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From THE GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
It's April 5 and it's snowing like a banshee out. Just thought you'd like to know. Oh, and did you know that yesterday was 04-04-04? You can cherish the memory with a limited-edition collector's plate by Thomas Kinkade. (Only 135,000 left!)
Poll results from Friday: 63% of Kos readers intend on Reading Richard Clarke's book, but haven't bought it yet. 15% don't plan on reading it, and the rest have a copy. Andy Rooney was sadly right last night on 60 Minutes: we buy more books than we read. Today's poll is a blatant attack on America (thank god).
Lots of red meat in today's column, including our take on the Kos flap. Cheers and Jeers starts in the Extended Copy section...RIGHTNOW!
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, April 5, 2004
CHEERS to truthful headlines. Yahoo: "New jobs surge by 308,000, Unemployment up." Confusing, yes, but accurate. And wipe that smirk off your face, Dubya (oops, I forgot, it's permanent)...we still have 2.1 million jobs to fill before you get to blow your horn.
JEERS to Iraq Management 101: On `This Week,' Steph, Will, Zakaria, Albright and even Lugar agree: the place is a nightmare, June 30 handover is insane, and extreme Fallujah reprisals will inflame anti-U.S. sentiment. On the upside, Bremer unveils new billboard campaign to calm folks down: http://www.johnnyburrito.com/images/Keep%20on%20Truckin'.jpg.
CHEERS to free speech. Kos finds himself in hot water over comments about mercenary (`scuse me..."contractor") deaths in Iraq. C&J is neutral about whether he's right or not. But this much we know: his argument was thoughtfully explained, heartfelt, and fueled by horrifying personal experience (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/4/2/175739/8203). Shall we hang him now...or wait for our Ron Popeil ShowtimeTM Human Rotisserie to arrive?
JEERS to Tyco case. Judge (don't blame him, he was pissed, too) declares mistrial and the bad guys walk. But not all is lost, gang, because we...still...got...Martha. Meanwhile, Dennis Kozlowski's new line of work: http://www.wallsoffame.com/html/television_113.html.
CHEERS to Drudge Report. Turned 9 years old last Friday. Hey, he's right---it IS hard to imagine a time when information flowed "borderless and without edit." And admit it...he wings Bush and the Repugs on many occasions. (But I hate having to clean my screen every time I go there.)
JEERS to Kerry floundering. Fundraising is good (no small thanks to blog power). But when the most motivating element of the campaign is Theresa, it's time to kick it up a notch. Shadow Cabinet...Now! "Mission Accomplished" ads...Now!
CHEERS to Jack Spadaro. Whistleblower reveals massive Bush Administration cover-up of coal slurry spill in Appalachia (25 times worse than the Exxon Valdez accident). A must-read if you missed it last night: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/01/60minutes/main609889.shtml. Can someone please give this scandal legs?
JEERS to FCC. Now the sex police are going after---agh, these are YOUR tax dollars, people!---soap operas! C'mon, chairman Powell...you're not still cheesed because Marlena killed off Alice Horton on `Days,' are you?
CHEERS to Demstore.com for this classic Bushism from 3/11: "The march to war hurt the economy. Laura reminded me a while ago that, remember what was on the TV screens--she calls me, `George W.' `George W.' I call her, `First Lady.' No, anyway...she said, we said, march to war on our TV screen."
JEERS to WalMart. Let's take a look at their book section: Sean Hannity...Karen Hughes...Billy Graham...Bill O'Reilly...the Spiritual Diet. Hmm. Either Clarke, Franken, Suskind and Moore are flying off the shelves, or something's fishy in the Land of Everyday Low Prices.
CHEERS to Daniel Bakeman. On this day in 1869, the last surviving veteran of the War of Independence died at 109. In his 90s, he was so upset about the looming Civil War that he became a big supporter of ABB---Anybody But Buchanan.
CHEERS to kinder, gentler video games. You gotta admire the elegance of these Zen-like games. The music on some of them is gorgeous. Playtime starts now: http://ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
So...what are you cheering and jeering about today?