Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 6:54am.
Alerts
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT August 7, 2008 Randi Rhodes and her former employer, Air America, won an important court victory against one of the alleged "torture" contractors under the Bush Administration. CACI International had sued Rhodes (now with NovaM radio) and Air America for remarks she made about the alleged involvement of CACI "interrogators" in abuses at Abu Ghraib.  Technorati Tags: Alerts Rhodes Air America CACI
Ann Davidow
FINDING A VOICE by Ann Davidow
It's always the economy - - here, there and everywhere. At the simplest level, people seek financial security; they don't turn on each other when everyone is a participant in a social contract with a government that protects them from intruders and promotes the general welfare. It is only when governments fail in these endeavors that structures crumble and internal conflicts allow despots and foreign threats to create conditions in which raw power and fear are the determinants of individual lives. Even tyrants survive if they keep o
Technorati Tags: Ann Davidow economy experience financial security
Submitted by Chad on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 9:38am.
Be-Elected
Yesterday, we broke down the Senate races, and today, we are going to focus on the House. This is a much tougher task, since all 435 seats are open. Oh, who are we kidding. Most House races are in such gerrymandered districts that, Republican or Democratic, those seats are staying in the same party.
One thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on (not the politicians themselves but the actual voters) is that Congressional districts should be drawn up in a neutral manner so races would be more competitive.
Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Bill Richardson House races Democrats
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 10:00am.
Tony Peyser
Predictable personal attacks on critics
Is never a smart thing to do
By now, we know these tactics suggest
That the accusation is true. VERSE CASE SCENARIO Tony Peyser provides daily poems and weekly cartoons for BuzzFlash and also writes the BuzzFlash column, "Blue State Jukebox." He was a daily cartoonist for the L.A. Times from 1994 to 1997. You can e-mail Tony at tonypeyser@yahoo.com. Technorati Tags: Tony Peyser Bush CIA Suskind
Submitted by Chad on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 10:57am.
Be-Elected
Yesterday came and went, and Barack Obama didn't select a vice presidential nominee. And that person, at least for the moment, wasn't Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), despite the rumors.
In perhaps the best-kept secret since "Who Shot J.R.?", we still have no clue who Obama will pick. But if Bayh's name was leaked to see the reaction, it wasn't all that positive, especially in the progressive world.
If this was a leak, hopefully Obama and his top campaign advisors got a taste of what might happen from the base if Obama picks someone who isn't progressive.
(And yes, the usual disclaimer: BuzzFlash will support the vice presidential nominee, whomever Obama picks. We assume in this disclaimer that it won't be Sen. Joe Lieberman. But we will support whomever that is.)
Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Barack Obama vice president progressive centrist
P.M. Carpenter
THE FIFTH COLUMNIST by P.M. Carpenter
Clarence Page, the Chicago Tribune's liberal columnist, chimed in yesterday on the officially slated Question of the Week -- "Why isn't [Barack Obama] further ahead in the polls?" -- with, it seemed to me, a singularly noteworthy observation.
Noteworthy, not so much for what Mr. Page did say, but what he didn't say, or, to be even more oblique in this introduction, just how he didn't say it.
Page tendered a passel of "big reasons" why Obama isn't blowing his antediluvian opponent of ancient wrongheadedness clean out of the waters. In toto, these reasons ranged from
Technorati Tags: P.M. Carpenter
Submitted by meg on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 2:34pm.
Alerts
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Meg White
The front page of The New York Times today featured a report that on July 22, the "official" death toll of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan reached 500. Retired four-star Army General Barry R. McCaffrey was in Afghanistan that day. He was there compiling information for a report given to the head of West Point's department of social sciences and first revealed in Small Wars Journal. The report is a frightening one and, due to its implications, perhaps even sadder than the two-page spread of photographs of service members killed in Afghanistan in The New York Times today. Technorati Tags: Alerts afghanistan war on terror troops statistics mccaffrey new york times
Submitted by AmyW on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 3:11pm.
Analysis
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Amy Weiss
The latest McCain ad, "Praising McCain" features clips of prominent Democrats saying nice things about him. Many of these clips are years old, some are not given in full context, but it proves a point that yes, some Democrats have said nice things about John McCain.
What's silly about this ad is its assertion that a few kind words mean McCain is the most bipartisan politician ever. The ad uses the word "maverick" twice in the 60-second spot as if saying it enough makes it true. DNC Chairman Howard Dean, who was one of the Democrats featured in "Praising McCain," was quick to point out this statement in response to the ad:
Technorati Tags: Analysis McCain Obama advertisement "Praising McCain"
Submitted by Chad on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 3:14pm.
Be-Elected
People are getting rid of their cars or they are keeping their cars but driving less, thanks to the price of gas. Me -- well, I've been ahead of the game for awhile. I don't have a car, and haven't had one for a few years now. I do have a tire pressure gauge, just in case.
Now you might say, "well, you live in a big city, so you shouldn't have to have a car." Yeah, that's true. But there are still plenty of cars left in this big city, and a public transportation system, while very thorough, isn't moving as fast as it should these days.
I've been a public transportation rat for years. I've been on Amtrak, Greyhound, Indian Trails bus, and Megabus. I took a trip to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver a month ago and rode (besides airplanes), light rail, streetcar, and buses in Portland; buses and the monorail in Seattle; buses, Skytrain, and Seabus in Vancouver; and Amtrak in between the cities.
Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel public transportation Smokey and the Bandit tire gauge speed limit
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 4:27pm.
Barbara's Daily Buzz
BARBARA'S DAILY BUZZFLASH MINUTE
How UN-American is this -- "big surprise, when the oil companies were taxed more and their profits went down, you know what they did? They produced less oil. And that made us even more dependent on foreign oil." Why is it the flag-pin lapel wearing, smooth talking, fork-tongued Repuglicans are always the first ones who step up and stake out a claim to patriotism??? Do ya think maybe, it's because they aren't as patriotic as they want the rest of us to believe??? Think about it, if they really cared about America don'tcha kinda, sorta, think they should pay their fair share in this the land of opportunity! Don'tcha, kinda, sorta think patriotism should really start at home, in the place that made such unbelievably excessive, over the top profits possible for those oil companies!
Technorati Tags: Barbara's Daily Buzz
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