Crossposted at:  BraveNewFilms.org
Comparing the two videos:  Obama’s "yes we can" to McCain "Audacity of Despair" was very revealing – McCain’s tag line: "Like Hope, but Different" was hysterical.  Truthfully though, while I thought that the McCain parody video above was pretty funny, the reality of ‘100 years of war’ is Not a joke, esp. not to people who are killed in such actions.  You can check out additional information re: the cost of the Iraqi occupation at:  http://lessjobsmorewars.com/
Another diary:  The Only Issue is (Still) Iraq – discusses how "health care," "mortgage crisis," "rising gas costs," "the environment," and "taxes" all are connected to the quagmire known as Iraq.

On Labor Day weekend in the Sierras at the Strawberry Music Festival, a lovely young Canadian named Samantha Robichaud took the stage.  She played one delightfully modernized traditional fiddle tune after another, swiftly, deftly, introducing each piece with a little story.  She showed a killer left hand pizzicato; she played brilliantly with her excellent band, she danced in her high heeled boots and radiated vivacity and charm.  And then she said "How many of you know who Daniel Pearl is? Well, for those of you who don't know, he was a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan, in 2002. He was an amazing journalist and a great musician. Where ever he traveled, he wanted to make friends, using music to bridge cultural differences.  I was honored with the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin for a year, so that I could be inspired to tell you Daniel's story. I wrote a song in his memory, and I hope you enjoy it.... it's called `Always Remembered.’

The collision of gory memory and lilting music shocked me.

Cross-posted in my blog.

It's easy to experience anticipation, impatience, excitement, and elation about the prospect of new leadership and new direction for a country which has suffered too long under a president it didn't actually elect. The man once perceived by many of us as just a buffoon playing dress-up in his dad's suits has come to represent something sinister, something tyrannical, something evil, in our eyes and the eyes of people around the world.

We look at our candidates imploringly, begging them to fix the Bush administration's mess and restore not only order, but happiness to our lives, which have become a day-in, day-out parade of rising costs, anger, and fear. Costs for medical care, costs for a gallon of gas or milk, costs for mortgages we were tricked into. Anger at the way our civil liberties are mangled and revoked, at how close we've come to losing choice and setting back race relations and failing our GLBT citizens. Fear for what we have become in the eyes of our fellow global citizens, fear of another attack, fear of traveling freely throughout the world, fear of what will happen to our loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan and beyond.

I just want to thank my wife for sacrificing her Sunday crossword and all those coupons.

Mariane Pearl, widow of Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl is suing a Pakistani bank charged with financing Al Qaeda.  Thing is, the lawsuit has been filed in New York where the bank has a branch.

Habib Bank Limited, which has a branch on 42nd Street in Manhattan, is accused in the complaint of aiding and abetting terrorism by handling financial transactions of the Al Rashid Trust and Al Akhtar Trust, two entities linked to either al-Qaida or the Taliban. The suit contends that the bank knew the trusts, which are also named as defendants, and others acted on behalf of terrorism.

So the Congressional Black Caucus has unashamedly supported Fox despite its racist and anti-Democratic stance. For example, see CBC Chairman Derides Fox Critics as "Liberal Activists". And while the top three candidates, Obama, Clinton and Edwards have declared they will not attend, the lesser ones are promising they will go. Posit the CBC's stance against the stance taken by Angelina Jolie at the premiere of the movie "A Mighty Heart", as "reported" by Fox:

But Jolie turns out to be a mighty hypocrite when it comes to her own freedom of the press. Her lawyer required all journalists to sign a contract before talking to her, and Jolie instructed publicists at first to ban FOX News from the red carpet of her premiere.

Such a contrast to the CBC, and Jolie is not even looking for your vote!

So take a moment to tip your glass to Angelina's stance, to the great person Mariane Pearl that she plays in the movie, and to the truly great person that Daniel Pearl was...

Here's a story that is sure to cause wingnut heads to explode:

http://news.yahoo.com/...

Lost in all the hoopla over the "confession" by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been the fact that there has already been a trial and convictions for the Pearl beheading.

In 2002, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi sentenced Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born militant, to death and gave three other men life in prison for involvement in Pearl's killing.

Rai Bashir a lawyer for Sheikh and the other three men said on Sunday that he will study the Pentagon documents on Mohammed's claim and file his confession as evidence to prove Sheikh's innocence.

I am going to watch with interest as the wingnuts spin this latest development.

There is nothing like music.

Last night I attended the Los Angeles Master Chorale's west coast debut of Steve Reich's Daniel Variations, a 30-minute symphonic/choral composition inspired by the life of Daniel Pearl.

It was a tearful evening for reasons both good and bad, and I hope you will be patient with me as I describe it here.

Pakistan on Friday freed 2,500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters who have been imprisoned as part of its deal with tribal leaders and Taliban forces in Waziristan.

Those released are said to include -- according to sources  cited by Bill Roggio, a right-leaning counterterrorism expert -- senior al Qaeda operatives as well as foot soldiers and two men -- Mohammad Hashim Qadeerand Mohammad Bashir -- who were implicated in the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

Also released were Mansour Hasnain, who hijacked an Indian Airlines jet in 1999 and was a member of the group that kidnapped Pearl; Mohammad Khaled, a Taliban brigade leader who fought U.S. forces in Afghanistan; Fazl-e-Raziq, a senior aide to Osama Bin Laden; and Ghulam Mustafa, an al Qaeda logistics expert.

In this edition: CNN Headline News skews more to the right; BtoB's Media Power 50; lawsuits; morning shows aren't book equal number of Dems and GOPers; Time 100 Party photos (Stephen Colbert!!!); 7 of 10 journalists surveyed accused of bias in past year; the lack of Dem guests on morning shows; Sen. Stevens whining; battle of media folks; and more...

Thoughts, and Then, the News
There are plenty of liberal bloggers who write ridiculous things, but there are plenty of pundits who just spout CW and talking points and add nothing to our nation's discourse. There are also plenty of liberal bloggers who are insightful and way ahead of the MSM on a whole variety of topics (see Hookergate). There's no reason for the MSM types to get all pissy whenever bloggers call them on their BS... unless of course they're just scared of losing their relevance. More here.