Dyre Portents The Rantings and Ravings of a Radical Moderate Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 18 6064

Articles from Dyre Portents

2008 Bloggers Alliance 2007-07-01 23:48:09 I recently joined the 2008 Bloggers Alliance which is "is comprised of blogs that discuss the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. The function of 08 Bloggers is to increase bloggers? access to candidates by establishing an organization capable of leveraging campaigns for access as well as establish a mutually beneficial community."As I will be blogging about the race anyway it seemed like a natural fit. I'm hoping they get to podcasting soon as that's another medium I'd like to experiment with but I've been lacking the free time. Drop by their blog sometime and see what's going on. Also info on how to join is available here. ...

Moyers on Murdoch 2007-07-01 13:39:45 Bill Moyers has a few thoughts to share about Rupert Murdoch's potential buyout of the Wall Street Journal and modern media in general. All of which I agree with.H/T to TMV ...

Hammas' Kids Show Ends 2007-06-30 15:54:41 *spoiler warning*From JPost:Hamas TV on Friday broadcast what it said was the last episode of a weekly children's show featuring "Farfour," a Mickey Mouse look-alike who had made worldwide headlines for preaching Islamic domination and armed struggle to youngsters.In the final skit, Farfour was beaten to death by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. At one point, Farfour called the Israeli a "terrorist.""Farfour was martyred while defending his land," said Sara, the teen presenter. He was killed "by the killers of children," she added. moreAnd thus ends one of the lowest points in TV broadcast history since Urkel. ...

Unity08 Founder on Colbert Report 2007-06-30 00:17:55 Well worth watching.And afterwards the "Colbert Nation" proceeded to flood Unity08.com with enough traffic to shut it down for a short period of time. ...

SCOTUS to Rehear Detainee Cases 2007-06-29 23:58:34 File this one under whodathunkit.From SCOTUSblog:"In a startling turn of events in the legal combat over the war on terrorism, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to reconsider the appeals in the Guantanamo Bay detainee cases. It vacated its April 2 order denying review of the two packets of cases. The Court then granted review, consolidated the cases, and said they would be heard in a one-hour argument in the new Term starting Oct. 1. Such a switch by the Court -- from denial to rehearing and new argument and decision -- may not have occurred since 1947, in Hickman v. Taylor, 329 U.S. 495, legal sources said Friday."The WaPo chimes inYesterday's decision to change course and hear the case was so unusual that lawyers and court experts went to the archives to try to find the last time it happened. The only consensus was that it had been decades."The Supreme Court is going to decide the simple question: Does the Constitution protect the detainees?" said Georgetown University law professo ...

Unsurprising Show of Bipartisanship 2007-06-29 00:20:08 Why is it that the only time both sides of the aisle agree on anything it's this:House lawmakers seek raise By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Despite low approval ratings and hard feelings from last year's elections, Democrats and Republicans in the House are reaching out for an approximately $4,400 pay raise that would increase their salaries to almost $170,000. The cost-of-living raise endorsed Wednesday evening gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between the parties last year and again in January killed the pay increase due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay boost in seven years. The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves more pay until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year. On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson ...

Ron Paul's Website #1 of All Candidates 2007-06-28 23:01:19 in a custom report created for ClickZ News, Hitwise measured traffic market share of the candidate sites. The measurement firm found traffic to Democratic candidate sites was top heavy, favoring... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ... Ron Paul

Buffett Slams Tax System Disparities 2007-06-27 23:42:03 From the WaPoNEW YORK, June 26 -- Warren E. Buffett was his usual folksy self Tuesday night at a fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as he slammed a system that allows the very rich to pay taxes at a lower rate than the middle class.Buffett cited himself, the third-richest person in the world, as an example. Last year, Buffett said, he was taxed at 17.7 percent on his taxable income of more than $46 million. His receptionist was taxed at about 30 percent.Buffett said that was despite the fact that he was not trying to avoid paying higher taxes. "I don't have a tax shelter," he said. And he challenged Congress and his audience to see what the people who "clean our offices" are taxed, to loud applause.A populist tone permeated the 70-minute talk with the billionaire investor and philanthropist in Manhattan on Tuesday night. The talk, given to about 600 Wall Street bankers and money managers, raised at least $1 million for Clinton's presidential campaign, the Associat ...

Digital Reputation 2007-06-27 23:03:39 Thomas Friedman did an interesting piece (Behind the pay firewall)about one of the pluses and minuses of the information age.When everyone has a blog, a MySpace page or Facebook entry, everyone is a publisher. When everyone has a cellphone with a camera in it, everyone is a paparazzo. When everyone can upload video on YouTube, everyone is filmmaker. When everyone is a publisher, paparazzo or filmmaker, everyone else is a public figure. We?re all public figures now. The blogosphere has made the global discussion so much richer ? and each of us so much more transparent.The implications of all this are the subject of a new book by Dov Seidman, founder and C.E.O. of LRN, a business ethics company. His book is simply called ?How.? Because Seidman?s simple thesis is that in this transparent world ?how? you live your life and ?how? you conduct your business matters more than ever, because so many people can now see into what you do and tell so many other people about it on their own without a ...

CIA's Dirty Laundry Released 2007-06-26 22:46:26 And now you can see exactly what happens when government runs domestic surveillance without any oversight. The full report is available for download here. ...

Fred Thompson defends his lobbying past 2007-06-26 22:42:54 By ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press WriterTue Jun 26, 5:41 PM ET Fred Thompson, a likely Republican presidential candidate, on Tuesday defended his work as a Washington lobbyist, telling The Associated Press that lobbying is an important part of life because "government's got their hands in everything." The actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee added, "Nobody yet has pointed out any of my clients that didn't deserve representation." Thompson, who likes to cast himself as a political outsider, earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government for more than 20 years. He lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars. He also was a lobbyist for deposed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was widely criticized for endorsing "necklacing," the gruesome practice of execution where gasoline-soaked tires are throw ...

Iranian forces crossed Iraqi border 2007-06-25 23:28:25 From the AFP (courtesy of Memeorandum): Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces have been spotted by British troops crossing the border into southern Iraq, The Sun tabloid reported on Tuesday. Britain's defence ministry would not confirm or deny the report, with a spokesman declining to comment on "intelligence matters". An unidentified intelligence source told the tabloid: "It is an extremely alarming development and raises the stakes considerably. In effect, it means we are in a full on war with Iran -- but nobody has officially declared it." "We have hard proof that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have crossed the border to attack us. It is very hard for us to strike back. All we can do is try to defend ourselves. We are badly on the back foot." The Sun said that radar sightings of Iranian helicopters crossing into the Iraqi desert were confirmed to it by very senior military sources. moreIf true I'm betting Dick Cheney is currently foaming ...

McCain Pulling Out of Race? 2007-06-25 18:04:54 From the Times Online:McCain could pull out of race by autumnPresidential hopeful drops campaign staff as Republican consultants predict he'll be gone by September THE former presidential front-runner, John McCain, may drop out of the 2008 race by September if his fundraising dries up and his poll ratings continue to drop, according to Republican insiders. The speculation, vigorously denied by McCain?s camp, is sweeping Republican circles after a disastrous few weeks in which the principled Arizona senator has clashed with the party?s conservative base on immigration and also alienated independent voters by backing President George W Bush?s troop surge in Iraq. Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican party, said: ?He?s a battler, so I?d expect him to carry on, but everyone is waiting to see what his new fundraising totals are. That?s pretty critical. If he doesn?t have the money, he won?t be able to run.? The second fundraising quarter for candidates closes at the end of J ...

SCOTUS Free Speech Rulings 2007-06-25 17:33:31 From SCOTUSBlogThe fourth ruling, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., over three full dissents and one partial dissent, declared that public school officials do not violate a student's free speech rights by punishing the student for words or actions that promote a drug message. The ruling in Morse v. Frederick (06-278) also should count as a 5-4 decision because Justice Stephen G. Breyer would have decided the case on qualified immunity grounds, and not reach the First Amendment issue. The Court issued its fifth ruling of the day, concluding that a Wisconsin abortion rights group had a First Amendment right to aid during election season campaign ads that named a candidate running for the Senate. Three of the five Justices in the majority urged the Court to overturn the part of a 2003 ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the federal law restricting such radio and TV ads close to elections. The Chief Justice's main opinion, joined fully by Justice Alito, said the cas ...

Open Minded Bloggers Award: My Five 2007-06-24 20:17:48 I've managed to narrow it down to the following five in no particular order:1: Justin Gardner of Donklephant for creating such an excellent forum for open minded debate.2: Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice for the same3: Dennis Sanders of NeoMugwump for being a Black Gay Republican who not only deals with his parties views but seeks to change them from within.4: NeoWayland of Pagan Vigil for taking the time to explain his Pagan/Libertarian views so patiently.5: Sean Aqui at Midtopia for never letting the partisan commenters get his goat.The award?s creator has asked that each winner pass the award along to five new winners. Again from the award?s homepage: Feel free to put the Award badge on your website side menu or wherever works bestLink to this page so that people can easily find the origin of the AwardWrite a post on your blog linking to five blogs that you believe blog with an open mind ...