The Fulcrum
Friday, May 14, 2004
Citizen vs Consumer
If you think of Americans as consumers, you want to sell them something, if you think of them as citizens, you want to teach them something.
Bill Moyers (paraphrase)
Fresh Air, NPR
May 13, 2004
And there you have the distinction between most Republicans and most of the Left. Republicans and their corporate backers think only in terms of what we can be sold. Whether it's a (New and Improved!) car, a (New and Improved!) environmental policy or a (New and Improved!) war. By and large, liberal thinkers tend to treat Americans as citizens, hence NPR, Public Television and voter registration drives.
Bill Moyers (paraphrase)
Fresh Air, NPR
May 13, 2004
And there you have the distinction between most Republicans and most of the Left. Republicans and their corporate backers think only in terms of what we can be sold. Whether it's a (New and Improved!) car, a (New and Improved!) environmental policy or a (New and Improved!) war. By and large, liberal thinkers tend to treat Americans as citizens, hence NPR, Public Television and voter registration drives.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Back in the Saddle Again
I'm done with this week's training and meetings. We've had some of the best weather of the year this week and I've been stuck indoors on the 3rd floor of a hotel in downtown Rochester. At least I'll be getting outside this afternoon for a little golf - if the thunderstorms hold off...
But on Friday afternoon I'll be off to Canada for the weekend and not back until Sunday evening. I've really got my work cut out for me to make sure all my readers don't drift away.
But on Friday afternoon I'll be off to Canada for the weekend and not back until Sunday evening. I've really got my work cut out for me to make sure all my readers don't drift away.
James Inhofe (R-OK)
I'm sure you've all read his remarks on the Iraqi Prison abuse situation. I just have one thing to say to Senator Inhofe:
F*** you.
F*** you.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Open Government
Additional photographs and videos of prisoner abuse in Iraq will be shown to members of Congress today in a highly secure, locked room and the photographs will remain under the control of the Pentagon. Members of Congress will not be authorized to remove photos or videos from the room, nor will they be allowed to make copies.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
While The Cat's Away...
Here's my first ever caption contest!
Since I'm too busy to actually post any real content; have a good time and give each other a reason to laugh during this time that makes us all want to rage. What is Rummy thinking in this picture?
Go ahead... make my day.
Since I'm too busy to actually post any real content; have a good time and give each other a reason to laugh during this time that makes us all want to rage. What is Rummy thinking in this picture?
Go ahead... make my day.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Limited Blogging Ahead
Starting this afternoon and extending through Thursday, I'll be extremely busy so my opportunities to blog will be somewhat limited.
Please have a look through my blogrolls, there are some wonderful writers out there. Expand your horizons!
By all means, please read my recent posts and leave some comments so that I know you've dropped by.
Please have a look through my blogrolls, there are some wonderful writers out there. Expand your horizons!
By all means, please read my recent posts and leave some comments so that I know you've dropped by.
What Did the President Know and When Did He Know It?
Even when apparently admitting to a mistake - if that's what you call the rather tepid admissions of Rumsfeld and the Shrub last week - BushCo. cannot keep from lying. Rumsfeld admitted that he knew about the abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib, but not until the photos were released. Or at least I think that was his latest sound bite. The Sock Puppet is pretty sure he knew about what was going on sometime just after somebody told Cheney.
Now we find out that evidence of prisoner abuse was reported by the Red Cross to the administration nearly a year before any previous admission of knowledge.
How about a Specialist 4 Sivits "age 24 and a member of the 800th Military Police Brigade, ...charged with conspiracy to maltreat detainees; dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment; and maltreatment of detainees." Not his commander, not the commander of the MP Brigade, not the Commander of Central Command, not the SECDEF. No. The buck doesn't stop anywhere in this administration except at the lowest levels. This SP4, trained as a heavy truck mechanic will carry the weight of the mistakes of BushCo. At least until the next soldier is court martialed.
Accountability, apparently, is for chumps. And lowly soldiers...
Now we find out that evidence of prisoner abuse was reported by the Red Cross to the administration nearly a year before any previous admission of knowledge.
Even before the war in Iraq ended a year ago, and well before U.S. officials have generally acknowledged it, the Red Cross began periodically lodging complaints about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners in allied custody, according to a confidential report by the organization.And the first person to face real consequences for these heinous acts? Someone high in the administration? The SECDEF himself? Of course not.
In particular, the report says the Red Cross complained last October about the interrogations of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, site of the photographs of prisoner abuse that have erupted into an international scandal in recent days. Those Red Cross complaints came more than three months before a U.S. soldier complained to his superiors about the treatment of prisoners there, setting off an American inquiry.
How about a Specialist 4 Sivits "age 24 and a member of the 800th Military Police Brigade, ...charged with conspiracy to maltreat detainees; dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment; and maltreatment of detainees." Not his commander, not the commander of the MP Brigade, not the Commander of Central Command, not the SECDEF. No. The buck doesn't stop anywhere in this administration except at the lowest levels. This SP4, trained as a heavy truck mechanic will carry the weight of the mistakes of BushCo. At least until the next soldier is court martialed.
Accountability, apparently, is for chumps. And lowly soldiers...
Momma Don't Take My Kodachrome Away
I've uploaded some of the photographs I took during my trip to the Virgin Islands to my Webshots page. As promised, I've made the album public and available for anyone who might want to have a look. Additionally, I've added a permanent link to my albums page in the left sidebar under "About Me." I'm too lazy to create a separate photo-blog, so anyone who's interested can always check out my latest photographs there. Webshots allows comments in the Guest Book feature, so please, let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
