
(Note: If you have not stopped by Christy's post from yesterday, please do. The blog is struggling financially right now and we could use your help. We really try not to ask for donations for the site itself, but with the drop in ad revenue we've been having and other expenses, we are calling your attention to the tip-jar. So, please, if you can, we appreciate your support. Thank you and god bless.)
As you might expect (and as Taylor pointed out earlier) the Wingnut crowd is not reacting well to the notion of the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. I don't know why anyone's surprised. The Right Wing's whole stock in trade is peddling mendacious bullshit to the masses, so naturally the concept of media reform to them is like throwing water on the Wicked Witch of the West. ("MEEEELLLL-ting! MEELLLLLLL-ting! Oh, what a world! All my beautiful WICKEDNESS…MELLLLL-tiiiiiiiiiiing…!")
Unfortunately, when wingnut trolls attack, they only prove my points. One of them offers: "…MSNBC, CNN are losing their audience in greater numbers, while Fox, Hannity or Rush Limbaugh numbers are increasing. …" Unfortunately, the argument is not only lacking in facts, but illustrates why the Fairness Doctrine is important. For instance, Fox "News" ranted on, as did Rush and Ken doll Sean, about WMDs in Iraq, as well as every other lie put forth by the Bush administration, reaching millions of listeners and viewers, while also slandering the U.N. weapons inspectors, who just happened to be right. If you add political Christian broadcasting to this toxic mix, you get a monopoly that is dangerous.
Let's just call a spade a spade here. The Right Wing toxification of the media environment, which began when Reagan struck down the Fairness Doctrine, has infected and corrupted our political apparatus in a potentially lethal fashion. See, the conservative world view looks like this: If two people are standing on the sidewalk and one looks up and says, "Oh, my god! There's a safe and it's falling straight toward us! Run!" You can tell the other person is a conservative when he says, "That safe isn't falling toward us. It's actually moving away from us so quickly that it only looks like it's falling on us. We're fine standing right here."
You can see the results of this kind of thinking played out on a grand scale in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans these days. And frankly, that's not particularly pretty. Pox News and the Right Wing robber barons it enables on a daily basis are taking full advantage of one of the salient truths of Hermann Goering and the Nazi party:
“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”
All those Pox News ranters and screamers are selling the same swill to their uneducated, overly credulous audiences, "We are under attack! The very values we cherish the most are threatened!" and then they go on to explain how their bogeyman of the week is to blame for all that is wrong in the world. A textbook example would be Dinesh D'Souza's book blaming liberals for 9/11, which, according to James Wolcott, is getting exactly the reception it deserves in the NYT:
Don't think it's online as yet, but in next week's New York Times Book Review Alan Wolfe administers quite a drubbing.
Like his hero Joe McCarthy, he has no sense of shame. He is a childish thinker and writer tackling subjects about which he knows little to make arguments that reek of political extremism. His book is a national disgrace, a sorry example of a publishing culture more concerned with the sensational than the sensible.
Who is the guilty reeker? Why none other than the Rishwain research scholar at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, our old friend Dinette D'Setta.
You would think that having been wrong about the war, wrong about the environment, wrong about evolution, wrong about the economy, wrong about Guantanamo, Jamil Hussein, Terri Schiavo, "Lonely Kerry", illegal wiretaps, and well, everything, that these people might slow down a little and take stock, maybe reconsider some of their ideas, but no, of course not. And they're fighting the Fairness Doctrine with a zeal that would be admirable if they were fighting, say, in Iraq, but on these grounds, their efforts are wasted and, well, kind of pathetic.
Here's what LaShawn Barber has to say on the topic:
Whenever things aren’t going well for liberals, they fall back on the only thing at their disposal: Big Government. When outgunned and outmanned, they create more government regulations to inhibit the success and progress of their conservative betters. One way they intend to do this is by resurrecting the so-called Fairness Doctrine.
Au contraire, Miss Barber. Things are going great for liberals right now. Or maybe you didn't notice the massively successful legislative sweep this week? Oh, and our "conservative betters"? Snort! Better at what? Eating Cheetos and drinking the administration's Kool-Aid? Cos, seriously, that's the only thing your side seems to consistently beat ours in. We're better writers, demonstrably more accurate, and I believe that the massive inroads we have made in the media in the last year attest to how much better blogging is when smart people handle it instead of a bunch of mouth-breathing Hate Radio listeners.
Listen to how LaShawn justifies her love for Rush Limbaugh:
I know conservative shows are biased, but the bias is transparent. That’s why I occasionally listen to Rush Limbaugh. I want to hear him cut down liberals, mock their Big Government reliance, fear of competition, and race pandering. On days when I’m sick to death of our not-conservative-enough-for-me president, I turn on Rush, who always makes me feel better.
And that’s exactly what liberals want to dilute. Conservatives win every time in the war of ideas; liberals, bereft of ideas of their own, will try to suppress and regulate the marketplace of ideas at every opportunity.
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TRex! Jane! Christy! Fritz! Pach! FDL!
Jane and FDL!
marksb!
angie!
Lucky #zero once in awhile…but to be honest, I think everyone’s exhausted at this point. What a day! (Oh, and additional shouts to Taylor and everyone else I’m too tired to remember that have been doing such a fine job this week…)
Is it cold down your way, TRex?
ouiski @
6
It is. And it looks like there’s some kind of precipitation on the way, but the current weather report doesn’t say anything about it at all.
Hey angie and wolf, what’s up? I’m gonna get pulled into reading to my daughter in a minute so it’ll be short and sweet. If you caught the news in the midst of the 40 thousand comments around here today, I got a preliminary clean bill of health from my oncologist today, maybe a need to do a “functional neck dissection” (strip the lymph nodes on the left side), and then a proclaimed cancer-free. And I can swallow again–just liquid at this point, but I didn’t have to use my feeding tube today. (My college daughter and her friends call it “the ultimate body piercing”).
TRex !!
Mark, we’re very very glad you’re doing better. I’ll stick with a pierced nipple, though, thanks.marksb @ 8
marksb @ 8
Oh happy day! Your news spread a big grin all over my face. Be well, friend, and enjoy your health and your daughters!
In honor of Jane’s recovery, I’ve donated $250.00. I know you can put it to good use!
Nice post, TRex. If any right-wing lurkers find this insufficiently “fair and balanced,” at least it has the virtue of honesty.
“I got a preliminary clean bill of health from my oncologist today“
marksb, that’s great news!!
congrats, marksb – that is excellent news!
phoebes @ 12
WHOOOO-HOOOO!!
ot – o’rielly on colbert. getting booed
twolf1 @ 17
I’m shocked. Shocked!
I sent my support to:
The Fire Dog Lake Company
8033 Sunset Blvd. #966
Los Angeles, CA 90046
twolf1 @ 17
Let this be a lesson to him about what happens when he steps outside his little Pox News coccoon.
The stupid! It burns!
The air waves are licensed from us the public and we can damn well tell these wingnuts how they will be have.
Packing up to head home, gang.
See you in a bit.
Eek. Life finally calms down somewhat and I poke my eyes in here where I find all kinds of craziness.
I’m glad that hear that Jane is doing well, but that situation truly sucks.
I’m looking forward to the updates on Libby and I’ll kick something in the jar tomorrow.
TRex, I would be in heaven if shows had to use that disclaimer.
twolf1 @ 14
Fantastic!
Mornin’. For a story about government insantiy on the other side of the globe, see comment on prev thread. Now off to work!
Too funny–Colbert said to O’Reilly that he had to leave The Daily Show because Jon Stewart was a sexual predator. To Bill: “You have no idea what that’s like!”
Thanks, TRex, for keeping on keeping on for all of us tonight. This week has been a roller-coaster, and reading you on your fuckin’ game is a great comfort tonight.
My fave graf:
CHEATING IN THE WAR OF IDEAS IS NOT “WINNING”
TRex @ 20
Crooks & Liars has the video of Colbert on O’Reilly, and this comment:
So who ya gonna watch!?
OK, OK. I’ve donated too. Not $250, though. :)
TeddySanFran @ 27
trex is channeling ms.jane and being our therapod extraordinaire.
thank you, sir!
Jane has 199 candles from people in 5 different countries.
If anyone is curious, Barbaro has the most virtual candles lit in his honor, at over 4000.
Now we just have to get the assault rifle out of their hands.
How on earth do we get the Murdochs of the world to disassemble their empires?
Well, no wonder Barbaro is still. . .standing.
I mailed a check today also.
Eureka Springs, AR @ 32
Set the time machine for 1978, and reinstate the laws regulating ownership of media outlets.
That would take out News Corp., Clear Channel, Disney and GE as media empires and return most media to local control.
Well, beyond a strengthened anti-trust/anti-competitive framework and the existing FCC framework, I don’t think you can, nor would it be desirable to.. which leaves two ways:– (i) regulation can, in theory, force the various pieces of such multimedia empires to function autonomously and at arms length, and make it an offense for them to coordinate editorial policy between the different pieces and (ii) the market may (and should be encouraged) to make the empires obsolete through new media/the internets, disruptive change, etc etc
Eureka Springs, AR @ 32
Support our firedoctrine…)
Bill O’Rly on The Colbert Report
I can’t donate cash but I have been clicking my little heart out on the amazon (and other banner ad links, when available) and this afternoon I turned my head away from the monitor while my errant pointing finger may have inadvertently pressed the “Pre-Order with 1 Click” button on a page with Marcy’s book on it…
“I figure my credit card will have 10 bucks on it by the time the book is ready for publication,” she said, hopefully.
Last night’s post was funny.
okay…occasional reader and always a lurker here, but I want to send money to the cause via pay pal. I need a name@domain.com address. Where should I send the money? Excuse me if this has been explained before, but I don’t have time to sort through lots of previous entries…
Thanks.
[Mod Note; if you use the PayPal button on the upper right of the front page, doesn’t it fill it in for you?]
HI lupitadog,
Go to the top of this page, abt 2″ down from upper RH cornere you will see a PayPal donate button. Click it and it’s all fill-in-the-blanks from there.
And welcome, interesting name.
Posted on the last thread by Professor Foland
Huge props to Harry.
James Robinson @ 34
I don’t believe that this is possible anymore, given offshore domicile etc, parallel holdco structures etc. The legal technology of corporate governance has evolved substantially since 1978, and I’m not sure we can go backwards easily. It may be more effective to regulate what the media operating companies (the various broadcasters, newspapers, etc whose product is made available to the endusers) can do, forcing them to make decisions about content autonomously, across outlets. There’s ample precedent for such regulation for this in other sectors so long as it doesn’t run-afowl of 1st amendment issues.
I am glad they got Alan Wolfe to destroy Dinesh D’Souza’s book. I suspected it was a piece of hackery when I saw his name on it.
Thanks HotFlash. Now THAT is a GREAT name!!!
This is off-topic but, to me at least, quite scary. China’s satellite killer made the news today, and it’s certainly a provocation, but I was more struck by what the news outlets said about shrubco’s space policy, announced in August (which I largely missed at the time).. check you: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/s…..index.html
“Under a space policy authorized by President Bush in August, the United States asserts a right to “freedom of action in space” and says it will “deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so.”
The policy includes the right to “deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests.”
So not only has shrubco (and now the Chinese) abrogated the various international initiatives designed to prevent the militarization of space, but shrub has outright announced a policy stating the space belongs to us, and that we’ll fight for it, preemptively? The child king has now staked a claim over the heavens as well as all the earth? Oh boy…
Good evening everyone. Hope everybody is safe and warm and staying close to friends and family.
Let me know if anyone sees Trex around?
-Monk
Slightly off topic….but can anyone tell me when coercion becomes torture?
Just read that Rules of Evidence for Guantanamo include evidence obtained from Coercion….phooooooosh! was that the last vestiges of human rights flying out the window for the detainees?
Blub – I spent a few hours reading through the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for 2007, last night. (looking for something I cannot find)
I must say it’s the first bill of its nature that I have read but it reads in many parts like someone went through it just looking for any possible way to edit/ rewrite in a manner that grants the President more and more authority.
Talk about sausage!
I sent fifty bucks along earlier today. Wish I could afford more, but that’s it for now.
Monk @
47
Monk in the house? This is a rare pleasure.
Stick around. TRex will be back soon and he’d be bummed if he missed your visit. Can we pour you something?
Fifty more dollars on the way. G’night all.
4jkb4ia @ 44
I quoted this in an earlier thread, but the Washington Post’s Warren Bass gave it the harshest review I think I’ve ever seen in Sunday’s Book World:
And concluding with:
great post t-rex! rightwing nuts can’t accept the truth – they only hear the spin from their “leaders” – the pox news [i like that name for them]and washington times the moonie paper. poor pitiful rubes who can’t or wont think for themselves. i just lit a virtual candle for jane.
The more we look into these things the more it’s apparent that the global vision of shrub and his cronies is some sort of post-democratic and even post-diplomatic scifi fantasy of Pax Americana, extending globally and into space, enforced by military force, where dissent is either crushed by rendered irrelevent by media propaganda, and where a small number of divinely-sanctioned demagogues delude the masses into electing them in sham elections administered by that bread-and-circus media propaganda mechanism. I used to think that this was just useful counter-propaganda on the part of the left, but every pronouncement by shrub, snowjob, abu, bigtime, etc etc seems to reinforce the belief that this really is their delusional vision. It’s not just scary and delusional, it’s adolescent and puerile.
Eureka Springs, AR @ 49
Blub @
43
It may be flip of me to say this, but maybe we need to go backwards anyway, at least with respect to ownership of media.
It’s pretty hard to do that without infringing on 1st Amendment issues, especially considering that we’re saddled with a solidly pro-corporate Supreme Court. Even if you can, I’m not sure if I want the government telling the press, for instance, what it can report as factual. The basic problem is corporate ownership, because the reporters and newscasters become primarily employees working in the corporation’s interest. Regulating that relationship might or might not work, but it seems like a band-aid in any case.
Certainly in the mean time it’s worth encouraging locally owned and independent media. People want to know the truth, and if they find out that they can get it from someplace other than the corporate mouthpieces then the corporations will have to adapt to that or face irrelevancy.
I’m here, I’m here. Don’t panic.
Hello, Monk! I was just reading your email. I think it’s a marvelous idea.
Hola RBG.
I’d love a glass of the 2000 Staggs Leap Merlot that my roommate decided to drink in an emergency romance scenario. It was a gift and boy he bummed when he thought it was a $7-$10 transaction and found out it’s a $70 bottle.
It is nectar from the gods.
Nice. Forgive the modicum of patience.
-Monk
Thinking on the fake stories promoted by the right lately, which have turned out to have no foundation, I just want to remind that this has been going on for a while.
One of the best, and least-noticed, examples is what was done to Andy Stephenson, a voting rights advocate whose only interest was coming up with legislation to protect those rights–for everyone–from outside interference.
At the age of 37, Andy was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, and he had no job, and no health insurance. Through a fund drive largely accomplished by his friends at Democratic Underground, the best medical team was found for him, and about $50K was collected to pay for his surgery, because Johns Hopkins would not do it without an up-front payment.
Some on the right decided, in their infinite wisdom, that Andy was perpetrating a scam. So, they donated to the fund, then told PayPal that the money had been extracted from them through false pretenses. PayPal put a hold on the payments. That held up Andy’s surgery for almost three weeks because he lost his place in the surgical schedule.
Then, after the surgery, he recuperated at a friend’s house for about three weeks, until he was able to fly home to Washington state. When he arrived, his local doctors could not treat him, because someone had called the state Medicaid office and said, as an anonymous tip, that he was perpetrating a fraud on Medicaid. That took more time to resolve. In the meantime, Andy’s condition turned sour, and he was admitted to the hospital on an emergency basis, and died a few days later.
These scumbags kill people because they’re sure they’re right, without the slightest bit of evidence.
Big Huzzahs, marksb. Hope full health pierces you next!
Monk @ 59
I will include the idea in tomorrow’s Late Nite post. Until then, I kind of think it should be a surprise.
montag @ 60
Oh, my god. Is this really what happened?
TRex @ 62
TEASE!
montag @ 60
that is just frightening…
g’night all.
I leave you with this evening’s Worst Person in the World
TRex @ 63
From the available evidence, yeah.
Howdy folks, late to the party tonight. Just caught up with the fantastic news that surgery was uncomplicated for Jane and news looks hopeful, Amen to that. Great post tonight TRex, as usual. I look forward to the Fairness Doctrine debate being revisited, its long overdue.
fyi.. Judiciary oversite featuring Gonzo on cspan now.
Forwarding vibes to all from a lower thread.
Time for shuteye here. Au revoir, I must surrender.
Hi all
Best to Jane.
Just got CSPan on = judiciary alread in prog. it’s feingold. Right now is the ‘blogs don’t want tatp.’
One thing I’m very happy about is a certain missing neo-Nazi-in-training from OH. A certain DeWine.
YAY!
There’s a cool special on vampire stories on the Hitler Channel right now. You guys may call it the History Channel though.
Great Post TREX!
My favorite claim of the right wing is that they are “fair and Balanced” Such Bull-hockey.
Renee at 31- Thanks for the info about lighting a candle. Added one for Jane and my Brother who is fighting Multiple Myloma (bone marrow cancer). He was just given the green light to get off kidney dialisys today and is thrilled not to be attached to a machine 3 days a week. Wahooo! We are celebrating.
Pammy-Spammy has a piece up on how the Fairness Doctrine is evil and alleging that Bernie Sanders is conspiring with other dems to end free speech in American.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 68
If they’re fair and balanced then I’m the goddamn Pope.
Time to make some dinner.
“How on earth do we get the Murdochs of the world to disassemble their empires?”
Have the Chinese shoot down their satellites?
-GSD
Pope TREX the first!
Bon Appetite!
It’s bed time for us in Topanga. Night all.
Hope you all have a restful night, especially Jane!
Blub @ 74
Normally I am hyper allergic to any sort of laws dealing with free speech issues, but the Fairness Doctrine that governed broadcasting for decades were not suppressive of free speech, on the contrary – they preserved it.
The requirement that opposing viewpoints be represented in an equal and fair manner is reasonable. Authoritarians of the left and right are the only folks who have a problem with the Fairness Doctrine because it challenges their myopic worldviews.
Not possible. The Chinese just don’t seem to understand Manifest Destiny. Shrub’s August degree claims all of space as sovereign American territory. And since shrub makes reality… clearly we need another war….
GSD @ 76
Can I get someone else to test a website address for me? I am getting an error when I try to access http://www.vongo.com by browser or by the software I use to get movies from it, is anyone else able to access the site in their browser?
Monk @
58
that is indeed a shame. must have been quite a romantic distraction if roomy’s palate didn’t sense the difference.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @
80
Internal Server Error – Read
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Reference #3.7248543.1169188951.639b64f
punaise @ 81
In all fairness, there are a number of really quite good vintners these days in the sub $20 label group. Especially the Australians who have specialized in this area. There are a number of folks who now enjoy wine having been introduced to the joys of tasting in this new, less pricey environment who do not know the difference between a $70 bottle and a $17 bottle.
punaise @ 82
Thats what I got too…looks like the site is down totally. Bummer. I wanted to watch a movie from there tonight.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 83
can’t argue with that premise, although our wine budget never ventures into the $70 range!
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 84
starring Two-Buck Chuck Norris?
punaise @ 86
LOL I think the last Chuck Norris film I watched was that silly ass Invasion USA movie in about 1992. I managed to totally avoid the Walker Texas Ranger series and even the reruns. The man is scary, he reminds me of every redneck I grew up with here in Indiana.
I had previously downloaded and was hoping to watch 23 Grams which had somehow escaped me in recent years. I had never seen that and heard it was good and found it on Vongo, which is a great service. Its like Netflix, but with downloadable movies instead of DVDs for $10 a month.
Wow, it looks like I’ll have 12,000 total blog visits by sunrise. On December 18 it was 1,089. I know this place prolly does that in a day, but…
To be able to touch that many people outside of my live shows just amazes me. God bless the internets!
Fini 23 Grams – good but sad movie
Netflix is starting (test-marketing?) an online download option.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @
87
Indiana’s a scary place. They’d always fake left before turning right. And they’d gun their engines to intimidate pedestrians. I’m not surprised that they elected a KKK governor.
Damn John Edwards.
Apparently he didn’t personally vet the background of the people buying his house.
Turns out the new owners are anti-union folks.
John Solomn’s rusty hatchet.
-GSD
He should have asked them if they support a free Tibet too.
I gave what I could, man.
How much is needed, right now, to keep the lights on? I can’t afford it but sometimes I think if people know what’s needed, they’ll open up more.
A little disclosure, how much cash is needed now?
It was wonderful to hear that Jane made it through the surgery ok, and good lookin out about not sending flowers, during the time I was in intensive care, I would say over $1000 worth of flowers and plants for other patients were turned away.
It took me about 3 months to get back up to speed, so I hope all those around her help to make sure she doesn’t overdo or rush her way back.
GSD @ 91
So, what the hell does this have to do with anything?
Apparently Ted Nugent ruffled some feathers at Texas Gooper Rick Perry’s inaugural.
I bet after he insulted gays and immigrants he offended the Christian attendees by playing Wang dang, seet poontang.
-GSD
Harold Ford’s career arc settles into its natural resting place – he’s the new head of the DLC (salon.com):
shame that Senate thing didn’t work out for you, Hal.
marksb,
Wonderful news!
TRex,
I just got through listening to an idiot conservative tell me how I want things to be all MY way, what with the Fairness Doctrine being reintroduced. Pffft. I told him it was good enough for Ike, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford…etc. It’s good enough for me.
Wigwam, I am being facetious. John Solomon has been writing anti-democratic leader hit pieces for a while…..
He specializes in making issues out of non issues. Non issues like being somehow accountable for the behavior of a person who buys your house.
-GSD
punaise @ 89
I heard about this but its not yet available. Vongo has a leg up here, and I hate Netflix Customer Service due to an incident I had which sent me into the arms of Blockbuster’s mail order operation. I then moved and got mad at the local Blockbuster store and decided to boycott all Blockbuster operations in general. I was happy to find this Vongo deal. Besides, an hour wait for the download is way better than a two or three day wait with the chance my redneck Hoosier neighbors next door will steal my mail like they have been known to do.
Wigwam @ 90
OH! I see you’ve visited! Please do not lump me in with the Hoosiers, I am what I like to call a Bloosier, a Blue Hoosier. This means I breathe via my nostrils, wont date my sister, and do not find the comedy stylings of Larry the Cable Guy worthy of repeated commentiing 25 times an hour. I never “git ‘er done”.
punaise @ 96
I despise the DLC, but I somehow miss the point about Ford. Is he a Clinton centrist who favors war and private health insurance?
GSD @ 98
OOPS. My apologies!
Wigwam @ 100
I don’t know much about his policy positions, but he seems to be a don’t-rock-the-boat scold in the Lieberman mold.
The ATP has actually adopted the Abomination, i.e. the third-set tiebreak from mixed doubles! I am very upset.
4jkb4ia @ 103
that sounds almost as bad as the designated hitter in the American Leaugue.
Why is a witness allowed to decline to answer so many questions when under oath before a senate or house committee?
So far I don’t hear anyone asking Gonzo if the FISA judges are granting blanket warrants similar to what they did before including a FISA judge in the surveillance program.
said Senator Leahey to Gonzales…
Really interesting and significant changes in the judiciary committee.
Ford was one of the media elite favorites. Matthews liked him, Imus wanted to massage his loins.
All I heard was a Clarence Thomas lite who praised Jesus and wanted to sound tough.
No thanks, I prefer my rightwing assholes white and uptight like Newton Leroy Gingrich and Tom Tancredolt.
-GSD
Chimpy, behind blue eyes.
4jkb4ia @ 103
Me neither.
Leahey is yelling and I do mean yelling at Gonzo over torture / rendition of Arar in Syria!
(Arar is the Canadian citizen who was absconded from NY airport, iirc)
woohoo! rabid lambs
By the way, Patrick Leahy was a MAN today grilling Gonzalez. He busted him up.
Eureka Springs, AR @ 105
I liked the change to swearing-in the Attorney General best of all! Spectre not doing so was an OUTRAGE.
Wigwam @ 107
That “git ‘er done” phrase is on every other truck here, on some little thing that sticks out of the windshield. Maybe it’s a sneeze guard…I don’t know what it is.
And on the back of the trucks, Calvin is peeing and looking evil. Fun-ny oh ho ho ha ha…not.
This hearing is a beautiful thing to watch. I missed the beginning, but am relieved to know Gonzales got sworn in this time.
Hi, all.
Just antsy here. Been a long day of worryin’.
What’s up?
Right on, TRex. Pox=Fear & Balloons.
Margot @
111
I’ve not been from that part of the country for several decades, but there’s some serious macho hostility there.
Margot @ 111
Are you in Indiana too? You just described every vehicle in my neighborhood. Don’t forget the number of the vehicle owner’s favorite NASCAR driver’s car is also displayed. Gun rack optional.
Oh Teddy, this is a beautiful sight to behold. I hope Mary was able to view this.
Anyone know how to wipe spittle off of the inside of a television screen? I think Leahey just moistened mine.
Wigwam @ 94
Absolutely nothing – just another cheap sleazy shot from the WP to smear former Senator John Edwards who had the cujones to be the first serious Democratic presidential candidate out of the gate.
I hope he sues them for libel.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 116
Indiana is the only state in the nation to elect a KKK governor!
Jacqrat @ 113
hey. just winding down a long day.
Wigwam @ 119
The post WW1 Indiana was a very strange place. While we had a Klan Governor, we also had a Klan Mayor of Indianapolis at the same time, and a thriving black business district in downtown Indianapolis built along Indiana Avenue.
We also had the best Negro League baseball team, the Indianapolis Klowns, and had several automobile manufacturers that despite the Klan presence hired a lot of black people to work in their factories in Downtown Indy. The racism was overwhelming but also selectively ignored. Very strange.
punaise @ 120
Just shot you an email – you able to access it?
Jacqrat @ 122
with some difficulty. more likely I’ll catch it manana at work.
Fini FiniTOOBZ! @ 121
And gangsters from Chicago with country houses in Terre Haute. Indiana in its way is just as weird as (if not weirder than) Georgia and Alabama.
But no places are as whacked as Texas and Florida.
Hey Fin. Is Indy the place where people eat chili on their spaghetti, or is that Cleveland, land of the Cleves?
Wigwam,
Fini,
No, I’m in Ohio. Semi-rural area.
Of course, the NASCAR number, I forgot that. Also, unfortunately, in our area many of us have the numbers on our rear windows of two local sherrifs who were killed on duty.
Monk…if you’re still here…I spent a season slaving in the lab at Stag’s Leap. Funnest job ever. The Merlot is indeed nectar, but the Faye will take you to heaven.
oops reposted previous comment
TRex @
124
Well, ‘cept maybe Norco, CA
Gonzales should be sworn at, not in.
-GSD
Utah has to be a close third.
Eureka Springs, AR @ 131
I’m told there really are secret handshakes there…?
Hey Steve! What’s so bad about Norco that is any worse than, say, Fontana?
full disclosure: was born at the Kaiser there.
Heya Steve Audio, Not sure about the hand maneuvers. Just been through Utah a few times and the vibes were, way beyond stepford, imo.
Jacqrat @ 133
So were a couple of my sibs!
Very similar, including the …odor.
We used to call it Marlboro Country, cause of, you know, the smell…
Having said that. I dated a girl from fontana for a while…as Borat says, “Very Nice!”
Mr. Leahy is too cool for school. Watching him on C-Span giving Gonzales quite a charming scold that included invoking the memory of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy who understood and honored the office of the US Attorney General and our Constitution.
I feel better and bid all a good night and sweet dreams.
SteveAudio @ 135
Norco/Chino used to smell bad because of dairy farms nearby (bet they are long gone) but Fontana smells bad from all the homemade Meth labs…
Jacqrat @ 137
When I was hanging out in Fontana, I’m pretty sure there were no meth labs yet. Now, of course, there are lots of yuppie housing tracts.
And the San Antonio winery. Mmm, very good. Vintage Tuesday.
Hey, Steve, I got your email. Will answer in the morning. I’m currently so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open.
Good night, everyone.
Oh, and SteveAudio is teh gay.
TRex @ 139
AmNotAmNotAmNot
Sorry, Ive got a site I am working on. Yes, Indiana is like a fifth ring of hell location. Its a very strange place indeed. Actually, I have family members that ran rum for Al Capone from Chicago to Terre Haute and then on in to Indy. A pair of great uncles in fact. Hilarious stories from those days still passed around to this day. They also used to hang out with John Dillinger at the Slippery Noodle Inn downtown, where there are still bullet holes in the brick walls in back where Dillinger’s gang used to hold shooting practice when that was a barn behind the bar.
And yes, we eat chili with spaghetti in the bottom like they do in Cincinnatti. Its a habit that got passed up the road to us. Its not bad really, I kind of like that. I use macaroni noodles though, not spaghetti.
chili mac!
g’nite, ‘pups!
SteveAudio @
132
Yeah, but in Norco everyone has a horse and a place to ride it.
Wigwam @ 143
Well, not really. There are plenty of folks we euphemistically refer too as ‘po’ folk’ living there, and all they have is the horse shit.
Jacqrat @
137
The meth labs moved to Mead Valley long ago.
Wigwam @ 145
Jacqrat @
137
The meth labs moved to Mead Valley long ago.
Where’s that?
OK, time for beddy bye. Gnight all!
Long, busy day. Finally got my chores done after returning home and read some of Pach’s comments from today. It is so interesting how this works. He’s there, being our observer. Sometimes the comments about his observations teach me so much about how meaningful this little trial actually is. Lots of comments by people drawn to fdl for what we’ve been Fitzing over for well over a year.
As Jane said yesterday, “this is so cool.”
Praying for and sending whatever healing vibes I can gather to Jane Hamsher, who is so beyond “cool.”
Later, folks
…is anyone still here?
tbogg weighs in on the assholes on the right who would just as soon wish someone on the left side of the dial dead before betraying any modicum of human kindness.
To the coprophiliacs on the right: eat shit and die.
I’d like to share a personal favorite from the NCMR of Senator Bernie Sanders telling it like it is, in his own inimitable fashion.
I can relate so well to what he has to say because I believe media reform is the key to positive social and political change, it is essential, and I’m so relieved that Congress will be revisiting the Fairness Doctrine!
And, geez, it’s hard to type with a 16 lb. calico draped over your arm!
Good morning, all. I guess I’m the only one here.
I’m happy and releived to hear Jane’s surgery went well. I got up early this morning and thought, “Got to get on FDL to see how things went!”
I tried to make political funnies yesterday to ease the tension but I think it fell pretty flat. I’m sorry. I should have remained a lurker but I just can’t keep my big fat mouth shut! Thanks, mods, for putting up with silly old mandrake. ;)
BTW (jeez it’s hard to type in the dark with a 16 lb. cat on your lap!) – excellent post.
Again, I am so excited about the movement to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The whole Spocko/KFSO affair is heartening as well .
And, as I’ve said before, when it comes to left vs. right, there is no doubt in my mind that we have the better, more intelligent, more cogent arguments, it’s just the air time we lack which all comes back around to sponsorship, big money and all that jazz. But here, in the blogosphere, we get to exercise our right to free speech and to express opposing viewpoints without getting stomped on by bloviators running the media train. And people like Spocko can actually make a real, quantifiable difference!
Anyway, perhaps sanity will actually creep back into the airwaves. The KFSO debacle is a good sign that the tide may be shifting, thanks in no small part to the progressive blogging community, even before Congress gets to review the Fairness Doctrine.
To that I say, a bit fat “whew!”
Mornin’, Mandrake -
Looks like you have the honor of either latching the screen door or unlatching it; never sure where the “break” point is for the nite & morning crews. That’s one of the nice things about the Lake…….. flexible “work” hours.
Sure hope Christy has an early update on Jane….time difference not withstanding. Now that raises a question: whereever does “not withstanding” comes from and whatever does it mean? There’ll be a firepup who knows…..this place is my collective brain & memory *g*.
Good morning, pups. The NYT has Thomas Friedman being green and Paul Krugman on what’s going on in the “Justice” Department. The money quote is Krugman’s last line, where he says the next 2 years will be a “rolling constitutional crisis.”
http://mgpaquin.blogspot.com/
It’s still raining here, but at least the temperatures have reverted to normal for a day or two.
It pains me a bit to say that the news of Jane’s problems were within a couple of days of the first anniversary of my mother’s death from cancer.
She’d had a radical mastectomy in the late `70s, but finally died from a multiplicity of different cancers thirty years later.
We live with these horrors individually and collectively, and wonder why.
I don’t know why. I’m not sure anyone does, for sure, but, I do know that if we cared more about health, and justice and peace, and less about war, we’d be on the right track.
One day, we might be on the right track. One day….
late to this party, and I posted on the fairness doctrine thread downstairs but it belongs on this thread too
I’ll tell you what;
the two most important issues are the fairness doctine and corporate sponsorship of politicians
both allow corporations to purchase law
here’s how the conversation needs to be framed and here’s what the corporations do NOT want the people to understand;
the air waves are NOT theirs, they are OURS.
a corporation rents the right to use our stuff, at under OUR requirments, they DO NOT have the right to say or do whatever they want.
this is what most supporters of the corproations point of view don’t understand, they are led to believe a corporation should be able to say and do whatever they want since it’s their bussiness, but these people do not understand it’s NOT their bussiness, it’s OUR bussiness.
if a “liberal” wants to promote his point of view, a “concervative” wants a counterpoint and it is required.
if a “concervative” wants to promote corporate agenda, a “liberal” counterpoint is required
otherwise we are fed what the corporation wants us to hear and we are not given the information we need to discover the truth
so that’s the way the conversation needs to be framed;
IT’S OUR STUFF, THEY JUST GET TO USE IT, but they DON’T get to use it however they want to use it
if they don’t like those terms they don’t have to rent our stuff from us, we can surely find someone that will gladly rent our stuff at our terms
1,409 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON ADN ON AND..
Good mornin’ Firepup Patriots…raise a cup to Citizen Hamsher and then turn today into the best fascist fuckin’ we’ve had to date.
KEEP THE FAITH AND DO IT TO THEM BEFORE THEY DO IT TO US AGAIN!!
g’morning
Judiciary hearing with Gonzales is on C-Span2 now. Sen Feinstein questioning about matters such as recent attorney replacement.
asshole liebershitz on Imus talking about being ” abit of a vengful person”.
G’morning to the dawn of the likes of you feline-wielders and neighborly java junkies.
A wish for more healing for Jane and 326 million others.
raven @ 161
Well, what does this idjit have to be vengeful about?
That the voters didn’t elect him President in 2004?
mornin’ all!
Muqtada al-Sadr aide arrested in Baghdad
Montaq: may the best of her continue through all that you bring to the world.
montag @ 163
rumi @ 160
Our problem is not an activist Judiciary, it is an activist Executive branch.
twolf1 @ 164
Well, that’s sure to make the situation there much, much better, eh?
Kevin Hayden @ 165
Thanks for that, Kev.
Mornin’ Firedogs,
raven – thought I might be able to sit through Imus just to hear what Liebushman had to say about Iraq, but just hearing his voice caused java reflux Xo
did Imus even ask him about it or was it all about that mean Chris Dodd ?
plight of a jones’n java junkie
I flip through Imus to catch some insight through those live interviews, like the compassionate reason of his DHS styled Bo Dietl….madmen all.
perris – yup
Marion – thanks again for the link. I agree with Krugman…hang on.
twolf1 – did that put him in a safehouse for the next few months?
montag – wise words and I’m sorry for your loss.
Feingold up on the Gonzo Grilling on CSPAN2
That’s it, yup.
I took note of Ari’s warning waaaaay back when in 02/03…it seems like 10 years ago. He often said to ‘listen very carefully to what the preznit(admin officials) say – listen to the words/language they use’
I’ve been on guard ever since.
rumi – “did that put him in a safehouse for the next few months?” possibly. as long as he is only exposed to ’safe’ torture.
‘aide’ could mean ‘intern’
there goes Gonzo – “I’m under oath so I want to be careful how I say this…”
If Abu Gonzales is lucky, he will only go to jail for some time.
If he’s not lucky, well, they’d better gauge the rope more carefully than they did with Hussein’s half-brother, otherwise, the right-wingers will be whining forever about how badly he was treated….
My wife said the same thing about his voice. Imus was all over him about how the Iraq plan had no chance of succeeding and Joe, George and John were the only 3 people on earth that think it will. It’s nutty that Imus likes this clown but takes him to task every time he has him on.
did Imus even ask him about it or was it all about that mean Chris Dodd ?
Pelosi: U.S. not obliged to stay in Iraq
and…
House Democrats beat 100-hour clock
rumi @ 172
I want those judges re appointed, I want the patriot act rescinded and rewritten according to our law, I want to see the president veto OUR patriot act
new thread
twolf -
It sounds like a possible disconnect but hey, if it means less killing and more peace… I have to say that targeting an armed group during their time of nonkilling is a good strategy.
twolf1 @ 177
we need to add agenda to the 100 hour clock
I want fairness doctrine legislation, (which won’t pass in the senate but I want the discussion
I want to eliminate corporate sponsership of our law, our politcians and I want to prevent anyone from buying law
I want the money stolen from me and my dad in the form of “tax reductions” to rich people returned with interest.
I want the veterans programs funded
most of all;
I want personhood taken away from corporations, they are given certain lattitude for being a corporation and they need to loose lattitude as the price
they don’t have to incorporate if they don’t want to but corporations CANNOT enjoy all the rights as people enjoy
I realy do not understand why conservatives would be oppossed to the fairness doctrine. One would think they would relish the opportunity to get their message out. After all, it is so hard for their voices to be heard in todays liberal media.
They need to scrap it and start over. I used to think a complete renovation of it would work but it would be better to start over.
1987… ah, yes, I remember it well.
The year Murdoch bought Harper & Row, to cement the publishing part of his propaganda tripod, along with broadcasting and newspapers.
Set the wayback machine, indeed, and shove a box of Judith Regan’s books under the publishers’ snouts, then lock them in a room with sick bags with Rupert’s face on them.
http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/145113/1/
MEDIA CONSOLIDATION IS FOR BLCKHEADS
Certainly the media should be held accountable for their content. Factual Errors must be corrected – over and over again. People who express opinions must allow contradictory facts to be broadcast.
I do not think fairness applies to opinion. It should apply to facts and how those facts create truth.
I also think it’s high time to break up the media empires, and provide more transparency.
Organizations have POWER, they do not need RIGHTS.