Saturday, June 11, 2005

Democracy Now: Senador Conyers realizará audiencias sobre caso del Memorándum de Downing Street

Miguel: Hola. De "Democracy Now!" diez cosas que vale notar esta fin de semana.

Senador Conyers realizará audiencias sobre caso del Memorándum de Downing Street
El congresista de Michigan, John Conyers, anunció que como demócrata evaluador de la Comisión Judicial del Senado, programó audiencias sobre el llamado Memorándum de Downing Street y señaló el "esfuerzo del gobierno por alterar los libros con información anterior a la guerra". La audiencia está programada para el 16 de junio y Conyers advirtió que piensa aportar nuevos documentos que confirman la veracidad del memorándum de Downing Street, que son de hecho actas clasificadas de una reunión realizada el julio de 2002 con Tony Blair y sus principales asesores. Las actas muestran que el gobierno ya se había comprometido a atacar Irak, que manipulaba información y que ya había iniciado bombardeos a ese país para preparar la invasión al territorio. Esto sucedió casi un año antes del comienzo de la invasión. Conyers expresó ayer que la audiencia del próximo jueves procurará responder lo que denominó "serias preguntas constitucionales surgidas a partir de estas revelaciones". Entre las personas que prestarán declaración, se encuentran el ex embajador estadounidense en Irak, Joe Wilson, el ex analista de la CIA Ray McGovern, Cindy Sheehan, que perdió a su hijo en Irak y el abogado John Bonifaz, quien exige un proceso de impugnación contra el presidente Bush. Conyers afirma que finalizadas las audiencias, presentará a la Casa Blanca una solicitud firmada por medio millón de personas. La solicitud exige que el presidente Bush responda sobre su plan secreto de invadir Irak.

Kennedy y Kerry elevan memorándum de Downing Street
Ahora pasamos al documento de Downing Street. La visita esta semana a Washington del primer ministro británico, Tony Blair, suscitó una investigación del Congreso donde queda en evidencia que el gobierno de Bush habría deliberadamente engañado al Congreso y a la ONU los meses anteriores a la invasión y ocupación de Irak. El denominado "memorándum" incluye las actas de una reunión de los máximos consejeros de Tony Blair realizada en julio de 2002 en las cuales queda claro que los funcionarios estadounidenses le dijeron que la guerra era inevitable y que Estados Unidos estaba aumentando sus ataques contra Irak, prácticamente comenzando una guerra aérea, meses antes de que la ONU o el Congreso voten el tema. A principios de esta semana, se le preguntó a Bush sobre el tema, a pesar que el memorándum fue publicado hace más de un mes por el Sunday Times de Londres. A continuación escuchamos a Bush, durante la conferencia de prensa que realizó Tony Blair el martes.
"Bueno, leí las caracterizaciones del memorándum, especialmente cuando "largaron" el documento en medio de su campaña. No estoy seguro a quién se refieren con "largaron", pero tampoco estoy sugiriendo que todos lo hicieron. (RISAS) Y alguien dijo, "decidimos utilizar la fuerza militar para enfrentar a Saddam". Nada más alejado de la verdad. Mis conversaciones con el primer ministro se trataron de cómo hacer esto pacíficamente. Y esta reunión, evidentemente se llevó a cabo en Londres, sucedió incluso antes de que recurriéramos a las Naciones Unidas, o de que yo recurriera a las Naciones Unidas. Y en definitiva, ninguno de nosotros quería utilizar la fuerza militar."
Escuchábamos las declaraciones del presidente Bush el martes. Ted Kennedy fue el primer senador en elevar ayer al Senado el tema del Memorándum de Downing Street. Kennedy expresó que "los contenidos de las Actas de Downing Street confirman que el gobierno de Bush estaba decidido a comenzar la guerra con Irak, sin importar si había una justificación creíble para hacerlo. El gobierno distorsionó y tergiversó información en su intento de vincular a Saddam Hussein con los terroristas del 11 de septiembre, Osama bin Laden y con las armas de destrucción masiva que Irak no tenía". Agregó que "las Actas de Downing Street confirman lo que hace tiempo es evidente, que la guerra estuvo relacionado con las elecciones del Congreso de 2002 y que los planes del gobierno luego de la guerra de Irak eran inadecuados en todos sus aspectos. La permanente crisis que atravesamos es una consecuencia directa de esa incompetencia". Mientras tanto, un portavoz de otro senador de Massachusetts, John Kerry, también se refirió al tema. En una declaración al diario Boston Phoenix, Setti Warren expresó que, "el senador Kerry considera que todos los estadounidenses merecen una explicación detallada del memorándum de Downing Street. El gobierno y los republicanos de Washington que controlan el Congreso insultan a los estadounidenses al negarse a responder las preguntas más elementales que surgen del memorándum sobre la inteligencia antes de la guerra y la planificación de las consecuencias de la guerra. Eso es inaceptable, en especial cuando se trata de las vidas de los hijos e hijas de Estados Unidos. John Kerry exigió respuestas en el Senado."


Eduardo Rodríguez asumió como nuevo presidente de Bolivia
Luego de semanas de rebelión encabezada por manifestantes indígenas, Bolivia tiene un nuevo presidente. A las 11:47 de la noche de ayer, el presidente de la Suprema Corte de Bolivia fue investido luego de una jornada marcada por protestas masivas y miedos generalizados al derramamiento de sangre y guerra civil. Aunque la situación del país sigue siendo tensa, muchos consideran que se evitó que sucediera lo peor. En el día de ayer, el senador de derecha y presidente del senado boliviano, Hormando Vaca Diez, realizaba maniobras de todo tipo para asumir el control del país. Por otra parte, líderes indígenas y grupos de oposición se comprometían a derrocar a Vaca Diez por la fuerza, en caso de que asumiera el poder. A principios de esta semana, el presidente Carlos Mesa renunció en medio de masivas movilizaciones contra su gobierno, posibilitando que Vaca Diez asumiera el poder como su sucesor constitucional. Tras la renuncia, Mesa se unió a los llamados de la oposición para que Vaca Diez y el vocero del Congreso se alejaran y permitieran que el presidente de la Suprema Corte asuma la presidencia y llame a nuevas elecciones. En el día de ayer, Vaca Diez debía reunir al Congreso en La Paz, lo cual fue imposible debido a las protestas masivas. Luego trasladó los legisladores a la capital histórica, Sucre, para lograr que se reunieran, pero una vez más las protestas impidieron que el Congreso sesionara hasta altas horas de la noche. Antes de la reunión, Vaca Diez fue trasladado por fuerzas militares a una base segura, donde anunció que no buscaría la presidencia. Luego de un día lleno de tensiones, que incluyeron la muerte de un manifestante y rumores de un golpe de estado, Eduardo Rodríguez asumió como nuevo presidente. Luego de tomar el juramento para asumir el cargo, el graduado en derecho en Harvard se dirigió brevemente al país. "La democracia y el sentido de unión y paz es el mejor destino para los bolivianos." Escuchábamos al nuevo presidente de Bolivia, Eduardo Rodríguez. Asumió ayer a las 23:47. Tendremos más noticias sobre este tema en un momento.

ONU: Estados Unidos violó derecho internacional
El Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, Kofi Annan, informó ayer al Consejo de Seguridad que muchos de los seis mil prisioneros detenidos por las fuerzas estadounidenses en Irak sufren violaciones a lo establecido en las Convenciones de Ginebra. Una parte del informe de Annan señala que "el derecho internacional prohíbe la reclusión prolongada sin acceso a abogados y tribunales, incluso en los estados de emergencia".
Mientras que la Cuarta Convención de Ginebra permite que las fuerzas de la ocupación detengan a individuos, no hay ninguna disposición que permita la internación luego de que la ocupación finalizó oficialmente.


Jimmy Carter pidió cierre de Guantánamo
Mientras tanto, el ex presidente Carter fue el último funcionario que exigió al gobierno de Bush que cierre la prisión militar en Bahía de Guantánamo, al igual que otras cárceles en el mundo.

Senador Biden y el New York Times: Cierren Guantánamo
Un importante senador demócrata y el New York Times pidieron al gobierno de Bush que cerrara la prisión militar de Bahía de Guantánamo. Joseph Biden, el senador demócrata de mayor jerarquía en la Comisión de Relaciones Exteriores, realizó el pedido el domingo en el programa This Week de ABC. El New York Times condenó a Guantánamo en un editorial del domingo señalando que "es un regalo de propaganda para los enemigos de Estados Unidos, una vergüenza para nuestros aliados, es perjudicial para el sistema judicial estadounidense y una herramienta de reclutamiento muy eficaz para los radicales islámicos, incluyendo futuros terroristas." El viernes por la noche, luego de que los informativos fueran trasmitidos, el Pentágono publicó nuevos detalles sobre los maltratos al Corán en Guantánamo. El Pentágono confirmó que un soldado pateó deliberadamente el libro sagrado de los musulmanes. En otra oportunidad, un interrogador pisó el libro y el Pentágono confirmó al menos otros tres casos en que el libro sagrado fue dañado. En uno de los casos, el Pentágono denunció que el Corán fue mojado con orín luego que un soldado orinara por un tubo de ventilación.

Juez español interrogará tropas estadounidenses por la muerte de Couso
En Madrid, un juez español anunció su intención de interrogar a tres soldados estadounidenses vinculados a la muerte del periodista español José Couso en Irak. El 8 de abril de 2003, un tanque estadounidense abrió fuego en un hotel palestino de Bagdad, asesinando a Couso y a su compañero camarógrafo Taras Protsiuk. Un informe del Pentágono sobre el incidente concluyó que las fuerzas dirigidas por Estados Unidos no son “culpables, ni actuaron con negligencia.” Si bien no se presentaron cargos contra los soldados en España, se los considera sospechosos por crímenes contra la comunidad internacional.

Encuesta: Mayoría de estadounidenses no creen que guerra de Irak haya mejorado seguridad de la nación
Mientras tanto, una nueva encuesta revela que, por primera vez, la mayoría de los estadounidenses no sienten que la guerra de Irak haya logrado que Estados Unidos sea un país más seguro para vivir. La encuesta realizada por el Washington Post y ABC News descubrió que el 75% de la población del país cree que el número de bajas estadounidenses en Irak es inaceptable. Casi 1700 soldados estadounidenses murieron desde que comenzó la guerra y el martes se anunció la muerte de tres soldados más en Tal Afar.

Mayo trágico para reserva estadounidense en Irak
En Irak, el Pentágono reveló que mayo fue el mes en que se registraron en Irak más muertes de hombres y mujeres estadounidenses en servicio militar. Un total de 31 soldados murieron, entre ellos 14 miembros de la Guardia Nacional del Ejército y 12 de la Reserva del Cuerpo de Marines.

AP: Nivel de aceptación más bajo registrado para Bush.
El índice de aprobación del presidente Bush disminuyó al mínimo desde que Associated Press comenzó su encuesta en diciembre de 2003. Solamente el 43 % de los adultos aprueba la gestión de Bush y tan solo el 41 % expresó que apoyaba su manejo de la guerra de Irak.

NEW FEATURE: Democracy Now! is now offering the program's daily news summary translated into Spanish. Los Titulares de Hoy

Miguel: In English, here are ten stories from Democracy Now! that I wanted to highlight.


Conyers to Hold Hearings on Downing Street Memo
Congressmember John Conyers of Michigan has announced that as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, he has scheduled hearings on the so-called Downing Street Memo and what Conyers calls the administration's "efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence." The hearing is scheduled for June 16. Conyers also says that he plans to introduce new documents that back up the accuracy of the Downing Streets memo, which is actually the classified minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Tony Blair and his senior advisers. The minutes paint a picture of an administration that had already committed to attacking Iraq, was manipulating intelligence and had already begun bombing Iraq to prepare for the ground invasion. This was almost a year before the actual invasion officially began. In a statement released yesterday, Conyers said next Thursday's hearing will attempt to answer what he calls "serious constitutional questions raised by these revelations." Among those scheduled to testify are former US ambassador to Iraq Joe Wilson, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq and attorney John Bonifaz, who has been calling for Bush's impeachment. Conyers says that immediately following the hearings, he will deliver a petition to the White House signed by over half a million people. The petition demands that President Bush answer questions about his secret plan for the Iraq invasion.

Kennedy and Kerry Raise Downing Street Memo
Now to the Downing Street memo. Coming on the heels of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to Washington this week, momentum is building for a Congressional investigation into new proof that the Bush administration deliberately misled Congress and the UN in the months leading up to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The memo, as it is being called, is minutes of a meeting of Tony Blair's top advisers from July 2002 in which they make clear that US officials have told them that the war was a foregone conclusion and that the US had begun escalating its attacks against Iraq, essentially beginning the air war, months before UN or Congress voted on the issue. Earlier this week, Bush was finally asked about it despite the fact that the memo was published more than a month ago by the Sunday Times of London. Here is what Bush said Tuesday when he and Tony Blair held a joint press conference:
"Well, you know, I read, kind of, the characterizations of the memo, particularly when they dropped it out in the middle of his race. I'm not sure who "they dropped it out" is, but I'm not suggesting that you all dropped it out there. (LAUGHTER) And somebody said, "Well, you know, we had made up our mind to go to use military force to deal with Saddam. There's nothing farther from the truth. My conversations with the prime minister was how could we do this peacefully, what could we do. And this meeting, evidently it took place in London, happened before we even went to the United Nations -- or I went to the United Nations. And so it's -- look, both of us didn't want to use our military."
President Bush speaking on Tuesday. Yesterday, Senator Ted Kennedy became the first senator to raise the issue of the Downing Street Memo in the Senate. In a statement, Kennedy said “The contents of the Downing Street Minutes confirm that the Bush Administration was determined to go to war in Iraq, regardless of whether there was any credible justification for doing so. The Administration distorted and misrepresented the intelligence in its attempt to link Saddam Hussein with the terrorists of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden, and with weapons of mass destruction that Iraq did not have." Kennedy continued, "The Downing Street Minutes also confirm what has long been obvious – that the timing of the war was linked to the 2002 Congressional elections, and that the administration’s planning for post-war Iraq was incompetent in all its aspects. The current continuing crisis is a direct result of that incompetence."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the other Massachusetts Senator, John Kerry, also addressed the issue. In a statement to the Boston Phoenix newspaper, Setti Warren said, QUOTE "Senator Kerry believes every American deserves a thorough explanation of the Downing Street memo. The Administration and the Washington Republicans who control Congress insult Americans by refusing to answer even the most basic questions raised in this memo about pre-war intelligence and planning for the aftermath of war. That’s unacceptable, especially with the lives of America’s sons and daughters on the line. John Kerry will demand answers in the Senate. Stay tuned."


After Weeks of Mass Rebellion, New President in Bolivia
After weeks of rebellion led by indigenous protesters, Bolivia has a new president. At 11:47 last night, the President of Bolivia's Supreme Court was sworn in after a day marked by massive protest and widespread fears of a bloodbath or a civil war. The situation in the country remains tense but many believe that the worst case scenario has been avoided. Throughout the day yesterday, the right-wing head of the Bolivian Senate, Hormando Vaca Diez, was manuevering behind the scenes and in public to take control of the country. Meanwhile, indigenous leaders and other opposition groups vowed to bring Vaca Diez down by force if necessary if he took power. Earlier this week, President Carlos Mesa resigned amid massive protest against his government, giving Vaca Diez an opportunity to take power as his constitutional successor. After resigning, Mesa joined opposition calls for Vaca Diez and the Speaker of the House to step aside and allow the president of the Supreme Court to assume the presidency and organize new elections. But throughout yesterday, Vaca Diez seemed bent on rejecting those calls and was said to be negotiating with the military. In order to take over Vaca Diez needed to convene the Congress, which he could not do in La Paz because of the massive protests. Yesterday, he moved lawmakers to the historical capitol, Sucre, in an attempt to meet. Again protests prevented that from happening until late last night. Before that meeting happened, Vaca Diez was taken by the military to a secure base, where he announced he would not seek the presidency. After a tense day in which one protest leader was killed and rumors floated of a possible coup d'etat, Eduardo Rodriguez was sworn in. After taking the oath of office, the Harvard Law graduate briefly addressed the country.
"Democracy and the sense of union and peace is the best destination for Bolivians."
Bolivia's new President Eduardo Rodriguez. He was sworn in at 11:47 last night. We'll have more on this in a moment.

UN: US Violating International Law
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan reported to the Security Council yesterday that many of the 6,000 [six thousand] prisoners detained by U.S.-led forces in Iraq are being held in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Annan's report read in part, "Prolonged detention without access to lawyers and courts is prohibited under international law including during states of emergency." While the Fourth Geneva Convention allows occupying forces to detain individuals, there is no provision allowing internment after an occupation has officially ended.

Jimmy Carter Calls For Guantanamo to Be Shut Down
Meanwhile Former President Jimmy Carter has become the latest official to call for the Bush administration to shut down the Guntanamo Bay military prison as well as all other secret prisons around the world.

Sen. Biden & New York Times: Shut Down Guantanamo
A top Democratic Senator and the New York Times have both called for the Bush administration to shut down the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Senator Joseph Biden -- who is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- made the call Sunday on ABC's This Week. The New York Times condemned Guantanamo in an editorial Sunday saying "It is a propaganda gift to America's enemies; an embarrassment to our allies; a damaging repudiation of the American justice system; and a highly effective recruiting tool for Islamic radicals, including future terrorists." On Friday night -- after the evening news shows had already aired -- the Pentagon released new details on how the Koran had been mishandled at Guantanamo. The Pentagon confirmed that in one instance a soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book. In another case, an interrogator stepped on the book. In addition the Pentagon confirmed at least three other cases where the holy book was damaged at the prison. In one case, the Pentagon claimed a Koran was splashed with urine after a solider urinated through an air vent.

Spanish Judge Seeks To Question U.S. Troops Over Couso Death
In Madrid, a Spanish judge has announced he wants to question three American soldiers connected to the killing of Spanish journalist Jose Couso in Iraq. On April 8th, 2003 a U.S. tank opened fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad killing Couso and fellow cameraman Taras Protsiuk. A Pentagon report on the incident concluded the U.S.-led forces bore "no fault or negligence." No charges have been brought yet against the soldiers in Spain but they are being considered as suspects for murder and for crimes against the international community.

Poll: Majority of Americans Feel Iraq War Didn't Make Nation Safer
Meanwhile a new poll shows that for the first time, a majority of Americans no longer feel the Iraq war has made the United States a safer place to live. The Washington Post-ABC News poll also found that seventy-five percent of the country feels the number of U.S. casualties in Iraq to be unacceptable. Nearly 1700 US soldiers have been killed since the war began. The deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Tal Afar was announced on Tuesday.

May Marks Deadliest Month For U.S Reserves In Iraq
In Iraq, the Pentagon has revealed that last month was the deadliest month so far of the Iraq war for part-time U.S. service men and women. A total of 31 died including 14 members of the Army National Guard and 12 from the Marine Corps Reserve.

AP: Lowest Approval Yet for Bush
And President Bush's approval ratings dipped to the lowest point since the Associated Press began its poll in December 2003. Only 43 [forty-three] percent of adults said they approve of the job being done by Bush and just 41 percent said they support his handling of the war in Iraq.

[The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com. Thanks to Miguel for pulling headlines from Democracy Now! for the week. Again, try to pass on the new feature at Democracy Now!:
NEW FEATURE: Democracy Now! is now offering the program's daily news summary translated into Spanish. Los Titulares de Hoy]

Community members note entries from Betty, Folding Star, Rebecca and The Third Estate Sunday Review

Susan e-mails to note Rebecca's post on Folding Star:

now that folding star's back to posting, i want to take a moment to highlight some 1 i consider a strong voice and a great friend.
As for myself, I was doing plenty of looking around (the jury chairs look very comfortable, I'm glad to say, just in case I do wind up sitting in one for several hours!), and a little worrying (it was Finals week, after all. If I was called for a case that day, I'd either have to ask to be excused or give up a lot of precious studying time. Luckily, I wasn't called).
that's from the return to posting and folding star is talking about jury duty selection. i really enjoyed that entry.
trying to make sense of what the senate filibuster means, read this entry:
The 'compromise' only specifically stated that these three nominees would not be filibustered, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens next. All eyes are of course turning to the Supreme Court and potential retirements as the current court session comes to a close.I have to say that I, along with many other progressives, held this exact potential occurrence as the top reason for removing Bush from office last November. The idea that this man could (and probably will) be nominating someone to the Supreme Court is chilling, and it's made more so by the current make up of the United States Senate.
and as for reasons for removing bully boy from office, this was 1 of mine as well so i say amen to that.

Carl e-mailed this morning to note Folding Star's latest:

Also, I'd like to urge you to sign the Tell The Truth About Iraq petition over at Moveon.org if you haven't already. You may already know that as soon as they've reached their goal of 500,000 signers, Congressman John Conyers will be delivering them to the White House personally and demanding answers on our behalf.They're 95% of the way there, so be sure and add your signature to this important petition. This could well be the beginning of an investigation that could topple the Bush Presidency, and I truly do not believe that saying this is based solely in wishful thinking.
[. . .]
If you've seen the latest poll numbers, you know that Bush's popularity is at an all time low. I think in the coming weeks and months, we're going to see many Republicans in Congress striving to distance themselves form Bush ahead of the 2006 elections. This could mean that we may finally see some serious investigations into the lies that took us into the Iraq war.It also means that things will be that much harder for Bush when it comes to pushing through his agenda, including the renewal of the expiring portions of the Patriot Act. Please take the time to let your Representative and your Senators know that you are strongly opposed to such a renewal, even if you've already let them know several times.

Marci e-mailed to note Betty's latest "Thomas Friedman Dull and Duller:"

Either Thomas Friedman screeches in a high drama burst that causes his shorty robe encased body to shake -- or the even keel Thelma Ritter-style manages to calm him down. Part Bette Davis, part Marilyn Monroe, part Judy Garland, part Sharon Stone and full time creepy, I had to remind myself I was married to this Sybell-like bundle of joy who at any moment might begin acting out the monologue of his favorite scene:
Oh look at you painted up in your little halter top, you're nothing but a litle slut. I'm a Puerto Rican lady senor. You're nothing but a little slut Sybill Ann Dorsett. I'm not a slut. I'm not a slut. I'm not a slut. I ain't no slut!
That can be very embarrassing when we're walking through Central Park and Thomas Freidman is in the mood to "bask" in the "stares of recognition" from others. I always tell Thomas Friedman that they are not looking because they recognized him but because what Molly Shannon can get away with dressed up in a Catholic school girl uniform just comes off bizarre when spewing from the mouth of a stocky, middle-aged man screeching those lines in a public park.

That was Marci's favorite part.

Marci also wondered when the next installment would go up. Betty's plan is to have it up Sunday. As noted earlier, Betty e-mailed to let members know that there would be a delay due to the fact that her oldest hurt himself while climbing a tree at his grandparents. He ended up having to get stitches and that threw any plans for the week out the window. (He is fine but this was his first bout with stitches.)

Wally e-mails to ask me if I'm aware that the week's almost over and the only thing I noted from The Third Estate Sunday Review this week was the editorial.

Wally: I really enjoyed the theme of the edition and found it strongly executed.

There are a number of things that have fallen through the cracks as we've had to deal with outside topics.

If you missed Sunday's The Third Estate Sunday Review, you missed a number of things. The theme was, basically, "the tripping point" and we tripped back into the sixties.

For "10 CDs, 10 Minutes," there were ten picks of albums from that period. My own pick caused a minor flurry of e-mails to this site. I picked The Doors (self-titled debut of the band).
Questions to this site were about why I hadn't picked someone else. To those who e-mailed suggesting an Aretha Franklin album from the sixties, I didn't pick one because I don't think they're great albums. I love Aretha Franklin but for me the best album comes along in the seventies with Young, Gifted & Black. Franklin honestly didn't enter my mind as a choice. (Some went past the year 1969 using "the sixties" to refer to the time period between JFK's assasination and Watergate. I confined myself to the year 1967.)

What about Nina Simone wondered KeShawn. The Nina Simone "album" that I love (and often mention here) is actually two albums, not one. It's on one disc (British import) and I hear it as a single album. Picking one of the two would be too difficult.

What about, asked Robin mindful of the fact that I had stuck to 1967, Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow? I love that album and was prepared to name it if needed. But I went near the end (I may have been last) and had already decided if someone picked a CD on my final list or something else by a group on my final list, I'd choose something else. I honestly thought Volunteers had been picked. It was only when Robin and I exchanged e-mails and she pointed out that Volunteers, or a song from it, is quoted in another entry that I realized Jefferson Airplane had nothing on the list of ten. It was a long night/morning. I could have easily gone with Surrealistic Pillow.

A number of you e-mailed regarding a choice that someone else made. To highlight the period, it seemed beside the point, to me, to say a "Me too!" to Jess, Dona, Folding Star, Ava, Rebecca, Ruth, Jim, Ty, Betty or Kat suggestion. (And it just hit me, as I listed the names, there were eleven us! My math is bad and I'll take responsibility for it here but there were actually eleven CDs in that roundup -- and I'm only 1/11th responsible for that math error.)

"Once More Into the Blog World" was an article about people starting or about to start blogs and wondering how to get known. The point of that article is that if you think it's a road to riches and fame, you probably aren't blogging for reasons that any of us would share (or be able to help you with). It's told as a fairy tale.

Liang wrote to say how much she enjoyed the Law & Order: Trial by Jury TV review. (As requested, your e-mail was passed on to Ava, Liang.) Liang was glad we agreed to take on the L&O franchise. That was pure accident. We'd been busy all week and that ended up being something we could both grab. (I watch TV only due to the weekly TV review at The Third Estate Sunday Review.) Liang wonders what Ava and I will be reviewing for tomorrow's edition. We're wondering that too. We're going to have to break away at some point during the night to catch something. Oh, if only they had a WB Easy View Saturday. (That's a joke.)

Trevor e-mailed that his favorite article was "Essay dedicated to the mainstream press: 'Don't it leave you on the empty side?'" I agree that was a strong article. It mixes song and observation and I enjoy those sort of things. I think it made the message of the article stronger.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

The Laura Flanders Show

I'm going to assume that the listings for this weekend episodes of The Laura Flanders Show (on Air America radio Saturdays and Sundays) apply to tonight's broadcast. So we'll go out on a limb and say, "Here's what on The Laura Flanders Show Saturday:"

The winds of change are blowing. This weekend, Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey, D-CA, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, on changing attitudes towards the war in Iraq and a new effort to bring troops home. Listeners weigh in on the state of the American Dream, with help from two top New York Times journalists, Janny Scott and David Leonhardt, part of newspaper's Class Matters reporting team. Plus revolutionary womanist writer Bell Hooks and pop singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, who recently interviewed Laura. Get the scoop.

The Laura Flanders Show airs each Saturday and Sunday from seven p.m. to ten p.m. est.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

"Ten" things you're missing if you're not visiting BuzzFlash

We're grabbing ten headlines from BuzzFlash to remind you of what you're missing out if you're not checking in with BuzzFlash.

Boston Globe Story: Military operations in Iraq have not succeeded in weakening the insurgency, and Iraq's government, with U.S. support, is now seeking a political reconciliation among the nation's ethnic and tribal factions as the only viable route to stability, according to U.S. military officials and private specialists.

More in Congress want an Iraq exit strategy 6/12

James Zogby of the Arab American Institute on Sensenbrenner's Soviet-Style Antics: "I'm really troubled about what kind of lesson this is going to teach to other countries in the world about how they ought to conduct an open society" 6/11

The craven and the bold: Watch as Republican congressman tries to stop Patriot Act hearing by walking out (the good stuff starts at about 4:15) 6/22

The WP Tries to be "Fair" About the GOP Putsch Against Democracy. Either a Newspaper believes in the Constitution or It Doesn't. Either it Supports Democracy or It Supports the Rule of the Mob Dons. We Think We Know Where the Post Falls on This -- and Let's Just Say Franco Would be Happy with Them. 6/11

Bush wildly exaggerates conviction numbers to promote Patriot Act 6/12

The DLC shows its true colors: "4 Reasons to Support CAFTA." All association with the DLC should be boycotted. 6/11

US Media Shamed by Brit Journalist; "the corporate media in America have been exposed as a cowardly mass of toadies who cannot bring themselves to publish or air anything remotely critical of the administration unless compelled to do so by cattle prods" 6/11

Right, Center Think Tanks Still Most Quoted [by Right, Center Media]. There's no "Liberal Media" 6/11

Republicans fear 2006 backlash as Bush continues to travel country hawking Social Security scam 6/12

In shying away from 2002 Downing Street Memo, a timid press shirks its duty 6/11

Okay, so that's eleven. We'll call it ten though even my math isn't that bad. There's just too much up there to go with ten. If you haven't visited BuzzFlash, go there and see if it's a resource for you.

Okay, make it twelve! I was looking for their original content cartoons (which Lyle asked that we note because he enjoys them) and I found this:

Gallup: Public Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Falls to All-Time Low. You mean Americans don't like 24-7 Michael Jackson and missing white girl coverage? 6/11

Nothing else, will stick with our "ten" of twelve, even though so much screams of interest to this community. Go to BuzzFlash and check it out.

Here are two original content cartoons from BuzzFlash. Lyle enjoys them and thinks the community will as well.

The Medical Marijuana Issue -- Editorial Cartoon by Tony Peyser

Jackal Time -- Editorial Cartoons by Steve Bradenton

We'll note one premiums as well:

Newly Issued Version of the BuzzFlash Bestselling "Orwell Rolls"

We've commented on this DVD many times at this site. From November 20th (the first time we noted it):

As before, please add to the discussion on both what you would put on the list and also on what holiday you'll be celebrating. Here are ten suggestions of DVD gifts. Unlike the book list, these are in the order of rank that our panel of five voted.
1) Orwell Rolls In His Grave.
This documentary is one of the two best on the media that I've seen this year. (The other, Danny Schechter's WMD, was one I saw at a film festival but will soon be going into general release. If it comes to a theater near you, please attempt to see it.) Robert Kane Pappas takes a hard look at the news media today. This film makes for great after viewing conversations.
It's only available via buzzflash and for a minimum donation of thirty dollars at http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/default.htm. In addition, buzzflash has two interviews with the director http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/06/int04031.html and http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/07/int04035.html. The interviews should give you an idea of whether the film is one you'd like.

We'll also note a March 13th DVD review from The Third Estate Sunday Review of Orwell Rolls In His Grave. (I'm not remembering whether I participated in this review or not. The note to the readers indicates that I had some input on a suggestion level.)

DVD must see Robert Kane Pappas Orwell Rolls In His Grave

Orwell Rolls In His Grave is a truth telling moment you may not be able to stomach. While other films have focused solely on the Fox "effect," the realities of why we are where we are now in the state of news go beyond Fox "News."

Offering a historical perspective, Robert Kane Pappas traces the decline in standards and funding for news divisions now owned by megacorporations

Orwell's Ministry of Truth ensured that the Big Brother was never contradicted. As Pappas asks in a voice over, "Can lies become truth? Could a media system controlled by a few global coporations with the ability able to overwhelm oll competing voices be able to turn lies into truth? These corporations are not answerable to the people. Only the politicians can regulate them. "

Utilizing clips and interviews with people like Danny Schechter, Mark Crispin Miller, Charles Lewis (former 60 Minutes producer), Peter Mitchelmore (former NY Post editor), Robert W. McChesney, Mark Lloyd, Michael Moore, Rep. Bernie Sanders and Aurora Wallace, director Robert Kane Pappas paints a very disturbing portrait of a mainstream media that refuses to give the people the basic information they need to be informed citizens.

Topics include the "neverending story," the selling of the war, the media's handling of the 2000 election and the Supreme Court decision, media consolidation, the limited range of expression and 'free' speech.

This movie will explain to you why it is past time to hold the press accountable. Why an occassional story of import making the front page of The New York Times is not cause to celebrate our free press but further evidence of how poor the mainstream media is. Why does a day of truth or near truth in one story cause us to celebrate and scream "Yipee!" when in fact the press should be covering the realities every day but instead wants to focus on sports or "lifestyle." It's not news, people.

And it's not going to inform you of what legislation is coming out of Congress or how it's going to effect you. It's not going to help you put food on the table or pay the medical bills but goddamn if you won't know every last detail of who made the latest cut in the current reality shows or the state of celebrity justice in America.

Watch the movie and be disgusted with the state of mainstream media so that you don't fall for information management and greet a breif respite from infotainment as the second coming of real journalism.

And note Charles Lewis's obsersvation about today's reporting:

What will pass for investigative reporting is someone may get hold of an early report from some committee that's about to come out or an investigative report from the inspector general report that's going to castigate the secretary of this or that so you'll breathlessly go on the air and you'll say ABC has learned or whatever network is and you'll be out of breath and it's all exciting and you'll be out of breath and it look like the facelss minions that comprise the network hundreds of them out there ferreting out information for you to serve the public. It's complete bunk, it's not happening at all. The public would never know from the media that they spent 11 million dollars to keep any free air time provisions out of amu legislation, successfully by the way.

Orwell Rolls In His Grave is a documentary you owe it to yourself to see to grasp how "news" is not a business pursuing truth but a corporate arm shaping and manipulating the public.

Robert Kane Pappas: The spin process is very effective, both in newspaper reports and on TV and in radio. If you make it your business to be informed, what happens is, you end up watching the mainstream news with your mouth hanging open. If you watch only what they offer, you're largely intellectually lobotomized. Your opinions are determined by two- and three-word sound bites: "Death Tax," "Conspiracy Theory," "They hate our Freedoms," "Democracy," "Liberal Bias," "Class Warfare." As Winston's co-worker Syme says with glee: "Every year, fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller."

We are linking to BuzzFlash for two reasons. One we learned of the movie from them and, two, they are taking on The New York Times and have asked who are you going to support? We'll go with BuzzFlash. The film costs 30 dollars minimum at BuzzFlash and we realize that some of our readers will not be able to afford that. For that reason, we have provided links to BuzzFlash interviews with Robert Kane Pappas. We'd also recommend that (to quote Tori Amos) "in times like these, you know who your friends are" so if you're not regularly checking out BuzzFlash, we urge to start visiting the site.
posted by Third Estate Sunday Review @
Sunday, March 13, 2005

That's the review in full. I believe, I could be wrong, check with Jim, Ava, Dona, Ty or Jess, that the comments on links were two-fold. Early on, they mainly linked (in articles) to community members of The Common Ills in their Sunday editions. Here, they are linking to interviews from BuzzFlash and to a premium. (They're very aware that not all of their readers can afford to purchase a premium. That's why Ava and I only review broadcast television and not cable. And why they review books, DVDs, CDs, et al that are available at libraries.) I also believe (I could be wrong) that due to the editorial (linked to above) from BuzzFlash, they'd decided to do a permalink that was not a community member's site. I believe that they're explaining those two things in the above. But check with them if you have questions on that.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

NYT: "Army Recruiting More High School Dropouts to Meet Goals" (Eric Schmitt)

The Army is having to turn to more high school dropouts and lower-achieving applicants to fill its ranks, accepting hundreds of recruits in recent months who would have been rejected a year ago, according to Army statistics.
Eight months into the recruiting year, the percentage of new recruits in the Army without a highschool diploma has risen to 10 percent, the upper limit of what the Army is willing to to accept, from 8 percent last year. The percentage of recruits with scores in the lowest acceptable range on the standardized test used to screen potential soldiers has also risen to 2 percent, also reaching the Army's limit, from slightly more than a half-percent last year, reaching the highest level since 2001.

The above is from Eric Schmitt's "Army Recruiting More High School Dropouts to Meet Goals" in this morning's New York Times. (Eli, Brad and Sophie e-mailed to note the article.)


Trina, Jimmy, Carl, Lawrence, Sherry and Zach all e-mail to note their disgust when reading Douglas Jehl's "Democrats List More Names in Iquiry on Bolton's Access:"

Senate Democrats have prepared a list of approximately three dozen "names of concern" and are asking the Bush administration for assurances that John R. Bolton did not misuse his access for highly classified intelligence to seek information about them.
[. . .]
The letter did not identify those on the list, but Democratic aides said they included intelligence officials and others with whom Mr. Bolton had clashed. They said the Senate Democrats would provide the list to John D. Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, if Mr. Negroponte made clear that he would provide appropriate information in response.

Trina: Names of concern? You either fight or you don't and we've seen a lot of wimping out on this issue.

Jimmy: Oh we're fighting it again? I thought we were focusing on Howard Dean. The "strategy" of the Democratic Party is neither strategic nor inspiring. Bolton will be nominated and it will because Dems didn't know how to fight. It's disgusting and Joey Biden is the most disgusting of all. When you're asked your reaction on Howard Dean, you respond, "Want to know what disgusts me? Bolton disgusts me and here's why . . ." When are we going to see some real leadership?

Carl: These weak efforts do nothing to stop Bolton's confirmation. Making Joseph Biden the point man on this has been a huge mistake. You need a fighter like Barbara Boxer to drive home the points. Biden's a joke.

Lawrence: Joe Biden appears to be willing to go through the motions to make himself look good for a presidential run but he's not really doing anything. Woops, he is doing something, right? He's trashing Howard Dean. Joe Biden is the same wimpy Democrat he's always been.

Sherry: I really thought Bolton's nomination would have been deep-sixed long ago. The fact that this hasn't happened speaks to a crisis in leadership coming from the Senate. Our bendy-buddy Harry Reid has proven to be a huge disappointment. He needs to be ousted and Senator [Russ] Feingold, Senator [Ted] Kennedy or Senator [Barbara] Boxer needs to take the leadeership.

Zach: A long time ago, you noted that they had no strategy, they were just a' Waiting for Guffman. That's become increasingly obvious and frustrating. The issue is how are we going to interact with the world and what sort of country are we? If they'd framed it as such from the start the very idea that Bolton might have sought out information to strike back at others might have America in an uproar but instead it's another "Bad Bolton" story. The party blew the framing of this issue. They failed to make a philosophical case from the start. Now they throw out tidbits and expect Americans to gasp. Senate Democrats, you blew it. If we get stuck with Bolton it's your failure for being too damn weak and scared and timid to stand up and say, "This is how I see the world." Even could have done it like, "I don't know about you, but this is how I see the world . . ." Bolton's not qualified and all the revelations demonstrate it. But the Democrats failed to address the why. Instead they want to hide behind each daily or weekly revelation. Suggestion for any Democrat going on the Chat & Chews, before you speak about any person nominated in the future, define what you see the purpose of an organization or body as. Then explain why the person nominated is wrong for the job. Until then you're just flapping your gums.

Markus e-mails to note Donald G. McNeil Jr.'s "New Asian Flu Outbreaks in China Raise Fears of a Mutant Virus:"

The regional director for the World Health Organization, Dr. Shigeru Omi, told reporters in Beijing yesterday that the two recent outbreaks in remote areas in which hundreds of birds died were worrisome because they involved migratory waterfowl and domestic geese, birds that until now had been fairly resistant to the disease.

Miguel e-mails to note Elisabeth Malkin's "Mexican Court Voids Conviction of Ex-President's Brother:"

A Mexican appeals court has ruled that Raul Salinas, the brother of former President Carlos Salinas, was convicted on insufficient proof that he had ordered the killing of a powerful politician in 1984.
The ruling late Thursday cleared the way for his release from prison where he has served 10 years of a 27-year sentence. His lawyers said his release could come as early as this weekend, although it might be delayed until next week. The government said it would not appeal the decision.
Mr. Salinas, 58, was charged in 1995 with the 1994 killing of Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu, a political rivla within the long-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party. Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who at one time was married to Mr. Salina's sister, was shot on a Mexico City street.


Susan e-mails to note the following item in "Arts, Briefly" ("compiled by Lawrence Van Gelder," the item itself is written by Sophia Kishkovsky):

'Vagina Monologues' in Moscow
"Monologi Vaginy," the Russian version of "The Vagina Monologues," by Eve Ensler (right) opens tomorrow for a two-performance run at the Hermitage Theater in Moscow. The play, based on women's stories about the role of their vaginas in their lives and encompassing topics that range from childbirth to rape, is especially difficult to render in Russian: translators often lament that the language for sex is limited to clinical terms or expletives. Vasily Arkanov, the United States correspondent for NTV, a Russian television network, said he was inspired to translate the play after he wrote an article about it for the Russian version of Elle magazine. He told The Moscow Times that for the Russian title he ultimately chose to transliterate the English word "vagina" rather than use the standard Russian equivalent, which he concluded was too vulgar. Joel Lehtonen, the play's director, told The Moscow Times that he had problems securing financing and finding actresses comfortable enough to speak their explicit lines.

You can read a Moscow Times article on this topic by Anna Malpas entitled "Below the Belt,"
warning: c-word rhyming with "runt" is in the article once for those utilzing work computers and being in environments with strict work place guidelines, by clicking here.

On the topic of monologues, a number of you e-mailed to wish Pru good luck with her reading of The Dementia Monologues. Lloyd noted that is was "very Warholian" to take the kitsch of Elisabeth Bumiller's "reporting" and turn it into art.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

NYT: "Hearing on Patriot Act Ends in an Angry Uproar" (David D. Kirkpatrick)

On Unfiltered (the Air America radio program, now cancelled), Lizz Winstead and Rachel Maddow would regularly focus on the stories in each day's paper that were buried inside the paper but really belonged on the front page. (Maddow continues to do this on The Rachel Maddow Show.) (Chuck D was also a cohost of Unfiltered but most days wasn't present for this segment.)

David D. Kirkpatrick has a story that belongs on the front page. Instead it's on A9, only six paragraphs and no photographs. Obviously there are photographs and obviously, a public snit fit on the part of Repube F. James Sensenbrenner is a visual.

F. James (think about it, think Nine to Five) got his knickers in a wad in the midst of hearing on the Patriot Act. So what did he do? Shut down the meeting. "Irresponsible," he huffs and puff, that F. James.


F. James, gatekeeper he, has his snit fit because "They will talk about practically everything but what is in the Patriot Act." F. James doesn't want to deal with reality.

Mistaking himself for Bill O'LIElly and not the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he begins screeching and bellowing in the midst of Jerrold D. Nadler's protests. Nadler's mike gets cut, F. James has stomped his feet out of the room. You want to tell me there aren't photos?

There was a time when a lively debate, let alone a snit fit by the chair of a Congressional committee (a public snit fit) would make the front page of the Times. You could count on a photo. These days, it's buried inside the paper (A9), no photo, and reduced to six paragraphs
(David D. Kirkpatrick's "Hearing on Patriot Act Ends in an Angry Uproar").

For what went down, you can't count on the Times so go to BuzzFlash. From "GOP House Judiciary Chair Uses Pinochet Tactics to Abruptly and Unilaterally Shut Down Hearing Into Abuses of the (Un)Patriot Act, Because He Was Afraid the Truth Would Come Out. America: "IT" is Happening Here. Democracy is Being Dismantled by GOP Thugs:"

This morning, House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) unilaterally and arbitrarily shut down committee hearings on the reauthorization of the Patriot Act without comment or issuing a statement. Sensenbrenner gaveled the committee hearings in the middle of witnesses testifying about human and civil rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay, racial profiling of individuals of Middle Eastern descent, prolonged detentions of Americans after September 11th and other abuses.
The suppression of free speech and testimony in the congressional committee in charge of protecting our civil liberties shows the Republican’s power grab has no limits and no decency. The irony was not lost on anyone.
The witnesses appearing before the House Judiciary Committee included, Chip Pitts, Chair of the Board of Amnesty International USA; Dr. James J. Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute; Deborah Pearlstein, Director of the U.S. Law and Security Program "Human Rights First"; and Carlina Tapia Ruano of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.


I'm going to offer my opinion here, David D. Kirkpatrick wasn't off in the halls munching on a Snickers when the drama went down. He didn't say, "Hmm. That's nice. So what do you say? Deli? Chinese? I could go for Italian."

So the fact that a story's reduced to six paragraphs shouldn't be read as an indication of lack of interest on the part of Kirkpatrick. (That opinion is partly based on the fact that I'm aware of Kirkpatrick speaking to several people about what happened -- from people Kirkpatrick spoke with.) The lack of interest in this story goes a little higher up than Kirkpatrick. Translation, the blame for this being reduced to a six paragraph story travels further up at the paper.

What happened is a story on many levels. And to someone covering Congress it's a story they'd want to tell for the simple reason that this was high drama. It's a shame that Kirkpatrick's instincts (which were right on this story) weren't the instincts of the paper.

When Kirkpatrick's written a strong story, we've noted it here. When he's not done so, we've been willing to offer our comic take. (Remember, don't knock the mock.) This entry isn't a defense of Kirkpatrick as the potential great reporter of our times. We'll mock him again, I'm sure.

But when phone calls started coming in this morning (which is why the first post is going up so late -- sorry), it was clear that Kirkpatrick was more on the ball (confirmed by two who work at the Times) than those making the decision on this morning's story.

Times reporters (who've been criticized or mocked) have made their message clear in e-mails to this site that they don't decide what makes the front page and that their byline doesn't indicate this is the draft they turned in or that what's in print is their sole writing. (There was no e-mail on Kirkpatrick's story -- to be clear for the management at the Times.)

Kirkpatrick did the work required to have a story of length. The decision for what appears in print came elsewhere.

The paper of record embarrassed itself today. Oh I know Daniel Okrent lied to us and told us that the slogan "the paper of record" came from outside the paper. Lie may be too harsh, Okrent, as usual, just didn't know what he was talking about. (And when presented with a time frame for when the paper promoted the slogan, still couldn't find it or wouldn't cop to his error.) But it is the paper of record in many ways (and they did pimp the slogan), even if that's mainly a result of its past and not its present.

Today it's far more deserving of the title New York Timid than the slogan "paper of record." They don't like that slogan at the Timid. They've been vocal in e-mails to this site about that.
I don't think there's a better word to describe a paper that takes a story filled with possibilities and reduces it to what appears in this morning's paper. So we'll just have to disagree with them over this.

And again, I'm not trying to make the case that Kirkpatrick is Clark Kent, Brenda Starr and Bob Woodward (or any other comic creation) rolled into one. But for Times reporters who have e-mailed that they take the blame/ridicule for actions and decisions that they didn't make, I'm more than happy to come to the defense of Kirkpatrick on this story. (Again, for management at the Times, I've had no e-mails from Kirkpatrick on this story. I have, again, spoken to two people at the Times about this story over the phone. I've also spoken to people who do not appear in the printed version of this story.)

There are days, I'm sure, where we mock and it's a similar set of circumstances. (In fact e-mails from some mocked indicate that happens frequently.) Due to those complaints we would look at a story like today's and say "David D. Kirkpatrick or 'David D. Kirkpatrick' . . ." In this instance,
the blame isn't Kirkpatrick's and that's been conveyed in repeated phone calls which is why I'm circling the same point repeatedly.

The Timid deserves blame (and mocking) for this story. Kirkpatrick doesn't.

The Timid could have turned it into a lifestyle story, a humorous story, a straight forward story, there are any ways they could have gone with it. They're decision was to bury it inside the paper, to provide no photos and to make it a brief item.

Before we close out this entry, since I've disclosed that I do know Chip Pitts (who's mentioned in the Times article), I'll note that I didn't speak to Pitts about this story. If I had, I'd probably ask, "Why do they only mention Amnesty?" (Pitts is on the board of directors of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.)

If I had spoken to Pitts this morning, I'm sure he would want something highlighted, so we'll go ahead and note it since it's of interest to the community -- "Join us for Patriot Days of Action!
Participate in a National Week of Action: July 2-8, 2005
:"

What is the week of action?
During the days surrounding July 4, 2005, we call upon everyone who is dedicated to protecting civil liberties to join with other members of their community to reinvigorate the national debate by taking local action. By holding or participating in events in your community, you can voice your concerns to your legislators, the public, and the press. Events can focus on education/entertainment, civic and multicultural activities, and lobbying.
Timing
July 2-8, 2005: July Fourth weekend (July 2-4) is a good time to reclaim the spirit of Independence Day and celebrate America's founding principles of liberty and justice in your community. During the weekdays following July 4, while members of Congress are in their districts, we are asking participants to hold in-district meetings with their legislators to reinforce their concerns.
What are the main issues?
Concerns about threats to civil liberties are not limited to the USA PATRIOT Act but encompass a host of laws and policies that have provoked fears and that have harmed innocent people and families since September 11, 2001. Participants can focus on the threats that concern their community and connect them to local civil liberties abuses. Our broader message will be unified by a demand to uphold the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and to restore liberty and justice. See
Talking Points for further discussion of the issues. We will post fliers and other resources soon.

We've added a button to this site that you can click in for more information (it's next to the Creative Commons logo). (We've also added a link to the Bill of Rights Defense Committee -- something I thought -- until phone calls today -- we'd done awhile back -- we meaning I -- obviously I was mistaken. And we also added the link to BuzzFlash's Wings of Justice. I hate going into the template and there wasn't time earlier. Note that you can nominate choices for future picks at BuzzFlash's Wings of Justice.)

There was quite a story, if the Timid had chosen to tell it. Instead, they went with six paragraphs on page A9.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Air America Weekend Schedule

Here's the weekend schedule for Air America radio's programming. (Fortunately, they've put them in order because I screwed up the order by which Marty Kaplin's show and Bobby Kennedy and Mike Papantonio's shows were repeating on Sundays.) We're also including "news" because there are members who really enjoy, for instance, Rachel Maddow and Randi Rhodes. I've included "news" in full (out of fairness). If you don't enjoy someone listed in news, don't pay attention to the item on them. (And yes, we'll give The Laura Flanders Show it's own listing on Saturday.)

Remember, if you're not in one of the 63 areas that Air America broadcasts over the airwaves (and you don't have satellite radio), you can listen online (via real player or windows media player). You can also listen online, Brenda notes, if you live in an area like her where there is a station but the signal's not clear.

From the Air America home page:


Weekend Shows

So What Else Is News?
Saturday 3pm-5pm with host Marty Kaplan

Ring of Fire
Saturday 5pm-7pm
When one-third of union members vote Republican, something's seriously wrong with the American labor movement. Mike talks with
Stewart Acuff, National Organizing Director of the AFL-CIO, about the push to get unionists back on the progressive path.
Thanks to "regulatory" councils stacked with industry insiders, the corporate pirates of the fishing industry are plundering the great Pacific fisheries and killing off endangered wildlife. Bobby talks with Paul Koberstein, editor of
Cascadia Times and author of "The Cats Running the Fish House."
Drug addict? Drop-out? No problem, the U.S. military wants you! In their desperation to shore up flagging enlistment, some military recruiters are breaking every rule in the book - and many unsuspecting teens are getting a very raw deal. Mike talks with
Liz Rivera Goldstein, a "counter recruiter" and founder of the Teen Peace Project.

The Laura Flanders Show
Saturday & Sunday 7pm-10pm The winds of change are blowing. This weekend, Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey D-CA, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, on changing attitudes, towards the war in Iraq and a new effort to bring troops home. Listeners weigh in on the state of the American Dream, with help from two top New York Times journalists, Janny Scott and David Leonhardt, part of newspaper's Class Matters reporting team. Plus revolutionary womanist writer Bell Hooks and pop singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, who recently interviewed Laura. Get the scoop right here!

The Kyle Jason Show Saturday 10pm-Midnight
This Saturday night, Kyle and his crew will dedicate the show to a discussion about Hip-Hop culture. More specifically; they will debate and discuss the influence of magazines that promote Hip-Hop culture. Are these periodicals benefiting their readers? Do they promote unity and positivity or do they perpetuate a culture of ignorance and negativity? What do you think the overall effect is on the end-user, a.k.a., the reader? The Phone lines will be open, so give Kyle a call and let him know what you think about the issue. And, as always Kyle will be playing some funky music from his grab-bag. Call 1-866-303-2270 (A.A.R.O)

Best of Mike Malloy
Sunday Midnight to 3am

Ecotalk Sunday 7am-8am
On the heels of Al Gore's impassioned presentation on global warning; "humanity is on a collision course with the planet", delivered at last week's World Environment Day conference, came word that the head of the President's Council on Environmental Quality doctored documents on climate change to minimize the connection between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change (even though it's pretty clear to the rest of us!). We'll hear from the
Union of Concerned Scientists, as well as a defender of such egregious editing. We'll also meet the author of a new book on "Nature Deficit Disorder".

Liberal Arts
Sunday 1pm-2pm with host Katherine Lanpher

Politically Direct
Sunday 2pm-3pm with host David Bender

The Revolution Starts Now!
Sunday 10pm-11pm with host Steve Earle

On The Real
Sunday 11pm-1am with Chuck D and Gia'na Garel

Air America News

Air America Supports ONE: The Campaign to Fight Poverty
From July 6th-9th, the leaders of the most powerful nations in the world will convene at the G8 summit to determine the fate of the impoverished. Take action by signing the "One" declaration, or attend a star-studded Live 8 concert in mass protest.

Rachel Maddow on MSNBC
Rachel Maddow, host of
The Rachel Maddow Show, AAR's early morning news hour, will be become MSNBC's first and only progressive spokesperson when she takes her place as a regular panelist on the 'The Situation', hosted by conservative bow tie model Tucker Carlson.

Randi in Phoenix
Randi will broadcast live from Phoenix June 13th-17th on 1010 Talk KXXT

Al Franken Returns to Sundance
You asked for it and it's back: the second season of
Sundance Channel's The Al Franken Show. Every day, starting June 6 at 11:30pm (repeated at 2:30am and 7:00am).

Morning Sedition NYC Summer Tour
Marc and Mark continue their New York City tour with a live broadcast this Friday, June 10th from The Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th St. Guests will include Democratic Mayoral candidate Virginia Fields, playwright and actor Eric Bogosian, and Comedian Jim David.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Kevin directs us to Mother Jones' strong Editor's Note in the new issue

Kevin's had to wait on this, and my apologies to him for that.

Kevin e-mailed to note that the new edition of Mother Jones magazine is out. Kevin wanted to note that the "Editor's Note" this time is a strong one "and deserves attention." After the last few, I was wary. (And never read their note each issue until angry members pointed them out.)
He asked that I note whether I agreed or not. (Which might be curiousity or might be knowing how angry the community's been at two editor's note and not wanting to stand alone on this.)

I read it Thursday (when Kevin e-mailed on it) and I'd agree it's strong and worth noting. (So Kevin's not standing alone.)

From the "Editor's Note:"

For its part, much of the left has spent the months since November (really, it has been spending years) wallowing in insecure self-inspection; the Democratic Party has invited everyone form linguists to preachers to exorcise the internal flaw that could explain its ineffectuality. Party leaders might heed the formulation of W.B. Yeats in his poem "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing": "For how can you compete/ Being honour bred, with one/ Who, were it proved he lies/ Were neither shamed in his own/ Nor in his neighbor's eyes?" The Democrats need to recognize that their biggest internal problem may be their inability to size up their external one. Simply put, they have an unscrupulous antagonist.
[. . .]
Lastly, and speaking from the self-centeredness of our offices, what does all this mean for Mother Jones? When the crisis at the core of our nation's political decline is a direct attack on the truth, the institution that should take the lead in confronting and correcting the dangers is the press. That means us. We have been, since our founding, a reported magazine, and would rather spend our resources ferreting out the facts of a matter than spend our breath expounding opinions. In the current climate, and facing the present danger, we do not find our political orientation to be inconsistent with our devotion to fact. We're better positioned to honor objective fact because we aren't insulted by the charge that we're "the liberal media." We have offered space in these pages to the dialogue about constructive course corrections that might avail the left. But we won't respond to the political winds by calibrating our message. We have looked at the problem, and decided that the answer is not to accommodate. In upcoming issues, you, our readers, will witness our rededication to this fight, and our confidence that reality is our ally. Considering the demonstrated belief of leaders on the right that furthering their agenda requires bludgeoning and inconvenient truth, we evidentally are not alone in concluding that the facts are on our side.
-- Russ Rymer

[For Doug who's about to start a summer semester, this is pp. 4-5 of the May/June issue of Mother Jones. In the class, everyone will be doing a paper on the press and truth vs. spin. Doug gets the New York Times but if you're noting something about the press from a print sourcein any of your entries for the next few weeks -- I think it's three, let me know if that's wrong Doug -- and it's not available online, please try to note the pages to help Doug out. The first paragraph is page four, the second -- begins with "Lastly" -- is page five.]

The "Editor's Note" isn't available online (I think I typed it up correctly but if spell check shows a problem Doug, trust that I've got a typo). But Russ Rymer was announced as the new editor-in-chief on January 13, 2005.

From that press release (in full, it's a press release and I know members have had questions regarding the editorial leadership after two "Editor's Notes" that were bothersome so we'll note it in full):

Mother Jones magazine announced today that Russ Rymer has been named editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, effective February 7.
A noted writer and editor, Rymer has held senior editing posts at seven national and regional magazines and has written for the New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Mother Jones, and many other magazines. His first book Genie: A Scientific Tragedy was a finalist for the National Book Critics’ Circle Award and was turned into a PBS documentary. His second book American Beach: A Saga of Race, Wealth, and Memory was named a New York Times Notable Book and was a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Award.
Rymer is currently the top editor at Portland Monthly, which in only two years has become the seventh-largest city magazine in the country in newsstand sales and the top-ranked city magazine in the country in sales per-capita. An issue of Hippocrates magazine (now Health) that he conceived and edited won a 1989 National Magazine Award for Best Single Topic Issue. In 2002, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for a project related to the fate of craftsmanship in the era of globalization.
"These political times demand that Mother Jones be at its most energetic and muscular," says Jay Harris, Mother Jones' president and publisher. "Russ and the editors will produce a magazine that leaves no doubt about the power of progressive ideas. He will treat our readers to powerful writing and to great reporting that searches out truth and brings back scalps."
Rymer says he wants to lead a magazine "that makes clear why progressive ideas are right for the nation's future. At a time when our own government is recklessly endangering our national security and economic stability, and neglecting our social welfare, Mother Jones' voice is needed more than ever. I’m excited to be here."
With a circulation of 240,000, Mother Jones is the largest-circulation progressive publication in the country. The magazine’s circulation has been on a steady upward track for the past six years, growing from 130,000 in 1998.
Mother Jones won a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2001, its fourth NMA, and was a finalist in General Excellence again in 2003.


I'm still making my way through the issue (Kevin judges it to be "the strongest issue in months")
and hopefully we can highlight some articles from it. (Time permitting.) But articles available online can be found at the Mother Jones website.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Sunday Chat & Chews

It's Friday which means some members want the Sunday Chat & Chews lineup. So grab the palm pilots, day planners and to-do list for those brave enough to watch.

ABC's This Week (Sundays, check local listings) offers the following lineup:

Guests:
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.

Ranking member, Financial Services Committee
Suze Orman

Financial Adviser
Anthony Hsieh CEO, LendingTree.com
Rep. Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C.

Armed Services Committee
Brad Pitt

Actor

It's not bad enough "Suze Orman" inflicts herself upon PBS viewers (often during pledge weeks which seem to come more often) with her infomercials for her books, tapes, et al while passing her "special" off as "public affairs," now she's on ABC This Week?

If you're considering watching one of the Sunday Chat & Chews, you might want to pay attention to this:

Then, the man who brought you "Freedom Fries," Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. A conservative Christian from North Carolina, he voted to go to war in Iraq but now wants the United States to get out. He has asked the administration to apologize for what he calls the misinformation that led to war, and has personally written to the families of hundreds of troops killed in Iraq. Jones sits down for his first interview on national television.

That should make for an interesting interview and I don't believe any other Sunday Chat & Chew has had him on.

Democracy Now! viewers, listeners and readers will remember this from the May 25th Headlines:

Backer of 'Freedom Fries' Now Opposes the War in Iraq
But also on Capitol Hill -- a surprising critic of the war has emerged -- Republican Walter Jones. The Congressman from North Carolina recently told a local newspaper that the US went to war "with no justification." Jones made international headlines three years ago when he lashed out at France for not supporting the war effort. In March 2003 he demanded that three Congressional cafeterias ban the word French from the menus. French fries soon became freedom fries. While the ban is still in force, Jones' current view on the war appears to be closer to France's than President Bush's. Jones said "If we were given misinformation intentionally by people in this administration, to commit the authority to send boys, and in some instances girls, to go into Iraq, that is wrong. Congress must be told the truth."

Please note, Democracy Now! is not a Sunday Chat & Chew. It's real journalism and I offer the above because it gives background and also demonstrates that this was news in May. Good for This Week for having Walter Jones on.

The round table is Robert Reich, Linda Douglas, and George Will and they will discuss:

Howard Dean's recent rash of comments about Republicans, President Bush's low approval ratings, the new layoffs announced by General Motors and the rest of the week's political events.


"Recent rash of comments about Republicans?" Well, it gives you a tip off to where they stand. Also tells you that someone's going for alliteration.

Over at NBC's Meet the Press (Sundays, check your local listings) the guests are:

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D - DE)
Ranking Member, Foreign Relations Committee

REP. CURT WELDON (R - PA) Vice Chairman, Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman, Homeland Security Committee Author, "Countdown to Terror: The Top-Secret Information that Could Prevent the Next Terrorist Attack on America... and How the CIA has Ignored it"

For the roundtable:

DAVID BRODER
Washington Post
JOHN HARWOOD
Wall Street Journal
GWEN IFILL
PBS' "Washington Week"
JUDY WOODRUFF
Former Anchor, "Inside Politics"

CBS's Face the Nation (Sundays, check your local listings) will have the following focus:

Topics:
Guantanamo Bay, Patriot Act, Iraq
Guests:
Sen. Patrick Leahy
Democrat - Vermont
Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Republican - South Carolina
John Harris
Author, The Survivor: Bill Clinton In The White House


If I'd watch one of them, I'd go with either This Week or Face the Nation. This Week is a Cokie Roberts-free zone this week and those can be so rare. Plus they have Walter Jones and I'd be curious as to his statements. (Which will no doubt be covered by Bill Scher at Liberal Oasis. Bob Somerby, The Daily Howler, will highlight the Sunday Chat & Chews if anything stands out. Between the two of them, I'm able to skip the Chat & Chews.) But, like any other member of this community, list the Patriot Act as a topic (as Face the Nation does) and you've peaked my interest.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Democracy Now: Tom Hayden, Jim Shultz, Marcela Olivera: Matthew Rothschild, Randall G. Shelden, Ari Berman, BuzzFlash (GOP Hypocrite of the week & int

Democracy Now! (Marcia: "always worth watching")

Headlines for June 10, 2005
- After Weeks of Mass Rebellion, New President in Bolivia
- Conyers to Hold Hearings on Downing Street Memo
- Justice Department: FBI Failed on Pre-9/11 Intelligence
- Dem Leader Reid to White House: No Docs, No Bolton
- Republicans Threaten to Cut UN Funding
- Former RNC Chair May Head Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Saddam Lawyers Say They Have No Access to Evidence

NEW FEATURE: Democracy Now! is now offering the program's daily news summary translated into Spanish. Los Titulares de Hoy

New Bolivian President Sworn in After Weeks of Mass Rebellion
The head of Bolivia's Supreme Court, Eduardo Rodriguez, was sworn in as president after a day marked by massive protest and widespread fears of a bloodbath or a civil war. The situation in the country remains tense but many believe that the worst-case scenario has been avoided. Earlier this week, President Carlos Mesa resigned amid massive protest against his government, giving the right-wing head of the Bolivian Senate, Hormando Vaca Diez an opportunity to take power as his constitutional successor. But Vaca Diez declined the post after protesters blockaded parliament to prevent his appointment. We go to Cochabamba to speak with Bolivia analyst, Jim Shultz and we speak with Bolivian researcher and activist, Marcela Olivera as well as Tom Hayden. [includes rush transcript - partial]

Anti-Sweatshop Activist and Chief Nicaragua Negotiator on CAFTA Debate Central America Free Trade
We host a debate on the U.S.-backed Central American Free Trade Agreement between veteran anti-sweatshop activist Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee and Nicaragua's chief negotiator on CAFTA, Carlos Sequeira.

We'll note Matthew Rothschild's latest "This Just In" at The Progressive (it's entitled "The Iraq Tide Is Out"):

The tide of public opinion has finally gone out on the Iraq War.
And it won't be coming back in anytime soon.
According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, "nearly three quarters of Americans say the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptable."
Already, Bush's illegal and duplicitous war has taken the lives of 1,676 U.S. soldiers and wounded 12,861.
And anywhere between 22,000 and 100,000 Iraqi civilians may have been killed, as well.
Here are some other poll numbers that spell trouble for Bush: "Two-thirds say the U.S. military there is bogged down, and nearly six in ten say the war was not worth the price," according to the Post article.


From The Black Commentator, Tori calls our attention to Randall G. Shelden's "Slavery in the Third Millennium, Part I - Prisons and Slavery: Seeking Cheap Labor and Control of African-Americans:"


The winter, 2005 issue of Contexts (a leading sociology journal) featured a photo essay on the infamous Cummins Prison Farm in Arkansas. One photo showed about twenty convicts in a field picking cotton, while a white guard stood over them. Another photo showed a tractor pulling about 8 carts filled with convicts returning from the fields, with four guards riding on horses along the left side. The black and white photos could have easily been taken 100 years ago at one of several "plantation prisons" in the South. They were among about 5,000 photographs taken by sociologist Bruce Jackson between 1971 and 1975.
Plantation prisons emerged in the southern states shortly after the end of the Civil War. Not surprisingly they were modeled after the slave plantation. Practically all of the prisoners were black, both male and female. They were sent to these prisons "on the flimsiest pretexts and then put to hard labor in the fields of these prisons, often in chain gangs." Prisons like Parchman in Mississippi and Cummins in Arkansas were little more than slave plantations which, along with convict leasing, extended the slave system long after emancipation.
Many of these prisons became notorious over the years, resulting in literally thousands of deaths. Perhaps the most infamous case came to light at the Tucker Prison Farm where a reform-minded warden named Tom Murton discovered numerous bodies of dead prisoners buried in the fields in the 1960s. The scandal created quite a stir at the time. Even a movie, Brubaker, starring Robert Redford was made about this scandal.
Throughout history those in power have sought to control groups that they perceived to be a threat and/or groups they wished to dominate for political or economic gain. The methods of control have varied from economic marginalization to thought control via propaganda to subjecting them to the control of the legal system to total or partial segregation and finally, in extreme cases, total extermination (e.g., genocide). In America such control has targeted Native Americans, African slaves, labor agitators and many others.

Trina e-mails to note Ari Berman's "Outrageous Outtakes:"

** There's nothing more pathetic than Democrats lining up to bash DNC Chairman Howard Dean. Now publicity hounds like Joe Biden are getting an unexpected assist from the Associated Press and headline writers at the New York Times online. A headline posted yesterday at 12:57 pm read, "Newsview: Some Democrats Angry With Dean." Not one Democrat, however, was quoted criticizing Dean. A revised headline posted later in the day, titled, "Dean Visits Democratic Leaders in Congress After Stir," made it sound as if Dean was summoned to the Hill for an apology. He was, in fact, in a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid to discuss the Democrats agenda for the next few weeks of Congress. Reid, rightfully, stood by his party's chairman. "Reid Declines to Join Blame Dean Choir" may have been more appropriate.

Trina: The article [in the Times] is gossip and petty passing for news.

The article is, CORRECTION, written by Anne E. Kornblut. I'll correct that (from Ann Kornblutt) this evening when I'm at my own computer. (Apologies to Kornblut.)* In addition, "online" is missing from the section on Krista's comments (thanks Shirley) and there are two words to correct in Ruth's post (my mistake as I copied and paste bit by bit). Someone, a visitor also e-mailed to gripe, and it was a gripe, that a link in Ruth's post isn't accurate. Here's my reply to that, you know the author, the publication has a search engine, you know the date; therefore, get over yourself. (I also was so out of this morning that I failed to provide a link to a Times article. Author's name and the title are provided so it can be searched and my attitude on that, expressed previously, maybe why no one e-mailed on that.)


Two things to note from BuzzFlash:

This Week BuzzFlash's GOP Hypocrite is a State Senator from Kansas Who Commits Hypocrisy Everytime She Votes for Herself, Because She is Opposed to Women Having the Right to Vote -- And Now She Wants Women to Help Elect Her Kansas Secretary of State. So Many Republican Hypocrites, So Little Time.

So check out the BuzzFlash pick for GOP Hypocrite of the Week.


Also BuzzFlash has an interview with George E. Lowe, "BuzzFlash Interview With George E. Lowe: Can 'It' Happen Here? Isn't 'It" Already? A Fascist Christian America."

We'll do an excerpt of the interview this evening (when hopefully my headache will be gone and I can enjoy what should be a pretty incredible interview). If there is a slight delay in posting this evening, I've decided to take a nap before posting. But to Carl and Steve, don't worry, we will have the Sunday Chat & Chews schedules posted tonight.

Where's The Daily Howler? Friday's isn't up yet. We will note it -- hopefully tonight.

But we will note Tom Hayden on Democracy Now! this evening (one comment in particular). It's one of those "the Times never tells you" topics. And Kevin, you're comments on Mother Jones (that should have gone up yesterday) are first on my list for tonight's posts. (Sorry for the delay.)

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

*On names, there's a guest on Democracy Now! listed in the summaries whose name is not in the heading. That choice was made by me because I can't tell if I'm looking at an "r" and a "n" or a "m."

[Note: This entry has gone up three times today via e-mail. Three times it has ended up vanishing. This time it was done by logging into Blogger so there shouldn't be anymore problems with it disappearing. But for those e-mailing, yes, it probably does mean that after a brief period of no problems e-mailing the mid-day post, we're not in store for a string of them.]

[Note II: I've just come back in and added the NEW FEATURE: Democracy Now! is now offering the program's daily news summary translated into Spanish. Los Titulares de Hoy to the entry. Please make sure to do your part to get the word out on the new feature.]