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By Brad Friedman on 8/8/2004 12:15pm PT  




(Three Cheers for Wireless Access!)
By Brad Friedman on 8/8/2004 12:06pm PT  

(Blogged by Brad on the road...)

Our trek through three battleground states (Nevada, Oregon and Washington), helping to influence the electorate to do the right thing, takes us back into Northern California for 24 hours or so and man is it glorious up here!

Not only are the folks smart enough to vote against George W. Bush without any efforts on our part, they get to look at stuff like that mountain you see on the right. It's Mount Shasta and it was outside our motel room window last night. Very lucky us.

All my years in Southern California, and I've never made it North of San Francisco until now! What was I waiting for?!

Hoping to find a beautiful campsite on the shores of one of the many lakes up here, and into Oregon (near Klamath) where we plan to end up shortly. Just thought I'd quickly check in to say hello, from this friendly wireless coffee shop. And happy to see that johnhp was already on the Hypocrital Keyes issue!

So it turns out that Keyes doesn't have the moral integrity he seemed to have enjoyed acting like he had in the past, and that it turns out it's power he craves after all, as he is willing to represent the people of Illinois as a Maryland resident (see John's previous post for more details).

It's good to be out of the catfighting for a few days, though with news cycles happening every two hours these days, I'm always eager to check in. Hopefully our Fake Conservative friends, Paul and Ed will come back in to let us know how the Libs here are all wet! It's always fun! And in all seriousness, I'm very impressed, for the most part, at the level of honest discussion and debate that has occurred here over the last few weeks. With things as hot as they are now, most similar discussions quickly degrade into hostility and name-calling. For the most part, I'm glad to see BRAD BLOGGERS have avoided that quicksand. For now, anyway :-)

See you all at the next available Internet Outpost! And thanks again to Johnhp, Jaime and Bryan for keeping the fire lit under the lying liars!




guest blogged by johnhp
By Johnhp on 8/8/2004 10:01am PT  

Alan Keyes has decided to take up the conservative cause against Barak Obama in Illinois. The Republicans offered him the spot even though the Republican primaries had several contestants. In their matrix, the Republican rank and file seems to count for nothing other than donations.

You all may remember Keyes from his entry into the Republican Presidential primaries. Mr. Keyes was there to promote the boot strapping darwininsm and the strict personal responsibility issue that distinguish serious neandercons from compassionate neandercons. Of course, this doesn't apply to Mr. Keyes. Let's look at his responsibility record.

Mr. Keyes ran for Senate in 1992. During this race his campaign garnered a debt of 45,000. He refused to pay this debt until even though he raised more than 34,000 during this time. This is not entirely accurate. He did pay off a little more than 41,000 during 1997-1998 BUT still managed to add more than 15,000 in debt to the 1992 Senate camapaign. Explaining to a reporter about the debt, Keyes said, "I personally do not owe the debt that was owed by the campaign."

But the really telling information comes from his presidential bid:

Inadequate name and occupation disclosures totaling 73,666.

During 1996, three authorized committees did not file disclosure reports as required. In addition, a fourth committee never registered with the Commission and never filed any disclosure reports for 1995.

Reviews of contributions from individuals received by the Primary and Exploratory Committees identified unresolved, excessive contributions totaling 69,271

Disbursements totaling 94,469 were identified which lacked adequate supporting documentation, or for which no canceled check or other payment device was maintained.

Federal Elections Commissions

As important as his fiscal irresponsibility, are Keyes previous statements on carpetbagging:

In 2000, conservatives courted Keyes to drop his presidential bid and run against Hillary Rodham Clinton for U.S. Senate in New York, but Keyes condemned the idea and ripped Clinton.

"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it," he said on Fox News on March 17, 2000.

Speaking of his probable entry into the race, Keys said:

"I do not take it for granted that it's a good idea to parachute into a state and go into a Senate race," he said before entering meeting the Republican leaders. "As a matter of principle, I don't think it's a good idea."

Keyester Flip

So, if Keyes thinks such action destroys federalism and that he doesn't think its a good idea, why is he running? More importantly, will he stand for his principles and vote against himself?




By Jaime on 8/6/2004 9:26pm PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

Bush (20k image)

TO WHERE?




By Jaime on 8/6/2004 7:59pm PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

Well, we've had quite a hullaballoo over this "non-partisan" swiftboat veterans for truth. Besides the obvious problems I have with that site and the book they are hawking, I am truly suspicious of certain authors Jerome Corsi and John E. O'neill.

Now most people know Mr. O'neill as underling to Nixon lackey Charles Colson. But who is Jerome Corsi? Really? Thanks to a free virtual press I have uncovered a Media Matters article that details the ties between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and **cue scary music** Freerepublic.com.

I mention this site only rarely. This time it is to highlight jrlc or Jerome Corsi in the virtual world. This amazing defender of truth is also one grade A slimeball. The one tasked with doing the RNC's dirty work is a true dirtbag himself as evidenced by his thought provoking posts on the site.

• Corsi on Islam: "a worthless, dangerous Satanic religion"

• Corsi on Catholicism: "Boy buggering in both Islam and Catholicism is okay with the Pope as long as it isn't reported by the liberal press"

• Corsi on Muslims: "RAGHEADS are Boy-Bumpers as clearly as they are Women-Haters --- it all goes together"

• Corsi on "John F*ing Commie Kerry": "After he married TerRAHsa, didn't John Kerry begin practicing Judiasm? He also has paternal grandparents that were Jewish. What religion is John Kerry?"

Media Matters details his many enlightening posts and points directly where they can be found. Congratulations Republicans, you have learned two valuable lessons. The first is...Be careful what you put out into the ether; you never know what will be uncovered. Number two be careful who you get to carry your flag. They may wind up leaving you twist in the wind.

UPDATE: The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is broken down in greater detail here.




By Brad Friedman on 8/6/2004 12:42pm PT  

(Blogged by Brad on the road...)

We'll be moving Northward very shortly on our great trek and thus leaving the mysterious wireless access that reached us in our 10th floor hotel room at the Sands in Reno. I don't know when I'll get net access again. Could be tomorrow, could be two weeks. So until I'm able to revisit, here's a couple of (possible) parting thoughts for a while...

From my hotel room, I've been able to watch the line reach around the corner each day starting at around 11am for the Soup Kitchen next door to our hotel. I know that Bush and Rush and BRAD BLOG Commenter Paul have told us that this is "the best economy" in twenty years. So all I can assume is that those men (and they are all men) who are lined up around the block do so because they are lazy and they enjoy waiting in line in the blistering 95+ degree desert heat for 45 minutes each day. Either that, or the food at the soup kitchen is really good.

As the latest Zogby poll shows that Kerry is now leading in 13 out of the 16 "battleground states", I can conclude only that he must have gotten Nevada wrong by leaning it towards Bush. Since I have been in Nevada, I have seen two political bumper stickers. Both for Kerry. Therefore, using Fox News' "some people say..." logic, or Paul's "I have a co-worker who believes..." logic, it's clear that Nevada will instead be going to Kerry as well, since "every bumper sticker I've seen in Nevada is now supporting Kerry".

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the Rush and Fox News reports that tear Sen. Richard Shelby a new one for leaking classified information while the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as Johnhp mentioned here previously. And I imagine I'll be waiting a while. Shelby is, unlike Sandy Berger --- who's been accused of nothing --- a Republican after all. So different rules of "outrage" apply.

I'm also waiting for the Bush Administration, as John McCain demanded of them, to condem the scurrillous allegations by Veteran Bush Supporters that Kerry fabricated the stories of his bravery in service in Vietnam and caused self-inflicted wounds to receive Purple Hearts. I'll likely be waiting a while for that too, I guess, since the White House has refused to condemn that group and their ads to that effect which are now airing in swing states.

Thanks to Johnhp, Jaime and Bryan for their great Guest Blog contributions! And to everyone else for supporting the BRAD BLOG! Go buy a ticket to see Springsteen and Fogerty and the Dixie Chicks and REM and Pearl Jam this October as they fight for all that's good in America! And use that Email it to Someone! button on each item to bring in more folks (on the Right or the Left!) over here so --- as the Jesus Loving Abortion Clinic Bombers on the Right might say - the Good News keep spreading!




or Charles Taylor
By Jaime on 8/5/2004 8:17pm PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

"The Defense Department approved a special forces raid to capture Al Qaeda leaders under Taylor's protection in 2001, but called it off and never reactivated the plan, the US officials said in recent interviews, on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, senior leaders of Al Qaeda continued to receive Taylor's protection."

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

"Nevertheless, the UN investigation found that Ghailani, who was sent to Liberia in 1999 to help coordinate Al Qaeda investments in the diamond trade, met with Taylor, along with Al Qaeda leaders Fazhl Abdullah Mohammed, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, and Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan. All three are wanted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and remain on the FBI's list of 22 most wanted terrorists."

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels", no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?




or Charles Taylor
By Jaime on 8/5/2004 8:13pm PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

The Defense Department approved a special forces raid to capture Al Qaeda leaders under Taylor's protection in 2001, but called it off and never reactivated the plan, the US officials said in recent interviews, on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, senior leaders of Al Qaeda continued to receive Taylor's protection.

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

Nevertheless, the UN investigation found that Ghailani, who was sent to Liberia in 1999 to help coordinate Al Qaeda investments in the diamond trade, met with Taylor, along with Al Qaeda leaders Fazhl Abdullah Mohammed, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, and Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan. All three are wanted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and remain on the FBI's list of 22 most wanted terrorists.

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is the not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was 'undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels', no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?




"Freud in Action" Edition
By Brad Friedman on 8/5/2004 3:06pm PT  

(Blogged by Brad from the road...)


"They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
- Your Commander-in-Chief, today, speaking about terrorists.

Smoking Gun has the video for posterity.




America Under Attack
By Brad Friedman on 8/5/2004 12:13pm PT  

(Blogged by Brad from the road...)

In 1942 the U.S. Government forced some 150,000 Americans of Japanese descent, two-thirds of them actually born in America, to leave their communities, sell their houses (if they were able to in the two weeks time they were given) and relocate to one of 10 "relocation" or "internment" camps here in the United States of America.

A few days ago, while on the road, we had the occasion to stop by and spend a few hours at what is left of the Manzanar Relocation Camp between Lone Pine and (ironically, enough) Independence, California. The remains of the camp are found on a quiet dusty stretch of lonely Highway 395 as it runs along the Eastern Sierras near Mt Whitney (at 14,000+ feet it's the tallest peak in the contiguous 48).

On the desert floor at the foot of the mountain range, lies the remains of Manzanar, shamelessly razed after 1945 as if to wipe out all memory of it's existence.

Some 10,000 Japanese-Americans, citizens, business owners, doctors, professionals, Army veterans and their families and thousands of children, were relocated into makeshift barracks in blockhouse rows here during WWII after the attack at Pearl Harbor. None of the interned were ever officially accused or convicted of "sabotage" against the United States.

This was our second time at Manzanar following the guided auto-tour along the ruins, imagining the life there for those four years. It was again a moving and troubling experience. In 1997 the area was taken over and protected by the National Park Service and finally, in April of 2004 --- over half a century after the camp was finally shut down --- a terrifically designed and very educational Interpretive Center has been opened in what had been the High School auditorium building, the only building still standing on the 800 acre site. The Center is chock full of information and artifacts which bring the place back to life after it has so shamelessly been relegated to the dustbin of Americas Forgotten History.

If you find yourself near Manzanar, set aside a few hours to learn and/or remember one of the shameful chapters in our country when we last panicked in the face of fear and gave in to our worst instincts in the name of "self protection". Last time it was under a Democratic President, this time it's under a Republican "President". Apparently, we haven't learned all that much from the last time we were attacked by an enemy we didn't understand and found ourselves willing to sacrifice much of what this country stands for in the name of giving in to our most base and unfounded fears.

The US Constitution, like our Tax Laws and our Welfare System has many flaws and loopholes to be exploited by those who care to for political or personal gain. It's our job, as Americans, to see to it that the spirit of that Constitution is upheld, no matter who the charlatans are who may wish to use our fears against what that document stands for.




By Johnhp on 8/5/2004 11:58am PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Johnhp)

"I think the intelligent I get is darn good intelligence and the speeches
I have given are backed by good intelligence"

You can see the quote in this story from faux news.

Although the story has Bush saying intelligence the video makes it clear he said intelligent. i know that is a picky point but i think the press has been covering the man's idiocy too often. That, however, is a minor point. The larger point is that this is one occasion that Bush was being truthful; i.e., that he had good intelligence on WMD in Iraq. The evidence, however, points to the opposite conclusion than the one drawn by the Administration. This is especially interesting because of the neandercons recent defense of Bush by claiming that the UN thought the same thing.

Let's look at what was known:

Bush's 16 words, it is now claimed were justified by the Bulter report. What did the report actually say about the yellowcake claim and WMD claims?

"seriously flawed" "open to doubt" "unreliable or questionable"

"Language in the dossier may have left with readers the impression that there was fuller and firmer intelligence behind the judgments than was the case. Our view, having reviewed all of the material, is that the judgments in the dossier went to (although not beyond) the outer limits of the intelligence available.

"The prime minister's description, in his statement to the House of Commons on the day of publication of the dossier, of the picture painted by the intelligence services in the dossier as 'extensive, detailed and authoritative' may have reinforced this impression."

Each report, said Butler, mentioned these flaws but Blair and Bush failed to pass them on. This misled the actual state of intelligence allowing the public to assume it was more accurate than it was.

They also relied on UN evidence from 1998. Then chose to ignore evidence from UN folks on the ground in 2003 even though the UN inspectors visited every site supplied by American and british intelligence.

In fact, Bush was so much in denial about the UN that he actually denied that iraq had let UN inspectors return to Iraq:

"The larger point is did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in."

The source is this extremely right wing website. Now i think they can't be trusted to tell the truth but the Neandercons do.

In sum, they knew the intelligence was, to quote LBJ, "thin as piss on a rock" but never passed along that tidbit. Hell they even allowed the military to stumble upon and look through crates of uranium we actually knew about.

Investigators Tuesday discovered that Al-Tuwaitha hides another city. This underground nexus of labs, warehouses, and bomb-proof offices was hidden from the public and, perhaps, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors who combed the site just two months ago, until the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Engineers discovered it three days ago.

Yes the right wing's right wing went absolutely nuts over this tidbit. It turned out, however, that the site was known to inspectors and the uranium was under UN seal. More importantly our government knew about it before the invasion.

"But an expert familiar with U.N. nuclear inspections told The Associated Press that it was implausible to believe that U.S. forces had uncovered anything new at the site. Instead, the official said, the Marines apparently broke U.N. seals designed to ensure the materials aren't diverted for weapons use --- or end up in the wrong hands."

"What happened apparently was that they broke IAEA seals, which is very unfortunate because those seals are integral to ensuring that nuclear material doesn't get diverted," the expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Again, faux news.

They KNEW the intel was partial. The fault is not with the intel; it is with the politicians who chose to ignore the partial nature of the claims and pass them on as if the were certain and, to quote one official, "exact." The fact is, as with the al Tuwaitha facility, they couldn't care less.




By Johnhp on 8/5/2004 6:17am PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Johnhp)

No right wingers are lined up with hammer and nails for the crucifixion of Richard Shelby (R-AL). What has he done? Leaked exceedingly sensitive intelligence to which he was privy thanks to his perch on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Berger has not been accused of divulging intel and the right is ready to string him up.

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office pursued the case, and a grand jury was empaneled, but nobody has been charged with any crime. Last month it was revealed that the Justice Department had decided to forgo a criminal prosecution, at least for now, and turned the matter over to the Senate Ethics Committee.

Here's the link. Read for yourself.




One from the Road...
By Brad Friedman on 8/5/2004 2:17am PT  

This one caught my eye, and while I've got some wireless net access from the road, I thought I'd drop it by...

Brought to my attention by AMERICAblog...

Here's the full story (courtesy of Knight-Ridder who, by the way, deserve some praise!) in case the story didn't make it at all onto Drudge or Fox.




By Johnhp on 8/4/2004 3:56pm PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by johnhp)

In Iowa today, the former governor of Texas announced that "results matter" when contemplating for whom to vote. i would argue this is why so many people will vote against him. Hopefully it will take this time.

However, let's take him at his word and look at some of his "results" that matter.


1.8 Million Jobs Lost in the Private Sector.

Families spend, on average, 25% more on healthcare than before January of 2001.

Of course, there's the whole spate of issues about the war in Iraq:

The use of questionable intelligence as if it were as certain as sunrise.

A premeditated war.

The deaths of more than 900 American military.

The deaths of more than 10,000 Iraqi civilians with the use of weapons such as cluster bombs.

The Maiming of several thousand American military.

God only knows how many Iraqi civilians have been maimed.

The arrest of women and children in order to have their fathers turn themselves in.

Lying to the American public during his state of the union.

Resisting the formation of the 9-11 commission.

So here we have one point of agreement i have with Mr. Bush: results matter.




Brian knows where he stands, and that’s some good freedom for the US of A.
By Bryan on 8/4/2004 1:24am PT  

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Bryan)


Those gun-toting fascist liberals were at it again, promoting free speech and not turning people away from their rallies due to race or political affiliation. A handful of Republicans have been spotted over the past few days at Kerry events, carrying signs that read 'Flush the Two Johns' and 'Waffles are for Breakfast, not for President'.

The Waffler, a credible source named Brian who allegedly attended a Milwaukee rally last evening and held the purposefully hunger-inducing Waffle sign, told Rush Limbaugh earlier today that they were not confrontational with anyone. ‘Again, we were not confrontational with anyone,' Brian recalled, ‘but we did have several of these compassionate liberals ask us if we wanted to have our legs broken.'

While all the conservatives were left physically unscathed, thank goodness, it is the notion of this quiet threat that troubled me most. I would have thought the conservatives, who are now used to hearing compassionless and inane questions at rallies, the kind that end in, ‘Which boat did you come over on?' and ‘Will you sign your name here, for privacy's sake?' would be ready for some back and forth, some good ol' trash swapping. Yet the idle threats seemed not to deter Brian, who remained aggressive in his freedom, and passive with his tongue.

From the Rush transcript:

RUSH: So they threatened you. Did they imply or state that you would be safer if you just leave?

CALLER/BRIAN: Absolutely, sir, to which I just stood my ground and remained silent.

RUSH: And are you walking today or are you in a wheelchair?

CALLER/BRIAN: I'm absolutely walking, and believe me, I'll walk down to plenty John Kerry rallies.

Other GOP members could not contain their freedom of restraint, and despite continued intimidation by the liberal extremists, began to chant ‘Four more years! Four more years!' Yet it was the Kerry camp that would ultimately have the last word, and the first overplayed sound byte. It was Mr. Kerry's wife, Mrs. Kerry, who turned the crowd against the protestors, crying, “They want four more years of hell! Three more months! Three more months!”

Later, to democratic cheers, John Kerry took his turn on the podium, and turned lemons into a lemon juicer. ‘These guys have to get megaphones and they want to drown out people in America. We don't want to be drowned out. We got our individual voices and we're going to speak for America. I want to thank George Bush for sending the goons here tonight to excite us to do a little more work.'

(The Kerry campaign could not be reached for comment, but Sean Astin's publicist confirmed that in fact Goons was in no way a pop-culture reference to Astin's 1985 hit, 'The Goonies'. When pressed, his publicist did concede that John Kerry bore a slight resemblance to heartthrob Josh Brolin, but declined to publicly endorse either candidate.)

Despite a ripper of an opening, the remainder of the evening was fairly uneventful. There was no mid-game breakout, no Republican vs. Democrat smackdown, and no one was served in the political dance-off, save the Constitution. It was all policy issues, state of the union chatter, plans for America's future, blah bidi blah blah. At the end of the long rally, all attendees must have felt something missing. If only both sides could have sat down that evening over a good plate of waffles and hashed it all out. I know they're only for breakfast, but...




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