Shlonkom Bakazay?

Wordsworth along with MF Doom are two of my favorite rappers. These two pack the illest rhymes on the planet. Now, Check out SlamBush.Net...a project that Wordsworth hailin' outta Brooklyn is taking part in. Here's his debate with bush. (low bw) There's a national rhyme contest and other cool things you should check out. Enjoy.

Get the vote out. It's the end of September and all my friends and colleagues doing the pre-election freak-out.

LOVE OER FEAR

The article first appeared on lewrockwell.com and is called "Why We Cannot Win"

Don't you love freedom of speech?

Here's a follow up article on lewrockwell.com written by Karen Kwiatkowski, a former USAF lieutenant colonel.

Al Lorentz is former state chairman of the Constitution Party of Texas and is a reservist currently serving with the US Army in Iraq.

Send him an email to support him! alorentz[at]truevine.net

Bush talking about "practicing love".

Ah, heck, he's just suring up the female vote. And you wonder how he really got ahead with women.

Last night, I was all a bluster and so very angry. Naomi Klein articulated at length with eloquence about many of the fears that have been both bottled and leaking (from I the bottle via blog and heated discussion) during the last several years. She writes in Harpers Magazine, Baghdad Year Zero

Iraq was to the neocons what Afghanistan was to the Taliban: the one place on Earth where they could force everyone to live by the most literal, unyielding interpretation of their sacred texts.

I needn't say more. Read the article. Read it especially if you want to know a few of the things that make me angry.

Extremism and religious zealotry of all kinds usually fit in the same tea cup.

...for the people of Italia
...for the people of Iraq
...for the people of Un Ponte Per Baghdad
...for all sentient beings of the world

What a news! The FOUR are FREE

Thank you to Un Ponte for the relentless care and updates you've offered on your website. This has made my month. Now lets hope for the safe release of all other hostages, too.


Forza Azzuri!
Update: clearer pictures, smiling faces upon their arrival back in Italy

Rumsfeld should be fired. I hear Cheney has made the calls to tell everybody to tough it out through the election and have nobody take any accountability. Unfortunately, this makes things on the ground much more difficult for American troops and the Iraqi people. The fact that there has been absolutely no accountability (i.e. bad appples does not count when the it is obviously a system problem.), leads to having more moderate and previously unwilling Iraqis to fight for HONOR. Yes, honor is a big deal to Iraqis in case you have not figured that out. I know it doesn't even have a currency in D.C. these days, but in Iraq...honor is arguably the most important meta-currency that exists. Death before dishonor, is the rule in much of Iraq. And right now the occupation has spilled copious amounts of dishonor, humiliation, and death upon the populace. No wonder, then, matters have gotten much worse lately. Oh but, that's just one of many many reasons. More reasons to hate the American presence are being created every day.

Check out this MoveON ad made a while ago...they hold my sentiments exactly. If there were some accountability, Iraqis would feel less dehumanized by the occupation. The days of no accountability, you see, reminds Iraqis of the days of Saddam. And that's no way to move Iraq toward a democracy or anything resembling a democracy.

In other words, practice what you preach.


See the .mov here. And the mp3, too.

The Democratic National Committee just grew up.

Ben Aris and Duncan Campbell report from the Guardian, How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power

The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

Imagine giving "aid and comfort" to Nazis.

And sure, it's not Dubya's fault. But is this sort of behavior genetic?
_

Check out Electoral Vote Predictor 2004. Dubya's sitting pretty. Amazing.

Kerry 241   Bush 273 30 Sep.

Update: For you election-watch junkies here's the ElectionStudio

Update II: Kerry 270   Bush 248 10 Oct.

House Hearing on Reconstruction and Security in Iraq (, the Appropriations Cmt.)


Dep. Sec. of State Richard Armitage
Testimony on Iraq Funding (09/24/2004)



Dick Armitage is in the 2nd position at the State Department.

For the record from wikipedia: "He is considered to be a conservative "neo con" (neo-conservative). He currently serves as Deputy Secretary of State. Armitage is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[1] He is one of the signers of the January 26, 1998, Project for the New American Century (PNAC) letter to President William Jefferson Clinton.[2] He is also a former board member for CACI, the private military contractor, which "is being investigated by no less than 5 US agencies for possible contract violations" and "employed four interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison" in Iraq, one of whom was singled out by General Taguba in his report on abuses of Iraqi detainees at the prison.[3]"


He was asked (52nd min),

How can you give us confidence... that this shifting of funds will really improve the situation in the short term?

He responds,

I think that the best I can say, the most accurate thing i can say is this: unlike the previous agreement with the CPA...is that [this] is work with a government, although not democratically elected, is pretty representative, pretty moderate...and if opinion polls in Iraq as I suggested in the closed hearing the other day, are to be believed, [they] are a pretty popular government...

Update:

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the opinion poll both Bush and Armitage are parroting to the press about is the June/July one. I'll try to double-check that, but I'm 95% sure that it is the same one.



Juan Cole says,

President George W. Bush cited a poll done in June and July to argue that Iraqis are more optimistic about their future than Americans are about theirs. First of all, even if this were true, it is not good news for Bush.

Second of all, that poll was done before the US assault on Najaf, and the significant deterioration of the security situation in August and September. Many Iraqis had at that time been willing to give Allawi a chance, hoping security would improve. I am sure those numbers would be much lower now.

Moreover, the same poll found that more than 80 percent of Iraqis want an Islamic Republic with Islamic canon law or shariah as the law of the land. So if they are optimistic, it is because they think they can achieve such a goal over US objections. Again, this is not actually good news for Bush.

I was even willing to give Allawi a chance in the beginning. I had to force myself to be a little optimistic, even though I always thought this sovereignty was a joke. He had little time to prove to the people he was doing something well. And that time ran out.

I'm seeing more and more interviews of Allawi on US tv. Namely, Jim Lehrer's of The News Hour.(<---txt) [& real audio] All of them seem like they have been scripted by Karl Rove. Seems like he got some talking-points at the very least. It's such an election stunt by Rove. Some people aren't buying it, though.

Old opinion polls don't justify what is happening now. It's amazing how this administration uses old data when it suits them, and invents new data from thin air when it suits them (WMD, Al Qaeda connection), and everybody continues to believe it. I don't get it. Are the masses in America really that vacuous?

You think I'd spare Kerry. No no...



Lessig notes that Lehman, according to the National Journal Tech Daily (23.9.04), is playing a "relatively minor role" on Kerry's Tech team and that he's not a part of his "core group" of advisors.

Then Lessig pontificates...

But whether core or fringe, why is he part of “tech” advisers at all? Lehman’s policies did more to encourage the war on technology that these past 8 years have seen than anyone else in DC. Let him serve on the “last century protectionists” committee. Indeed, make him the chair.


Lehman says he finds it “really sad — pretty sad” that I had criticized him on this blog. (No confirmation which.) And just to show how effective I’ve been in getting my point across, Lehman is quoted as saying: “[Lessig] seems to believe you can have a post-industrial economy without any copyrights.” Oh yes. That’s exactly what I believe. I’m also a Marxist, and commune regularly with Chairman Mao. With insight such as this, I can see why he’d be such a valuable member of the Kerry team.

I don't like Kerry more than I did yesterday.

But Boooosh is still worse. I hate being put in the position where I have to choose the 'lesser of two'...what a mentally idle situation. Being pushed into political complacency by a rotten system is cancerous on the soul.

Oh well...Pinch your nose, eat the shit, and deal with it on the way down. Who ever said it would taste good?

Ayad Allawi escapes from Iraq.

Watch this clip. You will not be disappointed.

HA! BEE BEE C: (or baby, look...)...wa'lek shooooof!

UN criticises "limited" Iraq elections.

Surreal...when you have Rumsfeld, Bush, and Allawi mention, (as if it were) off-handed, that the elections in Iraq won't be perfect, but hey, that's ok. Iraq doesn't need to be a democracy right away. It can be a dictatorship again for a while. And it'll be just fine and slide into democracy later on.

Riiiiiiight. Sure, and I'm supposed to believe this whole staging of Allawi wasn't meant to win Bush some Iraq-points. Good style, but no substance or correllation to reality.

What a pile of smelly and scorching BS smothered all over and flaming up his slacks when he says only 3 of 18 provinces will perhaps not be able to vote. Baghdad, a city with 5 million people will probabIy end up being one of the 3. Sistani exististani! Al-Sistani is an awoken giant. It was smart for the piece (linked below) to come out in the Times the day of Allawi's speech. Whether this was intentional or not, who knows. But well done...



I'm going to take a page out of Bagnewsnotes and interpret what a couple pictures are really attempting to say in the NY Times.

1) Bush is thinking, "What kind of bird is that in the sky? Maybe it's not a bird."

2) Bush is thinking, "What am I doing here? When's lunch."

3) Bush is concerned, "Aye-Yad better remember to use the word limited like Karl told him to."

4) Bush wonders, "What is Aye-yad holding in his hand? I hope he doesn't kiss me like last night."

Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of Iraq was embraced by Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut, after addressing a joint meeting of Congress. "I stand here today as the prime minister of a country emerging finally from dark ages of violence," Dr. Allawi said.

1) Connecticut is for kissers

2) Lets take a closer look at that...


3) Cultural Exchange

4) Allawi is snoggling a republican for the other 17 Billion on the condition he gets a 10% finders fee

5) Allawi says before smooching, "Ya Hella Beek, Mr. Representative...let me show you how this Iraqi loves his brother"

* * *
Herbert and Krugman pack a steel-knuckled 1-2 punch in the Times today
+
an Editorial.

wah-dah tOWWW!

Update with magnanimous weight: River posted. Check out some of her sweetness, light, and insight.

Continuing the reBlogification of SB¿:

To my chagrin, I've been paying little attention to Professor Lessig this past week.



He notes that Robert Greenwald has fortunately released the interviews for his film Outfoxed under a creative commons license.

If you're a film-maker, you can now take all this original footage and do whatever you like with it. The beauty of copy-left.


On that note, check out the fantabulous Professor Eben Moglen and his website with all of his writing for free.



He's a very cool and approachable guy with a lot of interesting things to say about IP law.

I saw the headline, "Syrian Troops Leave Lebanon"...and I thought, maybe!! ...no, no...only 60 trucks of troops.



And yes, I'm for Syria leaving Lebanon right now. It's very complicated to explain, but I have certain loyalties that I cannot relinquish. I do see all sides of it, though. That would be pompous to say...actually, I see many sides of the situation. I am for Palestinian self-determination. I don't like Sharon OR Arafat. That gets that straight. I am also for Lebanese self-determination. And right now self-determination is marginal in Lebanon.

I saw the shape Lebanon was in very recently and I believe there needs to be a change in the status quo. Even though things look better downtown each day because gulf Arabs are flocking there and buying the joint up, I want Lebanon to maintain its Lebanese-ness. So, one way to shake things up is for Syria to leave and for there to be REAL elections. Not like this will ever happen, but I hope it will. Lebanon is kind of like Iran in the fact that it essentially appoints leaders. What it really needs is more jobs and it needs to stop being messed with by everybody: US, Syria, Iran, everybody damnit. Leave the Levant alone!

It's very unfortunate that it has to be one of the countries that suffers from the regional syndrome of political chicanary on steroids. Both of it's leaders are extremely corrupt: Lahoud and Hariri. But you wouldn't know that any of this phases the Lebanese if you went there. No matter what the circumstance is, we know how to party and live a good life. If you throw some bombs on us, we'll have a party in the bomb shelter. But don't get me wrong. The last thing Lebanon wants is war. But that's the last thing most people want, isn't it?

Stop messin' with Lebanon you walking-abortions.

Terrific. A bird just shit on my screen. We say that it is good luck, or rather that you'll get money, if a bird relieves itself on you. I wonder what it means when it relieves itself on your computer.

Cool, I can talk about a musician I actually like. pleeeeeease, enough about Cat Stevens already... Jello Biafra wrote Colby of 'My War' (or my prefered title-'Fear and Loathing in Iraq'-)a letter. And it rocks that he posted it. So go check it out.



Here's a sample to wet your appetite:

As long as people in the field speak up we have a chance of preserving the truth. Otherwise it's the bullshit gospel according to Fox News and The Bush-Croft regime and people'sown memory being erased even more than we've got now.

The Un Ponte site has some breaking information in Italian. Yes, I'm fluent in Italian. It seems as though the latest update was at 3.15am and they say that it's been a little time since the last update (at 1.51) with nothing new. They found out around 1am. And they believe the message up until this point is a little reliable. Speriamo. or We hope. Then, they say they'll need time for verification. "Now we return to silence and work. Until we are certain we will not have peace." ...

Let's hope for the best. Also, they mention that there was no word about Ra'ad and Manhaz in the message. And what's more important they noted the website posting the terrible message has been unreliable in the past. So we have both hope and some verifiable reality on our side still.

Update: Check on the Free Our Friends blog, or Un Ponte site. There's been a second claim from a different website.

'A selfish, market-driven society is eroding our very humanity'

The central site of intimacy is the family - as expressed in the relationship between partners, and between parents and children. Intimacy is a function of time and permanence. It rests on mutuality and unconditionality. It is rooted in trust. As such, it is the antithesis of the values engendered by the market.

When you lose mutuality and unconditionality from family, they seem less important. The principle of cause and effect is simple. Read the persuasive article by Martin Jacques.

I'll write more on this topic later.