The justification for Public Law 93-531 passed by Congress in 1974 was that the Navajo-Hopi land dispute is so serious that 10,000 Navajos near Big Mountain, Arizona, must be relocated, forcibly if necessary. It would be the largest forced relocation of U.S. citizens since the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
But tradition-minded Navajo and Hopi claim there never was a land dispute. They say the dispute was invented to get the Navajos and their livestock off mineral-rich land in the Hopi reservation so it could be developed by mining companies such as Peabody Coal and Kerr-McGee.
Tag: John McCain
Mar 30 2008
John McCain, Indian Agent
Mar 29 2008
‘The American President Americans have been waiting for’
This new ad by McCain seems to imply that the other candidates are not American, somehow.
The voice-over is very dark, insistent and nearly foreboding in tone.
A quick dive into it, the implied contrasts here give a clue to the tone of this campaign.
“That she [America] is worth protecting, it’s people, honorable”
The implied smears against Barack Obama are loaded up, and ready to go. If we think we’ve seen nasty so far, just wait “my friends”. We’ll be swimming in innuendo up to our eyeballs.
But it’s that tone, the announcer’s voice that drives home the implications that ‘there’s something not right with the other candidates’.
The announcer in this ad, Powers Boothe played Jim Jones in the story about Guyana, in the made for TeeVee movie in 1980.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt00…
Yes, there are degrees of separation here, but somehow it seems fitting in a way this guy who made his mark in Hollywood portraying an insane cult leader who led over 900 people to kill themselves should be doing voice overs for McCain.
One other thing about the announcer; he seems to think that getting an Emmy is more important than honoring a SAG union strike line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S…
Fascinating, what’s behind the scenes at these ads at times, ain’t it?
Mar 28 2008
McCain Croons Bombing of Iran, While Baghdad Burns
The obscenity that is American politics, circa 2008.
This is funny, and the Reverend Wright’s comments are outrageous? What planet am I living on?
Mar 28 2008
Krugman on Presidential Leadership through Policy Proposals
Does a candidate’s policy proposals reveal the kind of president he/she would be? Paul Krugman today in the NYT suggests that policy proposals have revealed the kind of leadership that past presidential candidates. He points out that Bush proposed big tax cuts for the rich and followed through on them, making life harder for the rest of us.
The moral is that it’s important to take a hard look at what candidates say about policy….. policy proposals offer a window into candidates’ political souls – a much better window, if you ask me, than a bunch of supposedly revealing anecdotes and out-of-context quotes.
The current issue that McCain, Clinton and Obama have responded to is the mortgage crisis. Krugman analyzes the three responses and I found his analysis interesting and to be troubling for progressives.
Mar 26 2008
Iraq, the Candidates, and the Netroots
One of the reasons I have a hard time getting enthused about either of the Democratic candidates is that I find both of their Iraq withdrawal plans lacking. I am enthused about ending the Bush era, and I’m enthused about preventing the election of another Republican who doesn’t even seem to realize we have a problem in Iraq, but neither of the Democrats offers a plan that I consider to be complete.
Reading such is usually particularly galling to Obama supporters, because he gave such a pretty speech in 2002, and is therefore supposed to be vastly superior to Clinton, on Iraq. Some of the more deranged Obama supporters even go so far as to try to pin the war on Clinton, as if her having voted no on the AUMF would have changed anything other than her present political fortunes. It was a terrible vote, but she is demonized for it even by many of the same people who now lionize John Kerry, because he supports Obama, and despite his having made the same terrible vote made by Clinton. And, of course, most of these Obama supporters ignore the reality that despite the very pretty speech, when Obama was not in the position of actually having to vote on the resolution, his voting record has been nearly identical to Clinton’s, since he has been in the position of having to vote. That’s one of the reasons I find this particular argument for Obama and against Clinton to be, at best, specious. But the main reason is their withdrawal plans. I have said it many times: what happened in 2002 and 2003 is now irrelevant; the only thing that matters is what begins to happen in 2009. Which candidate will do the best job of most expeditiously getting us out of Iraq? And that doesn’t even begin to address the question of reparations, which isn’t even a topic of discussion.
Naomi Klein recently published what I consider to be the best book on politics in at least a generation. I’ve mentioned it in previous posts, and I will undoubtedly do so again. Many times. It should be required reading for anyone who claims to be politically informed. So, I also want everyone to click over to Huffington Post, and read her new article, with Jeremy Scahill:
Sixty-four per cent of Americans tell pollsters they oppose the war, but you’d never know it from the thin turnout at recent anniversary rallies and vigils.
When asked why they aren’t expressing their anti-war opinions through the anti-war movement, many say they have simply lost faith in the power of protest. They marched against the war before it began, marched on the first, second and third anniversaries. And yet five years on, U.S. leaders are still shrugging: “So?”
There is no question that the Bush administration has proven impervious to public pressure. That’s why it’s time for the anti-war movement to change tactics. We should direct our energy where it can still have an impact: the leading Democratic contenders.
Because Klein and Scahill also understand that although both Democratic candidates are much more honest and realistic than John McCain, when discussing Iraq, neither is coming close to being honest and realistic enough.
Mar 25 2008
Saturn’s Season: The Politics of Eating Your Own
Crossposted from The Wild Wild Left and to Station Charon and My Left Wing
You would have thought by now we may have figured out that Saturn’s strategy just might be a flawed one.
I guess it all depends on what one defines as their own.
Mar 24 2008
Another Gruesome Day
It was yet another gruesome day, in Iraq. As the New York Times reported:
As many as 20 mortar shells were fired Sunday at the heavily fortified Green Zone, one of the fiercest and most sustained attacks on the area in the last year.
The shelling sent thick plumes of dark gray smoke over central Baghdad and ignited a spectacular fire on the banks of the Tigris River. It ushered in a day of violence around the country that claimed the lives of at least 58 lraqis and four American soldiers.
According to tallies by The Associated Press and Icasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks casualties in Iraq, those military deaths pushed the number of American service members killed in the five-year-old war to at least 4,000. The figure includes service members whose names have not been released by the Pentagon.
This following a week in which Dick Cheney yet again lied about a link between 9/11 and Iraq, then served as Administration point man, promoting permanent occupation. This after a week in which Bush once again expressed his complete lack of regret for having caused this hellish disaster. This after a week in which John McCain reiterated his intent to keep us in Iraq indefinitely.
Of course, even our puppet Iraqi president admits the country is rife with violence, terrorism and corruption. And the New York Times reminded us that Bush originally claimed the entire cost of the war and aftermath would be no more the $60 billion. Which has already been wrong by more than a factor of ten. A factor which is expected to increase by several more factors. And the Pentagon is still sharply divided on the war strategy going forward. And the Iraqi army is still nowhere near ready to defend itself. And the Mehdi Army’s truce is fraying. And those Sunni militias, whose allegiance Bush has been buying, may go on strike. But other than that, everything’s going perfectly well. Except, of course, for those 58 Iraqis and four Americans who were killed, yesterday.
Mar 22 2008
Oct 26, 2014 — Economic Woes Continue Under President McCain
Wednesday, October 26, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC: President John McCain held yet another news conference on Tuesday trying to reassure a weary public about their economic fears. “My friends,” said the President, “as I have said many, many, many, many times before, we have the most resilient economy in the world. Everything will take care of itself somehow.” Vice-President Joe Lieberman then whispered something in the President’s ear, and McCain then corrected himself: “Actually we have the fourth-most resilient economy behind China, India, and Canada. That’s still pretty (expletive deleted) good.” But the McCain administration has continually struggled with economic issues since taking office in 2009.
Mar 21 2008
Passport-Gate: Secrets In The House Of Bush
In less than 24 hours, a story that began with the disclosure that State Department employees were peeking into the passport records of Barack Obama, it has come to light that the snooping also extended to Hillary Clinton and John McCain. While there is still much that is unknown, these revelations are being treated by the victims as a serious breach of privacy and security.
The Bush administration has developed a reputation as the most secrecy obsessed administration in history. Over the past seven years they have:
- sought to withhold public records like those of Dick Cheney’s meetings with lobbyists
- reclassified thousands of documents that were previously available
- banned photos of military caskets being returned from Iraq
- thrown roadblocks in front of legislation to enhance the Freedom of Information Act
- opposed investigations into Iraq, 9/11, Katrina, wiretapping, intelligence failures, U.S. attorney firings, etc.
- instructed aides to defy Congressional subpoenas
Brought to you by…
News Corpse
The Internet’s Chronicle Of Media Decay.
Mar 21 2008
Do Tell, Professor
I can see that pointing out stuff about religion is about as interesting as watching grass grow or flies mate. I will avoid that at all cost.
I have been accused of being an Obama supporter—WRONG! I have not endorsed anyone at this point. I do defend him on some issues and have been critical on others. As I have with other candidates. I do, however, see Obama as an important person that could possibly unify a party that is divided.
I cannot support Clinton. Why? her pro-business platform and her leadership position within the DLC. Most of her platform is start out of the playbook of the DLC. IMO, this organization is trying hard to purge all “true” progressives from the party.
McCain? He was looking pretty good until he flip=flopped on torture, tax cuts, and other issues. Because of this reversal of stands, just to win the suppoort of hard core conservs will forever eliminate him from my consideration.
All that said, the media has chosen who they want to be the two candidates and that choice is McCain and Clinton. Just watch MSM and you will concur with my findings. I love the pundits that disguise their obvious dislike for Obama as fair and balanced report–IT IS NEITHER!
I fear that the MSM will be successful in their pushing of the two candidates and if they are, we will have 4 more years of Bush policies. no matter which one is elected.
Mar 19 2008
Petraeus Construction Co. soldiers on: a one-act play
You want fiction? Here’s some to mark today’s 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War.
Scene 1
September, 2006: Brothers George, John, and Ringo stand together in the front hallway on George’s house. They have just answered the door, greeting Petraeus, President of a local construction company. They exchange greetings and lead him to the kitchen table, where the conversation begins.
GEORGE: We’re, uh, glad you could come to see us, Mr. Petraeus. As I think my brother John told you when he called, it’s about the house we’re having built on the lot we inherited from our parents.
PETRAEUS: Yes, I’ve taken a look at the house and I’ve talked to the contractors, and the contractors before that, and the original contractors.
JOHN: Well, as you should know then, you can see that the construction process has been a complete disaster.
GEORGE: I wouldn’t say it’s been a disaster, exactly.
more
Mar 18 2008
In Iraq, the irony doesn’t drip; it bleeds.
In Iraq, the irony doesn’t drip; it bleeds.
You remember the last time Saint Maverick went to Iraq to give us a little straight talk about the improving conditions. You remember how he went on a leisurely shopping trip to an open-air market. Wearing a flak jacket. And accompanied by 100 of his closest armed friends. With three Blackhawk helicopters hovering overhead. Not to mention two Apache gunships. Well, he’ll be skipping that fun diversion, this time. As John King of CNN explained:
And it will be interesting, because you note that marketplace. It’s called the Sorja (ph) marketplace. It’s in a Baghdad neighborhood.
We tried to go there today, as a matter of fact. We wanted to see what it looks like now, a year after Senator McCain was here. And he did walk around, and he did say it was proof that there were security gains being made, and that some parts of Baghdad and Iraq were quite safe. And as you noted, he also had 100-plus troops providing his security detail. And many of the merchants in the area, as soon as they were gone, said the neighborhood was quite unsafe.
We got close to that marketplace today, Jim, but our own security advisers here in Iraq didn’t want us to go there. They did not believe it was safe for an American to be in that area.
We were in a thriving marketplace nearby, but when you show up, the local Iraqis, well, it is clear that security is better on the street. And it’s clear there are more markets open. Just the traffic jams alone tell you that things are better on the streets of Baghdad.
It’s also very sensitive potential neighborhoods. That one marketplace, as a matter of fact, that neighborhood, you do see Iraqi police, you do see the Iraqi army. But in truth, that area is controlled by the racial cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi army.
It’s safer for the Iraqis, but still not safe for Americans. But it’s safer for the Iraqis because it’s controlled by al-Sadr. Good thing he extended his truce. Otherwise that market might not even be safer for the Iraqis.