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Evangelical Lite
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Let me be perfectly clear here--the only way Barack Obama is going to win the election, in November, is by standing his ground, and not becoming indistinguishable from the radical right wing platform with respect to two important issues: guns and choice.
In a segment, leaked by Politico, from an interview scheduled for later this week, Obama tells George Stephanoulos that he regrets being flippant on the subject of abortion, at Saddleback, and that he now wants to clarify: "What I intended to say is that, as a Christian, I have a lot of humility about understanding when does the soul enter into; It's a pretty tough question. And so, all I meant to communicate was that I don't presume to be able to answer these kinds of theological questions...I think the better answer ...; and this was reflected in the Democratic platform ... is to figure out, how do we make sure the young mothers, or women who have a pregnancy that's unexpected or difficult, have the kind of support they need to make a whole range of choices, including adoption and keeping the child."
Even a cursory look at some of the language above will show that the Democratic party is in deep doo-doo unless it starts to stay out of the Bible belt, and push for separation of church and state, evolution, the right to choose, and the right to privacy. Compromising on these issues, by becoming Evangelical Light, will only lead to blurring the lines of demarcation between the two parties which, as you know, are already blurred.
Obama would be wise to heed the words of another "first dude," Thomas Jefferson, "Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear. " Yes, and this, too, from T.J. : "Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."
The reason Sarah Payless (oops, Paylin) has higher approval ratings than either of the presidential contenders is that she's not pandering to win votes. That may be because she's thinking about what she needs at Walmart, or maybe because she just give a flying fajita about a job, especially when she's not even sure what the vice president does. Americans are suckers for independents, even when they don't know what they're independent from.
Unless Obama wants his run for chief executive to end the way John Kerry's did, the best answer for him is to follow Sarah Palin, and stick to his guns, especially those that don't backfire. That's right, Obama needs to stand up for core values of the Democrats like religious tolerance, affirmative action, gun control, a woman's right to choose, and diplomacy over war-mongering. Stand up, or stand down, Senator; anything less is pandering. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Some perspective
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Cindy McCain reportedly spent $300,000 on the outfit she wore the evening of her husband's nomination to be the Republican party's official presidential candidate.
It would take the average American worker 10 years to earn what Mrs. McCain spent on one outfit. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Costume Changes
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee said that the media coverage of Sarah Palin, in the days leading up to the Republican convention, has been "tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert."
And, Mike Huckabee ought to know a thing or two about costume changes. His party is responsible for the biggest wardrobe malfunction in U.S. history, the war in Iraq, which has proven to be an insult to the service of every man and woman in uniform.
Breaking news for Mr. Huckabee: When Barack Obama talks about the need for change, he isn't talking about costume changes. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Damn the Torpedoes
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
In her damn the torpedoes acceptance speech, at the Republican Convention last night, Sarah Palin, Alaska's governor, not only won her party's nomination, but she effectively auditioned for a remake of "Million Dollar Baby."
That said, the only reason for this dynamic duo is that both of their home states begin with the letter "A." While this may work for creationists, it doesn't cut it for those who'd like to believe we've made it out of the middle ages in one piece.
Among the governor's more memorable observations was that Barack Obama, at one time, was a community organizer. "Well," she said, "America is not a community, and we don't need an organizer."
Palin had a news flash for the American people. Well, we now have one for her: America may not be a "community," but it's not a congregation, either, and we, the people, won't allow ourselves to be steamrolled by a runaway executive branch again. We face record deficits, and moral bankruptcy, thanks to the Evangelistas of the 1990's, the Quayles, and Gingriches; the only ones who have benefited are the oil barons, and the credit card companies.
This country can no more afford someone within shooting range, or for that matter someone within shouting range, of the White House whose claim to fame is being able to gun down wildlife from 20,000 feet than we can afford to invite Edi Amin to a state dinner.
The folks who confuse shotgun weddings with shotgun diplomacy will put us one step closer to nuclear extinction whether they invoke the name of the almighty or not.
With McCain/Palin, the radical Christian right wing not only has traction, they have teeth. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
In one week it will be 9/11, Be Awake This Time
UC TV had an interview with Coleen Rowley of the FBI, she wrote the memo that eventually came out proving that the FBI, CIA and the Bush Administration had information that may have been able to prevent 9/11. What about now? She sees only modest changes. What about all the 9/11 Report recommendations? When are they ever going to be acted on. When we remember the 3000 Americans we lost on 9/11, we must also remember the more than 3000 American Heroes who have given their lives since in the wars, and the many thousands more heroes coming home severely injured. Let this 9/11 be different, this time. For Democracy to work, it must be OF THE PEOPLE. Let's wake up and run our country. I have every confidence in the American People, to do the right things, when they know what's really going on. UC TV had an interview with Coleen Rowley of the FBI, she wrote the memo that eventually came out proving that the FBI, CIA and the Bu... more
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A Set Up?
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Is the nomination of Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as running mate for Sen. John McCain a set up? Palin isn't even the official nominee, and there have already been more leaks than on the Titanic.
First, allegations that Palin tried to get her sister's ex-husband fired from his job as a state trooper in a bitter custody battle, then accusations that she redacted her Wikipedia entry, next revelations that her teenage daughter is pregnant despite Palin's posturing on abstinence-only sex education programs, and attempts to have sexually explicit materials banned from school libraries. The candidate who ran on ethics is now running from ethics concerns.
The pro-life feminist is, according to the McCain campaign, now portrayed as the victim of a "faux media scandal." But, more people in this country are concerned with faux elections than faux media scandals. Still, the McCain camp is trying to glean every last ounce out of the notion that it is the old boys' network that now seeks to sink the candidacy of the first female on the Republican party ticket.
Forget who this woman is, after all, like the fact that she recently told her congregation that American troops in Iraq were sent "on a task that is from God," according to the Associated Press...
(see link for the entire article) By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Let Them Eat Moose
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
After eight years of the wild west, one would think we had enough of cowboys. Enter Alaska's answer to Annie Oakley to walk everybody's favorite, if ambivalent, maverick down the yellow brick road.
And, what better day than today, when we pay tribute to the contributions of the working man and woman of this country, to think about just who will be entrusted with a return to economic sanity. Arguably, Ma Barker would do a better job of this than Ma Palin.
When running for president, in 1960, John F. Kennedy suggested, in a campaign speech, that Republicans only think about labor one day a year. Well, that’s not true of Gov. Sarah Palin. Palin thinks about labor every time her water is about to break.
If blue collar, Bible-thumping, gun-slingers think they’ve found an advocate for the rights of working people in this country, rest assured: she may have married union, but she is 100% management.
Yes, we can sleep a little better knowing, when that 3 a.m. phone call comes, we have a vice president who will be out shooting moose instead of taking on those blasted terrorists.... By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
August 29, 2005
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Don't you find it curious how Vice President Dick Cheney is going to visit Georgia, next week, when he didn't visit New Orleans after Katrina?
And, as for Georgia, it'd be a welcome relief if "humanitarian aid" came in the form of interest, and not navy war ships.
On August 29, 2005, in the hours after Katrina hit, Bush and McCain were too busy celebrating the Arizona senator's 69th birthday to notice thousands of those who were displaced, or drowning. Indeed, while they were busy cutting into the birthday cake, FEMA was busy not returning phone calls.
That the vice president has chosen the week of the third anniversary of Katrina to announce his field trip to Georgia is egregious in light of his administration's wanton, and boldfaced disinterest in the the poorest, and most economically disenfranchised, citizens of New Orleans. The only thing more egregious is the gross neglect of a hurricane-ravaged city, over the past three years, which largely looks today as it did in the days after August 29th, as well as a policy of calculated disinterest in the plight of the homeless, and the indigent, throughout this great nation.
Clearly, if there was oil in New Orleans, that would have been the vice president's first stop. Surely, too, Mr. Cheney is thrilled by the prospect of a lucrative reconstruction deal in Ossetia and Abkhazia. Any government that cares more about rebuilding a foreign country over rebuilding a national treasure, in our own backyard, is one that has overstayed its welcome.
Two days from the Republican nominee-in-waiting's birthday, one that is easily remembered as it, coincidentally, happens to fall on the same day as a historic, and monumental, tragedy that resulted from institutionalized mismanagement, it's up to each and every one of us, on Election Day, to ensure that John McCain and George W. Bush don't get to celebrate President McCain's 73rd birthday while the rest of us are mired in debt, displaced by foreclosure, or engaged in a battlefield quagmire that has only served to profit the privileged few who now happen to run this country, and are running it into the ground.
Oil isn't our biggest import; aristocracy is. The high priests of privilege have been playing poker with our future, and that of our children. Those who want an economic caste system, who want life and death to be predicated on privilege, belong in their country clubs, not in our government. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Way to Go!
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Sen. Joe Biden gave an inspired, and inspirational, speech his first as his running mate, in Illinois today.
There are some, who claim to be experts, who argue that people vote for the person who is at the top of the ticket. Who would disagree? That said, it sure helps to know who's by his side, and I'm not referring to his spouse either.
Anyone who questions the importance of vice presidents must have been living in a shoe box for the past 50 years! One has only to look at Al Gore, and George H.W. Bush, not to mention Dick Cheney, who has been running this country, into the ground, for the past eight years.
While vice presidents aren't in the driver's seat, the vice presidency is part of the executive branch (despite our current vice president's best efforts to secede, and relocate to the Senate.)
Curiously, just about the only time this administration seems willing to surrender, or look for the exit sign, is when they're asked to accept accountability for anything. Whenever that phone just rings and rings at 3 A.M., and turns over to voicemail, you can be sure it's Congress calling for former White House aides, and counsel, to testify under a subpoena.
China isn't the only country hosting the Olympics this year; Washington, D.C. is, too. And, Barack Obama's smartest move yet has been to let the air out of the Republican foreign policy expertise tire by taking as his partner the chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. Well-done. Now America can rest assured that someone will be home, at any time day or night, when that phone call comes for accountability.
Coming soon, too, combat fatigues will be replaced by the working clothes of men and women in this country. The end of a crisis of leadership will jump start an economy mired in doubt, and secrecy as we see leadership that embraces domestic reconstruction not for profit, but for profit- sharing.
We may have a long road ahead, but at least we're on the right one.
Way to go, Joe! By Jayne Lyn Stahl Sen. Joe Biden gave an inspired, and inspirational, speech his first as his running mate, in Illinois today. ... more -
Why Biden?
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Why did Barack Obama pick Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate? In a word, Georgia...
(see link for rest of article) By Jayne Lyn Stahl Why did Barack Obama pick Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate? In a word, Georgia... ... more -
An open letter to Joe Biden
Welcome, Joe. You have my vote, and have had it for years now---big fan here.
Do me a favor, though. Please make the focus of your campaign the economy, and not foreign policy. More people are concerned about losing their homes than losing their freedom even. How many people take to the streets over the notion of a unitary executive, or even NSA surveillance?
So, please, whatever you do, try and let the other party trip over their potential foreign policy blunders. See to it that the economy is the core issue as, at the moment, it is the only issue that distinguishes Democrats from Republicans.
We don't want Obama/Biden to be McCain lite. Welcome, Joe. You have my vote, and have had it for years now---big fan here. ... more -
A Lost and Found for Credibility
by Jayne Lyn Stahl
Sooner or later, John McCain may well have to pay a visit to the lost and found of credibility. And, if there is no such lost and found, one may need to be created for that express purpose.
Funny, isn't it, for a Party so concerned with creed how little interest there is for credibility.
As long as we have a book, "Excel for Dummies," why not a sequel----"McCain for Dummies." Lord knows, there's a market for it... by Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
for Sen. McCain's speechwriters...
some friendly words of advice:
If you want your candidate to be convincing, stop using the phrase "my friends."
One can think of few red flag phrases more compelling than "my friends," and "trust me." some friendly words of advice: If you want your candidate to be convincing, stop using the phrase "my friends." ... more -
Out-sourced
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
Pay close attention to what Barack Obama said, at Saddleback, was his principal reason for opposing the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Obama expressed justifiable concern about the power that is now inherently vested in the executive branch, of which Chief Justice Roberts is an obdurate supporter.
Make no mistake: there is a defining difference between the two presidential candidates that must not be overlooked. The Democratic presumptive nominee wants to rein in a hyperactive, unitary executive that works to insinuate itself into every nook and cranny by intelligence overreach. Given how comfortably the senator from Arizona fits into his Texan predecessor's shoes, and his gleeful acquiescence with his pro-life, pro-terror Party, one can expect little by way of separation of powers should McCain take the reins in January.
So when the Senate convenes to decide the fate of a federal shield law for reporters, next month, it is imperative to keep in mind that a federal shield law will not just protect confidentiality, and keep journalists from facing prosecution for refusing to be government informers, it will also ensure the free flow of information, something the Bush administration has tried sedulously to obstruct while taking a monolithic wrecking crew to the Constitution in a transparent attempt to deconstruct the First Amendment.
We asked for transparency, and this is what we're getting, but the larger question is---what do we plan to do with it?
(see above link to read the rest of this post) By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Will the Real Domestic Terrorist Please Stand Up?
Article on the USA Patriot Act, so-called "domestic terrorism," and the neutralization of dissent in America. By Jayne Lyn Stahl. Article on the USA Patriot Act, so-called "domestic terrorism," and the neutralization of dissent in America. By Jayne Lyn ... more
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Boy George's Last Stand-Off
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
With apologies, in advance, to the British rocker who, I suspect, enjoys a bit of word play and, of course, King George III who, no doubt, doesn't feel a thing, the other George, yes, the current principal at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is getting such a workout these days, he might even consider running for governor of California when Ah-nold's term is up.
Don't you just love the irony of this president, and both candidates for the presidency, in their declared contempt for Russia's invasion, and pummeling, of the "sovereign state" of Georgia, especially in light of what we did to Iraq? After all, what was Baghdad back in 2002--chopped liver? Remember, too, that the U.S. can't claim to have any historical territorial imperative in the Middle East, just an overzealous appetite for oil reserves.
Speaking of which, it looks like it's about oil all over again, a tug of war between Russia and the U.S. for what is a major conduit for the precious stuff that flows from Russia to the west, so whichever superpower controls Georgia, also inherits the portal for oil...
(this is an excerpt; pls. see link for entire post) By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
The Edwards Debacle: Another Page from the Karl Rove Playbook
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
If I were one of these conspiracy nuts which, of course, I'm not, I might almost think I smell the thorny hand of Karl Rove behind the Enquirer's dogged, intrepid stalking of former senator, and presidential hopeful, John Edwards, but the only other public figure to have an adjective made out of his name since Machiavelli , Rove, has had way too much on his plate lately sabotaging the careers of governors like Don Siegelman, and skirting congressional subpoenas, to dabble in destroying a potential president's career.
That said, the timing of the Edwards revelation can only be described as Rovian.
That it's taken more than a year for a national press that now grovels more than diehard paparazzi to declare the adultery witch hunt over proves that the technological revolution isn't all it's cracked up to be. After all, how long did it take to destroy the careers of other prospective presidential candidates like Gary Hart, Ted Kennedy and, better still, a sitting president, Bill Clinton? And, anyone who doesn't see parallels between John Edward's forced confession of adultery and those other chaps needs to have their eyes checked.
But, the larger question here is why we don't force our presidents to confess their sins in shame when they lie about the number of troops in Vietnam (LBJ), and why we invaded Iraq (GWB?) Maybe because that doesn't sell as many papers, or as much advertising, as anything having to do with sex. And, if that's the case, shame on you, America, for bringing down another good man for the crime of being human, and being flawed.
When asked whether John Edwards can forget about his future in politics, even his former campaign manager, David Bonior, turned against him: "You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence."
Excuse me, but what do you call what a former Republican president did, while vice president under Ronald Reagan? What do you call it when George H.W. Bush looked a CBS anchor, and camera, indeed, looked America, straight in the eye and said he knew nothing about the illegal sale of arms to the Contras in exchange for release of hostages in Iran?
And, what do you call it when, a couple of decades later, another president lied to Congress, and the American people, about the existence of weapons of mass destruction, took us to war without a formal declaration of war, and one that has cost the lives of many thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians?
To the contrary, it seems to me that one can lie very well in politics and have the people's confidence, but that one must choose one's lies carefully. In this country of the Puritans, by the Puritans, and for the Puritans, a nation that has shown the World Health Organization, and HIV/AIDS clinics in Africa and Asia, that ideology comes before survival by requiring abstinence-only sex education in order to receive funding, a country that countenances "ghost ships," and the suspension of habeas corpus is appalled because a candidate who could talk about "morals" is a man, after all, and not a god... By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Will the Real Domestic Terrorist Please Stand Up?
by Jayne Lyn Stahl
Sunday night, on the 11′oclock news, the local news anchor announced that an incident of “domestic terrorism” reportedly took place at the home of a university researcher in Santa Cruz. It turns out that the home of a UC Santa Cruz biologist was firebombed on Saturday, allegedly by animal rights activists.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the anchor calmly, if demurely, uttered the phrase “domestic terrorism.” Whatever happened to good old fashioned arson? I quickly checked Google for some of the verbiage contained in HR 1362, the Patriot Act, which pertains to “domestic terrorism,” an insidious piece of legislation that overwhelming passed Congress in the months immediately following 9/11. Here is a thumbnail of what I came up with:
According to the Patriot Act, the term `domestic terrorism’ means activities that–
`(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; `(B) appear to be intended–
`(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
`(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion;
’
Earlier today, some of journalist Ron Suskind’s allegations against the Bush White House, in his upcoming book, “The Way of the World,” leaked, namely that the White House, in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, ordered the CIA to forge a hand-written note from the Iraqi government’s intelligence tsar to Saddam Hussein so as to create the illusion of a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda, thereby implicating Hussein in the World Trade Center bombings.
Suskind writes that “The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001,” thereby committing an impeachable offense through an illicit manipulation of domestic intelligence to — you guessed it— “influence the policy of a government by intimidation.” (Politico) He also contends that Habbash (Iraqi intelligence) told the White House there were no weapons of mass destruction well before the invasion of Iraq, and was paid millions in hush money.
Forget “gonzo journalism,” White House press secretary Tony Fratto responded by calling Suskind’s revelations “gutter journalism.” Some “gutter” journalist Suskind is—he won the Pulitzer Prize for a feature he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. Even more egregious than what the author, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, uncovered was the attempt by federal agents, in New York, to silence him. His research assistant was held by feds where he was given the third degree, and had his notes confiscated in violation of both his First Amendment rights, and the constitutional proscription against illegal search and seizure.
So it is then that his some of Suskind’s notes were, in effect, kidnapped, and held hostage by federal agents working in tandem with an administration whose primary goal has been to “intimidate and coerce a civilian population.” Sound familiar?
No one is defending firebombing as a tactic, or suggesting that this isn’t a crime, but does it not usually fall under the heading of vandalism? Can it be that setting fire to a researcher’s house is an act of terrorism, rather than vandalism, has something to do with the fact that there is ideology behind the act? And, if that is the case, there can be no better reason to charge the authors of the Patriot Act, as well as the forgeries that brought us into a blatantly unjustifiable war, as “domestic terrorists” themselves. After all, is it okay to firebomb villages, maim and kill innocent civilians internationally, and consider these acts of heroism because the ideology passes the smell test in the Oval Office?
There can be little doubt that phrases like “domestic terrorism” arise from the mindset of a president like George W. Bush who once famously said “There ought to be limits to freedom.” Thankfully, the founding fathers, in their wisdom, established limits to the presidency. by Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
Major Powers
By Jayne Lyn Stahl
The six major world powers decided today to seek sanctions against Iran for refusing to collapse its nuclear enrichment program, according to the AP.
And, on Sunday, captain of the "axis of evil," Iranian leader, Ahmadinejad, said that diplomacy is the only way to solve the simmering conflict over his acquisition of nuclear capability.
Looks like Ahmadinejad is closer to the Rand research center, which is hardly an anti-war group, than either of the presidential candidates.
After all, it was Rand that just released its findings that military action against counterterrorism is effective only 7% of the time. Wonder how often economic embargos are effective? One has only to look at Iraq and Cuba for answers to that question.
While both contenders for our next commander-in-chief are unwilling to take any option "off the table," Obama is more likely to consider talk over saber rattling as McCain plays earthquake under the table confusing global chaos with national security.
Fear is one four letter word getting lots of McCain foreign policy playbook. In fact, anyone looking to sum up Mr. McCain's presidential campaign in one four letter word has found one. And, should he prevail over Barack Obama, in November, it will be a victory for not so much for a rich white guy, but for the chronically fearful.
So it is then that major world powers--Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the U.S. are also folding their hands, and preparing for war. Guess somebody must have told them that diplomacy causes hemorrhoids. By Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more -
O'Reilly's Revenge
by Jayne Lyn Stahl
Forget Montezuma, be careful if you're traveling this summer, or you'll catch O'Reilly's Revenge. If you want to know how that feels, just ask Florida Congressman Robert Wexler who has been targeted by Fox News, and Bill O'Reilly, for "not really living in Florida" as the Palm Beach Post reports.
Of course, as this article says, Wexler is "really" being harassed for speaking out against Karl Rove, the Bush White House, and working for impeachment.
Now that Obama has managed to maintain a small, but steady, lead over McCain, the neo-cons will stop at nothing to upset the congressional race, and they're getting desperate.
O'Reilly is trying Rovian tactics on the congressman from South Florida, but they'll only work if we stand by and allow them. But, to paraphrase a former senator, Bill O'Reilly is no Karl Rove! by Jayne Lyn Stahl ... more
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