The Seamus Press

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House aides coached President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday for their appearance before a panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks that they agreed to under pressure and only if they could appear together and behind closed doors.

At the administration's request, Thursday's unprecedented questioning of a president and vice president at the White House will not be recorded and a transcript will not be made.

Their testimony will not be under oath, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan said they ``will tell it exactly how it happened.''

Posted by seamus at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)

Face-Off

This is the Senate race I'm interested in. I'm glad to see someone challenge the oil baron's lobyyist. Post-Gazette has today's election highlights and let me just say they are way too kind to Senator White! I mean, 20 years experience in "environmental compliance" is a nice way to put her 20 years of efforts to let a major polluter squirt around important environmental regulations.

21st District
Democratic
Kevan M. Yenerall, 31, Clarion (View photo)
Education: B.A., Duquesne University; M.A., Miami (Ohio) University; Ph.D., Miami (Ohio) University.
Occupation: Political science professor, Clarion University.
Qualifications: A lifetime of experience in politics, public service and community activism; elected positions with the Democratic State Committee and my union (APSCUF); an unwavering commitment to education, the environment, jobs and justice.
Answer: Equitable funding for public education is not just a constitutional obligation -- it is a moral imperative. No child's future should be determined by the financial constraints of their district. As the commonwealth has dramatically reduced its financial commitment to school districts, property taxes have skyrocketed. We can reverse this trend, reinvest in our schools and reduce property taxes by using revenue from a judicious number of slot machines -- and we must do this immediately.
Republican
Mary Jo White; 62, Franklin (View photo)
Education: B.A. Quincy University, 1963; J.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 1967.
Occupation: Attorney, state senator.
Qualifications: Over 30 years in the practice of law, including civil and criminal experience; 20 of those years as a corporate executive with a broad range of responsibilities, including environmental compliance.
Answer: Reliance on property taxes is outdated and inequitable. I support permitting voters to shift to a local earned income tax in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar reduction in property taxes. This respects local control over tax dollars, encourages home ownership and eases the burden on existing homeowners. I do not support expanded gambling to pay for tax reform. I have supported increased state aid to poor school districts to help ensure all students receive a quality education.

---

Posted by seamus at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)

Green Party Results

We'll see if this works. Today is election day... if you are one of those rascal Democrats or Republicans (no offense intended guys and gals). That is, of course, unless you are a Green. So why not take this opportunity to report the results of the Green Party's 2004 Pennsylvania Caucus held on April 24:

Candidate Votes Delegates
Cobb, David 102 16
Nader, Ralph 76 12
No Candidate 56 9

Marakay Rogers
Attorney General
mjr91@aol.com

Ben Price
Auditor General
bengprice@aol.com

Paul Teese
Treasurer
paulteese@earthlink.net

Dorothy Schieber
U.S. Congress 6th
moonirams@yahoo.com

Sam Krakow
U.S. Congress 7th

Kurt Shotko
U.S. Congress 10th

Carl Romanelli
U.S. Congress 11th

Bob Hagen
U.S. Congress 16th

Jonah McAllister-Erickson
State Rep. 21st

Susan Savia
State Rep. 93rd
slsavia@hotmail.com

Jay Sweeney
State Rep. 111th
jnln@epix.net

Scott Bussler
State Rep. 126th
stonedrose@aol.com

Stefan Kosikowski
State Rep. 127th
stefank@berksgreenparty.org

Thom Marti
State Rep. 193rd
judymarti@superpa.net

Posted by seamus at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2004

Toomey Surges!

Toomey has had the momentum for some time. But check out the new poll info just posted over at Daily Kos. It has Toomey and Specter in a dead tie which is very significant because it shows Toomey has closed the gap and with the momentum he has I have to agree with Kos that Toomey is now the favorite in tomorrow's primary. If this pans out my comments below about Specter becoming too beholden to Bush become irrelevant and Hoeffel's campaign becomes possibly even more critical to the future of Pennsylvania politics. I can't even imagine a Toomey-Santorum Senate pairing. Santorum is a good for nothing and Toomey doesn't have a whole lot more to praise.

Update: Fester has a pretty good take on the impact of Specter losing to at least the presentation of a Bush without coattails and the subsequent impact to Bush in November.

Update 2: btw, I've decided for a number of reasons to put off my look at the candidates until after the primaries. I know, I should get something up for the primaries but the truth is that I haven't looked close enough. In short I'm a registered Green and can't vote so I've been more focused on the General Election in November (Toomey-Specter posts aside - who can ignore that?).

Posted by seamus at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)

Bush v. Toomey

In 2004, George Bush's presidency represents a radical conservative ideology which will and should be criticized as part of the election. Which gets interesting when you have the "moderate" Republican Senator in Pennsylvania directly associating himself with Bush to defeat his radical ideologue conservative opponent. Specter's most recent commercials declare that the 2004 Republican Senate Primary in Pennsylvania is not Specter v. Toomey but Bush v. Toomey with Specter surplanting himself at Bush's feet in hopes of victory. This cannot bode well.

While this strategy may work for Specter in the primary I hope it defeats him in the general election. The reason many Pennsylvanians who aren't far right idealogues want to see him defeated in 2004 is because he has entrenched himself too close to the radical politics of George Bush. Now Specter has planted himself not only firmly in Bush's corner (as one might expect as a Republican) but Specter is now indefinitely indebted to Bush. This can only mean one thing: If Specter wins in April & November he will be unbearably beholden to Bush's special interests.

His defeat is all the more important now. So get involved in Hoeffel's campaign. And check out his new blog!

Posted by seamus at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2004

Weldon Finally Gets the Memo

Well, it is about time. Courtesy of manyoso I found this piece about Curt Weldon (R-PA) speaking out on Bush's failure to come clean about the need to give our troops more funding. From the Washington Post:

Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record) (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, charged that the president is playing political games by postponing further funding requests until after the election, to try to avoid reopening debate on the war's cost and future.

Weldon described the administration's current defense budget request as "outrageous" and "immoral" and said that at least $10 billion is needed for Iraqi operations over the next five months.

"There needs to be a supplemental, whether it's a presidential election year or not," he said. "The support of our troops has to be the number one priority of this country. . . . Somebody's got to get serious about this."

Posted by seamus at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2004

Specter One Sign

Driving in to town today I noticed a man outside of the courthouse. He was getting into his car and stuffed under his left arm was a lawn sign... for Arlen Specter. I was stumped. I have seen numerous lawn signs for Toomey but it struck me that that was the first Specter sign I'd seen. Go figure.

Posted by seamus at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2004

Negroponte as Ambassador

This is the news of the day:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday tapped John Negroponte, the top American diplomat at the United Nations, to be his ambassador to Iraq after sovereignty is restored to the country on June 30.

Bush called it a ``very difficult assignment,'' but, with Negroponte at his side, said, ``There's no doubt in my mind he can handle it.''

Nevertheless the gauntlet begins. Obviously Bush will want this guy approved prior to June 30. And if Democrats filibuster I can predict Bush's argument now: "Democrats are an obstacle to the freedom of Iraq." Democrats should call Bush's tail out for this cheap rhetorical politics - Negroponte is no friend of freedom.

Posted by seamus at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)

Tired of Anti-democratic Rhetoric

I'm pretty tired of this bull rhetoric used by Bush and company to try and stifle dissent here and abroad:

"The president stressed the importance of carefully considering future actions to avoid giving false comfort to terrorists or enemies of freedom in Iraq," said Scott McClellan

So George Bush, I have a question for you: Are you done providing false comfort to terrorists? And while we're at it why are there Al Quaeda terrorists in Iraq now when they weren't there before? Why are you George W Bush providing false comfort to the enemies of freedom in Iraq?

Posted by seamus at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)

Congressman Peterson on Iraq

Is U.S. Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa. 5th) a Cheney puppet too? He sure sounds like it. From the Bradford Era:

"The enemy has been putting forth its best hand and are being aided by those that don't want democracy," Peterson added. "It's very painful when we lose one of our own, but we are at war with terrorism and with Iraq."

...

"I think there is far too much analyzing going on at the moment," Peterson said. "Let's leave some of that to the history books. We are where we are and have to go forward. Monday morning quarterbacks can call a pretty good game."

Peterson said the country has the leaders to accomplish the task, but " ... when they are constantly in hearings and under constant attack, how do you do your job?

"We need to use the brainpower of a Condoleezza Rice or a Don Rumsfeld to concentrate on how to get the job done," Peterson added.

"It seems like on three or four occasions in that many years he (Kerry) would have stepped out of the crowd to take a stand on something," Peterson continued. "Leaders take you forward when you want to retreat. Some legislators are ceremonial on the job, they like the crowds and the publicity. But, do they work hard to make things happen?

"Somebody has to paddle the canoe to go up hill," Peterson added. "Where has (Kerry) been challenged and stood up for something and fought for it? I haven't had anybody tell me where."

Posted by seamus at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2004

Quiet Time

Hey folks, I'm heading out of town for a couple of days which is why I've been quiet (trying to wrap things up at home and job seeking). Anyhow, look for more posts on the weekend and I'll be starting a series of posts on the various political candidates running in this year's election in Pennsylvania (hopefully with some insight on what these races mean for the Presidential race). See you there.

p.s. and because the Allegheny Hills and Valleys know no state boundaries I also will take a look into politics in western New York. I'd love to put up any guest contributions if folks have input on any of these races (particularly in NY where I know less about the political climate).

Posted by seamus at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2004

Death Squad Champion Appointed Ambassador to Iraq

I'm serious. America's new Ambassador to Iraq will be John Negroponte. Negroponte is the former ambassador to Honduras where he had a role in allowing terrorists harass the population. Makes you wonder what kind of futures Bush plans for Iraq. Daily Kos and Mathew Yglesias have the scoop.

Posted by seamus at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2004

Direct from Baghdad

This introduction from Karl Vick, foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, says a lot of what I've been trying to say over the past week - things in Iraq are far different from the picture being painted by our political and military leadership. He is live now in a web chat from Baghdad.

In barber shops and living rooms, ordinary Iraqis are talking about Fallujah, and little else. The Marine siege of that city -- long dismissed by Iraqis as an exception, a rural place stuck in the past – is becoming a powerful symbol of resistance grounded at once in Islamic faith and nationalist feelings.

This is what comes across in chats and interviews with people on the street, in cafes and workplaces here. The great uncertainty is to what extent the coalition authorities – or the Governing Council – are aware of the change. The rhetoric from daily news briefings continues to heap blame on "extremists" and "enemies of democracy" and talk of a military response to a challenge framed in military terms. It sure seems a whole lot more complex than this.

Posted by seamus at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

Just the Headlines

I am a bit confused by the Iraq coverage over the past week in our major newspapers. Just now I was looking over the NY Times headlines and I haven't read the substance of the articles yet but these are the two headlines on the front page of the New York Times:

Obviously it would be great news if we hadn't suffered more casualties. But we have. And I start to wonder if a soldier is killed in Iraq and the NY Times doesn't make a sound - is it news? I think its obvious that it should be news. I opposed this war from the start with one major factor in mind - I was opposed to the loss of life that would incur.

Update: The substance of the articles is essentially that insurgents continue attacks elsewhere while tentative truce holds. Which is what the headline should say in a few words. I believe strongly that American willingness to go to war is reflected largely in the fact that (except for relatives of soldiers of course) we are sheltered from its pain. We've lost 73 soldiers so far in April - making it the bloodiest period of violence since the invasion (including the initial invasion).

Posted by seamus at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

The Fallujah Massacre

Look, stop calling it anything else. They killed four American mercenaries and we killed 500 men, women, and children. How is that a proportional response? How does that win us allies in Iraq? Here is the report from the BBC:

A group of five international charities estimated that about 470 people had been killed, while hospital officials put the death toll at about 600.

Reuters television footage from Falluja showed corpses of children, women and old men lying in the street beside body parts no one has had time to collect.

....

Umm Samir fled the town with her family on Saturday during a lull in the fighting, London's Guardian newspaper reported.

...

Umm Samir, 62, says her family was originally pleased that the Americans had deposed Saddam Hussein.

But then the US troops began treating Iraqis "disrespectfully... as though we were beneath their feet," she told the Guardian.

American behaviour had helped provoke ordinary people to join the resistance, she said, adding that even she and her older sister wanted to join the fighters.

Posted by seamus at 10:41 AM | Comments (1)

April 11, 2004

Are You Friggin' Kidding Me?

"I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America — at a time and a place, an attack," Mr. Bush said after attending Easter services in Fort Hood, Tex. "Of course we knew that America was hated by Osama bin Laden. That was obvious. The question was, who was going to attack us, when and where, and with what."

Are you friggin' kidding me?

"I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America..."

what the hell do you call this then?

Nevertheless, F.B.I. information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks...

ok, I've put the qualified in bold face. Say it with me. Are you frigging kidding me? What the hell was he expecting, mapquest directions with a time schedule in exportable PDA format? This is intellgience buddy - it rarely gets more specific than this and this intelligence is far more specific than the crap you sold America about Iraq.

But what am I missing here? It just seems that Bush is painting around the corner much as Condi Rice did. I'd like to see any of these guys actually speak truth to power. Can they do it? I don't know but their obscure, heavily qualified talk (such as the notion that it matters what the terrorists would do with the plane once hijacked when the goal should be stopping the hijacking in the first place) is disturbing to me. It leaves too many interpretations. Which means what exactly?

Update: The Post has Bush's excerpts from today. Bush says, "But that PDB said nothing about an attack on America. It talked about intentions, about somebody who hated America -- well, we knew that." "We knew that?" You knew that Osama was planning hijackings then? You knew that? Please tell me what you knew, Mr. Bush. I want to know.

As has already been pointed out, if "actionable intelligence" (a phrase meant to attach any indefinable qualifier to any obvious warnings) included directions and a time schedule we wouldn't even need a National Security Advisor let alone a security conscious President.

Posted by seamus at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2004

Exposing White House Cover-up

What else can you call this but an attempt to parse language to mean something other than what it means. A quick review of a few quotes from an AP article on the today's release of the August 6, 2001, Presidential Daily Briefing titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US." The article text is in bold.

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush was told a month before Sept. 11, 2001, that al Qaeda members were in the United States and the FBI had detected suspicious activity ``consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks,'' according to a secret memo the White House released under pressure on Saturday.

There is another aspect of this PDB which I believe is politically significant. And that is that the PDB clearly documents that Bin Laden takes years in planning strikes such as those on September 11th. This is something which directly undermines the notion (claimed by the Bushies) that somehow Bush has been successful because there have been no successful Al Quaeda strikes within the US since 2001. Since these attacks often take years in planning there is nothing to suggest that another attack is not proceeding as planned for some time in the future. This is why we must be vigilant and stay focused in our efforts to combat terrorism. And this is precisely why the war in Iraq is a dangerous distraction from that effort as Richard Clarke suggests.

Update: I want to add that the release of this PDB sets a vital precedent for getting future classified documents in these circumstances. Until now the Bush administration had been aggressively refusing to release this type of information. Only when it was politically harmful did they change positions - which is a signal of how the Bush administration cares more about politics than national security.

Also, Lapis makes a great point over at Daily Kos that the Republicans will use the information about how long Osama plans attacks to blame Clinton for 9/11. I don't think this holds however precisely because of the points that Clarke has made. In fact it was Clinton that made terror czar a cabinet position and Bush which changed that standing (a fact which in and of itself reflects the relative priorities of the two administrations).

Finally, I'd also add that this information about the time frame for Al Quaeda's planning and their actual attacks undermines Condi Rice's claim that this PDB information is not important or a warning because its "historical". But all of the information is within a four year period which is well within the timeframe of attack planning used by Al Quaeda. Makes you wonder how much Condi Rice really does understand about these terrorists.

Update 2: The least I could do is post a link to the text of the PDB. Which reminds me. For two years the Bush administration has played these things up as if Bush is getting some super-detailed briefing of extra-proportions and that these things are a sign of his interest in these issues. I know some oral presentation would probably accompany this but i just don't see Bush all that hands-on or interested.

Posted by seamus at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)

Time To Come Clean Mr Bush

George Bush in his weekly radio address this morning:

He said: "Our coalition's quick reaction forces are finding and engaging the enemy.

"Our decisive actions will continue until these enemies of democracy are dealt with."

The President said that guerrillas wanted, "to dictate the course of events in Iraq and to prevent the Iraqi people from having a true voice in their future".

It is time for all patriotic Americans to realize that we can't get honest news from the President or the leadership of the Coalition Provisional Authority. They continue to give us soundbites instead of substance. We need substance, solutions, peace. Our troops need it, we need it, Iraq needs it. Machismo won't do it, it didn't do it in Vietnam, and it won't do it in Iraq.

Posted by seamus at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Where is George Bush?

Would somebody please tell Mister George W Bush that it is time to support our troops and end his damned vacation? You better be believe that his "low profile" is being "questioned"! He dares to call himself "Commander in Chief"?

Josh Marshall has it right.

And if my anger is showing it is because I'm pissed - is there a single grown up actually involved in waging this occupation? What we just did in Fallujah was an act of vengeance - not rationale thought. Our soldiers suffer and innocent Iraquis suffer too. It is not right. And its time to acknowledge that our "President" is failing to take responsibility for what is happening over there.

The only people who seem to be actually supporting our troops and fighting to keep them safe are the peace activists. Has it come to this?

Posted by seamus at 12:56 AM | Comments (0)

Compassionate Conservatism

Well, I suppose so long as this General has the bigger bombs he must have the biggest penis too. ugh!

"We will fight the enemy on our terms. May God help them when we're done with them," said Maj. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division.

Posted by seamus at 12:18 AM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2004

What is Important...

I have been lax in posting (and other duties) these last couple of days because I have been attending to personal matters.

However, even with my distractions it wasn't hard to notice the lax coverage of a hostage taking in Iraq. Yes, Iraq unrest has been the headlines. However, usually hostage takings are accompanied with large headlines across the banner of the NY Times, Washington Post, and every other major newspaper. In this case though the hostage taking of 2 soldiers and a number of civilians has received a fair amount of coverage but not a lot of headline coverage (I cannot attest to television which i haven't watched or cable which i don't have) until now. I don't understand that but it seems to be a trend of sloppy coverage of ongoing events in Iraq.

Now, obviously this is due to the total chaos that has ensued in Iraq. And its not surprising that Al Jazeera is getting the best coverage (seeing as they are welcomed in otherwise hostile areas). And yes, the coverage by Al Jazeera is documenting the impacts of our assault on Falujah to regain that city. PAY ATTENTION! The images on Al Jazeera are being broadcast to millions of muslims all over the world and they show Iraqui children slaughtered in helicopter attacks. They are horific. They are exactly the type of coverage we don't seem to get in the United States. And so, if you want to understand the result of our occupation (besides the relatively well known impacts to Americans and our allies) visit Al Jazeera but be warned that it is graphic

I believe that 40 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this week alone. That is stunning when you consider than 50-60 were killed all of last month. This is tough to deal with. It hurts to think of the lives lost - the American lives, the Korean lives, the Japanese lives, the Iraqui lives, the Italian lives, and the others that have fallen victim to this war (and all wars for that matter).

Folks over at Daily Kos are doing some good reporting on events unfolding with the testimony of Condi Rice (which I still have not listened to due to those personal matters) and the rebellion in Iraq. I'll get back to my own posting this weekend.

Update: This hurts. Does anybody not understand that war sucks? All these idealistic war mongerers need to get a grip on reality.

Since the start of April, at least 51 coalition troops -- nearly all of them Americans -- have been killed, marking one of the bloodiest stretches of the war since the fall of Baghdad. To date, 753 coalition forces, including 650 U.S. troops, have died in the war.

Posted by seamus at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

Introducing Differential Indifferences

Because there is never enough to do! i have reformed my alternate blog initially intended for a narrow audience and have somewhat broadened it (or narrowed it as the case may be). Exploring Differential Indifferences is a pure rambling blog on life, music, board games, sports, and beer (at least that is usually what i'm drinking when i post there). it may not be for you but if it is (and if you are a grammar nut you'll hate it) come on over. tonight we have a review of ninetynine's 767 cd which has engaged me today. perhaps soon i'll write about my discovery of shannon wright (i've been sort of out of the loop folks).

Posted by seamus at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2004

Losing the Little

We are now losing what little support that we had in Iraq from around the world. Bulgaria is hedging, Ukrainian troops were forced out of Kut, Kazakhstan is withdrawing, Spain has alrady announced its intent to withdraw, South Korea has suspended the activities of its engineers and medics outside of military camps. The losses of Poland and probably El Salvador seem imminent. The situation is dire.

Iraq may seem a long ways from these Allegheny hills and valleys but you realize it isn't when soldiers (and mercs) with local roots start dying.

Posted by seamus at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)

Steel Yourself (Tarriff Free Version)

Harold Meyerson says (via Atrios):

Hear! Hear!

Bring on the Puppeteer!

Posted by seamus at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2004

The Empire Notes

I don't anything about this guy except that he is an anti-war activist and is blogging from Baghdad. Check out his reports and I'm posting his timeline here because its insightful in regards to current events in Iraq:

March 26 Running battles in Falluja in which U.S. Marines kill an Iraqi cameraman and at least six other civilians. At least 15 total dead, including one U.S. Marine.

March 28 Al-Hawza, newspaper associated with firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, closed. Its circulation is estimated at 10,000.

March 31 Killing of 4 Blackwater Security mercenaries (and 5 soldiers) and dragging and hanging of corpses in Falluja. Bremer and Kimmitt vow retaliation.

April 3 Thousands of members of al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army march in Thawra (Sadr City), a sprawling slum of 2 million in Baghdad. There have been protests ever since the closing of al-Hawza.

April 3. U.S. forces arrest Mustafa al-Yacoub, a key aide of al-Sadr and head of his Najaf office, for possible involvement in the murder of Shi'a cleric Abdul Majid al-Khoei in April 2003.

April 4. Four Salvadorean soldiers and 14 protesters are killed near the outpost of the Spanish-language “Plus Ultra” garrison at Najaf. Reports are conflicting. Some say gunmen from the crowd opened fire; others say the crowd threw rocks and drew fire in response. Either account seems plausible.

April 4. U.S. forces storm al-Sadr's Baghdad headquarters, killing two.

April 4, 5:00 pm-midnight. Clashes between members of the Mahdi Army and the U.S. military in Thawra. Seven U.S. soldiers and a variously estimated 22 or 28 Iraqis killed. Sadrists occupy three police stations in Thawra.

April 4 al-Sadr’s militants seize the police headquarters and other government buildings in Kufa, his stronghold.

April 5. U.S. forces block off access to Falluja in preparation for a major military operation. At least 1200 Marines are involved, as well as Iraqi security forces.

April 5 L. Paul Bremer III calls al-Sadr an “outlaw” and a warrant for his arrest is issued.

April 5. Al-Sadr supporters occupy the governor’s office in Basra.

April 5. U.S. forces attack Shiite slums in Baghdad (al-Thawra and al-Shuala) with Apache helicopters and with tanks with reports of five killed. They also open fire on stone-throwing militants mourning the dead of Sunday. Thawra and other hot areas in Baghdad are cordoned off.

April 5. Moqtada al-Sadr goes into retreat in a mosque in Kufa.

Posted by seamus at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)

Oh God no!

Iraq is in complete chaos. 12 more Marines are reported killed in Ramdi by one source. Another claims 130 dead but I doubt that (oh please no!). The report of 12 is AP (on NY Times website) and 130 is Sky News. Keep in mind that the 130 could be a typo or incorrect transcription or something.

Update: This report from Sky News Explains a little. This is not good news. Again, even if "only" 12 are dead that means over 30 Americans killed in three days. This is very bad news as Iraq is in total chaos.

A large number of soldiers have been killed in fierce fighting in Iraq, according to unconfirmed reports.

Some reports have put the toll as high as 130 but others have put the death toll at 12 with 20 wounded.

The large scale battle, described as "intense", has taken place in the town of Ar Ramadi, 20 miles west of Fallujah.

Sky News' David Chater said: "None of this is official yet - none of it is confirmed."

But he added: "It sounds very much like this is being carried out by men who are militarily trained."

Chater described the attack as "highly sophisticated".

Meanwhile, Tony Blair has announced he will fly to Washington to meet George Bush on April 16 to discuss the worsening situation.

Posted by seamus at 06:03 PM | Comments (0)

Finally with the Program!

No doubt it took time to compile this case. The ACLU is filing a class action lawsuit today against the "no fly" list. Why? Because they keep putting descent god fearing patriotic Americans on the list and its causing problems for them. Can't we just do something like this without being totally arbitrary?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A retired minister, a college student and a member of the military are among those involved in the American Civil Liberties Union's challenge to the list of travelers that the government has barred from flying because they're considered a threat.

Airlines are instructed to stop anyone on the ``no fly'' list that is compiled by the Transportation Security Administration. The ACLU contends, though, that some people are wrongfully put on the list.

``Many innocent travelers who pose no safety risk whatsoever are stopped and searched repeatedly,'' the ACLU said in a statement issued Monday.

Posted by seamus at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

Polling Through the Basement

For an administration that clearly makes decisions based on polls (just look at their response to Richard Clarke - at first it was tepid but after the overnights were in they went howling mad after the guy) this has to be disappointing. According to the most recent Pew Poll Bush's job approval rating is down to 43% - a new low. This is significant because while past incumbents who have gone on to win re-election have polled low in the year prior to election they usually haven't polled this low this close to the election. Also, those prior incumbents (e.g. Reagan and Clinton) were trending up. Hold your breath that sanity will prevail in November - I don't even want to imagine what this guy would do with four more years. Rasmussen also shows a major drop in American's opinions of the war on terror.

In other news it appears that Amo Houghton, the Republican House member (a moderate) just across the border in southern New York, is retiring. Or maybe not?

Posted by seamus at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)

Umm, Well, Maybe Not.

So is this now the largest troop non-rotation since World War II? I really feel for these folks who thought they were going to see their families. We've got to find a way to get our troops home.

On Monday, a senior official with U.S. Central Command said that the return home of about 24,000 U.S. troops who were scheduled to leave in the next few weeks would be delayed as their replacements arrive. Central Command's responsibility includes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With the 24,000 remaining and others who have arrived as intended replacements, there are 134,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Posted by seamus at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

Is there an Editor in the House?

From the AP via Fox via Atrios...

Deeply conservative and anti-American, Fallujah has a population of some 200,000, all of whom are members of Islam's mainstream Sunni Muslim sect. Some subscribe to radical interpretations of Islam, finding behavior by American troops like raiding homes and detaining men in front of wives and children as deeply offensive.

Posted by seamus at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)

Bremer Talking Desperate

I woke up this morning only to learn that seven more American soldiers were killed in Iraq. That is 15 in three days and the US Administrator Paul Bremer acknowledged that the rebellion effected several Iraqui cities. Here is what the NY Times is reporting:

Four of the most recent American deaths occurred on Monday in Falluja, where the American military and Iraqi security forces have encircled the city and are seeking to crush strongholds of Sunni Muslim insurgents held responsible for the ambush of the four Americans last Wednesday. A military spokesman in Baghdad said no further details of the deaths were available.

The three other American deaths occurred in separate attacks in a Shiite-dominated Kadhimyar district of Baghdad, where coalition troops battled militia loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, the militant Shiite cleric whose followers started an uprising in at least six Iraqi cities over the weekend, the military said.

"The attacks that have gone on against coalition forces will be dealt with," Mr. Bremer said on CBS's "Early Show" this morning. "We will suppress these minor-sized militia, which are illegal. And we will proceed with the political process."

Update: CNN is reporting that Sadr's militia has taken over religious, government, and police buildings in the Holy City of Najaf. How are we supposed to stop this? By stomping on them? We can probably "pacify" this rebellion but it will more than likely undermine any chance of maintaining a reasonable repertoire with the populace. Allegedly we are there for Iraquis and while that is just Bush propaganda we clearly are coming to a difficult crossroads in whatever we are doing over there.

Posted by seamus at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2004

Blurry Eyed

ok, I haven't entirely adjusted to the one hour shift forward yet. so i'm still on winter time. winter time.

We are a country running away from democracy and the Bill of Rights. We have developed very sophisticated ways and means to avoid the unpleasant aspects of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. With the press we have simply allowed them to fall into the hands of media monoliths and their top 40 automated play cycles. With speech we simply prohibit any situation or circumstance where the people of power can be influenced by the common man through good old-fashioned patriotic protest.

When it comes to the President of the United States we don't let protesters within sight - instead setting up "free speech zones" often up to a mile away. I can almost picture Secret Service on their radios while one agent makes a clatter of noise, "Can you hear me now?". If the other can hear the protest zone is moved.

The President doesn't appear anywhere where he might have to face serious questions. One way to avoid public scrutiny is to not hold press conferences. At this time last year Bush held his 8th press conference (most recent data I have). By that time Clinton had held 30 and the Washington Post said this on March 6, 2003, "After two years and 45 days in office, President Ronald Reagan had held 16 solo news conferences, President Jimmy Carter had held 45, President Gerald Ford had held 37, President Richard M. Nixon had held 16 and President Lyndon B. Johnson had held 52."

Hell, Bush is so intellectually incompetent that he can't even testify before the 9/11 Commission without Dick Cheney holding his hands (and one wonders why Cheney and Bush suddenly have no problem appearing together? What happened to Dick's undisclosed location?).

But one thing that has developed in this country is an antipathy for the open discussion of issues. We've developed all kinds of clever means and ways to allow for "debate" but which really open it up for manipulation of which questions even get asked and prevent opportunities for follow-up. I personally believe that this careful crafting of even the smallest events has mirrored the careful control the White House has over George Bush. Even our Congressman John Peterson refused to appear in public when his only opposition was an underfunded Green Party candidate in 1998 (he did manage to find time to meet with his fundraisers... sound familiar?).

But the fact that these carefully controlled public events have become the norm is infuriating and I wrote all of this just to say that there is a desperate need to crack the framework of stage-managed "public debate". And it is why the University of Maryland should not crack down on three students who dared to ask tough questions. Instead, all Universities (which are supposed to be beacon examples of the free exchange of ideas) need to open up their public forums.

Three University of Maryland students are facing disciplinary action for an incident in which they shouted questions and comments to Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, during a public forum at the school.

There was no open microphone at Cheney's Feb. 29 appearance on the College Park campus, and guests had been told to submit questions for her in writing. Instead, two of the students called out their questions -- one on gay marriage, the other on reparations for the descendants of slaves -- from their seats, and the third loudly uttered a vulgarity in response to one of Cheney's answers.

Two of the students said they have been accused of "disorderly or disruptive conduct," under a University of Maryland policy designed to protect the rights of speakers from being shouted off stage or drowned out by contentious audience members.

The students said that they weren't disrupting Cheney's speech -- that they were just asking questions. And their case has drawn the scrutiny of civil liberties advocates, who say the university's action infringes on the students' right to free speech.

Posted by seamus at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)

April 04, 2004

The Daily Kos Blogroll

For those who care I've added the Daily Kos Blogroll in the left column. This is a list of 100+ blogs maintained by contributors to the Daily Kos blog. Check out these sites.

I felt it appropriate to ad at this point largely because Folkbum was kind enough to add the Seamus Press and to show some level of solidarity with the Daily Kos community which is being somewhat attacked from the right for comments Kos posted last week regarding the deaths of the American mercenaries in Falujah.

And as for Kos' comments I'lll say this, and I think Kos has effectively owned up to this, that to the extent that they were indifferent and inconsiderate of the loss of life suffered on that day I would obviously disagree with those remarks. They were insensitive and Kos properly apologized. Second, however, I would add that to the extent that Kos was expressing frustration with the use of mercenaries in Iraq I would second that frustration. I find the use of privatized military repulsive because these are soldiers operating at our behest in a war zone without obligation for accountability.

And as for Kerry delinking from the Daily Kos community - I can't delink your ass because I never linked to your weak ass site to begin with. Grow some political courage damnit.

Posted by seamus at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Looking for a Cushy Mattress Sale!

At least that is my proposed solution - a linear path of very soft mattresses. Large cushy pillows would work too. Perhaps bean bags of sufficient size. Or.. water beds! If seats are on the way - move them! Nothing shall interfere with the large cushy landing project!

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Not everything is perfect at Petco Park.

Two right fielders have gone tumbling over a short wall in consecutive games at the new $458 million ballpark, and the San Diego Padres know something needs to be done before someone gets seriously hurt.

San Diego's Brian Buchanan was tracking down a foul ball in the fourth inning of Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners when he went over the wall that parallels the foul line. He was able to break his fall onto a concrete walkway that's about 2-to-3 feet lower than field level, in the process jamming a thumb and tweaking his left shoulder. He finished the game and said he was OK.

``Once you hit the wall it hits you about mid-thigh and it just kind of jacks you over,'' said Buchanan, who's 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. ``There's no real way to hold on. Your legs go out.

Posted by seamus at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)

Oh No!

Unbelievable. The rebellion is taking its toll. The NY Times is now reporting that seven soldiers were killed in fighting in Baghdad today alone. It is so frustrating to see Americans lose their lives over a war that never needed to happen. It is time to impeach George W. Bush for his lies and misrepresentations of intelligence. It is time to return sanity to our leadership in America. No more lives for this man's personal vendettas.

Update: The Times has a short AP piece up reporting 24 soldiers were also wounded. Nothing on the status of the battles. Keep the soldiers in your thoughts and prayers tonight.

Update 2: It appears that 2 soldiers (I believe these were from El Salvador) were killed in Najaf as well. And NY Times reports that security was restored in the Sadr sector of Baghdad. Whether or not that means that we have regained the police stations that were taken is not clear.

Posted by seamus at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)

Baghdad Burning

What can be said that isn't obvious? Last week I had meant to do an entry on the move by the Coalition Provisional Authority to shut down Hawza, the newspaper of Shiite leader Moqtada Al Sadr. Sadr is no doubt a radical cleric but part of living in a democracy involves the open publication of, yes, even radical ideas. And I thought that our goal in Iraq was to teach them about democracy.

Well, it turns out that that very move, to suppress freedom of the presses (no matter how well intentioned) has led to an open rebellion across Iraq:

BAGHDAD, April 4 — Iraq was wracked today by its most violent civil disturbances since the occupation started, with a coordinated Shiite uprising spreading across the country, from the slums of Baghdad to several cities in the south.

By day's end, witnesses said Shiite militiamen controlled the city of Kufa, south of Baghdad, with armed men loyal to a radical cleric occupying the town's police stations and checkpoints. More than eight people were killed by Spanish forces in a similar uprising in the neighboring town of Najaf.

In Baghdad, American tanks battled militiamen loyal to Moqtada Al Sadr, the radical cleric who has denounced the occupation and has an army of thousands of young followers.

At nightfall today, the Sadr City neighborhood shook with explosions and tank and machine gun fire. Black smoke choked the sky. The streets were lined with armed militiamen, dressed in all black. American tanks surrounded the area. Attack helicopters thundered overhead.

It also shows something else. George Bush is fond of saying that the resistance in Iraq is made up of people "who hate freedom". He rants on about how they fear freedom and so on and so forth. What this shows to me, and it should show to anyone, is that our President doesn't understand the fundamental conflict in which he has involved us. It is just a stupid, empty political rhetoric. Our President should show a deeper understanding of the variety of reasons why Iraquis may resist American occupation. Understanding someone elses position doesn't mean you have to agree with it - but its essential to resolving these types of conflicts.

This attitude of the Presidents doesn't surprise me either. It seems to be the neo-conservative mantra that we should make domestic and foreign policy decisions solely based on their own world view and without consideration for the perspectives of others. They argue to look at the perspectives of others is to "cater to terrorists" and then call all of their political opponents "terrorists" whether they are Al Quaeda extremists or patriotic teachers unions. There is no perspective of the world as being anything other than a battle between good (which seems to be defined in neocon terms as being the biggest strongest bully on the block) and evil (which is defined as anyone who disagrees).

So much for intellectual honesty. Not only do we now have politics bully style we now have policy bully style.

Update: This was just post over at Dailykos.

At a news conference in the Iraqi capital, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator for Iraq, said U.S.-led forces and Iraqi security would respond strongly to any violent challenge. "For the past 11 months, Iraq has been on the path to democracy and freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press," Bremer said. "Those freedoms must be exercised peacefully. This morning, a group of people in Najaf have crossed the line and moved to violence. . . . This will not be tolerated by the coalition, this will not be tolerated by the Iraqi people, and this will not be tolerated by the Iraqi security forces."

Which brings me to one other thing - lets stop pretending that Bush et al invaded Iraq in order to help Iraquis. Yes, that is good political spin on an invasion that the neocons have been planning since long before Bush entered the White House in 2001. But it is complete spin. The complaints by the Bush administration on human rights concerns under Saddam are simply a matter ofr convenience. The Bushies said nothing of the treatment of womyn before we invaded Afghanistan and they not only said nothing about Saddam's mistreatments prior to deciding they wanted to invade Iraq, but the Bushies actually have a detailed history of supporting Saddams worst moments.

And if you think I'm alleging that the Bushies are frauds when the feign concern for human rights in Iraq (and yet boast about their aggressive military actions even when they result in the deaths of innocent Iraqui civilians) well you are right. I am alleging that the Bushies concern for human rights in Iraq is false compassion expressed more for political points than any kind of sincere compassion for the fate of Iraqui citizens. I think the public record supports this but I'd welcome any information anyone has that would credibly dispute this.

Posted by seamus at 03:58 PM | Comments (4)

April 01, 2004

Listen Up!

Randi Rhodes is a bit disappointing. She reminds me of a lefty Limbaugh (which unfortunately is probably more interesting to most than substantive fun radio like Al Franken). But listen up because so far Air Radio America rocks!

Posted by seamus at 04:06 PM | Comments (2)

Some folks just don't understand irony

From the Washington Post on Air America Radio - the new liberal news radio:

Conservative radio host Jay Severin mocked the venture in the Boston Globe: "Yes, we know you believe with utmost sincerity that we are monstrous Neanderthals, but do you really believe your left-wing/pacifist/United Nations/French worldview will win a big middle-class audience? In America?"

Posted by seamus at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)

For Real

Now, over time I think many of us have forgotten the context of the political debate prior to September 11th. However, the recent revelations disclosed by former counter-terrorism Czar Richard Clarke have exposed the significance of what the Bush administration was doing prior to 9/11 in terms of foreign policy and in particular international terrorism.

It is inciteful to go back and look at what the Bush administration was describing as its international priorities. For example, a little back Josh Marshall dug up a detailed foreign policy paper Condaleeza Rice published during the 2000 election campaign to make the case for a Bush foreign policy. Josh correctly notes that Al Quaeda and international terrorism are hardly on the radar if at all in that piece.

Now we have the Washington Post reporting on a speech Rice intended to give on September 11, 2001, on foreign policy. Here is Josh's account which says it all.

Now in a front page piece in Thursday's Washington Post we learn that on September 11th, 2001 Condi Rice was scheduled to deliver a major foreign policy address on missile defense as the centerpiece of a new strategy to combat "the threats and problems of today and the day after, not the world of yesterday."

Then reality intruded.

As the Post explains, the speech contained little real discussion of terrorism. The only mentions were swipes at the Clinton administration's supposed over-emphasis on transnational terrorism at the expense of more important priorities like missile defense.

But there is more. This is very disturbing but it appears that the White House Chief Counsel may have had ex-parte communications with specific Republican members of the Commission during the hearings last week just before Clarke testified. Who cares about the legality - this is exactly the type of communications that are typically considered improper. Remember, these same Republican members of the Commission attacked Clarke's integrity voraciously. Here is the bit from today's Washington Post:

President Bush's top lawyer placed a telephone call to at least one of the Republican members of the Sept. 11 commission when the panel was gathered in Washington on March 24 to hear the testimony of former White House counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke, according to people with direct knowledge of the call.

White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales called commissioner Fred F. Fielding, one of five GOP members of the body, and, according to one observer, also called Republican commission member James R. Thompson. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, wrote to Gonzales yesterday asking him to confirm and describe the conversations.

Waxman said "it would be unusual if such ex parte contacts occurred" during the hearing. Waxman did not allege that there would be anything illegal in such phone calls. But he suggested that such contacts would be improper because "the conduct of the White House is one of the key issues being investigated by the commission."

Posted by seamus at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)

More Parody?

This headline from the Erie Times-News had me confused for a few moments:

OK. Now, I thought this was the Bush campaign claiming that there really haven't been 2.6 million job losses in America under the Bush II administration (the empire strikes back indeed). Alas, that wouldn't be all that surprising.

Posted by seamus at 01:56 PM | Comments (0)

Parody?

The Bush Campaign has filde a complaint with the FEC against the Kerry campaign and a variety of 527s for their fundraising methods. Ok, that may be parody enough. But here is the second paragraph from the Washington Post article:

The Bush campaign, which this month has spent an unprecedented $41.8 million on television ads, many of them attacking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), has become increasingly frustrated by the ability of Kerry and such "independent" groups as MoveOn.org and the Media Fund to counter with nearly $20 million in ads.

Posted by seamus at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)