To close 2007...

...a couple members of the Wavelength crew took a trip to Malaysia, visiting cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. Malaysia is a wondrous country, from jungles to beaches and everything in between. And the people's affectionate respect for citizens of other countries was evident in the many smiles and greetings we received in each area we explored.

Of the many contrasts with the United States, perhaps the most striking to me was Malaysia's lack of free speech, which manifests in forms such as censorship of the press and criminal penalties for critics of the government. A website like Wavelength's would never fly in Malaysia, for example, and the country's citizens could get in trouble for wearing t-shirts like the ones we offer. With this in mind, we feel quite lucky to be Americans, and quite proud of the USA.

Of Malaysia's many similarities with the United States, one that I noticed repeatedly was the sharp differences in living standards across the upper, middle, and lower classes. From gleaming office towers to high-rise dormitories to aluminum-roofed shanties, Malaysia's citizens - like those in the United States, and perhaps all countries - live their lives in a wide range of conditions, and with a broadly varying command of resources.


I hope to write more on Malaysia in future posts. For now, I'll just add that the country was warm, welcoming, beautiful, and steeped in history. And fans of either Indian or Chinese cuisine will love Malaysia's authentic and affordable restaurants.

It took me awhile to figure out Greenspan...

...back in the short-lived era of the in-the-black federal budget, Greenspan told Congress it had to start giving back taxpayer money, lest a ballooning surplus weigh down the economy. When deficits returned a couple years later, he told Congress that Social Security was suddenly in crisis, and only savable with private accounts.

Why hadn't he said anything about Social Security's needs during the surplus? Shenanigans. Greenspan was not on our side on Social Security, and now this NY Times eye-opener shows where he stood on subprime lending:

Edward M. Gramlich, a Federal Reserve governor who died in September, warned nearly seven years ago that a fast-growing new breed of lenders was luring many people into risky mortgages they could not afford. But when Mr. Gramlich privately urged Fed examiners to investigate mortgage lenders affiliated with national banks, he was rebuffed by Alan Greenspan, the Fed chairman.

In 2001, a senior Treasury official, Sheila C. Bair, tried to persuade subprime lenders to adopt a code of “best practices” and to let outside monitors verify their compliance. None of the lenders would agree to the monitors, and many rejected the code itself. Even those who did adopt those practices, Ms. Bair recalled recently, soon let them slip.

And leaders of a housing advocacy group in California, meeting with Mr. Greenspan in 2004, warned that deception was increasing and unscrupulous practices were spreading. John C. Gamboa and Robert L. Gnaizda of the Greenlining Institute implored Mr. Greenspan to use his bully pulpit and press for a voluntary code of conduct.

“He never gave us a good reason, but he didn’t want to do it,” Mr. Gnaizda said last week. “He just wasn’t interested.”

Some fairly heavy promotional activity...

...including an email contact to all of our previous customers, plus links in emails sent by our friends at Democrats.com, generated a wave of site visits. I'll share more on the resulting bump in sales, but for now, here's a look at visits to the page with I Have A Dream, Impeach Bush & Cheney, and Arrest Bush:

The screenshot above came from Wavelength's Yahoo account.

Some new clamoring for Impeach Cheney...

...amongst a trio of members of Congress:

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)...and two of his colleagues on the House judiciary committee - Florida's Robert Wexler and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin - have penned an op-ed piece calling for committee hearings on a bill to impeact Dick Cheney on a variety of charges, including allegations of manipulating intelligence to boost the case for war with Iraq.

"The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our constitution," the op-ed says. "The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens."

It's heartening to see a few members step up like this. What's discouraging is the response line out of Democratic leadership: "it'll take us away from other, more important things." Ah, love to see them flash that old killer instinct.

Another frustrating note on matter is the response from His Majesty's Media the Mainstream: the three Congressfolks tried but couldn't get their editorial published in any big papers. Fortunately, I found a smaller independent willing to point the finger at Cheney:

"Look into my eyes," Cheneybot commanded,
"And repeat after me: impeachment is not an option."

All we want for Christmas...

...is some justice, in the form of impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

To let everybody know, we've added a shirt that borrows an immortal line from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the spirit of Dr. King's rallying cry against the scourge of racial oppression, this shirt calls out the impeachable crimes of the Bush administration.

That justice will prevail, and that Bush and Cheney will be held accountable for their crimes...

A cool map of Demo campaign stops...

...makes for a few moments of interactive and informative fun, courtesy of the New York Times.

Check the map for more candidate-by-candidate info, for candidates from both major parties.

Kucinich supporters like me often lament how the media seems to ignore his campaign, but the maps slices at right offer a different perspective on why he isn't getting much voter traction. He's got New Hampshire covered, but the top 3 candidates seem to be stumping much harder in Iowa and elsewhere.

A note, however: it could be that Kucinich is not hitting Iowa hard because he has bigger plans, beyond the Democratic nomination. Stay tuned...

When a senator bows out...

...with 4 years left in a term, do the voters who elected him get any recourse?

Today, Trent Lott announced he would retire from the U.S. Senate by the end of this year, though he'd just been re-elected in 2006. The reason? To paraphrase MSNBC, it's so he can become a lobbyist before tougher lobbying rules take effect in the next few months. More specifically, here's how one commenter sums it up:

"If you retire after January 1, 2008, you must wait 2 years before becoming a lobbyist. That's the reason Hair Helmet is resigning now. It's all about continuing to enrich himself at the taxpayer's expense."

To me, this is one more example of how we need more than just the money out of our political system - we need to get money fiend personalities out of our political system. In my opinion, congresspeople should take vows of penury; once elected, they should receive the median income of the district they represent - for the rest of their lives.

That would certainly shift the D.C. personality mix a bit. For example, I don't think Bush would have thrown his hat into such a ring. Which is practically grounds for resting the case.

The Best of Bush

"I gotta go to Vegas...Somethin' about - what happens in Vegas stays there or something?"

Outsourcing the military means big bucks...

...for companies like Halliburton, a firm whose stock market value currently totals $35 billion. Recently, I listened to a public conference call between Wall Street analysts and Dyncorp, sort of a mini version of Dick Cheney's HAL. Here are some excerpts from the call, which was led by Dyncorp's CEO Herbert Lanese and offered a firsthand view of the business of war:

"...our CIVPOL program in Iraq was extended through November of this year, and we’ve since been informed that a further extension through February of 2008 will be funded soon. Our CIVPOL program in Afghanistan has been extended through August of 2008, while the Afghanistan Poppy Eradication Program has been extended through September of 2008. We’ve also been re-awarded extensions on both our Contract Field Teams program, our CFT program, and our War Reserve Materiel or WRM contracts, both of those through September of 2008."

"The CIVPOL, or Civilian Police Program, in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a very large and complex program. And as you might imagine, as with other large complex government contracts, it’s not unusual for the contractor and its government customer to identify and address a number of issues that may arise during the course of contractor performance. We are, above all else, serious about the integrity of our operations. Neither I nor any of the people who work for me at this point in our careers are going to damage our good reputations with something silly."

"It is very important for our shareholders to understand that we compete with Blackwater in a very narrow field that currently represents 2% of our revenue. I want to repeat that: 2% of our revenue. So when you compare us to Blackwater, 2% of our revenue is on the same basis as Blackwater. Unfortunately, it is very visible work that tends to attract a disproportionate amount of attention that I believe unfairly distorts the image of Dyncorp."

Herbert Lanese: Yeah, and the Marine Corps has just put out it’s own solicitation for [armored vehicles] and it’s in the 20-some-thousands as well, too, and that’s not in any of the numbers I am talking about yet. So look, I just think it’s got great opportunity for us. It’s something I am really excited about.
Wall Street analyst: Your enthusiasm is palpable.Thank you very much.
Herbert Lanese: [laughter] Yes, thank you. Sorry to be emotional on these calls, but I do get excited about this stuff. I love this stuff I do.

Key facts on Iraq...

...compiled by the Associated Press:

U.S. TROOP LEVELS:
January 2007: 137,000
October 2007: 170,000

CASUALTIES as of 10/31/07:
Confirmed U.S. military deaths: 3,838
Confirmed U.S. military wounded: 28,385
Deaths of civilian employees of U.S. gov't contractors: 1,073
Iraqi civilian deaths from war-related violence: more than 75,000 (est.)
Assassinated Iraqi academics: 336
Journalists killed on assignment: 122

COST:
Stepped-up military operations are costing about $12 billion a month, with Iraq accounting for $10 billion per month, according to congressional analysis. Total cost to the U.S. government so far is more than $464 billion. A January 2007 study by Linda Bilmes of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government put the total projected cost of providing medical care and disability benefits to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan at $350 billion to $700 billion.

OIL PRODUCTION:
Prewar: 2.58 million barrels per day
Oct. 21, 2007: 2.36 million barrels per day

ELECTRICITY
Prewar nationwide: 3,958 megawatts. Hours per day (est.): four to eight
Oct. 23, 2007, nationwide: 4,790 megawatts. Hours per day: 13.1
Prewar Baghdad: 2,500 megawatts. Hours per day (est.): 16-24
Oct. 23, 2007, Baghdad: Megawatts not available. Hours per day: 8.9
Note: Current Baghdad megawatt figures are no longer reported by the U.S. State Department's Iraq Weekly Status Report.

TELEPHONES:
Prewar land lines: 833,000
March 13, 2007: 1,111,000
Prewar cell phones: 80,000
March 13, 2007: 8,720,038

WATER:
Prewar: 12.9 million people had potable water
Oct. 18, 2007: 19.6 million people have potable water

SEWERAGE
Prewar: 6.2 million people served
Oct. 18, 2007: 11.3 million people served

INTERNAL REFUGEES:
Oct. 23, 2007: At least 2.3 million people have been displaced inside Iraq...Iraqis have made some 19,800 asylum claims during the first six months of 2007, a 45 percent increase compared to the previous six months, when 13,600 applications were received.

EMIGRANTS:
Prewar: 500,000 Iraqis living abroad.
Oct. 23, 2007: More than 2.2 million in neighboring countries.

Dennis Kucinich rolled into San Diego...

... this past weekend, to speak at a gathering at the home of a UCSD biology professor. Kucinich, his wife Elizabeth, and her mother all turned out for the occasion, and the crowd responded warmly to Dennis's calls for strength through peace, a national health care system, and a "Works Green" Administration.

I was happy to note that the Union-Tribune saw fit to cover the event with a reporter, who filed an article that captured the event quite nicely.

For more on Dennis Kucinich's views, check his website, and maybe even his video updates. If you're in San Diego, join his San Diego team.

Here comes a big day of protest...

...with big regional rallies scheduled for Saturday, October 27. For more info, click here.

Anti-war sentiment up, protests down...

...that's the moral from a Reuters article on dwindling turnout at recent anti-war events, particularly in DC. Issues include fatigue, frustration, in-fighting among activist groups, and the Internet, which may have eclipsed the street corner as the place to protest:

U.S. protests shrink while antiwar sentiment grows
By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Crowds at antiwar rallies in Washington have dwindled even as U.S. opinion has turned against the war in Iraq, as organizers feud and participants question the effectiveness of the street protests. Rival antiwar groups, which in years past jointly sponsored massive rallies on the National Mall, have promoted separate protests recently or decided to steer clear of the capital altogether...

United for Peace and Justice, which has tried to focus on ending the Iraq war, drew 100,000 people to a January protest. The group plans 11 regional demonstrations later this month, but none in Washington. ANSWER has called for antiwar groups to join forces for a large rally in the spring...

Antiwar leaders say recent smaller protests reflect new tactics, not disorganization. Smaller activist groups like Code Pink have been a colorful, disruptive presence at congressional hearings and appearances by Bush administration officials. "There's times when we've had half a million people out in the streets, and there's times when it's important just to be there," Langley said.

But others said it is less likely they'll head to Washington at all. "People are tired, they are frustrated because they didn't expect this to go on so long," said Laura Bonham, a spokeswoman for Progressive Democrats of America, which lobbies lawmakers to support a withdrawal. "It's like, well, we can stay home."

Largely absent from the actions are young people, who were the majority of Vietnam-era protesters -- perhaps because they do not risk being drafted into the military or from a sense that they can express their opposition to the war on the Internet, rather than on the streets, [Hamilton College history professor Maurice] Isserman said.

Cindy Sheehan, Bree Walker, and Camp Casey...

...are the highlights of this 20-minute video from back in July, when peace movement hero Cindy Sheehan celebrated her 50th birthday at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, and passed the camp's deed to Air America's Bree Walker. Here's some footage from a special weekend, including music from Jesse Dyen and Hank Woji.

A chilling summary of U.S. foreign policy...

...comes in the prologue to Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, a fascinating 2004 confession by John Perkins, who built a career of furthering the international interests of what he now calls "the corporatocracy." His story sheds light on the self-serving motives behind much of the push for globalization and offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the corporatocracy asserts its power in developing countries around the world:

We economic hit men are crafty; we learned from history. Today we do not carry swords. We do not wear armor or clothes that set us apart. In countries like Ecuador, Nigeria, and Indonesia, we dress like local schoolteachers and shop owners...We visit project sites and stroll through impoverished villages...We cover the conference tables of government committees with our spreadsheets and financial projections, and we lecture at the Harvard Business School about the miracles of macroeconomics. We are on the record, in the open...

However - and this is a very large caveat - if we fail, an even more sinister breed steps in, ones we economic hit men refer to as the jackals...The jackals are always there, lurking in the shadows. When they emerge, heads of state are overthrown or die in violent "accidents." And if by chance the jackals fail, as they failed in Afghanistan and Iraq, then the old models resurface. When the jackals fail, young Americans are sent in to kill and to die.

Fresh numbers on Americans' approval...

...of both President Bush and the Democrats' Congress. Guess I'm not the only one who's having trouble telling the difference:

Bush, Congress at record low ratings: Reuters poll
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress registered record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday, and a new monthly index measuring the mood of Americans dipped slightly on deepening worries about the economy.

Only 29 percent of Americans gave Bush a positive grade for his job performance, below his worst Zogby poll mark of 30 percent in March. A paltry 11 percent rated Congress positively, beating the previous low of 14 percent in July...

The national survey of 1,011 likely voters, taken September 13 through September 16, found barely one-quarter of Americans, or 27 percent, believe the country is headed in the right direction. Nearly 62 percent think the country is on the wrong track...

Most of the polling was done after a speech by Bush and testimony to Congress by the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, indicating the United States would make some reductions but planned to keep high troop levels in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

From the John Edwards website...

...this satisfying press release, with an interesting challenge to Senator Clinton. Key excerpts:

"During the Slate/Yahoo/Huffington Post debate, which aired online today, Senator Clinton said the difference between lobbyists and regular Americans is an 'artificial distinction.' She is wrong. These lobbyists are legally required to register with the government to influence legislation. And, more than most, Senator Clinton should know that Washington is awash with campaign money from these lobbyists. It is wrong and it has to stop...

"John Edwards believes it's time to end the game and be honest with the American people. It's time for us to have the strength to say no to Washington lobbyists' money so we can deliver the real change America deserves. That's why, once again, John Edwards renews his challenge to Senator Clinton to join with him in demanding the Democratic Party lead the way to real reform by refusing, as a party, to take campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists."

For more news from the Edwards camp, check here.

Checking the oddsboard...

...at my favorite online casino reveals the following payouts for bets on who's going to win the Democratic nomination:

Hillary Clinton 2 - 3
Barack Obama 3 - 2
John Edwards 5 – 1
Al Gore 7 – 2
Bill Richardson 10 - 1
Joe Biden 15 - 1
Chris Dodd 60 - 1
Dennis Kucinich 60 - 1
John Kerry 50 – 1

How to interpret these odds? It's easy: the first number is the amount you win if you bet the second number and your candidate is victorious. So you'd win $2 for every $3 you bet on Hillary, $3 for every $2 you bet on Obama, $5 for every $1 you bet on Edwards, and so on.

Now, I'm a Dennis Kucinich supporter, and I will vote for him in Cali's primary on February 5. But for reasons I don't understand, most of my fellow Democrats are not down with Kucinich For President, even though many admit that he is the candidate whose views most closely reflect their own. Apparently sheep, like horses, can be led to water but not counted on to drink it. Anyway, with a heavy heart, I crossed Kucinich off my list of potential bets.

Somehow it was much easier to cross off Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. And I crossed off Al Gore and John Kerry with enthusiasm; those losers have had their shot at the presidency and couldn't even win against George W. Bush. I could have won against George W. Bush! (Spare me the whining about Florida, Ohio, and election theft - if either Gore or Kerry were worth a damn, they would have blown Bush away, whether Kathleen Harris was stuffing ballots in her bra or not.)

So I got down to Hillary, Barak, and John Edwards, and I took another long, hard look at the odds above. I tried my best to envision Hillary or Barak winning the nomination. Then I plopped $100 on Edwards.

Edwards is no slam dunk, but he's a man, he's white, and he's a household name - a formula that has met with some success in the past. Add the fact that Edwards is a Southern boy with a made-for-TV smile, and 5-1 starts to look awful compelling. Then again, Hillary does have Rupert Murdoch in her corner...

Saw Congressman Bob Filner the other day...

...heard him speak at a meeting of the San Diego County Young Democrats. Filner had just returned from Iraq, a trip he made in conjunction with his new role as chairman of the House's Veterans Affairs committee. Filner seemed tired, but he was still interesting, primarily speaking to the group about the amazing work of the people in our armed forces, and how those people deserve as much government attention on the way home from war as they do on the way to it.

Filner peppered his talk with some great stats on the military and on the entrenchment of politicians in Congress. One interesting stat on the latter topic, for instance, is that - in the House of Representatives - only about 25 of 435 seats are seriously contended each election cycle. And we wonder why the people's will is stymied?

Here are some other mind-boggling tidbits Filner shared:

--Members of the Soviet Union's Communist Party won re-election 97.0% of the time.
--Members of the United States Congress win re-election 98.6% of the time.

--The average soldier in Iraq sustains 7 (seven) concussions per tour of duty.

--58,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War.
--A higher number have killed themselves since coming home from the War.

--Roughly 50%* of our nation's homeless are veterans of the Vietnam War.

*Update 11/7/07:
Study: 1 out of 4 homeless are veterans

By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.

And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.

Too good to make up...

...are these gems from dear President Bush, on his plans for the post-presidency era of his life. From a NYTimes.com article on Dead Certain, a forthcoming book with a lengthy Bush interview, by Robert Draper. Don't miss the part toward the end, where he describes the central goal of remaining time in office.

First, Mr. Bush said, “I’ll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol’ coffers.” With assets that have been estimated as high as nearly $21 million, Mr. Bush added, “I don’t know what my dad gets — it’s more than 50-75” thousand dollars a speech, and “Clinton’s making a lot of money.”

Then he said, “We’ll have a nice place in Dallas,” where he will be running what he called “a fantastic Freedom Institute” promoting democracy around the world. But he added, “I can just envision getting in the car, getting bored, going down to the ranch.”

For now, though, Mr. Bush told the author, Robert Draper, in a later session, “I’m playing for October-November.” That is when he hopes the Iraq troop increase will finally show enough results to help him achieve the central goal of his remaining time in office: “To get us in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence,” and, he said later, “stay longer.”

But fully aware of his standing in opinion polls, Mr. Bush said his top commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus would perhaps do a better job selling progress to the American people than he could.

Boo this article...

...and boo the White House, boo Congress, boo Duke University. From an article on NYTimes.com today:

White House Is Gaining Confidence It Can Win Fight in Congress Over Iraq Policy
SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — The White House is growing more confident that it can beat back efforts by Congressional Democrats to shift course in Iraq, a significant turnabout from two months ago, when a string of Republican defections had administration officials worried that President Bush’s troop buildup was in serious danger on Capitol Hill.

Current and former administration officials say they realize that the September battle over the troop buildup will be difficult. But they also say the president’s hand is stronger now than it was in early July, when Republican senators like Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana publicly called for a change of course.

“There is a tonal shift, and that is important, but there is always the chance that it could be ephemeral, in the same way that the panic of early July proved ephemeral,” said Peter D. Feaver, who helped draft the buildup strategy as an official with the National Security Council but recently returned to his post as a political science professor at Duke University. “I don’t detect any triumphalism in the White House.”

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the president, said there was “a sense the dynamic has changed.” But the official was also cautious, adding: “I don’t want to portray overconfidence. This is a very important debate, and September is going to be a very important month.”

Here's a Bush report card of sorts...

...from the perspective of the people, it ain't exactly a record to pin up on the refrigerator. And speaking of inflation, you seen the price of milk lately?!

UPDATE Aug21: A very well-informed reader clued me in on a fascinating critique of the New York Times article mentioned above. As I read the critique, I grew increasingly hostile at what began to seem like clear bias on the part of the Times. Then I read the comments below the article - and was delighted to note that the author of the Times article had weighed in with a thorough response.

After making my way to the end of the unusually candid back and forth, I was a bit confused as to who to believe (though the Times reporter scores big points when he describes the exposes he's written on, well, biased reporting). Both sides make their cases skillfully, each offering perspectives that educated people could adopt without suffering from cognitive dissonance. Perhaps it's because the issue isn't a clear cut one...I mean, the numbers show that, while many people's incomes haven't gone anywhere in years, many other people's incomes have. But the only glaring takeaway I got from the exchange is a new appreciation for how delicate the truth really is.

The discussion of the Times article is a quick and deep look into the controversy surrounding media bias, featuring a blogosphere no-name taking a swing at a mainstream media heavyweight, and earning a response. Give it a read - regardless of which side you shake out on, the debate will remind you of how important it is to have your B.S. detector set on high at all times.

On the economics tip...

...an astute, comprehensive, and unemotional hypothesis regarding the current situation - from a local commenter on an AP article in San Diego's Union-Tribune:

By KirkH on 08/15/2007

From Wikipedia:
"In monetary economics, a liquidity trap occurs when the economy is stagnant, the nominal interest rate is close or equal to zero, and the monetary authority is unable to stimulate the economy with traditional monetary policy tools. In this kind of situation, people do not expect high returns on physical or financial investments, so they keep assets in short-term cash bank accounts or hoards rather than making long-term investments. This makes the recession even more severe."

We're all probably going to hear a lot about "pushing on a string" as rates drop. Most of the Fed's liquidity injections are flowing straight into T-Bills because this is a solvency crisis not a liquidity crisis. The odds of people paying back these Alt-A, subprime, and even prime loans are so low because prices are high. If you owe $500,000 on a home worth $300,000 you're highly likely to walk away, regardless of your credit score.

The Fed will cut rates but banks will continue to refuse to make these toxic loans. Because they're toxic. Housing prices will absolutely drop by half in the absence of these loans and the resultant negative wealth effect will kick our 70% consumer spending based economy squarely in the nads.

The Fed knows this hence the rate cuts we're about to see. I don't think it'll make much of a difference but you never know, now could be a huge buying opportunity.

"Hillary Clinton: The Right's Choice?"

...argh, the chills this LA Times op-ed piece will give you:

Hillary: the right's choice?
Clinton's free-trade economics and posturing on security could endear her to conservatives unimpressed by the GOP field.
By Bruce Bartlett, LA Times, August 10, 2007

Is hell freezing over? One might think so after reading recent comments from editors at National Review and the Weekly Standard, America's leading conservative magazines. Over the last 15 years, both magazines seldom have passed up an opportunity to excoriate Hillary Rodham Clinton as some kind of crypto-communist.

No more. Today, Sen. Clinton is rapidly becoming not merely acceptable to many right-wingers but possibly even their candidate of choice...

Clinton's unwillingness to pander to her own party's base on Iraq has won her grudging respect from another unlikely source as well: William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard. On Aug. 7, he was quoted in the Washington Post saying that compared with Sen. Barack Obama, who is trying to energize the left to raise his falling poll numbers, she is looking quite presidential.

"Obama," Kristol said, "is becoming the antiwar candidate, and Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

China hosts the Olympics in one year...

...and what an ethical conundrum it represents. Given the country's disgusting human rights record, is it right to bestow the Olympics upon China? At what point do you reach out to an offender, and at what point do you start thinking embargo? Or might the Olympics question be a moot point, given the ringing endorsement the rest of the world gives China in the form of all the business we do there? Hmmm...

Beijing accused of unfair play
By Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 7, 2007

BEIJING — If there were an Olympic medal for irony, this might have been a contender:

An international press freedom organization held a demonstration Monday to complain that China has failed to live up to promises that it would give foreign journalists the unfettered ability to cover the news in the run-up to the 2008 Summer Games. The result? Not long after the demonstration ended, police roughed up and briefly detained the journalists covering the event.

The almost perfect incongruity of Monday's face-off reflects a discordant side of the Olympics that is sure to grow as the Games draw closer. To China, the Olympics represent a golden opportunity to showcase the world's most populous nation and demonstrate how far it has come. To international human rights organizations, it is an opportunity to show how far it still has to go...

Interesting contrast in Portugal...

...where, unlike here at home, abortion laws are liberalizing - although not without the emotion that also surrounds the issue in the United States. From the LA Times:

Until this month, heavily Catholic Portugal remained one of the last countries in Europe forbidding most abortions. In addition, it was the rare country that criminally prosecuted women who had abortions and doctors who performed them — a legal regime that the Portuguese prime minister described as a "national disgrace" and that critics elsewhere branded as "medieval."

Abortions can now be performed without restriction during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, and under some circumstances through the second trimester...Even with the law, numerous doctors are refusing to perform the procedure and are declaring themselves "conscientious objectors." Several public hospitals said they would not be able to offer abortions, despite the legal obligation to do so, because they lacked the doctors or necessary equipment...

The powerful Roman Catholic Church in Portugal condemned the proposed law as a "blow against civilization" that would authorize "an abominable crime"...The debate cleaved distinct lines in Portuguese society: Along with the refusenik doctors and the church hierarchy, conservative rural Portugal opposed lifting the restrictions, while the urban elite, the young and many women supported the legislation.

Nearly 60% of voters in a February national referendum approved of liberalizing the abortion law, but the poll was declared invalid because of a low turnout. The Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Jose Socrates, with a majority in parliament, decided to draft and enact the measure anyway. "We all thought we were behind the times," said Maria de Belem, a former health minister and congresswoman in Socrates' Socialist Party who championed liberalizing the abortion law as an urgent public health issue.

Without better family planning and access to birth control as a first step, and abortion as a last resort, she said, Portugal cannot fight a growing epidemic of unwanted children who end up on the streets, abused or crowding into the few government-run institutions. "We cannot deny the social reality when women cannot practice their reproductive rights," Belem said. "We cannot close our eyes to a very difficult situation for Portuguese families and couples with real problems, who cannot support the children they already have."

Wore the Impeach shirts to OTL...

...OTL being Over The Line, a 3-on-3 version of softball that San Diego celebrates with a massive tournament every July. Of about 10 reactions, 9 were positive, in the form of waves or comments like "that's right!" The only dissenter who spoke up wasn't really that enthusiastic. As he passed us, he said "it's only a year, dude."

Anyway, the San Diego Union-Tribune had a few photographers at the event, and one of them liked our shirts:

The war machine marches on...

...just think, if it weren't for Bush and his cronies, this type of news item - from an LA Times article with the counter-headline U.S. troop deaths down in Iraq - would simply not be part of our world today:

An additional 28,500 U.S. troops have flooded Iraq this year, the vast majority of them taking up residence in Baghdad neighborhoods as part of Washington's strategy to stabilize the country.

The latest reported U.S. military deaths included a soldier killed in a gun battle in southern Baghdad on Wednesday. Three Marines and a sailor also were killed Tuesday in Diyala, the site of a massive campaign in June and July to reclaim the provincial capital, Baqubah, from Sunni Arab militants.

A soldier was killed in a bomb blast Tuesday in Baghdad, and a Marine died Sunday of noncombat injuries in the western province of Al Anbar.

These fatalities raised the American military death toll in the Iraq theater to 3,645 since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, according to icasualties.org, a website that tracks the number of troops killed and wounded.

The string of deaths were a reminder that the number could still mount substantially before the end of July or in subsequent months.

In September, for instance, 72 U.S. troops died in Iraq, but the following month 106 were killed.

Here's an inspirational story...

...of one person doing their best to make a difference:

No Regrets For Walking War Opponent
by Michael Stetz, San Diego Union-Tribune Staff Writer, July 16, 2007

Think of it this way: A man is on the verge of walking across the United States more quickly than the United States can find a way to wrap up the war in Iraq.

Bill McDannell, 58, of Lakeside is about 350 miles from Washington, D.C., the end of the cross-country trek he is making in protest of the war. McDannell figures he'll be in Washington by the middle of August, ending a walk that began Nov. 4...

And the war? It goes on and on.

“I wasn't holding my breath,” McDannell said of the possibility that the war would end before he completed his walk. McDannell and his wife sold their home – a double-wide trailer – and many of their possessions to fund the walk, which he figures has cost him $30,000 so far. He quit his job as a chauffeur and now is almost penniless.

He has no regrets, he said.

“I feel good,” McDannell said. “I have the satisfaction of knowing that my grandchildren can look back at this tragic era and say my grand-pop tried to do something about it.” McDannell, a former Methodist minister, feels a tipping point has been reached and the war will end soon...

McDannell said he usually receives positive feedback from the people he meets as he walks. “There's been no hostility,” he said. “People are fed up and disgusted.” When McDannell left Lakeside, about 2,870 U.S. troops had died in Iraq. The number now has topped 3,600.

McDannell will take a short break from his effort on July 23 and drive to Washington, D.C., to join anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan, who lost a son to the Iraq war, is spearheading an effort similar to McDannell's. She is stopping at cities on a trip from Texas to New York. She calls it a “Journey for Humanity."

After he meets up with Sheehan, McDannell will drive back to Ohio and start walking again. He is asking his friends and supporters to come to Washington and lend their voices to his anti-war effort. He thinks people now can make a real difference.

When McDannell restarts his walk and finally reaches Washington on foot, he plans to hand over a petition calling for an end to the war to anyone in Congress who will receive it. After 2,800 miles of walking he has about 4,000 signatures. Then? He's not certain.

“When the war is over, I'll celebrate,” he said. “But the work won't be over. We have an entire republic to reclaim.”

Just got back from Crawford, Texas...

...where I spent a wonderful weekend with Cindy Sheehan, Bree Walker, and about 100 feisty and friendly peace activists, many of whom have been working with Cindy since August 2005, when she began railing against the injustice of Bush's war. It was my first visit to Camp Casey, but the group warmly welcomed me. I made about 100 new friends and came out of the experience with fresh enthusiasm for ending the war, for impeaching Bush, and for the potential power of the peace movement.

Below, I've pasted an excerpt of a poem I wrote at Camp Casey - an homage to Cindy and her devotion to peace and diplomacy, which has served as a guiding light for millions of people across the country and around the world. I'll share more from my Camp Casey visit - including some video - in future posts.

So folks went down to Crawford by the thousands,
drawn by the courage Cindy had shown
And though my country's war still puzzled me,
I knew I was anything but alone

Check the polls today: most Americans
are fed up with what George Bush has been doing
And maybe I'm just a hopeful hippie,
but I think there's a storm of peace a-brewing

It seems to me the seeds sown at Camp Casey
will soon flower,
And the gusts of change will blow through DC
and sweep the warhawks out of power

Sure, that hasn't happened as of yet --
but it's starting to get windy...
And when Bush and Dick finally get their due,
the whole world's going to thank you, Cindy.

Happy B-day, USA...

...what a nice gift an impeachment would make! From Democrats.com:

There's only one reason why Bush kept Libby out of jail: to keep him from ratting on Cheney and Bush about their direct involvement in the felonious outing of Valerie Plame....That means it's time for us to demand impeachment. Let's make this "Impeachment Summer!"

1. Don't waste your time calling the White House (the switchboard is closed anyway). Call your Representative to impeach Cheney and Bush:
   1 (800) 828 - 0498, 1 (800) 459 - 1887, 1 (800) 614 - 2803
   1 (866) 340 - 9281, 1 (866) 338 - 1015, 1 (877) 851 - 6437
2. Email your Representatives to Impeach Cheney: http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/73
3. Email your Representatives to Impeach Bush:
   http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88
4. Email the House Judiciary Committee to Start Hearings on H.Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment for Vice President Cheney
   http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary
5. Organize a Honk to Impeach on July 4 and throughout the summer:
   http://democrats.com/honktoimpeach
6. Join our new Facebook group, The Nationwide Movement to Impeach Cheney and Bush
   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3079705569
7. Join your local Congressional District Impeachment Committee:
   http://democrats.com/cdic-find
8. Youtube Your Rep. and Earn $100:
   http://www.democrats.com/youtube-your-rep

Cindy Sheehan celebrates her 50th...

...in Crawford Texas on the weekend after the 4th of July, and Wavelength Clothing will be there. It'll be my first Crawford pilgrimage, and in addition to celebrating, I'll be working to document the festivities on video. Bree Walker recently purchased Cindy's property in Crawford and plans to turn it into a memorial of those lost in Iraq and a commemoration of peace and diplomacy.

The photo at right accompanied an October 2006 article on Cindy in The Rocky Mountain News.

As usual, The Onion rules....

White House Used Third Party Email

According to a report by the oversight committee, at least 88 White House staffers used outside e-mail accounts for official business, thus circumnavigating archival requirements. What do you think?

Tom Zangara,
Delivery Driver
"Wait, I'm confused.
What exactly is the difference
between circumnavigating federal law
and shitting all over it?"

One angle of the immigration debate...

...that always drives me nuts is the idea that undocumented immigrants take jobs that Americans "just won't do." Ruben Navarette, a nationally syndicated Hispanic columnist often featured in San Diego's daily paper, is one of those pundits who frequently uses this angle to defend the exploitation at the core of Bush's guest worker idea. Here's a note I recently wrote to Mr. Navarette on the issue, as well as his promptly emailed reply.

Mr. Navarette, a quick question for you about those jobs that Americans won't do at any wage: "?Como?"

You think Americans wouldn't pick strawberries if it paid $20 an hour? You think Americans wouldn't clean houses if it meant earning a comfortable wage and gaining health coverage? You think Americans wouldn't work in a slaughterhouse if the job offered the chance for advancement and a path to comfortable retirement?

Balderdash.

I'm reminded of the ridiculousness of your assertion every time I see the show "World's Most Dangerous Catch," which features boatloads of American fishermen who labor in extremely uncomfortable, extremely dangerous conditions. Why do they do it? As the fishermen tell it, there's one central reason: the pay is sufficiently lucrative to compensate for the blood, sweat, and tears demanded by the job.

The chief reason why Americans don't take jobs that often go to undocumented immigrants is that the employers in question don't have to compete to hire Americans. Instead, the employers take advantage of the desperation of non-citizens, who don't have the benefit of the social safety nets Americans enjoy.

By asserting that jobs taken by undocumented immigrants are jobs Americans won't do, you're insulting both undocumented immigrants (by implying they will do anything for a buck) and Americans (by implying they are lazy, conceited, or both). You're also helping perpetuate economic exploitation. Please, for the sake of a healthy discussion of how to make progress on this issue, spare us the establishment-serving rhetoric and start talking about reality.

Mr. Navarette's reply:

Thanks for the note. Glad the piece stirred you. Best, Ruben Naverette.

Wavelength's web statistics...

...help illustrate how interest in anti-Bush shirts tends to ebb and flow. Take the page that offers our "Impeach Bush & Cheney" shirt. Just under 30,000 people have visited that page since we created it in February 2006. This is an average of about 2000 visitors a month - but as the chart below shows, the actual number of visitors in a given month has varied widely.


What factors make months like April and May such standouts? Some of it is due to the timing of promotions by our partner websites like AfterDowningStreet.org, who will sometimes include a link to our page in emails to their registrants. But I think the biggest push is breaking news and the W-related anxiety it stirs up. Recently, events like the inquiry into Alberto Gonzalez's attorney tampering and the showdown over Iraq war funding seem to have driven people to sites like ADS.org. And the more frustrated these folks are, the more likely they are to click-through on ads to our t-shirts.

On the lighter side...

...over the years, I have gotten gobs of spam via Wavelength Clothing's various email addresses and submission forms. Usually these messages are unremarkable pitches for bootleg software or penny stocks. But occasionally the subject lines, and even the senders' names, get creative to the point of making me laugh out loud. I never open the emails to view their contents - the name and subject alone are enough to get the comedy going.

Here are the best spam headers to grace the Wavelength inbox.

from: Benjamin Dominguez
subject: One chin is enough, get rid of the rest!

from: Elmer Gary
subject: in-line skate Buddhism

from: Morales Bobby
subject: feverish guesstimate

from: H. Stiles - News Service
subject: Must be fit, have nice face to get Chinese baby

from: painful
subject: sex all day long? you can do this!

from: Holley G. Leopold
subject: if you do not have any pressing career goals, fine.

from: rarrus@****.com
subject: because the documents were copied at a Kinko's in Texas

from: Martiza Garret
subject: The Superficial Emptiness

from: L. Raymond - News Service
subject: Man in hot pants struts in boots, cheers city

National Impeachment Day

So my reports of Wavelength's "winding down" were greatly exaggerated, or at least one month premature. Thanks to publicity from sites like AfterDowningStreet.org and Democrats.com in the weeks leading up to April 28's National Impeachment Day, thousands of people visited our pages, and a significant portion of them ordered shirts. It required a couple extra printing runs and a copious amount of envelope-stuffing, but we shipped hundreds of shirts in April, making it the busiest month in Wavelength's two years of operations.

Some folks even ordered multiple shirts and indicated that they planned on wearing them often in the days ahead. Thanks to everyone who purchased shirts - and to all who participated in yesterday's impeachment festivities. Let's keep the heat on Dick and Dubya!

Winding down Wavelength Clothing

A couple years back, I designed some anti-Bush t-shirts, had a bunch of them printed at a local shop, and began selling them via the Internet under the brand name Wavelength (as in "we're on the same wavelength") Clothing. Back then, most Americans somehow approved of George W. Bush and believed his Iraq fiasco was going somewhere. I was exasperated, I wanted to do something, and vending anti-Bush t-shirts was what I came up with.

Since then, I've put about 1000 shirts out on the streets, mostly via Internet sales, though I've sold dozens at farmer's markets, street fairs, and the like. Along the way, many former Bush believers have woken up to his incompetence, his arrogance, his malice, or all three. I don't think the 1000 shirts had much to do with that wake-up call, but they couldn't have hurt. And I know the shirts helped hundreds of people express their disdain for the policies of our cheerleader-cowboy-in-chief.

As Bush's popularity has faded, demand for anti-Bush shirts has waned, at least judging by search engine queries, visits to the Wavelength Clothing website, and shirt sales themselves. This makes sense, I think. It now appears that Bush and his ilk are losing their grip on our nation, and that history will look back on the Bush presidency with a painful, embarassed grimace. This shift has probably taken the urgency out of wearing an anti-Bush shirt for many people. Now that most of our fellow countrymen get the message, why continue to shout it all over town?

This doesn't mean our job is done, of course. The U.S. is still in Iraq. Fiscal policy continues to redistribute wealth towards the wealthy. One in five American children currently live in poverty. And more than 40 million people in the United States lack health insurance today.

No, our job ain't done, not by a long shot. The anti-Bush t-shirt business, however, does appear to be tailing off. With that in mind, I expect to close down the Wavelength website pretty soon, leaving this no-cost blog behind as a bit of a memoir of the experience.

And what an experience it has been. I've met great people, learned about running a small business, and gotten more familiar with San Diego's progressive community. Barbara Cummings, a local activist who supplied Wavelength's hot-selling "Impeach Bush & Cheney" shirts, and who has dedicated the last few years to working to end Bush's war, has opened my eyes to just how active an activist can be. Her tireless spirit and her wide range of tactics - from visiting congressional reps to freeway blogging to civil disobedience that would make Thoreau proud - are true inspirations.

Thanks to Barbara, thanks to everyone who purchased a Wavelength Clothing t-shirt, and thanks to the dozens of other folks who helped me out in one way or another along the way. To quote Ernest Hemingway, "The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for." I think each of you would agree. And that's what this whole thing is really all about.

A funny but stinging critique of Guantanamo...

...from David Hicks, an Aussie whose sharp wit apparently is matched by his political consciousness:

Fascinating poll data from Iraq...

...courtesy of a clutch Reuters article:

The poll of more than 2,000 people, commissioned by the BBC, ABC News, ARD and USA Today, indicated Iraqis have become less optimistic about the future compared to a similar survey in 2005 when respondents were generally hopeful, the BBC said.

Asked whether their lives were overall better or worse than before the invasion, 43 percent said better, 36 percent worse and the rest about the same. Expectations for how things will be in a year were much lower than in 2005, with only 35 percent expecting improvement compared to 64 percent in a 2005 survey.

The survey showed sharp geographical variations, with confidence in U.S.-led forces highest in the north, at 46 percent, and non-existent in Baghdad, where 100 percent said they had not very much or no confidence in U.S.-led forces. Overall, 18 percent of Iraqis expressed confidence in U.S. forces and 69 percent said their presence made security worse.

U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major crackdown in Baghdad in mid-February that commanders say has already halved civilian deaths, largely through a reduction in the number of victims of death squad killings blamed on militias.

In Baghdad, the poll showed 100 percent said U.S. and other foreign forces had done a bad job in Iraq, opposed the presence of U.S.-led forces and said the presence of U.S. forces was making security in the country worse.

Despite that, only 35 percent of all Iraqis and 36 percent in Baghdad said U.S. forces should leave now.

Ah, the tide has turned...

...and while the Iraq situation remains agonizing, it's reassuring to know that - finally - most people seem to be hungry for peace. From today's San Diego Union-Tribune:

Hundreds gather to mark four years since war began
by Elizabeth Fitzsimons, Union-Tribune Staff Writer

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Four years ago, when the United States invaded Iraq, they gathered for candlelight vigils and stood on street corners, and people drove by and called them un-American.

It's different now, the seasoned peace demonstrators say. Now, most of the passing cars honk their horns in support, and they hold up two fingers, instead of one, in the peace sign. This makes them think they are making progress.

LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune

“It's getting better and so we come and we make a difference,” said Tony Orth, 43, one of hundreds of people who attended a peace rally and march downtown yesterday. San Diego's demonstration, and one in Oceanside, coincided with 400 planned across the country yesterday to mark the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The crowd assembled in Horton Plaza and lined both sides of Broadway before beginning a march to nearby Pantoja Park. Organizers estimated that there were 800 to 1,000 people; police put the number at 500 to 700.

Nice work, Vermont...

Vermont towns seek to impeach Bush
By Jason Szep

BOSTON (Reuters) - More than 30 Vermont towns passed resolutions on Tuesday seeking to impeach President Bush, while at least 16 towns in the tiny New England state called on Washington to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

Known for picturesque autumn foliage, colonial inns, maple sugar and old-fashion dairy farms, Vermont is in the vanguard of a grass-roots protest movement to impeach Bush over his handling of the unpopular Iraq war...

After casting votes on budgets and other routine items, citizens of 32 towns in Vermont backed a measure calling on the U.S. Congress to file articles of impeachment against Bush for misleading the nation on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and for engaging in illegal wiretapping, among other charges. (full article here)

A new measure of the pulse of the people...

...reveals deep emotion among Americans over the situation in Iraq. From a fascinating AP poll of sentiments regarding the war:

Given a range of possible words to describe their feelings about the overall situation in Iraq, people were most likely to identify with “worried,” selected by 81 percent of those surveyed. Other descriptive words selected by respondents:

Compassionate: 74 percent.
Angry: 62 percent.
Tired: 61 percent.
Hopeful: 51 percent.
Proud: 38 percent.
Numb: 27 percent.

The Onion comes through again...

Radical Islamic Extremists Snowboard Into U.S. Embassy

February 14, 2007 | Issue 43•07

BAGHDAD—Extremist board-trick crew Al-J'Aqasse, the Middle East's most prominent Islamic radical snowboard posse, is taking full props for destroying the American embassy when a member nailed a goofyfoot 720 nosehook from a security-barrier railgrind into its offices while carrying 25 kilos of C4 plastic explosives, Thrashzeera magazine reported Tuesday. more

Here's a novel policy idea...

...that labor advocate Jonathan Tasini suggests the Democrats adopt. I think he's on to something:

Spend $5 billion to set up a free wireless Internet network across the country for every American. My friend, sociologist Joel Rogers, calculates that wireless for a typical city of 150 square miles costs about $20 million to set up and, if you figure 200 such cities cover about 30,000 square miles, you cover 80 percent of the population at a total cost of $4 billion. Throw in another billion for the less populous areas and, presto, you've just lowered peoples' cost of living by hundreds of dollars a year (a whole lot more than the majority of people got from the Bush tax cuts). Now, do you think that might endear a whole lot of young people to the Democratic Party for a very long time ("Like Your Free Wireless? Thank The Democrats!")?

Check Tasini's full article as well as his blog, Working Life.

More gems from Banksy...

...including three of the verbal variety. From his book, Wall and Piece:

"Anyone who believes in capital punishment should be shot."

"People who get up early in the morning cause war, death, and famine."

"You don't have to an illegal immigrant to work here - but it helps."

And finally, a piece he painted on a barrier in the West Bank (more):

Paul Krugman dropped a great column today...

...tying partisan bickering to economic polarization. Here's an extended excerpt:

You see, the nastiness of modern American politics isn’t the result of a random outbreak of bad manners. It’s a symptom of deeper factors — mainly the growing polarization of our economy. And history says that we’ll see a return to bipartisanship only if and when that economic polarization is reversed.

After all, American politics has been nasty in the past. Before the New Deal, America was a nation with a vast gap between the rich and everyone else, and this gap was reflected in a sharp political divide. The Republican Party, in effect, represented the interests of the economic elite, and the Democratic Party, in an often confused way, represented the populist alternative. ...

[T]he G.O.P.’s advantage in money, and the superior organization that money bought, usually allowed it to dominate national politics. ... Then came the New Deal. I urge ... everyone ... who thinks that good will alone is enough to change the tone of our politics — to read the speeches of Franklin Delano Roosevelt...

F.D.R. faced fierce opposition as he created ... Social Security, unemployment insurance, more progressive taxation and beyond ... that helped alleviate inequality. And he didn’t shy away from confrontation.

“We had to struggle,” he declared in 1936, “with the old enemies of peace — business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. ... Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me — and I welcome their hatred.”

It was only after F.D.R. had created a more equal society, and the old class warriors of the G.O.P. were replaced by “modern Republicans” who accepted the New Deal, that bipartisanship began to prevail.

The history of the last few decades has basically been the story of the New Deal in reverse. Income inequality has returned to levels not seen since the pre-New Deal era, and so have political divisions in Congress as the Republicans have moved right, once again becoming the party of the economic elite. The signature domestic policy initiatives of the Bush administration have been attempts to undo F.D.R.’s legacy... And a bitter partisan gap has opened up between the G.O.P. and Democrats, who have tried to defend that legacy.

What about the smear campaigns, like Karl Rove’s...? Well, they’re reminiscent of the vicious anti-Catholic propaganda used to defeat Al Smith in 1928: smear tactics are what a well-organized, well-financed party with a fundamentally unpopular domestic agenda uses to change the subject.

So am I calling for partisanship for its own sake? Certainly not. By all means pass legislation, if you can, with plenty of votes from the other party: the Social Security Act of 1935 received 77 Republican votes in the House, about the same as the number of Republicans who recently voted for a minimum wage increase.

But politicians who try to push forward the elements of a new New Deal, especially universal health care, are sure to face the hatred of a large bloc on the right — and they should welcome that hatred, not fear it.

A fine This Modern World...

...from a couple weeks ago. The inanity of the troop surge seems almost like conventional wisdom now, and Tom Tomorrow sums it up with a zing. (click to enlarge)

On the economics tip...

...I saw this morsel and had to pounce on it. It's from a New York Times article profiling Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's warnings to Congress about the long-term funding status of Social Security and Medicare. Bernanke drops a tidbit on an unrelated story: the relationship between tax cuts and tax revenues.

Asked by Republicans to echo their view that tax cuts lead to increased revenues, Mr. Bernanke said that tax cuts spur economic growth but that they “usually do not pay for themselves” by generating more tax revenue than they drain from the Treasury.

See, in recent months, conservatives have been talking up the fact that the U.S. budget deficit came in much lower than expected for 2006, as big gains in corporate profits and personal income meant that tax receipts swelled, even with lower tax rates. To many, this short-term phenomenon is proof that tax cuts pay for themselves by stimulating economic growth. Bernanke's comments help remind us that this axiom packs about as much intellectual credibility as, say, intelligent design.

Here's a scoop from The Onion...

...it seems old Rummy, not content with retirement, is back on the job hunt.

Rumsfeld Leaves Most Recent Job Off Resume

"I felt that, in today's job market, the administrative work I did in the 1950s for several congressmen would be especially resonant. Employers these days are looking for practical, versatile skills, not flashy titles."

"'Defense Secretary? Great. Can he type 85 words per minute?' That's what they're thinking," Rumsfeld added.

"What's most important about the last six years is that I discovered what I definitely don't want to be doing," Rumsfeld continued.

Bush, you bumble-headed boob...

...your troop surge bullshit flies right in the face of the will of the American people, who have wised up to the chicanery and shortsightedness of your administration and your political party. So when will we rise up? When will we tar you, feather you, and toss you out on your priveleged, pretentious ass?

WASHINGTON - Americans overwhelmingly oppose sending more U.S. forces to Iraq, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll that serves as a strong repudiation of President Bush's plan to send another 21,500 troops.

The opposition to boosting troop levels in Iraq reflects growing skepticism that the United States made the right decision in going to war in the first place and that a stable, democratic government can be established there. Just 35 percent think it was right for the United States to go to war, a new low in AP polling and a reversal from two years ago, when two-thirds of Americans thought it was the correct move.

Sixty percent, meanwhile, think it is unlikely that a stable, democratic Iraqi government will be established.

Fully 70 percent of Americans oppose sending more troops, and a like number don't think such an increase would help stabilize the situation there. The telephone survey of 1,002 adults was conducted Monday through Wednesday night, when the president made his speech calling for an increase in troops. News had already surfaced before the polling period that Bush wanted to boost U.S. forces in Iraq. (more from AP here)

A great montage from Jimmy Kimmel...

...featuring some clips of our fearless leader speechifying like only he can. He's the decider, he's read three Shakespeares, and he wants to give you some thoughts about what he's thinking about...click here.


Post-script: Laughing at him helps ease the pain for a few moments, but when the giggles are finished, the painful reality remains: we're still stuck with this joke of an elder statesman, at least for now.

Kudos to AfterDowningStreet.org...

...and David Swanson, the site's tireless manager, for being recognized as Progressive MVPs of 2006 by John Nichols, a columnist for The Nation. The ADS.org entry is below; for the full article - which includes some Republicans, believe it or not - click here.

* MVP – ACCOUNTABILITY BRANCH

When Russ Feingold moved to censure Bush, the activists of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition – who had been pushing for the better part of a year for a congressional inquiry into the administration's warping of intelligence to fit its Iraq War goals – adjusted their focus to promote an even broader and more aggressive critique of the Bush presidency.

Nancy Pelosi may have tried to take impeachment off the table, but the AfterDowningStreet.org crew, led by the indomitable David Swanson, kept forcing it back on. Their coalition's website remains the "go-to" place for the latest on investigations, inquiries, subpoenas, legal actions and every other move to hold this president and vice president to account. And their passion for empowering citizens to promote "impeachment from below" and other accountability initiatives has forged a loose-knit but very real national movement.

Watch for this movement to get a lot more attention in March, when a drive organized by Newfane, Vermont, town selectman and impeachment impresario Dan DeWalt and others will see dozens of town meetings endorse articles of impeachment.

Good news on capital punishment...

...which strikes me as perhaps the most unpleasant aspect of our country's domestic policy, from an article today by AP's Robert Tanner:

With more scrutiny over capital punishment, death sentences fall to lowest level in 30 years

The number of death sentences handed out in the United States dropped in 2006 to the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated 30 years ago, reflecting what some experts say is a growing fear that the criminal justice system will make a tragic and irreversible mistake.

Executions fell, too, to the fewest in a decade.

“The death penalty is on the defensive,” said Richard Dieter, director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington organization that looks at problems with the capital punishment system.

Death sentences fell in 2006 to 114 or fewer, according to an estimate from the group. That is down from 128 in 2005, and even lower than the 137 sentences the year after the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. It is also down sharply from the high of 317 in 1996.

A total of 53 executions were carried out in 2006, down from 60 in 2005. Executions over the past three decades peaked at 98 in 1999.