March 2004

Open Thread

ArchPundit March 31, 2004 3 Comments

Busy Day, lots tomorrow!

Speaking of the Onion

ArchPundit March 31, 2004 1 Comment

Josh Marshall says it all.

Reading the lede of this piece from Reuters, I had to wonder whether I might actually be reading a spoof from The Onion …

An emotional former President George H.W. Bush on Tuesday defended his son’s Iraq war and lashed out at White House critics.

It is “deeply offensive and contemptible” to hear “elites and intellectuals on the campaign trail” dismiss progress in Iraq since last year’s overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the elder Bush said in a speech to the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association annual convention.

Defies parody …

Radio Bits

ArchPundit March 31, 2004 2 Comments

Collective Interest’s show tonight will include:
Collective Interest radio will broadcast tonight (Wed, 31 March, 2004) at 8:05-9:55 PM (Central). You can listen at http://uicradio.ws. Tonight will be an open phone discussion on two topics: taxation and the Iraq War. To participate in the conversation call 312-413-2191 during the program.

The taxation discussion will begin with the federal income tax.

The Iraq War discussion will begin with a speech I gave in Dekalb, Illinois on the first anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq entitled ?Republicans, Democrats and the Media.?

There is a possibility the show will be a few minutes late beginning. If you tune-in and get music or the preceding show, please be patient.

Also, you are invited to visit the Collective Interest website, http://CollectiveInterest.net, and post your thoughts.

Carl Nyberg
Collective Interest radio

============

And remember the new liberal radio network is premiering today at 11 AM Central on WNTD 950 AM in Chicago, or on-line for the rest of us.

A Lesson In Knowing Who Is Talking

ArchPundit March 30, 2004 0 Comment

I have and continue to spend a fair amount of my time finding effective ways of demonstrating data visually. Over at Crooked Timber there is a post that tracks the President’s Approval ratings and it is quite dramatic. Perhaps unrepresentative given the war spike after 9/11 if one wants to quibble, but it certainly passes what I call the interocular test (Henry calls it the interocular trauma test). It is a good graph. Now notice what happens when angry little statboi enters into a comments discussion with people trained in data visualization techniques. My first comment took less time to compose than this post because the damn page in Cleveland is well worn. The moral of the story is asking questions is good. Challenging information isn’t bad. Pretending you know the F*$&##*& literature, linking to it, and directly contradicting the two biggest experts in the field when you are clueless just makes you look like an ass.

BTW, Henry is a PhD in Political Science and a quite gifted scholar so it isn’t like the result couldn’t be anticipated. And wait! I have another political science post for tomorrow! You can’t wait, I know.

Right Reverend Batshit

ArchPundit March 30, 2004 4 Comments

Moon declares himself the Messiah, Washington Times notes that he said, “work harder than anyone else until the day … guns in the Middle East fall silent and give way to fireworks of peace and joy.”

The five great saints and many other leaders in the spirit world, including even Communist leaders such as Marx and Lenin, who committed all manner of barbarity and murders on earth, and dictators such as Hitler and Stalin, have found strength in my teachings, mended their ways and been reborn as new persons. Emperors, kings and presidents who enjoyed opulence and power on earth, and even journalists who had worldwide fame, have now placed themselves at the forefront of the column of the true love revolution. Together they have sent to earth a resolution expressing their determination in the light of my teaching of the true family ideal. They have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity’s Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent. This resolution has been announced on every corner of the globe.

Which quote is more noteworthy? A generic comment about peace, or the batty owner of UPI and the Washington Times and head of a cult declaring himself the Messiah?

I’ll give Danny Davis and Phil Crane a pass for being a part of this assuming they didn’t know the old loon was this far over the cliff–then again I’ve never understood why a cult leader is accepted in D.C.

Via Atrios

Not a bad Defense

ArchPundit March 30, 2004 2 Comments

Lauzen defends himself on the breastfeeding bill for which he was the sole dissenter. Other than the persecution complex at the end, not a bad defense of his choice. It isn’t like his voted mattered that much anyway.

I promise I will not defend Lauzen twice in a row again. Actually Lauzen pretty much takes care of that most days.

Joyce is On Fire

ArchPundit March 30, 2004 2 Comments

AIDS is a plot of those advocating the depopulation agenda. No, really….

A very intriguing article entitled, “AIDS and The History of Depopulation Policies” by Rolf A. F. Witzsche said: “AIDS emerged in full force, by which it was regarded as a new disease, in the 1980/81 time-frame.”

Although early traces were found as far back as 1950, Witzsche says the HIV infection does not readily explain the explosive outbreak of the infection in the 1980/81 time-frame, and its immediate spread to almost every country on the planet. He suggests the outbreak “might have been engineered by one of the many strongly motivated depopulation advocates.”

“To date, over 30 million people have died of AIDS world-wide, five times as many as have perished in Hitler’s holocaust. Of those who have died of the disease, almost 70% have died in Africa which happens to be one of the main targets on the depopulation agenda,” Witzche writes.

I think we can call this LaRouche like since British royalty is included.

Why does the Leader publish this garbage?

What Is Your Dream?

ArchPundit March 30, 2004 4 Comments

When Bill Bradley visited here in 2000, he asked the crowd in Joe Edward’s Blueberry Hill what was their dream. My answer is intertwined with the man who set-up that event for Bill Bradley, Jeff Smith.

My dream is an America that includes all Americans whatever their race, their gender or their sexual orientation. My dream is an America that leads the world through moral suasion and not deception. My dream is an America that believes conserving our resources is an intergenerational contract and not a short term profit for the connected. My dream is an America where my daughters and wife have control of their own bodies. My dream is an America where our urban schools are incubators of hope and not wharehouses of despair. My dream is an America where health care is available to all, not just to those who are lucky.

If your dreams are similar, there is a way to help. The 1st quarter fundraising is coming to an end tomorrow. If you believe as I do, give to Jeff Smith today so he can remain competitive in a crowded field of competitors. He is the candidate who can best deliver our dreams of a progressive nation that seeks to build on our hope for the future and not the cynicism of making do. Donate today!

UPDATE: Justin points out after donating to Jeff give to Obama too. That is a good idea as well, but Jeff is facing a reporting deadline that will help to determine viability. So plan to do both!