Oh. My. God.

Last night, on our first broadcast on Indie Airplay Radio, we spoke about the minimum wage bill that, today, Senate Democrats stopped... something we had said would be a Bad Thing(TM) for Democrats in 2006 elections.

I wasn't going to blog this morning and afternoon, but then I read the article linked above and saw... THIS:

“It is an excuse to make it a do-nothing Congress,” Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, said. “And we are turning our back on the middle-class and poor people in this country who depend on the minimum wage and death-tax relief.”

What the hell is this woman smoking? The "middle-class and poor people in this country" have NO stake in reductions to the estate tax. They get NOTHING from Paris-Hilton-tax relief. They NEVER have to "depend" on it.

I am sure this will be a Republican talking point throughout this election cycle. It is a talking point that MUST be demolished at EVERY opportunity if the Democrats have any hope of reclaiming the issue.

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon, the wind-down?

Not on your life.

Israel has resumed bombing in full force, both in southern Lebanon and in Hezbollah "strongholds" in southern Beirut. They are actively trying to reoccupy some territories that they gave up in 2000 along the Israel-Lebanon border. In fact, according to the stance that the Israel-U.S. front is taking, there can be no cease-fire at all until Israel reoccupies this territory, so that the peacekeepers can enter.

In other words, the Israeli government is allowing Hezbollah to continue destroying Israel for as long as it can do so.

Unfortunately for Israel, every day this conflict continues lends more "street cred," as it were, to the strength of Hezbollah; thus, in a way, there is little hope, short of generational change, of fully dismembering Hezbollah. Any gains by Hezbollah are, by proxy, gains for Hamas, Syria, and Iran... and to Muslims who support the destruction of Israel. So, really, we're just amping the area up for World War III.

Blessed are the peacemakers, indeed.

Human Rights Watch released a report claiming 153 Lebanese civilian deaths, in a pattern that indicates (to it) that Israel is "deliberately" shooting at civilians. That's definitely a debatable point - it is a little difficult to avoid civilian deaths when the enemy forces are co-mingling with civilians, but the destruction of Lebanon's basic infrastructure enables civilian deaths more by making it more problematic for them to get the heck out of the war zone.

Some former high-ranking Israeli government officials point out a major flaw in Israel's plan for "victory" - mainly, that their plan for victory is impossible. The best Israel can hope for, according to former Israeli negotiator Gidi Grinstein, is to "severely compromise Hezbollah’s ability to fight Israel from inside Lebanon." That's a far cry from disarming them. Former Israeli National Security Advisor Giora Eiland says that any peace plan will involve a prisoner exchange (Israel has refused to give up any prisoners up to this point), a multinational border force, an Israeli promise to not "violate Lebanon's sovereignty," and Lebanese understanding that it has to take some responsibility for Hezbollah's future behaviors in Lebanon.

At least some people are talking sense.

-R.

"Better late than never", or "Christian hypocrisy comes 'round"

From Sunday's NY Times comes a story of an evangelical mega-church pastor, the Rev. Gregory A. Boyd, who has taken a stand against the Republicanization of Christianity. It's a very interesting story for anyone concerned about the melding of patriotism, Christianity, and Republican policies. Some quotes/tales I found exceptional:

From a pastor in Maryland, Brian McLaren: "You cannot say the word ‘Jesus’ in 2006 without having an awful lot of baggage going along with it. You can’t say the word ‘Christian,’ and you certainly can’t say the word ‘evangelical’ without it now raising connotations and a certain cringe factor in people... Because people think, ‘Oh no, what is going to come next is homosexual bashing, or pro-war rhetoric, or complaining about ‘activist judges.’ ”

Another megachurch that Rev. Boyd visited, during Fourth of July services, had a choir singing "God Bless America" while video footage showed fighter jets flying over hills laden with crosses.

Volunteers who served as Sunday school teachers quit after Boyd's sermon against politicization of Christianity, saying things like, "You’re not doing what the church is supposed to be doing, which is supporting the Republican way."

I don't want to give it all away. Read the article! Bravo to Rev. Boyd, and other Christians who take a stand AGAINST these hypocritical, "love thy neighbor, only if thy neighbor is a Christian Republican lockstepper" faux-Christians who are nothing more than the sheep that support the authoritarian oligarchs of the Bush cabal, who shroud their anti-Christian agenda with enough red-meat social conservatism to dupe the Christians into following them blindly. They go to church on Sunday to get their fill of fear and hatred, and spread that fear and hatred like Jesus wanted to spread love and peace.

We need more people like you in this world, Rev. Boyd. Keep fighting the good fight.

-R.

Donald Rumsfeld, come on down...

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a public hearing on the continuing occupation of Iraq as we speak. The chairman, Sen. Warner (R-VA), and ranking Democrat, Sen. Levin (D-MI), requested that Rummy testify at the hearing.

Rummy's response? I'll see if i can fit you in... hmm... no, I don't have the time to testify publicly, since I already blocked time out later in the day to brief a closed-door session of Congress. Isn't one appearance by me enough for you people?

Well, it wasn't enough for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY). We all know I am not the biggest fan of the former First Lady, but she had the guts to call Rummy out. “At this critical time in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the committee and the American people should hear not only from our military’s uniformed leaders but also from you as the top civilian leader.”

More on Rummy's testimony as it becomes available. I heard a little clip as I was typing this post, and it sounds like more of the vacuous "promises" that the Bush cabal usually provides when it is called out publicly on the issue. We're on the "right track" in Iraq? Maybe the right track for the PNAC agenda (more on this later, too, and on our live broadcast tonight!), but I certainly doubt it is the right track for the rest of the world.

-R.

What is torture, anyway?

That is the question Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is essentially posing to Congress when asking for revisions in the War Crimes Act. Apparently, the Bush cabal finds the War Crimes Act, built around Geneva Convention Common Article Three, "too vague." They are concerned that current U.S. treatment of prisoners could be considered "war crimes" under the current interpretation.

Hello? They ARE committing "war crimes." We wouldn't want detained American soldiers to be treated the way we are treating our detainees. I agree with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) when he says, "We must remain a nation that is different from, and above, our enemies.”

An analogy for you: How fair would it be for a baseball team whose pitchers can't find the strike zone to ask the league to widen the strike zone so that anything short of a hit batsman is now considered a "strike," but only for THEIR team?

This is essentially what the Gonzo AG is asking Congress to do - actually, a little further than that, because it would likely be retroactive, in order to "forgive" our "troops" - it's likely that the abusers are private contractors and not actual military personnel - for criminal activity.

And we have to ask why "they hate our freedoms"? Seems like our freedoms aren't so hot for them in practice...

-R.

Apologies and Announcements!

Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday. I had bigger fish to fry, and boy, have they gotten fried nice and crispy-like...

After a week of technical problems, the Evil Liberal Propaganda Network is going LIVE tonight, from 10:00PM-midnight Eastern Time, on Indie Airplay Radio!!!

Join Jared and Ralph as they offer left-wing political commentary and right-wing bashing to a world that could sorely use a dose of reality!

Forewarned is forearmed!
-R.

Another very short day.

Probably just one or two posts for me this morning. Besides that it is Wednesday, and I have paying work, it is also freaking HOT in NYC. We're supposed to get to a humid 105F (~40C for you metric folk) today - meaning it will feel closer to 120F (49C).

And no air conditioning in the home office.

-R.

*Edit*: Skip it, I have to go in earlier than I thought. I will definitely be posting later tonight, though.

The Govinator goes green... sort of.

Yes, Governor Ahnold has announced an agreement with Tony Blair for California and England to work together on global warming issues, especially carbon dioxide ("We call it life...") emissions. Although it seems to be by no means comprehensive, or necessarily binding, it is certainly a step in the right direction - for Ahnold, that direction might just be any one that leads away from Bush.

Speaking of global warming, it's getting freaking hot here in NYC - today, 100+ degrees. Lovely.

-R.

Two skirmishes with the "thought police"

First, a lecturer on Islam at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kevin Barrett, has his neck on the line after discussing his thoughts on 9/11 and possible CIA involvement in a conspiracy - on a radio show! Students who have taken his courses have, for the most part, defended Barrett's ability to keep his lectures free of his opinion, and a university review of his course has shown no impropriety on Barrett's part. This, of course, has no sway on Republican state legislators, who are trying their hardest to boot Barrett from his $8,247, one-semester, one-class contract to be terminated over this. I hand the quote of the article to John Wiley, Chancellor of UW-Madison: “I think it would be a serious mistake for legislators to try to get in and micromanage curriculum... We don’t go around and question all our instructors to find out what all their views are.” (As a side note, check out C-SPAN's broadcast of a scholars' symposium on 9/11 theories, airing this week, and available at the C-SPAN website.)

Next, though I may be behind on this one by a week or so... It's apparent that there has been a trend on the Internet of disguising links to disgusting/pornographic material as something innocuous in order to shock/startle people. Now, we have legislation against it. However, this legislation is very dangerous due to its wording:

§ 2252C. Misleading words or digital images on the Internet
(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a person into viewing material constituting obscenity shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 10 years.
(b) MINORS.—Whoever knowingly embeds words or digital images into the source code of a website with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material harmful to minors on the Internet shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not more than 20 years.
(c) CONSTRUCTION.—For the purposes of this section, a word or digital image that clearly indicates the sexual content of the site, such as ‘sex’ or ‘porn’, is not misleading.

So, by (a), it is illegal to dupe ANYONE - including adults - into clicking on a link leading to "obscenity," subject to imprisonment for 10 years. Wow. On top of that, in (b), "material harmful to minors" is defined as "something that minors would find interesting but their parents would not like them seeing." As the website I have linked to says (and I agree with), this is the beginning of the Nanny State... if only because these laws can be interpreted to mean anything anyone wants. What happens if I were to put a link up that says, "Check this cool Pokemon site out!", and a kid clicks on it, and finds our ramblings interesting... but his parents don't want him reading liberal "propaganda" ;) ... Will we need to waste the Supreme Court's time to decide that the parents of this child are insane?

-R.

Legal manipulation, or "Please explain my lies!"

This was too funny to pass up.

Scooter Libby's defense wants the trial judge to allow a "memory expert" to testify as to two major "why"s in this case:

- Why did Libby lie? (Hint: his memory is "flawed"...)
- Why does Libby's current testimony differ from the testimony of the three main prosecution witnesses, all journalists? (Hint: their memories are "flawed" too.)

How about, "Why should Libby get off the hook for participating in the outing of a CIA non-official cover operative?" I seriously doubt forgetfulness is an acceptable excuse... but we are living under the Bush cabal, so I guess anything is possible.

-R.

FDA goes to Plan B on Plan B

The FDA may be easing its restrictions on Plan B, the "morning-after" pill.

This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that its acting commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, has his confirmation hearings begin today, would it?

No, of course not. Never mind that similar measures regarding Plan B were taken while the last FDA commissioner, Dr. Lester Crawford, was undergoing his confirmation hearings last year. He had promised a decision by September 1st, and, apparently, his decision was no decision.

-R.

Cuba Libre?

Not exactly.

Fidel Castro, ex-aspiring pitcher turned revolutionary, has relinquished control of Cuba and its Communist Party to his brother, Raul Castro, as he undergoes surgery to repair intestinal bleeding.

Regardless of how I feel about any person and his/her politics, I will not wish anything but a successful surgery and recovery for him/her when applicable.

-R.

Israel v. Lebanon, Indian-giving.

Wow, 48 hours sure flies by, like maybe 4 times as fast as it should.

Israeli's 48-hour suspension of air strikes was actually a 12-hour suspension. The bombing of Lebanon resumed, though at a far lower level. They say it was minimized to allow people to escape and seek refuge to the north, and to avoid any more situations like Sunday's incident in Qana. However, an Israeli airstrike did manage to blow up a Lebanese Army jeep that, apparently, was suspected of carrying a Hezbollah official at the time. Oops...

While, more and more, Israelis are speaking against Israel's version of "shock and awe," Bush, Condi, Olmert, et al., are all still speaking the party line: No cease-fire until Hezbollah gives up forever. Pressure for a cease-fire is mounting, however; Sen. Chuck Hagel has publicly called for Bush to press for an immediate cease-fire.

Lebanon's cabinet has approved a plan to end the hostilities. It is clearly not going to be agreed to by the spoiled-brat hard-liners that are running Israel, who must have everything their way, without compromise.

One interesting side-note here: According to the U.N., the Shebaa Farms area that has been occupied by Israel that Lebanon considers theirs... is actually Syria's. Hmm... could this have something to do with Syria's support for Hezbollah?

See what war does to people.

-R.

You can't always get what you want, part 2.

Democrats, take heed.

The Republicans are trying to snooker you into voting against a 3-step, $2.10 minimum-wage increase by tying it to further reductions in the estate tax and other tax breaks. Yes, the program is just as bad as the "health insurance" deal they previously tried to attach to the minimum-wage bill a few days ago. Yes, this program is bad for anyone who makes tips.

You can fix all the injustices in the program in 2006 when you win back the Senate and the House. Don't allow the Republicans to STEAL this issue! This is too important, and too much an indication to Average Joe American of where you really stand when the money is (almost literally) right on the table.

Vote FOR their minimum wage bill, and show them that this ploy to pander for votes will not be allowed to succeed.

Israel v. Lebanon, and tragedy

Well, Israel finally went and did it.

War breeds "accidents" like the one that happened in Qana, Lebanon on Sunday. There is still, apparently, much uncertainty surrounding reports, but I will try to summarize succinctly.

Up to 60 residents of an apartment building - mostly children, elderly and infirm - were huddled in a basement shelter for the night. An Israeli airstrike struck a target that was close to the building around midnight to 1:00 AM. At some point between 1:00 and 7:00 AM, the building collapsed, killing anywhere from 27 to 56 people, of which 17 to 34 were children.

In all honesty, this could very well have been an "accident" in the sense that the collapse of the building was an unintended and unfortunate consequence of what may have been a legitimate military attack. But incidents like this should serve as reminders that war is an awful way to resolve conflicts. Eventually, something tragic like this is bound to happen. War should be a last resort, not a show of force.

So the Bush cabal has to get serious about a cease-fire now, right?

HAHAHA, no way. They still have weapons to sell to the Israelis. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has told Condi that they need "10 to 14 more days" of war... and I'm sure she is only too happy to oblige. They did, however, agree to a 48-hour suspension of air strikes, presumably in order to allow civilians to get the hell out without worrying of being blown up while trying to escape.

I'm convinced that there is some economic reason why this is going on this way on our side. Perhaps the weapon sale will make our economic outlook less dismal. There doesn't seem to be any real reason to continue the killing. When a hard-liner "negotiates" with you while he's beating the piss out of you, he's not negotiating. He's torturing, and terrorizing.

Who are the terrorists? They all are. Hezbollah, Israel, the Bush cabal.

They got to Tony Blair, too. Just a week ago, he stood aside Kofi Annan, pleading for an immediate cease-fire. Now, he's spouting the Bush li(n)e, too.

The days of the United States diplomacy bearing weight are long gone under Bush. John Bolton is using the power the U.S. has earned in the United Nations to neuter the organization as much as possible. Condi is becoming less and less respected as a diplomat who doesn't have a clue what true diplomacy means.

Diplomacy is compromise. Compromise is give and take. Hard-liners like Bush, Rice, and Olmert have no interest in giving a damn thing, but they'll take anything they want from you. Even if they have to torture and terrorize you into submission.

-R.

Another short/staggered blog day

I was up until 3 in the morning trying to get our live feed working. Right now, we're somewhere around halfway to goodness. But halfway is not all the way...

I'll throw a few blogs out now, then I have some paying work to do and an errand to run, then more blogs depending on the status of tonight's show. Odds are good, though, that our debut will have to wait for Thursday, unless we pull everything off by the skin of our teeth.

Wish us luck!
-R.