Dan's Rants & Raves

White House Chery Picks Emissions Report Data

2007-06-05T08:04:00.001-04:00

Are you at all surprised?

http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/04/220220&from=rss

Bush nominates minister for Surgeon General

2007-06-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

You have got to be kidding me. I thought the post of Surgeon General was about medical issues, not curing people of being gay. Bush's appointment, James Holsinger and his wife founded the Hope Springs Community Church as a "recovery ministry." It attempts to cure people of being gay - says Holsinger, "We see that as an issue not of orientation but of lifestyle."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014428.php

You want reality? Read THIS!

2007-01-15T11:54:00.000-05:00

SusanG over at Daily Kos posted this review of a story by Mark Seibel of McClatchy Newspapers. It rips into the speech that the... can't quite say the word... $President gave last week. Seems a few.. um.. facts were not quite right in what he said.

Story Link:

Holy Fact Check, Batman! McClatchy Drops a Bomb

Paperless Voting Machines?

2006-07-07T15:08:00.000-04:00

How is possible that modern voting machines can have no paper trail? Without a paper record of the votes it would seem these machines are easily subject to tally problems, either from machine failure or even deliberate fraud. Take this quote from the Brennan Center for Justice, ""These machines are vulnerable to attack. That's the bad news. The good news is that we know how to reduce the risks and the solutions are within reach."

The solution is to require that voting machines have paper trails. We need to ask our representatives to support H.R. 550 -- the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act.

In Memory of Jef Raskin

2005-02-28T08:17:00.001-05:00

Jef Raskin was truly a great pioneer. He will be missed. See his pages to learn more about him -- everyone should take the time to understand his contributions to the world of technology, and his frustrations with current trends with which I couldn't agree more.

Jeff Raskin Home Page

The Legislative Silly Season

2005-02-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

It's always a joy to see arch-conservative politicians preach about the evils of "Big Government" … then turn right around and try to shove ever-more-intrusive government down our throats.
Couldn't have have said it better myself, click the link for the rest -- go ahead, you know you want to.
The Austin Chronicle: News: The Hightower Report

Is George Bush Right for America?

2004-09-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

This is a good summary of issues where W has failed us. It has a bit of detail which honestly could be deeper (but then it wouldn't be a summary anymore....). The rest of the site however, has a ton of detail -- a good read if you really want to know the truth.

"Americans are a diverse group no matter how you look at them, but we share a number of core values that should guide us in our choice of presidents. Whether we vote for Bush or Kerry should be guided by how closely their own actions and statements fit with our own, and when measured this way George Bush is the clear loser. Consider his policies on these key areas:"

Is George Bush Right for America?:

Tell the FTC to Fix Fox

2004-09-13T22:14:00.000-04:00

MoveOn.org: Unfair and Unbalanced: "The FTC should prevent Fox News from using the deceptive trademark 'Fair and Balanced.' Fox News is free to present programming in any way it wishes, but the First Amendment does not permit false advertising."

And if you happen to not realize how bad Fox can be, check out News Hounds and be sure to go to the movies and see OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism.

Liberty vs. Safety ?

2004-09-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

Powell: No Connection between Iraq and 9/11

2004-09-12T19:24:00.000-04:00

Today on Meet the Press, Secretary of State Colin Powell made the following remark:

"I have no indication that there was a direct connection between the terrorists who perpetrated these crimes against us on the 11th of September, 2001, and the Iraqi regime. We know that there had been connections and there had been exchanges between al-Qaeda and the Saddam Hussein regime and those have been pursued and looked at, but I have seen nothing that makes a direct connection between Saddam Hussein and that awful regime and what happened on 9/11."

MSNBC - Meet the Press - Transcript for September 12

Bully for Us by James Ridgeway

2004-09-12T09:16:00.000-04:00

To much of the world, the United States is an out-of-control empire that must be carefully talked back down off the ledge before it drags everyone over the edge.

This situation is made all the more tricky because it is accompanied by unsettling suspicions that the empire—facing insurgencies around the world, its military stretched thin—is losing power. Things don't look good. The standard of living appears to be declining, trade is in dangerous straits, the dollar is losing to the euro.

The Village Voice: Bully for Us by James Ridgeway

Flip Flopper In Chief

2004-09-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

This flip flop business is getting tiresome.... Well if John Kerry is a flip-flopper*, he has company:

• In 2000, Bush argued against new military entanglements and nation building. He's done both in Iraq.

• He opposed a Homeland Security Department, then embraced it.

• He opposed creation of an independent Sept. 11 commission, then supported it. He first refused to speak to its members, then agreed only if Vice President Dick Cheney came with him.

• Bush argued for free trade, then imposed three-year tariffs on steel imports in 2002, only to withdraw them after 21 months.

• Last month, he said he doubted the war on terror could be won, then reversed himself to say it could and would.

• A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush said he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." But he told reporters six months later, "I truly am not that concerned about him." He did not mention bin Laden in his hour-long convention acceptance speech.

USATODAY.com - Both candidates often shift positions

* As a side note, if anyone were to read the statements made by Kerry when the vote on the war was made, they are in fact consistent with his statements made all along.

Never has one nipple done so little for so much

2004-09-10T18:58:00.000-04:00

Topfree Equal Rights Association: "2004 September 08. The American Federal Communications Commission plans to hand down fines of US$550,000 for Nipplegate. That's $27,500 to each of 20 CBS stations that broadcast Janet Jackson's bejeweled right nipple on February 1 distantly for about a second and a half.

CBS affiliate stations escaped the same penalty by a technicality. They are not owned by Viacom, which owns CBS.

Whether or not the Super Bowl halftime show was appropriate, we hesitate to calculate the value of Janet Jackson's body at $550,000 for about one square inch.

Never has one nipple done so little for so much."

See also my Naturist Journal post

Cheney says the economy is doing well because of E-Bay

2004-09-10T18:05:00.000-04:00

If I were E-Bay I would both be happy for the plug, but kinda scared that Dick was the one who gave it. Quite frankly, there are indeed some people that do well using E-Bay, but it's clearly a far cry from a social/economic boon fot the country. John Edwards come back was of course right on the money.

Cheney: The Power of eBay: "'a source that didn't even exist 10 years ago. Four hundred thousand people make some money trading on eBay.'"

Edward's reply: "If we only included bake sales and how much money kids make at lemonade stands, this economy would really be cooking."

The Boston Globe wants Cheney to Apologize to Voters

2004-09-10T17:26:00.000-04:00

And quite honestly, so do I. In fact, it is quite insulting to say that a vote for Kerry is a vote for a terrorist attack. Considering that homeland security is underfunded, Bin Laden has had time to regroup while the US is off fighting the wrong war, and the country is weaker since the white house has been asleep at the wheel of the economy.

From the Boston Globe Editorial:

Cheney's threat

September 10, 2004

WHEN VICE President Cheney said Tuesday that voters would increase the chances of another terrorist attack on America if they vote for John Kerry, he crossed what should be an impermeable line separating democratic decency from the sort of demagoguery that disfigures politics in places like Belarus, Burma, or Iran.

Later in the Boston Globe Editorial:

Bush and Cheney are entitled to base their campaign on a claim -- however debatable -- that they are best suited to protect Americans from terrorism. They are not entitled to claim that a vote for Kerry is a vote to expose the United States to another terrorist attack. Cheney owes an apology to the voters.