11/15/2007
Accumulation Creep Pt. 1
Too much stuff backing up, and I'm tryng to clear the decks before The Thanksgiving Trip To The Rural Relations. So here (with a few brief asides) are some links you might want to follow:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin is forging ahead in his bid to truly serve the owners of the large media conglomerates; consumer groups are pushing back. I have no idea if he'll succeed in this corporate power grab. Keep in mind that what the NY Times has to say on the subject may be tinted by the fact that they have a large horse in the race; B & C, a trade publication, sums up the consumer positions quite succinctly.
The consumer groups, remember, are fighting a regulatory body ruled by Republican androids who are using the time-honored tactics of cheats and liars: announce "public" hearings with almost no notice, then make sure that all the attendees are "regular folks" who just happen to work for corporate communications lobbying firms.
*****************
Tom Tancredo of Iowa is running for president as a Republican. His latest campaign ad is a preview, I feel sure, of Republican tactics for the 2008 election cycle. How many lies and misstatements and logical faults can you find over the course of this 30-second bit of poop?
Tancredo justifies his BS in the Denver Post, which had this to say in an editorial:
"What do you do when your quixotic bid for the presidency is failing to catch fire with, well, anyone? Scare them into voting for you."
++++++++++++++++++
Another bottom-of-the-professional-and-intellectual-barrel Republican appointee weighs in with a new definition of privacy: it doesn't mean anonymity, see, it means that the government takes real good care of all your personal information. This from Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The favorite boogeyman and "would you torture?" icon - the suitcase nuke that some islamofascist has hidden in Times Square - used to death by Rush, O'Reilly, Hannity & Colmes, Wolf Blitzer, Larry King, Hollywood screenwriters, every Republican presidential candidate and Fox News bimbo, turns out (awwww) to be nonsense.
====================
In the continuing Democratic effort to become the Republican Party, they're courting the religious voting bloc, AKA "voters for whom faith and values is a decisive issue."
To this end, Howard Dean announced a few days ago to a convocation of Jewish leaders that as far as he's concerned, Jews can go to heaven the same as any normal, born-again nut.
The story brings up an interesting point; how would a Jewish athlete feel at the end of a locker room prayer that ends in a call to Jesus?
Not that it should bother any of the born-again brethren; I have it on good authority that Jews may possibly go to heaven, but it isn't the same heaven as the Christians. It's the one for pets and people of color, entrance around the back.
------------------------
The Bush scum have been ordered by one of the few remaining sane Federal judges to keep the backup tapes for the e-mails that may add details to the plot to turn the Justice Department into the Department To Keep Black People From Voting.
It likely won't stop Bush, Cheney, and the rest of the crackers from actually destroying the backup tapes and the e-mails; but it may give the Democrats an excuse to hold some more hearings.
+++++++++++++++++++
Bush is preparing to sign a $495 billion defense bill, containing $100 billion for a new and bogus missile defense shield/program/fantasy.
It's a simple way of channeling $495 billion to the Republican Party and the corporations: Bush signs a bill loaded with nonsense like this; the money's given to the defense contractors; they give a portion back to the Republicans as campaign donations from the corporation, top employees, and front groups.
And when you or anyone gets sick and needs health care, you can go to hell. Those doctor's visits cost money, yo.
*******************