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Greg Palast On 'Greg Palast Is Dangerous' | ||
'Greg Palast Is Dangerous'
*** Investigative Journalist Greg Palast replies to Internet commentary following his Exclusive Report filed here at The BRAD BLOG on Monica Goodling's testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee last week, including her admissions concerning "Vote Caging" by former Karl Rove aide, now Arkansas U.S. Attorney, Tim Griffin.
Bradblog.com
Saturday morning, when most sensible folks were unfurling flags or taking their setters and children for a Memorial Day frisbee toss on the beach, someone using the nom d¡¯puter of ¡°DRATIONAL¡± was in his big sister¡¯s bedroom furiously typing, ¡°Greg Palast is Dangerous!¡± on her iMac.
Drat is quite right: I am dangerous, though not for the reasons in Drat¡¯s screed.
So while the twins are off with the dog, let me respond between bites of this bagel, beginning with this immutable distinction:
There¡¯s two kinds of illiterates in this world: those who can¡¯t read, for whom I¡¯m entirely sympathetic ¡ª and those who CAN read but WON¡¯T, for whom I have no sympathy whatsoever.
Drat is of the latter. He (she/them/it?) has mounted a full-scale assault on the seven-year-long effort of my BBC and Guardian team investigating systematic suppression of the minority vote by the Republican Party and our latest revelation: ¡®caging voters.¡¯ His ¡°evidence¡± is 100% limited to snippets of my conversations on talk radio or phone interviews, second-hand reports on websites and some musings of one of my good researchers, Zach Roberts, posted to this site.
Nowhere does he suggest he¡¯s bothered reading the one hundred-page description of the attack on voters, including caging, in the new edition of Armed Madhouse. Shame that. Law professor Robert F. Kennedy Jr., using the book as a source, verified by his own corroborative work, found the matter therein convincing enough to call for putting Rove¡¯s right hand man, Tim Griffin, ¡°in prison, not in office.¡±
Picking up a book won¡¯t hurt you, Mr. Drat, at least until Patriot Act IV goes into effect...
Drat also fails to consult the obvious and original source of the
BBC report: the BBC. On the website is an elucidating exchange between the Republican Party and BBC producer, Meirion Jones ¡ª who placed his substantial reputation, and that of the British Broadcasting Corporation, on the line in the defense of our ¡®caging¡¯ story based on his complete and close-up knowledge of the facts.
BBC report: the BBC. On the website is an elucidating exchange between the Republican Party and BBC producer, Meirion Jones ¡ª who placed his substantial reputation, and that of the British Broadcasting Corporation, on the line in the defense of our ¡®caging¡¯ story based on his complete and close-up knowledge of the facts.
As a former statistician, I¡¯m a bit disconcerted to make this back of the envelope calculation: about ten times as many people will read the posting of Drat written in his jammies one night as have read Armed Madhouse. The book, unlike the blogette, is based on the work of many diligent souls over three years on three continents.
Such is the world. I won¡¯t complain. But the speed of slanders is so fleet, and the work of our investigation so vital, I want to explain our methods in summary, not as a replacement for reading the book, but as a supplementary guide to our team¡¯s work and professional process.
The prime criticism: Drat cannot comprehend how, from the one email and ¡°caging¡± list shown on my website, we can conclude their was a massive, illegal GOP conspiracy to wipe out the votes of hundreds of thousands of legal, minority voters.
Answer: you can¡¯t. We didn¡¯t. Sorry, Mr. Drat, but an investigation of this type requires more than a desultory evening of noodling on the ¡®Net.
When, just after midnight on October 8, 2004, researcher Oliver Shykles sent me the first ¡®caging¡¯ memo passed to us from John Wooden, I thought the prankster was pulling our leg, or the emails and lists were just the usual campaign nonsense and blather. Take a look at the confidential Griffin memo, ¡°Subject: caging,¡± on page 207 of the book. He doesn¡¯t say much, Mr. Griffin, except, ¡°Total as of today is 1834¡å with the list attached. Names and addresses of voters. Nothing more.
Mr. Drat: that¡¯s not where our investigation ends, but where it BEGINS.
A producer from ¡®60 Minutes¡¯ had recently come to our office and looked at similar voter lists and said, ¡°My god, it would take you HUNDREDS OF HOURS and you¡¯d have to make HUNDREDS OF CALLS to figure out what this is.¡± I asked our chief investigator Ms. von Eckardt when she¡¯d last slept. ¡°Sunday.¡± It was Tuesday.
She began the calling of the ¡®caged¡¯ ¡ª by now reaching over 50,000 in Florida alone ¡ª from the missives we received, while investigators Shykles and Pascarella enlisted the work of volunteers and experts in mapping and analyzing the list against the ¡®felon¡¯ purge lists and other data we had, including physical visits to the addresses.
The list was looking very dark indeed, Black precincts, black voters, most with a peculiarity: voters unlikely to live at their home addresses. On a couple of lists (of more than 50), were soldiers including African American serviceman Randy Prausa. Prausa¡¯s wife, reached by phone, admitted he did not live as his voting registration address: he¡¯d been shipped overseas.
Hmm. We went to the experts, including Ion Sancho, the dean of Florida elections supervisors, and voting rights lawyer Ralph Neas among others. ¡°It could only be a challenge list,¡± Sancho told us, and by the racial bent of it, ¡°A potential violation of the Voting Rights Act,¡± said Neas. A felony crime.
As the evidence mounted, BBC authorized us to ask about the emails from the best source: their author, Mr. Griffin, right hand man to Karl Rove. I intended to ask, ¡°Lose something, Mr. Griffin?¡±
So with our crew from London, we set off to Washington ¡ª and were told to scram by the Rove man. We also flew to Tallahassee to confront one of the recipients, the Chairman of the state¡¯s Bush-Cheney campaign. We were blocked at the doorway on our scheduled interview by a duo of PR flaks. They gave us a menu of contradictory answers. The lists were potential donors, one said. Oh, OK. But what about this: the ones registered at the homeless shelter? That failed, we were told the lists were just clerical stuff: ¡°These are newly registered voters we mailed to, where the letter came back ¡ª bad addresses.¡±
Wait. Cleaning up the junk-mail list required confidential missives between Rove¡¯s top man and the chairmen of the state campaigns? I suggested these were, in fact, challenge lists.
The flack-catcher ¡ª you have to see her photo holding the lists at page 203 of the book ¡ª then said something that combined brilliance and bullshit in two phrases: ¡°This is not a challenge list. That¡¯s not what it¡¯s SET UP to do.¡±
Her words were crafty. If the lists were USED for challenges (and she admitted they would do that), that¡¯s legal. But if the lists were compiled FOR THE PURPOSE OF targeting these voters, mostly African-American, that¡¯s a crime. A big-time crime.
And she knew it. And most important, Tim Griffin knew it. In fact, the emails show he directed it. And where is Mr. Griffin today? US Attorney for Arkansas, replacement for one of the prosecutors fired six months ago.
Did Rove know that Griffin knew? This was Rove¡¯s right hand man; the campaign was under Rove¡¯s guidance; the caging op cost millions and involved the state chairmen and top planners of the campaign. I think a grand jury should ask; or at least a Congressional Committee. That Griffin knew was grim enough; criminal enough.
And that¡¯s what Monica Goodling dumped before the House Judiciary Committee this past week. She said her superiors lied about their knowledge of Griffin¡¯s knowledge of ¡°caging voters.¡± She said that only after taking the Fifth and obtaining a grant of immunity.
Goodling didn¡¯t need to take the Fifth to admit she¡¯d looked at someone¡¯s party registration before choosing them for a Justice Department post. But she knew that ¡°caging voters,¡± and her crew¡¯s knowledge of it and Griffin¡¯s role, required immunity if she hoped to stay out of the pokey.
Because there¡¯s more. Emails that Griffin and Goodling did cough up to the committee tighten the noose around their own necks.
It is both much fun and grandly ironic that one of the self-incriminating emails is Griffin¡¯s complaint to Goodling about that ¡°British reporter ¡ Greg Palast,¡± including two dated February 5 of this year. One includes a link to an excerpt from Armed Madhouse and a PDF of a blog based on it. (Well, at least someone¡¯s reading the book.)
In this email and others, Griffin pulls the pin out of the grenade ¡ª and swallows it. Rather than continue the party line that the ¡®caging¡¯ lists were not created to challenge voters, he says, ¡°The real story is this: There were thousands of reported illegal/fake voter registrations around the country, so some of the Republican State Parties mailed letters welcoming new voters to the newly registered voters. ¡ The Republican State Parties ultimately wanted to show that thousands of fraudulent registrations had been completed.¡±
Uh, oh. Griffin¡¯s now admitted the costly mailings were part of a scheme to hunt down ¡°fraudulent¡± voters. That conflicts with the official version told us on camera and mailed to BBC TV (posted on the network¡¯s website).
Further, in an August email exchange between Goodling and Gonzales Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson, Goodling strategizes about how to get around a press report that, ¡°¡in the Senate confirmation process, [Griffin is] likely to endure some questioning about his role in massive Republican projects in Florida and elsewhere by which Republicans challenged tens of thousands of absentee votes. Coincidentally, many of those challenged votes were concentrated in black precincts.¡±
¡°Coincidentally,¡± my arse. Only 13% of Florida¡¯s registered voters are African-American.
Well, that¡¯s being picky. The key thing is that Griffin¡¯s moaning email of February 5 combined with the others shows that Griffin knew, indeed directed, the ¡®caging¡¯ operation; that it was aimed at challenging voters who, disproportionately, are Black.
I have no doubt that when Goodling showed these incredibly ill-considered emails to her lawyer, he said, ¡°Monica, looks like you¡¯re taking the Fifth.¡±
And note: Griffin¡¯s sending this email to Goodling while he¡¯s a sitting US prosecutor. How dumb can you get? This dumb: He adds, ¡°The Republican State Parties wanted to show that thousands of fraudulent voter registrations had been completed. They ultimately did.¡±
Oh, no they didn¡¯t. And that brings us full circle: to the prosecutor firings. None of the honest US Attorneys found a single ¡°fraudulent voter¡± in the hundreds of thousands that were challenged as a result of ¡®caging.¡¯ US Attorney for New Mexico David Iglesias went on a wild goose chase through 150 cases until the FBI told him to stop wasting their time. He brought no charges ¡ª and got the axe from Goodling, Griffin and Rove. Bud Cummins too: not one ¡°fraudulent voter¡± charged in Arkansas. He also got the heave-ho ¡ª and Griffin stepped in himself to take over the hunt for Black voters.
I am writing this on Memorial Day, looking at a list of soldiers on Griffin¡¯s caging list. ¡®Coincidentally¡¯ loaded with African-Americans. Coincidentally. Mission Accomplished, Mr. President.
And now back to ¡®Drat.¡¯ Karl Rove¡¯s cousin Denny the Rat? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t care. He wants all the emails. Sure. There¡¯s several dozen that say, ¡°Caging list¡± with over 50,000 names. Then what, Mr. Drat? You¡¯ll have to get out of your PJs and do what we did: challenge the Bush-Cheney campaign directly, make hundreds of calls, do a demographic analysis with the experts, endure vicious attacks by the Rove-bots, dismissal by the US press and ignorance of Democratic politicians.
I went through criticisms like Drat's when I had the list of so-called ¡°felons¡± purged from the voter rolls by Katherine Harris in 2000. The same damn griping came from Republican trogs and Internet poseurs: we want the whole list, all your raw data; how do you know these are innocent voters etc. Yes, I made mistakes. My initial investigation disclosed my team¡¯s report that ¡°15%¡± of the 56,000 so-called felons were innocent. I was wrong. After People for the American Way filed a suit based on our discovery, the state¡¯s contractor, ChoicePoint, admitted it had no solid evidence on 97% of the accused, 97,000 citizens in total. And the state Attorney General told me that there were, out of the thousands disenfranchised, maybe SIX illegal voters. In the end, he charged none.
But Griffin is now in position to bring charges against the voters that Cummins found innocent.
Will that happen? Indeed, the ¡®caging¡¯ game of 2004, unchecked, looks like practice for 2008. The voters challenged, ¡®coincidentally¡¯ Black, remain subject to challenge today and for next year¡¯s election.
Why haven¡¯t I turned over the evidence to Congressional committees? Who said they¡¯d accept it? Bobby Kennedy¡¯s tried to get their attention. The Congressional White Caucus is pointedly uninterested. I¡¯m told, ¡°Griffin¡¯s just an interim appointment.¡±
Yes, ¡°interim¡± through the 2008 election.
Well, as a journalist, it¡¯s not my job to save the Democratic Party from itself.
It is not true, as Mr./Ms. Drat says, that I¡¯ve accused the Democrats of wanting to use Rove¡¯s caging tactics. Democrats have not run a mass challenge operation since the Jim Crow era. However, the party does act like an abused spouse, a group of enablers who evidence symptoms of ¡°beaten party syndrome.¡±
Nothing I can do about that.
My conversation with the Drats of this world must end here. If you want to debate me, first read my book. If you want to criticize my methods, make sure your method includes some on-the-ground investigative work.
Otherwise, let me spend my one weekend off this month with my kids before I fly off to Washington, Michigan and London where, for BBC, I¡¯ll be meeting with the Justice Department, Chairman Conyers and others ¡ª on an investigation even more important than ¡®caging,¡¯ persecuted prosecutors, or anything Mr. Drat can imagine ¡ something, Mr. Drat that makes me very dangerous indeed to this regime. *************
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse: from Baghdad to New Orleans - Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone WILD. For more info, or to hear Brad Friedman, Ed Asner and other troublemakers read from Armed Madhouse, go to www.GregPalast.com
Election 2004: Redux
Everything in the known universe about Florida Election Fraud Scandal 2004
FLORIDA ELECTION FRAUD 2004 (CAGING)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Today's News 05-30-07
Iraqi 'Achievements'Inside Iraq - McClatchy - May 30th, 2007 Today we live in Iraq's achievements time, I'm talking about the fictional achievements that our government try to persuade us exist ...more | Gonzales Deserves ImpeachmentJohn Nichols - Capital Times - May 30th, 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has lied so many times and in so many circumstances that he now finds himself lying about the lies ...more |
The Madness of Iraq's MalikiSpencer Ackerman - Guardian-UK - May 30th, 2007 Sectarian violence in Iraq won't decline as long as the US supports al-Maliki, a thug who rules as a Shia first and an Iraqi second ...more | Colossus of BaghdadTom Engelhardt - The Nation - May 30th, 2007 As conditions worsen in Baghdad's embattled Green Zone, construction continues on the grandiose US Embassy ...more |
Republicans Winning Back the Senate isn't LikelyCQ Staff - May 30th, 2007 Even if voters' opinions of the GOP rebound somewhat, the party still faces a very hilly political landscape for the 2008 Senate campaign ...more | Keep the Public Airwaves Public - Sign the PetitionMoveOn - May 30th, 2007 The federal government is on the verge of turning over a huge portion of our public airwaves to companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast ...more |
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Today's News 05-29-07
Damage to US by Iraq War is Sure to EndureJohn Arquilla - SF Chronicle - May 29th, 2007 We should be thinking about the damage caused by Bush's war, including the growth of terrorist networks and the damage done to our reputation ...more | Meeting with Iran - A Step in the Right DirectionEditorial - The Independent-UK - May 29th, 2007 Rightly, they will see it as the humbling of a superpower; an admission by the US that its policy in Iraq has been a disaster ...more |
Sending in the Praetorian GuardScott Horton - Harper's - May 29th, 2007 Most Americans know that America has 160,000-plus soldiers in Iraq today; fewer know that this number will top 200,000 before the summer ends ...more | US Policy on Iraqi Refugees is a ScandalEditorial - Toledo Blade - May 29th, 2007 It is an absolute scandal that in the past seven months, only 69 people from Iraq have been granted refuge in America ...more |
America's Holiest (Most Extreme) CongressmanNick Curran - Radar - May 29th, 2007 The representative publicly credited her campaign to her submission to her husband, who was channeling God's wishes for her ...more | A Little Toxins With Dinner?Harold Meyerson - Wichita Eagle - May 29th, 2007 You may have missed, in all the impassioned defenses of globalization, the part about uninspected and unregulated food from distant lands showing up ...more |
Will Bush Nullify The Constitution
President George W. Bush has sparked much alarm by openly declaring himself to be a dictator in the event of a national emergency under new provisions that will effectively nullify the U.S. constitution, but such an infrastructure has been in place for over 70 years and this merely represents a re-authorization of the infrastructure of martial law.New legislation signed on May 9, 2007, declares that in the event of a "catastrophic event", the President can take total control over the government and the country, bypassing all other levels of 
government at the state, federal, local, territorial and tribal levels, and thus ensuring total unprecedented dictatorial power.The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, which also places the Secretary of Homeland Security in charge of domestic "security", was signed earlier this month without the approval or oversight of Congress and seemingly supercedes the National Emergency Act which allows the president to declare a national emergency but also requires that Congress have the authority to "modify, rescind, or render dormant" such emergency authority if it believes the president has acted inappropriately.Journalist Jerome Corsi, who has studied the directive also states that it makes no reference to Congress and "its language appears to negate any requirement that the president submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists."
government at the state, federal, local, territorial and tribal levels, and thus ensuring total unprecedented dictatorial power.The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, which also places the Secretary of Homeland Security in charge of domestic "security", was signed earlier this month without the approval or oversight of Congress and seemingly supercedes the National Emergency Act which allows the president to declare a national emergency but also requires that Congress have the authority to "modify, rescind, or render dormant" such emergency authority if it believes the president has acted inappropriately.Journalist Jerome Corsi, who has studied the directive also states that it makes no reference to Congress and "its language appears to negate any requirement that the president submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists."Monday, May 28, 2007
Today's News 05-28-07
Memorial Day: A Day for Accepting ResponsibilityTodd DePastino - YubaNet - May 28th, 2007 An apology by those of us who supported the war or stood by as the invasion unfolded would be a first step toward taking responsibility ...more | Alberto Gonzales and the Geneva ConventionsRobin Rowland - CBC News - May 28th, 2007 There are a century of definitions of inhuman treatment in times of conflict, if Gonzales had looked for them he could have found them ...more |
Republican Boehner's Crying GameJohn Nichols - The Nation - May 28th, 2007 It appears Boehner is suffering from confusion about the reason why Bush dispatched U.S. troops to Iraq - it had nothing to do with 9/11 ...more | Where Have All the Leaders GoneLee Iacocca - Milwaukee Journal - May 28th, 2007 Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from, that's a dictatorship, not a democracy ...more |
This Memorial Day, Weep for our FailuresEditorial - Minneapolis Stary-Trib - May 28th, 2007 Our failures to truly support the troops while they were alive, by keeping them safe from unnecessary war, make our debt to them incalculable ...more | Apocalyptic Times for the GOPJoe Conason - NY Observer - May 28th, 2007 GOP primary voters probably won't approve of Giuliani's humiliating flight to the apartment of gay friends who sheltered him from his wronged wife ...more |
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Open Letter To: Hon. John Conyers Jr.
This week, we learned from the opening statement of Monica Goodling that Bush-appointee Tim Griffin was involved in "caging" of Black voters in the 2004 elections. It's time to start asking questions about the Parsky Commission:
Despite my and others' best efforts, [Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty]'s public testimony was incomplete or inaccurate in a number of respects. As explained in more detail in my written remarks, I believe that the Deputy was not fully candid about his knowledge of White House involvement in the replacement decision, failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of the White House's interest in selecting Tim Griffin as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, inaccurately described the Department's internal assessment of the Parsky Commission, and failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of allegations that Tim Griffin had been involved in vote "caging" during his work on the President's 2004 campaign.
This is of stunning import, and should be addressed immediately by the Judiciary Committee, the White House, and all of Congress. An explanation is demanded--now--by we the American public. We're aware that you're going to want to sweep this under-the-rug, but we're not going to let you. This entire investigation of the U.S. Attorney scandal hedges on caging-lists, the real crimes committed by the Bush administration and their attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, as well as operatives of the national Republican Party.
This is literally the last straw, and we're going to wash all of you out if we don't see a real commitment to democracy and the rule of law regarding "caging" practices in our elections. They are a violation of federal voting-laws, in-particular, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There can be no faith in this government--or in the notion that we live in a democracy--until the issue of caging-lists and the illegal, coordinated elimination of voters from elections is addressed. Also, you have some charges to file against former-Deputy Attorney General McNulty, he has perjured himself before a committee of Congress, a gross violation of federal law. Get to work, we're not taking any excuses.
Despite my and others' best efforts, [Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty]'s public testimony was incomplete or inaccurate in a number of respects. As explained in more detail in my written remarks, I believe that the Deputy was not fully candid about his knowledge of White House involvement in the replacement decision, failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of the White House's interest in selecting Tim Griffin as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, inaccurately described the Department's internal assessment of the Parsky Commission, and failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of allegations that Tim Griffin had been involved in vote "caging" during his work on the President's 2004 campaign.
This is of stunning import, and should be addressed immediately by the Judiciary Committee, the White House, and all of Congress. An explanation is demanded--now--by we the American public. We're aware that you're going to want to sweep this under-the-rug, but we're not going to let you. This entire investigation of the U.S. Attorney scandal hedges on caging-lists, the real crimes committed by the Bush administration and their attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, as well as operatives of the national Republican Party.
This is literally the last straw, and we're going to wash all of you out if we don't see a real commitment to democracy and the rule of law regarding "caging" practices in our elections. They are a violation of federal voting-laws, in-particular, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There can be no faith in this government--or in the notion that we live in a democracy--until the issue of caging-lists and the illegal, coordinated elimination of voters from elections is addressed. Also, you have some charges to file against former-Deputy Attorney General McNulty, he has perjured himself before a committee of Congress, a gross violation of federal law. Get to work, we're not taking any excuses.
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
p/202-225-3951
Washington, DC 20515
p/202-225-3951
What is Caging
| "Caging" in Republican practice |
| Greg Palast describes the way Republicans have used "Caging Lists" to challenge voters and suppress the vote of minorities and the poor. The trick is that if they discourage a hundred Black voters from voting, they may have lost 10 votes but their opponents will have lost 90. Palast's article is a bit dated, having been published June 23, 2006. The VRA was reauthorized and signed into law by Bush on July 27, 2006 for another 25 years, so it remains effective for those jurisdictions it previously applied to. That means that it remains illegal to identify voters by race in order to challenge their right to vote. That includes targeting districts with a high concentration of African-American voters, sending out registered letters to the registered voters in that district, then challenging those who do not respond or who do not pick up their letters. Registered letters are often used by bill collectors, so people behind on their bills rarely pick up registered letters from unknown addresses. This is not a reliable way to find who has moved, nor is that the purpose. It is just a way of challenging voters who are likely to vote Democratic. Such practices are going to be quite common in November 2008, illegal or not. Unfortunately, such practices are not nearly as effective for likely Republican voters. It works when used on those minority voters who the Republicans are clearly out to get, such as African-Americans, immigrants, Hispanics, and homosexuals. Except for Republicans in general, there are no such minority groups actively threatened by Democrats. |
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Missing White House Emails
You have heard of the Missing emails from Rove, Well the brains at the Brain center of the White House were sending emails to GeorgeWBush.org a spoof site owend by John Wooden, the man behind the spoof site, whitehouse.org, the GOP verified their authenticity to BBC.
To Read All The Emails from the 2004 Campaign, including the "Gaging" of voters.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Today's News
Olbermann: The Democratic BetrayalKeith Olbermann - CountDown - May 24th, 2007 The Democrats surrendered to a president - if not the worst president, then easily the most selfish - who happily blackmails his own people ...more | Democrats Too Clever by HalfDavid Corn - May 24th, 2007 The Democratic majority has apparently failed to pass a bill placing any restrictions on Bush's management of a war most Democrats oppose ...more |
Dems Write Bush a Blank CheckBill Press - The Hill - May 24th, 2007 It would have been far better for Democrats to stick to their guns, insist on a timeline and lose than give Bush a blank check ...more | Dem Leaders Brag About Appeasing Lobbyists By Keeping Colleagues In the DarkDavid Sirota - Working for Change - May 24th, 2007 Rangel bragged to reporters that the reason they kept negotiations secret is because they feared most Democrats would oppose the concessions ...more |
Fretful Dems Vote to Fund Bush's WarRobert L. Borosage - AlterNet - May 24th, 2007 Dems are poised to vote on an Iraq bill that offers no change of course. Those who vote for it will be enabling a rogue ...more | Diary of a Christian TerroristMax Blumenthal - Huffington Post - May 24th, 2007 This young man was a devout evangelical Christian who advocated religious violence in the name of American nationalism ...more |
Thursday, May 24, 2007
George Bush: I Can Read
In a Thursday morning press conference, President George W. bush insisted that his message on the threat to America from Al Qaida in Iraq was credible because he was relying on US intelligence that provided a reasonable warning.
"I'm credible because I read the intelligence," Bush said when a reporter asked if his warning
in a Wednesday speech at the US Coast Guard Academy, based on two-year old intelligence, could be trusted.
He went on, "If I was trying to politicize it, I would have dropped it before the 2006 Elections...It's my job as President to tell people the threats we face and what we're doing about it."
While answering the question, the President appeared to have a message for the 2008 candidates for President, as well.
"They are a threat to your children, David, and whoever is in the Oval Office better understand that and take measures to protect the American people," he said.
The President also acknowledged that his troop escalation strategy, and the announcement of the September deadline for a report from General David Petraeus on its progress, would result in a likely increase in violence and bloodshed in Iraq.
"It could make August a tough month, because what they're going to try to do is kill as many people as they can to try and influence the debate here at home. Don't you find that interesting? I do, that they recognize that the death of innocent people could shake our will," the President explained.
But he said whatever violence level results in Iraq, it was up to General Petraeus to assess the progress of the 'troop escalation.'
"You want politicians making those decisions, or do you want commanders on the ground making those decisions?" he asked.
On defining victory, the President said it would not come in the short term.
"The American people want to know when, when are you going to win?" he said. "Victory will come when that country is stable enough to be an ally in the war on terror and govern itself and defend itself. And one of the things that appealed to me about Baker-Hamilton is that it will provide a long-term basis for that likely to happen, assuming the Iraqi government invites us to stay there."
On Iran and its nuclear program, the President said that he would seek to expand the United Nations sanctions regime against the country.
"We need to strengthen our sanctions regime, I just spoke to Condoleezza Rice, we will work with our European partners to develop further sanctions," he said, adding that the matter will be discussed with Russia and China's Presidents.
The President was dismissive of the continuing controversy over the firing of the US Attorneys.
"It's interesting how you started your question, 'over the last months,'" he noted. "This investigation is taking a long time, it's being drug out, and I suspect for political reasons, I called it grand political theater."
He also reiterated that eh would not seek the Attorney General's resignation.
"I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doing the job," he said.
When asked if he was worried whether his proposal on immigration would get locked up in electoral politics, Bush offered a detailed defense of the bill he is backing.
"The bill essentially says that before any other reforms take place, certain benchmarks will be met when it comes to securing the border. Last year, during the debate, people said well let's have security first. That's exactly what the bill does," he said of how the bill would crack down on illegal immigration.
He further suggested that his critics not get caught up in the immigration reform proposal's details.
"It's easy to find something to be against in this bill. All it takes is to take one little aspect of it and ignore the comprehensive nature and how good it is," Bush argued.
He concluded by urging Congress to rise above politics in order to pass this reform.
"The question is: Will members of Congress rise above politics? I will," he asked and answered. "I'm going to continue to reach out to members of Congress from both parties and call upon them to take the lead and show the political courage necessary to get the bill to my desk as quickly as possible."
"I'm credible because I read the intelligence," Bush said when a reporter asked if his warning
in a Wednesday speech at the US Coast Guard Academy, based on two-year old intelligence, could be trusted.
He went on, "If I was trying to politicize it, I would have dropped it before the 2006 Elections...It's my job as President to tell people the threats we face and what we're doing about it."
While answering the question, the President appeared to have a message for the 2008 candidates for President, as well.
"They are a threat to your children, David, and whoever is in the Oval Office better understand that and take measures to protect the American people," he said.
The President also acknowledged that his troop escalation strategy, and the announcement of the September deadline for a report from General David Petraeus on its progress, would result in a likely increase in violence and bloodshed in Iraq.
"It could make August a tough month, because what they're going to try to do is kill as many people as they can to try and influence the debate here at home. Don't you find that interesting? I do, that they recognize that the death of innocent people could shake our will," the President explained.
But he said whatever violence level results in Iraq, it was up to General Petraeus to assess the progress of the 'troop escalation.'
"You want politicians making those decisions, or do you want commanders on the ground making those decisions?" he asked.
On defining victory, the President said it would not come in the short term.
"The American people want to know when, when are you going to win?" he said. "Victory will come when that country is stable enough to be an ally in the war on terror and govern itself and defend itself. And one of the things that appealed to me about Baker-Hamilton is that it will provide a long-term basis for that likely to happen, assuming the Iraqi government invites us to stay there."
On Iran and its nuclear program, the President said that he would seek to expand the United Nations sanctions regime against the country.
"We need to strengthen our sanctions regime, I just spoke to Condoleezza Rice, we will work with our European partners to develop further sanctions," he said, adding that the matter will be discussed with Russia and China's Presidents.
The President was dismissive of the continuing controversy over the firing of the US Attorneys.
"It's interesting how you started your question, 'over the last months,'" he noted. "This investigation is taking a long time, it's being drug out, and I suspect for political reasons, I called it grand political theater."
He also reiterated that eh would not seek the Attorney General's resignation.
"I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doing the job," he said.
When asked if he was worried whether his proposal on immigration would get locked up in electoral politics, Bush offered a detailed defense of the bill he is backing.
"The bill essentially says that before any other reforms take place, certain benchmarks will be met when it comes to securing the border. Last year, during the debate, people said well let's have security first. That's exactly what the bill does," he said of how the bill would crack down on illegal immigration.
He further suggested that his critics not get caught up in the immigration reform proposal's details.
"It's easy to find something to be against in this bill. All it takes is to take one little aspect of it and ignore the comprehensive nature and how good it is," Bush argued.
He concluded by urging Congress to rise above politics in order to pass this reform.
"The question is: Will members of Congress rise above politics? I will," he asked and answered. "I'm going to continue to reach out to members of Congress from both parties and call upon them to take the lead and show the political courage necessary to get the bill to my desk as quickly as possible."
Bush Backing Terrorist
In an interview on CNN International's Your World Today, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh explains that the current violence in Lebanon is the result of an attempt by the Lebanese government to crack down on a militant Sunni group, Fatah al-Islam, that it formerly supported.
Last March, Hersh reported that American policy in the Middle East had shifted to opposing Iran, Syria, and their Shia allies at any cost, even if it meant backing hardline Sunni jihadists.
A key element of this policy shift was an agreement among Vice President Dick Cheney, Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi national security adviser, whereby the Saudis would covertly fund the Sunni Fatah al-Islam in Lebanon as a counterweight to the Shia Hezbollah.
Hersh points out that the current situation is much like that during the conflict in Afghanistan in the 1980's – which gave rise to al Qaeda – with the same people involved in both the US and Saudi Arabia and the "same pattern" of the US using jihadists that the Saudis assure us they can control.
When asked why the administration would be acting in a way that appears to run counter to US interests, Hersh says that, since the Israelis lost to them last summer, "the fear of Hezbollah in Washington, particularly in the White House, is acute."
As a result, Hersh implies, the Bush administration is no longer acting rationally in its policy. "We're in the business of supporting the Sunnis anywhere we can against the Shia. ... "We're in the business of creating ... sectarian violence." And he describes the scheme of funding Fatah al-Islam as "a covert program we joined in with the Saudis as part of a bigger, broader program of doing everything we could to stop the spread of the Shia world, and it just simply -- it bit us in the rear."
A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS THE VIDEO
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
HALA GORANI: Well, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported back in March that in order to defeate Hezbollah, the Lebanese government supported a Sunni militant group, the same ones they're fighting today. Seymour joins us live from Washington. Thanks for being with us. What is the source of the financing according to your reporting on these groups, such as Fatah al-Islam in these camps of Nahr el Bared, for instance? Where are they getting the money and where are they getting the arms?
SEYMOUR HERSH: The key player is the Saudis. What I was writing about was sort of a private agreement that was made between the White House, we're talking about Richard -- Dick -- Cheney and Elliott Abrams, one of the key aides in the White House, with Bandar. And the idea was to get support, covert support from the Saudis, to support various hard-line jihadists, Sunni groups, particularly in Lebanon, who would be seen in case of an actual confrontation with Hezbollah -- the Shia group in the southern Lebanon -- would be seen as an asset, as simple as that.
GORANI: The Senora government, in order to counter the influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon would be covertly according to your reporting funding groups like Fatah al-Islam that they're having issues with right now?
HERSH: Unintended consequences once again, yes.
GORANI: And so if Saudi Arabia and the Senora government are doing this, whether it's unintended or not, therefore it has the United States must have something to say about it or not?
HERSH: Well, the United States was deeply involved. This was a covert operation that Bandar ran with us. Don't forget, if you remember, you know, we got into the war in Afghanistan with supporting Osama bin Laden, the mujahadin back in the late 1980s with Bandar and with people like Elliott Abrams around, the idea being that the Saudis promised us they could control -- they could control the jihadists so we spent a lot of money and time, the United States in the late 1980s using and supporting the jihadists to help us beat the Russians in Afghanistan and they turned on us. And we have the same pattern, not as if there's any lessons learned. It's the same pattern, using the Saudis again to support jihadists, Saudis assuring us they can control these various group, the groups like the one that is in contact right now in Tripoli with the government.
GORANI: Sure, but the mujahadin in the '80s was one era. Why would it be in the best interest of the United States of America right now to indirectly even if it is indirect empower these jihadi movements that are extremists that fight to the death in these Palestinian camps? Doesn't it go against the interests not only of the Senora government but also of America and Lebanon now?
HERSH: The enemy of our enemy is our friend, much as the jihadist groups in Lebanon were also there to go after Nasrullah. Hezbollah, if you remember, last year defeated Israel, whether the Israelis want to acknowledge it, so you have in Hezbollah, a major threat to the American -- look, the American role is very simple. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, has been very articulate about it. We're in the business now of supporting the Sunnis anywhere we can against the Shia, against the Shia in Iran, against the Shia in Lebanon, that is Nasrullah. Civil war. We're in a business of creating in some places, Lebanon in particular, a sectarian violence.
GORANI: The Bush administration, of course, officials would disagree with that, so would the Senora government, openly pointing the finger at Syria, saying this is an offshoot of a Syrian group, Fatah al-Islam is, where else would it get its arms from if not Syria.
HERSH: You have to answer this question. If that's true, Syria which is close -- and criticized greatly by the Bush administration for being very close -- to Hezbollah would also be supporting groups, Salafist groups -- the logic breaks down. What it is simply is a covert program we joined in with the Saudis as part of a bigger broader program of doing everything we could to stop the spread of the Shia, the Shia world, and it bit us in the rear, as it's happened before.
GORANI: Sure, but if it doesn't make any sense for the Syrians to support them, why would it make any sense for the U.S. to indirectly, of course, to support, according to your reporting, by giving a billion dollars in aid, part of it military, to the Senora government -- and if that is dispensed in a way that that government and the U.S. is not controlling extremist groups, then indirectly the United States, according to the article you wrote, would be supporting them. So why would it be in their best interest and what should it do according to the people you've spoken to?
HERSH: You're assuming logic by the United States government. That's okay. We'll forget that one right now. Basically it's very simple. These groups are seeing -- when I was in Beirut doing interviews, I talked to officials who acknowledged the reason they were tolerating the radical jihadist groups was because they were seen as a protection against Hezbollah. The fear of Hezbollah in Washington, particularly in the White House, is acute. They just simply believe that Hassan Nasrallah is intent on waging war in America. Whether it's true or not is another question. There is a supreme overwhelming fear of Hezbollah and we do not want Hezbollah to play an active role in the government in Lebanon and that's been our policy, basically, which is support the Senora government, despite its weakness against the coalition. Not only Senora but Mr. Ahun, former military leader of Lebanon. There in a coalition that we absolutely abhor.
GORANI: All right, Seymour Hersh of "The New Yorker" magazine, thanks for joining us there and hopefully we'll be able to speak a little bit in a few months' time when those developments take shape in Lebanon and we know more. Thanks very much.
HERSH: glad to talk to you.
Today's News
Democrat War-Funding Bill isn't a Compromise, It's a Blank CheckJohn Nichols - The Nation - May 23rd, 2007 This failure to abide by the will of the people who elected Democrats to end the war will haunt Pelosi, Reid and their party ...more | The Assault on ReasonVarious - AlterNet - May 23rd, 2007 Only 1-in-4 Americans can name more than one of the First Amendment freedoms, but more than half can name 2 members of the Simpsons cartoon ...more |
Gingrich's Robe of HypocrisyEditorial - Toledo Blade - May 23rd, 2007 Gingrich, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, thinks radical secularists are the problem. Maybe radical hypocrites are a bigger threat ...more | Padilla Trial - Assault on US Constitution ContinuesStephen Vladeck - Jurist - May 23rd, 2007 Can the U.S. government subject U.S. citizens arrested on U.S. soil to incommunicado military detention and, mental and physical abuse ...more |
Continued Killing of Civilians Undermining Afghan MissionReuters AlterNet - May 23rd, 2007 Mounting civilian casualties from air strikes are undermining the mission in Afghanistan and helping the insurgents recruit more fighters ...more | Impeach Alberto GonzalesImpeach Gonzales-dot-Org - May 23rd, 2007 Sign the petition - We, The Undersigned, urge the House Judiciary Committee to begin the process of impeachment of US Attorney General Gonzales ...more |
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Today's News
Impeach Alberto GonzalesImpeach Gonzales-dot-Org - May 23rd, 2007 Sign the petition - We, The Undersigned, urge the House Judiciary Committee to begin the process of impeachment of US Attorney General Gonzales ...more | Iraq on the Verge of CollapseEditorial - Seattle Post-Intelligencer - May 22nd, 2007 ''There is not 'a' civil war in Iraq, but many civil wars and insurgencies involving a number of communities and organizations struggling for power'' ...more |
Get Busy Living, or Get Busy DyingDavid Sirota - The Nation - May 22nd, 2007 We are in the middle of a class war that threatens to destroy the social contract that has made this country what it is today ...more | Iraq's TraumaScott Canon and Sahar Issa - McClatchy - May 22nd, 2007 "What a sight. There were graves upon graves," said Ahlam Abdullah. "Thousands and thousands of graves of unidentified bodies" ...more |
Gonzales is Getting in DeeperChitra Ragavan - US News - May 22nd, 2007 The committee investigating the attorney firings detonated what a source called a 'thermonuclear device' and put Gonzales's future in serious doubt ...more | Pentagon's Gangs of IraqSeamus McGraw - Radar - May 22nd, 2007 Desperate to shore up its flagging ranks, the military is quietly enlisting thousands of active gang members and shipping them to Iraq ...more |
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Ari Berman has written a strong piece on Hillary Clinton's connections which, at first glance, seems troubling.
Today's News
So-Called GOP Moderates Wavering on IraqDick Polman - Philadelphia Inquirer - May 21st, 2007 Cheney - no surprise - thinks that the moderate revolt is irrelevant, compared with the importance of the glorious American mission in Iraq ...more | Blair's Lies and ManipulationsRobert Fisk - The Independent-UK - May 21st, 2007 Lord Blair is going from us. His self-serving memoirs will, of course, remind us of his God-like view of himself ...more |
As Iraq War Drags On, It Only Helps Bin LadenEditor and Publisher - May 21st, 2007 A major Los Angeles Times probe points to other ways the war is assisting bin Laden and his crew: both in men and money ...more | Hang in There America, Competent Leadership Just 600 Days AwayJoseph L. Galloway - McClatchy - May 21st, 2007 There are 600 days left until the end of our long national nightmare as Bush and his Rasputin, Cheney, shuffle off to the ash heap ...more |
American Dream Team: Draft Gore-Obama for 2008Brent Budowsky - The Hill Pundits - May 21st, 2007 A ticket of Gore for president and Obama for vice president would create an electricity and enthusiasm that would transform American politics ...more | A Netroot Response to Conservative Hack's AttackMichael Lazzaro - Los Angeles Times - May 21st, 2007 The media have become more ambivalent about reporting even the most transparent of falsehoods and manipulations by politicians ...more |
Monday, May 21, 2007
Why We Need The Matthew Shepard Act
An 18-year-old has been charged with murder in the death of a gay man in US state South Carolina who suffered fatal injuries after being punched in the face outside a bar that was having a "Teen Night."
Investigators believe Sean Kennedy, 20, was targeted because of his sexual orientation, the Greenville News reported Friday. Kennedy's friends told authorities he was openly gay.
For Story.......
Investigators believe Sean Kennedy, 20, was targeted because of his sexual orientation, the Greenville News reported Friday. Kennedy's friends told authorities he was openly gay.
For Story.......
Attacker of
Travis McClain
On May 7th, Charles Thomas Prickett was sentenced to a three hundred dollar fine for the brutal beating of Travis McClain, a gay man from Savannah, GA. Prickett received credit for time served for his sentence of one year in jail, even though he did not serve any jail time, and his eighty hours of community service was waived.
Georgia currently does not have hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. In both the 2006 and 2007 Georgia legislative sessions, hate crimes legislation was introduced, but the bills did not make it through before the session ended. We need a federal law on the books to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from hate crimes in states like Georgia. The passage of the Matthew Shepard Act
On May 7th, Charles Thomas Prickett was sentenced to a three hundred dollar fine for the brutal beating of Travis McClain, a gay man from Savannah, GA. Prickett received credit for time served for his sentence of one year in jail, even though he did not serve any jail time, and his eighty hours of community service was waived.
Georgia currently does not have hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation or gender identity. In both the 2006 and 2007 Georgia legislative sessions, hate crimes legislation was introduced, but the bills did not make it through before the session ended. We need a federal law on the books to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from hate crimes in states like Georgia. The passage of the Matthew Shepard Act
will provide government an additional tool in the fight against hate-motivated violence.
To Contact Your Senator to tell them to support:Matthew Shepard Act (formerly know as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007), this bill is an appropriate and measured response to the unrelenting and under-addressed problem of violent hate crimes committed against individuals based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability.
We also urge you to sign the Erase Hate Petition to help support our efforts in "Replacing Hate with Understanding, Compassion & Acceptance!"
BACKGROUND ON THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT:
The Matthew Shepard Act would strengthen existing federal hate crime laws in three ways:
1) Expand the law to authorize the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Current law only includes race, color, religion or national origin.
2) Eliminate a serious limitation on federal involvment under existing law which requires that a victim of a bias-motivated crime was attacked because he/she was engaged in a specified federally-protected activity such as voting, serving on a jury or attending school.
3) Add "gender" and "gender identity" to the Hate Crimes Statistics Act
For full details on the Matthew Shepard Act, please download the HRC One-Page Fact Sheet
Friday, May 18, 2007
Today's News
Banning the Bad News in IraqPaul McLeary - Columbia Journalism Review - May 17th, 2007 There are few actions more undemocratic, and harmful to the concept of a democracy, than banning journalists from reporting civilian deaths ...more | Beware of FOX News's Rupert MurdochJoe Conason - The Observer - May 17th, 2007 From London to Beijing, his companies have coddled friendly politicians with admiring coverage, which have been returned with regulatory and tax favors ...more |
Iran Calls Bush's BluffRobert Scheer - Truthdig - May 17th, 2007 Tehran's religious fanatics have moved closer to the potential for nuclear conflagration, and bully-boy Bush shot his wad on the invasion of Iraq ...more | More Stonewalling at Gonzales's Justice DepartmentEditorial - Chicago Tribune - May 17th, 2007 The purge of prosecutors looks increasingly like an effort to turn U.S. attorneys into arms of the Republican National Committee ...more |
Republicans Getting Jumpy About IraqCharlie Cook - Cook Political Report - May 17th, 2007 Republicans are steadfast in their opposition to a deadline in Iraq, but they're checking the thesaurus in search of synonyms for "deadline" ...more | Spring Everywhere Except in the White HouseGarrison Keillor - Honolulu Advertiser - May 17th, 2007 The Brits will have a new P.M., and we envy them as we endure the wait for this dim man to go back to Texas ...more |
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Falwell's Legacy
I watched much of the cable television coverage of Jerry Falwell's death and legacy. And I did a lot of grimacing, in response to both the uncritical adulations of his allies (who just passed over the divisive character of much of Falwell's rhetoric), and also the ugly vitriol from some of Falwell's enemies (who attacked both his character and his faith). And there were even some who attacked all people of faith. I ended up being glad that I had passed up all the invitations to be on those shows. On the day of Rev. Jerry Falwell's death, I was content to offer a brief statement, which read:
I was saddened to learn that Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away this morning at age 73. Rev. Falwell and I met many times over the years, as the media often paired us as debate partners on issues of faith and politics. I respected his passionate commitment to his beliefs, and our shared commitment to bringing moral debate to the public square, although we didn't agree on many things. At this time, however, what matters most is our prayers for comfort and peace for his family and friends.
Two days later, I might add that Falwell, in his own way, did help to teach Christians that their faith should express itself in the public square and I am grateful for that, even if the positions Falwell took were often at great variance with my own. I spent much of my early Christian life fighting the privatizing of faith, characterized by the withdrawal of any concern for the world (so as to not be "worldly") and an exclusive focus on private matters. If God so loved the world, God must care a great deal about what happens to it and in it. Falwell agreed with that, and blew the trumpet that awakened fundamentalist Christians to engage the world with their faith and moral values. And that commitment is a good thing. Jerry and I debated often about how faith should impact public life and what all the great moral issues of our time really are.
But many conservative Christians are now also embracing poverty, HIV/AIDS, Darfur, sex trafficking, and even the war in Iraq as matters of faith and moral imperatives. It would have been nice to hear on those TV shows that Jerry Falwell, too, had moved to embrace a broader agenda than just abortion and homosexuality. Rev. Falwell, who was admittedly racist during the civil rights movement, was in later years honored by the Lynchburg NAACP for his turn-about on the issue of race, showing the famous founder of the Religious Right's capacity to grow and change. But two nights ago on television, I saw the pain on the face of gay Christian Mel White, who lamented that despite his and other's efforts, Falwell never did even moderate his strong and often inflammatory language (even if maintaining his religious convictions) against gay and lesbian people. They still feel the most wounded by the fundamentalist minister's statements; that healing has yet to be done.
Ralph Reed said that Jerry Falwell presided over the "marriage ceremony" between religious fundamentalists and the Republican Party. That's still a concern about the Religious Right for many of us, and should be a warning for the relationship of any so-called religious left with the Democrats. But perhaps in the overly partisan mistakes that Jerry Falwell made - and actually pioneered - we can all be instructed in how to forge a faith that is principled but not ideological, political but not partisan, engaged but not used. That's how the Catholic Bishops put it, and it is a better guide than the direction we got from the Moral Majority. But Falwell proclaimed a public faith, not a private one. And I am with him on that. As I like to say, God is personal, but never private. So let's pray for Jerry Falwell's family, the members of his Thomas Road Baptist Church, and all the students at his Liberty University. And let's learn from his legacy - about how and how not to best apply our faith to politics.
But many conservative Christians are now also embracing poverty, HIV/AIDS, Darfur, sex trafficking, and even the war in Iraq as matters of faith and moral imperatives. It would have been nice to hear on those TV shows that Jerry Falwell, too, had moved to embrace a broader agenda than just abortion and homosexuality. Rev. Falwell, who was admittedly racist during the civil rights movement, was in later years honored by the Lynchburg NAACP for his turn-about on the issue of race, showing the famous founder of the Religious Right's capacity to grow and change. But two nights ago on television, I saw the pain on the face of gay Christian Mel White, who lamented that despite his and other's efforts, Falwell never did even moderate his strong and often inflammatory language (even if maintaining his religious convictions) against gay and lesbian people. They still feel the most wounded by the fundamentalist minister's statements; that healing has yet to be done.
Ralph Reed said that Jerry Falwell presided over the "marriage ceremony" between religious fundamentalists and the Republican Party. That's still a concern about the Religious Right for many of us, and should be a warning for the relationship of any so-called religious left with the Democrats. But perhaps in the overly partisan mistakes that Jerry Falwell made - and actually pioneered - we can all be instructed in how to forge a faith that is principled but not ideological, political but not partisan, engaged but not used. That's how the Catholic Bishops put it, and it is a better guide than the direction we got from the Moral Majority. But Falwell proclaimed a public faith, not a private one. And I am with him on that. As I like to say, God is personal, but never private. So let's pray for Jerry Falwell's family, the members of his Thomas Road Baptist Church, and all the students at his Liberty University. And let's learn from his legacy - about how and how not to best apply our faith to politics.
Today's News
Did White House Break the Law with the NSA Wiretapping ProgramDavid Corn - May 16th, 2007 It's not every day a former deputy attorney general testifies that the White House violated the law--and did so knowingly ...more | Nailing Dick Cheney the Agnew WayDavid Swanson - YubaNet - May 16th, 2007 Prosecutors who charge Republicans with crimes tend to be fired, but citizens ought to be suing Cheney every week in this nation and abroad ...more |
No Tears For FalwellLane Hudson - AlterNet - May 16th, 2007 I'm happy to call attention to Falwell's words today so people who give commentary on his life see that it was filled with hate ...more | Restoring JusticeEditorial - Seattle Post-Intelligencer - May 16th, 2007 Attorney General Gonzales' resignation or even his firing would be a large step toward restoring the standing of the U.S. Justice Department ...more |
Wolfowitz's Fatal WeaknessJuan Cole - Spiegel - May 16th, 2007 Wolfowitz has always demonstrated a penchant for cronyism and for smearing and marginalizing perceived rivals as tactics for getting his way ...more | No Congress, No PeaceJonathan Schwarz - Mother Jones - May 16th, 2007 If the U.S. spreads its disaster into Iran, it won't be the fault of Bush alone – a Democratic Congress will share the blame ...more |
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Today's News
Iraq's Bitter NorthSpencer Ackerman - The Guardian-UK - May 15th, 2007 Sectarian strife in Baghdad commands the lion's share of press coverage, but there are even more complicated tensions in the Kurdish north ...more | Controversy Follows Another Suspicious US Attorney FiringEditorial - The Kansas City Star - May 15th, 2007 The Missouri replacement fuels contentions that the U.S. attorney firings were engineered to affect 2006 elections in battleground states ...more |
Bush's Iraq Policy Places U.S. Troops in Impossible PositionCynthia Tucker - UExpress - May 15th, 2007 Our troops are in the crossfire of a civil war, in urban combat where insurgents fire from civilian quarters and tours of duty grow longer ...more | Iraq's September Progress Report: The Fix is Already InMarc McDonald - Beggars-Choosers - May 15th, 2007 There is no way on earth that Petraeus is going to declare that the military's surge has failed, no matter what the circumstances in September ...more |
Tony Blair's Legacy Lies in the Baghdad MorgueJohann Hari - The Independent-UK - May 15th, 2007 In Baghdad's morgue, they separate out Shia and Sunni bodies. It's easy to do: the Shia have been beheaded, and the Sunnis have been tortured ...more | Hagel and Bloomberg, Bloomberg and Hagel in 08...MaybeJohn Nichols - The Nation - May 15th, 2007 Hagel really wants to be in the White House. And Bloomberg, a billionaire who can self-finance a national campaign, may be holding the ticket ...more |
More NY Times Background On Jerry Falwell
U.S. 'Secular' Groups Set Tone For Terror Attacks, Falwell Says
The Rev. Jerry Falwell said yesterday that the American Civil Liberties Union, with abortion providers, gay rights proponents and federal courts that had banned school prayer and legalized abortion, had so weakened the United States spiritually that the nation was left exposed to Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
September 14, 2001 U.S. News McCain Apologizes for Characterizing Falwell and Robertson as Forces of Evil
Under growing fire over his recent attacks on leaders of the Christian right, Senator John McCain apologized yesterday and said those remarks had been intended as a joke.
March 2, 2000 U.S. News Remarks Rally Christian Right Against McCain
It is hard to know how many Bob Harrisons are out there. But each one is a nightmare for Senator John McCain.
March 3, 2000 Front Page News Moral Majority to Dissolve; Says Mission Accomplished
The Rev. Jerry Falwell announced today that Moral Majority would close its doors.
June 12, 1989 U.S. News Back in the Spotlight, Falwell Retains Long-Held Goals for God and Country
After several years behind the scenes, the Rev. Jerry Falwell is back on center stage to play reformer of the scandal-plagued PTL ministry.
June 4, 1987 U.S. News Sharp Words in High Court On Hustler Parody of Falwell
The Supreme Court took up an important free- speech battle between the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the sex magazine Hustler today in the liveliest argument the Court has heard in recent memory.
December 3, 1987 Front Page News At his death Tuesday, the Rev. Jerry Falwell left behind a university, a megachurch and a movement that are likely to carry on his legacy.
May 16, 2007 U.S. News OBITUARIES
Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority Founder, Dies at 73
The preacher helped bring the language and passions of religious conservatives into American politics.
May 16, 2007 Front Page News EDITORIAL DESK
A One-Man Civil War
Op-Ed article by Matthew Continetti says Sen John McCain's quest to become establishment presidential candidate has jeopardized his candidacy and exposed deep fissures within conservative movement; says conservatives cannot forgive him for adopting some of left's pet issues in 2000 primary campaign, or for labeling Revs Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson 'agents of intolerance'; says conservatives are suspicious of McCain's appeal to non-conservatives; holds that politics of polarization militate a...
March 19, 2007 Opinion Op-Ed
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