Chicago Tribune | The new age of `news'

It's great that bloggers are getting some credit where credit is due and coming from the Chicago Tribune that's even greater news.
Chicago Tribune | The new age of `news': "The bloggers have scored some impressive scoops in recent months. They're a force. According to a Pew Research Center poll, 'more people are turning away from traditional news outlets, with their decorous, just-the-facts aspirations to objectivity, toward noisier hybrid formats that aggressively fuse news with opinion or entertainment or both.'"

Chicago Tribune | The new age of `news'

Chicago Tribune | The new age of `news': "The bloggers have scored some impressive scoops in recent months. They're a force. According to a Pew Research Center poll, 'more people are turning away from traditional news outlets, with their decorous, just-the-facts aspirations to objectivity, toward noisier hybrid formats that aggressively fuse news with opinion or entertainment or both.'"

WorldNetDaily: Sex to go: Call White House press office

WorldNetDaily: Sex to go: Call White House press office: "If you suspect the media are guilty of a double standard when it comes to covering the White House, you're right. It's now clear, without a doubt, that White House reporters are as easy on President Bush as they were hard on President Clinton. Consider the case of phony White House reporter Jeff Gannon. "

Bush's "Enron" plan for social security

Subject: Bush's "Enron" plan for social security...

Howard Dean sure knows how to reframe an issue so the truth is simple to understand. Every time he speaks, he needs to mention "Bush", "privatization" and "Enron" in the same sentence. We all need to take his cue and make it a standard part of our vernacular, among us and to everyone outside of our circles.

You can't hide greed from its victims for very long. When we say" the Bush administration wants to take our social-security and invest it in companies like Enron," we remind those victims of their dilemma.

As for calling a spade a spade, this "Enron SS" frame is the absolute, refined and unadulterated truth. It is not just a simple framing. This new SS privatization plan sounds like a set-up to me, don't ever forget these Bushes were instrumental in Pioneer Savings, BCCI, Enron and other Bushmoney subterfuges, all of which victimized rank and file investors who did not have the family connections that told them to get out while the money was good.

We all need to start calling it the "Enron option" or "the Enron Plan" for social security, especially when we are engaged with a numbed-out bushie who would be a likely victim. Just ask them if they want to invest their Social Security money in Enron. Even better, always say "Bush's Enron plan for social security." If we all frame it as "Bush's Enron-style social security plan" every time we talk about it, we start bending the mutual psyche towards the evident truth this simple frame conveys.

We should follow Howard's cue and take the conversation to the streets with our own words, not theirs.

If you get a chance, email and blog this around.

For the Sake of Our Children

By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
For the Sake of Our Children: "I have been an environmental advocate for twenty years, and I've been disciplined during that period about being nonpartisan in my approach to this issue. The worst thing that can happen to the environment is if it becomes the province of a single political party. Most of the environmental leaders in our country agree with me. Five years ago, if you asked the leaders of the major environmental groups in America, What's the gravest threat to the global environment?, they would have given you a range of answers: overpopulation, habitat destruction, global warming. Today, they will all tell you one thing: it's George W. Bush. This is the worst environmental president that we have ever had. You simply cannot speak honestly about the environment in any context today without speaking critically about this president. If you go to the Natural Resources Defense Council's web site you will see over 400 major environmental rollbacks that have been promoted by this administration over the last three and half years. It is a concerted, deliberate attempt to eviscerate thirty years of environmental law. It is a stealth attack, one that's been hidden from the public. "

The Black Commentator - What is Bob Johnson Up To?

The Black Commentator - Cover Story: What is Bob Johnson Up To? - Issue 127: "'We're all on the Titanic as it relates to Social Security and people are telling us it's the safest ship afloat. But we are heading for a disaster.'' -- Bob Johnson
Only hard-core GOP Rightists shrilled like that in 2002 - back then, the Republican National Committee specifically forbade its congressional candidates from campaigning on the shaky ground of Social Security privatization. But Bob Johnson was on a Bush-mission to spread hysteria and confusion in Black America, and he performed shamelessly. Johnson was picked for a slot on Bush's supposedly bi-partisan Commission to Strengthen Social Security - as a Democratic member! Thus, Bush got an African American commissioner who cared nothing for the interests of the masses of Blacks or Democrats. And he got a mouthpiece for the evolving GOP Social Security line for Black consumption. African Americans who contribute to the Social Security system and payroll taxes also have one of the highest mortality rates, so in the end, they may not receive the full benefits of what they put in Social Security, said Johnson, a message that would be repeated on hundreds of Black radio stations during the 2002 congressional elections.
Yes, Bob Johnson is a true media pioneer - a veteran polluter of the Black airwaves. His original Black rationale for Social Security privatization is now a centerpiece of White House propaganda - the context in which his call for a meeting of Black minds must be viewed."

Press Impostor

Press Impostor: "How is it that an administration that screened thousands of people for attendance at Bush campaign rallies repeatedly let a fake reporter into the sanctorum of the White House pressroom under a false name? Who was running that background check? How could a president who declares that national security is his prime concern be so ill served for nearly two years by his own security detail?"

This is about as outrageous as Jeff Gannon for VP

The American Spectator: "There's a dream out there, and her name is Condi. Since her confirmation last month as Secretary of State, enthusiasm for the idea of a Condoleezza Rice presidential candidacy seems to be bursting out all over. Condi-for-President paraphernalia is available for purchase on several websites; some of it was spotted last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Rice garnered 18% in the straw poll of activists' favorites for the 2008 nomination, behind only Rudy Giuliani (19%)."

Administration Is Warned About Its 'News' Videos

While the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, isn't it reassuring to learn that your hard earned tax dollars are working for you!
The New York Times > Washington > Administration Is Warned About Its 'News' Videos: "'The G.A.O. is sending a clear message to the Bush administration: shut down the propaganda mill,' Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey said in a statement on Friday. 'The G.A.O. is simply telling the White House to stop manipulating media, stop paying journalists and be straight with the American people.'"

The Real Bush Agenda 

The 'Jeff Gannon' story

Oregonlive.com: Search: "It illustrates the far superior success of right-wing bloggers over lefties in getting mainstream media to jump on news "
Bloggers on the left are no less bullies than those on the right. But it's possible that mainstream U.S. news organizations resent the liberal-bias tag so much that they're more susceptible to pressure from the right.

CAMILLA BANNED FROM WHITE HOUSE

The bushes sure have gotten uppity since moving in to 1600 Pennsylvania. Never mind all the douchebag relatives who have slept in the peoples house, rubbing elbows with the bin Ladens, encouraging male whores to frequent the whitehouse press office but now banning Camilla from soiling the sheets in the Lincoln bedroom is just not acceptable. Get friggin real.
SundayMirror.co.uk - CAMILLA BANNED FROM WHITE HOUSE

Team Seven at Crossroads Highrollers

We've had a string of bad luck and at 23 weeks of a 30 week Season we're now in third place. Anyway, we're still planning to take Louisville by storm at the Bluegrass Classic this coming weekend.
(click image to enlarge)

2 Top G.O.P. Lawmakers Buck Bush on Social Security

With opposition like this in the GOP, bush's privatization plan looks more every day like its stalled in quicksand and he's already up to the axle in his 4 wheel drive Hummer and sinking fast.
The New York Times > Washington > 2 Top G.O.P. Lawmakers Buck Bush on Social Security: "The Republican majority leader in the House expressed opposition on Thursday to the idea of increasing or eliminating the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax, deflating President Bush's first effort to promote bipartisan trust over how to address the retirement system's projected financial troubles."

Honeymoon That Wasn't for Rush Windbag

It looks to me like a free ride at taxpayer expense. Speak to the troops my ass. More than likely Rush is looking for a wholesale connection to the poppy fields to reduce the cost of his habit.
Honeymoon That Wasn't (washingtonpost.com): "Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew S. Natsios may be heading to Dubai and Afghanistan next week, taking along a small press contingent: Rush Limbaugh and, briefly, CNN anchor Daryn Kagan -- they are a famous item these days -- along with Mary Matalin, who is going as an ex officio White House adviser.
AID lists the purpose of the trip as 'to monitor progress in Afghan Reconstruction.' Spokesman Jeffrey Grieco, who's listed as one of the five AID people going, would not confirm or deny, save to say the agency 'is anxious to get the word out about our successful reconstruction program in Afghanistan,' including improved health care and improved access to education for women and children. For his part, Limbaugh is also eager to speak to the troops. "

Frank Rich: The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'

The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show': "The inability of real journalists to penetrate this White House is not all the White House's fault. The errors of real news organizations have played perfectly into the administration's insidious efforts to blur the boundaries between the fake and the real and thereby demolish the whole notion that there could possibly be an objective and accurate free press. "

A Classic Daily Show

Last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart was hilarious and in my opinion should be nominated for an Emmy. Stephen Colbert/Ted Hitler does a take on Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert that was a real side splitter.

Fox's Brit Hume lying to his audience

HUME: In a written statement to Congress in 1935, Roosevelt said that any Social Security plans should include, quote, "Voluntary contributory annuities, by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age," adding that government funding, quote, "ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans."
But Roosevelt was not advocating that the present system of guaranteed Social Security benefits "ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans." Rather, he was proposing that both mandatory contributions and voluntary annuities would eventually eliminate the need for a different fund which was established to provide pension benefits to Americans who were already too old in 1935 to contribute payroll taxes to the Social Security system.

Fox's Brit Hume lying to his audience

HUME: In a written statement to Congress in 1935, Roosevelt said that any Social Security plans should include, quote, "Voluntary contributory annuities, by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age," adding that government funding, quote, "ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans."
But Roosevelt was not advocating that the present system of guaranteed Social Security benefits "ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans." Rather, he was proposing that both mandatory contributions and voluntary annuities would eventually eliminate the need for a different fund which was established to provide pension benefits to Americans who were already too old in 1935 to contribute payroll taxes to the Social Security system.

Negroponte Named Intelligence Director

Our worst nightmare. We've learned to expect nothing from bush except to appoint the worst criminals to high office and to nominate the most biased judges to our highest courts. So what's different about naming Negroponte with a most shady criminal past to be our national intelligence chief. Have mercy on us. Will our senate confirm him? Probably, they confirmed Gonzales didn't they?
Negroponte Named Intelligence Director (washingtonpost.com)

Paul Krugman: The Fighting Moderates

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Fighting Moderates: "The Republicans know the America they want, and they are not afraid to use any means to get there,' Howard Dean said in accepting the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. 'But there is something that this administration and the Republican Party are very afraid of. It is that we may actually begin fighting for what we believe.'"

More propaganda: Fake reporter fits administration's pattern of made-up journalism.

HoustonChronicle.com - More propaganda: Fake reporter fits administration's pattern of made-up journalism.: "The unmasking of an alleged journalist who used a pseudonym to gain access to White House briefings and news conferences raises more questions about the Bush administration's tactics for securing favorable news. James Guckert, who used the Talon News byline 'Jeff Gannon,' managed to get access to the White House on a daily basis for two years."

Eason Jordan vs. the Blogosphere

As much as I abhor the commentary of Kudlow & Kramer this Kudlow article gives substantial credit to the blogosphere and the effect it's starting to have on the mainstream media and the congress. It's about time the blogs start getting credit for exposing some of the scandals like Gannongate, etc.
Larry Kudlow on Eason Jordan, CNN, and the Blogosphere on National Review Online

Iraq's Harry Truman

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, only 27 cents of every dollar spent on rebuilding Iraq has gone to actually improving the lives of its people, with the rest going to security, waste, overhead and fattening the bottom line of big U.S. corporations.
TomPaine.com - Iraq's Harry Truman: "'Stop the profiteers. Demand an investigation. Bring back the Truman Committee.'"

Torture, Fascism and Our Civilization

Newsfare

Newly released memo warned of al Qaeda threat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A newly released memo warned the White House at the start of the Bush administration that al Qaeda represented a threat throughout the Islamic world, a warning that critics said went unheeded by President Bush until the September 11, 2001, attacks.
CNN.com - Newly released memo warned of al Qaeda threat

Reporter Quits After Liberals' Expose

One has to wonder about the vetting of whitehouse news reporters. How many other plants will be exposed and on whose payroll are they on? Give credit to dKos and all the liberal bloggers who exposed this douchebag.
Online Reporter Quits After Liberals' Expose (washingtonpost.com)

Chairman Howard Dean, DNC

By Saturday February 12 I expect to be addressing Governor Howard Dean as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. My favorite picture of Governor Howard Dean taken by me on Navy Pier in Chicago during the Sleepless Summer Tour of 2003.

The Facts On Wal-Mart

Spread The Facts On Wal-Mart: "Low Prices At What Cost?"All else being equal, U.S. counties where new Wal-Mart stores were built between 1987 and 1998 experienced higher poverty rates than other U.S. counties. (Source: Pennsylvania State University Study)

Bob Herbert- Stories From the Inside

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Stories From the Inside: "The horror stories from the scandalous interrogation camp that the United States is operating at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are coming to light with increased frequency. At some point the whole shameful tale of this exercise in extreme human degradation will be told. For the time being we have to piece together what we can from a variety of accounts that have escaped the government's obsessively reinforced barriers of secrecy."

Toronto Sun Columnist: Eric Margolis - Paranoia grips the U.S. capital

Toronto Sun Columnist: Eric Margolis - Paranoia grips the U.S. capital: "Now, George W. Bush, who clearly believes he holds the mandate of heaven after being re-elected by the less mentally active half of American voters, has decided to 'unleash' special forces and all sorts of irregular units, including mercenaries, uniformed bounty hunters, and mutants sporting t-shirts proclaiming 'kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out.' These militarized thugs and video arcade Rambos are sure to run amok, dragging America's once good name ever deeper into the mud. "

The Emperor's New Hump

Bad Tailoring My Ass
The New York Times killed a story that could have changed the election—because it could have changed the election.
About Extra!

A CIA report predicts that American global dominance could end in 15 years

Who will be the first politician brave enough to declare publicly that the United States is a declining power and that America's leaders must urgently discuss what to do about it? This prognosis of decline comes not (or not only) from leftist scribes rooting for imperialism's downfall, but from the National Intelligence Council—the "center of strategic thinking" inside the U.S. intelligence community.
2020 Vision - A CIA report predicts that American global dominance could end in 15 years. By Fred Kaplan

Fighting the "homosexual agenda"

If homosexuals can't reproduce why is this braindead douchebag so concerned about the "homosexual agenda"? By this logic homosexuals will eventually be extinct!
nuvo.net / Fighting the "homosexual agenda": State republicans are all hot and bothered! "According to Waterman, the ultimate goal of this "homosexual agenda" involves the enlistment of our children. Because they can't reproduce, homosexuals have to recruit! We must continue to fight back in order to preserve our children's innocence."

Stop Gonzales

STOP

TERROR

STOP

TORTURE

STOP

GONZALES

Alberto Gonzales is Not Fit to be Attorney General

Alberto Gonzales is Not Fit to be Attorney General
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. In this case, we, the undersigned bloggers, have decided to speak as one and collectively author a document of opposition. We oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to the position of Attorney General of the United States, and we urge every United States Senator to vote against him.

Paul Krugman- Many Unhappy Returns

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Many Unhappy Returns: "The fight over Social Security is, above all, about what kind of society we want to have. But it's also about numbers. And the numbers the privatizers use just don't add up. "

Dean Wins the DNC Primary

Dean Wins the DNC Primary: "'People in the Beltway are finally getting it that a lot of the [party] communities around the country really want change in the DNC.' "