The Hamster: March 2005 Archives

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March 31, 2005

Air America Documentary

Greg Beato at Wonkette has an interview with one of the producers/directors of the new HBO doc Left of the Dial. Click here for it. The doc premieres tonight at 8:00pm ET/PT.

Posted by Eric at 05:38 PM | Comments (1)

How Social Security Helps the Non-Elderly

It's easy to think of Social Security purely in retirement terms, but as Heather Boushey of the Center for Economic and Policy Research notes (pdf), "Social Security is also the country's most important anti-poverty program for the nation's children."

Due to the fact that it is a universal program, and that it provides survivors and disability insurance, in addition to retirement benefits, more low-income children live in families
that receive a Social Security check than in families that receive a check from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program ... While most of the children who benefit from Social Security either live with a disabled worker or receive survivors' benefits due to the fact that a working parent died at an early age, many children also benefit due to the fact that a grandparent receiving Social Security retirement benefits lives with the family. In many families, and especially lowincome families, retired workers live with their children and grandchildren. In these cases, a Social Security check for the grandparent may directly contribute to the wellbeing of the grandchildren, since it helps to support the household. In such cases, Social Security clearly is not pitting generations against each other.

Posted by Eric at 05:01 PM | Comments (2)

Quotable Quote

From Eric Alterman at Altercation (via Liberal Oasis): "If Kofi Annan's critics demanded the same level of accountability from George W. Bush they profess to want from the UN General Secretary, he would have been impeached in his first week of office. And if he were president, we be a healthier, safer, saner and far more honest nation."

... Heck, I'll also quote this about CNN:

I just returned from an hour at the gym, where CNN proved unavoidable. And what a disgusting sight it was; non-stop exploitation of Terri Schiavo’s horrific death, followed by commentary after commentary of only people who shared the view of that small minority of Americans who believe the federal government ought to be intervening in the most intimate decisions imaginable, overturning individual’s wishes and those of their spouses to suit their ideological proclivities. During the hour I was there, every word on CNN, save the commercials, focused on this individual’s physical death—she died long ago mentally and emotionally-- and not one second was devoted to the release of the Intel report regarding a war that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, and the injuries and ruined lives of hundreds of thousands more. And they have the chutzpah to call this a “news” network, (though of course, I can’t imagine Fox or MSNBC were any better). I suppose “shame” is irrelevant word amongst those in the cable news network, but I am beginning to think that “Jeff Gannon” was in a far more honorable business before he pretended to be a “news” man.

On Fox, Lost Remote published this about their coverage of Schiavo's death: "10:30 - Fox News guest alludes to Hitler and Nazi Germany's starvation of millions of Jews, comparing it to Terri's death"

Posted by Eric at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)

Delay's Response

Rather cryptic, but interesting. My emphasis ...

"Mrs. Schiavo's death is a moral poverty and a legal tragedy. This loss happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today. Today we grieve, we pray, and we hope to God this fate never befalls another. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schindlers and with Terri Schiavo's friends in this time of deep sorrow. "

Posted by Eric at 01:31 PM | Comments (4)

Online Comm, Thursd

Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman. Crush Corporate Crime
Nikki Finke. Deadline Hollywood - Goldberg Flies Air America
Tali Woodward. Veterans pay: Why are former soldiers shelling out more for AIDS drugs than everybody else?
David Neiwert. 'Anchor babies' away
mediamatters. Morris joined effort to downplay President Bush's role in Schiavo case, claimed he "has stepped lightly on the issue"
D.D. Guttenplan. Continental Drift
Kelpie Wilson. Going Geo-Green
Todd Gitlin. Hello, Henhouse? Fox Calling
Regis T. Sabol. Mr. Magoo Flying America into Disaster
Chalmers Johnson. Wake Up! Washington's alarming foreign policy
Terence Samuel. Terri’s Last Rites: The politicians were dreadful, but it was the family that force-fed us the tragedy
Robert Kuttner. Exposing Pro-Life Zealotry: We're remembering that the religious right cares about more than abortion -- and that not many Americans agree with them
Matt Harwood. Labor Pains: The international representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions explains why his organization is being harrassed by U.S. forces, targeted by insurgents, and decried by some antiwar groups as a collaborator
Don Hazen. Tune In: Marking Air America's one-year anniversary, 'Left of the Dial' chronicles the fits and starts of the feisty talk radio channel, serving as a progressive success story, warts and all
Ruth Rosen. Old women in the cold
Bill Berkowitz. Lurching toward theocracy
Molly Ivins. Oil-for-food is small potatoes

Posted by Eric at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)

Political News

LAT. Schiavo Dies 13 Days After Tube Removal
LAT. Religious Order to Fight Abortions: Roman Catholic Missionaries of the Gospel of Life will counter abortion and euthanasia
LAT. Democrats Set to Reject Pick for U.N.
BBC. US captain guilty of Iraq killing
KRT. Bush's Social Security plan loses steam among young adults
NYT. Social Security, Growth and Stock Returns
NYT. Supreme Court Removes Hurdle to Age Bias Suits
WP. An Unlikely Meeting Of the Minds: For Very Different Reasons, Groups Agree on Gas Alternatives
WP. Social Security Plan Meets Doubt in Iowa: GOP Lawmakers: Approach Isn't Selling
WP. Bush Is Keeping Cabinet Secretaries Near Home
The Hill. DeLay allies draw up plan to hit back
The Hill. Dems craft their own plan
WPost. Stryker Army vehicle comes up short: Classified study says vehicle puts troops at risk
AP. Three Join Opposition to Bolton Nomination
AP. Liberals Run Ads Demanding DeLay Resign
AP. Patrick Kennedy rules out Senate bid
CNN. Report: Iraq intelligence 'dead wrong'

Posted by Eric at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

Paper Comm, Thursday

DaytonNJ. More deception over Yucca
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Border bluff / Bush backpedals on immigrant security
Guardian. The ends of the Earth: Anyone wanting a vision of how the world might look in 50 years' time can today go and stand on the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti
Guardian. Mend it, don't end it - United Nations
SeattlePI. Iraq: A daunting place to be
SeattlePI. Our Living Planet: Prescription for change
Marina Ottaway. Tyranny's Full Tank
NYT. I Spy a Screw-Up
NYT. A Science-Fiction Army: Donald Rumsfeld needs to recognize that the Army's plans for high-tech weapons must be radically scaled back
Sheryl McCarthy. Good news, and hope, for black women
Ellen Goodman. Schiavo's lesson for us all
LAT. Et Tu, Florida?
Tom Preston. Natural life not an option for Schiavo

Posted by Eric at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2005

Harry Shearer Catches Hannity

Calls Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) an asshole.

Posted by Eric at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)

GOP Suppresses Cheney Talk Transcripts

From the Progress Report:

SUPPRESSING TRANSCRIPTS OF CHENEY EVENTS: Vice President Cheney participated in two "townhall" events last Thursday – one in Battle Creek, Michigan, and one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to its standard practice, the White House has not released the transcripts. Press coverage of the event suggests the reason. In Battle Creek, Cheney was joined on the stage by Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) who said before the event that "he was not convinced that allowing personal retirement accounts will help solve the problem." At the Pittsburgh event, "Cheney pointed to the experience of federal workers who have the option of placing part of their retirement savings in somewhat similar accounts." But Kim Miller, a resident of Mt. Lebanon, PA, "said that she had been a federal employee and invested in the Thrift Savings Plan, 'and I didn't do well at all.'" Cheney's Social Security events from last Monday and Tuesday, which apparently were more under control, are available on the White House website.

As you know, the GOP has put a tight grip on their Social Security events.

Posted by Eric at 05:41 PM | Comments (1)

The 'Nuclear Option'

Unless you're in a political science class taught by a professor who wrote a book on filibusters, you may be confused about what this 'nuclear option' is, and how it relates to that funny-sounding filibuster thing (ok, since you're surfing political blogs, you may already know a lot). But for those who don't, or just want to learn more, this MovingIdeas.org backgrounder is a good start. And the issue is important because, as the guide notes: Republicans are planning to evade Senate rules and remove the use of filibusters to block extreme judicial nominees. Their plan, called the "nuclear option," would allow them absolute power to rubber stamp judicial nominees and, potentially, eliminate filibusters in the Senate altogether

Posted by Eric at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)

Online Comm, Wednesday

Jonathan Alter. 'Bush's hypocrisy truly unbearable'
Amitabh Pal. The Bush Administration initiates an arms race
MediaMatters. Julie Banderas: Fox's newest "fair and balanced" reporter
MediaMatters. Who are Karen Brauer and "Pharmacists for Life"?
thinkprogress. John Bolton: The UN Cannot Be Reformed
Thom Hartmann. Terry Schiavo Could Save Millions of Young Women's Lives
Mark Lloyd. A PBS We Deserve
Joe Conason. Schiavo's advocates contradict themselves
Jonathan Tasini. Wal-Mart's Culture Of Crime And Greed
Katrina vanden Heuvel. The Merchant of Baghdad: Don't be surprised to find Army recruitment officers loitering outside bankruptcy courts
David Corn. John Bolton: Ally of CIA-linked Drugrunners
Sarah Boseley. Undermining success: Is a U.S.-funded abstinence-only program a threat to Uganda's model fight against AIDS?
Mark Schmitt. "Death" and Resurrection - If environmentalists -- or anybody else -- want to accomplish their goals, they'll have to move beyond their own causes
Josie Byzek. The Progressive Disability Perspective
Pratap Chatterjee. Driving into Danger: Halliburton is being sued by the family of a truck driver killed in a gun battle for deliberately endangering the lives of its employees in Iraq
Jane Fleming. Terry Schiavo's Irony: Her life and death struggle with an eating disorder caused her heart attack, but Republicans won’t move on the bill that truly could have saved her

Posted by Eric at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)

I Love Fox and Friends

If not for the pure, comedic value. On the group of ex-diplomats who signed a letter opposing John Bolton to the UN:

HILL: Here’s what struck me about that story. Here are a couple of the names of the diplomats who don’t want John Bolton to get the nomination: Princeton Lyman, Monteagle Stearns, and Spurgeon Keeny –
KILMEADE: Those guys again!
HILL: Just odd names.
KILMEADE: Who the heck are they?

ThinkProgress with the yukity-yuks:

Before he came under attack for not throwing his blind support behind President Bush’s nominee, Princeton Lyman certainly received a lot more respect from the network. Here are just two examples of how Fox News had previously referred to him:

“[W]e turn to Princeton Lyman, a veteran American diplomat, who was a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and an authority on that continent.” [Fox News, 6/30/04]

“[W]e turn to a man with long experiences, an American diplomat in Africa. Princeton Lyman, who spend [sic] three years as U.S. ambassador to South Africa…and who is now a senior fellow on Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations.” [Fox News, 7/3/03]

This was another funny Fox and Friends moment from back in the 04:

After a commercial break, the discussion returned with a broader focus, and Kilmeade asked about convention protestors, "When is it okay to whack them around?" Kelly hesitated for a moment before responding, "Never." Apparently unsatisfied with Kelly's response, Kilmeade restated his question, asking, "If they're not moving, if they're threatening you, can you whack them around?" After Kelly repeated his response, Kilmeade made his own view clear: "I hate seeing these protests."

Hilarity, capital H!

Posted by Eric at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)

MSNBC Drops to Fourth

In the cable news race:

CNN Headline News has supplanted MSNBC as the third-place cable news channel. CNN's sister network recently started a new prime-time lineup that has gotten off to a strong start, particularly a legal-oriented talk show with Nancy Grace.

The new format replaced the continuous half-hour newscasts that CNN Headline News still carries for most of the day. But in its first month, the changes enabled the network to eclipse MSNBC in the prime-time ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research.

For the full day, CNN Headline News also beat MSNBC for the first three months of the year.

Fox, of course, still remains on top.

Posted by Eric at 01:11 PM | Comments (0)

Truth in Comedy: "Bush Launches Preemptive Attack on Social Security"

From - where else - The Onion: In the months leading up to Bush's declaration, he attempted to contain the Social Security program through a calculated long-range attack on its general fund.

"Up until several days ago, we attempted to negotiate with Social Security, by proposing a plan under which wage-earners would invest their withheld income in the stock market," Bush said. "These personal savings accounts would have pumped a great deal of wealth into our deflated economy, but this is not about temporarily inflating a beleaguered market. It is a battle for freedom, and it is time to take decisive action. America, we must strike Social Security."

Posted by Eric at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)

New Ads to Attack Delay in GOP Districts

From a PR from the Public Campaign Action Fund:

Congress to call for Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-Texas) resignation will begin airing Thursday as Public Campaign Action Fund's campaign to "Clean up Congress without DeLay" extends to targeted districts around the country.

The ads will air in the congressional districts of Reps. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), and Doc Hastings (R-Wash.). They can viewed at http://www.pcactionfund.org/resign/.

The organization has already collected nearly 20,000 signatures on a petition calling on DeLay to resign from Congress, with each message passed along to individual members of Congress. The petition can be found at http://www.WithoutDeLay.org.

"Tom DeLay is a walking scandal and a national embarrassment," said David Donnelly, political director of Public Campaign Action Fund. "These three members of Congress should stand up for the American people and join our call to clean up Congress, without DeLay."

The ads.

Posted by Eric at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

Paper Comm, Wed

Gene Lyons. Private convictions vs. public displays
Helen Thomas. Recruitment met with disinterest
Harold Meyerson. CAFTA's Profit Motive
NYT. Asbestos Justice: We hope the bill that would compensate asbestos-related claims under a no-fault system will survive the opposition of Republicans and the White House.
Bill Bradley. A Party Inverted
John Danforth. In the Name of Politics
Maura Moynihan. Diplomatically speaking, Bolton is no Moynihan
Phil Chanfrau. Courts did their job in Schiavo case
LAT. GOP Govs. Who Can Count
Joel Connelly. Politicians bridge political divide to save 'paradise'
Derrick Z. Jackson. Charter schools' troubled waters
Robert Kuttner. Exposing prolife zealotry
BG. Wal-Mart's cut-rate labor

Posted by Eric at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

More Warnings on Environment

Add another study to the long line of evidence; Knight Ridder:

We are using the Earth to improve our lives, but our children and grandchildren will live in a worsening environment that endangers their existence, more than 1,300 scientists warn.

In a report to be released today, a team of international experts concludes that the world is at risk on a variety of fronts, including a skyrocketing runoff of nutrient-rich farm waste that is killing swaths of the world's oceans, a massive wave of animal and plant extinctions, and a planet that is growing warmer.

But it's not hopeless, they say.

The five-year study, commissioned by the United Nations and a number of businesses and independent groups, arrived at a mixed prognosis for planet Earth: Its deteriorating environmental health is still treatable, but only with aggressive and expensive corrective measures.

The study can be found here. For example, did you know ...

Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in the last 50 years than in any other period. This was done largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel. More land was converted to agriculture since 1945 than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. More than half of all the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, first made in 1913, ever used on the planet has been used since 1985. Experts say that this resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in diversity of life on Earth, with some 10 to 30 percent of the mammal, bird and amphibian species currently threatened with extinction.

So let's turn to our trusted Chairman on the Committee on Environment and Public Works, James M. Inhofe, to tell us more about the environment:

Let me be very clear: alarmists are attempting to enact an agenda of energy suppression that is inconsistent with American values of freedom, prosperity, and environmental progress.

Over the past 2 hours, I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax.

oh boy.

Posted by Eric at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

Another Day ...

Another lawsuit against the EPA for not doing its job. From the NYTimes:

New Jersey and eight other states filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging a new federal rule that they claim does not do enough to control dangerous mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Once released into the air, the mercury - a byproduct of the burning of coal - drifts over lakes and rivers where it is absorbed by fish and shellfish that are consumed by people. It is considered a potent neurotoxin that can cause brain damage, especially in infants and small children who are exposed to even a small amount.

The suit is aimed at a new rule released by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month to exempt power plants from the most stringent controls for mercury emissions under Section 112 of the federal Clean Air Act.

Instead of having to apply cutting-edge technology to reduce mercury, power plants will be given the option of using a system called cap and trade. Under that system, operators can purchase pollution credits from other plants that have managed to lower their mercury emissions below targeted levels.

The Sierra Club with more on the state AGs decision:

"The Sierra Club applauds the nine state Attorneys General who filed lawsuits today against the EPA for taking steps to do something the Bush administration is not -- protecting children and babies in the womb from harmful exposure to mercury. They are right to object to a rule that allows three times more mercury pollution than strong enforcement of our current clean air laws and delays cleanup for more than a decade. We hope that other Attorneys General will join their voices to this fight for public health.

"The impact of the EPA's mercury rule will be felt by all of us, but most importantly it will jeopardize the health of hundreds of thousands of newborns in the U.S. each year."

For even more on the EPA's mercury rules, check out this useful guide from the Larry David-approved! Natural Resources Defense Council, with facts and history galore.

Posted by Eric at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)

March 29, 2005

Erring on the Side of Life?

BoldPrint on George W. Bush, who likes to err on the side of life:

"It is wisest to always err on the side of life."

-- George W. Bush, who oversaw 152 executions, including those of retarded human beings, as Texas governor

* * * * *

Ok, I know this has been pointed out 90 gazillion times, but I still don't get it. How can people who care so profoundly about one woman's life be so callous when it comes to the death penalty?

Seriously, I am asking a question here, because I don't know the answer.

Clearly, the Religious Right doesn't feel that all life is holy-- once you've committed a capital crime, you're life, in their eyes, becomes meaningless. But how did this ideology come about? How did this incredible logical inconsistency become part of a coherent moral philosophy?

And, for that matter, if not all life is sacred-- if a guilty man's life is no longer sacred-- why can't a life like Schiavo's be "unsacrified?" If one is in constant pain and has essentially no consciousness or human feeling, can't we just heap that person into the "it's acceptable to let them die" pile?

Please elucidate me.

Also, remember this episode of George W. Bush respecting life?

In his autobiography, Bush claimed that the pending execution of Karla Faye Tucker "felt like a huge piece of concrete...crushing me." But in an unguarded moment in 1999 while traveling during the presidential campaign, Bush revealed his true feelings to the journalist Tucker Carlson. Bush mentioned Karla Faye Tucker, who had been executed the previous year, and told Carlson that in the weeks immediately before the execution, Bianca Jagger and other protesters had come to Austin to plead for clemency for her. Carlson asked Bush if he had met with any of the petitioners and was surprised when Bush whipped around, stared at him, and snapped, "No, I didn't meet with any of them." Carlson, who until that moment had admired Bush, said that Bush's curt response made him feel as if he had just asked "the dumbest, most offensive question ever posed." Bush went on to tell him that he had also refused to meet Larry King when he came to Texas to interview Tucker but had watched the interview on television. King, Bush said, asked Tucker difficult questions, such as "What would you say to Governor Bush?"

What did Tucker answer? Carlson asked.

"Please," Bush whimpered, his lips pursed in mock desperation, "please, don't kill me."

Carlson was shocked.[4] He couldn't believe Bush's callousness and reasoned that his cruel mimicry of the woman whose death he had authorized must have been sparked by anger over Karla Faye Tucker's remarks during the King interviews. When King had asked her what she planned to ask Governor Bush, Karla Faye had said she thought that if Bush approved her execution, he would be succumbing to election-year pressure from pro–death penalty voters.

Posted by Eric at 11:31 PM | Comments (1)

Funny Picture / Caption

If only because it brings back memories of my password protection days as a kid. Honolulu StarBulletin: Scott Belford, director of the Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation, looks away as Nicole Nartates, 11, types her password into the new computer she acquired through her work with the foundation. Nicole attends Holomua Elementary School in Ewa Beach.

Posted by Eric at 11:21 PM | Comments (1)

Santorum Hypocrisy

From ThinkProgress:

Speaking of politicians whose personal family decisions happen to conflict with their political demagoguing on health care issues, Josh Marshall brings our attention to Sen. Rick Santorum’s (R-PA) medical malpractice hypocrisy. In 1996, Santorum testified on behalf of his wife Karen, who was seeking $500,000 in pain and suffering against Dr. David Dolberg of Virginia, because of pain from his 1996 chiropractic treatment of her.
Funny, that didn’t stop Santorum from supporting and voting for a bill in 2003 that would have capped awards for pain and suffering at $250,000.

Posted by Eric at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)

Oh, Jesse ...

LA Times: The Rev. Jesse Jackson prayed today with the parents of Terri Schiavo, and he called the struggle over her feeding tube "a moral issue that transcends politics."

Posted by Eric at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)

Al Franken on Conan Tonight

Al will be on Late Night with Conan O'Brient tonight, right after The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Repeat: CNBC tomorrow at 7pm EST.

Posted by Eric at 05:48 PM | Comments (0)

Online Comm, Tuesday

Molly Ivins. Energy insanity: Just when you thought it was impossible, Cheney energy schemes get even worse
Bill Gallagher. 'Soaring deficits put U.S. at risk'
Gene C. Gerard. Is Bush Scraping the Bottom with His Judicial Nominees?
mediamatters. On Face the Nation, Family Research Council's Perkins misrepresented Schindler family's 33 affidavits calling for more medical treatment for Terri Schiavo
mediamatters. John Gibson's and Fox News' description of Schiavo case: "Terri's Fight"
childrensdefense. Children's Defense Fund Action Council Scorecard Ranks Lawmakers on How Well They Protect Children
Leigh Flayton. How they learned to love the bomb Bush is talking tough about nukes in Iran and North Korea. But critics say by illegally testing and building nuclear weapons, the U.S. is fueling a new arms race
Julian Borger. Apprehension in Alaska: Congress' vote to open the Arctic refuge to oil drilling has one local village worried about the impact on its traditional way of life By Julian Borger
democracynow. Pulling the Plug: Rep. Tom DeLay and Terri Schiavo's Dad Supported Their Own Parent's Right to Die
William Saletan. Deathbed Conversion: The lesson of Tom DeLay's mortal hypocrisy
Sean Gonsalves. To err on the side of life?
Christian E. Weller. Five Issues for the Release of the Social Security Trustees' Report
James J. Zogby. Is the US Contributing to Democracy?
George McGovern. Patriotism Is Nonpartisan
Kirsten A. Powers. Justice Shall Be Executed - The Bush brothers profess a devotion to "life," but they never seem to worry about the wrongfully executed
Harold Meyerson. Labor War in Illinois: The AFL-CIO's two largest unions duke it out and SEIU comes out on top.
John Tirman. Security the Progressive Way
Cenk Uygur. The Tom DeLay Litmus Test
Tomdispatch.com. Devil's Dictionary of the Bush Era
Mira Ptacin. Revelations from an Insider: Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg on the Bush Administration, Civil Disobedience and the Eternal Fires of Hell
Jeff Cohen. Schiavo Case: Media Pander to the Right

Posted by Eric at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

Good News, Bad News

In today's New York Times (via the Stakeholder), we find some good news:

The Bush administration said Monday that it had sent the first of some 20 million applications to low-income people who might qualify for financial assistance with Medicare's new prescription drug benefit.

Yes, helping the poor, yes, good good.

But lawyers and other advocates for low-income people said the form was so complex that they expected fewer than 5 percent of the people to respond.

Oh geez. I guess ... that's bad news.

Posted by Eric at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

Paper Comm, Tuesday

Tony Norman. Schiavo support founders under false witnessing
Daniel Ruth. Blame It On Those Liberal Republicans???
DeWayne Wickham. Schiavo case reminds me of brother's death
Jonathan Chait. The Draft Cheney movement is about to surface
StarTrib. Minimum wage/Time for an increase
Paul Krugman. What's Going On? Once the Terri Schiavo case settles, look for more intimidation in the name of God from the right
Marie Cocco. Dirty battle in the Social Security war
Carl Jeffers. Public not swayed by the politics of death
Jesse Jackson. Too many schools flunk fairness test
Robert Scheer. A Con Job by Pakistan's Pal, George Bush
Jonathan F. Fanton. U.S. Obstructs Global Justice

Posted by Eric at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2005

Lying with Quotes

This is just too much. The background: the GOP needs to find quotes to support it's privatization plans. So what does the GOP do? Takes quotes out of context. Por ejemplo:

The pull-quote: Clif Smith, A Retiree From Joplin: “I Believe [Social Security] Needs Improved [Sic].”

The full quote:

“I believe it needs improved,” said Clif Smith, a retiree from Joplin, at the AARP gathering. “But nothing of the nature of what is being talked about in Washington.”

Smith said he opposes private accounts because he thinks they would drain money from the trust fund, but he said the fund itself should own stock.

Comedy Monday, Part 2

From the Fox News-reliable Weekly World News: Veep Barely Worked His Way Through College ... CHANEY WAS A NUDE MODEL ... FOR ART STUDENTS. And he's not the only one: "According to reliable inside sources, California Senator Barbara Boxer earned extra cash jumping out of cakes at bachelor parties. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy worked one summer as a male escort, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the cover girl three times for Black Booty magazine, and First Lady Laura Bush worked briefly as a "fluffer," -- a woman whose job it is to keep male adult film stars in a continual state of arousal."

Posted by Eric at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

Online Comm, Monday

Cynthia Tucker. Politicians shamefully exploit Schiavo family's woes
Bill Berkowitz. Team Schiavo's deep pockets
John Nichols. Now Bush Is Picking on Kids
Scott D. O'Reilly. The Ethics of Euthanasia in the Case of Terri Schiavo
John Lyman and Radha Chaurushiya. Making Innovation a Priority
MotherJones. Wild Life: An Interview With Tim Cahill
Hendrik Hertzberg. MATTERS OF LIFE
mediamatters. WSJ editorial page again wrongly attacked DeLay aides' prosecutor Ronnie Earle as a "partisan Democrat"
Mark Benjamin. Tough on terror, weak on guns
Danny Schechter. Will Truth Rise Again?
Mark Leon Goldberg. Open Season on Aid Workers? Sudan's central government may be orchestrating bloody attacks on humanitarian workers in Darfur
Chris Mooney. Congressional Malpractice: Bill Frist leverages his medical credentials for political gain. It’s only fair to hold him accountable for abusing science
James Howard Kunstler. The Long Emergency: What's going to happen as we start running out of cheap gas to guzzle?
Kelly Hearn. Miracle Malpractice: A new book explains how the medical industry, pharmaceutical companies, the media and politicians all prey on the public's fears to sell them new drugs and the latest technology
Russ Baker. Fishing for New Environmentalists
Kareem Fahim. Soldiers Fear the Needle - The Pentagon still fights for its anthrax va
Esther Duflo. Wolfowitz, the Bad Surprise
David Moberg. Which Comes First: Growth or Clout? Unions debate strategy at the spring AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting
Susan Davis. The Dead Hand of Disney
John Spragens. Frist in Command - Dr. Bill runs the Senate with his eye on the White House, but is that a prescription for failure?
Jodi Enda. The Women’s View: The pro-choice movement has seen moral complexity as its enemy. But moral complexity is exactly why choice must be saved.

Posted by Eric at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)

Return of Comedy Monday

"It appears the parents of Terri Schiavo have run out of options. The Supreme Court declined to intervene, thus representing the 10th legal judgment in favor of Mrs. Schiavo's husband and guardian, Michael -- meaning the Schiavo feeding tube will soon be removed from the cable news networks." Jon Stewart

"President Bush met with Mexican President Vicente Fox at his ranch in Texas. There was an awkward moment when Bush asked the Mexican president 'So how did you sneak in here.'" Conan O'Brien

"The average price of gas is now $2.11 a gallon, and here in California, it’s $2.30 a gallon. Here in L.A., it is literally cheaper to buy a new car than to fill your gas tank. Literally. Oprah tried to give away a car to someone in her studio audience today, and the woman spit in her face." Jimmy Kimmel

"There is a 24-hour surveillance team monitoring Martha Stewart's whereabouts. Nothing yet on al Qaeda." David Letterman

"Senate Republicans are so committed to keeping this women alive that as a last ditch tactic today they subpoenaed her because it is a federal crime to harm someone who is called to testify before Congress. They said they didn't think she'd be a great witness but she had to be better then Mark McGwire." Bill Maher

"Congress has reached a compromise agreement in the Terri Schiavo case. They will continue to do whatever they can to provide for her health care and feeding, and in return do nothing for every other American's health care and feeding." Jake Novak

"The Bush administration is planning to hold its traditional event, as aides plant eggs filled with fake news stories in the White House press room." Alan Ray

Sarah Silverman. Jesus is Magic trailer

whitehouse.org. SAVING TERRI SCHIAVO: PRESENTING INCONTROVERTIBLE PROOF THAT EVERY LIFE HAS WORTH, PRESIDENT BUSH ANNOUNCES "66 USES FOR PERSISTENT VEGETARDS"

DU. The Top 10 Conservative Idiots

The Onion. Colin Powell's Tell-All Book: Steroid Use Rampant In White House

The Onion. Child Walks Out On Toy Non-Proliferation Talks

Click down for comics.

Posted by Eric at 12:47 PM | Comments (2)

WSJ Editorial Board Takes Swipe at Delay

Granted, it's a careful and calculated swipe, but for the Wall Street Journal (flashback), that's something - see the DCCC blog.

Posted by Eric at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

Paper Comm, Monday

Lawrence Korb and Caroline Wadhams. US should set example on limiting arms exports
Jimmy Carter. Saving Nonproliferation
Eric Margolis. Blair's lost political mojo
NYT. Censorship in the Science Museums
Luis J. Rodriguez. Gang of Our Own Making
Bob Herbert. Is No One Accountable?
Dave Zweifel. Another reason to read newspapers
CapTimes. 'Err on side of life' vs. death penalty
Laura Washington. Political leaders nourish culture of deadly gun violence
DaytonaNJ. Americans fancy Pentagon cuts

Posted by Eric at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2005

Ann Coulter and the Cherokee Nation

Think Progress with more.

Posted by Eric at 03:53 PM | Comments (1)

Making the Internal Combustion Engine Obsolete

How Toyota wants to revolutionize the way companies make cars. Wired Magazine.

Posted by Eric at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2005

Nader: Save Terri

I thought this was a freaking joke - how anyone can have respect for Ralph anymore is beyond me (and I used to intern for one of his organizations):

Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith, author of the award winning book "Culture of Death: The Assault on Medical Ethics in America" call upon the Florida Courts, Governor Jeb Bush and concerned citizens to take any legal action available to let Terri Schiavo live.

"A profound injustice is being inflicted on Terri Schiavo," Nader and Smith asserted today. "Worse, this slow death by dehydration is being imposed upon her under the color of law, in proceedings in which every benefit of the doubt-and there are many doubts in this case-has been given to her death, rather than her continued life."

Among the many injustices in this case, Nader and Smith point to the following:

The courts not only are refusing her tube feeding, but have ordered that no attempts be made to provide her water or food by mouth. Terri swallows her own saliva. Spoon feeding is not medical treatment. "This outrageous order proves that the courts are not merely permitting medical treatment to be withheld, it has ordered her to be made dead," Nader and Smith assert.

Steve with the outrage:

Defend this. I want someone to defend Nader's stand in this. For two years, we told you about his alliances, and you kept talking about working with him, how right he was. Now this is staring you right in the fucking face. Nader is aligned with the most extreme ultras of the radical right, people who would endorse kidnapping. Now, explain this away, explain why he would do this? The cheating of workers, taking help from the GOP, it wasn't enough.

But please explain this stand away. Please explain why he has rejected the rule of law. What excuse will you use now?

You are staring unvarnished evil in the face. Let's see you justify this.

Any progressive who defends him now is merely an idol-worshiping fool.

Posted by Eric at 08:23 PM | Comments (1)

Hypocrisy

From the Columbia Democrats: "A Modest List of Most Major Examples of GOP Hypocrisy Highlighted by the Schiavo Case"

Posted by Eric at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)

Idiotic

From the Washington Times:

The Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, president of the Los Angeles-based Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, noted the absence of black Christians in the debate.

"Nearly all the people fighting and protesting to keep Terri alive are white. Where are the prominent black ministers?" he asked.

"We don't see them because they're looking at this as a race issue, rather than as a moral one. Blacks, especially Christians, should stop looking at this issue through the prism of race. The battle is between people who are for life versus those who favor death."

Posted by Eric at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)

San Diego Union-Tribune Condemns Delay

Via TBogg, the conservative San Diego Union-Tribune goes after Delay in an editorial today:

Congressional Democrats probably would love to divide the GOP, undermine the conservative agenda, and turn Americans against the Republican majority. But, frankly, they don't have that kind of power. A job that big calls for the handiwork of Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

Looking back on Congress' handling of the Terri Schiavo controversy – which included passing an emergency bill aimed at prolonging Schiavo's life – it's hard to decide which of DeLay's comments was more offensive.

Was it when DeLay referred to Michael Schiavo's lawyer as "the embodiment of evil"? Or when he accused those who disagreed with him of being "so barbaric as to pull a feeding tube out of a person that is lucid and starve them to death for two weeks"?

No, what took the prize was what DeLay said when he let his guard down at what he obviously thought was a private meeting of like-minded social conservatives. After insisting that Congress' intervention in the Schiavo case had nothing to do with politics, DeLay used the issue to rally the faithful at a meeting of the Family Research Council. DeLay went so far as to describe the anguishing plight of this 41-year-old woman as a gift from God and a boost to the cause of Christian conservatives.

And as this AP headline notes, "Conservatives oppose federal intervention."

Further, the front page of the Washington Post has this: Schiavo Case Tests Priorities Of GOP. Explain on, Shailagh Murray and Mike Allen:

Republican lawmakers and others engaged in the debate say an internal party dispute over the Schiavo case has ruptured, at least temporarily, the uneasy alliance between economic and social conservatives that twice helped President Bush get elected.

"Advocates of using federal power to keep this woman alive need to seriously study the polling data that's come out on this," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, who has been talking to both social and economic conservatives about the fallout. "I think that a lot of conservative leaders assumed there was broader support for saying that they wanted to have the federal government save this woman's life."

Posted by Eric at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Frist, Delay and Schiavo

From Hardblogger's David Schuster:

As part of our coverage in the Terri Schiavo case, I've been consulting and talking with several doctors. And while they disagree on who should decide Schiavo's fate, what tests should have been done, and the different steps the Florida courts might have taken, these physicians are united in their disgust over one key player in the Schiavo case— Senate majority leader Bill Frist. As one doctor said, "Frist has embarrassed and brought shame upon the medical profession." ... Ironically, the politicization of Terri Schiavo and the play for evangelical voters looks like it may now cause Bill Frist more harm than good. The latest polls show Americans overwhelming against Congress getting involved in the case. And these were polls conducted BEFORE most Americans saw the fine print of the Congressional Schiavo bill. Despite the sweeping floor statements about "protecting life," the legislation itself did not require the federal courts to start by reinserting Schiavo's feeding tube. And while the bill does give the Schiavo family "jurisdiction and standing" to make an argument in federal court, take a look at Section 3 called "relief." Section 3 states, "After a determination of the merits of a suit brought under this Act, the District Court shall issue such declaratory and injunctive relief as may be necessary..." The key words are "after a determination..." Congress did not say the federal court must accept the merits of the lawsuit.

Based on what Schiavo's parents have been saying this week, it appears the legislation's fine print was never shared with them by Bill Frist or anybody else for that matter. Early Monday morning, after President Bush signed the Schiavo bill, Bob Schindler was positively beaming in front of the television cameras. He said he walked into his daughter's hospice room and told her, "We had to wake the President up to save your life."

Did Bill Frist and Tom Delay ever call the Schindler family and say, "not so fast?" Apparently not. In their latest court filing, the Schinder family still clings to the misleading notion offered by lawmakers last weekend that their bill required Schiavo's feeding tube to be immediately reinserted. Quote, "If Congress meant to give the federal courts the power to let her die..." says the Schindler's filing, then passing the law "would be little more than a cruel hoax." Read it again... The Schindlers argue: "If Congress meant to give the federal courts the power..." The fact is, that's exactly what Congress did. And a "cruel hoax" on Terry Schiavo's family is exactly the right description. As one of my doctor contacts observed, "This has always been about politics, not about helping Terri Schiavo or her parents."

Posted by Eric at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2005

Keep Bush from Captain Picard

He'll rub him like there's no tomorrow:

Mr. Bush comes by the restaurant occasionally, the last time was the Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving. The routine is always the same.

"The Secret Service comes first. They secure the area. We turn the fuel pumps off and they bring in the dog. They're very discreet.

"Then they come in and he signs autographs and visits with the people," she said, bringing a framed collection of 12 photos from the November visit.

"He loves rubbing bald heads. He says it brings him luck."

Posted by Eric at 08:30 PM | Comments (3)

The Michael Schiavo Blogspot

It's not easy being the real Michael Schiavo. And it's also not easy being the not real Michael Schiavo; see michaelschiavo.blogspot.com:

I’ve received a wealth of e-mails sympathizing with the fact that some mental midgets out there still think I’m Michael Schiavo, rather than Michael Schiavo, and I thank those people. It’s nice to know that there are still some folks in the world with common sense.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a new kind of imbecile on the loose: people who know I’m not Michael Schiavo, but are still upset with me for being Michael Schiavo and not doing anything about it. I received an e-mail today from a self-proclaimed moron who reproached me for not running with the confusion about my name and creating a website to tell Michael Schiavo to give up his legal rights.

Apparently, I “really cannot comprehend all the moralistic issues attached to this case.” In addition, I “spout ignorance from the first line of [my] website by so carelessly classifying anyone that cares about this case, which evolves around human rights, as ‘morons’.” ... You say I’ve “ignorantly chosen to draw attention to myself.” How so? Because my name’s Michael Schiavo? Jesus Henry Christ, lady, I’m sorry my life got in your way.

Posted by Eric at 06:39 PM | Comments (2)

Clearly a Fault of Clinton

Some lawyer in Texas, via Smoking Gun (warrant of arrest included):

A Texas lawyer was arrested yesterday and charged with offering to provide legal services in exchange for a sex act and some hot girl-on-girl action. According to cops, Steven Copenhaver, 56, solicited the "deviate sexual intercourse" from the wife of a prospective client and the woman's sister-in-law. As detailed in the below Round Rock Police Department report, Copenhaver told Leigh Heavin that he would accept sex in lieu of legal fees incurred by Heavin's husband, who is facing a criminal rap for allegedly assaulting her. During a visit last month to Heavin's home, Copenhaver allegedly told her--and the woman's sister-in-law, Malinda Tilley--exactly what he was looking for (you'll have to read the document for the dirty details). And, he added, the women "might have to do this a couple of times." Copenhaver's indecent proposal was overheard by Heavin's husband, mother, and a mental health worker visiting the apartment, according to investigators. Copenhaver, pictured above, was released from the Williamson County jail yesterday on $750 bond. It is unclear how the lawyer's arrest will affect his position as a trustee of the Round Rock school board.

Posted by Eric at 06:05 PM | Comments (1)

Online Comm, Friday

EPI. Big deficit, little deficit: The Bush budget and Social Security
Gary Bass and Adam Hughes. All PART Of The Game
Nancy K. Cauthen. Privatizing Survivors, Abandoning Children
Bill Berkowitz. Wead in the Rose Garden
Molly Ivins. Mercury rising: Cap-and-trade system short-circuits reforms already in place, while opening door for dangerous hot spots
Scott Thill. Raging for the Machine - In Brian K. Vaughan's 'Ex Machina,' the comic book hero paradigm is turned upside down – a gay mayor of New York dealing with rather more real – but no less heroic – situations
Amitabh Pal. Bush's poke in the eye
Doug Ireland. Censor Alert: Congress considers controls for cable TV and the Internet
Marc Cooper. Last Exit to Tombstone: Scenes from the capital of illegal immigration
Keith Plocek. The Thin Gray Line: There's not much difference between a bounty hunter and a cop, save for a lot of regulation and a little respect
mediamatters. Fox's psychic friend: Crossing Over's John Edward claimed Terri Schiavo is "definitely clear on what's happening now around her"
Christopher Hayes. How to Turn Your Red State Blue
democracynow. A Wolfowitz in Sheep’s Clothing?
Matt Smith . Wrong Prescription: The sweet deal a local medical firm got from the Justice Department shows how soft the Bush administration really is on corporate crime
Jacques Duplouich. On the Campaign Trail, Tony Blair Cannot Escape from Iraq
Herman Schwartz. Nuclear Whiner: Bill Frist calls Democratic dissent on some judicial nominees "unprecedented." Look back a few years and you'll see that's simply not true
Noy Thrupkaew. Life Theater - An unorthodox Cambodian troupe relays its country's difficult history
Center for Economic and Policy Research. Health Care Costs Pose a Larger Economic Burden Than Prospective Social Security Tax Hikes
William Greider. Elite Protectionists

Posted by Eric at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)

William Hammesfahr Still "Nobel Prize-nominated neurologist"

On, where else, Fox News.

Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum identified Dr. William Hammesfahr, a Florida neurologist who claims he can help Terri Schiavo, as a "Nobel Prize-nominated neurologist," despite the fact that Hammesfahr was never actually nominated for a Nobel Prize.

Hammesfahr, who was disciplined in 2003 by the Florida Board of Medicine, testified during an October 2002 court hearing on the Schiavo case that his claim to be a Nobel nominee is based on a letter written to the "Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine" by Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R-FL) recommending Hammesfahr for a "Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine." But that award does not exist (the Nobel Assembly awards separate prizes in peace and medicine), and assuming Bilirakis intended to nominate Hammesfahr for the prize for medicine, as Hammesfahr claims, the nomination is meaningless because Bilirakis is not qualified to nominate anyone for that award.

Meanwhile, Atrios has Fox's John Gibson showing his respect for rule of law.

Posted by Eric at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)

Why is Terri Schiavo Important to Bush?

Garance Franke-Ruta, blogger for TAPPED, thinks it's because Bush wants more public support for his judicial picks (since those rotten ones now won't 'help' Schiavo):

Suddenly it occurs to me that the Republican fight against the courts on Terri Schiavo has been, among many other things, a perfect set-up for the Republicans' next major congressional initiative: packing the courts with President Bush's conservative judicial nominees. Just take a look at how George Bush reacted this afternoon, after a federal appeals court refused to re-insert Schiavo's feeding tube:

"I believe that in a case such as this, the legislative branch, the executive branch, ought to err on the side of life, which we have," the president said. "Now we'll watch the courts make their decisions."

Combine that with the fact that Mark Levin's Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destorying America is right now on the best-seller lists, and you have a recipe for a mobilizing a hurt and highly motivated constituency in defense of the president's coming effort to transform the courts so that they more closely hew to the perspective in the White House and Congress.

Kevin Drum has more.

Posted by Eric at 10:09 AM | Comments (1)

Paper Comm, Friday

Nathaniel Frank. Bush team theme -- 'We were all wrong'
E. J. Dionne Jr. A Thin View of 'Life' .
Robin Cook. Not even in his worst nightmares: Iraq remains a source of constant controversy for Blair
NYT. Tom DeLay's Cri de Coeur: Any new money for the House ethics panel will be wasted unless Republican members demand that the rules be stiffened to gain some ethical credibility
Bob Herbert. The Era of Exploitation
The Independent. A chronicle of failures in Iraq
Dave Zweifel. Profit motive, government don't mix
Jonathan Chait. That Rumbling Is Cheneymania
Derrick Z. Jackson. Hot air and global warming
Carla Seaquist. Abu Ghraib: the prison of our moral choices

Posted by Eric at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2005

GOP Caught on Tape

GOP congressmen flip-flopping on social security.

Posted by Eric at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)

Let's Use Scary Criminals!

You have to love the overheated rhetoric from the Family Research Council email newsletters:

Steven Kenneth Staley, 42, won reprieve just hours before his scheduled execution in Texas yesterday. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Mr. Staley to allow his lawyers to develop further appeals. In 1989, Mr. Staley, while robbing a restaurant, shot and killed a man. There is no doubt that Mr. Staley committed the crime, but he won his appeal on a technicality during the trial process. Theresa (Terri) Marie Schiavo, 42, today had an appeal denied by the United States Supreme Court. Mrs. Schiavo has been convicted of no crime, yet was sentenced to painfully starve to death by Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer. Yesterday Judge Greer barred state officials from rescuing Terri and anyone else from feeding the starving woman.

Mrs. Schiavo's only crime is to have suffered brain damage under questionable circumstances over fifteen years ago. Dr. William Cheshire, a neurologist who was assigned to examine Terri's case by Governor Jeb Bush, firmly believes Terri "demonstrates a number of behaviors that I believe cast a reasonable doubt on the prior diagnosis of PVS." Dr. Cheshire recounts numerous examples when Terri has smiled, laughed, felt pain and showed other signs of being aware. All of Terri's reactions were at appropriate times and in no way were simply involuntary reactions. Any society that allows the weakest among them to suffer pain and death, merely because they are a burden, is a society that is in deep trouble. A convicted murderer, Steven Staley, has won a reprieve. Who will grant the innocent Terri Schiavo the same consideration?

Posted by Eric at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)

Online Comm, Thursday

Jesse L. Jackson. Choosing Poverty's Banker
Joe Conason. Shameless Right-Wingers Exploiting Terri Schiavo
Steve Weissman. Freedom's Coming, All Aboard!
mediamatters. CNN, Fox featured ex-Schiavo nurse whose affidavit was dismissed as "incredible" by judge
Steve Perry. The Undoing of America - Gore Vidal on war for oil, politics-free elections, and the late, great U.S. Constitution
Boris Kagarlitsky. Putin Stumbles
Eric Alterman. Meet the New FCC Boss
democracynow. Phil Donahue: "We Have an Emergency in the Media and We Have to Fix It"
Maia Szalavitz. Death penalty for I.V. drug users The Bush administration is considering imposing a gag rule on U.S.-funded groups that provide clean needles to addicts, despite their huge success in preventing the spread of HIV
Lori Leibovich. Letting my brother die - Like Terri Schiavo, Phil was never going to recover. Removing his feeding tube was a devastating decision. But at least my family got to make it privately
Geov Parrish. Cold case: Terry Schiavo's life is a hell of somebody else's making
James Ridgeway with Nicole Duarte. Doctors-R-Us: Congress members give their medical opinions on Terri Schiavo
Katrina vanden Heuvel. Cultural Barbarism - Halliburton destroys Babylon
Robert Scheer. Life, Death & Cynical Grandstanding - Thankfully, Americans see right through the exploitation of Terri Schiavo
Robert Kuttner. Hawks Taking Wing: It's wishful thinking to cast Paul Wolfowitz's and John Bolton's new jobs as demotions
Terence Samuel. Passion Play: Republicans have turned Terri Schiavo's tragedy into political theater
Arianna Huffington. Paying the Price For Bush's Retro Energy Policy
J.D. Smith. An Immodest Proposal : How a little blue pill could get big results – in species conservation, we mean. Save the black bears! Take Viagra

Posted by Eric at 01:43 PM | Comments (1)

Liberal Media on Schiavo

First CNN.com.

Now MSNBC.com.

Posted by Eric at 12:35 PM | Comments (1)

The New House Agenda

The Poor Man.

Posted by Eric at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

Bill Frist and Pulling the Plug

Via Political Wire, from the NYDN:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has championed the "rescue" of Terri Schiavo, is a renowned heart surgeon who has pulled the plug on a "regular basis," his office acknowledged yesterday.

But Frist (R-Tenn.) ended life support only when the patient was ruled brain-dead, and he is convinced Schiavo is not brain-dead.

"He certainly has a lot of clinical experience" in the withdrawal of life support, said Frist spokeswoman Amy Call.

Frist, the driving force behind the Senate bill to move Schiavo's case to federal court and a likely 2008 presidential candidate, is under fire for declaring she is not brain-dead after reviewing a video of Schiavo.

"On a regular basis, he's dealt with a diagnosis of brain death," Call said defending Frist, a heart and general surgeon.

Medical ethicists like Dr. Kenneth Prager, chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, say it's "inappropriate" for Frist to make an armchair diagnosis. "A diagnosis should be made bedside by a neurologist. He's not a neurologist, and he wasn't bedside," Prager said.

This is pretty much his motivation - and not medical:

For Bill Frist, Terri Schiavo came along at an opportune moment. After inspecting some videotapes made by her parents, the doctor announced that the examinations by court-appointed physicians were erroneous in concluding that Schiavo has been in a persistent vegetative state for the past 15 years. He may also have concluded that if getting the jump on the 2008 Republican presidential field required issuing a preposterous diagnosis, that was a small price to pay. Frist isn't running for Neurologist in Chief, after all.

Posted by Eric at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)

Springer to Air America

As rumored, the controversial television host (and former mayor) will be on Air America's morning lineup:

More people will be able to hear trash TV talk show host Jerry Springer pick on President Bush's plan to create private accounts for Social Security and the war in Iraq under a deal announced Wednesday to take his liberal radio program nationwide.

"I said when I started the show that I am committed to making this radio program work, not only because I enjoy it, but because we need to hear progressive voices as well as conservative voices in our conversation today," Springer said in a telephone interview from Chicago.

Springer's show will go live weekdays on the Air America Radio network beginning April 1.

The liberal all-talk radio network currently broadcasts programs on 51 radio stations and on the Sirius and XM satellite networks. Springer will be heard on 45 of those stations initially.

Air America President Jon Sinton said the network hopes to get Springer on the remaining stations soon.

"I think Jerry expands our audience," he said. "He brings us the potential of reaching many more people."

Posted by Eric at 07:47 AM | Comments (1)

Paper Oped, Thursday

Sidney Blumenthal. A confederacy of shamans: The Republicans have cynical motives for trying to stop Terri Schiavo being taken off life support
Marianne Means. 'Congress should not play doctor'
Jason Lewis. A dangerous intervention in states' rights
StarTrib. Mercury pollution/EPA suppresses dissenting study
CapTimes. Wisconsin vs. the war
NYT. A Threat to Iraqi Women: The United States cannot be complicit in allowing politicians in Iraq to subordinate the goal of a free, democratic and unified country to their own narrow agendas
MDowd. DeLay, Deny and Demagogue
Sheryl McCarthy. Cynical games can mean big losses
Rema Cole. A lesson from the Schiavo saga
Ellen Goodman. Death and politics
BGlobe. Neglecting Medicare
LAT. Rehnquist's Test

Posted by Eric at 06:19 AM | Comments (0)

Political Motivation and Terri Schiavo

From a CBS News poll:

Congressional leaders have insisted their only motivation in getting involved in the Terri Schiavo case was saving a life. But Americans aren’t buying that argument, a CBS News poll finds.

An overwhelming 82 percent of the public believes the Congress and President should stay out of the matter.

Just 13 percent of those polled think Congress intervened in the case out of concern for Schiavo, while 74 percent think it was all about politics. Of those polled, 66 percent said the tube should not be inserted compared to 27 percent who want it restored. The issue has generated strong feelings, with 78 percent of those polled -- wheter for either side of the issue -- saying they have strong feelings.

Public approval of Congress has suffered as a result; at 34 percent, it is the lowest it has been since 1997, dropping from 41 percent last month. Now at 43 percent, President Bush’s approval rating is also lower than it was a month ago.

Over the weekend, Republicans in Congress pushed through unprecedented emergency legislation aimed at prolonging the brain-damaged woman's life by allowing the case to be reviewed by federal courts.

82!

Sidney Blumenthal in the Guardian notes that "Republicans have cynical motives for trying to stop Terri Schiavo being taken off life support."

Posted by Eric at 06:16 AM | Comments (0)

Nobel Prize nominee?

Just like Bill O'Reilly won a Peabody ... Media Matters:

Fox News host Sean Hannity and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough both promoted Dr. William Hammesfahr's false claim that he is a Nobel Prize nominee.

Hammesfahr, a Florida neurologist disciplined in 2003 by the Florida Board of Medicine who claims he can help Terri Schiavo, testified during an October 2002 court hearing on the Schiavo case that his claim to be a Nobel nominee is based on a letter written by Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R-FL) recommending him for the prize. But Bilirakis is not qualified to make a valid nomination under the Nobel rules ... But the fact that Bilirakis is not qualified to nominate Nobel Prize winners did not stop Scarborough or Hannity from referring to Hammesfahr as a Nobel Prize nominee. Hannity did so a total of eight times during a single hour-long program; Scarborough made the reference four times. Additionally, Scarborough erroneously claimed that Hammesfahr has "treated" Schiavo; in fact, Hammesfahr has merely examined her as one of five doctors approved by a Florida court in 2001 to do so. He was one of two doctors selected by Schiavo's parents; two others were selected by Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, and the fifth was chosen by the court.

Posted by Eric at 03:42 AM | Comments (3)

Site Software Down

As you may have noticed, there weren't any updates today, and yesterday I didn't update after the morning. I was updating the blogging software on this site (movabletype) and I screwed up a bit, so I had to reinstall a bunch of stuff. Anyway, things are back to normal (or should be).

Posted by Eric at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2005

Go Nads

The funny things you learn every day; from the Economist:

“INTELLECTUAL” is hardly the first word that springs to mind when you contemplate George Bush. Mr Bush glided through the best education that money can buy without acquiring much in the way of “book learning”. At school, he formed a stick-ball team called the Nads (providing him and his pals with a chance to shout “Go Nads”); at Yale, he was famous for doing the alligator, a dance that involved falling on the floor and rolling around; at Harvard Business School, he wore cowboy boots and chewed tobacco, a strutting provocation to the lefty penseurs who dominated Harvard Yard.

Posted by Eric at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)