So I read this, this morning: The AP reports that both presidential candidates are setting aside their attack ads for the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I don't quite understand this form of tribute — "It's 9/11… so we'll resume the name calling, lying and smearing tomorrow?" I think we can all be joined in our common acknowledgement of the … Read More
Our Stupid (Republican) Electorate
Public Policy Polling asked a question of Ohio likely voters – namely, who was more responsible for Osama bin Laden’s death: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? In what some… have called “the greatest thing ever,” a full 15 percent of Ohio Republicans surveyed said Romney deserved more credit than the president. Another 47 percent said they were “unsure.” ….Oh, dear. … Read More
Fox News Outs Member of Seal Team Six
So one of the guys of the elite Seal Team force that killed bin Ladn decided to write a book. And he did it under a pseudonym, Mark Owen, to protect his identity and his family. Good. Except stupid Fox News decided to out him. You can see it here, in this article. Can you imagine if MSNBC had done … Read More
“”Revolution’s in the Air, 9mm in my hand.”
Lyrics from a song recorded by Definite Hate, one of many hardcare white supremist bands in which the Sikh temple killer played. You can hear some of the music here.
Nope, No Right-Wing Extremists Here
A couple of years ago, The Department of Homeland Security released a report entitled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, the thrust of which was that the nation faces an internal threat from domestic terrorists with right-wing political ideology. The right blogosphere howled, but, as I discussed here as well as here and here, they simply were … Read More
Party of Delusion
This is amazing. Most Republicans really live in a bubble not connected to reality. A recent Dartmouth study polled Democrats, Republicans and Independents on various matters related to foreign policy. At the end were two questions which revealed astounding results: That's right — 63% of Republicans still think Iraq had WMDs, even though the Bush Administration (finally) admitted otherwise. And … Read More
9/11 Was Avoidable
For history's sake, let's be clear about this: A new trove of previously classified CIA documents were publicly released for the first time yesterday, shedding new light on the run-up to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The documents, which were obtained by the National Security Archive through the Freedom of Information Act, point to missed opportunities by intelligence agencies to … Read More
It’s Not Over
CNN: The death of a U.S. Marine in southern Afghan combat has ushered in a grim milestone. Cpl. Taylor J. Baune of Andover, Minnesota, is the 2,000th American to die in Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for what the Bush administration characterized as the "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Amendment One Sign Wars
Like California's Proposition 8, the Amendment One measure in North Carolina would amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman — but it would also ban gay civil unions and domestic partnerships. On my way in to work, I count the number of AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE signs on peoples' lawns, compared to the … Read More
Running On Bin Laden’s Death
The Republicans have a problem with President Obama taking credit for Osama bin Laden's death. And it is not hard to see why. Mitt Romney didn't want us going into Pakistan to catch bin Laden, which is in fact where we got him. Good thing Mitt Romney didn't win the presidency in 2008 or Osama bin Laden still might be … Read More
Wahlberg Thinks He’s Badass, But He’s Actually A Knob
"If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'" Mark Wahlberg, on the 9/11 hijacked flights, during an interview for Men's Journal. Listen Mark. When people get out … Read More
The Fall of Ghadaffi
It's amusing to watch the GOP deal with the inevitable fall of Ghadaffi. They spend the past few months criticizing Obama for going into Libya and supporting the rebels in the first place. Now that the rebels are on the brink of victory, the GOP cannot find the words to credit Obama's Libya policy. Think Progress picks up the story: … Read More
On The Norwegian Terrorist
Well, one can imagine what would be said if Andre Brevik, the Norway terrorist who killed 90 people (UPDATE: ummmm… seventy-sex people) on Friday, was a Muslim intent on starting a holy war against Christians. But now having dissected his 1,500 page online manifesto (in well-written English) and YouTube video, we now know he was a conservative Christian "knight". So now … Read More
Rare Footage Of Oslo Explosion Aftermath
This was taken just seconds after the bomb went off: Also…. a before-and-after:
Did Torture Help Us Catch Bin Laden?
It's already conservative history (i.e., myth) that the policies and programs of President Bush weere responsible for the killing of bin Laden – particularly Bush's policy of conducting torture on captured Gitmo prisoners. Perhaps the strongest case made by conservatives — that Bin Laden’s death vindicates torture — was spelled out last week by former Bush AG Mukasey in an Op ed in … Read More