VIDEO: Springsteen Hits Coulter, Defends Right To Take A Stand On Political Issues

Think Progress: Springsteen Hits Coulter, Defends Right To Take A Stand On Political Issues:

"In a recent interview, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien asked Bruce Springsteen (aka “The Boss”) about criticism he has received for taking a stand on political issues. Springsteen responded sarcastically, “Yeah, they should let Ann Coulter do it instead.” He added that there are “idiots rambling on on cable television on any given night of the week,” and called the idea that musicians shouldn’t speak up, “insane” and “funny.”"

Excuses: Looking for the next frontier

Billmon:

"The turning points, in other words, have all been turned, and Iraq is still a killing field. Now that the last few macbre headlines have been squeezed out of Zarqwari's autopsy report, democracy boy and his handlers literally have nothing to look forward to -- except a long, hot summer of IEDs, ethnic cleansing and more of those flag-wrapped caskets being Federal Expressed to cemetaries around the country."

Israel shells a busy beach

The Guardian | Seven killed as Israeli shells hit family picnic on Gaza beach:

"A barrage of Israeli artillery shells rained down on a busy Gaza beach yesterday, killing seven Palestinians, three of them children. The attack put further strain on the 16-month truce between Israel and the governing Hamas movement.

Witnesses described several explosions that also injured dozens of other people who lay on the beach, screaming and pleading for help. Some ran into the sea for fear of more shells hitting the sands at Beit Lahia, in the north of the Gaza strip.

Article continues
Among the dead were three children, aged one, three, and 10. Their sister was swimming and survived.

The beach was packed with picnicking families enjoying the Muslim day of rest, and the explosions landed among them, scattering body parts along the dunes. Television footage showed a woman and a child laying dead on the sand, and another child screaming in agony while a lifeless man was carried away by an ambulance crew."

Israel reaction to Fatah's proposal

Israel's Policies Assassinate Jews, Too:

"The irony is that the Israelis inadvertently started this last best hope for peace themselves, by putting Hamas and Fatah members together in an Israeli prison. There the prisoners worked out a document outlining a plan for peace. The Hamas signers said they would accept IsraelÂ’s existence, as long as it ended all occupation and settlements in the West Bank as well as Gaza, withdrew inside its pre-1967 borders, and recognized the rights of the Palestinians who had been ousted from Israel. Public opinion polls show that at least three-quarters, and maybe 90%, of Palestinians support this plan. If the Hamas party signs on to it, Hamas popularity will soar.

Then Israel would no longer have any major force denying its right to exist. The international pressure on Israel to accept the plan would be immense. That raises the prospect of an Israeli government having to dismantle not just a handful of little settlements, but whole Jewish towns that have been erected in the West Bank. The political fallout might well tear the Israeli public apart, posing nearly impossible dilemmas for any Israeli government.

So Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his government must prevent Hamas from supporting the prisonersÂ’ document. The Israelis have to make sure that the Palestinians remain politically divided, with one faction denying IsraelÂ’s right to exist, in order to keep Israel politically united. Israeli leaders are willing to pursue that goal at any cost -- even the cost of more Jewish lives.

ItÂ’s an old story. Over the years of its political maneuvering, Israel has followed one principle faithfully: keep the opposition divided. Indeed, years ago Israel was instrumental in establishing Hamas in order to prevent Yassir ArafatÂ’s PLO from gaining a total monopoly on political power in the Occupied Territories. Now somehow, anyhow, the Israelis have to keep Hamas divided, so that it cannot unite behind the prisonersÂ’ document that Fatah has so fully embraced."

This is not news, anyone who has paid attention to Israel actions (as opposed to Israel's statements) in the last twenty years knows that this is just the way Israel conducts itself. What is new is that this shatters the illusion of those who thought that the new government Israel was any different than Sharon's.

Frank Luntz, spin doctor

Lakoff and Fergusson touch on Frank Luntz in Framing Versus Spin:

"Luntz is advising Republicans to be two-faced, to speak one way to the nativists and avoid that very language when speaking to Hispanics."

A few interesting pieces, Frontline has an interview with Frank Luntz, where he talks openly about spin on this interview and to for a little bit of fun LuntZpeak has some cases of politicians following his manual.

Perry Barlow Debates

BBC NEWS | Hollywood and the hackers:

"PB: I've got good news and bad news and good news. And the good news is that you guys have managed to buy every major legislative body on the planet, and the courts are even with you. So you've done a great job there and you should congratulate yourself.

But you know the problem is - the bad news is that you're up against a dedicated foe that is younger and smarter that you are and will be alive when you're dead. You're 55 years old and these kids are 17 and they're just smarter than you. So you're gonna lose that one.

But the good news is that you guys are mean sons of bitches and you've been figuring out ways of ripping off audiences and artists for centuries....."

Billmon on Zarqawi

An excellent Billmon take:

"The Pentagon Channel today announced the cancellation of its long-running reality TV series, The Abu Zarqawi Hour, saying tonight's special-effects extravaganza, in which Keifer Sutherland and a team of secret agents trail the terrorist mastermind to his hideout and call in a massive airstrike, would be the show's last."

Feingold Statement on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Marriage

Feingold Statement on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Marriage:

"The proposed constitutional amendment before the Senate today, S. J. Res. 1, has no better chance of getting a two-thirds majority in the Senate than it did in 2004, another election year. There are no new court decisions that supporters of the amendment can legitimately argue make it any more imperative now than it was then that such an amendment be passed. Yet the Judiciary Committee was ordered to mark up this amendment to fit a schedule announced by the Majority Leader months ago.

This is pure politics, an election year gambit. Mr. President, we should not play politics with the Constitution. Nor should we play politics with the lives of gay and lesbian Americans who correctly see this constitutional amendment as an effort to make them permanent second class citizens.

The amendment we are debating will not pass, but it still risks stoking fear and divisiveness at a time when we should be trying to unite Americans. Gay and lesbian Americans are our friends, our family members, our neighbors, our colleagues. They should not be used as pawns in a cynical political exercise."

Cute quotes.

TBogg:

"As I'm sure you're aware, tomorrow is 06/06/06 which means...well, nothing unless you're one of those booga-booga types who sees Jesus in a Pop-Tart."

Letter to a Vandarl

This is the end of a letter written to the vandal that destroyed the memorial created by Cindy Shehan in Crawford Texas. From Welcome to MichaelMoore.com!:

"Mr. Northern - I know little about Cindy Sheehan except that she is a grieving mother, a gentle soul, and wants to bring harm to no one. I know little about you except that you found your way to Crawford on Monday night in August with chains and a pipe attached to your truck for the sole purpose of dishonoring a memorial erected for my friends and lost Soldiers and hundreds of others that served this nation when they were called. I find it disheartening that good men like these have died so that people like you can threaten a mother who lost a child with your actions. I hope that you are ashamed of yourself."

Jesus' General, Memorial thoughts

Jesus' General, Memorial Day thoughts:

"I've been thinking about what I'd post for Memorial Day this year. I really liked last year's
photo essay (I've republished it below). It expresses many of my feelings about this war: the sadness, anger and frustration I feel as I see fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters sacrificed for little more than to fulfill a spoiled rich kid's oedipal-fueled desire to escape from beneath his father's shadow.

But as much as I like the essay, it falls far short of adequately expressing the true horrors of this war. The young Americans who lost their limbs, their health, and their sanity are not represented. Neither are the carefree boys we grew to love as they camped out in our living room, vying for the attention of our daughters. Now, they’re returning from war, souless, their psyches destroyed forever.

And what about the Iraqi people? Thousands of innocents have paid the price for W's hubris, families--fathers, mothers, children, infants--torn apart by neocon greed and shrapnel. They are absent from the essay as well.

The American people are also missing. I watched the documentary, Control Room, again last night. One of the scenes featured an Al Jazeera reporter, Hassan Ibrahim, discussing the run-up to the war with a number of Iraqi intellectuals. He told them that he did not believe that the American people would allow the war to happen. He said that we were a rational people and a people who revered justice above all else. I once thought that too. With all of our faults, I believed that we were a people who truly believed in reason, justice, and the principles of democracy, and maybe we did, but it is no longer true.

We became vengeful and bloodthirsty, striking out against the innocent and the weak to ease our groundless fears. We are now Fox News. We are a nation of Malkins, Hewitts, and Charles Johnsons, frightened of everything that is different or alien to us and reacting violently.

My America is dead. Or perhaps more accurately, The America I believed in, and the people Ibrahim thought he knew, never existed. As saddened as I am at this realization, I now understand that I must fight even harder to ensure that we do not lose our way again.

That's why we must do everything in our power to ensure that America understands not only what happened at Hadditha, but why it happened. For those of you unfamiliar with that name, I urge you to read We found the Real Villain, the Republican Jesus post I did last week or look for an article titled 'Details Surface of US ‘atrocity’ in Iraq' in Saturday's Globe and Mail.' In short, a squad of Marines, distraught over losing a comrade to an IED, murdered at least 20 people, including a 61 year old, one-legged man and at least four children, the youngest two being 3 and 4 years old."

Guy who pushed the Jews-wear-badges-in-Iran story invited to the White House

This Modern World:

"Remember the ancient past of about a week and a half ago, and the completely false tale that Jews in Iran are forced to wear badges?

It was the latest attempt to provoke a war by calling every desired enemy “the new Hitler” — a new one of which seems to crop up these days about as often as American Idol winners, although dictators are often better at choosing songs and wardrobe.

And it was debunked as complete fiction in about nine minutes.

Nonetheless, the guy who first printed this rubbish has just been invited to the White House. To meet with Bush.

As an expert on Iran."

Expressions

Think Progress � FACT CHECK: National Review’s Cover Story Distorts Facts On Global Warming: "Now I know for sure that you are a mental midget.

"

National Review, Formula Disclosed

Think Progress � FACT CHECK: National Review’s Cover Story Distorts Facts On Global Warming: "OK, I dislike the National Review, much like any other human being with a brain. But what do you expect from them? They are an upgraded, print edition version following the Fox News formula:

News Topic Conservative Bent = Truth"

Splitting hairs

TBogg - "...a somewhat popular blogger" : "Froomkin later gives examples of reporters who aren't willing to call a spade a spade and instead split so many hairs that they end up with a bad toupee:"

I read it on a blog.

"I read it on a blog"
"So it must be true"

We Had a Democracy Once, But You Crushed It

Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman: We Had a Democracy Once, But You Crushed It:

Here's something you can bet on: Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz will not hold a press conference this month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-led coup of the democratically elected leader of Iran -- Mohammed Mossadegh.

In it, he documents step by step, how Roosevelt, the Dulles boys and Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., among a host of others, took down a democratically elected regime in Iran.

They had freedom of the press. We shut it down.

They had democracy. And we crushed it.

Mossadegh was the beacon of hope for the Middle East.

If democracy were allowed to take hold in Iran, it probably would have spread throughout the Middle East.

We asked Kinzer – what does the overthrow of Mossadegh say about the United States respect for democracy abroad?

"Imagine today what it must sound like to Iranians to hear American leaders tell them -- ‘We want you to have a democracy in Iran, we disapprove of your present government, we wish to help you bring democracy to your country.' Naturally, they roll their eyes and say -- "We had a democracy once, but you crushed it,'" he said. "This shows how differently other people perceive us from the way we perceive ourselves. We think of ourselves as paladins of democracy. But actually, in Iran, we destroyed the last democratic regime the country ever had and set them on a road to what has been half a century of dictatorship."

Fundamentalist Cristians

The Blog | Philip Slater: THE GREAT FUNDAMENTALIST HOAX | The Huffington Post:

"Thoughtful Americans have long wondered how it is that fundamentalist Christians--followers of someone who preached pacifism and tolerance--became the poster boy for hate speech, touting 'moral values' indistinguishable from those of the Taliban. They wonder why, for example, fundamentalist Christians so seldom quote from the New Testament--which is supposedly what Christianity is all about--but prefer citing the Torah and Old Testament prophets."

Funny Story dot CC - Top 5 Things to Do When a Telemarketer Calls

Funny Story dot CC - Top 5 Things to Do When a Telemarketer Calls: "5. Say you are hard of hearing and see how loud they will shout into the phone.

4. Keep repeating, 'I knew you were going to say that'.

3. Allow the telemarketer to fully explain his offer. When he is finished explain that his company hired you to randomly spot check telemarketers on their performance. Tell him that he did a good job overall, but that he is a bit monotone and needs to fluctuate his tone of voice more to sound convincing. He also should pause longer between sentences, and more clearly pronounce the letter 's'. Tell him you won’t report him if he repeats his speech to you with the appropriate corrections. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

2. Every few minutes repeat, 'You’re going to have to bear with me, I have a slight short term memory loss problem, who is this again?'

1. Mid pitch, stop him and complement him on his wonderful voice. Explain that you are a voiceover scout and might have a breakthrough commercial job for him. Ask if he wouldn’t mind doing a quick test. Ask him to say in a deep husky voice 'May cause dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and shortness of breath. A small number of participants in a recent clinical trial experienced weight loss, irregular clotting, abnormally frequent and/or painful urination and hair loss. Results may vary'
"