Terrorists attack shopping markets
Three explosions rocked new Delhi’s Paharganj, Sarojini Nagar and Govindpuri markets today, killing 35 and injuring hundreds. This just makes me so sad. I have been to markets in these areas.
Operation Yellow Elephant
// October 28th, 2005Political Wire: Did Rove Push Miers?
// October 27th, 2005Political Wire: Did Rove Push Miers?
Rove and I are apparently not the only media-savvy people out there. I made this proclamation earlier today, and it looks like I wasn’t alone.
SSDP in the Circle
// October 27th, 2005POCKETS OUT!
We wear our pockets out today to symbolically call your attention to the 175,000 students who have been robbed of their education.
You probably remember Question 31 on the FAFSA: “Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?” Did it occur to you that people who have to answer yes, or who refuse to answer, are denied college loans and scholarships of all kinds? That’s discriminatory, and it doesn’t make anyone any less likely to use drugs. It only denies them a quality education. That is absurd.
If you agree, wear your pockets out today to show your support. Sign our petition to revoke the HEA drug provision and tell our government that education is a right – not a reward.
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Today about 10 SSDP members went and handed out fliers with the above information on them, and collected 144 signatures. We were also featured on the CBS and NBC newscasts, and I believe we appeared on KBIA as well. Our effort was coordinated with similar efforts on 15 campuses across America. The petition calls for the repeal of the HEA Drug Provision, which denies people federal financial aid based on whether they have been convicted of drug crimes before. As I said so eloquently in my sound bite, “we have to learn from our mistakes, but I wonder what happens when we remove educatiion from that equation.”
Media-savvy rulers and thought control
// October 27th, 2005Media-savvy rulers and thought control
The Orwellian battle of our times
By Jonathon Coulson
Today will mark an important moment in U.S. History. Today, Karl Rove will be indicted, and I. Lewis Libby will likely be indicted twice. There’s a possibility that others, including Dick Cheney, will also be indicted. Evidence is mounting that this cabal purposefully revealed the identity of a CIA agent as part of a political maneuver, and it of course ties right back into the war we were mislead into.
But this isn’t why today may mark an important moment in our lives. Instead, purportedly coincidentally, Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination. I hate to say it, but I saw this coming. And I hate to say it, but I don’t think its much of a coincidence.
See, American media has a penchant for event-driven, episodic news coverage. Unless there’s a stunning visual to go live to, it didn’t happen. If there are two in one day, its really a matter of who had the stage first. While I am not suggesting that Fitzgerald’s press conference will be whitewashed later today, I am suggesting that stations such as Fox will note it only in passing. And unfortunately, many of the other news sources will have to spend some of a finite amount of their time on Miers’ withdrawal.
But is it really that important? Sure, if you were worried about placing into the highest court in the land an avowed crony whose only merit was her religion. But for those of us that swing left, we look on with horror at a bigger picture. After Miers will come another, likely just as conservative and appeasing to the religious right. This one, likely, will also be female, and likely a paper-trail conservative. The only difference will be that this one will have been a judge before, and this one will know better than to broadcast her religious views. So if Miers’ withdrawal is a victory, it is only a pyrrhic one.
What I’m suggesting is that the Miers withdrawal has been planned. Bush has lied through his teeth in recent weeks when saying that he will go through with the nomination. The plan has always been to drop this news into the basket just before the indictments are announced. That’s dubious, but really effective. MSNBC cited coverage over the last year indicating that there is an ongoing pattern here, but I’ll be damned if anyone else is talking about it. It’s hard for the media to monitor themselves as they monitor the key players and try to sort out what is news from what isn’t.
And this white house has proven it’s devious media savvy in other ways. What should have been a perp walk by Tom DeLay has become one of the most circulated pictures on the internet. That big bright smiles begs you to believe he is innocent. What if I were to tell you that, just behind the camera, someone was drowning a kitten, and that was why Tom DeLay is smiling? (While that sounds ridiculous, who smiles while they are having a mug shot taken?)
There’s a song titled “10 steps to create an enemy,” by Anti-flag. The fourth step is “have the media broadcast only the ruling party’s information. This can be done through state-run media. Remember, in times of conflict, all for-profit media repeats the ruling party’s information; therefore, all for-profit media becomes state-run.” This is worth your consideration (as are the other 9 steps).
Orwell wrote of a Ministry of Truth that systematically went through news, old and new, and edited it so that it was consistent with the ruling party’s beliefs at the time. We’re not quite there yet, but this seems like a first step. That said, I really want to encourage everyone to be loud and high-profile this week about noting these indictments, the falsehood of this war, the guilt of Tom DeLay, the insider trading of Bill Frist, and the everflowing fountain of untruth that pours from the mouth of our President. We cannot afford to be conciliatory, unquestioning, or quiet about this.
Crimethinking is for patriots,
Jonthon
White House to Onion: Stop using seal
// October 26th, 2005CNN.com – White House to Onion: Stop using seal – Oct 26, 2005
Good find by my mom. The White House has asked the Onion to stop using it’s presidential seal. Below is the response of Scott Dikkers, editor-in-chief of the satirical newspaper:
“I’ve been seeing the presidential seal used in comedy programs most of my life and to my knowledge none of them have been asked not to use it by the White House,” Dikkers said.
“I would advise them to look for that other guy Osama (bin Laden) … rather than comedians. I don’t think we pose much of a threat,” Dikkers said.
No Escape: Thaw Gains Momentum – New York Times
// October 25th, 2005CNN.com – U.S. military death toll in Iraq reaches 2,000 – October 25, 2005
// October 25th, 2005
2,000 Americans dead. 2,000 families that have lost someone. 2,000 is a big, bad number.
What is enough? 3,000? 4? Are we going to keep sending off members of my generation until “the terrorists are dead?” What if that means 10,000? 100,000? What if there will never be enough?
War is a disgusting thing, sought only by those who want power in the worst way.
Bush economic adviser in line to replace Greenspan – MSNBC.com
// October 24th, 2005Bush economic adviser in line to replace Greenspan
“The choice of Mr Bernanke, chairman of the White House council of economic advisers, to lead the most important central bank is likely to reassure international investors and be greeted warmly inside the Fed.”
OK, so at a glance this seems like a good appointment (for Bush’s sake, one must hope so). But I want to know Mr. Bernanke’s position on the Estate Tax. With our country’s record deficit, we simply cannot hand out more money to the wealthy. We can’t afford to deviate from a pay-go system. This statement gives me some hope, given Greenspan’s position on the estate tax:
“Mr Bernanke promises continuity after the departure at the end of January of a chairman credited with leading the US to nearly two decades of robust, non-inflationary growth.”
But ultimately, there’s one thing that Bernanke can never have – such an apropo last name! (Greenspan, span the green, he’s chairman of the Fed – get it?)
Britain has the bird flu
// October 23rd, 2005Bird flu parrot that died in Britain had strain that kills people
OK, so it’s only one pet bird, and they’ve all been quarantined now. But its one CONFIRMED case. And it’s just the beginning…