Hope for the homestretch
In an election likely to be decided as much by voter turnout as by convincing the remaining undecided, how do we maintain the hope that’s necessary to keep making the phone calls, knocking on the doors, funding the key ads, and doing all the other critical tasks to get Bush out of office?
Even those of us working hard for change hit walls of doubt and uncertainty about whether our actions really matter. Our spirits rise and fall as if on a roller coaster with each shift in the polls. In a time when lies too often seem to prevail, we wonder whether it’s worthwhile to keep making the effort.
We need to remind ourselves that we never can predict all the results of our actions. A few years ago, I met a Wesleyan University student who, with a few friends, registered nearly three hundred fellow students concerned about environmental threats and cuts in government financial aid programs. The Congressman they supported won by twenty-one votes. Before they began, the student and her friends feared that their modest efforts would be irrelevant.
Even those of us working hard for change hit walls of doubt and uncertainty about whether our actions really matter. Our spirits rise and fall as if on a roller coaster with each shift in the polls. In a time when lies too often seem to prevail, we wonder whether it’s worthwhile to keep making the effort.
We need to remind ourselves that we never can predict all the results of our actions. A few years ago, I met a Wesleyan University student who, with a few friends, registered nearly three hundred fellow students concerned about environmental threats and cuts in government financial aid programs. The Congressman they supported won by twenty-one votes. Before they began, the student and her friends feared that their modest efforts would be irrelevant.
Bush thinks we're dumb
AUSTIN, Texas -- President Bush may not be dumb, but he sure does think the rest of us are.
You have to assume your audience is a bunch of borderline morons to tell as many whoppers as he does. True, short-term memory loss is creeping up on a lot of us, but even I can remember what Bush told us about why we had to invade Iraq.
There was about a rationale a week, but the main contenders were because: (A) Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and (B) links to Al Qaeda, so the WMD might get into terrorist hands. The supposed Saddam Hussein-Al Qaeda connection was so often trumpeted that by the time the war started, 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was behind 9-11.
You have to assume your audience is a bunch of borderline morons to tell as many whoppers as he does. True, short-term memory loss is creeping up on a lot of us, but even I can remember what Bush told us about why we had to invade Iraq.
There was about a rationale a week, but the main contenders were because: (A) Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and (B) links to Al Qaeda, so the WMD might get into terrorist hands. The supposed Saddam Hussein-Al Qaeda connection was so often trumpeted that by the time the war started, 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was behind 9-11.
It never occurred to him?
PHILADELPHIA -- We all had our debate moments, but the one that stunned me was, "It's (Iraq is) hard work. I see it on the TV screens."
Watching it on TV, boy that is tough work all right. And what was the "hard work" thing about? Did Rove poll and find out people think the president vacations too much?
I also came to a full stop after the one about sending troops to die. "I never -- when I was running -- when we had the debate in 2000, never dreamt I'd be doing that." He never dreamt it?
It never occurred to him? Was this man prepared for the job? Help!
I lean to the "bubble president" theory of Bush's peevish, petulant performance in debate. They've kept him surrounded by people who keep telling him he's great. I blame Karl Rove, of course. Bush is not used to being questioned. In Bob Woodward's book "Bush at War," the president is quoted: "I'm the commander in chief, see, I don't need to explain, I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting part about being president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
Watching it on TV, boy that is tough work all right. And what was the "hard work" thing about? Did Rove poll and find out people think the president vacations too much?
I also came to a full stop after the one about sending troops to die. "I never -- when I was running -- when we had the debate in 2000, never dreamt I'd be doing that." He never dreamt it?
It never occurred to him? Was this man prepared for the job? Help!
I lean to the "bubble president" theory of Bush's peevish, petulant performance in debate. They've kept him surrounded by people who keep telling him he's great. I blame Karl Rove, of course. Bush is not used to being questioned. In Bob Woodward's book "Bush at War," the president is quoted: "I'm the commander in chief, see, I don't need to explain, I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting part about being president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
Disinformation and Depleted Uranium
The RAD ALERT Conference: Nuclear Dollars versus the Common Good was held in Columbus on Sept. 25th complete with national and international level speakers. It seemed to be of a greater relative interest to the domestic psyops corps of the US Military. The central intent of the conference was to provide the necessary information to understand several current nuclear issues.
What I am most interested in here is the coverage given to the conference by the Columbus Dispatch. It actually provides several insights into the motivations of its editorial staff in its effort to provide what they tell us is "news." It is true that the subject matter of the conference had a strong technical element. It is also true that typical journalism graduates tend toward the liberal arts range of preferences and less toward the technical side of issues. This indicates a deficiency in our educational expectations. It is also true that corporate filtered news tend toward the bland and the pretense of fairness, rather than the substance
What I am most interested in here is the coverage given to the conference by the Columbus Dispatch. It actually provides several insights into the motivations of its editorial staff in its effort to provide what they tell us is "news." It is true that the subject matter of the conference had a strong technical element. It is also true that typical journalism graduates tend toward the liberal arts range of preferences and less toward the technical side of issues. This indicates a deficiency in our educational expectations. It is also true that corporate filtered news tend toward the bland and the pretense of fairness, rather than the substance
Hope for the homestretch
In an election likely to be decided as much by voter turnout as by
convincing the remaining undecided, how do we maintain the hope that's
necessary to keep making the phone calls, knocking on the doors, funding the
key ads, and doing all the other critical tasks to get Bush out of office?
Even those of us working hard for change hit walls of doubt and uncertainty about whether our actions really matter. Our spirits rise and fall as if on a roller coaster with each shift in the polls. In a time when lies too often seem to prevail, we wonder whether it's worthwhile to keep making the effort.
We need to remind ourselves that we never can predict all the results of our actions. A few years ago, I met a Wesleyan University student who, with a few friends, registered nearly three hundred fellow students concerned about environmental threats and cuts in government financial aid programs. The Congressman they supported won by twenty-one votes. Before they began, the student and her friends feared that their modest efforts would be irrelevant.
Even those of us working hard for change hit walls of doubt and uncertainty about whether our actions really matter. Our spirits rise and fall as if on a roller coaster with each shift in the polls. In a time when lies too often seem to prevail, we wonder whether it's worthwhile to keep making the effort.
We need to remind ourselves that we never can predict all the results of our actions. A few years ago, I met a Wesleyan University student who, with a few friends, registered nearly three hundred fellow students concerned about environmental threats and cuts in government financial aid programs. The Congressman they supported won by twenty-one votes. Before they began, the student and her friends feared that their modest efforts would be irrelevant.
Other Stuff
AUSTIN, Texas -- This column is not about the presidential debate. It's about Other Stuff. Particularly eye-catching are the updates on the price of gasoline, your overtime pay, why the company most likely to hold the mortgage on your house could go broke, why you're getting peanuts from new tax cuts just passed by Congress and how the government is kicking hundreds of thousands of kids off health insurance while promising not to. Cheer all around.
-- The price of a barrel of oil went over $50 for the first time early this week, and the price of gassing up my vehicle, Truck Bob the Ford, is now $36 a pop. According to oil-ologists, this is on account of the unrest in oil-producing countries and rising global demand destabilizing world energy markets. Don't you love the jargon? The petro experts also say this ain't gonna get better.
-- The price of a barrel of oil went over $50 for the first time early this week, and the price of gassing up my vehicle, Truck Bob the Ford, is now $36 a pop. According to oil-ologists, this is on account of the unrest in oil-producing countries and rising global demand destabilizing world energy markets. Don't you love the jargon? The petro experts also say this ain't gonna get better.
Addressing Republican issues with John Kerry
The Republicans have posted a "Debate Facts" section on their website. As is shown below, there is nothing factual about their claims.
1. Kerry On The Threat Posed By Saddam Hussein
Republicans charge that Kerry once supported and is now critical of the decision to go to war against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. This, in their minds, is a flip flop.
RESPONSE: A huge amount of information has been uncovered since 2002, including a great deal of evidence that the intelligence Bush used to the war was incorrect or even forged. Kerry and the rest of Congress voted on Bush’s bad information. Now that we know the justification for the war was invalid, it is by definition a mistake. As a Senator and as a Presidential candidate, it is Kerry's duty to use this information to improve our government's global policy -- to correct a mistake propagated by Bush and his cabinet.
2. Kerry Flip Flop On Iraq
RESPONSE: See point 1.
3. Breaking Debate Fact: Kerry Said President Has Lost Support Among Military Officials
1. Kerry On The Threat Posed By Saddam Hussein
Republicans charge that Kerry once supported and is now critical of the decision to go to war against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. This, in their minds, is a flip flop.
RESPONSE: A huge amount of information has been uncovered since 2002, including a great deal of evidence that the intelligence Bush used to the war was incorrect or even forged. Kerry and the rest of Congress voted on Bush’s bad information. Now that we know the justification for the war was invalid, it is by definition a mistake. As a Senator and as a Presidential candidate, it is Kerry's duty to use this information to improve our government's global policy -- to correct a mistake propagated by Bush and his cabinet.
2. Kerry Flip Flop On Iraq
RESPONSE: See point 1.
3. Breaking Debate Fact: Kerry Said President Has Lost Support Among Military Officials
The History of the CIA and the American Elections Coup
Long before the Florida election the CIA had been active in influencing
the American electorate.
We've witnessed the Iran Contra scandal and all those involved affect the outcome of elections in the nineteen eighties. Although the information acquired from this scandal was a bit more complicated than the average human listener had time for or attention span to understand, none the less the outcome was obvious.
The hostage crisis in Iran ended in a fallacy that undermined quest for a firm foundation of democracy in the United States. On this basis, the Republican Party maintained power for twelve years under the guise of a dogooder for the US populace. The same party oversimplified political ramifications of they're debt creating overextended government bureaucracy. Today we see a continuation of this bombastic upheaval of democracy being led by a military industrial complex.
We've witnessed the Iran Contra scandal and all those involved affect the outcome of elections in the nineteen eighties. Although the information acquired from this scandal was a bit more complicated than the average human listener had time for or attention span to understand, none the less the outcome was obvious.
The hostage crisis in Iran ended in a fallacy that undermined quest for a firm foundation of democracy in the United States. On this basis, the Republican Party maintained power for twelve years under the guise of a dogooder for the US populace. The same party oversimplified political ramifications of they're debt creating overextended government bureaucracy. Today we see a continuation of this bombastic upheaval of democracy being led by a military industrial complex.
Twilight Zone of Wonderland
AUSTIN --- Alice, we're in the Twilight Zone of Wonderland. Whee! John Kerry is disrespectful of our allies! Donald Rumsfeld thinks an election in three-fourths of Iraq is good enough. The No. 1 best seller in our nation is an untrue, vicious and ugly attack on a genuine, bona fide, certified war hero. Despite everything you have seen, read or heard about Iraq, all is tickety-boo over there, and anyone who says different is helping the terrorists.
More than a year after "Mission Accomplished," we have still not restored water or electricity in Iraq back to Saddam Hussein's pitiful standards. The electricity is out between four and 14 hours a day in Baghdad, there is no potable water because of pipe breaks and contamination, the garbage is uncollected, and sewage runs in the streets. A year after Congress voted to spend $18.4 billion reconstructing Iraq, only $1 billion has been spent, and most of that has gone to overhead, contractors' profits, security service, insurance and property losses. The jobs have gone largely either to Americans or other foreigners in Iraq, with little benefit to the Iraqis.
More than a year after "Mission Accomplished," we have still not restored water or electricity in Iraq back to Saddam Hussein's pitiful standards. The electricity is out between four and 14 hours a day in Baghdad, there is no potable water because of pipe breaks and contamination, the garbage is uncollected, and sewage runs in the streets. A year after Congress voted to spend $18.4 billion reconstructing Iraq, only $1 billion has been spent, and most of that has gone to overhead, contractors' profits, security service, insurance and property losses. The jobs have gone largely either to Americans or other foreigners in Iraq, with little benefit to the Iraqis.
Another example of how you're being suckered
AUSTIN -- Thomas Frank, author of "What's the Matter With Kansas?" is a subscriber to the theory that so-called "values politics" and lifestyle issues are just sophisticated versions of that old carnival con the shell game, in which the object is to keep the rube's eye off the shell with the pea under it.
"The trick never ages: The illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive deindustrialization. Vote to screw those politically correct college professors; receive electricity deregulation. ... Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization."
"The trick never ages: The illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive deindustrialization. Vote to screw those politically correct college professors; receive electricity deregulation. ... Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization."