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Articles from Dyre Portents

Liberal Hawks and the Iran Debate 2007-06-18 01:23:02 Ezra Klein over at The American Prospect recently wrote an article called "Let's Get Serious:What do liberal hawks actually want to do regarding Iran?" that has stirred an interesting cross blog debate amongst moderates. Allow me to sort of abridge part of the debate in a Frankenpost before chiming in. Mr Klein criticizes liberal hawks for being intentionally vague regarding how to deal with Iran "in their desire to avoid responsibility for their pro-war stance on Iraq and their enabling rhetoric towards a potential showdown with Iran." as Tutakai at Militant Moderates put it.According to fellow Donklephant blogger Kevin Sullivan "Ironically, Klein seems to confront hawkish vagueness with vagueness. He insinuates that there's a cottage industry of "liberal hawk" scholars supporting the invasions of Iraq and Iran, however he only cites one example of such. If the "liberal hawk" has become such a common phenomenon, where are their think-tanks and periodicals? If they are in such loc ...

Unity08 CEO Robert Bingham on KPBS TV 2007-06-17 01:15:08 If you're tired of partisanship, corruption, and the same old same old in politics drop by Unity08's web site and see what is stirring the political waters. ...

Ron Paul - Internet Super Star 2007-06-16 19:41:18 From the Wa Po:An Also-Ran in the GOP Polls, Ron Paul Is Huge on the WebOn Technorati, which offers a real-time glimpse of the blogosphere, the most frequently searched term this week was "YouTube."Then comes "Ron Paul."The presence of the obscure Republican congressman from Texas on a list that includes terms such as "Sopranos," "Paris Hilton" and "iPhone" is a sign of the online buzz building around the long-shot Republican presidential hopeful -- even as mainstream political pundits have written him off.Rep. Ron Paul is more popular on Facebook than Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He's got more friends on MySpace than former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. His MeetUp groups, with 11,924 members in 279 cities, are the biggest in the Republican field. And his official YouTube videos, including clips of his three debate appearances, have been viewed nearly 1.1 million times -- more than those of any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, except Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).No one's m ... Internet  Ron Paul

Testing, please ignore 2007-06-16 19:12:30 ...

Bush Targets Shield For Bloggers 2007-06-16 01:09:01 The Bush administration on Thursday blasted a congressional proposal that would shield a broad swath of news gatherers, including some bloggers, from revealing their confidential sources.WASHINGTON--The Bush administration on Thursday blasted a congressional proposal that would shield a broad swath of news gatherers, including some bloggers, from revealing their confidential sources. The latest draft of the Free Flow of Information Act would pose a grave threat to national security and federal criminal investigations by protecting far too large a segment of the population, a U.S. Department of Justice official told Congress. The definition is just so broad that it really includes anyone who wants to post something to the Web," Rachel Brand, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy, said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing here. She also argued it would protect "a terrorist operative who videotaped a message from a terrorist leader threatening ...

Libby's Liberty Lost 2007-06-14 13:55:08 or Scooter Screwed or Sucks to be ScooterJudge Won't Delay Libby's Prison Term for AppealBy Amy Goldstein and Carol D. LeonnigWashington Post Staff WritersThursday, June 14, 2007; 2:32 PMA federal judge today ordered I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to report to prison within weeks to begin serving a 30-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about his role in disclosing a covert CIA officer's identity to the media.In ruling that Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff must begin his prison term, probably within six to eight weeks, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton rejected defense attorneys' request to allow Libby to remain free on bond while his attorneys appeal his conviction for perjury and obstructing justice.At the conclusion of a two-hour hearing today, Walton, who presided over Libby's trial, said he disagreed with defense attorneys' contention that Libby's trial had generated a series of close legal questions and judicial rulings that might be reversed by h ...

"Robot Rights Activist" Arrested 2007-06-13 23:39:19 Charles Klein was recently charged with Disorderly Conduct with intent to ?alarm or annoy? due to his holding an Equal Rights for Robots sign at an on campus anti-abortion protest.I would like to thank the forward thinking police officer that apprehended him for looking past the obvious and recognizing the real threat that day.Check out this horrifying example of what happens when robots attack.The robot rights movement must be crushed while its still in it's infancy if humanity is to survive.And now a word from our sponsor: ...

Risqué YouTube Song Takes Obama Campaign by Surprise 2007-06-13 22:50:07 From ABC News: June 13, 2007 ? An amusing, risqué music video, featuring a nubile young woman breathlessly singing her love for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., appeared on the Web this week. Titled "I Got a Crush on Obama," the song and video took the Obama campaign by surprise and further demonstrated how the democratic nature of the Internet specifically Internet video on sites such as YouTube is affecting politics in unpredictable ways. "Hey, 'B,' it's me," a woman who calls herself "Obamagirl" murmurs amorously into a phone at the beginning of the slow jam. "If you're there, pick up. I was just watching you on C-SPAN." The song and video goes on to poke racy fun at the way some voters have responded viscerally to both Obama's charisma and the personal nature of his political appeal. moreYou'll note the absence of the "My name is Barack Obama and I approve of this message." at the end of this one. ... Youtube

County May Kill Emergency Broadcasts Due to Partisan Content 2007-06-13 22:48:25 Here is the dumb part: By Scott Wyman South Florida Sun-Sentinel June 13, 2007, 1:19 PM EDT Rush Limbaugh has long been a thorn in the side of liberals, but now, because of him, some Democratic politicians don't even want to join with a local radio station to broadcast hurricane information.Radio station WIOD, AM 610, has been the official channel for emergency information from Broward County government for the past year. The County Commission, all Democrats, balked at renewing the deal Tuesday, unable to stomach the station also being home to Limbaugh's talk show.and here is the funny part: Limbaugh responded to the commissioners Wednesday on his radio show. He said the county's qualms about WIOD are a sign of out-of-control partisanship in the nation.Thank you so much Mr.Obvious. ...

Giant Mutant Insect Attacks House 2007-06-12 20:16:41 This is the biggest stick bug I have ever seen.Click image to view full sizeSubject was last seen flying south carrying a German Shepherd and my chimney. ...

Immigration Bill Divides GOP 2007-06-12 18:58:25 How about a binding resolution to actually enforce current laws and then bicker about new laws? ...

The ReDistricting Game 2007-06-11 13:47:25 The Redistricting Game takes place in imaginary states named Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton, but its developers are hoping it will draw enough interest and support to warrant making a version that uses real-world maps and census data.In the last mission of the game, players determine the state of Jefferson's districts without taking political affiliations into account. That level simulates what redistricting would be like if a bill championed by real-world Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) became law. full articleI will say that the game is very well made and does an good job of showing how gerrymandering works and also how it hurts the democratic process. You can try it for yourself here. ...

Powell Says Close Gitmo 2007-06-11 10:03:09 Powell Calls for Closure of Military Prison at GuantanamoBy Walter PincusWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, June 11, 2007; A03Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell said yesterday that he would close down the U.S. military prison for enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, "this afternoon" because it has become a major problem in "the way the world perceives America.""Essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like a military commission," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."Making it clear that he "would not let any of those people go," Powell said, "I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our more federal legal system." He said he sees no problem in detainees having the right of habeas corpus and getting their own lawyers. "Isn't that what our system is all about?"Powell was the only member of President Bush's first-term "war cabinet" who argued ag ...

Joe Lieberman Says Bomb Iran Into Behaving 2007-06-11 01:42:06 (CBS) The United States should launch military strikes against Iran if the government in Tehran does not stop supplying anti-American forces in Iraq, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday on Face The Nation."I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," Lieberman told Bob Schieffer. "And to me, that would include a strike into... over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers."The Indepedent former Democrat from Connecticut said that he was not calling for an invasion of Iran, but he did say the U.S. should target specific training camps."I think you could probably do a lot of it from the air, but they can't believe that they have immunity for training and equipping people to come in and kill Americans," Lieberman said.Lieberman, who has been one of Congress's most outspoken supporters of th ...

Today 2007-06-09 01:43:15 Today is my birthday. My biggest present today was news that there is a "bun in the oven". I now return to my celebratory drinking and singing. ...