CNN's Intrepid Internet Reporters:Groundbreaking or Grave Digging?

CNN's The Situation Room premeired yesterday featuring a new catagory of correspondent entitled the "Internet Reporter." Now I'll be honest I would be excited if someday my lowly blog got a nod from the Internet Reporters. I mean it is CNN after all. BUT aside from the fact that it won't happen, I mean I'm not Atrios after all, what would be gained other than a day of bragging rights compared to what is lost in the long term for "NEWS". Is news reporting on the blogs a good thing? I have many reservations and I love blogs. I'm a believer. Hell I'm a blogger.

However I do not see context to what the Internet Reporters are doing. Most people watching CNN probably do not even know what a blog is much less their utility. As Judy Woodruff said of the former "Inside Politics" blog reporting... " We could tell more about who they are and where they get their information. The only thing stopping us from doing that now is time.” Well they certainly have time now (3 merciless hours of the hi-tech Situation Room). Yet there is no more context than when Abbi Tatton and Jacki Schechner were lowly blog reporters on Inside Politics. When Jon Klein unveiled this brainchild he said, “We want to demystify blogging. We want to peel back all those layers and also do a reading of the blogs that our audience doesn't have the time to do.” Well that is just all wrong I'm afraid because blogging IS multi-layered and it does require putting in time to be informed. Now if all you want is to be able to spout off in a conversation that the bloggers are all over topic X to impress someone as to how in tune you are, then yes catching a segment of the Internet Reporters will meet that need. But if you are curious about an issue and eagerly want to follow it's developments then No the Internet Reports will not do. Blogging is all about linking. It's hopping all over the blogosphere to pull in information, of which some is integrated into your view of the issue yet much of it is discarded.

And there is alot to discard. Face it there is alot of crap on these Internets. People are free to say just about anything. Someone writes a post. Someone links to it. One link leads to another and another and soon people think the content along the way is true. The Internet Reporters have already been burned by this circle jerk on the so-called Air America Scandal.......

From Dkos:

SCHECHNER: Hi, Joe.

Well, many of the conservative bloggers are talking about a New York investigation into the possible diversion of funds from an inner city Boys and Girls Club to the liberal radio station Air America. This started with Brian Maloney over at TheRadioEqualizer.blogspot.com.

He picked up a small mention as part of a larger article in the "New York Daily News." And as part of that article, it turns out that the former CEO of Air America was also on the board of that Boys and Girls Club. And that's where the investigation continues right now into what sort of diversion of funds may have taken place.

TATTON: Working with Brian Maloney on the store is Michele Malkin at MicheleMalkin.com. She's been really pushing it. This is a blogger driven story that she feels is not getting enough coverage in the mainstream media.

Michele has been linking to statements put out from Air America on this case. What they're essentially saying is the funds in question that are being investigated were to previous business owners of Air America, that they have nothing to do with those preview business owners and so they are not responsible for what's going on here.

The debate carrying on at DailyKos.com, whether webmaster of Air America, that's Adam Mordecai, is posting the most recent statement saying that they have no obligation to the previous business owners, but their still working with the Boys and Girls Club. And very much the Boys and Girls Club very much has the support of Air America.

SCHECHNER: That did not stop the conservative blogs from posting all sorts of headlines like "Al Franken Steals Money From Kids and Old Folks" or things like JackLewis.net, "Liberals Stealing From Poor Kids." They really, you could take your pick of blogs on this one. That sort of vein.

But over at the larger blogs like WhizbangBlog.com, they're doing what Michele Malkin and what Brian are doing, and they're looking deeper into the statement from Air America saying whatever the answers are at this point, it's not enough for them. And they are going to continue to push the investigation.

Joe, we will send it back to you.

So it was Maloney linked by Horowitz, then Hewitt and Malkin picked up Maloney and ultimately Hewitt's "trump card" was his use of the Internet Reporters....

CNN's Inside Politics blog sp[ecialists [sic] Abbi Tatton and Jacki Schechner spent the entire second segment of today's show on Air America's woes.

That's quite a circle jerk of supposed investigating into nothing but allegations that have been ably dismissed by Air America, NOW.

Yes now. Time is different in the blogosphere. Things can blow up and die out in hours. Is it responsible for the Internet Reporters to cite a blog phenomenom at 3:00 when it is blown out of the water by 5:00 after The Situation Room has closed for the day? Will our Intrepid Reporters come on air the next day to retract their previous reporting. "Sorry folks it was Bullshit. This is live you know , bear with us." (Though I doubt they'd say Bullshit if ya know what I mean) I don't trust that would happen. Even if they would the damage has been done when those casual consumers lacking time to actually read the blogs watched the erroneous report but not the retraction. And don't kid yourself. With the nature of the blogosphere this could happen alot more often than Judy Miller mistakes.

Isn't one of the complaints now that the quality of the news has greatly diminished due to the pressure to be first and fill 24/7 air waves? Do we want to accelerate that speed further? And hasn't the Plame Leak brought into question the use of anonymous sources? Do we want reporting on blog posts with possibly NO sources at all? Perhaps The Intrepid Reporters can address these concerns but again I am doubtful.

So as much as I'd love to get a shout out from the Internet Reporters on CNN someday..... I am willing to forego the chance to call everyone I've known to brag I was on CNN, for the sake of preserving an already sinking American press. Besides I'd much rather get a link from Atrios and actually I'd rather read the blogs. Wouldn't You?

Gov't To Arrest Sheehan????

From Dkos:

"Cindy Sheehan, mother of Casey, is rumored to be arrested in Crawford on Thursday for being a national security threat."

Ah is that going to look something like this???

Past Time To Admit: Pentagon's Incompetence Is Costing Lives

I believe we are well past the time that Pentagon officials admit that they have totally screwed up the War in Iraq. They did not listen to Gen. Shinseki who said we would need hundreds of thousands of troops for Iraq. Those kind of numbers certainly would have sobered Americans in supporting the war. Certainly the civilian leadership in the Pentagon have demonstrated incompetence along with some but certainly not all military leaders in the Pentagon. (See Post war planning was non-existent.)
The effects of this incompetence is made obvious by the situation on the ground in Iraq.

And today we learn this:

HADITHAH, Iraq — A Marine regiment that took heavy casualties last week in western Iraq — including 19 killed from a Reserve unit headquartered in Ohio — had repeatedly asked for about 1,000 more troops. Those requests were not granted.

In the article "Lt. Col. Lionel Urquhart, commander of the Reserve battalion said, "Yes, we need more forces, but what we need is more Iraqi forces." Let's face Reality. The Iraqi Army is virtually non-existent and does not solve the problem in the short run. In the long run it may even be an administration pipedream.

The consequences are extremely serious. More US troops will die and Iraq will continue to spiral into instability. To let this situation continue (to cover Pentagon asses) is immoral and illogical.

Not that I'm Complaining Mind You

The Rove leak has lead reporters to ridiculous sourcing as of late. I found this one humorous from NYT ....

But for the staff members left behind, (at the White House this month) it was not entirely quiet. "It's always something," said one administration official who asked not to be named because he did not want to be seen as complaining about the job. "Somebody's dying or something blows up or somebody issues a tape. We never really cool off that much."

I'm not sure which is funnier though...that the source doesn't want to be seen as complaining or the nature of the complaints. Given the above quote, I guess about now the source is saying .......

"Shit that Jennings guy died. More damn work"......

Not that the source would be complaining though.......

Sheehan Vigil Continues

Cindy Sheehan continues to camp outside Bush's Crawford ranch waiting for the President to speak with her. She has received much attention to her cause with interviews by CNN, ABC and CBS. It will be interesting to see what happens later this week.....

It is not clear how the White House will handle Ms. Sheehan. Mr. Bush usually comes and goes from the ranch by helicopter, but he might have to drive by her on Friday, when he is scheduled to attend a Republican fund-raiser at a ranch just down the road from where Ms. Sheehan is camped out. She will no doubt get another wave of publicity on Thursday, when Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice join Mr. Bush at the ranch to discuss the war.

Thank You Mr. Jennings

Why Did You Kill My Son?

That is the question Cindy Sheehan (whose son was killed Iraq) wants to ask Bush. She says she will remain outside Bush's Crawford ranch until Bush talks with her. Two WH aides met with her yesterday but she said......

"They were very respectful. They were nice men. I told them Iraq was not a threat to the United States and that now people are dead for nothing. I told them I wouldn't leave until I talked to George Bush."

So she remains outside Crawford. I can not see Bush ever facing Ms. Sheehan. It is not within his character to do so. I'd like to think Bush will be very uncomfortable knowing she is camped outside his vacation home. I wish he would have the capacity to feel regret as our last Texan president did....

But I know neither will happen.

More at DKos
UTI has an interview with Cindy Sheehan.

Liberals Aim to Level the Playing Field

From WaPo:
80 wealthy liberals have pledged to donate $1 million each to the Democracy Alliance. The goal is to fund liberal groups to compete " compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up over the past three decades."

The Democracy Alliance will act as a financial clearing house. Its staff members and board of directors will develop a lineup of established and proposed groups that they believe will develop and promote ideas on the left. To fulfill their million-dollar pledge, each partner must agree to give $200,000 or more a year for at least five years to alliance-endorsed groups
SNIP
As alliance officials see it, many liberal groups are designed to protect an agenda that was enacted by past Democratic majorities -- as opposed to generating new ideas and communication strategies to win support from voters who do not belong to labor or other traditionally Democratic constituencies.
SNIP

There has been a flourishing of new, pro-Democratic think tanks and advocacy groups in recent years. Clinton administration chief of staff John D. Podesta established the Center for American Progress; former Democratic congressional aide David Sirota recently set up the state-oriented Progressive Legislative Action Network; and author David Brock helped create Media Matters for America last year, among others. All these groups are potential recipients of money from alliance partners.
In addition, the number of liberal bloggers on the Web has been growing at a fast pace, and their blogs have become both central forums for debate over party strategies and hugely successful vehicles for campaign fundraising, including raising through online contributions more than two thirds of the $750,000 used in the surprisingly competitive House campaign of Democrat Paul Hackett in Ohio. Rosenberg has created the New Politics Institute, an organization that works with bloggers.

I think this is a good move. Certainly competition for funds will create problems. But that is far better than the extreme differential we face now in competing with the conservative agenda.

The Terrible Toll of War in Ohio

This NYT article tells the story of the Third Battalion, 25th Marines, Fourth Marine Division from Ohio.
47 men from this unit have died since May. The pain from those deaths has cut a wide swath and left many people questioning while others remain commited to the war out of respect for the ones lost.

Even some former marines have begun to question those policies. At a prayer vigil for the 3/25 in Cleveland on Friday, Frank Faragone, who was a marine in the 1950's and whose son is a Marine gunnery sergeant today, said the United States should hasten the transfer of power to Iraqis and bring American forces home soon. "Insurgency is tough, you'll never get rid of it," said Mr. Faragone, 67, a retired police officer from Cleveland. "The answer is let the Iraqis take care of themselves."

OR

"Are you going to tell that mother whose son is in a casket that you don't believe in what they are doing over there?" asked Karen Parker, 43, of Cleveland, whose son is with the 3/25 in Iraq. "Do you know how that would hurt them? We don't have that right."

Iwouldn't say anything hurtful to those who have lost a loved one to the war in Iraq. But I do have the right to question our leaders on this war. That is where the questions and protests must be directed.

Please read the rest.

Right-Wing Nuthouse Indeed heh

Well I was waiting to see if there would be a reaction to Mithras' Conservative Blog Taxonomy (see my related post). Indeed via Michelle Malkin one finds Rightwing Nuthouse's Moonbat Blog Taxonomy. Here's what Rick Moran has to say about Eschaton commentors...

....... his “community” is the most vulgar, most obscenely obnoxious group of party hacks around. Black has been known to sic his minions on bloggers who displease him. A real class act.

Rick do you mean like this????

"If they nuke us, I'll be joining you and we'll execute General Order 24 (Terrorize and exterminate all Muslims) We'll light up the night sky with the fires of their mosques (breeding grounds for Islamic hatred)and water the grass with their blood. There will be nobody to stop the public from exacting our revenge. I hate to say this or even make comparisons but we'll make Krystal Nacht look like a square dance."

Wrong! Because that is a comment from one Darth Vader in response to a Free Republic post by Rick Moran. The point...... I'm sure one could find extreme comments on any blog so no need to get in a tit- for- tat. However at Free Republic and LGF one would find comments like Darth Vader's to be commonplace. I don't know about comments at Rightwing Nuthouse as I've never studied them. I'll admit that. It is obvious Moran has never studied Eschaton comments though.

I am a reader of Eschaton and a regular commentor. I am not a "party hack" (hard to find those at Eschaton)
Nor am I "minion" to any blogger. For example I did this post all by my lonesome self and of my own free will. And when I am done I'll be moseying over to Eschaton and I'll probably mention this in the comments. Undoubtably people will have a good laugh and get a couple of digs in at Mr. Moran's ignorance ( with real class) and that will be it. No call for all out nuclear war will be involved I am sure.

4 Years Ago Today

Bush was on vacation at the ranch in Crawford. Facing him was what was thought to be an agonizing decision regarding Stem Cell Research.

Bush Struggles with Stem Cell Decision

"White House advisors say Bush is torn on the issue, which represents perhaps the toughest political and ethical question he has faced since taking office."

He told the press he'd make a decision when he was ready.
He deliberated with Karen Hughes.

And on August 9 his struggle ended with a televised National Address.
He faced the nation and told us of his decision.
He ended that with this line:
"I have made this decision with great care, and I pray it is the right one."



Today it is painfully clear that it was not the right decision to even be contemplating. All that care, struggle and prayer should have been spent on the PDB he had been given on August 6. But as Bush struggled with how to please "his base", Bin Laden mobilized "The Base" to action. As Bush fiddled his thumbs over a purely political decision, he left the nation unguarded and we were attacked. This is nothing short of incompetence. That he hasn't paid the price for it is inexplicable.

Taft Golfed with Noe

Golf, Golf & Golf. Oh how the pols looove their golf. (See earlier post) It use to be that one pictured scenes of government corruption taking place behind closed doors of smoke filled rooms. Now it seems to be out in the clear sunny skies on neatly manicured greens.

So I'm not surprised that the Toledo Blade is reporting that Ohio Gov. Taft did golf with Tom Noe. He had failed to report that. Oh he did fess up a month ago that he had forgotten to disclose a few things. Records released today show that was about 20 golf outings, one of which was with Noe. Unfortunately the records don't show who paid for the outings. Noe is at the center of Ohio's coingate scandal. And...

The Ohio Ethics Commission is investigating whether the governor failed to report gifts on his financial disclosure statements, as required by state law.

Friday Cat Blogging:Novak Edition

Just let...

it.....

Go.

This is Bullshit.

A Novak Salute to Bullshit Over the Years

LBJ is Bullshit.


Jimmy Carter is Bullshit


Dukakis ha...that is a Bullshit idea.


Iran-Contra is Bullshit. Never happened.


Ted Turner is Bullshit. Cable news my ass.


Tables are Bullshit. Where's a podium?


Tim Russert is Bullshit. Give me Larry Spivak.


Begalia is Bullshit. Hey get this dyke out of here.


Press is really Bullshit.


This is Bullshit. Hey you give me that drink.


This crowd is bullshit. Where's the bar?


Autograph? Get that paper way from me. Autographs are Bullshit. But you can get me a drink.


Mingling is Bullshit. Now let me drink in peace.


Black women getting awards is Bullshit. Mmm nice ass.


This young man is OK. But smiling for cameras is Bullshit.


I love this Ash Wednesday look. But Easter is Bullshit.


Cooper is Bullshit....you panty waist. Tell Carville to sit the fuck down. He's blocking my shot.




You just want me to say Bullshit.
I won't do it Asshole.

Novak Storms Off Set

Bob Novak stormed off the set today.
Go to Media Matters to see it.

They also give links to CNN.
Conact them and ask why they let a man who outs CIA NOC's to use profanity on their network.

UPDATE: From fishbowl DC:

"Bob Novak's behavior on CNN today was inexcusable and unacceptable. Mr. Novak has apologized to CNN, and CNN apologizes to its viewers for his language and actions. We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off," a CNN spokeswoman told us.

That Sound: Freeper's Heads A 'Sploding

SCOTUS nominee John Roberts.....

" helped represent the gay rights activists as part of his law firm's pro bono work. He did not write the legal briefs or argue the case before the high court, but he was instrumental in reviewing filings and preparing oral arguments, according to several lawyers intimately involved in the case. Gay rights activists at the time described the court's 6-3 ruling as the movement's most important legal victory."

He didn't mention it on any of the questionaires. Guess he didn't Recall.

This Will Make You Sick

You just have to read it to believe it:

But barely a week passes when at least one out-of-town fundraising event doesn't entice contributors with golf, a boat excursion or skiing. The House Republicans' event list between mid-July and mid-August advertises 12 golf outings, four baseball games, a musical show and a night of "champagne and caviar."

The competition for donors is so intense that lawmakers try to outdo each other with innovative fundraising come-ons. Four members of the House Ways and Means Committee held what they called a "block party" to make it easier for lobbyists to drop off checks. The lawmakers, who live on the same block on Capitol Hill, each offered a different alcoholic beverage to donors as they stopped by on the same evening this spring.

OK I'll assume you read the article and know about the "legal" vacations, golf outings and the parties....errr I mean "Joint Legislative Conferences". Like say this one for 400 members of Congress hosted by the Beer Institute in April, 2005.

"After a day of Hill office visits, the conference ended with
the popular Congressional Reception attended by over 400
Members of Congress and Capitol Hill."

And what did the Beer Institute want:

Rollback of the 1991 increase of the federal excise tax on beer
Permanent repeal of the death tax.

But I don't mean to pick on the brewers only. There are plenty of others. Check out this list of sponsors for various events.

And lots of activities. There are Shoot-Outs:


Hey that's the Duke Stir (Rep. Duke Cunningham R-CA) who was Top Gun at the 2005 Congressional Shoout Out. He scored 65 clays out of 75----(This was in May though before all the nastiness so he may not be shooting so straight now) He said of the event that pits Dems vs. Rep......“I am thrilled to have shot so well and to share this victory with the rest of my party, however this event has nothing to do with partisan politics and everything to do with banding together across party lines in defense of sportsmen.”

(Yeah they'll wait til they are back on The Hill to shoot at each other as now there's a bunch of lobbyists from "a gun manufacturer, a sporting-goods association, a defense contractor, a tobacco producer, a cable company, an electric utility and a forest products giant" to do business with.)

But you don't even have to shoot. Rep. Katharine Harris (R-FL) just stopped by to visit. (Guess it didn't help in getting that nod for a Senate bid)

And oh the Golf Outings. They do loooove to golf. Just check this list of events .......

It may be legal but it is still corrupt. Uber Lobbyist are buying access with Congress's complicity. I call on Congress and K-Street to Stop the Corruption.
Now Watch this Drive.....

Judy In Jail Update

pic from The Daily Roast

So what is Judy up to these days?
From WaPo:

Alexandria Sheriff James H. Dunning said he takes pains to make sure his famous charges are treated no differently than drug dealers or killers. "The celebrities get the same treatment here as anyone else," he said in an interview yesterday at the jail.

Dunning said Miller is "fitting in just fine. Let's face it, jail is not fun. But she is not having any unusual difficulty adjusting to the environment."

That doesn't mean life is problem-free or cushy. Miller sleeps in an 80-square-foot cell with a concrete slab and mattress for a bed and two thin slits for windows. She has told visitors that she brushes her hair with a toothbrush. She dines on such delicacies as turkey a la king and "down home" ham and pinto beans.

The food has "taken some getting used to," Times Publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. wrote in an internal posting supplied by the newspaper.

Miller's attorney, Bob Bennett, declined to make her available for an interview. He said Miller has a job as a "floor monitor," cleaning up trays after meals.

Toothbrushing your hair!! Eeegads.....Sounds tough until you consider how Valerie Plame will have to be looking over her shoulder until...well forever. And we don't know which criminal(s) Judy is protecting......the ones not behind bars or the one who is.

Newt on Hackett's Showing

Last night I said the Repugs should be worried. Well the Big GOPper seems to be and is warning the brethren:

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) warned fellow Republicans yesterday not to ignore the implications of the party's narrow victory in Tuesday's special election in Ohio, saying the public mood heading into next year's midterm elections appears to helping Democrats and hurting Republicans.

"It should serve as a wake-up call to Republicans, and I certainly take it very seriously in analyzing how the public mood evidences itself," Gingrich said. "Who is willing to show up and vote is different than who answers a public opinion poll. Clearly, there's a pretty strong signal for Republicans thinking about 2006 that they need to do some very serious planning and not just assume that everything is going to be automatically okay."

For the rest.

Putting Faces To Places

Atrios had a link today of Gotta Know the Players which linked to Mithras blog post of Conservative Blog Taxonomy. The post features a selection of 10 conservative blogs. It provides a description of each blog and the blogger. But I like visuals and so below are pics of each of these bloggers.

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit

Michelle Malkin of of course Michelle Malkin

John H. Hinderaker aka "Hindrocket" of Powerline

Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarter

Eugene Volokh of Volokh Conspiracy

Hugh Hewitt of Hugh Hewitt

Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine

Josh Trevino of RedState

Dean Esmay of Dean's World


Still searching for Dean Esmay and Ed Morrissey. So if you got their snapshots send it.

Hackett Has Scared the Crap Out of Every Republican Up For Re-Election in '06

Democrat Paul Hackett narrowly lost to Repugnant Jean Schmidt........
Schmidt: 59,095 votes (52%)
Hackett: 55,091 votes (48%)
This was in one of the reddest districts in the country. Dominated by Republicans for 30 years!
Republicans throughout the land are worried tonight. They are not safe anywhere.


And this is a Song for Jean. Let it play everyday .....

But I Thought Laura Was Going To Take Care of That

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal authorities arrested 582 alleged gang members over a two-week period, officials said Monday, targeting an estimated 80 violent groups they say have spawned street crimes across the country.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called the gangs "a threat to our homeland security and ... a very urgent law enforcement priority."

Read the rest

CNN WTF Moments:Gergen Knows Underwear

This exchange on 7/11 between Lou Dobbs and David Gergen not only left viewers asking WTF but also Lou:

Good to have you with us, David.

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Thank you, Lou.

DOBBS: This is a remarkable shift over the course of the past 10 days. On July 1, Lawrence O'Donnell says Karl Rove is it. Now, Ambassador Joseph Wilson had said that nearly two years ago, but Lawrence O'Donnell's comments spurred within 24 hours, reaction from Rove's attorney, and the issue was under way.

What do you make of it?

GERGEN: Well, Lou, I think that this is a complex case. And we shouldn't get caught up in our underwear so far.

DOBBS: We shouldn't get caught up, I'm sorry?

GERGEN: We shouldn't get caught up in our underwear about whether Karl Rove is in legal trouble.

DOBBS: Well, I don't think we -- I don't think we are.

GERGEN: I don't see -- well, I don't see what we know so far as indicating he's in legal trouble. There may be some political storm over this.

DOBBS: Right.

Dobbs has repeatedly bemoaned that" this investigation into this leak has now taken longer than Watergate at its entirety." I guess he decided if he was going to take part in moving the story forward then it would be sans Gergen and his underwear. Dobbs has covered this story 4 more times since 7/11 but no more Gergen interviews. (He did have 2 lines in a video tape on 7/12 and 1 line on a 7/14 video).

Memorial Building in Iraq: Who Thought It'd Come To This?

From Stars and Stripes we see a Memorial to the fallen has been built at Forward Operating Base Ramadi, Iraq. The memorial was designed by a KBR contractor and built by 6 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery. From the photo it looks like a beautiful memorial yet as beautiful as the picture above is...there is just something wrong with this picture. I find this tragically disturbing.

First this war was sold to us as one that would be quick. Remember "Mission Accomplished". And we were lead to believe the cost would be low. Remember this..."Administration sources said two months of war would cost as much as $40 billion and that a peacekeeping force in Iraq would cost at least $6 billion a year." Here we are several years later. $185 billion later. One billion a week and mounting later. Almost 1800 dead and over 10,000 wounded later. I believe most Americans thought we would get in there and overthrow Saddam and get out. And why not? Isn't that what we were told and are still being told? But we are not out. Years (yes years) and 100's of billion dollars later we see no end in sight. And did anyone ever get any hint from this administration that construction in Iraq would be that of US soldiers building a memorial to their own at a US base while war was ongoing????

Really who in America thought it would come to this? I doubt you could name one person.

And certainly not the soldiers over there thought it would be this way. The Stars and Stripes article goes on to tell of how soldiers react to the memorial:

......the memorial had become a reguar place for soldiers to pause and reflect on the year. They’d sit in groups of three or four, smoking cigarettes and casting occasional glances at the fountain and the board of names.

Some are bitter. Some almost numb to the losses. Almost unanimously, they asked to speak without their names being used, for fear something they said would be construed as disrespectful or cruel.

“You sit here and wonder,” one soldier said. “Part of you believes they died for something, to bring freedom to these people. But part of you says, ‘Damn, they died for some Iraqis that ain’t doing nothin’ to fight for themselves.’ ”

Disrespectful? Cruel? Well this war is certainly that. Yet how many Americans are even aware of the extent of the tragedy? Do they know their soldiers are building their own memorials in real time? Would they find it as disturbing as I do if they knew?

What do you think? I'd really like to know. Comments are open

Saudi King Fahd Is Dead

It will be interesting to see what happens next. Of Course Crown Prince Abdullah has been serving as the de facto ruler since the King suffered a stroke. And CNN International reports the Saudis see the succession to be simple with Abdullah becoming King. They want to project stability. However intrigue and power struggles have always marked the Saudi Royal family.

Rove Leak Latest: Massive Cover-Up Possible

From Think Progress:

Now we’re learning that Rove, Libby, and others learned of Plame’s identity well before journalists knew who she was. The newest information asserts that White House officials learned of Plame after Walter Pincus of the Washington Post wrote an article on June 12, 2003 detailing evidence that existed prior to the State of the Union which should have prevented the President from suggesting Iraq was acquiring uranium from Africa. This information corroborates Robert Novak’s claim in his infamous July 14, 2003 column that outed Plame which said the White House sprung into action after “Walter Pincus revealed in the Washington Post June 12 that an unnamed retired diplomat had given the CIA a negative report.”

A former intelligence officer tells Time that after the damaging Pincus article was written:

“[T]here was general discussion with the National Security Council and the White House and State Department and others” about Wilson’s trip and its origins.

If these revelations are true, the least of Rove and Libby’s concerns is perjury. Today’s disclosure adds further evidence that the White Hose consciously dug out Plame’s identity, used it, and then engaged in a massive cover-up by pinning blame elsewhere. Moreover, it appears far more players were involved in this orchestrated, administration-wide effort than previously believed.

IT'S A MOONIE RAG!!!!!!!

OK I'm shouting it from the roof top....The Washington Times is a fucking rag owned by the Damn Moonies. There ...said it. Is that clear or do I have to post to the Times headline on Rick Santorum's meltdown on Sunday's "This Week" to prove it? Here's the headline:

"Santorum Calls Out Hillary On Raising Children"

No I won't post to it. This rag is an embarrassment to the US. Instead get some popcorn and go to Crook and Liars and watch Ricky's meltdown. Then you'll see what the headline would have been, if the Washington Times wasn't a MOONIE RAG:

"Santorum Is Batshit Crazy"

More Global Warming Evidence

Last year this was a topic I had seen quite a bit on CNN International.
From USA Today:

Hurricanes have grown fiercer in recent decades, spurred by global warming, and even tougher storms are likely on the way, a researcher predicts.
In his new study, ocean climatologist Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggests that the power of big ocean storms has increased and will continue to do so, even if their numbers stay the same.
SNIP

Scientists had not correlated the frequency, intensity and duration of the storms until now, he says, but past reports have raised questions:

• Hurricane and cyclone reported durations have increased by roughly 60% since 1949.

• Average peak storm wind speeds have increased about 50% since the 1970s.

• Sea surface temperatures have swung upwards since 1975 at rates that exceed normal swings from regular El Niño or Atlantic cycles.

But here in the US we will no doubt continue to hide our heads in the sand.

Zero Cost = High Resolve on Iraq

This is a very good editorial in WaPo.

President Bush assures us that the ongoing twin wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are worth the sacrifices they entail. Editorialists around the nation agree and say that a steadfast American public was willing to stay the course.

Should anyone be surprised by this national resolve, given that these wars visit no sacrifice of any sort -- neither blood nor angst nor taxes -- on well over 95 percent of the American people?
At most, 500,000 American troops are at risk of being deployed to these war theaters at some time. Assume that for each of them some 20 members of the wider family sweat with fear when they hear that a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan or that X number of soldiers or Marines were killed or seriously wounded in Iraq. It implies that no more than 10 million Americans have any real emotional connection to these wars.

Read the rest....it's worth it.

This Is Why Gay Marriage Is Necessary

When people complain that gays don't need "special rights" point them to this story. A Native American lesbian couple were denied the right to visitation at their local hospital....."their dreams bumped against legal reality when Dawn was barred from Kathy's hospital room because she was not family."

So what did they do? They asked the Cherokee Nation for a marriage application and received it. They thought the problem was solved but the trouble had only begun. Now they are embroiled in a huge legal battle. Here are some of their reactions:

"We were very naive. We thought we'd get married under Cherokee law and that would be the end of it. We never thought it would turn into this."
"There were about 35 lawyers on the list of those permitted to argue in tribal court, and one day I went down the whole list and couldn't find anyone willing to take the case," McKinley said. "One guy laughed and hung up on me."

"One neighbor just stopped talking to us when this became public," Reynolds said.

"I mean, really, who are we hurting here?" McKinley asked. "We don't bother anyone, we mind our own business . . . stick to ourselves. How would our marriage hurt anyone?"

So next time people scoff at gays and lesbians being denied rights tell them about this couple. Gays and lesbians should have ALL the same rights afforded under law in the United States of America.