Explained: Why America's sense of Unity after 9/11 was Lost.

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Wednesday September 13, 2006 · 6:57 PM PDT

2006/09/13 · 18:57

I read an article recently--one of many--that was lamenting the loss of national unity felt immediately after 9/11. Given the numerous personal accounts I've read, it's pretty clear that 9/11 deeply affected Americans across the political spectrum--particularly the random subset of Americans who happened to be in the towers on that fateful day.

When the right complains about a loss of unity, they tend to blame moderates and liberals for basically veering off course, for failing to stay with the program. They fail to acknowledge that over the last 5 years, the program has shifted from a narrow, focused response to a specific event all the way to a grand desire to spread worldview, ideology and a socio-economic system to another part of the world.

This is key to understanding why we're not "all on board." Read More

Wes Clark comes out with Guns Blazing

souldrift

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Wednesday September 06, 2006 · 3:34 PM PDT

2006/09/06 · 15:34

Wes Clark is quietly, but forcefully, putting some teeth behind the Democratic leadership's criticism of Republican strategy--and helping to unify the team going into the 2006 Midterm elections. He appeared at a Real Security press conference with Senators Reid and Durbin yesterday, and had some strong words to back up Democratic strategy:

I spent 38 years in uniform. I fought in Vietnam, came home on a stretcher, stayed on in uniform to help rebuild the American Army and to help make national security policy. I've helped negotiate peace agreements. I've lead alliance military forces in successful military campaigns. So, I've got a background in diplomacy, war and the use of military force, and it's from that basis that I'd like to speak today.
In plain language, invading Iraq was a mistake, a strategic blunder, a step- a major step in the wrong direction for winning the War on Terror. It's time for America to face the facts. Invading Iraq was an unnecessary war. It distracted us from what we were trying to accomplish in Afghanistan, and it's been counterproductive in winning the War on Terror.

souldrift

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Monday July 24, 2006 · 1:03 PM PDT

2006/07/24 · 13:03

Dick Cheney thinks that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East underscores why we should vote to keep Republicans in office. I'm beginning to believe that the ongoing conflict is taking place precisely because Republicans are in office, and that as long as Republicans are in power, we will be fighting the war on terror.

Is that how we want to respond? Do we want to become that which we detest--those who limit freedom through surveillance, encouraging aggressive tactics that may be warped under pressure into activities we don't want to see our soldiers undertake? Read More

Democratic Core Values

souldrift

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Monday June 19, 2006 · 4:20 AM PDT

2006/06/19 · 04:20

From Blog and Tan.

Many strategists and pundits agree that in order for the Democrats to win elections, they must present the voter with a set of core values that defines them. Frank Rich of the NYT argues this point today, and suggests that even though Iraq may be a losing proposition, it's a winner if the opponent can't succinctly present an alternative:

But as long as the Democrats keep repeating their own mistakes, they will lose to the party whose mistakes are, if nothing else, packaged as one heckuva show. It's better to have the courage of bad convictions than no courage or convictions at all.

What are Democratic core values--are they moderate or liberal? Read More

Enough Fear

souldrift

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Sunday June 18, 2006 · 6:51 AM PDT

2006/06/18 · 06:51

I'm willing to waste a diary on this link because it's so important, and such a great idea. Iranians and Americans say NO to war.

This site is in its infancy, but we can give it a push. People register with a photo of themselves making the "STOP" sign (open palm facing outward)--obscuring their face if anonymity is desired--and place it on the site listing their location. (more...) Read More

America's Fading Glow

souldrift

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Tuesday June 06, 2006 · 3:23 PM PDT

2006/06/06 · 15:23

From Blog and Tan.

TomPaine.com suggests that America's "soft power," or its "ability to influence others overseas through who we are and what we do," is fading. The article cites aggressive foreign policy, hypocritical rhetoric, and the declining impact and influence of our cultural exports as major reasons for this decline. Adding fresh fuel to the inferno and clearly benefiting the sympathetic opinion our global neighbors have of us already, a report released today indicates that

The Pentagon has decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet of the Geneva Conventions that explicitly bans "humiliating and degrading treatment," according to knowledgeable military officials, a step that would mark a further shift away from strict adherence to international human rights standards.

I had to read that sentence twice. Read More

Murtha Smeared over Haditha comments

souldrift

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Wednesday May 24, 2006 · 4:10 PM PDT

2006/05/24 · 16:10

From Blog and Tan.

This is a follow-up to SusanG's recent post about the Haditha incident. The words of John Murtha are under fire lately on the right. The incident is currently under investigation; Murtha alleges Marines killed civilians:

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Let me ask you Mr. Murtha to give us some details about that. Draw us a picture of what happened at Haditha.

REP. JOHN "JACK" MURTHA: Well, I'll tell you exactly what happened. One Marine was killed and the Marines just said we're going to take care - we don't know who the enemy is, the pressure was too much on them, so they went into houses and they actually killed civilians. And, and -

MATTHEWS:--was this My Lai? Was this a case of - when you say cold blood Congressman, a lot of people think you're basically saying you got some civilians sitting in a room around a field and they're executed.

MURTHA: That's exactly it.

souldrift

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Monday May 22, 2006 · 9:09 AM PDT

2006/05/22 · 09:09

From Blog and Tan.

There's a brilliant paradigm-shaking essay posted today on Huffington Post: Are we really at war, or is it only the cowards?

if America really were at war, then it would of course make sense to temporarily sacrifice some liberties....

America is not under attack by an enemy force of any significance. We got sucker punched by 19 maniacs with box cutters, and some Republicans want us to run scared because of that for the rest of our lives.

souldrift

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Sunday May 21, 2006 · 8:41 AM PDT

2006/05/21 · 08:41

From Blog and Tan.

I'm preparing to visit New Orleans next weekend, for the first time since Katrina hit. I am going to spend a day or two with my extended family--aunts, uncles, cousins, etc--who have been cleaning and reviving their homes in the suburbs to the west of the 17th Street Canal since returning.

What do I say to them? I live in metro Atlanta, which is now home to a significant number refugees who have discovered a place that has been moving forward at the same pace it was before the storm. Life is no different here, but it is totally upended in New Orleans. The NFC South rivals could hardly be more different. Read More

Palast challenges Coulter on 6-6-6

souldrift

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Wednesday May 17, 2006 · 4:25 AM PDT

2006/05/17 · 04:25

From Blog and Tan.

Greg Palast, the investigative reporter from the BBC who broke the voter disenfranchisement story in Florida during the 2000 election--and revealed the role of ChoicePoint in election fraud--is releasing his new book, Armed Madhouse, on 6/6/06. This is the same date Ms. Adam's Apple, Ann Coulter, is releasing her auto-bile-ography.

Let's help publicize this book release so its sales might help counter the publicity Cun*ler's sales will no doubt bring! Read More

Iran Confrontation and Israel

souldrift

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Monday May 15, 2006 · 4:50 PM PDT

2006/05/15 · 16:50

From Blog and Tan.

TomPaine has posted 2 insightful articles recently about the buildup of rhetoric with Iran. Some consideration is in order given Washington's recent outright dismissal of an 18 page letter sent by President Ahmadinejad of Iran to George Bush. Condolezza Rice was quoted as saying "There's nothing in here that would suggest that we're on any different course than we were before we got the letter." President Bush stated "It looks like it did not answer the main question that the world is asking, and that is, 'When will you get rid of your nuclear program?'"

And what course is that? Read More

The NSA's 'Brave New World'

souldrift

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Saturday May 13, 2006 · 8:31 AM PDT

2006/05/13 · 08:31

A view of the NSA program, based on a comment posted at Donklephant. .

The revelations about the NSA's call monitoring program bring to mind the Orwellian worlds of Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's own 1984. In 1984, televisions were two-way, so that the viewer was being viewed by the authorities. In a similar way, the phone calls we all make are being listened to not only by the parties involved, but their metadata is being tracked by our government. The very technology that enables us to be in touch and communicate all over the world, at any time, is used to monitor our every movement. This is not much of a stretch. Read More

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Explained: Why America's sense of Unity after 9/11 was Lost.

Wes Clark comes out with Guns Blazing

We're the Deciders

Democratic Core Values

Enough Fear

America's Fading Glow

Murtha Smeared over Haditha comments

Only Cowards think we're at War

Should they Stay or Should they Go?

Palast challenges Coulter on 6-6-6

Iran Confrontation and Israel

The NSA's 'Brave New World'