What do you call a government where the people running it give out prized contracts and positions to people whose goals are to either enrich themselves at the expense of the people they're supposed to serve, or to destroy the government outright by slowly monkeywrenching it and wasting its money in true white-supremacist "bleed the beast" fashion?
Why, you'd call it George W. Bush's White House, that's what.
Granted, Bush and his inner circle weren't the first to use the Grover Norquistian "bleed the beast" ideology to destroy a part of government they didn't like. William Bennett, our favorite finger-wagging moralist gambling junkie, did his level best during the Clinton administration to push his fellow Republicans to defund public schools so they would fail and be replaced by private charter schools whose ideologies were propped up with taxpayer funds (and which lined the pockets of several key GOP donors). But the Bushies do it on a scale that must make even Bennett envious.
And we were just reminded of that yet again with the student-loan controversy, as some long-overdue oversight hits it courtesy of Representative George Miller (D-CA). It turns out that — just as with FEMA and DOJ and NASA and pretty much every other branch of the Federal Government — the Bush Junta put rewarding its buddies over making sure that they weren't ripping off the taxpayers or the people (students, in this case) that the agency which paid them was meant to be serving.
We have a whole government now that is being run by people with the same mindset as the 9/11 hijackers: Just as the 9/11 hijackers had no interest in knowing how to really fly a plane, the Bush Juntaists don't want to know how to run the government honestly and efficiently, since at best they just see all the parts of it (and the people it serves) as disposable weapons in their holy war.
Ironically, if all the Republican Bush buddies with their no-bid contracts had to be assessed by the Bush Junta's pet toy for punishing dissident Federal agencies, the Program Assessment Rating Tool, they'd fail the test. Which is why they never will be assessed with it.
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first!
If guys like Grover and George Bush had to punch a clock, be producers of someting meaningful and helpful to the common good, and do some real work, like most of us have to, they might have a different slant on things.
Here’s the deal. Republicans inherit for a living. Democrats work for a living.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 3
Yet Bush posing as a Christian has gotten him support from Christian working class people.
I just posted my own chart of how Republicans name things and what the results and intentions really are. Maybe I should add de-funding the schools as part of No Child Left Behind.
I believe that most of the Bushite cabal would be lining up in soup kitchen lines if they ever had to compete on a level playing field. The ONLY way it appears for them to “succeed” at anything is to stack the deck and buy off the dealer. And give me a bit more time and I’ll mix even more metaphors!
Go PW!
What a difference. JFK and George W. both came from very wealthy families. Kennedy donated his presidential salary to charity. Bush does not.
Public Education is a HUGE fight here in AZ because several powerful state Rep & Senators own, in partnership or family own charter schools.
They are always obstructing anything good and putting in clauses that would bleed off funds for private schools.
SnarKassandra @ 5
I think you’ve got it exactly right.
Another excellent post, thanks! PW
from your link on Bennett
(my bold)
He makes me, sick. they all make me sick! First of all, the local school district is the heart of communities.
But, I guess if you have no heart…
Oklahoma kiddo @ 7
That’s cuz JFK believed in the power of gov’t to do for ALL cititzens. GWB believes in the three year old’s mantra of “gimme, gimme, gimme” or “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.”
Oklahoma kiddo @ 7
Does he give any charity?
Badwater @ 4
Perhaps the best that can be said for these people is they are fools. Being led to the slaughter.
EPU’ed way downunder
Oklahoma kiddo @ 13
Badwater @ 4
Oklahoma kiddo @ 3
Here’s the deal. Republicans inherit for a living. Democrats work for a living.
Yet Bush posing as a Christian has gotten him support from Christian working class people.
Perhaps the best that can be said for these people is they are fools. Being led to the slaughter.
They buy into the myth still that maybe they can make it if only the evil dems/socialists/librul commie pinkos would leave everybody alone, they would be rich.
Zig freed by MOD
Oklahoma kiddo @ 7
But it’s hard work
privateerin’, erprevaricaterin’, um, presidentin’.;>)
No Child Left Behind as it is currently configured must DIE. It must be completely overhauled because it hurts every child in the system. It was an underfunded boondoogle from day one, forcing states to pull teachers from classrooms to do administrative work. It forces schools to concentrate their efforts on teaching to tests and focus on uniformity of schooling experience, instead of encouraging all children to find their own gifts and operate to their own abilities. The uniformity process dumbs down the smartest while depriving the students most in need of assistance adequate resources.
And yet the private schools aren’t a better choice — they’re only more centered on an ideology, whether it is Christian dogma or the sustained networking of already-connected wealthy scions.
What is just as damaging as NCLB is the media and its portrayal of public schools. There are far too many parents who believe that spending more money on a private school ensures a better outcome, based on nothing more than media propaganda.
This has to change as soon as Bush leaves office if not sooner.
I found this very interesting…
SnarKassandra @ 12
Interesting question. If GWB does give; to whom and how much?
You ask Cassie and you shall receive….
Presidential Tax Returns
Oklahoma kiddo @ 13
Some are definately being slaughtered serving in Iraq. None of those serving are from the Bush family. Do those working class Bush supporters notice?
Rayne @ 16
I am absolutely and adamantly against the so called “no child left behind” dogma.
PW, you are freakin’ aflame this week.
Great work.
katymine @ 14
1hr complete movie: http://www.informationclearing…..e13803.htm
Oklahoma kiddo @ 18
One of his mother’s charity gifts directed the money to buy Neil Bush’s software. Our Royal Republic Family exhibits so much class.
Badwater @ 25 says:
Yeah, Babs’ “Katrina” donation. Still trying to figure out how buying school software supports hurricane refugees but I really never have understood much of anything in the Bushite minds.
Badwater…
Charity begins (and ends) at home I guess. The Republican mantra it seems.
Badwater @ 24
I don’t count intrafamilial redistribution as “charity.”
Badwater @ 24
The peons would just spend it on frivolous baubles like food and shelter if not so directed…They’re such children.
;>)
I honestly think that this sentence should read, “Just as the 9/11 hijackers had no interest in knowing…”.
Just your friendly transcontinental anal-retentive trying to help out.
kirk murphy @
23
Yes she is.
See, also, Robert Kuttner’s OpEd in today’s Boston Globe. His premise ought to be obvious. If private sector middlemen don’t add value to government transactions, they shouldn’t be in the middle; government should act directly.
Rather than give taxpayers the most bang for their buck, this business-degreed president gives us wholesale outsourcing without regard to value, as if debilitating government were an intended outcome. High-cost mercenaries in Iraq and outsourced auditors in place of govt inspectors general are among many examples.
The faux capitalists of the student loan industry are among the most harmful. Like hungry larvae in the belly of a wasp, they eat away at this essential program and the finances of the students and families it seeks to help, then fly away, gorged on risk-free profits. That’s not private enterprise, it’s public corruption.
Badwater @ 24
Her big Katrina “gift”
Beyond belief!
But that family has enriched itself through the government for several generations, they go out of their way to live off the government.
Rayne @ 17
We here in AR, are losing ground on this isue every day.. With billionares such as Walter Hussman who owns the States largest newspaper ( Ar Democrat Gazzete) and is friends of Scaife and the Waltons… all of whom are dedicated to the likes of charter schools on church property and teacher bonuses for their (hussman scaife waltons) own litmus tests.
It is a full frontal assault and few in the public are aware since all politicians and all media ar4e bought and paid for… the fix is in.
If government is so evil in the eyes of the GOP, why then is this deficit business almost incomprehensible and the ranks of the government balloned under Bush and the Republicans?
earlofhuntingdon @ 31
That is so true.
The IRS could set it up so we could figure out our taxes directly through them, but the head of the IRS said that’ll never happen because they don’t want to disrupt the tax preparing industry.
Oklahoma kiddo @
35
Because gov’t is evil, it can do no good in their eyes. Therefore, using it to bleed all the money and give it to friends and fellow travelors is a good thing. Keeps it away from all the great unwashed who don’t know their place, doncha know.
Eureka Springs@ 34
You know what really torques my chaps?
High quality public school systems with great teachers, happy children and satisfied parents make their residential and business properties in the same communities more valuable.
I am so f*cking sick of the selfish, self-centered right-wing wealthy Xtianist freaks in this country — because they are so f*cking stupid for all their private education.
They can’t even see that they get more out of their meager investments in public schools than they put in.
say, did gonzo quit yet? or is that tomorrow afternoon?
OT: round 1 of French presidential elections
todaytomorrow.ABS, as far as I’m concerned: anybody but Sarkozy (the French Giuliani?)
Rayne @ 38 says:
They are from the class of people who never have believed in things like universal education or social security or the social net. Government has no purpose other than to line thier pockets. They would have fit in quite well with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and the court at Versailles.
Since the post concerns Bush and his circle, I guess now is as good of time as any to ask a question that’s been on my mind for a few days.
What ever happened to that gal that works for Bush, I think her name is Rice? Is it me or haven’t we seen or heard anything from or about her for quite some time? Did she die? Get knocked up and go for an abortion? What? Or have I just not been paying attention enough. It seems to me like she just dropped off the radar screen.
dakine01 @ 40
They are from the class of people who never have believed in things like universal education or social security or the social net. Government has no purpose other than to line thier pockets. They would have fit in quite well with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and the court at Versailles.
that’s the thing of it. THEY are the ones gorging themselves on it
Seineman @ 41
she’s hiding from WAXMAN
Seineman – She’s been diplomatin’ our allies into accepting the missile defense plan for europe.
Elliott @ 43 says:
It class warfare at its finest. Too many people don’t realize it as it is so foreign to what they’ve been taught is the ‘Murikan way.
Seineman @ 42
Who? You don’t suppose she is conducting diplomacy, do you?
dakine01 @ 15
A Wagnerian moment?
Seineman @ 42
She’s too busy trying to avoid Waxman.
spurious @ 48
as opposed to the “zig felled” follies
spurious @ 48
Call of the Valkyries or Call of the Wild?
The more I think of it, the more clearly I’m seeing this regime like the infection it is. We need to keep activating the antibodies. We need to wall it off and destroy it.
Wouldn’t making lobbyist’s contibutions to office seekers illegal, make things even? And limiting personal contributions to say $100.00 make for fairness? In other words, everybody running for office gets basically the same amount of money, thereby making ‘the message’ paramount. And since the airwaves are supposed to be owned by the public, force the tv, radio and print media to provide equal time and space to each campaigner. Am I trying to say publicly finance elections?
Elliott @ 52
The LIGHT! It HURTZ! It HURTZ! AAAAIIIIEEEEE!
snarkassandra @ 5
just read your blog post–
you inspire, my girl, you certainly do!
Oklahoma kiddo @ 53
Not until all campaigns are publicly financed and they do away with the myth that cash=speech.
Rayne @ 37
Funny how that worked out…I would think that choosing to pay for your child’s formative education (rather than subjecting them to the public school system) would be intended to enhance native intellect and critical reasoning, not latent prejudicial stupidities and how to apply oversimplification universally, learned by rote.
I’m just not seeing the value in the concept…Silly me
;>)
dakine01 @ 45
It class warfare at its finest. Too many people don’t realize it as it is so foreign to what they’ve been taught is the ‘Murikan way.
But there are businesses that don’t make their money directly off the government. They may want less government, but they just want to transact business. Bush and Company are feeding on us.
dakine01 @ 53
Infestation is another good way to look at it, they sure are cockroaches. (Bug Man being one of the big ones.)
Elliott @ 58 says:
BINGO!
dakine
Go PW!
and i bet they don’t know how to cook fried chicken or pot roast or choose clothes that match! makes me sad to think of how their lives would be if they had to compete……that’s the key, they don’t have to, no level playing field……..but i’ve commented before that i wonder how many people will be in his circle when it’s all said and done……thank god for honest friends and family……he has none of those…….it’s sad, really. i’ll take my family over his any day.
Gonzo must be worried that keeping his job is no slam dunk, because it was reported that he called Senators yesterday to see how they thought his hearing went. If he was sure W was going to back him through thick and thin, he would not have bothered. IMHO
Ted Olson comes up as top of the list of replacements. Could he pass confirmation? Can W nominate an interim AG (to run the clock out)?
Elliott @ 58 says:
dakine01 @ 59
Why are we the only ones that see this! It’s flashing red
ok kiddo
takin’ me forever to catch up in this thread!!!!
kennedy was brought up with a sense of responsibility of community, as were all kennedy’s, bush wasn’t…..one of the main differences of dems and repubs according to my fdr democrat father.
dmac @ 61 says:
Agreed. I may not be living near them but I know I have family that will take me in. My cousins back in KY are all family as are my sister and brother. And thanks for the compliment even if ya ain’t et my chicken or roast. :})
PW, you nailed it. I guess I would call it something like neo-fascism or straightforward government embezzlement.
ok kiddo
ohmy, that is the scenario i so hope for…….laws of physics point that way………ha……..
dmac @ 63
takin’ me forever to catch up in this thread!!!!
kennedy was brought up with a sense of responsibility of community, as were all kennedy’s, bush wasn’t…..one of the main differences of dems and repubs according to my fdr democrat father.
The Kennedy kids had to be prepared to debate a topic at the dinner table every night. Don’t see that happening at Bar’s table.
LS @ 62 asks:
Olson prolly couldn’t be confirmed due to the Arkansas Project where he lied about his involvement during confirmation for Solicitor General slot. The Repubs would pound the victim angle hard for him because of his wife. Most likely, The Chimpenfuhrer would give him a recess appointment, given past performances. If he were the choice.
Seineman @
42
Rice update from Princess Sparkle Pony.
dakine01 @ 68
Olson prolly couldn’t be confirmed due to the Arkansas Project where he lied about his involvement during confirmation for Solicitor General slot. The Repubs would pound the victim angle hard for him because of his wife. Most likely, The Chimpenfuhrer would give him a recess appointment, given past performances. If he were the choice.
on Election 2000 principle, NO! to Olson
Oklahoma kiddo @ 22
We spend so many hours and days doing the stupid tests, preparing for the stupid tests, and not enough time learning real stuff.
TeddySanFran:
George Orwell would probably be astounded at how good a prognosticator he was. And incredibly disappointed at the same time.
When Neal Bush crashed the S&L, there were people who went to prison taking the fall for the illegality perpetrated. How does one go about finding out just how well they were taken care of by the Bushes for taking the legal hit. Since a conviction is on the public record, would this infringe on their privacy. In other words, are those people now be living off ill gotten gains after serving their time?
Jane H @ 31 a mighty second to that.
katymine at 20
thanks for the presidential tax returns, will go over them later……..
dakine01 @ 69
Olson prolly couldn’t be confirmed due to the Arkansas Project where he lied about his involvement during confirmation for Solicitor General slot. The Repubs would pound the victim angle hard for him because of his wife. Most likely, The Chimpenfuhrer would give him a recess appointment, given past performances. If he were the choice.
Novakula reported last week that Reid may have no more recesses at all, after W snuck Sam Fox through during Spring Break.
SnarKassandra @ 72 says:
It may be that those of you who care about truly learning are going to have to do it for yourself after hours. That is not a pleasant thought I know but…
If nothing else, read, read, read. History, biographies, sociology. Go to the library and get the books on writing style and grammer. Work with your teachers about critical thinking skills. Think through the consequences of actions.
I think you are already doing this in a lot of ways. Writing your blogposts will help to focus your mind but question authority. Do NOT blindly accept all the gibberish spouted by people who shout the loudest.
(climbing off soapbox now)
dakine01 @ 51
The (wild) ride of the Valkyries.
dakine01 @ 77
It may be that those of you who care about truly learning are going to have to do it for yourself after hours. That is not a pleasant thought I know but…
If nothing else, read, read, read. History, biographies, sociology. Go to the library and get the books on writing style and grammar. Work with your teachers about critical thinking skills. Think through the consequences of actions.
I think you are already doing this in a lot of ways. Writing your blog posts will help to focus your mind but question authority. Do NOT blindly accept all the gibberish spouted by people who shout the loudest.
(climbing off soapbox now)
I do all of that now, and Aunt Betsy has a ton of books on writing. We just got Howard Zinn’s US History book, but I am only on Ch 2.
SnarKassandra @ 72
And if they ain’t foolin’ the kids, folks, they ain’t foolin’ nobody.
TeddySanFran @ 76
We’ve got to stand up and fight!
rayne @17
And yet the private schools aren’t a better choice — they’re only more centered on an ideology, whether it is Christian dogma or the sustained networking of already-connected wealthy scions.
What is just as damaging as NCLB is the media and its portrayal of public schools. There are far too many parents who believe that spending more money on a private school ensures a better outcome, based on nothing more than media propaganda.
This has to change as soon as Bush leaves office if not sooner.
my mother who taught reading, then was an elementary school principal, said it started with reagan, said if she could get away with it, she would have wiped him out because of it, she catches bugs and puts them outside, but would have wiped out reagan……and boy she meant it….
friends and family are educators, and are in despair over NCLB………despair…….teaching to the tests….two teach disabled, one teaches 9th grade english, others general ed….they are in a trap they can’t do anything about……so they do the best they can…….
(catching up on thread, i’m at 17!!!!!!!) geesh you all are making good comments today!!!!!!!!! i’ll soon be epu’d at the rate i’m going.
Elliott @ 81
if we’re fighting for recess, how ’bout longer lunch breaks?
TeddySanFran @ 76 says:
We can but hope. And Dream. And all those other words.
I hope Harry and Madame Speaker both keep the Congress officially in session from now through 1/20/09. It would mean sacrifices from some of the elected officials to stay in DC over normal “holiday” or “vacation” periods, but keeping one or two in town for the formalities of opening a daily session then adjourning (or whatever the proper term is) to keep the Chimpenfuhrer from his games is a good thang.
SnarKassandra @ 79
If you like Zinn, you might also get some mileage out of James Loewen’s
Lies My Teacher Told Me, which is in something of the same public-minded spirit. It’s a combination American history expose and analysis of why the information Loewen presents DOESN’T make it into high school curricula. The book over ten years old now, but nothing has changed for the better since Loewen wrote it.
ok kiddo at 27
Charity begins (and ends) at home I guess. The Republican mantra it seems.
i was taught that true charity touches me not at all in any manner………
kirk murphy @ 82
if we’re fighting for recess, how ’bout longer lunch breaks?
LOL!
But, NO! no time to dilly dally!
dmac @ 86
Me too. That’s why I would never claim charitable contributions as tax write-offs.
SnarKassandra @ 79 says:
My history instructor in college for US History (I had him for both semesters – US History ’til 1865 and US History since 1865) gave us credit on tests if we got within ten years of the date of historical events. We got the credit for knowing WHY things happened rather than just rote regurgiataing of raw data points.
dmac @ 86
i was taught that true charity touches me not at all in any manner………
You probably weren’t taught about republic charity.
Just remember that Rove has been working hard to produce a political feudal system out of the federal government.
Elliott @ 86
kirk murphy @ 82
TeddySanFran @ 76
Novakula reported last week that Reid may have no more recesses at all, after W snuck Sam Fox through during Spring Break.
Elliott @ 81
We’ve got to stand up and fight!
if we’re fighting for recess, how ’bout longer lunch breaks?
LOL!
But, NO! no time to dilly dally!
My last 2 yrs in elementary we had “constructive recess” to get in enough hours of PE every week. The regular classroom teacher made us walk the track or do exercises or stuff. But we also still had our regular recess.
Zig freed by MOD
dakine01 @ 88
My history instructor in college for US History (I had him for both semesters – US History ’til 1865 and US History since 1865) gave us credit on tests if we got within ten years of the date of historical events. We got the credit for knowing WHY things happened rather than just rote regurgiataing of raw data points.
That sounds like my teacher from last year, but not from this year.
dakine01 @ 83
We can but hope. And Dream. And all those other words.
I hope Harry and Madame Speaker both keep the Congress officially in session from now through 1/20/09. It would mean sacrifices from some of the elected officials to stay in DC over normal “holiday” or “vacation” periods, but keeping one or two in town for the formalities of opening a daily session then adjourning (or whatever the proper term is) to keep the Chimpenfuhrer from his games is a good thang.
They can’t afford not to stay in session. BushCo has to be fought back.
Badwater @ 90 says:
Republic Charity=I got mine, F*ck You!
punaise @ 40 (if you’re still here):
Just got to the Lake. What do you think of Sego’s chances?
OfT:
Howell, irrelevant yet again, praises the Post’s VirginiaTech coverage to the heavens without ever discussing the decision to play the NBC pr0n above the fold. Really, this woman must be put out to pasture. I won’t link and I won’t excerpt; don’t bother heading over. It could not be more management-fluffing. It’s absolutely criticism-free.
dakine01 @ 94
Republic Charity=I got mine, F*ck You!
that sums it up
seineman at 42
wondered the same thing ever since i heard that def sec gates is in iraq for a few days…….ewhere’s condi? shopping for summer suits. boots are now out of season.
TeddySanFran @ 97
Debbie does Washington. Again. And Again. And …
PW,
Thanks for putting that Reed Hundt link up there. I post that wherever I see a conversation like this. It makes my blood boil to think of the young minds that Bennett was willing to sacrifice for his own agenda. And it makes me sick that he was in charge of the Dept. of Education, no less.
Let’s not forget that he was the Drug Czar, too. That’s been terrific for America, too.
OT
Boston 7 Yankees 4
bottom of the 4th
I need your help please.
One of the bloggers at YouThinkLeft posted a photo of Cho from this website that is no longer on wikipedia. Does anyone know anything else about the photo? Have you seen or heard anything about why he was in a marines uniform or who the person next to him is?
Thanks.
SnarKassandra @ 5
Thanks!
dakine at 65
Quote This Comment
it’s all in the preparation, and i can tell you’ve got that down!!!!!!! had a boyfriend from the hills of kentucky, know the area and the clan…….i’m in ohio…..where my relatives and friends live they call it hamiltucky, because of all of the kentucky imports…….
am at 65, i’m catchin’ up. back to comments downthread…….
Elliott @ 94
Could that prevent another Gonzo, if he goes under the bus?
oh, and dakine, meant to mention, my penn dutch gma taught me to soak chicken in milk, not salt water…….have tried both, verdict still out…….
SnarKassandra brings up No Child Left Behind.
The really said thing about that is that BushCo ripped off the catchphrase from the genuine child welfare group The Childrens’ Defense Fund.
Cassy @ 93
Good on ya, never be limited by what others might neglect. The more you read, and explore, and experience, the wider you will find your horizons. History isn’t just a textbook with assigned reading for class, it is letters, bigraphies, autobiographies if you are lucky, and out of it all comes a picture of what was real and why it was real. If you have the joy that you seem to posses, you are going to be quite something and if it is your choice, you would be a remarkable teacher yourself, giving your gift to others.
I had the great fortune of having a battery of great hearted teachers and hope you are also blessed.
dmac @ 105 says:
Actually, I’m not from the hills so much. A smaller town of approx 6.5k, 60 miles south of Cincinnati and 35 miles north of Lexington. US27 runs thorugh the center (Main Steet) and on the river. Kinda ridge land north of town and the start of the rolling hills of the bluegrass region south of town. I am familiar with your area of Ohio and the term you use.
Elliott @ 87
LOL!
But, NO! no time to dilly dally!
Life is cruel after the sixth grade….
dmac @ 107
It may have almost as much to do with what you knew growing up and which makes it more the comfort food. :})
LS @ 66
“Bleeding the beast” or “starving the beast” is what they themselves call it. They really see government not as a public trust but (at best) as something to be used until it’s gone, or (at worst) as something to be destroyed.
Phoenix Woman @ 108
We need to reclaim the language in all ways from BushCo’s Orwellian abuse.
dakine01 @ 114
Like that framing guy with the book last weekend. What was his name?
This Greenwald article is amazing – it is about spin, within spin, within spin. I’d like to know who is really, really at the bottom of this crazy propoganda. I haven’t noticed a link to this here, but if you haven’t read it, take a peek:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/g…..index.html
dmac @ 107
OK, I know this is way OT…but last year while driving through St Louis.. I heard a recipe on public radio…for fried chicken marinated for a day in advance in (sweet?) tea….I cannot find a recipe like this anywhere….if anyone has one…please share.
spurious @ 105
With no recess, any appointment would have to go through the Dem Senate.
This time, they’ll be more careful.
Last time? It isn’t like Abu’s true loyalty was a secret, yet the Democrats let him slide into the office of AG
Phoenix Woman @ 107
he really is a bad man.
ls at 62
Ted Olson comes up as top of the list of replacements. Could he pass confirmation? Can W nominate an interim AG (to run the clock out)?
yeah, you always need reassurance when you’re playin’ a game……..he said she said……or tryin to manipulate, to see if you played it right……..and ted olson, verdict still out, i’m wonderin’ why they didn’t use him more because his wife was killed on 911 on a plane, did he not let them use him? wondered about that, waited for him to appear more in their pr and then he didn’t, always wondered about him…..why he wasn’t more in the public eye then, would have fit their purposes, but then he wasn’t.
Arnie @ 109
One way can be to read the biography AND the novel based on the character. Right now I’m thinking of Robert Penn Warren’s All The King’s Men, a Pulitizer winning novel loosely based on the life of Huey Long aka the Kigfisher. Huey’s biographer was T Harry Williams, who also won a Pulitzer.
Kevin Drum had a short series of posts on NCLB last month, including his opinion that the GOP wants schools to fail. Matt Yglesias called him “paranoid” because of that. Posts are here, here, here and here. (I sent him the link for that Reed Hundt column.)
Dover Bitch @ 122
Do they want ALL schools to fail or just some of them.
elliot at 68
so, that’s where my dad got that idea!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember him giving me a copy of the kennedy women, a book, wondered, what the hell?????????? no work talk at the table, always a topic, and we were expected to join in in some manner, even if we had no clue, then questions were expected…….dinner talk was all over the place, still is………
They want public schools to fail. As Reed Hundt wrote about Bennett in the link PW added to her post above, “He wanted them, he said, to fail so that they could be replaced with vouchers,charter schools, religious schools, and other forms of private education.”
dmac @ 124
so, that’s where my dad got that idea!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember him giving me a copy of the kennedy women, a book, wondered, what the hell?????????? no work talk at the table, always a topic, and we were expected to join in in some manner, even if we had no clue, then questions were expected…….dinner talk was all over the place, still is………
Do NOT give my brother or Aunt Betsy that idea, please!
smapdi @ 45
This is so bogus, the techies who work on it are ashamed.
dakine01 @ 114
Cynical control of the language has been at the base of repiglican power, not just BushCo’s but going back at least as far as Lee Atwater and his heir Newtie. Chomsky is on our side and is a linguistics god, but no one can understand his writings. Go figure.
Speaking of Kennedy women, I just saw Maria Shriver and the Governator about an hour ago, out for a bite in Santa Monica.
Dover Bitch @ 125
Used to be Uncle Sam wants you, now it’s Repubs want your children for “perpetuity”. That’s straight out of Hitler, Mao, and Stalin isn’t it.
dmac @ 123
so, that’s where my dad got that idea!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember him giving me a copy of the kennedy women, a book, wondered, what the hell?????????? no work talk at the table, always a topic, and we were expected to join in in some manner, even if we had no clue, then questions were expected…….dinner talk was all over the place, still is………
Lucky you!
dakine
If nothing else, read, read, read. History, biographies, sociology. Go to the library and get the books on writing style and grammer. Work with your teachers about critical thinking skills. Think through the consequences of actions.
I think you are already doing this in a lot of ways. Writing your blogposts will help to focus your mind but question authority. Do NOT blindly accept all the gibberish spouted by people who shout the loudest.
cassie, do this throughout your life!
Dover Bitch @ 128
would somebody give her a sandwich!
Dover Bitch @
129
I’m thinkin’ the proper response is, my sympathies? :}) Not so much for Maria but for having to see Ahnald.
You can eat an elephant, one bite at a time.
TeddySanFran @ 76
If Reid and Pelosi follow through with that, good on them.
Thing is, the whole reason for recesses — especially in the House, whose members are in permanent money-grubbing mode due to the two-year terms and other reasons — is to do fundraising. And guess what? Now that Tom DeLay’s K Street Project is gone (and its operatives going one by one from the House to the Big House) and the Democrats have nominal control of Congress, the Democrats are kicking the GOP’s butts in terms of fundraising. So the Democrats have less of a need to go out and fundraise right now — they can stay in DC as long as they want.
dakine01 @ 41
And we know what ultimately happened to Louis and Marie, oui? But being educated in the public school system, I can see that day coming where the pitchforks and scythes are sharpened…and they keep on building walled gardens they think will keep those bearing implements out.
dmac (82) –
I know, I heard similar stories from other educators as I canvassed voters last year; could not believe that they pulled teachers from classrooms to put them to completing form work, instead of teaching. And because this state is in such dire financial straits, they can’t hire more teachers, can only double up. How is more students per teacher improving education?
SnarKassandra @ 72
I wish I could change it for you, Cassie. I really do, will keep plugging for change in elected officials to make it happen. But I can only advocate what has already been said — read as much as you can on your own — and don’t be afraid to ask others to augment your education. Asking questions fills in a lot of gaps, and kids can get away with asking about everything (whereas older folks look quite out of it if they do it). Use the advantage of your age.
With my own kids I spend extra time on science and arts programs; we borrow or buy extra books for research. We take them places that may not be at the top of their lists, but are likely to be more educational (like Kennedy Space Center and the surrounding Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, rather than Disneyworld). I make sure they have a self-directed reading program during the summer, along with other hands-on projects.
And I make sure they get down time, so they aren’t stressed out to the point where they can’t absorb stuff. Learning how to say “NO” to themselves and to excess is one of the most important things they will ever learn.
I think you’re doing fine, Cassie. I worry about all the others we can’t talk to here.
Elliott @ 133
She looks very good in person.
dmac @
124
so, that’s where my dad got that idea!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember him giving me a copy of the kennedy women, a book, wondered, what the hell?????????? no work talk at the table, always a topic, and we were expected to join in in some manner, even if we had no clue, then questions were expected…….dinner talk was all over the place, still is………
I cheated a little bit. when I was about seven, I had a very bad lung disease that I was not allowed to run and play hard for a year. At the time, the Kroger and other stores were giving away a set of childrens encyclopedias, i.e., a volume for each purchase for a few months. I wound up reading the entire set. NO ONE in my family would argue with me about ANYTHING cuz I could show it in writing. I was occasionaly an obnoxious child. Still am today sometimes as well. :})
dakine01 @ 110
Actually, I’m not from the hills so much. A smaller town of approx 6.5k, 60 miles south of Cincinnati and 35 miles north of Lexington. US27 runs thorugh the center (Main Steet) and on the river. Kinda ridge land north of town and the start of the rolling hills of the bluegrass region south of town. I am familiar with your area of Ohio and the term you use.
Breathitt County here.
Cynical control of the language.
Yep.
That is why I hate the term politically correct. Notice there has not been a co-equal term to use to apply to Republican/right wing orthodox framing.
What is it when suicide bombers become “homicide bombers”?
When social security privitization becomes “personal accounts” half way through the game.
When proponants of the death penalty and war, war, war, claim to belong to a “culture of life”?
When people who support right-wing agendas become “values voters”?
-GSD
dmac @ 123
so, that’s where my dad got that idea!!!!!!!!!!!! i remember him giving me a copy of the kennedy women, a book, wondered, what the hell?????????? no work talk at the table, always a topic, and we were expected to join in in some manner, even if we had no clue, then questions were expected…….dinner talk was all over the place, still is………
You know, we had smart talk at dinner, too. Not organized, but still. I have so many fond memories from the dinner table! And learned sooo much.
cassie-
i know there will be debate about the importance of this book, but i wish i would have read atlas shrugged by ayn rand at your age…it changed my view of the world……..and my favorite book at your age was tale of two cities by charles dickens………and don’t forget poetry to keep your kind side wide open……..
dakine01 @ 134
I remember reading an extremely cynical take on Ahnuld’s marriage to Maria Shriver, wherein it was alleged that he married her because a) she was rich, b) she was devoutly and masochistically Catholic (and therefore unlikely to divorce him no matter what he did), and c) it was his way of ‘counting coup’ against The Enemy by ‘capturing’ a high-value target from the The Enemy’s tribal royalty.
You don’t have to be a linguist to tear the MSM illusion to shreds though. The most basic mass media training can give you a similar skill. Chomsky’s insights are an incredible asset in the fight, regardless. But FDL is one of those things made by people with an idea of how mass media works and how to use it effectively. And most people can understand the FDL crew’s langauge quite easily. :D
Two different fronts, but we’re working against it. It’ll take time, but i think we can do it.
Gonzo made it clear – his loyalty is to Bush.
The real question is which GOP Senators will choose Bush as the battle-lines for People v. the Unitary Executive become clearer next week.
And the choice is fundamental – the Freedom we’ve always known, or being Told what to do – that goes to the heart of who we are as a nation, supposedly founded on equality.
Let’s hope a delegation from the GOP finds it’s way to the White House and confronts Bush with the Reality of No Popular Support for a Unitary Executive – Republican or Democrat.
No Theory can, or should, withstand the voice of the People, at least not in the America I know.
To have the Unitary Executive ‘invoked’ on US without debate, oversight or review is not a proper vetting – it’s closer to a coup – this Theory is not legitimized, and it would be wrong – oh so wrong – to have the ‘Courts’ call it the Law for the rest of US.
We know where Gonzo stands – let’s find out about the rest of them and look at the numbers – this confrontation may fuel impeachment (for Hubris, if they can be charged with it) after all.
Phoenix Woman @ 135
and at the same time, limiting the Repub’s time to do so.
Elliott @
68
OH. DO. I. LIKE. THAT.
It’ll work if their dad’s not home, he couldn’t handle the back and forth of debate. I think we will add that to our dinner schedule this summer; each week we will have a new topic in philosophy, ethics or politics, on which they will have to find facts for 30 minutes each morning. And then at dinner we’ll lay out the facts and discuss pro/con.
I can hardly wait!! But I have to get through a science project with the younger one and orchestra recital practice with the other one over the next couple of weeks.
Rayne @ 137 says:
There was another post a few weeks ago at another site where the discussion was on the costs of gas and such. I pointed out at the time that at a certain point the gated communities and McMansions won’t be much of a defense when things go to sh*t. Someone else misunderstood and said “They can afford $100 a gallon.” The author of the post came back at the same time I was explaining myself to remark that I was most likely talking about “Ass-clay Arfare-Way.” Which I was.
Not just cynical control of language. Most important of all: Repugs and the right in general have hijacked Stars and Stripes and its display. The left needs to contest this appropriation and show that the flag represents all Americans, not just the right.
NH
New thread from Jane Hamsher
Why Is Nancy Keenan Afraid Of Me?
egregious @ 140 says:
Harrison County although HS was MMI (they just closed last year) in Bourbon County.
Phoenix Woman @ 143
WOW
dakine01 @ 149
It’s a toss as to which is most likely to kick their spoiled asses: dramatically higher oil prices angering the unwashed masses, or avian flu pandemic. Not too many of those McMansions have well-stocked pantries, only well-stocked cigar bars and wine cellars. Can’t eat a cigar, and I wouldn’t take one in trade for a can of beans.
Rayne @ 147
I may be wrong, but I think the topic was posted early, breakfast? so’d they have time to prepare.
egregious @ 150
I can’t imagine why!
Elliott @ 155
Oh, I’m not that heartless, only one topic a week and we pick it on Monday morning after dad leaves for work. ;-)
the very evildrpuma @88
i so love you, my parents never have, and boy could they………and i don’t………no receipts kept……..true charity comes from the heart, it’s fruits are known by god alone……..(.if you believe in god……..) if you don’t it’s still the definition…….anonymous is charity…….
Rayne @ 156
never a bad thing to sharpen their speaking skills, it’ll serve them well the rest of their lives
Thanks for all the updates on Rice. Now I know probably more than I need to, especially with that Princess Sparkle Pony thing.
badwater 90
nope, raised by fdr democrats, didn’t know how much that has influenced me until lately……fdl had a lot to do with that, which is why i contribute to the kitty…….
dmac @ 161
nope, raised by fdr democrats, didn’t know how much that has influenced me until lately……fdl had a lot to do with that, which is why i contribute to the kitty…….
My mom, as crazy as she was in lots of ways, was big on charity and generosity and helping people.
dakine01 @ 121
Yes, I overlooked the historical novel as a means to flesh out the ambience of a period. The research that has been done lately is remarkable. Robert Harris’ Imperium was excellently constructed for example. There is another book of that period which recreates the social upheavals of the last years of the Roman Republic and why it was displaced by the Roman imperium, actually a tale for today, Rubicon, so I recall. All the best…
dakine
oh my…..kenton county?????
lived in cincinnati for many years, then hamiltucky now se ohio………
Elliott @ 147
Exactly. ;-)
dmac @
164
oh my…..kenton county?????
lived in cincinnati for many years, then hamiltucky now se ohio………
EPU’d but Harrison County
“House Oversight Committee to consider Rice subpoena
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will consider next week whether to issue subpoenas to get access to documents and testimony from the Bush administration, including the testimony of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
With the scheduling of the panel hearing, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is upping the ante in his fight with the administration for access to information.
Waxman announced Friday that his panel will hold a business meeting next Wednesday to consider whether to issue four subpoenas for testimony and documents. According to the committee’s press release, the subpoenas are aimed at obtaining:
Waxman’s most recent letters requesting the documents were sent to Card, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan and White House Counsel Fred Fielding on April 20. He also sent a letter to Rice on April 17.
http://tinyurl.com/2v7q9y (The Hill)
Biodun @ 96
stepped away for a while.
I haven’t followed it too closely, but I’m generally rooting for Segolene Royal. I suspect she’ll make it to the second round angainst Sarkozy, where she’ll be at a disadvantage. (not sure whom the centrist Bayrou would tip towards if he doesn’t make it). She is something of an outsider who unfortunately hasn’t enjoyed the support of the Socialist party establishment (a la Howard Dean?). She strikes many as having good core values but being rather scattered in her policies and programs….trying to be all things to all people (Hillary, are you listening?). Pretty good analysis of the three main candidates in the recent issue of the New Yorker.
on verra!
LOL: in moderation for Soc*al*st?
thanks,
MaudeMod!dakine
i read the encyclopedias, too!!!!!!!!! i was enraptured by them…..so much info on every page, even pictures!!!!!!! my uncle had them…..he is a historian, and worked for the guggenheim institute………and taught me about prisms……..i still have crystals in my windows to give out rainbows because of him………my favorite uncle, still alive, and i visit with him, will see him monday…….
Dover Bitch @ 125
Totally agree – yet this is but a piece.
The Bushie Republicans are simply the Corprocrats.
NCLB privatizes schools
Medicare Part D privatizes drug coverage.
Medicare “Advantage” HMOs privatize health coverage.
“Adventure Pass” privatizes National Forests.
“Targeted inspections” by meatpackers privatizes USDA inspectors in the slaughterhouse.
Genetically modified foods privatize our fields and meals.
NAFTA privatizes water.
The WTO keeps trying to privatize all public services.
A*P*C privatizes America’s foreign policy.
Blackwater privatizes America’s wars.
and we Americans pay all the privateers.
You’d have heard more, but our TV/radio/newspapers were privatized too.
Bob Dole signed off on giving megacorps the airwaves and news monopolies.
So the megacorps would privately fund him for President.
He lost – now he sells stuff for privates.
Privatization is ugly.
kirk murphy @ 172
Would you PLEASE put that up as a comment on my blog? Please??
Elliott @ 102
Damn Yankees have now made it 7-5.
Thanks for the update above. I like to know who my friends are.
Mauimom @ 174
now it’s Boston 7 Yankees 5
bottom of the 7th, 2 out
Elliott @
175
And 2 on.
Phoenix you said,
“We have a whole government now that is being run by people with the same mindset as the 9/11 hijackers: Just as the 9/11 hijackers had interests in knowing how to really fly a plane…”
This bothers me – I have really respected your POV and your insightful post here. BUT, now that I see you accept the official line on arab hijackers, sorry – your credibility just took a deep dive.
I won’t go into this much cos I hate long posts – want to simply point out that the Arab hijackers thing has long ago been totally bebunked, and you should pay it no mind.
While I am here too I’d like to remind FDLers that CIA has a long-established program of mind control, creating people like the VT killer for purposes like scaring the populace shitless, giving media a new 24/7 topic, and deflecting attn from the Gonzalez affair. It worked.
Anyway, get real folks; face the fact that we are up against a serious enemy and not just a few political misfits. Chatting about how bad they are does NOTHING to combat the threat.
Is this the baseball thread?
bush = saddam, WHAT are we going to DO about it?
Hi Cassie -
I tried twice, but it’s not posting.
No apparent error message…
If you’d like to post it, please feel free…
I can’t seem to summon the wit to figure out a new comments interface…. :(
SnarKassandra @
103
Cassie,
You must be getting a good education from your teachers, your family, and FDL to even be asking a question like this. You are asking good questions, questioning sources, and your website shows that you know how to develop a coherent thought. If you keep up at this rate, I’m expecting to see you on the front page of FDL before long!
Keep up the good work!
Bob in HI
Cassie, I tried to turn off the Cho
coveragemedia orgy, but I think I recall someone mentioning the “Marine uniform” pic was Cho at a paintball range before I could cut the sound.(As he was clearly psychotic, the content was really nugatory, so I tried to shut the media stuff out.
If they thought it helped ratings, MSM would piss on the corpses to keep ‘em warm for the Late Nite News.)
Had to add my two cents:
I don’t care for metaphoric crucifixion images. It’s tacky and icky.
Did you say “prized contracts”? Can you say Senator Diane Feinstein. Senator Feinstein conflict of interest issues and how long it took her to resign, should be investigated.
What we demand for the Republicans should be demanded of Democrats. Investigate Feinstein’s conflict of interest in the war
http://www.metroactive.com/feinstein/