brighter. So what if social programs are destroyed. Let 'em eat rice cakes, so long as they keep their filthy hands off of the private money that's squirrelled away, earning bundles from the interest rates that will have risen as a result

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002535012003-05-06T21:08:00.000-07:002003-05-06T21:08:54.056-07:00You Gotta Know When To Hold 'Em

Why do they make it so easy?! Oh, the morality!

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002534922003-05-06T21:05:00.000-07:002003-05-06T21:09:10.000-07:00I Was So Much Older Then, I'm Younger Than That Now...

This is priceless: Bush vs. Bush.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002409732003-05-04T13:23:00.000-07:002003-05-04T13:23:47.066-07:00It's a Wonder We're So Cynical...

Nothing like an empty gesture to stir the hearts and minds of Americans. More on the top gun photo op.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002307292003-05-01T20:25:00.000-07:002003-05-01T20:44:16.000-07:00Maverick, You Are Dangerous

Wow! America has a really big dick! Earlier in the day, in a visit to the carrier that the White House arranged for maximum political effect, it was hard to tell the president from the troops he was visiting. He landed on the 14-year-old carrier in a twin-engine S-3B Viking jet that the president, a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard three decades ago, helped pilot as it left San Diego. The

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002307952003-05-01T20:23:00.000-07:002003-05-01T20:48:22.000-07:00Quote of the Day

Dubya, in his speech released by White House: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime because that regime is no more... Apparently nobody will gain WMD from Iraq as they don't seem to exist on this astral plane.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002186592003-04-29T16:13:00.000-07:002003-04-29T16:39:45.000-07:00Winning Their Hearts and Minds With Gentle Sensitivity

An article in today's Editor and Publisher, presumably written before 13 Iraqi protesters were shot dead by U.S. troops, illuminates a climate in which atrocities like this are bound to happen. "We splashed that bastard," a Western eyewitness quoted one Marine as saying to another after they'd shot an Iraqi dead. The man was gunned down after he walked out of his door onto a balcony to see why

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002110172003-04-28T09:51:00.000-07:002003-04-28T12:51:11.000-07:00Nero Fiddles With Tax-Cuts While The Citizens Eat Cake...

From the New York Times: Jobless and Hopeless, Many Quit the Labor Force By MONICA DAVEY with DAVID LEONHARDT PITTSBURGH, April 26 — Worn down by job searches that have stretched on for months, demoralized by disappointing offers or outright rejections, some unemployed people have simply stopped the search. As the nation enters a third year of difficult economic times, these unemployed —

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002109502003-04-28T09:39:00.000-07:002003-04-28T12:52:34.000-07:00Let the Past Be the Future, Let the Future Be Past

William Greider of The Nation wrote a disturbing analysis of the neocon-right's movement toward a less progressive past. The movement's grand ambition--one can no longer say grandiose--is to roll back the twentieth century, quite literally. That is, defenestrate the federal government and reduce its scale and powers to a level well below what it was before the New Deal's centralization. With

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2002041412003-04-26T13:59:00.000-07:002003-04-26T14:00:01.000-07:00Dogs of War Playing Poker

Collect all fifty-two!!!

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001980972003-04-25T05:19:00.000-07:002003-04-25T06:28:22.000-07:00One-On-One With The COC

If you liked Dan Rather's chat with Saddam Hussein, you'll love this... Tom Brokaw's sit-down with Dubya scheduled to air tonight should be riveting. A controlled prime-time interview filled with softballs so as to ensure that public opinion is further massaged to the neocon's liking. A New York Times article hits on the major points, especially this gem: Mr. Bush gave a detailed account of how

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001956292003-04-24T14:10:00.000-07:002003-04-24T14:55:24.000-07:00Media Looting

Aside from utterly failing to uphold their constitutional duty, members of the American media can also add stealing to their resume. Jules Crittenden of the Boston Globe and Benjamin James Johnson of (wait for it...) Fox News (yes, that Fox News, the venerable bastion of respectable journalism) were allegedly caught smuggling paintings and other valuable items out of Iraq.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001800272003-04-22T15:42:00.000-07:002003-04-22T15:42:48.000-07:00P.O.Dubya?

Just shut up and let us rescue you!!!

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001799792003-04-22T15:41:00.000-07:002003-04-22T17:54:28.000-07:00How Low Can You Go?

3000+ innocent lives sure make a nice campaign platform... WASHINGTON, April 21 — President Bush's advisers have drafted a re-election strategy built around staging the latest nominating convention in the party's history, allowing Mr. Bush to begin his formal campaign near the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and to enhance his fund-raising advantage, Republicans close to the White

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001634752003-04-20T16:59:00.000-07:002003-04-21T17:14:27.000-07:00Manifesto Destiny

At this point, as the Bush army has for all intents and purposes finished the latest battle in their "war on terrorism" and are poised to "rebuild" Iraq, it is wise to look back on how we got here. We have an executive branch shielded in secrecy engaged in some never-ending jihad against an open-ended abstraction ("terror"), passing out favors to the rich while cutting social programs that

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001680692003-04-18T15:06:00.000-07:002003-04-18T15:13:37.000-07:00Another Winner!

Donald Rumsfeld's old employer Bechtel gets a major contract in the reconstruction of Iraq. Congrats to Bechtel on your hard work to earn that job!

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001678232003-04-18T13:53:00.000-07:002003-04-18T16:29:34.000-07:00Oh The Tangled Web They Weave

Baker Botts L.L.P., the Lawfirm of James Baker III (George H.W. Bush's Secretary of State, Bush family lawyer and the man who represented Dubya in the selection 2000 fiasco) is defending the Saudi government in a lawsuit on behalf of the victims of 9/11. A majority of the 9/11 highjackers were Saudi and it is widely believed (even by U.S. intelligence) that a large portion of the funding for the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001632342003-04-17T13:15:00.000-07:002003-04-17T13:21:16.000-07:00The War Is Over (almost, supposedly); Do You Know Where Your Weapons Are?

Hans Blix, virtually ignored by the American press since the opening volleys of "shock and awe," has had plenty to say about the existence of WMD in Iraq. The stated purpose of the war in Iraq was to defend the United States from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Thus far no weapons have been found. Moreover, according to United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix and two top Iraqi

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001628312003-04-17T11:58:00.000-07:002003-04-17T12:15:55.000-07:00"I'm not dead!"

It's a Monty Python week... CART MASTER: Bring out your dead! CUSTOMER: Here's one. CART MASTER: Ninepence. DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead! CART MASTER: What? CUSTOMER: Nothing. Here's your ninepence. DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead! CART MASTER: 'Ere. He says he's not dead! CUSTOMER: Yes, he is. DEAD PERSON: I'm not! CART MASTER: He isn't? CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon. He's very ill. DEAD PERSON: I'm

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001582012003-04-16T14:37:00.000-07:002003-04-16T14:44:30.000-07:00U.S. Admits to Killing Seven Iraqi Protesters

Seven of the "liberated" learn a unique interpretation of free expression... MOSUL, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Central Command has admitted its soldiers shot dead seven Iraqis demonstrating in the northern Iraq town of Mould. The troops are believed to have opened fire after a crowd had gathered in the city center to protest at U.S. Marines taking over a former Kurdish government building and

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001571832003-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:002003-04-16T11:15:37.800-07:00The Python Strikes

Terry Jones, Observer columnist of Monty Python fame, proves how humor and satire are wonderfully effective conduits of logic and truth. This week he congratulates all the "winners" who will reap the benefits of rebuilding Iraq. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a collection of his previous articles.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001571512003-04-16T11:08:00.000-07:002003-04-16T11:08:27.690-07:00More Moore Again

Michael Moore responds to his post-Oscar-speech "backlash."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001571162003-04-16T11:01:00.000-07:002003-04-16T11:11:25.000-07:00Acting Out

Janeane Garofalo made an interesting point about the celebrity activism backlash in the mainstream (especially on Fox "News") and the trivialization of those against the war on The Randi Rhodes Show: I think a lot of the mainstream media likes to marginalize the anti-war movement by booking actors because they know that most people don't hold actors' opinions in very high esteem — that's

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001525382003-04-15T14:33:00.000-07:002003-04-15T14:49:25.000-07:00Orwell That Ends Well

Check out this hysterical Realvideo clip from Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Stephen Colbert: One thing is certain: If Saddam is Dead it greatly reduces his ability to control Iraq... Remember, when this man appears in public, no one is sure it's actually him. And yet he's held an iron grip on power since 1979. 24 years of brutal dictatorship all while maybe existing. Jon

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001514462003-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:002003-04-15T14:17:39.000-07:00Saddam Hussein Fired

William Rivers Pitt of Truthout.org dissects the aims of the Bush administration in their war on Iraq and the extent to which they were successful. They fired Saddam Hussein from the post the U.S. helped him obtain in 1979, but beyond that the center cannot hold... We lost the war. We defeated the Iraqi military, to be sure, and we fired Saddam Hussein. We have lost the real war, the important

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001510672003-04-15T09:40:00.000-07:002003-04-15T09:43:45.000-07:00Seven Veils Fashioned From The Stars and Stripes

Interesting op-ed piece by Paul Krugman in today's NY Times on the Bushites' "compassionate conservative" maneuverings behind the smokescreen of war: ...our deficits are too large, and our current spending on the poor too small, for even the most Scrooge-like of governments to offer additional tax cuts for the rich without raising taxes or cutting benefits for the middle class. ... But back to

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001468192003-04-14T14:25:00.000-07:002003-04-14T19:55:05.000-07:00Dynasty? Oh. God. No!!!

From USNews.com via Thismodernworld.com: Jeb vs. Hillary With Republicans expecting President Bush to roll to reelection in 2004, their focus is fast turning to 2008 and whom the GOP will run against expected Democratic nominee Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Now, Whispers is told that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks strong. "If Jeb is in the mix" for the nomination, says a top GOP official, "it's his

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001471272003-04-14T14:20:00.000-07:002003-04-14T16:13:15.000-07:00That's The News and You are Outta Here...

Dennis Miller has jumped the shark. He has become increasingly smarmy and more arrogant over the years while his humor and intelligence level has declined. Since 9/11 (after which he turned into a callous, reactionary, right-winged maniac) there is an inverse relationship between his egotistical smirk and the actual substance of what spews from his ranting pie-hole. He made the talk show rounds

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001303322003-04-10T19:33:00.000-07:002003-04-14T17:28:11.000-07:00Extreme Ignorance

This is by far the most ridiculous thing I have seen from the pro-war folks. A group of pro-war bloggers created an open letter to the Iraqis stating that the anti-war protesters are unmoved by and ultimately against their liberation. This is a rather bold perversion of truth from ideologues who condemn the left for overly simplistic propaganda. These are the same people who sneer at the left for

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001269272003-04-10T08:24:00.000-07:002003-04-10T15:21:03.000-07:00A Different Kind of Invasion

The next wave of the invasion of Baghdad. Making Iraq safe for the corporate media... Now, a Media Blitz of Baghdad By Verne Gay STAFF WRITER April 10, 2003 A caravan of network television reporters and producers left the Jordanian border for Baghdad yesterday. Dan Rather, who has been anchoring "The CBS Evening News" from Kuwait since Monday, was expected to enter the Iraqi capital this

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001261512003-04-10T06:14:00.000-07:002003-04-10T15:21:39.000-07:00Liberation, Not Occupation?

The truth is apparent to all who have eyes to see. A picture sometimes is worth a thousand words... Is this a faux pas committed by an overzealous marine? Or a well choreographed message to the rest of the world? It should be noted that the marines (supposedly realizing the inflammatory nature of the gesture) later took the American flag down and replaced it with an Iraqi flag. But the whole

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001251222003-04-09T17:31:00.000-07:002003-04-10T15:21:56.000-07:00"Hey, While We're Here..."

Next! Rummy, setting the stage for "desert-hopping," accuses Syria of aiding Hussein.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001223912003-04-09T12:01:00.000-07:002003-04-15T09:32:05.000-07:00There's Truth Behind Every Joke

From the latest Onion: 137 More Oil Wells Liberated For Democracy RUMAILAH OIL FIELDS, IRAQ — The U.S. continued to make progress in its fight against totalitarianism Tuesday, when 137 more oil wells were liberated for democracy. "For decades, these oil wells have suffered untold misery under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule," said U.S. Commander General Tommy Franks, speaking from southern

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001223312003-04-09T11:53:00.000-07:002003-04-09T11:53:11.300-07:00Kings of the Playground Flex Muscles

U.S. tells Syria, N. Korea and the rest of the world to learn from Iraq. Call it the "don't mess with Texas" doctrine of U.S. diplomacy.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001116902003-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:002003-04-07T18:24:08.000-07:00Tin soldiers and Dubya Coming...

Oakland police opened fire with rubber bullets on anti-war demonstrators. OAKLAND, Calif. - Police opened fire with non-lethal projectiles at an anti-war protest at the Port of Oakland on Monday, injuring at least a dozen demonstrators and six longshoremen standing nearby. Most of the 500 demonstrators were dispersed peacefully, but police shot the projectiles at two gates when protesters

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2001006072003-04-05T09:18:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:53:59.000-07:00Yellow Journalism '03

Democracynow.org posted the transcript of their interview with CNN's Aaron Brown. As reported earlier, Brown went head to head with FAIR's Steve Rendall and Democracy co-hosts Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill. The transcript (and accompanying audio file), in which Brown stands by his assertion that now is not the appropriate time for reporters to question the war, is a must-read for chilling

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000969782003-04-04T07:21:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:54:28.000-07:00World War IV

Former CIA director James Woolsey drew parallels between the Cold War and the current war on terror referring to them as World Wars III and IV respectively. Woolsey stated that this fourth world war "will last considerably longer than either World Wars I or II did for us. Hopefully not the full four-plus decades of the Cold War." The jingoistic American Right who spent over a decade in limbo

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000971772003-04-04T07:20:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:54:53.000-07:00When World's Collide

Aaron Brown of CNN went head-to-head with Steve Rendall of FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now. More details will be available once the DN website posts the transcript and the audio clip. The most interesting moment was when Rendall challenged Aaron Brown to get more diverse voices on the CNN payroll to balance the generals and other establishment voices who

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000929942003-04-03T12:01:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:55:14.000-07:00The Depth of Dubya

USA Today propagates some White House P.R. aimed at painting Shrub as a rock of pensive and contemplative intensity during this tumultuous time. Judy Keen looks beyond the "composed and controlled" public face of George and quotes "staffers," "friends," "advisers" and "aids" who give their loving testimonials of the man behind the facade. Using all the semiotic codes that define great leaders of

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000926912003-04-03T11:12:00.000-08:002003-04-07T18:02:55.000-07:00Fox News and MSNBC Compete......Over Who Can Sink Lower

As casualties grow steadily from the ensuing war in Iraq, Fox News and MSNBC are preoccupied with their own little cat-fight. The nascent battle between the Fox News Channel and MSNBC for the hearts and minds of American television viewers has spilled over from news coverage to network promotions and jabs at each other. "Operation Iraqi Freedom" has provided a golden opportunity for the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000925602003-04-03T10:50:00.000-08:002003-04-07T18:03:37.000-07:00A New Golden Age For Alternative Media (...or... Aaron Brown is an "Inarticulate Warmongering Space Cadet")

Matt Smith of SF Weekly explores how "Operation Iraqi Freedom" further exposes the growing irrelevance of the traditional media. For all its horror and folly and cynicism, the Iraq assault has one potential merit: It may provide the American public with a primer about the true state of 21st-century media. Here's the scenario as I see it. Hungry for war news, Americans turn to CNN and see ... an

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000942142003-04-03T10:49:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:58:28.000-07:00Superbowl Baghdad

CNN just reported that coalition troops have entered the RED ZONE. If it comes to fourth down will they kick a field goal or go for the touchdown? If the away team is used to playing on grass or artificial turf they may run into problems on sand. Maybe they'll just call an AUDIBLE like they did on opening night...

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000879512003-04-02T14:32:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:58:53.000-07:00Modern McCarthyism

To be filed under "Reactionary, ignorant, hatemongering...", or "People who just don't 'get it'..." "Patriotic" website Probush.com ("WE HATE BUSH HATERS!") has compiled a list of notable "traitors." Apparently, to them, a "traitor" is anyone who fails to support the decisions of the Dubya administration. Luckily, for the rest of us, the law of the land still says otherwise. (For a good laugh,

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000878792003-04-02T14:17:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:59:22.000-07:00The Music is the Message

A Philadelphia Inquirer music critic analyzes the subliminal effects of the networks' war coverage soundtracks.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000879782003-04-02T14:15:00.000-08:002003-04-07T17:59:50.000-07:00"Coalition" Forces Excercising Less Caution in Recent Air Attacks

U.S. military commanders have shed their early caution in striking some targets in Baghdad and have embarked on more aggressive air attacks that run the risk of larger numbers of civilian casualties, defense officials said yesterday. The strikes, many of them against communication nodes, telephone exchanges and government media offices, appear to reflect a judgment that winning the war against

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000880232003-04-02T14:14:00.000-08:002003-04-07T18:00:19.000-07:00Number Crunching

The Iraqometer is keeping a running tally of casualties, bombs dropped, soldiers surrendered, etc.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000808932003-04-01T12:02:00.000-08:002003-04-07T18:00:47.000-07:00The Viceroy of Iraq

The Bushites picked another winner... "The Man Who Would Be King of Iraq": In a move typical for what passes for U.S. diplomacy these days, the Pentagon developed and announced its occupation plan without consulting the rest of the alleged coalition (no, not even trusty Britain) or the State Department. Worse, to this highly visible and important position, it picked a man with a dubious past and

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000755452003-03-31T14:59:00.000-08:002003-04-07T18:01:20.000-07:00The Ministry of Truth

One cannot overstate the dangers posed by the concentration of ownership in the media industry. If one needs an example of the negative impact the consolidation has on truth and information (throw a rock and you're bound to hit one), the coverage of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" (and the events leading up to it) should more than suffice. With very few remaining regulatory laws fettering consolidation

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000612432003-03-28T09:40:00.001-08:002003-03-31T15:17:15.000-08:00

The Economics of Broadcast Patriotism Broadcasting consultants are advising stations to play down anti-war protest footage in favor of patriotism to attract a larger audience and enrich their bottom line. "Get the following production pieces in the studio NOW: . . . Patriotic music that makes you cry, salute, get cold chills! Go for the emotion," advised McVay Media, a Cleveland-based

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000611782003-03-28T09:15:00.000-08:002003-03-28T09:21:03.000-08:00

Satire Speaks Volumes From The Onion's special war issue, "Operation Piss Off the Planet": Dead Iraqi Would Have Loved Democracy BAGHDAD, IRAQ—Baghdad resident Taha Sabri, killed Monday in a U.S. air strike on his city, would have loved the eventual liberation of Iraq and establishment of democracy, had he lived to see it, his grieving widow said. Read more... As usual, the biting, fictitious

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000574612003-03-27T15:23:00.000-08:002003-03-29T00:53:24.000-08:00

Perle Resigns Richard Perle resigned his post as chairman of the Defense Policy Board (a body that advises Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld). Perle, one of the Bush administration's many holdovers from the Reagan years and a man described as a key architect of the war on Iraq, is in the midst of a controversy over an apparent conflict of interest between his influential Washington post and his

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000560812003-03-27T10:58:00.000-08:002003-03-27T15:42:14.000-08:00

"Unilateral" Reporters Without the slightest hint of irony, a Pentagon official referred to unembedded independent reporters as "unilaterals." Those in glass pentagons... Ah, the Pentagon and their funny euphemistic butchering of the Queen's English... March 27, 2003 As Scott Pelley races through the southern Iraq desert in a dirt-covered Toyota Land Cruiser, the CBS News reporter has no tanks

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000559902003-03-27T10:46:00.000-08:002003-03-27T10:46:04.813-08:00

Canadian Bacon (...or, Freedom Bacon) U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, blasted Canada for not backing "Operation Iraqi Freedom." At a breakfast speech yesterday to the Economic Club of Toronto, U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci said "there is a lot of disappointment in Washington and a lot of people are upset" about Canada's refusal to join the United States in its efforts to depose Iraqi

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000577232003-03-27T10:12:00.000-08:002003-03-27T16:53:11.000-08:00

Self Evident Must read poem by Ani DiFranco.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000557932003-03-27T10:11:00.000-08:002003-03-27T10:31:53.000-08:00

Stock Exchange Censorship Al Jazeera correspondents barred from New York Stock exchange and NASDAQ. ...Mr. Sankari was barred from the exchange on Monday, the day after Al Jazeera broadcast images of American prisoners and dead soldiers. The official who gave him the bad news said that the exchange was cutting back on the number of credentialed reporters because of crowding on the floor (though

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000509012003-03-26T13:28:00.000-08:002003-03-26T13:31:26.000-08:00

Classy Restaurant That Tavern on the Green... ...but green...frogs are green...French people are "frogs"...OH NO!!! Pretentiously renowned, overpriced Central Park West cafeteria for the snobs, Tavern on the Green is "Americanizing" (or "de-Frenchizing") its menu this Spring. the "roast prime rib of beef au jus" will now be known as "roast prime rib of beef with natural juice," according to

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000507312003-03-26T12:59:00.000-08:002003-03-26T13:02:03.000-08:00

"An amazing sight, just like out of an action movie, but this is real." -War reporter, Peter Arnett from his perch in Baghdad during "Shock and Awe." Just a disclaimer: the events depicted in the television program, Operation Iraqi Freedom are based on a true story. Read more about it: "Shock, Awe and Razzmatazz in the Sequel."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000450352003-03-25T13:31:00.000-08:002003-03-25T14:08:51.000-08:00

Senate Cuts Shrubya's Tax Cut Package Senate provided a "serious setback" for the president's voo doo economic package that attempts to "stimulate growth" while cutting taxes (mostly on the highest bracket) during a war as the economy is running at a deficit: WASHINGTON - The Senate reversed itself Tuesday and voted to cut President Bush's proposed $726 billion tax cut in half, dealing a blow

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000437222003-03-25T09:35:00.000-08:002003-03-25T13:18:02.000-08:00

Moore is Better In a column on Time magazine's website, James Poniewozik berates Michael Moore for lumping his anti-war stance with his other grievances against the Shrubya administration: If Moore really wants to end the war — and not just boost the spirits of his Upper West Side neighbors — then mightn't he also want to win over people who oppose the war and yet don't believe that Bush is an

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000408542003-03-24T21:12:00.000-08:002003-03-24T21:21:08.000-08:00

There's No Business Like War Business At this moment, Cheney's Halliburton is reaping the spoils of Operation Iraqi Freedom: As the first bombs rain down on Baghdad, thousands of employees of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, are working alongside US troops in Kuwait and Turkey under a package deal worth close to a billion dollars. According to US Army sources, they are

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000408892003-03-24T21:11:00.001-08:002003-03-24T21:25:10.000-08:00

BOOM!!! Check out System of a Down's new video, directed by Michael Moore.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000408712003-03-24T21:11:00.000-08:002003-03-24T21:20:17.000-08:00

New Radiohead In music news, Radiohead's latest, "Hail to the Thief" is set for a June 10, 2003 U.S. release. The tracklisting is as follows: 01. 2+2=5 02. sit down, stand up 03. sail to the moon 04. backdrifts 05. go to sleep 06. where i end and you begin 07. we suck young blood 08. the gloaming 09. there there 10. i will 11. a punch-up at the wedding 12. myxomatosis 13. scatterbrain

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000385872003-03-24T05:16:00.000-08:002003-03-24T12:19:07.000-08:00

An Eagle Among a Flock of Turkeys In the midst of the self-important, humorously pious, self-congratulatory pomp and circumstance of The Oscars, Michael Moore's acceptance speech was a breath of fresh air.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000314372003-03-22T23:42:00.000-08:002003-03-23T12:24:33.000-08:00

The Willfully Ignored Reality of Bombing Painful and saddening, but a necessary depiction of the uncomfortable reality: "We Bomb, They Suffer." No matter how intelligent the bombs, no matter how selective the targeting, "collateral damage" is nothing more than a vulgar euphemism. "It is the same old story," says British war reporter Robert Fisk,"If we make war – however much we blather on about

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000261702003-03-21T15:50:00.000-08:002003-03-21T15:55:37.000-08:00

Some Much Needed Comic Relief Mock the devil, and he will flee from thee... Relief via Thismodernworld.com

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000261672003-03-21T15:49:00.000-08:002003-03-21T15:49:52.910-08:00

No Glory in Devastation No matter where one stands on the war issue, the shockingly awful televised images of blinding flashes and mushroom clouds over a cityscape amidst roar after explosive roar are brutal, ugly and saddening. It is all rather incongruous when played splitscreen on CNN alongside Ari Fleischer claiming that the "president" still holds out hope for a peaceful solution vis a vis

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000261222003-03-21T15:38:00.000-08:002003-03-21T15:38:55.573-08:00

Senate Rejects Lowering Tax Cut Senate rejected the proposition to lower Shrubya's tax cut from $726 billion to $350 billion. They did, however, vote to cut $100 billion from the tax cut package to help pay for the war. As noted before, the budget resolution activity is conveniently (for Republicans) occurring off the public radar in the "shadow of war."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000229552003-03-21T07:06:00.000-08:002003-03-21T07:19:10.000-08:00

Under Cover of War Despite the astronomical costs of "Operation Iraqi Freedom (TM)" and homeland security under Dubya's doctrine of perpetual war on terrorism, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Bushie's $726 Billion tax cut plan as part of a $2.2 Trillion budget plan. The proposal still has to pass through the Senate where there are efforts to lower the tax cut to $350 Billion. As the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000206882003-03-20T19:48:00.000-08:002003-03-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

South Carolina Tax Dollars At Work Or, More Signs Of Dementia Attributed to War Fever The lengths the pseudo-patriotic will go to to silence those who speak out of turn: (3/20/03, 6 p.m. ET) -- The Dixie Chicks controversy has made it all the way to the South Carolina House. Representative Catherine Ceips introduced a resolution Wednesday (March 19) calling for the country music group to

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000179722003-03-20T17:18:00.000-08:002003-03-20T18:54:42.000-08:00

Deja Vu All Over Again Jimmy Breslin has an interesting column regarding the Fourth Reiche in today's New York Newsday entitled, "Familiar, Haunting Words."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000137692003-03-19T18:53:00.000-08:002003-03-19T19:20:25.000-08:00

Un-American To Shut Up As war has all but begun and the nation is polarized between those for and against the war emotions are high. Congressional Democrats who disagree with Bush, torn between opposing the war and supporting the members of the armed forces whose lives are endangered have been careful to temper all their rhetoric with pleas for unity behind the women and men on the front lines.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000136522003-03-19T18:28:00.000-08:002003-03-19T18:31:54.000-08:00

Bush's Letter to Congress Dubya delivered his letter of justification for the war to Congress invoking the 9/11 attacks: (2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000132172003-03-19T16:09:00.000-08:002003-03-19T16:24:55.000-08:00

Oh, Sweet Irony From the man who helped make possible King George's coronation... CLEVELAND - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia banned broadcast media from his speech Wednesday at an appearance where he received an award for supporting free speech. (emphasis added) Read more of the coverage that was allowed... Need I say more? (Am I even allowed to?) This is the same man who proclaimed: "

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000131672003-03-19T15:56:00.000-08:002003-03-19T16:00:47.000-08:00

A Small Victory The United States Senate rejected Shrubya's plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. While Senate allowed King George and his court the fields of Iraq, there is at least one part of the planet he won't be allowed to rape in the name of big oil.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000130352003-03-19T15:24:00.000-08:002003-03-19T15:24:21.686-08:00

Homeland Security Hopefully, if al Quaeda attacks, they won't be using tractors. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tobacco farmer who parked his tractor on the National Mall and threatened to blow it up surrendered to police on Wednesday after a two-day standoff that raised questions about the U.S. capital's ability to handle more serious threats from international terrorists. Read more... Remember,

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000074922003-03-18T17:45:00.000-08:002003-03-18T17:47:58.000-08:00

Bowling For Baghdad Michael Moore weighs in on the march toward war with an open letter to "president" Bush.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000020762003-03-17T18:58:00.000-08:002003-03-18T13:51:45.000-08:00

Some Notable Quotes From Dubya's State of the War Address The truth behind Bush's address... Over the years, U.N. weapon inspectors have been threatened by Iraqi officials, electronically bugged, and systematically deceived. Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime have failed again and again -- because we are not dealing with peaceful men. Yeah, it is wrong to electronically bug U.N.

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000019632003-03-17T18:26:00.000-08:002003-03-17T19:01:55.000-08:00

Fear and Warfare The War administration raised the national terror level to "Orange" ("High" for those who are color blind) in response to the impending war on Iraq. Fear and war go hand in hand. If the nation is shocked by the fear of war, the added fear of the high terror level will certainly keep the bewildered herd in check. The administration is cultivating a climate of fear with the hopes

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000018772003-03-17T18:03:00.000-08:002003-03-17T19:02:08.000-08:00

Dubya Speaks, The Press Relays, Dems Obediently Behind the President The "president" has spoken and thus far the press has merely echoed and amplified his message. We will go to war, we will disarm Saddam, war with Iraq is worth the risk of terrorist reprisal. Why? Because Dubya said so. Typical American media echo chamber. Meanwhile despite their discomfort with the failed diplomacy, the

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-2000000612003-03-17T11:47:00.000-08:002003-03-17T13:00:39.000-08:00

Stop Making Sense The Bush administration has ended all diplomatic efforts in the U.N. and given Saddam Hussein a final ultimatum. And so it goes that the Commander in Thief has led a breakaway faction of rogue states to breach the authority of the United Nations and unleash death, destruction and war with no proven or sound reason. Yet the war on Iraq makes perfect sense to the anti-democratic

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-908296382003-03-17T06:00:00.000-08:002003-03-17T12:13:41.000-08:00

War on Iraq a "Battle Cry" for Terrorist Recruiters Intelligence officials believe that al Quaeda and other terrorist organizations are seizing the anti-American sentiment resulting from the impending invasion of Iraq to intensify recruiting efforts. In recent weeks, officials in the United States, Europe and Africa say they had seen evidence that militants within Muslim communities are seeking

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-908155062003-03-16T12:54:00.000-08:002003-03-16T13:08:19.000-08:00

A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall Striking his fiercest Wild West via Jerry Bruckheimer pose, emperor Bushie declares Monday, March 17, "a moment of truth for the world." Here is a simple lyric that cuts right to the point... the more the times have a-changed, the more they've stayed the same: Masters of War by Bob Dylan Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-908154862003-03-16T12:47:00.000-08:002003-03-16T12:47:01.353-08:00

Character Sketch of a Madman The man who is more frightening than Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein... For an intimate portrait of delusional righteous anger and the slow and deliberate transformation of American democracy into totalitarianism read "On Terror and Spying, Ashcroft Expands Reach."

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-906710322003-03-13T15:54:00.000-08:002003-03-13T16:17:57.000-08:00

Preemptive Preemptive Strike ABC News reports that Hussein may launch a preemptive strike against U.S. forces once Bush gives the signal that our preemptive war is inevitable. — U.S. officials fear that once President Bush signals the U.S. is headed to war, Saddam Hussein will strike pre-emptively, administration sources told ABCNEWS. But if the United States takes action to stop an Iraqi

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-906731312003-03-13T14:41:00.000-08:002003-03-13T19:01:37.000-08:00

Freedom of Speech and You The American Prospect examines the American media's refusal to cover the U.N. bugging allegations. The story only gets stranger: Great Britain's Observer reported that an employee of Government Communications Headquarters was arrested on suspicion of leaking the information. In yet another case of stifling information, chairman of the Defense Policy Board (a Defense

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-906706152003-03-13T14:40:00.000-08:002003-03-13T15:22:41.000-08:00

New York City Council Takes Stand Against Iraq War New York joined almost 150 other U.S. cities and counties by passing a resolution against the Iraq war. The City Council passed a controversial anti-war resolution yesterday, following passionate debate about whether the action is anti-American. With emotions running high, the council voted 31-17 for Resolution 549A, opposing war with Iraq

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-905990272003-03-12T11:18:00.000-08:002003-03-12T11:32:08.000-08:00

Shaky Arrest Reuters reports that Pakistan has been accused of staging the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A grainy video purporting to show the arrest of two al Qaeda leaders has done little to deflect accusations that Pakistan may have staged this month's raid to give it leeway to abstain in a U.N. vote on an Iraq war. On Monday, the powerful military Inter-Services

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-905550802003-03-11T17:35:00.000-08:002003-03-11T22:02:56.000-08:00

Britain Stepping Back? America's closest ally in Bush's Iraqi folly may still back out. At the very least, Britain is looking to extend Hussein's deadline and shift more focus to disarmament as Tony Blair's political future is in turmoil over strong anti-war sentiment in the UK. CBS News reports: Great Britain – America's closest ally – may find it politically impossible to commit its military

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-905550202003-03-11T17:18:00.000-08:002003-03-11T19:20:21.000-08:00

What's Next? Give Back the Statue of Liberty? More from the "Freedom" front... Republican lawmakers successfully lobbied to have "French Fries" and "French Toast" changed to "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast" in three House cafeterias. The name changes were spearheaded by two Republican lawmakers who held a news conference Tuesday to make the name changes official on the menus. It's

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142120.post-904801622003-03-10T14:48:00.000-08:002003-03-10T14:48:28.843-08:00

One Story (of many) You're Not Hearing from the American Mass Media U.K.'s Observer reports that the U.N. has begun a "top level" investigation into the United States' bugging of delegations. The leak [of the NSA documents that suggest the bugging] was described as 'more timely and potentially more important than the Pentagon Papers' by Daniel Ellsberg, the most celebrated whistleblower in

Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830875815758975666noreply@blogger.com