Today, Richard Jewell Would Be in Gitmo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday August 30, 2007 · 6:40 PM PDT

2007/08/30 · 18:40

We've thrown a bunch of folks in jail on "suspicion" since 9/11. Many, after "intense questioning", confessed to various crimes. After all, some prosecutor had a "gut feeling" they were guilty.

Which brings to mind Richard Jewell. Remember him?

Richard A. Jewell; Wrongly Linked to Olympic Bombing
By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 30, 2007; Page B07
...
One television outlet featured an interview with a psychologist who said Mr. Jewell resembled a "lone bomber." On NBC, Tom Brokaw said, "The speculation is that the FBI is close to 'making the case,' in their language. They probably have enough on him to arrest him right now . . . but you always want to have enough to convict him as well."

...In October 1996, the FBI cleared Mr. Jewell. In a news conference, he called his 88 days under suspicion a nightmare for him and his mother...

Notice how, despite all the apologies from various media outlets, they keep pretending that poorly-sourced anonymous tips are "news"? Say, about Iran/Iraq links? (more below)

Poll

29 votes Show Results

What has the media learned from the Richard Jewell media foul-up?

29 votes Vote Now!

What has the media learned from the Richard Jewell media foul-up?

Don't blame a white guy

2 votes

Hey, 9/11 changed everything - it's OK to destroy the innocent now!

9 votes

Put Jewell in Gitmo for a few weeks, and we'd have gotten a confession

11 votes

If we'd wrongly convicted Jewell, an anti-abortion terrorist would still be free - Win/Win

6 votes

Other (comments)

1 vote

Training Them There to Fight Us Here

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 17, 2007 · 7:29 PM PDT

2007/07/17 · 19:29

The scary thing is, this is the best spin Karl Rove's editors could put on the National Intelligence Estimate:

Analysts assess that al-Qaeda "will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qaeda in Iraq, its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland".
(Source: BBC News Al-Qaeda 'stepping up US efforts', July 17, 2007)

Bush's "fight them over there" decision to invade Iraq has allowed Al Qaeda to move to the tribal areas in Pakistan, re-establish their network, and generated a "visible and capable affiliate" eager to attack the United States. According to the Republicans, this means we should "stay the course."

There was another George who thought the "will to win" guaranteed victory - George Armstrong Custer. One wonders whether he thought anyone opposing his idea to split up his command and stage a daring attack without adequate advance intelligence or back-up planning just "didn't support the troops."

Poll

8 votes Show Results

How can we best support our troops?

8 votes Vote Now!

How can we best support our troops?

Cancel all troop rotations to improve morale

3 votes

Invade Iran

0 votes

Bomb somebody - anybody

1 vote

Hire Osama to fight the Shiite militias

1 vote

Other, in comments

3 votes

Republican Theories Gain Ground in China

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 10, 2007 · 9:14 PM PDT

2007/07/10 · 21:14

Yes, the Republican theories of birth control education are catching on world-wide. How else to explain this:

China blames Internet for rise in teen pregnancies
Reuters
Published on ZDNet News: July 9, 2007, 9:25 PM PT

BEIJING--Nearly half of the pregnant teens in China's financial hub, Shanghai, met their partners on the Internet, state media said on Tuesday.

Zhang Zhengrong, a doctor who oversees the city's first-aid hotline for pregnant teens, said 46 percent of the more than 20,000 teenage girls who called the hotline over the past two years said they had had sex with boys they met on the Internet.

Obviously, those Internet Tubes are brimming with "precious bodily fluids" even behind the Great Firewall of China!

On a more serious note, China is a big warning as to what happens when young people are denied sex education: (MORE BELOW)

Poll

19 votes Show Results

Why does the Bush Administration hate reality?

19 votes Vote Now!

Why does the Bush Administration hate reality?

Reality is for people who can't handle drugs - think about it

9 votes

Truthiness is truthier that the truth

4 votes

The Decider Decides what is truth

5 votes

If beauty is truth, Bush's Beautiful Mind's thoughts = truth

1 vote

Other - discuss

0 votes

Using Al Qaeda Label for Friendly Fire Deaths

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday June 26, 2007 · 5:51 AM PDT

2007/06/26 · 05:51

Remember how all the "insurgents" in Iraq suddenly became "al Qaeda" members? Well, the Bush League and their corporate media stenographers have extended this labelling to anyone killed by US Forces:

Village disputes story of deadly attack
BBC News, June 26, 2007
...On 22 June the US military announced that its attack helicopters, armed with missiles, engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen who had been trying to infiltrate the village of al-Khalis, north of Baquba, where operation "Arrowhead Ripper" had been under way for the previous three days.

The item was duly carried by international news agencies and received widespread coverage, including on the BBC News website.

But villagers in largely-Shia al-Khalis say that those who died had nothing to do with al-Qaeda. They say they were local village guards trying to protect the township from exactly the kind of attack by insurgents the US military says it foiled.

Carelessness or coverup? You make the call.

Poll

49 votes Show Results

How does the US identify Al Qaeda members?

49 votes Vote Now!

How does the US identify Al Qaeda members?

They have a secret tattoo

1 vote

They have picture ID

2 votes

They are men of military age

7 votes

Anyone the US kills who isn't a member of the US military

37 votes

Other, state below

2 votes

Is Pat Robertson's God a Communist?

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday May 05, 2007 · 8:18 AM PDT

2007/05/05 · 08:18

As noted in DemFromCT's diary Do You Believe in Evolution, the Republican Party is having second thoughts about their patron saint Ronald Reagan's alliance with the radical religionists who use carefully selected Biblical quotes to justify their anti-Christian hate (Kristians and KK_Kristians). However, it's broader than that - the New York Times now reports that some Republicans feel that if Social Darwinism is a core Republican value, Darwin's actual theory of evolution must be a Republican value as well.

This goes to a central contradiction of Kristian (as opposed to Christian) doctrine: If God loves capitalism and free market competition, why do the Kristians insist that God runs the Universe via Marxist-style central planning? After all, having the Big Guy carefully design each species in accordance with a central plan dictated by the Leader is kind of a Communist approach, isn't it? If God's a free-market kind of dude, wouldn't the universe be run on a more competitive basis?

Poll

50 votes Show Results

Is God a

50 votes Vote Now!

Is God a

Capitalist?

0 votes

Communist?

7 votes

Dirty Hippie (not Dad, the long-haired son)

18 votes

figment of our imagination

16 votes

Woman

1 vote

Other - comment below

8 votes

IOKIYAR-Style News Coverage

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 21, 2007 · 9:35 AM PDT

2007/04/21 · 09:35

Anyone seen the terrible, undemocratic things those naughty "Loyal Putinists" are doing in Russia? Why, they're interfering with the freedom of the press! Consider:

50% Good News Is the Bad News in Russian Radio
ANDREW E. KRAMER
Published: April 22, 2007
MOSCOW, April 21 — At their first meeting with journalists since taking over Russia’s largest independent radio news network, the managers had startling news of their own: from now on, they said, at least 50 percent of the reports about Russia must be “positive.”

Aren't you glad this couldn't happen here?

Moyers resurrects a leaked NBC memo about Donahue's firing that claimed he "presents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."
(Source: Editor and Publisher 'Devastating' Moyers Probe of Press and Iraq Coming)

But hey, Its OK If You're A Republican - or one of their stenographers

Poll

38 votes Show Results

The Mainstream Media is

38 votes Vote Now!

The Mainstream Media is

Very Liberal

0 votes

Liberal

0 votes

Fair and Balanced

1 vote

Conservative

8 votes

Very Conservative

9 votes

doing whatever sells advertising, regardless of anything else

20 votes

White House Alzheimers Cluster?

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 30, 2007 · 9:23 PM PDT

2007/03/30 · 21:23

There is a serious unreported health problem stalking the Executive Branch. More and more, their delusional world view is being replaced by severe memory lapses. Yes, folks, there is an Alzheimers cluster at the White House.

Consider Lurita Doan's tragic case: she can't remember a meeting from two months ago where she apparently asked a group of GSA staffers to brainstorm how they could help Republican candidates in the next election cycle. Then there's Alberto "What Meeting?" Gonzales - who remembers that he is in charge of the "Justice" Department, but can't remember discussing how he made key decisions, such as firing a bunch of US Attorneys who coincidentally either prosecuted Republicans or failed to persecute Democrats.

Meanwhile, Kyle Sampson had difficulty remembering his own name while testifying.

We know they couldn't possibly be cynically pretending forgetfulness to avoid admitting wrongdoing without taking the 5th Amendment - the only thing left is some unknown agent causing massive memory loss. Aluminum tubes?

Poll

82 votes Show Results

What is causing the White House Alzheimer's Cluster

82 votes Vote Now!

What is causing the White House Alzheimer's Cluster

Aluminum from those aluminum tubes

5 votes

Toxic chemicals from free samples left by the chemical industry

6 votes

It's just a natural progression from delusion to dementia

44 votes

Allergies: they're allergic to perjuring themselves

22 votes

Other-see below

5 votes

The Inverse Scooby Do Defense

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday March 27, 2007 · 6:10 AM PDT

2007/03/27 · 06:10

Well, it seems the old line from Scooby Do "we would have gotten away with it, too, if it ween't for you darned kids" has been turned upside down by the Bush League. The emerging excuse now seems to be: "We wouldn't have done it, except for those darned low-level partisan aides."

The problem with hiring from a pool of College Republicans seems to be that they rise to the top by valuing partisanship over ideas. Put them in charge of Iraq, or the DOJ, and the things which brought them success in college lead to inevitable disaster. Consider this nugget from TPM:

...Here we finally appear to have a bad act that Goodling believes or at least claims may expose her to criminal prosecution -- lying to Congress by proxy by intentionally misinforming an official about to testify before Congress.
(Source: Talking Points Memo, March 26, 2007

This seems to be the emerging defense - the "rogue aide" defense, aka "I'm an incredibly bad manager, not a criminal." Gee, I'm glad the grown-ups are in charge - or not.

Cheney's Framing Democrats for Bush's Blowback

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday February 26, 2007 · 7:47 PM PST

2007/02/26 · 19:47

Well, looks like Cheney's plan is coming together. Through his trip, Cheney loudly proclaimed that Democrats were "encouraging Al Qaeda.". Then, I remembered this:

Hersh: Bush Funneling Money to al Qaeda-Related Groups
ThinkProgress.com
Sunday 25 February 2007
New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the "single most explosive" element of his latest article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding violent Sunni groups

Dick Cheney's sending money to violent Sunni groups that hate the US so they can attack Hezbollah and Iran (and the Iraqi Shiites). Cheney's no idiot, he KNOWS that's how Bush's buddy Osama got started - which leads back to the "Democrats are encouraging Al Qaeda" thread. He's laying the groundwork to blame the Democrats for the blowback from Cheney's current policies. More Below

Poll

52 votes Show Results

Is Cheney intentionally funding our enemies?

52 votes Vote Now!

Is Cheney intentionally funding our enemies?

Yes, he cares only for his own power

22 votes

Yes, it's all part of his plan to take over the world with Pinky Bush

13 votes

No, he's foolish enough to think he can outsmart these groups

11 votes

No, he figures terrorists are no real threat, only political pawns

6 votes

Other, in comments

0 votes

Triangulation Is So Last Millenium

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday January 28, 2007 · 8:36 AM PST

2007/01/28 · 08:36

Bill Clinton used the tactic of triangulation during his presidential campaigns - and he won. This spawned a large growth industry in "expert" political consultants who have dominated Democratic political campaigns ever since. These "experts" - both consultants and pundits - repeat the same advice to Democrats over and over again: "Don't take controversial stands - the path to victory for Democrats lies somewhere in the middle ground."

Interestingly, as many have noted, the path to victory for Republicans lies in pandering to the far right wing. Why is it that the pundits believe that the path to political victory for both Republicans and Democrats lies somewhere between the center and the far right? One answer is the dirty, smelly, drug-addled hippie meme of modern politics.

Read Hunter S Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972" and you can see the genesis of this belief. The Democratic machine had Hubert Humphrey all lined up as the Candidate - only to watch McGovern win the nomination. Angered, Hubert refused to endorse McGovern until the last 2 weeks of the election. Meanwhile, McGovern moderated his then-winning message at the urging of the experts - and, with the help of Nixon's dirty tricks, lost badly. (More Below)

Poll

12 votes Show Results

Triangulation is

12 votes Vote Now!

Triangulation is

a winning tactic

0 votes

a guarantee of loss in 2008

10 votes

other, see below

2 votes

Cheney and the Iran Attack Overton Window

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday January 14, 2007 · 12:13 PM PST

2007/01/14 · 12:13

Well, it looks like Dick Cheney has taken another step toward shifting the Overton Window for attacking Iran. Before W can realistically issue the "GO" order of his dreams, he needs to make the idea of starting yet another war of aggression "thinkable" through things like this:

US warns Iran on Iraq 'meddling'
BBC News
January 14, 2007

US Vice President Dick Cheney has warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq.
...
Washington has often accused Iran, or factions within the Iranian government, of aiding Shia groups in Iraq militarily and politically, but has offered little proof of Tehran's alleged activities.

President George W Bush on Wednesday warned that the US would take a tough stance towards Iran and Syria, which he accused of destabilising Iraq.

Mr Cheney told Fox News that Iran was "fishing in troubled waters" by aiding attacks on US forces and backing Shia militias involved in sectarian violence.

Right now, such a course of action remains outside the range of what the US public thinks necessary or doable. We've got to keep it there. (more below)

Poll

44 votes Show Results

Bush plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

44 votes Vote Now!

Bush plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

By March 31, 2007

17 votes

before the end of 2007

16 votes

before the end of his presidency

4 votes

He doesn't - it's just saber-rattling

5 votes

Other - see below

2 votes

So Much for the Marine vs. Murtha Slander Suit

RepubAnon

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday December 21, 2006 · 8:19 PM PST

2006/12/21 · 20:19

Remember how much ballyho there was when Sergeant Wuterich accused Rep. Murtha of "slandering" him back in August?

Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was covered up.
(Source: Washington Post Marine Names Murtha in Defamation Suit

Headline news - yet there's not a word about the slander suit in today's story:

Attention to the case increased earlier this year when Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) alleged after briefings from military officials that the Marines had killed civilians "in cold blood."
(4 Marines Charged In Haditha Killings - Deaths of Iraqi Civilians Also Lead to Dereliction Counts Against 4 Officers)

More Below

Poll

49 votes Show Results

Was the slander suit front page news

49 votes Vote Now!

Was the slander suit front page news

Yes, it was important news

10 votes

No, it was just grandstanding

39 votes

Other - see comments

0 votes

Newer
Older

RSS