Sony PRS-500 Reader Review

Here is a picture of my Sony PRS-500 reader. I set this outside in the noonday sun and snapped off a digital picture. What should strike you right away is that the text is legible and that is due to something new...

Sony PRS-500

ADDENDUM: Here is another link

This reader uses a new display technology called E-Ink, also known as an electronic paper display. My layman understanding of it goes like this. Imagine magnetic ball-bearings painted half-black and half-white. Imagine that beneath these ball-bearings is a magnet whose polarity can be reversed. Imagine that when this polarity is reversed the black half of the ball-bearing is either attracted to the magnet or repulsed by it (thereby showing the white half).

What makes this technology especially well-suited to books, aside from it's black-and-white nature, is that it works in bright sun or the direct glare of a reading lamp. In fact, I would say that the contrast improves with light, as opposed to a normal laptop which glares illegibly. Also, the Reader only needs to consume power when reversing the polarity of the tiny magnets and therefore boasts a long life per charge.

While there are reviews "out there on the web", many of them seem to miss an important distinction. The Sony reader is not meant to be a replacement for a laptop computer, but rather a replacement for a book. As such, the interface to the device consists mainly in menus to navigate your library and to turn pages. I feel that is a strength, rather than a weakness, having seen countless confusing contraptions collapse under the weight of all their functionality.

Some of the most common complaints seem to be:

1. The book cannot be searched.
2. You cannot double-click on a word and jump to a dictionary definition.
3. The book does not have it's own light source.

These complaints can all be directed at Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" in traditional book form.

When you compare the Reader to a book, rather than to a computer, you arrive at different conclusions.

The Major Advantages
--------------------------

1. Sony claims that the e-book can store 80 normal books. I cannot personally vouch for that fact, but it can easily store the 11 I currently have on it.
   
2. At the press of a button you can increase or decrease the font size, so near-sighted people (or is that far-sighted people), ought to be able to read a book at a more natural distance (particularly relevant on a plane or bus I imagine).
3. The battery life ought to be sufficient to cover a normal vacation without the need of dragging cumbersome chords that may not work at your destination anyway.
4. In addition to handling Sony's e-book format, the reader can also store RTF documents and PDF files. It can also store unencrypted MP3 and AAC files. The audio file format support means you may store audio books on the device, although you may want to spring for...
5. The Reader supports removable memory sticks and SD memory cards to increase the storage space.
6. You can authorize a book for 6 machines, one of which must be a computer.
   

The Cons
-----------

1. When you change the font size you will notice that the necessary and expected reformat causes the number of pages to change. After thinking about this I realized it could be a problem, since how is one supposed to cite a quote in a bibliography?
2. When you purchase books it must be through Sony's storefront. That is a real shame since they don't have an impressive catalog (no Richard Dawkins for instance, who seems everywhere but in Sony's bookstore). I am certain someone at Sony saw Apples's success with iTunes and decided to duplicate it. I am not certain that this same someone knew what they were looking at, since the MP3 format is ubiquitous. I seem not to be alone in stating that this is the biggest limitation of using the Sony Reader. To stifle competition from the get-go seems a no-no to me.
   
3. I am finding footnotes difficult, if not downright cumbersome, to deal with. I am currently reading a book by Walter Isaacson on Einstein and I haven't figured out how to view a footnote that I encounter. To navigate up, then into the table of contents, then to the footnotes at the end of the book is distracting and time-consuming. Worse, however, is that you always "continue reading" from the last viewed page which in this case would now be the footnote you just viewed. That means you need to navigate to the history and find the page you were on there and jump back to it. All this means that footnotes are too bothersome to reference which is a shame. The process would be much smoother if the reader had a hyperlink and a back button.
4. Since the reader is dependent upon Sony's PC-based software to purchase books, that makes purchasing books while traveling unfeasible unless you drag along a computer too. The trick, then, will be to purchase all your books ahead-of-time unless Sony finds a way to sell a book outside their current strategy. This is perhaps why it is unwise of Sony to stifle content competition from the start.
   

This review will very likely be supplemented in the future with additional reviews. For instance, I haven't told you about the Reader's support for RSS feeds.

All-in-all let me sum up by saying the reader sports a revolutionary display technology (albeit black-and-white), long battery life, ample space to store many books, and is comfortable to read.

Juxtaposition Disorder

Speaking before a world affairs forum in Michigan, Bush said the two-month-old security crackdown under which he is adding 28,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq was "meeting expectations" and the ongoing violence reflected an expected reaction by insurgents.

Source: Sunshine and lollipops

In one of the deadliest attacks on American ground forces since the Iraq war started more than four years ago, a suicide car bomber struck a patrol base northeast of Baghdad and killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20, officials said.

Source: 9 more deaths

How many "expected reactions by insurgents" should we put up with before demanding a change of course?

What are the expected rewards by which we are dismissing ever-increasing costs and casualties as mere tokens to be paid lightly?

Do boasts of progress without reference to maps reduce the wanderings of the lost?

Are these deaths for nothing?

Joe Klein nails Bush administration

President Bush seems to be held in rather low regard right now, but with extensive justification.

I hope to never again see such a petulant, under-achieving, pridefully ignorant, and unfit leader elected president of the US again. The fact that such an obvious moron could be reelected implies my desire could go unrealized, yet I am ready to hope, especially when I see an article like this one by Joe Klein in Time magazine:

Epic Collapse

Reid talks sense to the president

Apparently Harry Reid sat down with president Bush and told him he thought the surge wasn't working and the conflict in Iraq won't be resolved with military force.

The angry Bush minions (they are always angry it seems) railed that Harry doesn't support the troops.

Story here

It is president Bush that Harry Reid doesn't support anymore, and for the sensible reason that he has a track record of failure that is costing our country and our soldiers too much.

Is placing our young men and women in a dangerous situation where staying won't help the only way to look out for their best interests?

Is unflagging allegiance to doomed policies required of me to be considered in support of the troops?

It is my view that no amount of stubbornness will turn the surging disaster that is Iraq into a flower and candy strewn beacon of democracy.

Demonstrating what I like to call outhouse diplomacy, this administration fed lies to the American people and to our allies to get the war it wanted, then turned it all to crap.

Our troops are the ones paying the price for these lies every day. They are dying and
everything.


What a price that we pay when a life bleeds away.
Oh, Goodbye.
Oh, Goodbye.

I'm sorry to say that you die on this day...
For a lie!
For a lie!

What a price that we pay when we look on this day
In their eye.
In their eye.

I wish I could say this war stops today
We will try.
We will try.

Juxtaposition Disorder, 2

CNN's headline for the recent murder of 32 students at Virginia Tech:

"Massacre at Virginia Tech"

Their coverage of the event can be described as extensive.


CNN's headline when 4 bombs kill 157 people in Iraq:

Phrase "Iraq" not found



Has American media become overly nationalistic?

Iraqi's are Soylent Green!

Being still

Have you ever thought about the fact that nothing is ever still?

Even when you're standing still you're still on the Earth which is orbiting the sun at about 29.7 kilometers per second.

And of course the sun travels around the center of the galaxy, and the galaxy moves through space.

And if you move in the other direction, even the cells which make up your body are moving, and the molecules which make those up have orbiting bits, and the sub-atomic particles comprising them are like jumbly, nervous packets of photons.

So, it is move, move, move always and everywhere. Nothing is still, or at rest.

It used to drive me crazy, like a claustrophobia sufferer caught in a coffin with no way out scratching and scratching at the lid...

Well, maybe not that crazy, but it was unsettling to think about. We live in a bumping and grinding, cause-and-effect, whirling dervish of a universe.

But then it occurred to me that there is one place which can possibly be still and that is the focal-point of the big bang.

That's a modest comfort.

Nothing is ever still.

Juxtaposition Disorder

McCain to Obama: Iraq Surge Plan Working

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has criticized the conduct of the Iraq war, said Wednesday the situation in Iraq is changing under a new commander and strategy.

And Democratic rival Barack Obama, for one, ought to take notice, the Arizona senator said.

"We are now executing a new counterinsurgent strategy. We have a new general in command who believes in it," McCain said during a campaign swing in Florida.

March 29, 07

Two killed in Iraq parliament blast

A blast ripped through a canteen in the Iraqi parliament complex inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone today, killing two MPs, state television said.

April 12, 07

The problem is not that we have leaders insufficiently committed to following the president's policies, but the opposite.

We could be saving American lives by getting out of Iraq right now, and I care more about that than exhausting the stubbornness of every politician unable to admit they are wrong.

Perhaps a meteoric rise like Obama is what we need to rid the swamp of its dinosaurs?

Darn

From the New York Times...

The New York Times | DINITIA SMITH | April 11, 2007 11:46 PM

Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Cat's Cradle" and "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died last night in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and in Sagaponack on Long Island.

Source: NYT

I've enjoyed the writing of Kurt Vonnegut over the years, to the point which I am sad to see him go. He reminded me of Mark Twain fused with a beat poet, and it was his book Breakfast of Champions that first captured my heart.

My favorite book by him is Bluebeard.

Since your happiness depends upon the quality of the objects of your affections, it is no wonder that Mr. Vonnegut always made me smile.

So long Mr. Vonnegut, and thanks for all the books. I'm sure Kilgore Trout will live on.

We vote to end it and...

In November Americans overwhelmingly voted to elect Democrats and end this war in Iraq. In poll after poll since then Americans list the war in Iraq as the number one issue of concern.

In response to these concerns, and in light of the fact this is a democracy, president Bush has essentially said, "F.U."

Today, in like fashion, the defense department announced:

"Beginning immediately, all active-duty Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve 15-month tours _ three months longer than the usual standard, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday."

Translation: F.U.

The reason we need a back-door draft (as John Kerry called it), is because Americans don't want to fight for empire.

I expect there are a lot of soldiers that can't wait for 2008.

Dieting Dunno Work

Between 1980 and 2000, the proportion of obese Americans has doubled, from 15 to 31 per cent of the population.

Source: Diet Study

Only one in seven Americans exercises enough and eats enough fruits and vegetables, and men are worse than women...

Source: Dumb-eatin' sloths?

I read an article in the Scientific American recently which said if you want to diet you should think about what you can add to your diet that is healthy (i.e. vegetables), rather than focus on what you are taking away (i.e. Whoopie Pies and beer).

Maybe a genetic bio-engineer needs to make vegetables taste like whoopie pies so the kids will eat 'em?

The diet I use is to drink strong black coffee (no sugar and no cream - it must be black). I believe it keeps my heart-rate up as if I were exercising without all the arm-waving, knee-pounding, bother of moving around. Since caffeine is also a well-known appetite suppressant I believe I am getting a double health benefit.

I am told that a variant of this diet includes smoking cigarettes as well, but have not tried that. Perhaps this adds additional strain (or exercise) on the ol' ticker with each rattling breath.

If you Google it you will find it: Coffee and weight loss

.XXX

It is difficult for me to escape the conclusion that leaders of the Christian right are either dumber than I thought, or more disingenuous than I thought, after seeing them gloat about ICANN rejecting a .XXX domain.

Story here

If porn were relegated to an .XXX domain it would be dead-easy to filter out e-mail originating from it and also to steer your browser clear of it. So, if you were morally opposed to the sight of, say, hot lesbian sex, your job of diverting your attention from it would be much easier with an internet red-light district.

My apologies to anyone looking for hot lesbian sex or naughty porn that wound up here instead.

New Rules

I've heard a lot of rants against the Bush administration. I suppose this is because I seek them out. I enjoy knowing that other people, other Americans, realize that W. is a pampered prince of priviledge and an ineffective promoter of America's security, prosperity, and cohesiveness.

It helps to know that I am not isolated enough in my opinion to be considered crazy, I guess, and these days I feel down-right compatible with the public sentiment.

But...

If you can take a few vulgar words and would like to see the new benchmark for dissing Mr. Bush, then click the link below to watch Bill Maher bring it on:

Hoopie Doopie

Goodly, Godly, Gosh

Since it is impossible to disprove anything, for instance that an invisible pink unicorn is watching me type, some people believe that disbelief in God is as much a matter of faith as belief in God.

Are they correct?

Many philosophers claim that knowledge is a justified true opinion, that is, a learned opinion formed from observation and in accordance with reality.

For instance, you might believe the earth is round without being able to explain your position. That is not considered knowledge by the philosophers, since it isn't based upon any evidence. If, however, you could assert that you know the earth is round because of the round shadow it makes on the moon, or that ships disappear over the horizon, or you've seen the photos of earth viewed from space, then you would have a right to make the claim that you are knowledgeable about the earth's shape.

Since when it comes to God there is a lack of evidence either way, it seems philosophers would argue neither position can claim to be based upon knowledge.

Given this logic you can see why I feel religious leaders speak of "faith" when they are well-meaning and "belief" when they are not.

Given this logic you can see why I feel the same way about atheists that "know" God doesn't exist (or invisible pink unicorns for that matter).

You can think that God exists if you cannot know him.
You can know that God exists if you cannot think him.


All this is food for thought as I direct you to a recent article by Sam Harris, who asks readers to reconsider their strongly-held beliefs:

Tyrant of the Bible

Zbig news

Zbigniew Brzezinski has a new book out and it is called Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower.

Jon Stewart interviewed Z.B. and Zee carried himself well. Here's a link:

Big-news Brew-zinski

During the course of the interview he describes George W. Bush as having Manichean Paranoia, which is not to be confused with Neo-Manichaeism, but perhaps loosely based upon it.

Footsteps of the Fuhrer?

This article by Chris Hedges about America's militant Christians suggests they are using Hitler's methods when it comes to America's gay population:

Gott Mit Uns

When does the evil that one does overcome feelings of self-righteousness?

How strong a force is self-delusion?

Is evil a force like gravity which can be measured with mathematical precision - and can it bend light?

How does a person claiming to believe every word of the Bible believe in a phrase as ignorant of their content as "enemies of Christ"?

If all the world is but a stage where can we hire new screenwriters?

An unsettling feeling...

When the US Supreme Court delivered it's decision which installed George W. Bush as president I remember an uneasy feeling in my bones. I felt as if alarm bells were clanging but I couldn't make out where, like a fireman that lost their sight in the midst of a call.

The source of the alarm bells was soon identified as George W. Bush but I remember wondering why that should be. I didn't know anything about him and America did need a president to function properly...

And yet this feeling persisted and if anything grew stronger as the days went by. All I was sure of was that something was very, very wrong.

So, after a while of this I quieted my mind and studied my emotions. What was it that was driving these alarm bells in my mind? After all, here was a candidate adverse to foreign occupation, concerned about education, and even using the word compassion.

Then I figured out where the alarms were coming from and it is something I don't understand. What I realized is that I was alarmed because I was remembering president George W. Bush, and this remembrance was fueling my uneasiness.

That doesn't make much sense to me. This would mean that somehow I knew from past experience, or perhaps future experience, that president Bush would turn out unfavorable in my eyes (to put it mildly).

Of course you can't have this happen to you without seeing the world anew.

For instance, when I see how the world health organization is reacting to outbreaks of bird flu (H5N1) I find myself wondering if there isn't someone there with a hard-to-describe bad feeling in their bones.

The trouble is, for me, why did I have this memory and what was I supposed to do with it? After all, George W. Bush's incompetence should have been self-evident after a few months in office, let alone years, but he was reelected by tens of millions (winning the popular vote).

What chance have I got to change that kind of mass delusion?

The trouble is, lately, new alarms are sounding, clanging, and banging in my mind. Something is about to get worse, I think, but I am like a blind fireman waiting for the heat.

Do you suppose there's any point to such memories?

The Draft

In this segment for 60 minutes Andy Rooney promotes the draft:

Andy says

I know I wouldn't mind it if the Bush twins were drafted.

The Washington Post March

Editors at the Washington Post made the wrong call in the run-up to the Iraq war, taking the word of the administration over it's critics, and presenting many lies as news to the American public.

One would hope that such a series of public mistakes, which had the effect of promoting one of our nation's greatest blunders, would generate some soul-searching and some humility and some use as a teaching moment.

But, instead, they're still peddling Bush administration talking points discredited as lies in front page stories in their own publication. These lies may very well lead to further harm to our nation.

Story here

Their role is to lie and ours is to be lied to?

Is it fulfilling to work in a newsroom where the editors set a dishonest example?

Changing ideology

I have often wondered about Republicans these last few years, but never more than when hearing a hag like Ann Coulter speak.

I sez if you need a bottom feeder like that to represent your ideology then you probably ought to change your ideology.

At long last it seems that a few conservatives might be beginning to wonder if maybe Ms. Coulter isn't one of America's 1,000 points of light.

Story here

It's a start. A slow start, but a start.

Getting poorer faster

It looks like compassionate conservatism was compassion reserved for the rich.

According to Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles:

"The numbers of severely poor have increased faster than any other segment of the population."

According to Steven Woolf of Virginia:

"We're not seeing as much moderate poverty as a proportion of the population. What we're seeing is a dramatic growth of severe poverty."

You can read all about it here:

Accelerated growth of inequality

There are two disturbing facts which accompany this data:

1. A large middle class keeps a society stable.

2. As poverty rates rise the number of abortions rise.

Chomsky

I enjoy reading Noam Chomsky and AlterNet has published an interview by Michael Shank which you can read...

Right here

Here is a sample quote:

"Seventy five percent of the population here favors improving relations with Iran, instead of threats. But this is disregarded. We don't have polls from the business world, but it's pretty clear that the energy corporations would be quite happy to be given authorization to go back into Iran instead of leaving all that to their rivals. But the state won't allow it. And it is setting up confrontations right now, very explicitly. Part of the reason is strategic, geo-political, economic, but part of the reason is the mafia complex. They have to be punished for disobeying us."

'bout time

One thing that always bugged me about Donald Rumsfeld was his callous disregard for the welfare of his own soldiers. He sent them into battle without proper training and with insufficient armour, then made excuses rather than commitments to our boys and girls.

I hated that about him. I hated the way he had a machine sign letters to the families of the fallen. And I especially hated hearing how our wounded soldiers were treated.

However, until now I haven't seen signs that Robert M. Gates was any better, and if you don't understand this you don't understand anything. The one thing a potential recruit should ever hear is that his commitment to serve is a one-way commitment.

Unless Mr. Gates is full of hot air, which is always possible in this do-nothing-right Bush administration, then at long last our wounded will be treated with the respect they earned.

"The men and women recovering at Walter Reed and at other military hospitals have put their lives on the line and paid a considerable price for defending our country," Gates said. "They battled our foreign enemies. They should not have to battle an American bureaucracy."

Good words Mr. Gates. May you live up to them.

Full story: Click here

Peace is not the question...

"The searing truth is that in the 20th century, more than 100 million members of the human community, most of them civilian noncombatants, perished in wars. At the dawn of the 21st century, violence seems to be an overarching theme in the world, encompassing personal, group, national, and international conflict. It now extends to the production of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction for use on land and sea, in air and outer space. Real and anticipated conflict is accepted, even glorified, as intrinsic to the human condition, with few questions about whether the structures of thought, word, and deed that we have inherited are relevant to the maintenance, growth, and survival of our entire civilization. Our national policy dialogue is infected with war metaphors: the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on illiteracy, the war on this or that. Our children are immersed in video war games. Our sports are rife with war talk. Our media often glorify war. How did we as a society develop such an ardor for arms? Our Founders, while providing for the Common Defense, did not envision America as a land of conquistadores. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, at the beginning of World War II, encouraged steadfastness among the American people: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." As the war wound down, FDR aspired to ending the beginning of all wars: "Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships, the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together in the same world, at peace." As we stand on the threshold of a new millennium, it is time to free ourselves, to jettison our illusions and fears and transform age-old challenges with new thinking. We can conceive of peace as not simply the absence of violence but the active presence of the capacity for a higher evolution of human awareness, of respect, trust, and integrity. Of peace, wherein we all may tap the infinite capabilities of humanity to transform consciousness and conditions that impel or compel violence at a personal, group, or national level toward creating understanding, compassion, and love. We can bring forth new understandings where peace, not war, becomes inevitable. Can we move from wars to end all wars to peace to end all war?"


- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich -

Source: Imagine - Essay on Government

Osama who?

Larry Johnson over at No Quarter points out that while Iran is working with many Shia groups inside Iraq that it is the Sunni that are primarily responsible for killing US troops.

He also analyzes why it is a bad idea to alienate Moqtada al Sadr, rather than try to use him as an ally.

Article: Iran in Iraq

It is an interesting read and it clarifies many aspects of the war in Iraq. It also clarifies how war with Iran would make the situation in Iraq much more deadly for our own troops.

And so it begins...

Border skirmishes with Iran?

Joe Biden once delivered the biting line, "There is no potential for education in the second kick from a mule."

That is all that needs to be said on the subject of attacking Iran.

Progress is progress

One of the first things the Bush administration did when coming into office was scrap the hard work done by former president Bill Clinton on the Korean peninsula. Soon after the president labeled North Korea a member of an "axis of evil" and has refused talks ever since.

The upshot has been that North Korea developed a nuclear bomb amidst Bush's bluster.

Somewhat belatedly someone at the whitehouse arrived at the conclusion that a nuclear-armed North Korea is contrary to US interests. This someone must have decided to eat a little crow, and we sat down with North Korea and hammered out an agreement that essentially restores the Clinton-era policies.

Source: Clinton vindicated

This is a stunning turn of events, since it means that somehow the Bush whitehouse is willing to abandon the perfect (as they see it) for the good. This also means that the whitehouse is willing to change a course that isn't working.

I find this very encouraging news and hope it is the beginning of a new trend, since there are more than a few courses initiated from the whitehouse in need of change.

On this day in history

On this day in history, (February 12, 2006), Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington in the face while quail hunting.

Source: People shootin' people

Welcome to corporatocracy

Here's a link to a Liberty News cartoon that promotes a progressive tax code (Windows Media Player required):

Enjoy the fun

On fate if you will

If you believe that there is a supernatural micro-manager in the sky that controls every facet of reality, then that leads to some interesting conclusions.

For instance, there are those that argue that if a thing has happened it must have happened because it was God's will. After all, the logic goes, God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He set the whole works in motion and his will is directing the show.

I suppose you cannot hold that view without believing, then, that the fate of every life is pre-determined and the outcome unavoidable.

Doesn't that mean, then, that thought is inconsequential to action?

After all if you are in the process of raping and murdering a child, say, you must be doing it because it is God's will since it is happening.

Do I have the logic right?

If I do, then wouldn't it be wrong to punish the child molesting rapist in the above scenario since he is carrying out God's will, and furthermore potentially suffers greatly if he is alarmed by his actions yet unable to control them (since they are predetermined by God)?

To use a milder example, aren't the overweight being force-fed by God?

I'll wager that fundamentalists would find this ridiculous, yet how can it be refuted unless an admission is made that the will of Man has meaning?

Would they say that, like the rapist, when they throw him in jail they are also following God's will?

If so that takes some of the nobility out of your deed doesn't it?

If you are to get into Heaven by accomplishing good deeds, however can you point one out that isn't pre-determined and therefore not admissable as morally relevant?

Rene Descarte, discarding everything he was uncertain of, said "I think, therefore I am".

Perhaps God will judge us by our thoughts, then, and not our actions since I am told he is goodly in nature.

This would mean that a child-molesting rapist, who was repulsed by his actions, would receive entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

This would mean that a child-molesting rapist, who delighted in his actions, would receive for his wickedness eternal burning sensations.

What would it mean for the man that delighted in the act, yet knew it was wrong and made sure the molester was jailed, and therefore prevented from harming others?

Why that person would be considered wicked by a morally consistent deity would he not?

I suppose if you hold these views then one way to view the world is as an ethical video game. Your spirit is placed into different scenarios and you are viewing the action but unable to direct it. You score points when repulsed by wickedness and lose points when you enjoy wicked deeds. Perhaps you also score points when delighting in Good deeds and lose them when repulsed by good deeds.

When the game is over perhaps you and God will laugh and laugh at all the silliness you went through (har, har, a bleedin' idiot was your president - how'd you like them apples?).

I wonder what kind of a score you need to have Saint Peter pat you on the back.

The I word

“The degree to which this President continues to take steps to go to war against Iran without consulting with the full Congress is the degree to which he is increasingly putting himself in jeopardy of an impeachment proceeding,”

Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
Source: Old Tricks


If Mr. Kucinich is serious about impeaching the president, then I humbly offer to illustrate "The degree to which this President continues to take steps to go to war against Iran without consulting with the full Congress":

Presidential threat escalation

Vice presidential threat escalation

When you corner a fighter you must either knock them out or combat a desperate attack.

The time for action is short.

John Edwards '08

John Edwards spoke at Riverside Church on Martin Luther King Jr. day. He offers his way forward, interjected with the stunning line, "It's time for America to be patriotic about something other than war."

If he keeps speaking from the heart like this, rather than being manipulated by handlers into a zombie-like parody of himself, he may take Hillary to the woodshed.

John Edwards

Root causes

Much of the trouble in America today can be boiled down to a few root causes.

America, like every nation on earth, is led by the rich and the powerful, or the elites. That is not surprising and it is not alarming. How could anybody be considered powerful unless they were in a position of leadership?

But, America's elites have heretofore ceded power to the judgement, or will, of the American people. They have willingly done this on the strength of two assumptions:

1. That the American people are generally decent, and if given access to honest information will do what is good and what is right.

2. That doing what is good and what is right leads to happiness and Justice for all.

Somehow these assumptions have lost their appeal and we are in a position where the elites, hungering for the spoils of war, have lied to the American people in order to encourage them to support an unjust war for ignoble reasons.

This explains why America is in it's last throes of international respectability, and why we have broken laws we promoted. It explains why we have tortured and renditioned.

Our elites must have lost their faith in strength through Goodness, influence through Goodness, and perhaps even happiness through Goodness.

At home they have robbed from the poor to give to the rich using trickle-up economics packaged as privatization. They are very likely not so stupid as to think their schemes will become a tide to rise all boats, yet they do not seem so smart as to realize their schemes will not secure liberty for themselves or happiness for their families.

Isn't it obvious to everyone that the Bush twins are unhappy? Isn't it obvious that Condi Rice is searching for happiness in shoe stores (as if Imelda Marcos were her guru)? Isn't it obvious that Dick Cheney suffers poor health and that a grimace is as close to a smile as he is likely to get?

When "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, it was about more that playing with a Wii console and watching Oprah on TV. It was a commitment to live for the Good, since experience taught that goodness and happiness were indivisible companions.

Money is a paltry dividend for an investment of happiness. You cannot buy-back one single life lost in Iraq with all the gold in the world.

When you have everything, and yet nothing, that is a life not worth living, and a way of life not worth holding onto.

I can see the suffering of the rich and know full well their response to it is to lash out bitterly at a world that rewarded all their hard work with emptiness.

They need only see their purpose, their talents, are not meant to be a tool to prey on the weak. They are meant as a source of hope, a helping hand towards enlightenment.

They are not, to speak in metaphor, drowning. They are fish.

Charlie Chaplin made a film called "The Great Dictator" to insult Hitler at a time when most of the world viewed him favorably. But, he did much more than insult. He put forward ideas for leading fish to water.

Excerpt from the final speech of The Great Dictator, which you can read here: Link

"The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all."

I hope you do not swallow the hook, line, and sinker the next time some salesman comes along peddling privatization schemes and domination strategies. Look first at what is lost and what is gained.

Is your money that good?

Democratic response to State fo the Union 2007

Video of Jim Webb's response to State of the Union Address. Delivered on Jan. 23, 2007.

J.W. to G.W.

Here is a link to a transcript of Senator Jim Webb's response to George Bush's State of the Union Address (SOTU). It makes for good reading, I sez:

We will be showing him the way

I wouldn't hold your breath while waiting for a spirit of bipartisanship to overtake the president.

Here is Bill Sher's analysis of the SOTU and Jim's response:

Heartening Response

Creation

Whenever I make something I try to visualize what the thing ought to be before I begin. This actually applies to more than the making of things, and I have come to use it in the making of myself.

This is why the, "What Would Jesus DO (WWJD)" mantra has appealed to me. For what is it other than thinking about how a thing should ideally be done, and then trying to live up to it?

Other ethical step-ladders along the same lines are, "Be a hero to yourself," or, "Above all to thine own self be true," or, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Well, when the founding fathers were making a nation and they sat down to declare their defiance to a king they wrote The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

I found that I could not reread that document without being ashamed of the United States' actions towards Iraq, since the list of grievances reads like a laundry list of Bush administration activities today.

But, the thrust of this post that I want to address is this: When the founding fathers wished to proclaim their Idea for America they formed a vision of it in their minds and described it in the greatest legal document of all time, The United States Constitution

It is the preamble which still burns with power when I read it even now:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

When president Bush speaks tonight I ask you to ask yourself if he speaks like a man that wishes to...

Form a more perfect union or sow disharmony.

Establish Justice or feed injustice.

Insure domestic tranquility or divide Americans by class, by race, and by religion.

Promote the general welfare or promote minority (monied, neocon, corporate) interests.

Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves or grab power for himself.

The vision of what America has been and should remain exists for all to read and to appreciate. I hope everyone keeps it in mind when the president speaks tonight, then finally the bonds of a long night can be broken.

"Impeach!", sez I

President George W. Bush deserves to be impeached and the reasons keep piling up.

Here is a new one:

The lawyer purge

Is aiding and abetting the destruction of the Constitution a new vote-getting strategy cooked up by democratic strategists in Washington D.C.?

What is the point of waiting to impeach?

Hands together

President Bush has issued his "New Way Forward" in Iraq. It is an idea that seeks more destruction, more killing, more debt, more inhumanity, and more of the same writ larger.

I hope humanity does not follow this apostle of violence, this decider of doom, this false prophet of the apocalypse.

There is an old Chinese proverb which says that if you do not change your direction you will go where you are headed.

Well, where are we headed in this moment?

Are we headed for a world of violent conflict or a world of peaceful coexistence?

Are we headed for a world of economic justice or economic injustice?

Are we headed for a world that meets the needs of the least among us, or a world that is blind to suffering?

Are we headed for a world that seeks gold or the golden rule?

Where are we headed?

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. day of remembrance let us not simply recall his past accomplishments out of habit, but rather revive his live dream for humanity out of hope. Let us revive his work and his philosophy and his dream.

The person in our time which most closely resembles Dr. King in spirit is a white Congressman from Ohio named Dennis Kucinich. If you wish to see how far we are from Martin's dream, watch this speech by Dennis and feel just how many obstacles to his message are erected in your own heart and your own mind to his way forward:

A new dreamer

Where are we headed when such a dreamer with such a message is marginalized by cynicism in our own hearts?

Is it towards that mountaintop that Martin saw?

Go see and hear Dennis speak if you get the chance. You've got to feel his presence to recognize the truth of this, that Martin's dream is not dead and neither is the dreamer.

But a dream needs believers to become reality.

Good music

I think that music is the language of emotion. You cannot describe what it means to be "happy" or "sad" or "in love" to someone that hasn't experienced them, can you?

However, you can get a person to experience happiness simply by playing the right music. At least I know that is true for myself.


Well, for some reason I found a lot of really good music this year, albums I can listen to again and again. Here are a few of my favorites:


If you like folk/bluegrass music and you don't have O.C.M.S. by Old Crow Medicine Show, then you are missing out on string-band music that is energetic and joyful. They can sing about cocaine killing their honey dead and make it fun. I can't think of a better way to follow up the Bush shenanigans than a song from O.C.M.S.

Take 'em Away

Another folk music gem in my opinion is We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions by Bruce Springstein. He takes songs that have been done for decades and reinvigorates them with forceful performances that maintain their dignity. One of my personal favorites is Pay Me My Money Down, which Bruce updates to include a verse for Bill Gates.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

While traveling in the south, specifically in Clarksdale Mississippi at Cat Head, they had a blues artist I hadn't heard of named Precious Bryant from somewhere in Georgia. They had a listening station and I put in the CD and I couldn't believe how good she was. She reminded me of Memphis Minnie and sings just a bit behind the beat in an easy style, which is refreshing after hearing too many female blues artists forced to mimic Mellisa Ethridge and/or Koko Taylor.

Her album is called "The Truth" and I think you should buy it if you want cotton-country blues in an elecro-gadget world.

Timeless and terrific

Another blues artist I listened to and had to have while at Cat Head was Robert Belfour. He had an album there called Pushin' My Luck that was about as simple and honest as blues music gets. Mr. Belfour takes his time and tells us his troubles, mostly involving women and alcohol or a combination of the two, and brings to life the experience of blues.

I Got My Eyes On You

When I first started this blog I wanted to help you face the curtain with a bow, and I hope this is a payment on that debt.

Peace and Love,

U.M.

ATTN DEMOCRATIC LEADERS !!!

Steven C. Clemons of The Washington Note writes:

Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the CIA to launch military operations against Syria and Iran.

Full story

And Joshua Micah Marshall writes:

More story


And I continue to write, "If president Bush were a traitor or a spy you'd have to admire his competence."

Now do you understand?

While I commend the objectives of Nancy Pelosi in her first 100 hours, as a political strategy I'd say it is an abject failure.

How can I say such a thing?

So far the new Congress has:

A. Reinstated Pay-As-You-Go.
B. Passed corruption legislation.
C. Passed the 911 Commission recommendations.
D. Increased the minimum wage.

Now, as promised, they are forwarding a Stem Cell research bill.

Here is legislation that is going to improve people's lives, which is what good politics is all about.

Here is a story in which a politician makes a promise to voters and then immediately acts to uphold it.

Yet, a perusal of the news indicates that Posh and Beck get more attention.

It is Iraq war withdrawal and opposition to president Bush that the American people want. Until you deliver on that your activity is invisible, no matter how praiseworthy.

To put it metaphorically, it is nice to have a clean bathroom, even on the Titanic. It would be more useful, however, to change the friggin' course and maybe even bring a new captain on board.

MoePhone

As Apple computer unveils it's newest offering, iPhone, I feel like a short rant.

You know what I want in a cell phone?

One that has a high quality antenna and a bare-bones interface to make a call. Nothing else.

I don't need no camera on my phone.
I don't need no video on my phone.
I don't need no pictures on my phone.
I don't want to surf the web on my phone.
I don't want to play games on my phone.
I don't want to listen to music on my phone.

I want a phone that is simple to operate and stays connected because all those gimmicks have been replaced by a high-quality antenna. It can sound like an egg-timer when it wrings for all I care. And hell, the battery might even last longer that way.

And I want a bill that is honest and easy to understand. No more crooked confusion-minutes.

And if I want to surf the web, then the phone ought to have a USB cable I can plug into my laptop and provide DSL-like speeds.

Maybe it could be called the RetroCell.

Maybe DieHard should make it, or a tool company like DeWalt.

Am I alone?

Are people really excited over a phone that runs an operating system?

Can't somebody make a cell phone for ol' Moe?

Humble Bumble

"I don't need nobody telling me what the president is going to say before a speech, nor nobody telling me what he did say after a speech," I sez.

In these times, however, I can't watch a presidential pontification. It is too much to bear that our soldiers lives are in the hands of a man that can hardly speak, is self contradictory, and impressed with himself to the point of smirking.

So, I have taken to reading full transcripts which are available on-line. Here is a link provided by the New York Times:

Surge the Loss

I think the worst thing about the president's speech is hearing president Bush repeat what many analysts said would happen as if he were offering us all insight. He doesn't seem to realize he is the only one in the room still 4 years behind in his development.

This following paragraph particularly rankles the hackles because it is a point-for-point warning rejected pre-invasion. It was the verbatim case against invasion! Of course, anyone that offered it as advice to the president was evicted from their office and ridiculed by the likes of vice president "we will be welcomed as liberators" Cheney and Paul "we won't have to spend any of our own money" Wolfowitz:


"The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow — would — would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On Sept. 11, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists [Afghanistan - which we left to the Taliban!] on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq."


Another paragraph reflects the advice of general Eric Shinseki:

"Iraqi and American forces cleared many neighborhoods of terrorists and insurgents, but when our forces moved on to other targets, the killers returned."

It is worth noting that general Shinseki predicted we'd need 300,000 more troops which makes our surge of 22,000 look inadequate to me.

One thing the president said seems downright foolish. He said those extra troops will "...work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations." I wonder if they will have targets painted on their backs for the embedded insurgents. No wonder general Casey wouldn't stay on.

2007 looks to me like it will unfurl the same tragedy as 2006 unless Congress asserts it's authority.

When first we practice to deceive

On June 28, 2005 president Bush said that sending more troops to Iraq would “undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead” and “suggest that we intend to stay forever.”

Watch it here

Today the president is widely expected to recommend sending more troops to Iraq.

If he does so, are we to assume that president Bush wishes to undermine Iraqi leadership and imply we intend to stay forever?

WWKD

Dennis Kucinich is running for president in 2008. He is someone I would love to see elected but he seems to garner no press cred.

So, I thought, maybe a place like this blog ought to amplify his message as best as it can. If I tell two people, and you tell two people, and they tell two people, and so on...

Here, then, are the elements of the Kucinich Plan. I have added highlighting to the bits that I want to draw your attention particularly to:

1. The US announces it will end the occupation, close military bases and withdraw. The insurgency has been fueled by the occupation and the prospect of a long-term presence as indicated by the building of permanent bases. A US declaration of an intention to withdraw troops and close bases will help dampen the insurgency which has been inspired to resist colonization and fight invaders and those who have supported US policy. Furthermore this will provide an opening where parties within Iraq and in the region can set the stage for negotiations towards peaceful settlement.

2. US announces that it will use existing funds to bring the troops and necessary equipment home. Congress appropriated $70 billion in bridge funds on October 1st for the war. Money from this and other DOD accounts can be used to fund the troops in the field over the next few months, and to pay for the cost of the return of the troops, (which has been estimated at between $5 and $7 billion dollars) while a political settlement is being negotiated and preparations are made for a transition to an international security and peacekeeping force.

3. Order a simultaneous return of all US contractors to the United States and turn over all contracting work to the Iraqi government. The contracting process has been rife with world-class corruption, with contractors stealing from the US Government and cheating the Iraqi people, taking large contracts and giving 5% or so to Iraqi subcontractors.

Reconstruction activities must be reorganized and closely monitored in Iraq by the Iraqi government, with the assistance of the international community. The massive corruption as it relates to US contractors, should be investigated by congressional committees and federal grand juries. The lack of tangible benefits, the lack of accountability for billions of dollars, while millions of Iraqis do not have a means of financial support, nor substantive employment, cries out for justice.

It is noteworthy that after the first Gulf War, Iraqis reestablished electricity within three months, despite sanctions. Four years into the US occupation there is no water, nor reliable electricity in Baghdad, despite massive funding from the US and from the Madrid conference. The greatest mystery involves the activities of private security companies who function as mercenaries. Reports of false flag operations must be investigated by an international tribunal.

4. Convene a regional conference for the purpose of developing a security and stabilization force for Iraq. The focus should be on a process which solves the problems of Iraq. The US has told the international community, "This is our policy and we want you to come and help us implement it." The international community may have an interest in helping Iraq, but has no interest in participating in the implementation of failed US policy.

A shift in US policy away from unilateralism and toward cooperation will provide new opportunities for exploring common concerns about the plight of Iraq. The UN is the appropriate place to convene, through the office of the Secretary General, all countries that have interests, concerns and influence, including the five permanent members of the Security Council and the European community, and all Arab nations.

The end of the US occupation and the closing of military bases are necessary preconditions for such a conference. When the US creates a shift of policy and announces it will focus on the concerns of the people of Iraq, it will provide a powerful incentive for nations to participate.

It is well known that while some nations may see the instability in Iraq as an opportunity, there is also an even-present danger that the civil war in Iraq threatens the stability of nations throughout the region. The impending end of the occupation will provide a breakthrough for the cooperation between the US and the UN and the UN and countries of the region. The regional conference must include Iran, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

5. Prepare an international security and peacekeeping force to move in, replacing US troops who then return home. The UN has an indispensable role to play here, but cannot do it as long as the US is committed to an occupation. The UN is the only international organization with the ability to mobilize and the legitimacy to authorize troops.

The UN is the place to develop the process, to build the political consensus, to craft a political agreement, to prepare the ground for the peacekeeping mission, to implement the basis of an agreement that will end the occupation and begin the transition to international peacekeepers. This process will take at least three months from the time the US announces the intention to end the occupation.

The US will necessarily have to fund a peacekeeping mission, which, by definition will not require as many troops. Fifty percent of the peacekeeping troops must come from nations with large Muslim populations. The international security force, under UN direction, will remain in place until the Iraqi government is capable of handling its own security. The UN can field an international security and peacekeeping mission, but such an initiative will not take shape unless there is a peace to keep, and that will be dependent upon a political process which reaches agreement between all the Iraqi parties. Such an agreement means fewer troops will be needed.

According to UN sources, the UN the peacekeeping mission in the Congo, which is four times larger in area than Iraq, required about twenty thousand troops. Finally the UN does not mobilize quickly because they depend upon governments to supply the troops, and governments are slow. The ambition of the UN is to deploy in less than ninety days. However, without an agreement of parties the UN is not likely to approve a mission to Iraq, because countries will not give them troops.

6. Develop and fund a process of national reconciliation. The process of reconciliation must begin with a national conference, organized with the assistance of the UN and with the participation of parties who can create, participate in and affect the process of reconciliation, defined as an airing of all grievances and the creation of pathways toward open, transparent talks producing truth and resolution of grievances. The Iraqi government has indicated a desire for the process of reconciliation to take place around it, and that those who were opposed to the government should give up and join the government. Reconciliation must not be confused with capitulation, nor with realignments for the purposes of protecting power relationships.

For example, Kurds need to be assured that their own autonomy will be regarded and therefore obviate the need for the Kurds to align with religious Shia for the purposes of self-protection. The problem in Iraq is that every community is living in fear. The Shia, who are the majority fear they will not be allowed to government even though they are a majority. The Kurds are afraid they will lose the autonomy they have gained. The Sunnis think they will continue to be made to pay for the sins of Saddam.

A reconciliation process which brings people together is the only way to overcome their fears and reconcile their differences. It is essential to create a minimum of understanding and mutual confidence between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

But how can a reconciliation process be constructed in Iraq when there is such mistrust: Ethnic cleansing is rampant. The police get their money from the US and their ideas from Tehran. They function as religious militia, fighting for supremacy, while the Interior Ministry collaborates. Two or three million people have been displaced. When someone loses a family member, a loved one, a friend, the first response is likely to be that there is no reconciliation.

It is also difficult to move toward reconciliation when one or several parties engaged in the conflict think they can win outright. The Shia, some of whom are out for revenge, think they can win because they have the defacto support of the US. The end of the US occupation will enhance the opportunity for the Shia to come to an accommodation with the Sunnis. They have the oil, the weapons, and support from Iran. They have little interest in reconciling with those who are seen as Baathists.

The Sunnis think they have experience, as the former army of Saddam, boasting half a million people insurgents. The Sunnis have so much more experience and motivation that as soon as the Americans leave they believe they can defeat the Shia government. Any Sunni revenge impulses can be held in check by international peacekeepers. The only sure path toward reconciliation is through the political process. All factions and all insurgents not with al Queda must be brought together in a relentless process which involves Saudis, Turks and Iranians.

7. Reconstruction and Jobs. Restart the failed reconstruction program in Iraq. Rebuild roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and other public facilities, houses, and factories with jobs and job training going to local Iraqis.

8. Reparations. The US and Great Britain have a high moral obligation to enable a peace process by beginning a program of significant reparations to the people of Iraq for the loss of lives, physical and emotional injuries, and damage to property. There should be special programs to rescue the tens of thousands of Iraqi orphans from lives of destitution. This is essential to enable reconciliation.

9. Political Sovereignty. Put an end to suspicions that the US invasion and occupation was influenced by a desire to gain control of Iraq's oil assets by A) setting aside initiatives to privatize Iraqi oil interests or other national assets, and B) by abandoning efforts to change Iraqi national law to facilitate privatization.

Any attempt to sell Iraqi oil assets during the US occupation will be a significant stumbling block to peaceful resolution. The current Iraqi constitution gives oil proceeds to the regions and the central government gets nothing. There must be fairness in the distribution of oil resources in Iraq. An Iraqi National Oil Trust should be established to guarantee the oil assets will be used to create a fully functioning infrastructure with financial mechanisms established protect the oil wealth for the use of the people of Iraq.

10. Iraq Economy. Set forth a plan to stabilize Iraq's cost for food and energy, on par to what the prices were before the US invasion and occupation. This would block efforts underway to raise the price of food and energy at a time when most Iraqis do not have the means to meet their own needs.

11. Economic Sovereignty. Work with the world community to restore Iraq's fiscal integrity without structural readjustment measures of the IMF or the World Bank.

12. International Truth and Reconciliation. Establish a policy of truth and reconciliation between the people of the United States and the people of Iraq. In 2002, I led the effort in the House of Representatives challenging the Bush Administration's plans to go to war in Iraq. I organized 125 Democrats to vote against the Iraq war resolution. The analysis I offered at that time stands out in bold relief for its foresight when compared to the assessments of many who today aspire to national leadership. Just as the caution I urged four years ago was well-placed, so the plan I am presenting today is workable, and it responds to the will of the American people, expressed this past November. This is a moment for clarity and foresight. This is a moment to take a new direction in Iraq. One with honor and dignity. One which protects our troops and rescues Iraqi civilians. One which repairs our relationship with Iraqis and with the world.


I don't know about you, but I like that plan a lot better than more of the same.

Worthy of salute

The Democratic leadership sent a letter to president Bush advising he not deploy additional troops to Iraq.

I want you to pay attention to the names of the generals you encounter in the letter...

President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The start of the new Congress brings us opportunities to work together on the critical issues confronting our country. No issue is more important than finding an end to the war in Iraq. December was the deadliest month of the war in over two years, pushing U.S. fatality figures over the 3,000 mark.

The American people demonstrated in the November elections that they do not believe your current Iraq policy will lead to success and that we need a change in direction for the sake of our troops and the Iraqi people. We understand that you are completing your post-election consultations on Iraq and are preparing to make a major address on your Iraq strategy to the American people next week.

Clearly this address presents you with another opportunity to make a long overdue course correction. Despite the fact that our troops have been pushed to the breaking point and, in many cases, have already served multiple tours in Iraq, news reports suggest that you believe the solution to the civil war in Iraq is to require additional sacrifices from our troops and are therefore prepared to proceed with a substantial U.S. troop increase.

Surging forces is a strategy that you have already tried and that has already failed. Like many current and former military leaders, we believe that trying again would be a serious mistake. They, like us, believe there is no purely military solution in Iraq. There is only a political solution. Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain. And it would undermine our efforts to get the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. We are well past the point of more troops for Iraq.

In a recent appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General John Abizaid, our top commander for Iraq and the region, said the following when asked about whether he thought more troops would contribute to our chances for success in Iraq:

"I met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the Corps commander, General Dempsey. We all talked together. And I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no. And the reason is, because we want the Iraqis to do more. It's easy for the Iraqis to rely upon to us do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future. "

Rather than deploy additional forces to Iraq, we believe the way forward is to begin t he phased redeployment of our forces in the next four to six months, while shifting the principal mission of our forces there from combat to training, logistics, force protection and counter-terror. A renewed diplomatic strategy, both within the region and beyond, is also required to help the Iraqis agree to a sustainable political settlement. In short, it is time to begin to move our forces out of Iraq and make the Iraqi political leadership aware that our commitment is not open ended, that we cannot resolve their sectarian problems, and that only they can find the political resolution required to stabilize Iraq.

Our troops and the American people have already sacrificed a great deal for the future of Iraq. After nearly four years of combat, tens of thousands of U.S. casualties, and over $300 billion dollars, it is time to bring the war to a close. We, therefore, strongly encourage you to reject any plans that call for our getting our troops any deeper into Iraq. We want to do everything we can to help Iraq succeed in the future but, like many of our senior military leaders, we do not believe that adding more U.S. combat troops contributes to success.

We appreciate you taking these views into consideration.

Sincerely,­­­­

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Now, guess how many of the following military people the Bush administration wants to retire early?

1. General John Abizaid
2. General Casey
3. General Martin Dempsey

Check your answer here...

I believe it has gotten to the point where military brass must choose either to serve president Bush or to serve with honor. Our soldiers need an exit strategy or a better reason to fight than protecting the president's ego.

Motive and means

Here is yet another motive to see to it that president George W. Bush gets impeached:

Reading your mail

Here are the means to see to it that president George W. Bush gets impeached:

Citizens Impeachment

If the president opens my mail it will be to read a petition for his impeachment addressed to Nancy Pelosi.

What will he read in your mail?

Surge the Loss

One little.
Two little.
Three little General Eric Shinsekis.

Four little.
Five little
Six little General Eric Shinsekis.

Seven little.
Eight little
Nine little General Eric Shinsekis.

Ten little General Eric Shinseki boys.

Oh!

Eleven little.
Twelve little.
Thirteen little General Eric Shinsekis.

Fourteen little.
Fifteen little
Sixteen little General Eric Shinsekis.

Seventeen little.
Eightteen little
Nineteen little General Eric Shinsekis.

Twenty little General Eric Shinseki boys.

May Brent Budowsky forgive my lack of gravity introducing readers to what I sincerely consider a potent must-read.

I have long felt that the biggest lie in the surge/stay the course rhetoric is that there is of course no course. And...what president Bush is considering now is more akin to stranding additional people on rooftops in rising flood waters. Operation Surge the Loss if you will.

Our military men, it appears, see this. James Baker and his associates, it appears, see this. The American people, it appears, see this.

I hope newly-elected democratic lawmakers see this.

It is a time to lead and not follow.

In the first 100 hours

Democrats have a lot of goals for the first 100 hours (or 4.16666 days) of their leadership. Here are a few others they might consider:

1. Get rid of the ban on photos of coffins coming home from Iraq.

2. Pass a law making it illegal for a governor to change the balance of power in Washington should a legislator die. Convention and tradition and honoring the will of the electorate has upheld this in practice, but modern politicians are not known for their restraint when it comes to clutching power.

3. Pass a new G.I. bill and give our men and women something they deserve, like a free education for themselves and their children.

4. Raise the cafe standards for automobiles.

In the 101st hour it is my hope something will be done to derail Surge the Course.

Was Paulson arrested?

Has U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson been arrested in Germany?

Who Wanta What?


I doubt it, but that seems to be a growing rumor.

The flaw in our fight

Evaluating the mistakes of the Bush administration is a lot like shoveling snow in a blizzard. It is difficult to make visible progress against such an onslaught.

Scrape. Toss.

There has been no more excruciating mistake than to fight al Qaeda in Iraq, rather than Afghanistan.

Scrape. Toss.

It seems that the harm to American interests of this Cheneyan blunder keeps blowing across our paths with the frequency of a Nor'Easter on the Maine coast.

Scrape. Toss.

For instance, Newsweek writes about a group of terrorists plotting against western nations in an article entitled:

The Regathering Storm

Scrape. Toss.

It seems the job we outsourced in Afghanistan was left unfinished.

Scrape. Toss.

Even though Osama killed thousands of Americans.

Scrape. Toss.

We had other priorities.

Scrape. Toss.

Meanwhile, terrorists there which weren't smoked out have regrouped and are setting their offensive sights on England and the US.

Scrape. Toss.

Yep, that sure was a bad decision to get tangled up in Iraq like that.

Scrape. Toss.

But, thank goodness the president came to his senses after the American people swept the democratic party into power.

Scrape. Toss.

And, thank goodness the democrats recognize the sacredness of this trust and are intent on changing the course.

Scrape. Toss.

What's that?

Surge the Course. Are you sure?

Scrape. Toss.

You are.
I see.

Scrape. Toss.

And democrats are mostly quiet in spite of their mandate for change?

Scrape. Toss.

Well, it looks like there is more shoveling to do.

Surge the course

As president Bush embarks on a new campaign which I refer to as operation, "Surge the Course", I am starting to get pissed off at democrats for their thumb-twiddling, naval staring, responsibility evading, ways.

Listen...

The president is a jack-ass. Don't listen to him.

The longer we stay in Iraq the more we lose.

You have been given a mandate by the American people to end this thing.

You have the power of impeachment and the power of the purse.

Where is your sense of urgency?

Bubbles

A bubble in a breeze goes
Bump. Bump. Bump.
Bump. Bump. Bump.
Bump. Bump. Bump.

A bubble in a breeze goes
Bump. Bump. Bump.
Swish. Swish. Pop!

What's the opposite of a gravy train?

If George W. Bush were a traitor and a foreign spy he would rightly be considered one of the most able men in history.

That is because it takes some doing to inherit a country at-peace and going out of debt and turn that into a country at war and accumulating debt so fast foreign currency traders are now abandoning dollars:

China to dump a trillion US dollars

Yes sir if he were a traitor and a spy you'd really have to give the man a lot of credit and admiration for his fiscal destructiveness alone.

Faith-based mêlée?

Is Iraq in the midst of a civil war?

Is it instead a faith-based mêlée?

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and John Olliver tackle the complicated semantic conundrum:

By any other name...

I sometimes unconventionally wonder if the ongoing civil war in Iraq is one intentionally stirred up by the US, and if we are actually desperate to stay so we can keep it going. With its' roving death squads, John Negroponte's involvement, and well-armed militias, it looks an awful lot like US foreign policy executed towards South America sometimes.

Ain't I a stinker for even thinking such a thing?

A mental exercise

Imagine going into a restaurant for a cup of tea.

Imagine that while you wait for your tea that every few moments a waitress comes over and says the price of that tea has just risen.

Imagine that after a while of this you poke your head in the kitchen...

Imagine a kettle of water on a stove. Imagine that it is boiling rapidly.

Imagine Henry Kissinger and George Bush looking at it.

Imaging Henry saying that, "If we remove the kettle from the fire, then the water is going to spill out of the kettle and burn us."

Imagine a cup with a few dry leaves at the bottom near the stove.

Imagine George Bush saying that the thing to do is neither move the kettle, nor increase the fire, nor decrease the fire, but rather to keep the water level the same.

Imagine the waitress finding you again and telling you the price for the tea is going up again.

Should you go for your wallet or the door?

Rethinking Iraq

Bill Scher over at Liberal Oasis has a lot of good insight, and when it comes to Iraq he advocates a new direction for America. I agree with his position and promote it here for your consideration:

Change the course, stupid!

How bad is Iraq?

How bad is it in Iraq?

This bad

Things might be "bad" in Iraq when we leave, but that is not the same as arguing things are "good" in Iraq if we stay.

What makes sense to me is renouncing our permanent bases in Iraq, giving a deadline for troop withdrawal, and apologizing to the world community for over-reaching in the aftermath of 911.

If Iraqis fought this hard against Sadam then they might be a freer people, but as Bill Parcells likes to say, "If if's and but's were candies and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas."

My message to democrats

I thought I should articulate a message to democrats myself, having liked Bill in Portland Maine's message so much.

Americans elected you to lead us out of the Iraq mess. To that aim, here is the lesson you need to grasp. We are not in control and have no authority to dictate what happens in Iraq. Furthermore, the current administration is so skillfully incompetent that objectives hardly matter. Bring our people home.

When Americans find themselves unable to afford their medical insurance deductibles because their money was spent on medical insurance premiums, then it is time to make health care for all a priority. Even if you can't address it now, at least talk about it and hold hearings on the state of our health care system. Do this to set the stage for 2008, when hopefully spending will be under control.

Try to keep your in-party sniping, at least that originating from those in leadership roles, behind closed doors. Airing your dirty laundry in public makes you look bad. If you doubt me then read this article.

The price of oil is dropping but don't allow enthusiasm for renewable energy drop with it. Renewable energy strengthens America and simplifies our foreign policy in the middle east. Global warming will be a bigger problem than Iraq and the time for effective action is this next decade.

"It's the economy stupid", still applies. Balance America's checkbook.

The final piece of advice is pay no attention to that man behind the curtain making all that smoke and noise. The great Oz, he ain't.

How and why to get out

Lieutenant General William E. Odom (Retired) recently penned an editorial to the Los Angeles Times and he called it, "How to Cut and Run".

I suggest you read it because I believe it is the Truth we must all face before things will get better in Iraq.

I think there is a great lesson in our Iraq war, provincially expressed as ill-gotten is ill-gained. These wars of conquest, these rhetorical wars, these ideological wars, are a problem.

We can avoid these types of wars when we avoid the types of leaders motivated by destruction, rather than a desire to rebuild. You don't, for instance, "Shock and Awe" a populace into stability.

It is pitiful to see politicians unable to admit their failures, clinging with mad insistence that we're just not patient enough, free-spending enough, or informed enough to follow them anymore.

Speaking metaphorically, one shouldn't let a friend shit on one's carpet because it might someday turn up roses. Some returns just aren't worth the investment.

Kissinger's advice

It looks like ol' Henry Kissinger is still dispensing the same type of advice that got us stuck in Viet Nam. In one breath he says this:

"If you mean, by ‘military victory,’ an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don’t believe that is possible"

And in the next he says this:

"...that a hasty withdrawal from Iraq would have “disastrous consequences,” leaving not only Iraq but neighboring countries with large Shiite populations destabilized for years"

Source: Henry Says

If you analyze these statements together you'll see that "quagmire" is the word that binds them coherently.

What should one do in a quagmire?

Bottle up and go. I like a timed withdrawal because it gives Iraqis a better chance of "standing up".

The lessons that people should learn from this are embodied in a document Colin Powell authored called The Powell Doctrine.

Maybe next time?

Site logo

I thought I would post the site logo in a somewhat legible size. I like it, naturally, and thought you might like to see it clearly for once.

B.I.P.M.

Bill in Portland Maine has been posting over at DailyKos for a while and I generally read his posts. I thought today's post, "A Message to the Democratic Leadership", was better than most and better than good.

I also think that if the soon-to-be democratic Congress takes his suggestions seriously then America will get back on track. I particularly enjoy his inclusion of troop support. I think they should put the thing together as one bill and get it done.

Why republican leadership never took this seriously is beyond me. It may be one reason why they lost so much trust from Americans.

I would add that I think democratic members should insure that prospective replacements for Rumsfled understand these will be high priorities with zero tolerance for excuse-making.

On another front there is a bit of a race for House Majority leader shaping up between John Murtha and Steny Hoyer. While I think they both seem like good candidates to me I have to side with John Murtha since he led when it mattered on an issue of great importance. In other words, he proved his leadership qualities to me.

What John doesn't have going for him is that he doesn't seem very diplomatic. He will need to guard against being overly combative, particularly within the ranks of his own party. It is an impulse that can be self-defeating in the long run, whereas coalition-building gets more done. Luckily for us, Nancy Pelosi will be there to guide him. They'll make a good team, I think.

Selfish Joe

Joe Lieberman always seems to act in a generously self-centered manner. When voters in his party rejected him, he put his agenda ahead of his party's and ran as an independent. I admit I thought he would lose, but he failed to lose the support of crucial democrats and further held his powerful seats in the Senate.

Pundits refer to Joe as a moderate, but that is quite an insult to centrists that support the positions he often rejects. His strong support of the president (at 33% in the polls) and for the Iraq war (about 40%) can only be described as doggedly right-of-center.

I fail to understand why top-tier democrats kissed his ring and failed to support Ned Lamont, but now they are stuck with what they deserve, a politician whose agenda is first-and-foremost self-serving.

Joe recently said:

...he will caucus with Senate Democrats in the new Congress, but he would not rule out switching to the Republican caucus if he starts to feel uncomfortable among Democrats.

Source: Traitor Joe

He is essentially staking out the high moral territory of blackmail and will no doubt be a constant thorn in the side of what a majority of Americans want.

Thanks a lot Connecticut.

Justice

I have often stated that I think democratic candidates are best when they fight for Justice. So, I am troubled by many early signals from both Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean that they are not interested in impeaching president Bush, which practically assures they are not interested in investigating his law-breaking activities (which have already been declared illegal on several counts - see details here).

As troubling as that is to me, what is more troubling to me is that we're not hearing calls to repeal the torture legislation, or the Patriot Act, or the NSA spying program. We're also not hearing calls to investigate Guantanamo and make it conform to standards that were good enough for detaining Nazis and fascists.

Shouldn't democratic candidates be saying that they understand this election was a mandate for rejection of the Bush administration policies? Shouldn't democrats every other word be repeal?

Are democrats seriously going to pretend nothing is wrong and that America is on the right course?

If so, that seems like a catastrophic miscalculation with consequences that are already well understood. It is a comfort to me that I have not heard Harry Reid utter these kinds of absolving statements, but I also haven't heard him use the repeal word either.

Maybe I am just impatient. Maybe democrats are holding back until they have real power?

ADDENDUM: Patrick Leahy takes up the good fight, details here

A big fat "You're Welcome"

The UK Guardian just published an editorial thanking America for rejecting the policies of George W. Bush, and more broadly for rejecting Conservative zealotry. I am trying not to gloat, because the time for gloating will be when democrats make a difference, but it is a challenge with in-your-face arrogant types - those end-zone dancers if you will entertain a football metaphor.

So, I can't claim this Guardian article is an aid to me on the road to self-improvement. It might even be a set-back for me because I obviously enjoyed reading it (to my great shame of course).

I particularly enjoyed this paragraph:

"In US domestic terms, the 2006 midterms bring to an end the 12 intensely divisive years of Republican House rule that began under Newt Gingrich in 1994. These have been years of zealously and confrontational conservative politics that have shocked the world and, under Mr Bush, have sent America's global standing plummeting. That long political hurricane has now at last blown itself out for a while, but not before leaving America with a terrible legacy that includes climate-change denial, the end of biological stem-cell research, an aid programme tied to abortion bans, a shockingly permissive gun culture, an embrace of capital punishment equalled only by some of the world's worst tyrannies, the impeachment of Bill Clinton and his replacement by a president who does not believe in Darwin's theory of evolution. The approval by voters in at least five more states of same-sex marriage bans - on top of 13 similar votes in 2004 - shows that culture-war politics are far from over."

I hope I haven't corrupted your own efforts at self-improvement.

Full article here

Ou est James H. Peck?

Yesterday I posted about the democrats senate race in Virginia and there was a response by "Causal" that was interesting enough to promote to this more visible location.

Causal writes...

Well, it only takes a moment to help convince Nancy Pelosi to Impeach..

The day the nation demands impeachment is upon us. Sacks and sacks of mail are about to arrive in Nancy Pelosi's office initiating impeachment via the House of Representative's own rules. This legal document is as binding as if a State or if the House itself passed the impeachment resolution (H.R. 635).

There's a little known and rarely used clause of the "Jefferson Manual" in the rules for the House of Representatives which sets forth the various ways in which a president can be impeached. Only the House Judiciary Committee puts together the Articles of Impeachment, but before that happens, someone has to initiate the process.

That's where we come in. In addition to a House Resolution (635), or the State-by-State method, one of the ways to get impeachment going is for individual citizens like you and me to submit a memorial. ImpeachforPeace.org has created a new memorial based on one which was successful in impeaching a federal official in the past. You can find it on their website as a PDF.

You can initiate the impeachment process and simultaneously help to convince Pelosi to follow through with the process. Do-It-Yourself by downloading the memorial, filling in the relevant information in the blanks (your name, state, etc.), and sending it in. Be a part of history.

The fat lady is doing voice exercises

The race in Virginia appears won by democratic candidate Jim Webb. With a 7,000+ vote lead and half of the counties finished canvassing there isn't much solace to be had in statistics for republican George Allen.

Details here

Many democrats are hoping there will be a challenge so that Karl Rove's nasty tactics can be exposed to more attention. I am not one of them. Karl Rove has been publicly pounded and has lost his genius gloss, his Midas momentum, and his invincibility.

I prefer to look ahead to Senate Majority leader Harry Reid. I prefer to pine for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. I prefer to reflect upon the fact that Americans demanded a change of course in Iraq and that
democrats are going to deliver on it.

President Bush may use his veto power to obstruct as much as he can, but democrats have plenty of ammunition to impeach him if he insists on being petulant. He appears to realize it too, since he is already singing conciliatory tunes.

Realist Republicans

When Ronald Reagan won the presidency the credit was widely attributed to "Reagan Democrats".

In spite of president Bush's many costly mistakes and America-harming decisions I was beginning to think there was no such republican equivalent. Conservatives don't like change, after all, and modern republicans have hidden their agenda behind religious tactics (faith without works might be dead, but it sure as hell wins elections).

But, the 2006 mid-term election showed that there are indeed republicans capable of putting America first and their party second.

I salute you if you are one of them. It takes Humility and Courage to admit you are wrong and a sense of Justice to make things right.

Nancy's priorities

If democrats take the House then these will be Nancy Pelosi's priorities:

1. Restore pay-as-you-go
2. Implement all recommendations of the 9/11 commission.
3. Raise the minimum wage.
4. Fix medicare prescription drug program
5. Cut interest rates for college loans in half
6. Roll back subsidies for big oil.
7. Fight attempts to privatize social security.


Details here

Not bad, I sez. That goes double for #2.

Vote ye merry men

James Carville was the political consultant somewhat behind the scenes of Bill Clinton's success. I say somewhat because he isn't the flower-on-the-wall type.

He has some interesting input on democratic candidates chances based upon the polling data:

James Says

Here's hoping that Americans stay the course and sweep Republicans out of office. Under republican leadership this Congress has worked less than the famous "do-nothing Congress" and when they have worked they have bungled badly.

How much failure is too much?

Instant Runoff Voting

Every once in a while I like to state that I feel the US ought to use instant runoff voting. This would prevent third party candidates from having a negative impact on our preferences.

Details here

I would also like to state that I feel democrats should get the ball rolling by using this system to select it's presidential candidate. After all, if the system really is best, then why not take advantage of it to put your best candidate forward?