Alterman on 'Liberal'

I read Eric Alterman, but he always strikes me as a little 'out there'. Anyway, I was reading an article he wrote at Center for American Progress and this struck me:

[. . .]

Even so, it works. As Princeton professor Paul Starr notes, "The use of the vocabulary of treason is a measure of how thoroughly conservatives have transferred the passions of anticommunism into an internal war against those whom they think of as the enemies of American culture and values. And these were, as I recall from the 1960s, the same people who decried the loss of civility."

Given the rhetorical dominance of conservatives over the past several decades, one might be surprised to learn from a June Wall Street Journal analysis that "[The] proportion of Americans calling themselves "liberal" edged up to 21 percent in [ pollster Stan] Greenberg's May poll from 16 percent a month earlier. Self-identified "conservatives" dropped to 37 percent from 41 percent. And why not? One of the most honored guests here in Boston this week turns out to be none other than George McGovern. As he told a reporter from National Journal when queried about his apparently alien ideological affiliation "Every program that ever helped working people -- from rural electrification to Medicare -- was enacted by liberals over the opposition of conservatives. When people tell me they don't like liberals, I ask, 'Do you like Social Security? If so, then shut up!' "

Two thoughts. One, this is how Hitler got where he was, by having someone to blame, the Auslander and the Jews. The Right-wingnuts blame the liberals. I can't help thinking that if President Mein Kampf is reelected, they're gonna start rounding us up and 'relocating' us. Two, the poll results make me smile.

No Reagan

I love this! Via Lean Left:

BOSTON - Much to the dismay of the Bush campaign, Nancy Reagan has just said no to appearing at the Republican National Convention next month.
GOP strategists had hoped the former First Lady and Hollywood actress would make a cameo appearance onstage after a video tribute to her late husband, particularly after her Bush-bashing son, Ron, agreed to speak at the Democratic convention last night

[. . .]

Republican officials refrained from publicly criticizing Nancy Reagan for the no-show. Privately, however, some were upset as well as disappointed by the decision, which has been known to the White House for some time.

"I don't think she could have missed the symbolic significance of her son going to their convention and her not going to ours," a senior GOP official told the Daily News.[my emphasis]

Edwards

From Newsday via South Knox Bubba:

Thank you. Now, you know why Elizabeth is so amazing.

I am a lucky man: to have the love of my life at my side. We have been blessed with four beautiful children: Wade, Cate, Emma Claire, and Jack.

My mother and father, Wallace and Bobbie Edwards are here tonight. You taught me the values that I carry with me in my heart: faith, family, responsibility, and opportunity for everyone. You taught me that there's dignity and honor in a hard days work. You taught me that you look out for your neighbors, you never look down on anybody, and you treat everyone with respect.

Those are the values John Kerry and I believe in, and nothing makes me prouder than standing with him in this campaign. I am so humbled to be your candidate for Vice President of the United States.

[. . .]

If you have any question about what he's [John Kerry] made of, you need to spend three minutes with the men who served with him then and stand by him today.

They saw up close what he's made of. They saw him reach down and pull one of his men from the river and save his life. And in the heat of battle, they saw him decide in an instant to turn his boat around, drive it straight through an enemy position, and chase down the enemy to save his crew.

Decisive. Strong. Aren't these the traits you want in a Commander in Chief?

We hear a lot of talk about values. Where I come from, you don't judge someone's values based on how they use that word in a political ad. You judge their values based upon what they've spent their life doing.

So when a man volunteers to serve his country, and puts his life on the line for others -- that's a man who represents real American values.

This is a man who is prepared to keep the American people safe and to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.

[. . .]

For the last few months, John has been talking about his positive, optimistic vision for the country -- talking about his plan to move this country in the right direction.

But we've seen relentless negative attacks against John. So in the weeks ahead, we know what's coming -- don't we -- more negative attacks.

Aren't you sick of it?

They are doing all they can to take this campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road.

This is where you come in. Between now and November-you, the American people-you can reject the tired, old, hateful, negative, politics of the past. And instead you can embrace the politics of hope, the politics of what's possible because this is America, where everything is possible.

I am here tonight because I love my country. And I have every reason to love my country because I have grown up in the bright light of America.

[. . .]

I have had such incredible opportunities in my life, and I was blessed to be the first person in my family to go to college. I worked my way through, and I have had opportunities way beyond what I could have ever imagined.

And the heart of this campaign -- your campaign -- is to make sure that everyone has those same opportunities that I had growing up-no matter where you live, who your family is, or what the color of your skin is. This is the America we believe in.

I have spent my life fighting for the kind of people I grew up with. For two decades, I stood with families and children against big HMOs and big insurance companies. And as a Senator, I fought those same fights against the Washington lobbyists and for causes like the Patients' Bill of Rights.

I stand here tonight ready to work with you and John to make America strong again.

[. . .]

And you know what I'm saying. You don't need me to explain it to you, you know -- you can't save any money, can you? Takes every dime you make just to pay your bills, and you know what happens if something goes wrong -- a child gets sick, somebody gets laid off, or there's a financial problem, you go right off the cliff.

And what's the first thing to go. Your dreams.

It doesn't have to be that way.

We can strengthen and lift up your families. Your agenda is our agenda-so let me give you some specifics.

[. . .]

Let me talk about why we need to build one America. I saw up close what having two Americas does to our country.

From the time I was very young, I saw the ugly face of segregation and discrimination. I saw young African-American kids sent upstairs in movie theaters. I saw white only signs on restaurant doors and luncheon counters. I feel such an enormous responsibility when it comes to issues of race and equality and civil rights.

I have heard some discussions and debates about where, and in front of what audiences we should talk about race, equality, and civil rights. Well, I have an answer to that question. Everywhere.

This is not an African-American issue, not a Latino issue, not an Asian- American issue, this is an American issue. It's about who we are, what our values are, what kind of country we want to live in.

What John and I want -- what we all want -- is for our children and our grandchildren to be the first generations to grow up in an America that's no longer divided by race.

We must build one America. We must be one America, strong and united for another very important reason -- because we are at war.

None of us will ever forget where we were on September 11th. We share the same terrible images: the Towers falling, the Pentagon in flames, and the smoldering field in Pennsylvania. And we share the profound sadness for the nearly three thousand lives lost.

[. . .]

The human cost and extraordinary heroism of this war, it surrounds us. It surrounds us in our cities and towns. And we will win this war because of the strength and courage of our own people.

Some of our friends and neighbors saw their last images in Baghdad. Some took their last steps outside of Fallujah. And some buttoned their uniform for the final time before they went out to save their unit.

Men and women who used to take care of themselves, they now count on others to see them through the day. They need their mother to tie their shoe. Their husband to brush their hair. And their wife's arm to help them across the room.

The stars and stripes wave for them. The word hero was made for them. They are the best and the bravest. They will never be left behind. You understand that. And they deserve a president who understands that on the most personal level what they have gone through -- what they have given and what they have given up for their country.

To us, the real test of patriotism is how we treat the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to defend our values. And let me tell you, the 26 million veterans in this country won't have to wonder if they'll have health care next week or next year -- they will have it always because they took care of us and we will take care of them.

[. . .]

Like all of those brave men and women, John put his life on the line for our country. He knows that when authority is given to the president, much is expected in return. That's why we will strengthen and modernize our military.

We will double our Special Forces, and invest in the new equipment and technologies so that our military remains the best equipped and best trained in the world. This will make our military stronger so we're able to defeat every enemy in this new world.

But we can't do this alone. We have to restore our respect in the world to bring our allies to us and with us. It's how we won the World Wars and the Cold War and it is how we will build a stable Iraq.

[. . .]

And together, we will ensure that the image of America -- the image all of us love -- America this great shining light, this beacon of freedom, democracy, and human rights that the world looks up to-that that beacon is always lit.

The truth is every child, every family in America will be safer and more secure if you grow up in a world where America is once again looked up to and respected. That's the world we can create together.

Tonight, as we celebrate in this hall, somewhere in America, a mother sits at the kitchen table. She can't sleep. She's worried because she can't pay her bills. She's working hard to pay the rent and feed her kids. She's doing everything right, but she still can't get ahead.

It didn't use to be that way in her house. Her husband was called up in the Guard and he's been serving in Iraq for more than a year. She thought he'd be home last month, but now he's got to stay longer.

She thinks she's alone. But tonight in this hall and in your homes -- you know what? She's got a lot of friends. We want her to know that we hear her. And it's time to bring opportunity and an equal chance to her door.

[. . .]

What we believe -- what John Kerry and I believe -- is that you should never look down on anybody, that we should lift people up. We don't believe in tearing people apart. We believe in bringing people together. What we believe -- what I believe -- is that the family you're born into and the color of your skin in our America should never control your destiny.

Join us in this cause. Let's make America stronger at home and respected in the world. Let's ensure that once again, in our one America -- our one America -- tomorrow will always be better than today.

Thank you and God bless you.

Full transcript.

I love this guy, but if I have to hear that fucking mill town story ONE MORE TIME, I'm gonna shoot my damn self. I've only read the transcript but I taped it and I'm gonna watch it with the Mrs. tonight, after I get home from the tailor. Oy!

Another one gone

From MSNBC:

Ukraine said Thursday it is in negotiations with the United States and Poland to reduce and eventually withdraw its troops from Iraq, becoming the latest country to consider abandoning the risky military mission.

[. . .]

Ukrainian troops already have begun turning over guard duties of several key facilities to Iraqi soldiers, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, and Iraqi border guards took over patrols on a section of the Iraqi-Iranian border from a Ukrainian contingent.

[. . .]

And now the Saudis are coming to President Suck Boy's rescue:

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Secretary of State Colin Powell and top Saudi officials held talks Wednesday on the possibility of creating a Muslim force to be deployed in Iraq as a supplement to the U.S.-led coalition, U.S. officials said.

[. . .]

It’s unclear why Saudi Arabia was involved in the negotiations since its troops would not be in any Muslim force, consistent with Iraqi wishes that none of its neighbors send military personnel to avoid possible complications in regional politics.

Some of the countries mentioned as possible participants in a replacement force — Malaysia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Morocco — are from far outside the region.

[. . .]

The fucking Saudis are involved because Bush promised to blow Bandar if he could get a Muslim force into Iraq as part of the Coalition of the Billing . . . er, Willing. Bush & Co are worried. Especially since the Ukrainians are gonna cut and run. Sorry, Dubya, they're leaving you like rats from a sinking ship. Ha-ha!

I've been wrong once or twice

Sharpton was actually pretty good. He had his minister's voice on and I'll even go so far to say he was inspiring. Still don't like him, I've seen him play the victim too many times. He was far better than Jesse, who'd given that tired speech before. So I was wrong on two counts. That uses up my quota for the year. Ha!

Strawberries, again

I posted this a couple months ago and I thought it was the last we'd hear of it. At least before the election.

If you remember 'The Caine Mutiny' with Humphrey Bogart, you'll know what I mean. Spotted this via WTF Is It Now? According to Capitol Hill Blue, President Queeg is losing it.

President George W. Bush’s increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides privately express growing concern over their leader’s state of mind.

In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums against the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as "enemies of the state".

[. . .]

Found this today. Via Corrente, from Capitol Hill Blue:

President George W. Bush is taking powerful anti-depressant drugs to control his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia, Capitol Hill Blue has learned.

The prescription drugs, administered by Col. Richard J. Tubb, the White House physician, can impair the President’s mental faculties and decrease both his physical capabilities and his ability to respond to a crisis, administration aides admit privately.

[. . .]

Tubb prescribed the anti-depressants after a clearly-upset Bush stormed off stage on July 8, refusing to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with indicted Enron executive Kenneth J. Lay.

“Keep those motherfuckers away from me,” he screamed at an aide backstage. “If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can.”

[. . .]

Although GOP loyalists dismissed the reports an anti-Bush propaganda, the reports were later confirmed by prominent George Washington University psychiatrist Dr. Justin Frank in his book Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President. Dr. Frank diagnosed the President as a “paranoid meglomaniac” and “untreated alcoholic” whose “lifelong streak of sadism, ranging from childhood pranks (using firecrackers to explode frogs) to insulting journalists, gloating over state executions and pumping his hand gleefully before the bombing of Baghdad” showcase Bush’s instabilities.

[. . .]

The doctors also worry about the wisdom of giving powerful anti-depressant drugs to a person with a history of chemical dependency. Bush is an admitted alcoholic, although he never sought treatment in a formal program, and stories about his cocaine use as a younger man haunted his campaigns for Texas governor and his first campaign for President.

[. . .]

Veteran White House watchers say the ability to control information about Bush’s health, either physical or mental, is similar to Ronald Reagan’s second term when aides managed to conceal the President’s increasing memory lapses that signaled the onslaught of Alzheimer’s Disease.

It also brings back memories of Richard Nixon’s final days when the soon-to-resign President wondered the halls and talked to portraits of former Presidents. The stories didn’t emerge until after Nixon left office.

One long-time GOP political consultant who – for obvious reasons – asked not to be identified said he is advising his Republican Congressional candidates to keep their distance from Bush.

“We have to face the very real possibility that the President of the United States is loony tunes,” he says sadly. “That’s not good for my candidates, it’s not good for the party and it’s certainly not good for the country.”

Full story.

Obama

Via Just a Bump in the Beltway:

[. . .]

My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin- roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that's shown as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before him.

(APPLAUSE)

While studying here my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas.

(APPLAUSE)

Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor, my grandfather signed up for duty, joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. Back home my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA and later moved west, all the way to Hawaii, in search of opportunity.

[. . .]

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy; our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...

(APPLAUSE)

... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That is the true genius of America, a faith...

(APPLAUSE)

... a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution; and that our votes will be counted -- or at least, most of the time.

[. . .]

Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you: They don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon.

(APPLAUSE)

Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn.

They know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

(APPLAUSE)

People don't expect -- people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry.

[. . .]

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Seamus (ph) in a VFW hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, 6'2", 6'3", clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.

And as I listened to him explain why he had enlisted -- the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service -- I thought, this young man was all that any of us might ever hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Seamus (ph) as well as he's serving us?

I thought of the 900 men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors who won't be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

[. . .]

Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued. And they must be defeated.

John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

(APPLAUSE)

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we are all connected as one people.

[. . .]

It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family: "E pluribus unum," out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America.

[. . .]

Entire transcript.

VP in 2020, President in '28.

Convention

It's Edwards tonight and I'm gonna try and stay up to see it. I'll probably tape it and watch it first thing (04:00) tomorrow. I sure as hell ain't gonna sit through Sharpton. I'll catch enough of his noise on the highlights in the morning.

Later.

A non-American view

From Asia Times:

[. . .]

Most Americans, with varying degrees of naivete, believe they live in a classless society. Class is a taboo theme in the US; that's why Republicans talk about "values": God, guns and gays are an essential part of the package. But once again class will be key in deciding this election. The Republicans' relentless cultural populism has been extremely effective: their own hard sell as the party that best represents "American values" has captivated a vast, lower-middle-class, not very educated, socially conservative base. Kerry may have no way of seducing this base in the vast spaces of Red (Republican) states, but he definitely has a shot with male, conservative, angry, lower-middle-class voters in swing states such as Ohio and Florida. Once again Clinton showed he knows how to connect to this part of Middle America: Kerry just has to learn how to swing accordingly, proving again and again to these voters how cultural populism is a myth and how the Bush administration promotes corporate interests, not their own.

The polls are saying that if Kerry goes over 50% in the next few days, he has every chance of holding and even increasing the lead until November. The Bushites will panic. Since this is a "war presidency", Democrats fear there would be three options left.
1) An Osama bin Laden October surprise (arrested, not "smoked out", with the help of Pakistani ally President General Pervez Musharraf).
2) The election is again stolen, this time in California, with the help of Gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican-made electronic ballot boxes in a few states.
3) An al-Qaeda attack (Osama, lest we forget, votes Bush) leads to a de facto coup d'etat, with the "Bush-Cheney junta" (Gore Vidal) postponing the elections indefinitely.

Conspicuously absent from Clinton's roadmap for Kerry was the Iraq question. For a simple reason: neither the Democratic Party, nor Kerry, nor Bush for that matter, knows what to say and do about Iraq . . .

[. . .]

Joe Lieberman

He's on live with Chris Jansing at MSNBC. I wanna slap him. Jesus H. Christ, can we get someone alive to talk to the press. Oh my god, you just wanna shake him and say, 'wake the fuck up!' Oy gevult, Joe, drink some fucking coffee already. Besides, I think he's going the way of Zell Miller.

There's good news?

So, the fighting is moving south. I thought this area was pacified. From Al-Jazeera:

Wednesday 28 July 2004, 16:19 Makka Time, 13:19 GMT

Iraqi policemen fought alongside US and Ukrainian troops

Thirty-five resistance fighters and seven Iraqi policemen have been killed in a gun battle in southern Iraq, Poland's defence ministry said.

The policemen were fighting alongside US and Ukrainian occupation troops on Wednesday in Al-Suwayrah town in the Polish-controlled zone, a ministry spokesman said in the Polish capital Warsaw.

After the exchange of fire, 40 fighters were arrested.

Ten policemen were also wounded, but the US and Ukrainian soldiers did not suffer any casualties, Lieutenant-Colonel Krzysztof Laszkiewicz said. Polish troops were not actively involved, he added.

[. . .]

And then there's always Falluja:

In Falluja, four Iraqi policemen were killed on Wednesday when a homemade bomb targeted a joint US and Iraqi convoy, west of the city, a local hospital security officer said.

[. . .]

And of course in Baghdad:

Meanwhile, two people were killed, including a 13-year-old child, and seven were wounded when a mortar round exploded in a Baghdad residential neighbourhood on Wednesday, hospital doctors said.

The child was killed when the projectile landed on houses in the Rahmaniya district. Three other children were injured, as well as three men and a woman, said a source at the Karama hospital.

[. . .]

And let's not forget the obligatory troop death for the day:

To the north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb attack on a US patrol killed one soldier and wounded three others on Tuesday, the US military said on Wednesday.

It said the attack was near Balad Ruz, close to the town of Baquba where a car bomb attack killed at least 51 people on Wednesday.

The roadside bomb attack raised to at least 672 the number of US soldiers killed in action in Iraq since the invasion last year.

Another day, another American kid. So how was sovereignty going to reduce the attacks? The spin machine said that the attacks would increase in the days up to the handjob . . . er, handover, and then taper off. It's been a month and the shit's getting worse. I still think we're planning to bug out in a hurry if Bush continues this 'Peace President' bullshit and needs actions to back it up.

Didn't I tell you?

About Barack Obama? The kid's good, and Bill at Whiskey Bar thinks so too:

A Star is Born

I do believe we're going to be hearing a lot more from Barack Obama in the years to come. He has the gift.

Told ya! But what do I know, I'm an idiot mechanic.

And from Democratic Veteran:

Damn.

Are we seeing a future president here? Was that not a kick-ass speech?

I tuned in to see one of the best speeches of the convention so far and to hear one of the most mindless pieces of punditry (paraphrasing...) BoBo Brooks on PBS -- "Why he was like Tiger Woods" or words to that effect.

BoBo Brooks...what an asshat.

Why?

Why in Hell is Al Sharpton speaking to the Convention? It ain't like we need a token brother. Ol' Barack spoke last night, eloquently I might add. Why not get somebody serious like Harold Ford (D-TN)? The Reverend Al is a buffoon, a moron, and a narcississtic fool. Trust me, we've put up with him here in NY for the last thirty years. Talk about a sad example of the black community. I'd rather Jesse Jackson, shit, I'd rather Janet Jackson. Are we that scared of Sharpton yelling racism that we're humoring him? Jesus H. Christ, they were debating letting Hillary speak and no one had second thoughts about Sharpton? What the fuck are they thinking?

Everybody for Kerry/Edwards

A smile for the morning. From Chuck at The American Street:

Our two and a half week old twins, Frances Bright Currie and Katherine Chalmers Currie, have been glued to the television watching the Democratic National Convention. They’re a little tired after watching all the speeches, but fully committed to the Kerry-Edwards ticket.

[. . .]

Speaking of the Convention, I'll have more when I get home this afternoon. Trying to get the transcript of the Obama speech.  From what I saw of it, the kid was good.

Boots

This choked me up. From Kos:

Of the political displays around Boston, none was more poignant than the 907 boots on the ground in Copley Square.

[. . .]

Polls, again

Stolen from My DD:

New Zogby State Polls
by Chris Bowers

The new Zogby Battleground polls are up. Kerry leads in 12 of the 16 states, even though Nader was included in the questioning in each of the 16 states. Kerry leads in four 2000 Bush states: Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire and Tennessee. Many of the states are within the margin of error, including all four states where Bush currently leads. Granted, considering the new methodology, the margin of error might be something like 10 points.

The best part is that Bush fails to reach 50% in all 16 states, while Kerry crosses 50 in seven states: MI, MN, NM, PA, OR, WA and WI. In fact, the only Gore state in the poll where Kerry does not cross 50 is Iowa, where he comes in at 49.3 (higher than Bush's standing in any of the sixteen states). The base looks solid, and chances for Bush pickups appear slim.

Works for me.

Home schooling

I got problems with this in a BIG way. In my book, most folks who home school their kids do it for one reason. The public school system isn't 'Christian' enough. American Madrassas. The same way they teach the kids in Pakistan and Saudi the radical Islamic doctrine, the Christo-Fascist Jesus Freaks are turning their kids into American Osamas. It hit me when that whole Judge Roy Moore thing was going on in Alabama, over the Ten Commmandments monument in the courthouse. I see these little fucking kids standing out there quoting scripture from memory in protest. Are you fucking kidding me? Do you think the kid actually knows what he's saying? Jesus H. Christ, the fucking rugrat is brainwashed at 6.

Anyway, the reason I'm ranting is this, via Lean Left from The Wall of Separation:

Money from a federal program intended to expand public school choice has instead been used to prop up a scheme cooked up by William J. Bennett to boost home schoolers in Arkansas, Education Week has reported.

Newspaper staffers David J. Hoff and Michelle R. Davis report that a for-profit firm called K12, Inc., run by former Education Secretary and "drug czar" Bennett, has received $4.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education. Bennett's outfit received the tax funding under a provision in the "No Child Left Behind" education bill that is designed to expand options in public school choice.

There's just one problem: The provision in the education bill is supposed to offer options to students enrolled in failing public schools. But Bennett's business is aimed at helping parents who engage in home schooling and does nothing to benefit students in public schools.

[. . .]

What's even more troubling is that Bennett's firm apparently ended up with the tax-funded windfall despite contrary recommendations from peer reviewers at the U.S. Department of Education. Department employees who oversee the public school choice program initially suggested funding for 10 programs, basing their decision on recommendations from peer reviewers. Bennett's K12 Arkansas project was not among them. Education Week reported that K12's proposal did not score high enough among the peer reviewers to win a funding recommendation.

But the Department of Education bypassed the peer reviewers and added Bennett's program to the list. In doing so, the department dropped one program entirely and slashed funding for others.

One department employee involved in the process, who wished to remain anonymous, told Education Week, "Anything with Bill Bennett's name on it was going to get funded."
What is the end result of all of this? While students in Arkansas' under-funded public schools go begging, the youngsters taking part in the K12 experiment enjoy computer instruction and step-by-step lessons plans for parents to follow. A certified teacher stands by to offer guidance via telephone.

Perhaps the name of the "No Child Left Behind" law should be changed to "No Private School or Home-Schooled Child Left Behind."[my emphasis]

Entire Post.

Just in case you've forgotten, Bill Bennett was the Right-wing Jesus Freak Secretary of Education who wrote a book about our failing morals. Did I mention his jones for Vegas and the Roulette wheel? Hypocrite rat bastid. Add crook to that resume too.

How's this sound?

Kerry/Edwards '04

Kerry/Edwards '08

Edwards/Clinton '12

Ditto for '16.

Clinton/Obama '20

The Mrs. and I were kicking this around last night and it got us both aroused. Whatcha think?

Carter

Also via Bubba:

[. . .]

Today, our dominant international challenge is to restore the greatness of America—based on telling the truth, a commitment to peace, and respect for civil liberties at home and basic human rights around the world. Truth is the foundation of our global leadership, but our credibility has been shattered and we are left increasingly isolated and vulnerable in a hostile world. Without truth—without trust—America cannot flourish. Trust is at the very heart of our democracy, the sacred covenant between the president and the people.

When that trust is violated, the bonds that hold our republic together begin to weaken. After 9/11, America stood proud, wounded but determined and united. A cowardly attack on innocent civilians brought us an unprecedented level of cooperation and understanding around the world. But in just 34 months, we have watched with deep concern as all this goodwill has been squandered by a virtually unbroken series of mistakes and miscalculations. Unilateral acts and demands have isolated the United States from the very nations we need to join us in combating terrorism.

Let us not forget that the Soviets lost the Cold War because the American people combined the exercise of power with adherence to basic principles, based on sustained bipartisan support. We understood the positive link between the defense of our own freedom and the promotion of human rights. Recent policies have cost our nation its reputation as the world’s most admired champion of freedom and justice. What a difference these few months of extremism have made!

The United States has alienated its allies, dismayed its friends, and inadvertently gratified its enemies by proclaiming a confused and disturbing strategy of “preemptive” war. With our allies disunited, the world resenting us, and the Middle East ablaze, we need John Kerry to restore life to the global war against terrorism.

In the meantime, the Middle East peace process has come to a screeching halt for the first time since Israel became a nation. All former presidents, Democratic and Republican, have attempted to secure a comprehensive peace for Israel with hope and justice for the Palestinians. The achievements of Camp David a quarter century ago and the more recent progress made by President Bill Clinton are now in peril.

[. . .]

You can’t be a war president one day and claim to be a peace president the next, depending on the latest political polls. When our national security requires military action, John Kerry has already proven in Vietnam that he will not hesitate to act. And as a proven defender of our national security, John Kerry will strengthen the global alliance against terrorism while avoiding unnecessary wars.

[. . .]

Again, thanks to South Knox Bubba for the links to the speech transcripts from last night.

I always liked Jimmy Carter as a man, a Navy vet, a good soul with a good heart, and a man of great faith, but as a President he was out of his depth. He is the Democratic Party's elder statesman though, and last night he showed why. He is an ambassador for the Democrats, the picture of calm determination.

Bush, Guns, and Jesus Freaks

From The American Street:



No need for my 2 cents. One pic is worth a thousand words.