Thursday, March 31, 2005
So much for gut feelings: now software can tell you if a new song will be a hit! Polyphonic HMI
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Were elections in Iraq worth this? It seems that not only were we hoodwinked into the war in Iraq, but the country has become a money geyser for crooked and inept American contractors. Newsweek has the story. Boss Tweed would have been proud. Newsweek has all the gory details. MSNBC - Follow the Money
Friday, March 25, 2005
The Schiavo follies. The Christian right -- and their minions in Congress, the White House and in the Governor's office in Florida -- have engaged in the rankest hypocrisy in this case. Most obviously, President Bush when governor of Texas signed a law allowing hospitals to end the life of terminally ill patients who couldn't afford care, even if the families wanted to keep the patient alive. The real goal here is to push a theocratic agenda that seeks to undermine the rule of law in this country. As Ed Kilgore at New Donkey points out, "So for the Schindlers' backers, including Tom DeLay, the object here is not about law or fact, or for that matter, about Terri Schiavo--it's about finding some way to fundamentally change the laws of Florida and the United States to accord with a particular religious view of the ethics of the end of life." If you want to know the full legal record so far -- including the compelling case made by the judges who have ruled on the case -- go to Findlaw. The Nation highlights the way the Bush administration has worked to cut programs like Medicaid that helped keep Schiavo alive. Yahoo! News - The Schiavo Hypocrites
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
The top Internet scams: are you a victim of these cons? Did you think you won a prize, or have you responded to an email from your bank? Be careful. Here are the "Top Five Internet Scams." Don't be surprised if the Bush administration adopts Internet scamming to promote its propaganda campaign for its failed domestic and foreign policies (see previous posting).
Monday, March 14, 2005
Welcome to Bushnews: all fake, all the time. Apparently having Fox News in your pocket -- and cowing much of the mainstream media -- isn't enough for the propagandists in the Bush administration. The Times reports just how widespread the paid PR flackery and fictional video news releases have been under this administration. Michael Deaver and the photo-op pros in the Reagan Administration never went as far as this crowd. See: The New York Times > Washington > Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
Update: Indeed, the Bush administration insisted on it's right Tuesday to lie to the the public about the fake videos it releases to news stations as part of its propaganda efforts.
Update: Indeed, the Bush administration insisted on it's right Tuesday to lie to the the public about the fake videos it releases to news stations as part of its propaganda efforts.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Are you Jewish and want to work at, say, the YMCA? Tough luck: President Bush backs religious discrimination. President Bush says any religious group that gets federal funds should be allowed to discriminate based on religious belief; i.e, freedom to hire Christians only. As the L.A. Times reported, "President Bush on Tuesday threatened to impose controversial new policies to let federally funded religious charities make hiring decisions based on the religious beliefs of potential employees. Calling for an expansion of his faith-based initiative, Bush said that if Congress did not vote for the changes in hiring law this year, he would consider doing it himself through "executive action." Next, if this keeps up, students at even nominally Christian colleges, such as Loyala, will be expected to swear allegiance to Jesus Christ as their Lord and master if they want to get federal student loans.
Maybe the Christian right should just cut to the chase: officially end the already weakening barrier between church and state. How? Just put the repeal of the First Amendment up for a vote in the red states as a referendum to spur voter turnout in the next election, just like they did with the ban on gay marriage votes this year. Since over 9o% of Americans are Christians, it should pass in a landslide.
Maybe the Christian right should just cut to the chase: officially end the already weakening barrier between church and state. How? Just put the repeal of the First Amendment up for a vote in the red states as a referendum to spur voter turnout in the next election, just like they did with the ban on gay marriage votes this year. Since over 9o% of Americans are Christians, it should pass in a landslide.
