Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Why Are We In Iraq?, A Winding Road, The Daily Howler & Democracy Now!

Jim, Dona and Elaine will want to read Why Are We Back in Iraq? right away:
 
But I will say one thing: the fact that he wrote it three days before D-day should tell us all something about him. And that something ain't liberal nor moderate nor democratic. He wrote that if you disagree with the way Kos sees things "do something about it, but do it somewhere else." I can't tell if he's speaking for just his Website (or the entire Internet) or if he wants us to love-or-leave-the-country, as well. I'd have to guess that he's going to start purging the accounts of the Daily Kos naysayers. Like what he did to me in the first week of November. While bloggers like me want to encourage debate, Mr. Kos believes in stifling it.
 
The Daily Howler's Bob Somerby is addressing social security in a must-read post today (http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh010405.shtml).
 
I also want to note that A Winding Road tackled a very important issue yesterday and I hope you saw it (http://awindingroad.blogspot.com/2005/01/endangered-our-libraries.html):
 
This is something that is happening all over this country at the moment. Libraries, often the only resource many in these communities have for access not only to reading material but also to internet access, tax information, music and video resources, access to magazines and newspapers, and a place for community gatherings, are being forced to either close down or drastically slash their hours of operation.

The reason these particular libraries made the news is that they're in the hometown of one of American literature's most well known names. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas in 1902 and featured it in his novel 'East of Eden'.

In fact, the John Steinbeck historical archives are housed in the branch named for Steinbeck which, along with the branch named for labor hero Caesar Chavez, is slated for closure. The Chavez branch houses the Chicano Cultural Resource Collection, which will become inaccessible once the library closes its doors. This collection is the only resource of its kind in the area not housed in private or state University libraries.

Democracy Now! had another outstanding episode today.
 
Headlines for January 4, 2005

- Tsunami Death Toll Rises to 150,000
- Baghdad ‘Governor’ Assassinated
- Iraq Intelligence Chief: The Resistance is Bigger Than US Military
- Israel Kills 7 in Gaza Attacks, as Abbas Speaks of "Zionist Enemy"
- Peru Stand-off Reportedly Ends in Surrender
- New Congressional Session Begins as GOP Changes Rule on DeLay
- El Baradei Will Run Unopposed
 
ExxonMobil, Aceh and the Tsunami

ExxonMobil has contributed $5 million to the Tsunami relief efforts. In Aceh, the company operates one of the largest gas fields in the world and they're being sued for gross human rights violations. We speak with a lawyer who has just returned from Indonesia where he was interviewing witnesses against ExxonMobil from Aceh.
 
Acehnese Refugees Speak Out

We continue to look at the area hardest hit by the Tsunami – Aceh. Over 100,000 of the dead are in Indonesia alone. We'll speak with an Acehnese refugee whose mother was a woman's rights activist in Aceh, imprisoned by the Indonesian government. The prison was destroyed by the Tsunami. We also hear from Acehnese refugees who held a protest outside the UN.
 
Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Life of Shirley Chisolm

Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress and a 1972 presidential candidate, has died at age 80. We talk to Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C.
 
Tom Delay, Ethics and the New Congress

As the 109th Congress convenes today, Republican lawmakers make a surprise move in the ethics scandal surrounding Majority leader Tom Delay. We speak with DeLay biographer Lou DuBose.


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