Fox: ripping off the pathetic CBS Free Speech segment, pathetically. Dennis Miller: mean, vitriolic, senseless - not funny. I don’t get it. Dennis Miller used to be relevant didn’t he?
Archive for September, 2006
Goldwater on Goldwater
I just watched (and recommend) Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater. It is a fascinating documentary both on his life and his career. If today’s conservatives are not ashamed of their behavior these last few years - they didn’t know Goldwater. Honestly, there is strong doubt in my mind they knew Reagan either.
CC Goldwater:
It’s hard to speak for him, but I think he would be a little sick about the invasive government we have today.
Our government is in our lives, peeking into our purses, telling us what to do with our bodies, and just sticking its nose where it should not be. My grandfather was about the preservation of our own free liberties, and they are being threatened every day.
On HBO:
Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater
CC Goldwater was five when her grandfather, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater ran for President in 1964. In this biographical documentary, illuminated by interviews with major public figures and never-before-seen home movies and photos, CC looks back on the man, his morals, his missteps … and his enduring legacy as “Mr. Conservative.” Read more.
…all-knowing politicians and lifestyle cops
It’s an older article that is on FoxNews.com - and I can’t believe that a) there is something on Fox that makes sense or b) that Fox would put this on the internet under their logo.
Somehow I ran into this while looking for William F. Buckley and Noam Chomsky. Now there is a couple people I will have to read more about.
I still am not a fan of Fox in any form and usually wouldn’t recomend it; except for the comic value of O’Reilly and Hannity. However, this article is really interesting.
FOXNews.com
It’s largely the Republicans [that] have vamped up the Drug War, and who have regretfully expanded it even into doctor’s offices, where drug warriors now decide what courses of treatment are and aren’t acceptable. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez recently stated that under his watch, eradicating pornography will be a priority on par with fighting terrorism. And several members of Congress are now pushing to expand FCC regulation to include cable TV, satellite radio, and perhaps even the Internet, all in an effort to protect Americans from bad words and dirty pictures.…
What’s most intriguing is that all of these trends have been taking place since at least the mid-1990s–a time period during which technology has given us more freedom to indulge in sin and vice than ever before, and an era in which Americans have become markedly less judgmental.For example, the last 15 years have seen an increase in tolerance for gay lifestyles, with shows like Will & Grace gaining mainstream acceptance, and the gay marriage movement scoring notable victories in states like Massachusetts. The 1990s also saw the rise of the Internet, which has given Americans private, unfettered access to gambling and pornography; enabled the anonymous purchase of alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription drugs; and given even the oddest and most bizarre of subcultures the opportunity to find others just like them, and to create communities.
The 1990s also saw the rise of gangsta’ rap, violent video games, Howard Stern, and South Park.
Of course, I’m not arguing that all of this so-called trash culture caused the positive trends I pointed out earlier (though some have made that case). Rather, I think it shows that when given maximum personal freedom and abundance of options — even options others seem to believe are “bad” for us — most of us do just fine. We don’t need all-knowing politicians and lifestyle cops guiding our hand.
Cooked
Leaving aside all the earth shattering issues surrounding this mid term election - this election - is the most interesting of my lifetime.
Capturing the moment:
The Cook Political Report
As the pace of this election picks up, I feel the frustration of a still photographer trying to capture a marathon. A snapshot of the race at any given moment becomes obsolete the instant it is taken, and it reveals nothing about what will happen later in the contest.
Clinton Interview
I was just thinking the same thing:
Media Matters
Media largely ignored substance of Clinton’s criticism of Bush anti-terror efforts
In covering Chris Wallace’s interview with Bill Clinton, the media have largely ignored the substance of Clinton’s criticism of the Bush administration’s efforts to combat global terrorism, instead focusing on issues such as Clinton’s behavior during the interview and the politics involved in his response.
President Clinton
Keith Olbermann had a great interview with President Clinton on the Friday show. He even donated to the CGI during the interview. I guess Keith is being criticised for this, and maybe those critics have a point, but I think the gesture was great and also it is a good example for others to think and give what they can to help the human condition all over the world. To me, this kind of generosity and hope for people everywhere to have better lives, is what America has traditionally been about.
The Clinton Global Initiative is an amazing idea! I for one, am so proud that Bill Clinton is such a major force for good in the world. I am (and was) always proud of him as our President.
He really spoke for so many of us when he talked about people being tired of the name calling - that people wanted to do good things in the world.
Clinton: ….I’ve gotten a lot of big crowds this year of people who are unusually quiet. Because they just want to think. They’re tired of this labelling and name calling and we’re not patriotic and all that. They know that’s a whole bunch of bull and they just want to think it through. That’s why I think the CGI was phenomenally successful this year. People said, OK, here’s something I can do that is profoundly good and positive. No one’s going to question my motives and I’ll either succeed or fail based on the results.
I have to admit, there are times that I really get ticked off and mutter a not so nice “he’s an idiot” while listening to oh say Hannity or Rush in my car. It would be really nice to have real conversations to listen to on the radio instead of all the ranting that goes on. So much of this audio pollution has infected real conversation about issues that matter to each of us.
Kieth’s interview was the enriching Clinton interview on Friday.
Then I did my blog-walk…C&L was my first stop and there was Clinton again - the transcript of the Fox interview with Chris Wallace, apparently to be aired this Sunday:
Crooks and Liars » President Clinton blasts Chris Wallace
President Clinton blasts Chris Wallace
By: John Amato on Friday, September 22nd, 2006 at 7:38 PM - PDTChris Wallace tried to sandbag President Clinton in his Sunday talk show. If you’ve watched FOX News much it is a standard practice. Tell your guest that you’ll be discussing one topic and then go to something completely different when you get them on air. However, I’ve heard that Clinton turned the tables on Wallace and gave him a major league smack down.
I am ordering the book by Clarke right now. I have put off reading it for too long. Here is the link to Amazon’s page (Just for you Col 
)
I read the transcript and saw the YouTube of their teaser. Clinton on fire. I love it. In fact, it is nice to hear a president who can actually articulate - it has been too long.
Anyway, Clinton brightened my news day. I hope he sticks around and is more visible during election season.
Integrity of the Internet - New Poll
Net Neutrality is still an issue to be concerned about. It is all about a level playing field. Considering Sen. Ted Stevens “understanding” of the internet - call me more than slightly worried about him having any kind of handle on the issue at all. The Ted Stevens “tubes” video has been seen a million times, but it sooooo makes the point. I hope the other 99 Senators get it, the importance, I mean.
Poll: Americans don’t want net neutrality (or maybe they don’t know what it is)
9/18/2006 by Ken Fisher
When asked how important a “Consumer Bill of Rights” would be that prevented Internet Service Providers from blocking or degrading access to Internet sites and services, 78 percent indicated that such a bill would be important, with 59 percent of that group calling it “very important.” The poll did not differentiate this “bill of rights” from net neutrality, but its findings make it clear that protecting the integrity of the Internet is indeed important to Americans, regardless of terminology.Criticism of the poll:
The very brief net neutrality description used by the pollsters is somewhat misleading insofar as it suggests that net neutrality would bar Internet Service Providers from selling faster service than is available today. Strict net neutrality does not concern itself with ultimate transfer speeds available to subscribers, but instead focuses on how different kinds of Internet traffic could be shaped by ISPs for anti-competitive purposes. For instance, strict net neutrality would not prevent an ISP from selling extremely fast 35Mbps connections, but it would prevent ISPs from privileging traffic for their own services for competitive advantage, or degrading the traffic of competing services. Furthermore, we have seen no net neutrality proposal in either the House or Senate that would address security offerings, leaving us puzzled as to its inclusion in the description of net neutrality.[Emphasis mine]
And in the Senate we are waiting on Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska) to confirm that he has the votes to prevent a filibuster on a bill some major tech companies are supporting that opposes Net Neutrality.
The “consumer bill of rights” approach embedded in the Senate bill is sufficient to protect consumer concerns over access to Web content and services, the companies said. Opponents of the provision, such as Google, Amazon.com and a broad coalition of consumer and advocacy groups, have said it falls short because it would not restrict network operators like Verizon and AT&T from favoring their own content or brokering deals with Internet content companies for special treatment, potentially squeezing out garage innovators who can’t afford to pay for such perks. [Emphasis mine]
An aide to Frist said Tuesday that it remains unclear when a vote will be scheduled.
Below is an older article - 2004 I believe.
MediaChannel.org - A Global Network of More Than 1,000 Media Issues Groups
There is, of course, the Internet, the last bastion of free speech. When there is chatter on the Net, it’s often hard for the mainstream media to ignore it. But corporate media presence on the Net is expanding and there is now a threat looming to the free access architecture of the Internet itself. Corporate media has increasingly been successful at controlling the cables that carry information. As more and more Americans switch from dial up modems to high-speed cable connections, they will inevitably be restricted to one ISP provider — Comcast, Adelphia, or some other large corporation. The problem is that whoever controls the conduit can control the content. Unless corporate media is stopped, this last bastion of democracy will also topple. [Emphasis mine]
Quote of the Day
“That may be a few chick peas shy of a falafal.”
~Keith Olbermann
On Bill O’Reilly’s claim that he is on a terrorist hit list.
pass the prozac
I have to admit - I think she is nuts too.
TRex:
My Brunch With Michelle MalKKKin
And that was when my courage failed me. I just ran blindly until I found a door to the outside. And then I just kept running. I vaulted over hedges, fences, and pools, ran through back yards and vacant lots. Finally, I stopped and stood panting and holding my knees until I figured out that I was only a block or so from a busy street and the sounds of traffic.“What the FUCK?!” I wheezed. Did that really just happen?
his own fundamentalist psyche
An amazing photo and then you read this:
…The serenity may also come from his own fundamentalist psyche. Theres a reason fundamentalism is popular. Unlike other forms of faith, it relieves the believer of almost all responsibility for any of his doubts, it surrenders everything in a persons psyche to Gods will, it appeases all anxiety and reassures away every question. And so, in many cases, it can be a source of great goodness, unleashing compassion and service and amazing resilience. Look at how fundamentalism created, say, the Salvation Army. But in others, it can become the constant absolution and rationalization of almost any action. It can justify torture. It can legitimize all sorts of ugly means because the motive is deemed pure… In context HERE
Torture - Please, not in my country!
I am not happy that the word torture is even in the same sentence with the words United States of America. It breaks my heart. I can’t believe we are even having any kind of debate to define what kind of torture is acceptable. It. is. just. not. acceptable.
With torture we become like the enemy. Even if those enemys torture people without shame, we cannot sink to that level. Torture is just wrong!
The Existentialist Cowboy breaks it down very well. Read it, then scream and weep.
This torture debate does not become us. There is nothing to debate - there is only wrong - very wrong.
Blame is for kids
When we were little kids my brother and I would blame each other for whatever dumb, destructive thing we got caught doing, such as accidentally breaking a rather valuable antique hurricane lamp my grandmother cherished.
Obviously, with two kids in front of her (and one broken lamp) she had a pretty good idea that there was a 100% probability that one of us was the culprit. There was a 50% chance only one of us was was involved. But, there was zero chance neither of us was responsible. We didn’t get spanked, but there was a corner available for both myself and my brother.
This memory pops up in my mind while reading Bob Geiger over at Huffington Post:
Bob Geiger: Frist Blames Democratic Minority for Do-Nothing Congress, Gets Spanked
[Frist] -”Too often my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have inhibited the fulfillment of our duty,” said Frist, after a stirring reading of the preamble of the Constitution. “They have relied on obstruction and thrown up roadblocks at every opportunity. They have let politics get in the way of sound policy and purpose. That is unacceptable.”
[Reid] -”This Republican Congress has wasted 20 months on horse slaughtering; the Schiavo case, dealing with someone’s personal relationship, which should not even have been before this body; gay marriage; the nuclear option; flag burning; repealing the estate tax,” said Reid. “But they could not find a day for some time to look at the President’s mistakes, missteps, and misconduct, which have hurt American security and plunged Iraq into a civil war — not a day.”
Using my mother’s logic, this “Do Nothing Congress,” is in the zone of zero probability. There is zero chance that the Democrats are alone responsible for the nothingness that is being accomplished.
To use the Congressional Record to prove your point is really quite valuable - I am surprised Frist didn’t see it coming. We do know that Republicans are aware of the Congressional Record. What is amazing, jaw dropping actually, is that plainly, the Senate at least, has had recent experience using the Congressional Record - and got caught messing with it - not in a good way:
Invisible Men
Did Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl mislead the Supreme Court?
By Emily Bazelon
Posted Monday, March 27, 2006, at 6:48 PM ET
…The problem is that Kyl and Graham’s colloquy didn’t actually happen on Dec. 21. It was inserted into the Congressional Record just before the law passed, which means that the colloquy did not alert other members of Congress to the views it contains. Inserting comments into the Record is standard practice in Congress. What’s utterly nonstandard is implying to the Supreme Court that testimony was live when it wasn’t…”
Senators Kyl and Graham’s Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Scam: The Deceptive Amicus Brief They Filed in the Guantanamo Detainee Case
By: John Dean
Wednesday, Jul. 05, 2006
…Those viewing C-Span’s coverage of the Senate, and the Senators on the floor of the Senate, never heard this part, or any of the rest of, this lengthy colloquy between Graham and Kyl. That’s because it never happened. No doubt aides of the Senators wrote this bogus and protracted dialogue, and either Graham or Kyl had it inserted in the record…”
Back to the lamp - I am quite certain it was my brother who was teasing and chasing me through the living room. I grabbed up a pillow from the couch and lobbed it at him - striking the lamp instead. I had to throw something, he was bigger than me.
Obviously, it was all my fault. I wish I had had a record of events to consult to show my mother.
A tale of two Bills - Clinton v. Frist
September 25, 2006 · Filed under Best Blog Comments, Elected Folks, GOP Lame, GOP Stupid, Media, Quotes, TV, Talking Heads, Video Clips, Z Salad
So today we got to see Chris Wallace interview Bill Clinton.
Notes:
Then there is Bill Frist doing his best to dodge and weave over on ABC. I don’t watch that show, so I was unaware of the interview untill I saw it on Crooks and Liars (who has a video of Bill Frists’s “interview without answers”) Noteable in the comment section is a comment that must be quoted:
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