Year: 2005

2005: The Year in Errors and Corrections

Buck Banks

Oops, they did it again: It’s the time for round-up lists of the year’s whatevers, and Regret the Error is out with its list of 2005’s worst and funniest errors and corrections from the mainstream media. Here’s the Correction of the Year for 2005, as published in the Denver Daily News on July 27:

The Denver Daily News would like to offer a sincere apology for a typo in Wednesday’s Town Talk regarding New Jersey’s proposal to ban smoking in automobiles. It was not the author’s intention to call New Jersey ‘Jew Jersey.’

First Runner-Up
From the Dallas Morning News:

Norma Adams-Wade’s June 15 column incorrectly called Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk a socialist. She is a socialite.

Second Runner-Up
This jolly typo/correction comes from the Liverpool Daily News in England:

Technology has revolutionised most of our lives in recent years and the media has particularly benefited from developments in IT and communications. But all technology should always be treated with a degree of caution. This was a lesson brought into sharp focus last week following a review of the Welsh National Opera’s double bill performance of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Empire Theatre. The problem arose when the computer spell checker did not recognise the term “WNO” (Welsh National Opera). A slip of the finger caused it to be replaced with the word “winos”. All stories in the Daily Post go through a series of checks for error, but unfortunately this one slipped through the net. It just goes to show that it’s hard to beat the good, old-fashioned dictionary.

For more errors, corrections, typos (“beef panties” from Reuters) and other examples that the MSM has lost it big time, check out the site here.

Poll: Public Not Buying Bush’s Iraq Rhetoric

Buck Banks

Battle for hearts and minds at home: While the political debate over the administration’s Iraq policy is heating up, the Busheviks’ insistence on staying the course is not swaying the electorate. Americans remain about evenly split over whether we should be there at all and whether we should pull out. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted among 1,502 adults Dec. 7-11 found:

  • Fully 61% of the public believes that progress is being made in training Iraqi forces, while nearly as many (58%) see progress being achieved in establishing a democracy in Iraq. But on balance, more Americans say the U.S. is losing ground in reducing civilian casualties and preventing a civil war.
  • The nearly even division in the public over whether to keep troops in Iraq obscures a more complicated set of opinions about what to do next. Most of those who say they want the troops home “as soon as possible” apparently do not mean “now.” And not everyone who wants the U.S. to stay is opposed to setting a timetable for a troop withdrawal. Americans also are wary about consequences of a quick withdrawal – 58% say terrorist organizations will become stronger if the United States withdraws its forces soon.
  • There is modest optimism that tomorrow’s elections in Iraq will lead to a more stable situation in the country. Roughly four-in-10 (37%) express that opinion; that is significantly greater than the percentages who said that before previous balloting in Iraq, in October and last January (29% each).

The survey also shows that President Bush’s approval ratings have not improved. Just 38% approve of his job performance which is little changed from November (36%). Only about three-in-10 (28%) say he has a clear plan for bringing the situation in Iraq to a successful conclusion.

The Bubble Boy and His Clueless Cluelessness

Jon Ponder

That’s Mr. Bubble to you: Maureen Dowd captures the very bubble-iciousness of our president’s abject unawareness that he’s cut off from the real world:

First he claimed Bush didn’t know about the Newsweek story saying he was in bubble, and now he’s forgotten it already? That’s the alluring, memory-cleansing beauty of the bubble.

“This says you’re in a bubble,” [NBC News anchor Brian Williams] told W. “You have a very small circle of advisers now. Is that true? Do you feel in a bubble?”

“No, I don’t feel in a bubble,” Bubble Boy replied, unable to see the bubble because he’s in it. “I feel like I’m getting really good advice from very capable people and that people from all walks of life have informed me and informed those who advise me.” He added, “I’m very aware of what’s going on.”

He swiftly contradicted himself by admitting that “this is the first time I’m seeing this magazine” – his version of his dad’s Newsweek “Wimp Factor” cover – and that he doesn’t read newsmagazines…

Brian struggled to learn whether W. read anything except one-page memos. Talking about his mom, Bubble Boy returned to the idea of the bubble: “If I’m in a bubble, well, if there is such thing as a bubble, she’s the one who can penetrate it.”

“I’ll tell the guys at Newsweek,” the anchor said impishly.

“Is that who put the bubble story?” W. asked. First he didn’t know about it, and now he’s forgotten it already? That’s the alluring, memory-cleansing beauty of the bubble.

Scandals Collide: DeLay & the Dukester

Jon Ponder

Go Ronnie: Brent Wilkes is the guy who gave Schwarzenegger $70k and received a cushy post on the board of the Del Mar racetrack. Looks like he may have also bribed Tom DeLay – allegedly:

A Texas prosecutor has issued subpoenas for bank records and other information of a defense contractor involved in the bribery case of a California congressman as part of the investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

District Attorney Ronnie Earle issued subpoenas late Monday afternoon for California businessmen Brent Wilkes and Max Gelwix, records of Perfect Wave Technologies LLC, Wilkes Corp. and ADCS Inc. in connection with a contribution to a fundraising committee at the center of the investigation that led to DeLay’s indictment on money laundering charges.

Perfect Wave contributed $15,000 in September 20, 2002 to Texans for a Republican Majority, a fundraising committee founded by DeLay, R-Texas.

Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham resigned in late November after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to companies.

On Tuesday, Earle subpoenaed written testimony DeLay and two others gave in a 1994 lawsuit brought by DeLay’s former pest control business partner. Ex-partner Robert Blankenship alleged in the suit that he was unjustly cut out of the business by DeLay and another man. The lawsuit ended in a confidential settlement in 1995.

Poll: After Surge to 42% Bush Fades to 38%

Jon Ponder

Sez Zogby:

President Bush’s job approval rating languishes under 40 percent, despite an upturn in the economy and a public relations onslaught defending the role of the U.S. military in rebuilding Iraq, a new telephone poll by Zogby International shows.

Just 38 percent of Americans said they approve of the job the President is doing, down from 41 percent in a national Zogby America survey conducted last month.

The survey showed Mr. Bush is most popular in the western United States, where 46 percent approve of the job he is doing, and the South, where 44 percent approve. Just 28 percent in the East and 37 percent in the Midwest and Great Lakes states give him good marks.

People were less critical of the President personally. Asked whether they had a favorable overall impression of Mr. Bush, 49 percent agreed, including 58 percent of westerners and 56 percent of southerners.

Jeb Jabs FEMA On Reimbursements

Buck Banks

Big talk, no action: Florida Gov. Jeb “Fat Little Bro” Bush came right out and said that the Federal Emergency Management Administration should not reimburse Floridians who bought generators or chain saws due to the hurricanes for more than they paid. But he said he won’t work toward changing the Florida law that allows over-repayment.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel found a whole slew of overpayments by FEMA, mainly to middle- and upper-class white folks — people who could probably afford to buy their own hurricane equipment without the reimbursement.

“I don’t think they (FEMA) should be reimbursing for more than what people pay for,” Bush said. “We appreciate the individual assistance that a lot of people are taking advantage of. But this shouldn’t be a boondoggle.”

But Jebby would not promise to seek to change or even ask legislators or federal officials to revamp Florida’s policies.

According to the Sun-Sentinel investigation:

FEMA leaves it up to states to choose what will be reimbursed in each disaster. States can elect to exclude certain items or limit eligibility, for instance, reimbursing for generators only for the medically needy, for instance. Other states have imposed limits, but Florida policy remains one of the most generous of the hurricane-vulnerable states.

Not Content With Just California, Schwarzenegger Inspires Hatred Throughout Europe

Buck Banks

Old World anger: Calif. Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger’s failure to grant clemency to Stanley “Tookie” Williams has raised the ire of the entire European Union. The Associated Press reports that Arnold’s fellow Austrians want to remove his name from a sports stadium in his hometown and some have called for his Austrian citizenship to be revoked.

Capital punishment is illegal throughout the European Union, and many Europeans consider state-sponsored executions to be barbaric. Those feelings were amplified in the case of Williams, due to the apparent remorse they believe the Crips gang co-founder showed by writing children’s books about the dangers of gangs and violence.

Leaders of Austria’s pacifist Green Party went as far as to call for Schwarzenegger to be stripped of his Austrian citizenship – a demand that was quickly rejected by Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel despite his government’s opposition to the death penalty.

“Whoever, out of political calculation, allows the death of a person rehabilitated in such an exemplary manner has rejected the basic values of Austrian society,” said Peter Pilz, a Greens leader.

The Greens plan to start up a petition to change the name of the sports stadium in Graz, Schwarzenegger’s hometown. An Austrian Christian Group has suggested changing the name to Stanley Tookie Williams Stadium.

“Mr. Williams had converted, and unlike Mr. Schwarzenegger, opposed every form of violence,” said Richard Schadauer, the chairman of the Association of Christianity and Social Democracy.

Three Questions on Iraq for Bush Supporters

Jon Ponder

Be honest (for once): Bob Geiger at the Yellow Dog Blog posted 15 questions for Bush supporters last week that were quite thought provoking – I’ve found myself mulling them over ever since. (Not the least wondering if I should suggest to Bob that 15 questions might be too tasking for the average Bush voter, but that’s another issue.)

So, which is it, did they lie or were they merely criminally negligent?

Happily, I live safely behind the walls of the West Coast liberal bastion and do not count among my friends, family or work associates a single Bush supporter. However, I’ve come up with three questions on Iraq that I would pose to a Bush voter, if I knew one:

1. Yes or No: If the number one export of Iraq were olive oil, instead of petroleum oil, would we be there today?

2. One of the reasons Bush has given us for the occupation of Iraq is that we will create a foothold for democracy among the Arabs. Wouldn’t it have been less costly in blood and treasure simply to convince the Kuwaitis to hold elections? After all, we literally saved their asses from Saddam in 1992. Becoming a beacon for democracy in the Middle East would seem to be the very least they could do in return.

3. In the run-up to the war, did Bush and his team lie when they said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction?

No? Well, then the only other option is that they screwed up – and did so, as the vice president might say, big time.

In fact, this wildly inept miscalculation has led to over 100,000 casualities, including at least 2,200 dead U.S. service members and the fatalities of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. It has cost us upwards of $300 billion – and we’re not even halfway done yet. The Bush misadventure in Iraq will undoubtedly go down as the most monumentally inept war effort ever undertaken. (If they were Democrats the Bush team would be pursued by the media and the GOP for gross and homicidal official negligence.)

So, which is it, did they lie or were they merely criminally negligent?

Okay, Bushists, we await your answers.

What Drives the Christian Extremist Who Have Seized Control of the United States?

Jon Ponder

“First, there’s the explosive question of the Christo-fascist right’s theology. Just how Christian is it? That is, how does it relate to Jesus’s teachings? For all the movement’s fierce religiosity, it seems to contradict the revolutionary thrust of Christianity on every fundamental point.

“In the face of such a movement, what would Jesus do? Considering its vengefulness, self-righteousness and violence, and its devotion to big money, worldly power and war, I have no doubt that he would see it as a towering evil, like the Roman Empire, and do whatever he could do against it.

“Then there’s the question of the movement’s sincerity. Is it genuinely pious, or do its leaders merely pose as true believers in a ruthless bid for ever greater power? Are Bush, Falwell, Paul Weyrich and Ralph Reed just faking it, and laughing up their sleeves as they bow down in prayer? I think that they do mean it, that they are sincere; and so it’s just as dangerous to dismiss their fervor as it would be to laugh off the fanaticism of the Islamists.

“In fact, they’re all cut from the same cloth, both sides enabling one another to keep up the slaughter. We minimize such madness at our peril. Faced with unreasonable movements, reasonable people often tend to make that very dangerous mistake: projecting their own rationality into the crusading lunatic. It is a common misconception on the left, which always feels most comfortable theorizing that the rational Big Money is in charge behind the scenes, manipulating all the pious dummies for its own cold purposes. I wish it were that simple, but it isn’t. Between the corporate sector (or certain parts of it) and the religious ultra-right there’s a profound convergence. This, and no merely economistic view, can help account for the apocalyptic streak that drives Bush/Cheney and their most ferocious followers and backers.”

— Mark Crispin Miller

Saudi Prince (and Fox News Investor) Calls in Change to FNC Coverage of ‘Muslim Riots’

Jon Ponder

Think Progress:

During last month’s street riots in France, Fox News ran a banner during a news segment, reading: “Muslim riots.” Billionaire Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal, who owns 5.5% of Fox News, was unhappy with the tagline:

I picked up the phone and called Murdoch… (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty. Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots.

Talal gained notoriety after 9/11 when he blamed U.S. policies for the terrorist attacks.

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti refused to confirm or deny that the call took place but “acknowledged the network changed the banner after receiving complaints.”