January 2008 archive

Jan 22 2008

Meanwhile, There’s a War Going On

Anyone still paying attention knows that one of the keys to the relative decrease in violence, in Iraq, has been the unilateral six-month cease-fire, called by Moqtada al Sadr. And he had been indicating that he would continue the cease-fire, when it expires, next month. That could be changing. As the McClatchy Newspapers reported:

A police raid Saturday on an extremist Shiite Muslim mosque thought to be the headquarters of an extremist cult capped a weekend of violence in southern Iraq, while elsewhere tensions between Iraq’s Shiite-led government and renegade Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr continued to escalate.

Iraq’s national security advisor said he was briefly taken hostage Saturday in a Baghdad mosque and implied that his captors were Sadr supporters. Mowaffak al Rubaie was released only after Iraq’s interior minister, who oversees the police, intervened.

In an e-mail to McClatchy, Rubaie said that Sadr’s followers “used the same tactics that they used before on Abdul Majid al Khoei.” Sadrists were accused of fatally stabbing Khoei, a moderate young Shiite cleric who was considered a rival to Sadr, in 2003. A warrant for Sadr was issued in 2004, but it’s never been executed, and he’s denied any involvement.

On Friday, a spokesman for Sadr warned that the cleric might not extend a six-month cease-fire by his Mahdi Army militia, which U.S. officials say has contributed to the reduction in violence in Iraq. In a statement, Salah al Obeidi charged that rival Shiite militias have infiltrated Iraq’s security forces and that some senior security officials remain in their jobs although they’ve been charged with human rights offenses.

“This will force us to reconsider the decision to extend the cease-fire despite repeated public statements in the past that we will,” Obeidi said.

In other words, all the happy talk about the “surge” working may soon come to an end. But it’s all been lies, anyway. As Joe Conason recently wrote:

Jan 22 2008

Rush Limbaugh possibly not supporting any Republican Presidential candidates.

Raw Story now reports on its front page that Rush Limbaugh may not support any of the Republican presidential candidates. It seems that the right-wing political movement is now in its last throes, seeing that there is no clear favorite in the race and none of the current candidates can unite them like Ronald Reagan did.

And Limbaugh is hardly the only gatekeeper who may sit out this race. The Republican Party is controlled by many gatekeepers, including Dobson, Norquist, and many others. Dobson, for instance, has refused to give his blessing to Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, or Fred Thompson. The fact of the matter is that the social conservatives who provide the boots on the ground only have one candidate — Ron Paul, who meets their purity tests on abortion, gays, gun control, immigration, and taxes. Paul does not have the blessing of one of the key wings of the Republican Party — the defense hawks and neocons, given his opposition to Iraq. However, the fact that he is the only antiwar voice in the GOP and 34% or so of Republicans do not approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq means that he is competitive.

Jan 22 2008

Impeaching Republicanism

On the day after MLK’s day of celebration, I wish to emphasize that the party that is running all white male candidates is…..

The Republicans.

As we enter the next Great Depression…or a recession….or whatever this latest nightmare of Republicans manipulating our economy to the detriment of all but the 1%ers will be called, I wish to emphasize where and from who the pain is going to come from.

The Republicans.

As we start another year of Imperial Adventures in the Middle East, merrily killing brown people and sending our sons and daughters of to die to enrich the oil companies and Halliburton, I wish to emphasize who started this shit, who is continuing this shit, and who has run this shitty and unnecessary war as if they were running some podunk circus where the clowns are all too old and fat from greed to get out of the tiny little …unarmored…clown car.

The Republicans.

Jan 22 2008

How Would Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr. Feel?

Bear with me for posting a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.-themed diary a day late. Because of the holiday, the libraries where I do my computer work were closed. And last night’s Democrats’ debate, along with other things that have been on my mind, have made me wonder how the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would feel about…..

Jan 22 2008

VCS Releases New VA and DoD Fact Sheets

I’m sitting out a slight Freezing Rain, that when I left this morning, in the dark and on the country roads, I drove right into.

Instantly blocking All view out my windsheild and caking on my wipers. Turned around, as I was only a few miles from home, hit a few icy road spots on the way but made it back, I drive a Van loaded with tools, not great on icy country roads.

Temps still sitting at 32 so I’m going to post up the latest Veterans for Common Sense newsletter, it’s another Eye Opener.

Someone may want to take the information and give a more in-depth report, than again maybe not.

The VCS Release:

Jan 22 2008

Pony Party, feels like Monday

This is what we do when Tuesday masquerades as a Monday…..

please enjoy some random video nonsense…

Jan 22 2008

Docudharma Times Tuesday January 23

This is an Open Thread: Phones Lines are now available.

Tuesday’s Headlines: Crossing Mayor Giuliani Often Had a Price: Clinton, Obama reach new level of rancor: Looking Beyond Feudal Politics in Pakistan: Humiliation for Ahmadinejad as veto is overruled: Just the ticket! Painter finds his perfect ‘canvas’ on Paris Métro

In Asia, Global Market Decline Accelerates

Amid fears that the United States may be in a recession, the decline in stock markets accelerated Tuesday morning as exchanges opened across Asia.

Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all fell farther in the opening hours of trading Tuesday than they had all day on Monday. The Hong Kong market plunged another 8 percent by early afternoon after tumbling 5.49 percent on Monday. In Tokyo, the Nikkei dropped 5 percent, hitting a low not seen since September 2005 and facing its worst two-day drop in 17 years on concern global growth is faltering.

Jan 22 2008

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning

The muses are ancient.  The inspirations for our stories were said to be born from them.  Muses of song and dance, or poetry and prose, of comedy and tragedy, of the inward and the outward.  In one version they are Calliope, Euterpe and Terpsichore, Erato and Clio, Thalia and Melpomene, Polyhymnia and Urania.

It has also been traditional to name a tenth muse.  Plato declared Sappho to be the tenth muse, the muse of women poets.  Others have been suggested throughout the centuries.  I don’t have a name for one, but I do think there should be a muse for the graphical arts.  And maybe there should be many more.

Please join us inside to celebrate our various muses…

Jan 22 2008

Wavering over the kingmaking

I get the sense that a lot of people out there — not necessarily a plurality, but enough to justify having a public conversation with them — share roughly my preference order with respect to the remaining non-Gravel Democratic Presidential candidates.  In terms of what I’d like to see in a nominee, I’d give Edwards a 90, Obama an 84, Clinton a 72, and I’ll explain where Kucinich fits in later.  So here’s where I stand after today’s debate, and y’all can hash it out in comments if you want.  There’s no special reason that you should be that interested in what I think, so there’s no particular reason that you should be abusive in comments.  I’m mostly setting this down as my own diary for the record, so I can refer to it years down the line.  (Thanks again, buhdy, for providing this service.)

Jan 22 2008

MLK III to Edwards: “Keep Fighting. My Father Would Be Proud.”

X-Posted from MyDD

Martin Luther King, III Praises Edwards For Leading The Fight For Economic Justice In America.

Following a meeting at the King Center in Atlanta on the afternoon of Saturday, January 19th, 2008, Martin Luther King, III sent John Edwards a letter praising Edwards’ commitment to fighting poverty and speaking out for those without a voice. King, the first son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the President and CEO of Realizing the Dream, said his father was a fighter and urged Edwards to continue the fight for justice and equality. He also urged the other candidates to follow Edwards’ lead.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter.

As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III

Full letter, after the fold.

Jan 22 2008

Smart Ways to Think about Our Economic Problems




Did you know that some of the greatest wealth has been grown during times of recession? There are some really smart ways to adjust your economic “thinking” so that you can trust your investment instincts. There are also some smart things you can “do.”

The number one smartest thing you can do is ask questions in a economic-topic Essay. Don’t be intimidated because you don’t know what the writer is talking about. Tell your story. Ask for advice. Get people to argue about your situation. Keep the conversation going and bring the economic gurus down to your level.

Some of very knowledgeable economic watchers participate here. You can tell they are pros, because they never, ever give investment advice.

I, on the other hand — well, you just can’t shut me up. Thus, it’s risky to read on past here.


Jan 22 2008

On Quitting

What?

Oh, I am quitting smoking. I thought you might like to know.

Cold turkey. Well, actually, more like smoking my last cigarette last night and going to bed, and then not buying any more.  I slept late because I have been sick and without a voice for several days now (sick longer than that).

I am scared, happy,  and I want a cigarette. When I think about the possibilities of life while quitting, I get a happy feeling. I also think about the money I will save, around $1,000 this year alone, not counting health care expenses. Just for cigarettes.

I think I am going to celebrate that with a trip to Hawaii in June. I can spend some of the money I have saved, and for the first time in my life, I can take a plane trip without jonesing for hours over a stupid cigarette.

I won’t be the subject of odd looks or ridicule anymore. But mostly, I will provide the huge tobacco companies no more of my money to carry out their killing agenda.

Wish me luck.

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