Day: August 17, 2005
Must-See Video from Truthout at Camp Casey
Truthout. org has incredible video from Cindy Sheehan’s encampment near President Bush’s second home near Crawford, Texas.
- Three farmers explain why they have come to Camp Casey to express their support
- Silent video showing the crosses representing the war dead that were desecrated by a Bush supporter
- Maxine Waters (D-LA) arrives to show her support for Cindy Sheehan
Other video formats available on the Truthout.org media page.
Santorum: It Takes a Police State
After teenagers at a book signing made a joke about Santorum’s homophobia, his security threatened them with arrest: ‘You’re going to embarrass your family, you won’t get into college with this on your record.”
According to Delaware Online columnist Al Mascitti, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Loopyland) espouses a variety of controversial views on current issues — “that women shouldn’t work outside the home, that legalizing gay marriage would lead to legalizing polygamy and bestiality, that government should discourage birth control.”
But anyone who wants to discuss their opposing views at one of Santorum’s appearances where he is hawking his book, “It Takes a Family,” might want to reconsider. Unless they want to be threatened with jail. That message was heard loud and clear by some teenagers and their parents last week at a Delaware shopping mall.
Santorum appeared at the Barnes & Noble bookstore adjacent to Concord Mall on U.S. 202 Wednesday night for what was billed as a book signing and discussion. College students Stacey Galperin and Miriam Rocek of Newark decided to attend to hear what he had to say.
“I knew about him from his promotion of the federal marriage amendment,” said Rocek, 19. “I thought I would go and just talk to him during the book signing, tell him I disagreed with a lot of his policies, just engage him in dialogue.”
Poll: Buyers’ Remorse – 19 out 31 Red States Flip to Blue
Overall, the survey shows the president’s approval at 41 percent. His approval in the individual states ranges from Idaho at 59 percent to a low of 29 percent in Rhode Island – not good news for Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI), who’s up for re-election next year.
According to a state-by-state poll by SurveyUSA, nine months after the 2004 presidential elections, voters in 19 of the 31 Red states now disapprove of the job performance of George W. Bush – and opinion is evenly divide in two Red states, North Carolina and Louisiana.
It is little solace to Bush’s Democratic rival John Kerry – or especially to the grieving families of the hundreds of U.S. service personnel and thousands of innocent Iraqis who have died – but if the election were held today, Bush would lose in a landslide.
Biggest surprises on the list of newly minted Blue states: Ohio, which gave Bush the presidency but where disapproval of Bush is now at 60 percent, and solid red South Carolina, where disapproval of the president is at 51 percent. Also of note is Florida, where the president’s approval rate has slipped to 44 percent, with 53 percent disapproving.
RED STATES THAT HAVE FLIPPED TO BLUE
| State | Approve | Disapprove |
| Alaska | 46% | 49% |
| Arizona | 45% | 52% |
| Arkansas | 40% | 56% |
| Colorado | 45% | 53% |
| Florida | 44% | 53% |
| Georgia | 47% | 51% |
| Indiana | 48% | 49% |
| Iowa | 42% | 55% |
| Kansas | 46% | 50% |
| Kentucky | 42% | 53% |
| Louisiana* | 48% | 48% |
| Missouri | 38% | 58% |
| Nevada | 40% | 57% |
| New Mexico | 41% | 56% |
| North Carolina* | 47% | 47% |
| Ohio | 37% | 50% |
| South Carolina | 45% | 51% |
| South Dakota | 45% | 52% |
| Tennessee | 43% | 52% |
| Virginia | 42% | 52% |
| West Virginia | 45% | 51% |
* Approval/Disapproval tied
Web Site An Incredible Resource for North Korean Propaganda
NK News is a searchable database of North Korean propaganda that contains more than 38,000 articles disseminated by the Korean Central News Agency since 1996. The KCNA has an inimitable Communist prose style that hearkens back to the heyday of the Cold War.
Here’s a sample of one of the KCNA classics:
The New York Times praises G.S. Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, December 31 (KCNA) — The New York Times December 16 dedicated one whole page to a special writeup under the title “Kim Jong Il Emerges As Lodestar For Sailing the 21st Century” with a large color picture of General Kim Jong Il. The paper said: Kim Jong Il, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has been elected General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea by the unanimous will and desire of the Korean people. The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is a man of great leadership, remarkable wisdom and noble virtues. He is always with the popular masses sharing the ups and downs of life with them. Kim Jong Il, a new leader of the 21st century, will surely break fresh ground in the political, economic, military and diplomatic fields of Korea, succeeding excellently to the cause of the late President Kim Il Sung ….
Of course, this was an article about a full-page advertisement that Pyongyang bought in the Times. “Lodestar for sailing the 21st century” indeed!
The site is a gas — check out the random insult generator, “You arrogant hooligan, or you will be dealt a thousandfold retaliatory blow!”
Visit the site at www.nk-news.net.
The Limitless Hypocrisy of Governor Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger was voted into office in a barrage of hyperbole and obfuscation clearly intended to deceive the voters of California. He never sat down for a serious interview – but rather got his message out via soft sitdowns with the likes of Oprah and Entertainment Tonight.
Despite the soft focus, however, he made enough campaign promises to fill 24 single-spaced pages on his website, most of which he broke within days of taking office – and some of which he continues to break over and over again.
Chief among these was his promise not to seek donations – ever. He and his flying monkeys sneered a then-Gov. Gray Davis, who was a prodigious fundraiser, as a political ATM. At first, Schwarzenegger said he would take no campaign money and pledged to work to reform the fundraising system. Later, he said he would take money as long as it was not from a special interest.
Now the governor is heading out across the country “on a whirlwind, 17-event fundraising tour from here to Boston, tapping donors who have a stake in bills soon to arrive at his desk for signature or veto.” His aides say he will likely raise $5 million on this Grand Hypocrisy Tour.
Murder Charges Look Likelier for Abramoff
Tom DeLay’s sugar daddy, Jack Abramoff, should be sweating. After all, Florida still has the death penalty.
An amazing coincidence was previously reported by PR. The guy Abramoff swindled — SunCruz Casinos owner Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis — was riddled with bullets at about the same time he would have been finding out Abramoff never intended to pay him. The matter is suddenly getting close police scrutiny. Lakeland Ledger:
Abramoff, 46, and 41-year-old Adam Kidan are charged in a six-count grand jury indictment with conspiracy and wire fraud in the September 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos from Boulis. Prosecutors say the pair concocted a fake $23 million wire transfer to make it appear to lenders they were putting a sizable stake of their own money into the deal…
A few months following the $147.5 million sale of SunCruz, Boulis was shot to death in his car after it was blocked by other vehicles and an assailant pulled alongside in what police say was an apparent hit. The killing occurred after weeks of acrimony stemming from the sale, including a physical altercation between Kidan and Boulis, who also founded the Miami Subs fast-food chain.
Police wanted to question Abramoff from the get-go about the killing but for some reason (um — influence?) they never followed up when he failed to appear.
The lawyer, Neal Sonnett, said after a brief scheduling hearing in federal court that Abramoff had expected to meet with Fort Lauderdale homicide detectives shortly after the February 2001 slaying of Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis.
The interview never happened, Sonnett said, and now Fort Lauderdale detectives are expressing new interest in talking with Abramoff.
Abramoff is free on bail right now on charges he swindled American Indians out of $66 million. Tom DeLay, who partied hearty on Abramoff’s dole, continues to get away with murder in Congress.
Jeb Bush Put the “F” in FCAT
If anyone needs more proof that Jeb Bush and his despicable FCAT have shredded public education in Florida, it’s in Jacksonville’s Florida Times-Union:
College-bound students in Florida and across the country are leaving high school unprepared for college-level studies, according to ACT entrance exam scores released today:
Only 21 percent of Florida students met the standard in science, compared with 26 percent nationwide.
And only 37 percent of Florida students met the standard for math, compared with 41 percent nationally.
Nearly half of Florida’s students would struggle with courses that require extensive reading, such as history, sociology, literature and business, close to the national average, according to the testing data.
Sixty-four percent of Florida students did meet the benchmark in English. That’s compared with 68 percent nationally.
The scores suggest that many Florida students will struggle with college classwork or will need remediation.
Dobbs: Huffington Just Plain Mean to Miller
Hear Judith Miller hailed as a paragon of American journalism! See her enshrined upon a the pedestal of the First Amendment!
If you can stomach it, read this partial transcript from CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” show from Monday:
Well, on this program, we report each day the number of days that “New York Times” reporter Judith Miller has spent in prison for protecting her confidential sources in the investigation of the White House CIA leak case. We do so, frankly, out of respect to her and the sacrifices she’s making, for a principle that has served journalism, free speech and a free press well.
As of today, Ms. Miller has spent 40 full days behind bars, more than any other “New York Times” journalist. Joining me now to discuss the impingement, if you will, on free speech, a free press and certainly the incarceration of Judy Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is Floyd Abrams, a renowned First Amendment attorney, serving as her attorney.
Good to see you, Floyd.
FLOYD ABRAMS, JUDITH MILLER’S ATTORNEY: Thanks, Lou.
DOBBS: Let’s begin with 40 days in jail. How much longer is this going to go on? And what purpose does it serve?
ABRAMS: Well, the order of confinement by the judge was that she would stay in jail until she revealed her confidential sources, or until the grand jury expired, which is right now scheduled for October 28th. So it would be until then, unless there was — there were additional legal steps taken against her. But if things go as they’re going right now, I’d say the end of October.
DOBBS: The issue of criminal proceedings has been raised here…
ABRAMS: Yes.
DOBBS: Would Judge Hogan, would Special Counsel Fitzerald, go so far, in your judgment?
ABRAMS: I have to say I don’t think so. But maybe this is wishful thinking. I think they both recognize that she is doing what she not only believes is the right thing to do, but what journalists in general are trained to do, taught to do, and honored for doing.
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