popeletter.pdf (application/pdf Object)

My new hobby seems to be illuminating the relationship between special interest groups and the Pope. Here's a bootlicker of a letter from PETA, asking for the Pope's support. I wonder how he has replied?
popeletter.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Move on rally

For those not on the MoveOn list.

Tomorrow is the day! MoveOn members will come together in more than 150 rallies in 48 states, including in Philadelphia, to speak out against the Republican move to break the rules of the Senate, seize absolute power over judicial appointments, and stack the courts with extreme judges.

Senator Specter is a swing vote and so the rally in Philadelphia is very important.

Here are the details:

What: Rally to Stop the Judicial Takeover

Where: Green Federal Building/Courthouse 601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

(On 6th Street, between Market and Arch, off a Plaza with a Large Metallic Sculpture.)

When: 12:00 Noon, Wednesday, April 27th

Nuclear option and Bush's approval ratings

Oh momma! If you haven't already seen this, look at Bush's approval ratings linked to here. I really hope the republicans are stupid enough to go through with the nuclear thing. It will go nuclear on them!
Just Between Strangers: "Nuclear option" sinking fast?

how to blog and how not to

Some interesting visuals on this one. Recently I've been totally re-evaluating my view of AC/DC. In high school I thought it was pretty uncool to like them. However, once you get beyond the pose of what is cool and what is not, I'm coming to believe that AC/DC is a perfect examplar of their kind of thing--the 70s hard rock band. They are so perfectly fake they are in fact authentic. And in rock and roll, that's good. Besides, how often do you come across a perfect exemplar of anything?
tonypierce.com busblog

Why I Fucking Hate Weblogs!

TAP: Vol 11, Iss. 13. The Datsun and the Shoe Tree. Thomas L. Freetrademan.

Damn this is funny.

TAP: Vol 11, Iss. 13. The Datsun and the Shoe Tree. Thomas L. Freetrademan.: "Nothing is local anymore. It's all global because the Internet makes everything local, which is the same as everything being global, because nothing has to be local when everything's global.

Body and Soul: The German Shepherd and the Salvadoran Pastor

The Pope has explained his stint in the Hitler Youth by saying that resistance to Nazism was "impossible." While people who did not resist are not blameworthy, this untruth demeans all those who did resist. As I once said at Rick's, play La Marseillaise. Play it!

Body and Soul: The German Shepherd and the Salvadoran Pastor

www.AndrewSullivan.com on the Pope

Ok not to obsess on the new pope or anything, but it's not everyday we discover a papal apologist amongst us! Andrew Sullivan has a post on how radical Benedict XVI is, and also takes on the "what do you expect from the Catholic Church argument."

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "But from the theocon point of view, the glorious achievement of the secular West is as nihilistic and as dangerous as the Nazis. That is Benedict XVI's view. I don't think people have a clue how radical this man is. And how ferocious a culture war he is about to unleash."

Freiheit und Wissen: Ratzinger, Liberation Theology, and Clerical Power

Here's the new Pope's take on social justice in Latin America: Freiheit und Wissen: Ratzinger, Liberation Theology, and Clerical Power: "Ratzinger was John Paul’s right hand man in this endeavor, writing a 35 page diatribe against Liberation Theology, condemning it as an evil, Marxist deviation of the Catholic teaching."

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force on Ratzinger

The Task Force - Media Center - Press Release: "National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
On the Election of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope

'Today, the princes of the Roman Catholic Church elected as Pope a man whose record has been one of unrelenting, venomous hatred for gay people, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. In fact, during the reign of John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger was the driving force behind a long string of pronouncements using the term 'evil' to describe gay people, homosexuality, and marriage equality. "

Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report

KR Washington Bureau | 04/15/2005 | Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report: "WASHINGTON - The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.

The officials said they interpreted Rice's action as an attempt to avoid releasing statistics that would contradict the administration's claims that it's winning the war against terrorism."

To read past "Patterns of Global Terrorism" reports online, go to www.mipt.org/Patterns-of-Global-Terrorism.asp

Senate Panel Postpones Vote on U.N. Nominee

Big drama yesterday on Bolton....

Then Senator George Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio—who had been AWOL during the hearings—suddenly announced that he would not "feel comfortable" voting for Bolton just yet. That meant that if the vote went forward, Bolton's nomination would die. Suddenly, Republicans agreed a delay would be wise.

"My conscience got me," Voinovich explains in the NYT.

Two other Republican senators on the committee, Chafee and Hagel, seemed to smile on the change of events. "I think the charges are serious enough that they demand, or cry out, for further examination," said Hagel. Chafee added, "The dynamic has changed. It's a new day." Neither announced they're changing their committee votes.

The LAT quotes a GOP strategist saying Voinovich's move is a sign of things to come. Republican moderates are "starting to stand up and be counted—and to rebel." said the operative. "They are tired of being strong-armed."

The Wall Street Journal mentions that an organization dedicated to "getting the U.N. of the USA" has said it will start running anti-Voinovich ads.



Liberal Oasis has this:

At one point, Sen. Joe Biden said:

In your heart, you know this guy doesn't deserve to go to the U.N....

...This time, follow your heart, not your head. Follow your heart on here, because your head's going to tell you to be really practical and don't screw around with the president's nominee.

And would you believe it, Voinovich actually listened, saying “I feel the passion” from the Dems.

(Is any other example in history where the “follow your heart” tack actually worked?!)


The New York Times > Washington > Senate Panel Postpones Vote on U.N. Nominee

What Makes Satellite Radio So Great Anyway?

I got XM satellite radio for my car a week ago and I haven't listened to terrestrial radio since. Here's what I love about it. Instant detailed traffic that you can actually understand. Commercial free music for almost every sub-genre you can think of. Hit a button and the name of the artist and song appears. The talk could be better, but it doesn't suck. Air America has Jerry Springer now, he's actually very calm and reasoned. I was listening to C-Span last week and heard a protester barge into Negroponte's confirmation hearings and call him a liar. How long will it take before capitalism somehow ruins satellite radio? Get it now while it's still good.

What Makes Satellite Radio So Great Anyway?

Al Jazeera : How Arab TV News Challenges America

This looks like it might be an interesting read.
Amazon.com: Books: Al Jazeera : How Arab TV News Challenges America: "Al Jazeera : How Arab TV News Challenges America (Hardcover)"

Tom Delay's House of Scandal

Nice chart! Of course the Bush Administration continues their policy of denial and actually praising people who really screw up (Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, etc.).

Tom Delay's House of Scandal

"He's been a very effective leader," Bush said of Delay.

The Filibuster is Back!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the filibuster issue is back, thanks to whipping the religious right into a frenzy over judges, as the previous post from the Nation explained. Now this is front screen from the NYT. I think this is overreach and they are going to be hurt by it.
The New York Times > Washington > Frist Set to Use Religious Stage on Judicial Issue

While we're on environmentalism

Perhaps you've seen it, but here's an editorial on nucular (sic) energy. I'd be curious to read a debate on this issue, to get links to related analyses.

Conservative speaker hit with pie at Butler University

Wait, maybe there is a god! Conservative speaker hit with pie at Butler University

Go ahead, go nuclear

Everyone from MoveOn to People for the American Way is telling us we should call our senators to oppose the nuclear option. But from a progressive point of view, why not go nuclear? Ok it will hurt in the short run, but eventually the political pendulum will swing back and the dems will come to power. If the no filibuster benefits the extreme wings of either party, then the progressive wing of the democrats will be able to push through their more progressive legislation.

More on Wal-Mart's "business model"

Here. Maybe there's a little bit more to it than a benign drive to provide low-cost goods to the working slob?

Try this view on for size

Hello again. Some of you know that I do communications and PR for a company called Rohm and Haas. They make chemicals and as you can image, I am knee-deep in environmental issues. One of the things I do is called issues management, where you actually find the most vocal critic of your company and the toughest issue and you contact them to work together to get to the bottom of a problem. I have been doing that with vinyl, the stuff that goes into siding, windows, car bumpers, refrigerators, etc. As a result, I have stumbled upon this guy, see, who shoots every stereotype in the foot. His name is: Dr. Patrick Moore and he was the cofounder of Greenpeace.

This is his website. http://www.greenspirit.com

I have not talked personally with him, but take a look at his approach. It gets to some of Marc's comments on the environmental groups in Europe, many of whom I have worked with in the last few years, and really gets to the bottom of the whole socio-economic problems with a simple environmental influence campaign. Sustainable development is right now a term that I believe has no single definition and so is being twisted in every conceivable way. Moore's view is closer to my personal view and one that I am pushing in my circles at work. And by the way, WATER is the next big thing. Take it from a guy dealing in PLASTICS. I have seen some stuff on the lab bench that is truly amazing. And the real fact is, once people see that water as a scarce commodity can impact economies, a lot is going to change. Trust me (or not).

Darfur, The Pope and Hypocrisy

Kristof ties together the pope, Bush hypocrisy and Darfur.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Pope and Hypocrisy: "Mr. Bush should promptly back the Darfur Accountability Act, a bipartisan bill that would pressure Sudan to stop the killing (so far, the White House hasn't even taken a position on the act). Ordinary citizens can also urge their members of Congress to pass the act."

Democrats Are Lost in the Shuffle While GOP Holds All the Cards

This article posits two scenarios: either the GOP rules for a very long time, or there's a backlash. Gotta hope for the backlash. The question is how long will it take and can we do anything to speed it up? Democrats Are Lost in the Shuffle While GOP Holds All the Cards

Slate on the Pope

Slate has at least has some different points of view on the pope, including Christopher Hitchens bringing up the child rape cover up. This is a good point given all the the fawning coverage. I even read one article about how the pope was "a great sporstman." Somehow the pope's corpse reminds me of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Papal Power - What no one else will say about John Paul II. By Christopher Hitchens

Tips for Taking Action on Senate Filibuster

Ok, time for more boring grunt work activism. Call Specter about the Senate Filibuster. Santorum is a waste of time imho.
People For the American Way - Tips for Taking Action