Still MORE Payola: Third Pundit Outed

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Friday January 28, 2005 · 12:09 PM PST

2005/01/28 · 12:09

If you can believe it. Anyone want to place bets on how many more are out there?

From Salon.com:

One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, "Ethics & Religion," appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.

julie37

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Wednesday January 26, 2005 · 9:07 AM PST

2005/01/26 · 09:07

Back when I was in The Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!), we used to start every session in my Media 101 class by looking at the headlines in the major newspapers (1991--too early for websites), and discussing what the media was reporting, how they were "framing" the story with the headlines, and why. Aaron Brown does something similar at the end of his program every night.

The reason for doing this is simple, something like 50% of those with newspaper subscriptions only read the headlines. I'm assuming the same is true of websites, especially thinking back on all the times I click on a news site, skim the headlines and go on to something else. Read More

Keith Olbermann Getting Pummeled by Dobson's Minions

julie37

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Wednesday January 26, 2005 · 8:23 AM PST

2005/01/26 · 08:23

Of course, all of this relating to his amusement over the Spongebob Squarepants saga.

Keith, blogging from vacation:

The video itself-- which we showed on Countdown-- contains not a single reference to sexuality (and only about four clips of SpongeBob-- heck, the Count from Sesame Street stole the damn picture). And the advice to the teachers seemed pretty logical (as opposed to telling a seven-year old that his best friend and his two Mommies were all going to Hell).

The spam e-mails began coming in Tuesday night. They were pretty routine, damning me to eternal fires and reminding me what they "did" to Dan Rather and how I'd be next. But they were generated from Dobson's own website, which of course negates their impact, and as a result a lot of them were downright hilarious.

julie37

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Thursday January 20, 2005 · 9:41 AM PST

2005/01/20 · 09:41

For once, he wrote a quasi well-reasoned and sensible column, chastising Bush for the extravagant inaugural while the country is at war. Then the real John Kass showed up.

Here's how it started out:

Donald Trump's latest piece of eye candy, a brunet this time, is busy showing off her fancy wedding dress.

Meanwhile, President Bush's inauguration festivities will offer lavish entertainments, and balls, parties, fetes, suppers, mountains of beef tenderloin and so on. There were no reports of medieval egg dancers in curly-toed boots, but there will be jesters aplenty.

So what is the difference between the parties costing a record $40 million and that wedding dress Trump purchased for his new true love?

Not much. Both are overdone and self-indulgent, reported on with red-carpet celebrity breathlessness. The word I'm looking for is "vulgar," since Americans with family and friends in the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are worried.

They're worried a government sedan might pull up to their homes, an officer telling them their son or husband or daughter will be coming home sooner than planned.

julie37

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Thursday January 13, 2005 · 12:58 PM PST

2005/01/13 · 12:58

I wish more soldiers were as brave as this guy:
From CNN.com:

A mechanic with nine years in the Army, including a role in the assault on Baghdad, has refused to return to Iraq, claiming "you just don't know how bad it is."

Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, said he became morally opposed to war after seeing it firsthand during his first Iraq tour. Now he faces a possible court-martial after failing to deploy Friday with his unit.

"I told them that I refused deployment because I just couldn't go back over there," Benderman said Wednesday. "If I'm going to sit up there and tell everyone that I do not believe in war, why would I go back to a war zone?"

julie37

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Monday January 10, 2005 · 11:56 AM PST

2005/01/10 · 11:56

Tort "reform" is all the rage these days. Everywhere I turn, I see editorials, commentators, newscasters (unfortunately), and politicians towing the same line: the legal system in this country has run amok, juries are out of control! Jury damages have to be capped, limited, brought back to earth! Of course, this is all the work of greedy trial lawyers and their co-horts in the Democratic Party. Of course they don't want tort reform--that's how they all got rich!!!!

Well, I'm a trial lawyer, too, and I'm not rich. I'm a public interest lawyer, and people would be shocked at how little I make. Of course, the posterchild for the tort reform movement is (all together now) the McDonald's coffee case. While almost everyone knows about the case, too few people know the actual facts of the case. So, by way of example, here's my case against tort reform.

The Real Story of the McDonald's Coffee Case (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Litigation) below the fold. Read More

Durbin may also stand

julie37

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Thursday January 06, 2005 · 9:25 AM PST

2005/01/06 · 09:25

I realize that this should probably be on the open thread, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I firmly believe that all 45 Democratic Senators should stand and object to the vote TOGETHER--which is why I am still calling Senators right now. For me, this is not so much about whether or not Kerry would have won, but about the systemic disenfranchisement of minority voters.

That being said, I just got off the phone with a rep from Durbin's Chicago office (MY Senator--along with Obama--could I be prouder?), who sort of intimated that Durbin may rise to stand with Sen. Boxer. He was a little cryptic, but he said that Sen. Durbin "certainly believes that Sen. Boxer is a great patriot, and that she should not have to meet this challenge alone." Whatever that means. I took it to mean that he is considering objecting as well. If you aren't all phone called out, please consider calling his Chicago or DC Office:

Chicago:(202) 224-2152
D.C: (312) 353-4952

And So It Begins

julie37

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Wednesday January 05, 2005 · 11:15 AM PST

2005/01/05 · 11:15

When the USA PATRIOT ACT was first enacted, I had to educate appromately 99.9% of people I knew as to why it was a bad idea. Aside from the civil liberties violations, I didn't like the new criminal laws it created. Besides, I generally worry when every member of Congress but one (God Bless You, Russ Feingold) signs on to sweeping new legislation without actually having READ it.

But we need it to fight the terrorists they whined. If you have nothing to hide, what's the big deal?

(This is the point at which Julie's ACLU-loving, ex-Public Defender head would usually explode) Read More

MSNBC Comes Thru on Voting Story--for once

julie37

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Tuesday January 04, 2005 · 10:21 AM PST

2005/01/04 · 10:21

The Title: Voters Stand Firm on Ohio Election Challenge.

I love that. VOTERS stand firm on Election Challenge--makes them look like they are fighting for their rights in the face of an anti-democratic leader, which they are.

A brief blurb:

One voter didn't see any signs of fraud on Election Day but was suspicious of the results. Another was surprised by long lines in her suburban city, where voting was always quick in the past.

Others were angered by having to wait hours to vote in black neighborhoods. Some left in frustration without casting their ballots.

In all, 37 voters in this swing state are challenging President Bush's Nov. 2 victory over Democratic Sen. John Kerry. They want Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer to set aside the election results.

julie37

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Thursday December 30, 2004 · 7:09 AM PST

2004/12/30 · 07:09

Sidney Blumenthal's column in Salon.com this morning---man, is this depressing:

To begin with, I have learned from numerous sources, including several people close to Brent Scowcroft, that Bush has unceremoniously and without public acknowledgment dumped Scowcroft, his father's closest associate and friend, as chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The elder Bush's national security advisor was the last remnant of traditional Republican realism permitted to exist within the administration. But no longer. At the same time, Vice President Dick Cheney has imposed his authority over Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice, in order to blackball Arnold Kanter, former undersecretary of state to James Baker, and partner in the Scowcroft Group, as a candidate for deputy secretary of state.

julie37

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Wednesday December 29, 2004 · 12:18 PM PST

2004/12/29 · 12:18

This is the idea of David Shuster, of Hardball, who blogs on MSNBC. I doubt that very many of us read his blogs, but we all really should bookmark them--he's one of the few setting out the progressive/liberal view on pretty regular basis. He even tried to get Chris Matthews to pay more then lip service to what's been going on in Ohio.

His question today was why the US government didn't take the opportunity in SE Asia to set a really bold goal: a billion dollars in aid to the region.

The United States government is the wealthiest on the planet. At this time of worldwide horror and grief for the more than 60,000 people killed by the tsunami, and the millions of others who are now homeless, why not start with a billion dollar pledge? Compared to 35 million dollars, a billion would generate worldwide headlines and amazement... and it would immediately give people across this earth a reason to be thankful for the United States. And given recent polls showing that hatred for the U.S. is at an all-time high, we could certainly use a better image.

julie37

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Monday December 27, 2004 · 1:11 PM PST

2004/12/27 · 13:11

This seems to be the big topic of conversation today, so I'm getting curious about the poll results on this one.

Assuming that you are a Dean backer (and I think that there are more of us here than not), would you rather see him as DNC Chair or as a fire and brimstone throwing, Rethug-whupping, Presidential Candidate in 2008? Read More

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Still MORE Payola: Third Pundit Outed

Media Watch 1-26-05

Keith Olbermann Getting Pummeled by Dobson's Minions

John Kass is such an ass

Soldier facing court martial for refusing 2nd tour in Iraq

In Defense of Frivolous Law Suits

Durbin may also stand

And So It Begins

MSNBC Comes Thru on Voting Story--for once

NEOCONS Take Over the State Department

A Billion Dollar Pledge to SE Asia

POLL Dean: DNC Chair Now or Candidate in 08?