A Coward Goes to Baghdad

A Coward Goes to Baghdad

I have not even read the whole article and I'm ready to share it with you. The author is uppity(?) and abrasive but he is on target about the Bush trip to Baghdad.

Thus far, the focus has been on the secrecy surrounding the trip, the choice of Fox News to accompany the president, (which pretty much sums up his credibility level when he chooses the television equivalent of the National Enquirer to assist him in his chicanery). The focus has also been on whether or not it was a wise decision for the president to make (what? Like wisdom has been a staple of this administration thus far?

There is more; this guy dislikes Bush almost as much as I do.

Third piece... During his visit with the troops in Baghdad, he said "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a brutal dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins."  Now first of all… What do you mean "we", Kemo Bushbey? The only charge you've led is the one against our values, intelligence, decency, reputation and civil liberties… altho' you have been charging a lot to America's American Express card, haven't you?

McCain Lashes Congress, Bush for Overspending

Wired News has a Reuters report about John McCain lashing out at Congress and George Bush about being so selfish and stupid with our children's money.

"The numbers are astonishing," said McCain, an Arizona Republican. "Congress is now spending money like a drunken sailor. And I've never known a sailor drunk or sober with the imagination that this Congress has."

"We are laying a burden of debt on future generations of Americans. ... Any economist will tell you, you cannot have this level of debt, of increasing deficits without eventually it affecting interest rates and inflation," he added."

McCain said Bush, who has never vetoed a spending bill, was in large part responsible for this year's spending levels exceeding prescribed caps of 4 percent growth, at a whopping 8 percent.

Dyke attacks US war coverage

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Dyke attacks US war coverage

Quote from Julia Day's coverage of the International Emmys:

BBC director general Greg Dyke delivered a stinging criticism of US news coverage of the war in Iraq as he collected a prestigious award for his contribution to broadcasting at an international awards ceremony last night.

Mr Dyke said it was the BBC's duty to stand up to the government as he was presented with an international Emmy directorate award for his outstanding achievement in TV broadcasting at the ceremony in New York.

"News organisations should be in the business of balancing their coverage, not banging the drum for one side or the other. This is something which seemed to get lost in American reporting of the war," said Mr Dyke.

He said only four out of 840 experts interviewed on US news outlets during the conflict opposed the war and the situation would not have been tolerated at the BBC.

"Telling people what they want to hear is not doing them any favours. It may not be comfortable to challenge governments or even popular opinion but it's what we are here to do," he said.

In a robust defence of public service broadcasting Mr Dyke said TV was not "just another commodity" like Starbucks or Coca-Cola and disagreed with those who said it should be left to the market.

"Television is only different from coffee or Coke if we recognise that fact. If we treat TV like these things, it will become like them. We end up with nothing more than a briefly enjoyable experience devoid of any lasting value," he said

What more can I say the US media has failed / is failing, to do their job.

Somethings give me hope

I was trying to see who Will Wheaton was talking about when he mentioned Marina in a story. The top google for Marina is freedomforum.org: Student, principal win courage awards for high school journalism go read it. Young ones like Marina give me hope for the future.

This was not the Marina he was talking about.

Paper Calls SCO's Position 'Desperate'

eWeek story Paper Calls SCO's Position 'Desperate'

When more in the press start to wake up, we will be seeing more quotes from Eben Moglen.

Here is OSDL OSDL's press release with a link to the Eben Moglen PDF

Wired News: China's Grip on Info Loosening

This is why the internet is so important. And a part of why I believe that there should never be censorship beyond that of the person seeking the information, who should make that as an informed personal choice.

Wired News: China's Grip on Info Loosening

GrokLaw - Linux is Not Free

GrokLaw - A Heads Up to the Media Would you like to know about Darl McBride's keynote address at CDXPO? Then GrokLaw is the best place to get any info about SCO's attempt to steal Linux IP from the public.

Uncensored Gore Vidal

This man has a way with words. I will have to read some of his books. It shows just how uneducated I am.
LA Weekly: Features: Uncensored Gore

But Gore, you have lived through a number of inglorious administrations in your lifetime, from Trumans founding of the national-security state, to LBJs debacle in Vietnam, to Nixon and Watergate, and yet here you are to tell the tale. So when it comes to this Bush administration, are you really talking about despots per se? Or is this really just one more rather corrupt and foolish Republican administration?

No. We are talking about despotism. I have read not only the first PATRIOT Act but also the second one, which has not yet been totally made public nor approved by Congress and to which there is already great resistance. An American citizen can be fingered as a terrorist, and with what proof? No proof. All you need is the word of the attorney general or maybe the president himself. You can then be locked up without access to a lawyer, and then tried by military tribunal and even executed. Or, in a brand-new wrinkle, you can be exiled, stripped of your citizenship and packed off to another place not even organized as a country like Tierra del Fuego or some rock in the Pacific. All of this is in the USA PATRIOT Act. The Founding Fathers would have found this to be despotism in spades. And they would have hanged anybody who tried to get this through the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Hanged.

GrokLaw - It's Official. China Goes Linux.

GrokLaw - It's Official. China Goes Linux. Gartner Says US Will Follow. And Darl's No Free Linux Speech.

Groklaw is at it again cutting though the crap and pointing out what is important. If you follow the computer industry at all, China making Linux official preferred software is a big big deal for the industry.

Secreted Ballots and a War story ....... Escapable Logic

Doc keeps pointing to people who can speak and are talking about things that matter this time he is pointing to Britt Blaser at Escapable Logic. Britt make a case for open voting systems it is a must read for anyone who believes in democracy.

The NYTimes dosn't get it ... Christopher Lydon.

Doc Searls gives a pointer to Christopher Lydon ripping the times over not understanding what is happening on the political land scape and how Howard Dean is reshaping it.

More: Dean Considers Plan to Forgo Public Financing

From the NYTimes on why Dean considers a plan to forgo public financing

Federal Matching Funds

Dr. Howard Dean has sent out a email to members of the Dean campaign saying he going to to ask 600,000 of us to vote on whether or not he should go for Federal matching funds for his campaign. Because I received one of the heads up emails; I think I am going to be asked to vote on this; (bet they are double checking the list for good addresses) I plan to vote against the matching funds. The grassroots supporters can raise more money than Bush. Every grassroots supporter who throws in $100 represents more votes and voter influence than the $2000 dollar a pop self centered Republican.

For more information about the vote