A "Stunning Rejection of Public Debate"

Are Americans scared silent, refusing to question policies they disagree with?

In this Newsday column, Deborah Tannen, linguistics professor at Georgetown University, asks:

"How can there be such a disjunction between the positions a majority hold on the issues and the way a majority voted, three months after a presidential election that aroused more passion than any in memory, in which basic questions about the direction of the country were at stake?

"I think the answer has something to do with a failure of public discourse. The campaign aroused a lot of passion, but not a lot of discussion of the policies that would result if one or the other candidate was elected, nor of the effect these policies would have on citizens' lives."

Fashion Police Nab Cheney

Washington Post fashion reporter Robin Givhan couldn't resist commenting on Vice President Cheney's attire at yesterday's commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. "Those in attendance, such as French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were wearing dark, formal overcoats and dress shoes or boots. Because it was cold and snowing, they were also wearing gentlemen's hats. In short, they were dressed for the inclement weather as well as the sobriety and dignity of the event. The vice president, however, was dressed in the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower.

"Cheney stood out in a sea of black-coated world leaders because he was wearing an olive drab parka with a fur-trimmed hood. It is embroidered with his name....The vice president looked like an awkward boy amid the well-dressed adults.

"Like other attendees, the vice president was wearing a hat. But it was not a fedora or a Stetson or a fur hat or any kind of hat that one might wear to a memorial service as the representative of one's country. Instead, it was a knit ski cap, embroidered with the words "Staff 2001." It was the kind of hat a conventioneer might find in a goodie bag."

Reforming Government: Not a Bad Idea

Okay, for those Democrack readers who think I'm a knee-jerk liberal who never agrees with President Bush's policies, I've found something the administration is doing that I think its long overdue.

While the federal government unions will yell and scream, the personnel policies being implemented at the Department of Homeland Security have the potential of making the agency work better -- and benefit workers more. Essentially, DHS is throwing out the General Schedule (GS) system with 15 categories and moving to a system that has broad "pay bands." The old system rewards seniority -- the longer you stay, the more you make. Guaranteed. Regardless of performance. People say there's no such thing as a "job for life" anymore, but the federal government sure comes close.

The danger, of course, is that the new flexibility to hire, fire, and reward employees could invite abuse by political people who simply want to give their political allies more money -- and hold back the people who they don't like. But we should set high standards and expect good management from our leaders -- and this is a step that gives good managers the tools they need.

I worked at a government agency that used a very similar system, and it was a HUGE improvement. Now, we'll see how it works at the new supersized agency.

This GOP activist loves her trees and packs heat

Republican Activist Shoots Workers Trimming Trees

Swift Boats Vet vs. Kerry: This Time It's for Keeps

Get ready for round 2 of the Swift Boat Vets vs. John Kerry. Jerome Corsi, the co-author of "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry," says he plans to run against Kerry for the Senate. Corsi, who lives in New Jersey, is moving to Massachusetts to establish residency there.

Besides his Swift Boat lies, Corsi's perhaps best known for his racist postings to FreeRepublic.com, a conservative website. He has repeatedly portrayed Muslims and Catholics as pedophiles. An example of his "written record" that could be interested fodder for a political campaign:

“Islam is a peaceful religion—just as long as the women are beaten, the boys buggered and the infidels are killed.”

“Who are the Frogs going to cry to when the ragheads destroy the Eiffel Tower?”

"So this is what the last days of the Catholic Church are going to look like. Buggering boys undermines the moral base and the lawyers rip the gold off the Vatican altars. We may get one more Pope, when this senile one dies, but that's probably about it.”

And so much more.

There is no crisis...

Keep up to date on President Bush's continuing campaign of mass deception -- there is no crisis.

And AARP is heading for a "collision course" with the White House. Good for them.

Not to be outdone, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is hard at work -- as it has been since it was founded in 1982.

Things are just now starting to heat up. Let the battle begin.

Feeling down today? It may not just be lingering depression from last week's Inauguration. A British psychologist has developed a mathematical formula that identifies January 24 as the most depressing day of the year.

The model is: [ [W + (D-d)] x TQ ] divided by [M x NA]. The seven variables are: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels, and (NA) the need to take action.

Dancing With Wolverines

Okay, the real title of this article is "The Inaugural Ball: Dancing With Wolves," but somehow I thought wolverines would get your attention.

A sample:

"As prisoners charged with no crimes, and given no recourse, languish in the hellhole of Guantanamo Bay, torture apologist Alberto Gonzales clicks his cufflinks into place."

"As Pfc. Francis Obaji, oldest son of an immigrant Nigerian family, is zipped into a body bag for the sad journey home, Laura Bush zips up her Oscar de la Renta gown."

Noonan to Bush: Come Back to Earth

I admire Peggy Noonan (President Reagan's speechwriter) for her thoughts on writing, if not her politics. In the Wall Street Journal today, she was very critical of President Bush's address yesterday:

"...The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike. Rhetorically, it veered from high-class boilerplate to strong and simple sentences, but it was not pedestrian. George W. Bush's second inaugural will no doubt prove historic because it carried a punch, asserting an agenda so sweeping that an observer quipped that by the end he would not have been surprised if the president had announced we were going to colonize Mars....

"It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in the world."

"Ending tyranny in the world? Well that's an ambition, and if you're going to have an ambition it might as well be a big one. But this declaration, which is not wrong by any means, seemed to me to land somewhere between dreamy and disturbing. Tyranny is a very bad thing and quite wicked, but one doesn't expect we're going to eradicate it any time soon. Again, this is not heaven, it's earth...."

"One wonders if they [the White House staff] shouldn't ease up, calm down, breathe deep, get more securely grounded. The most moving speeches summon us to the cause of what is actually possible. Perfection in the life of man on earth is not."

Snowball or WMD?

Bush: "Callous Indifference to Human Suffering"

On this Inauguration Day, as President Bush promises healing and compassion, it's a good time to review his record.

In this article, Sister Helen Prejean writes:

"Callous indifference to human suffering may also set Bush apart. He may be the only government official to mock a condemned person's plea for mercy, then lie about it afterward, claiming humane feelings he never felt. On the contrary, it seems that Bush is comfortable with using violent solutions to solve troublesome social and political realities.

"The aphorism 'A hammer, when presented with a nail, knows to do only one thing' applies, par excellence, to George W. Bush. As governor of Texas, Bush tackled the social problem of street crime by presiding over the busiest execution chamber in the country."

Dear Mr. President: Get Rid of Rummy

"Dear President Bush:
If you care about restoring our credibility around the world and our credibility with our troops on the ground in Iraq, you've got to start by removing Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense."

If you agree, then sign this petition by John Kerry.

MLK and the Pursuit of Peace

"America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Clones 'R' Us?

"We cannot become Republican clones. If we do, we will lose again, and deserve to lose."

In his speech Wednesday, Senator Kennedy said this and more.

FCC and Williams (follow-up)

A Democratic member of the FCC says the agency should look into whether Armstrong Williams' $240,000 payday broke the law. (Here's my earlier post that describes the offense and tells you how to register a complaint with the FCC.)

The funny thing is, the commissioner says the agency has received "about a dozen" complaints. I was one of them. Were there really only 11 others? Democrack readers alone should be able to add 100 more. Don't let the administration get away with this!

Tom Hanks/Bill Cosby in '08?

The editors of Washington Monthly says it's time for the Democratic Party to get some star power. When you compare the appeal of a Tom Hanks to Dukakis, Harkin, Gephardt, Gore, Kerry, etc., maybe they've got a point.

In addition to Hanks, the article weighs the odds of people like Tom Brokaw, Bill Cosby, Lance Armstrong, Queen Noor, and Ted Turner.

Fill-in-the-Blank Journalism

From yesterday's Washington Post:

Bush Picks Supporter as Economic Council Chief
President Bush yesterday selected Indiana businessman Allan B. Hubbard to head his National Economic Council, bringing an old friend and fundraiser to the White House to help guide the administration's economic agenda.

Think about the formula that could be used for every one of the president's appointees:

Bush Picks Supporter as [position]
President Bush yesterday selected [state] businessman [name] to head his [agency/office/division], bringing an old friend and fundraiser to the White House to help guide the administration's [whatever] agenda.

Works every time!

Terrorists/President, Critical/Political...Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Wonkette shared this White House press release, clarifying a few minor errors in the transcript of yesterday's press briefing:

From: White House Press Releases
Sent: Tue Jan 11 15:26:06 2005
Subject: CORRECTIONS: PRESS BRIEFING BY SCOTT McCLELLAN

CORRECTIONS: *"That's what the terrorists want, delay elections. ("Terrorists," not "President")

* "taking steps to protect our critical infrastructure" ("Critical" not "Political")

Mel Gibson out-Moores Michael

"I didn't need to see his film ["Fahrenheit 911"] to ask the question, is, what the hell are we doing in Iraq, you know? Because I just don't understand it. No one has bothered to explain to me in a reasonable manner that I can understand and accept why we're there or why we went there, why we're still there."

-- Mel Gibson, at the People's Choice awards, after "The Passion" won best drama and "Fahrenheit 911" won best picture

Armstrong Williams Flees Studio; Urge FCC to Act

More on Armstrong Williams (previous post here). Apparently he fled the studio of Scarborough County before an interview about his $240,000 payoff by the administration to push No Child Left Behind.

Take action: Here's how you can tell the FCC that agencies that pay broadcasters -- and those broadcasters -- should disclose such arrangements instead of allowing taxpayer dollars to secretly shape broadcast content.

Armstrong Williams' apology

Williams claims: I Am Not Alone

Good News from Iraq

Well, maybe "good" is too strong a word.

"There are some parts of the Sunni Triangle where the security right now, frankly, is not that bad. In parts of Diyala Province, some parts of Salahuddin Province, [the situation] is not all blood and fire and destruction in all places every day."

-- a senior State Department official in a Pentagon briefing Jan. 4, quoted in The New Republic

$$$ No Conservative Talk Show Left Behind $$$

Because I work at a PR agency, I was very interested to see that Ketchum, working with the Education Department, was behind a plan that paid conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote No Child Left Behind. As a PR guy, I can see that Williams was a good choice to build support among African American journalists and listeners. As a taxpayer, I'm appalled.

To put this in simple terms, taxpayer dollars were paid to a supposed "media" personality to push the administration's agenda on the air -- and to use his influence to get other black broadcasters to do the same. Because of Williams' conservative views (he's a former aide to Clarence Thomas), I don't doubt that he actually supports the program.

But as media ethics expert Bob Steele said: "I would suggest that his commitment to that belief is best exercised through his excellent professional work rather than through contractual obligations with outsiders who are, quite clearly, trying to influence content."

RIP Crossfire

Well, CNN's Crossfire is no more. I have to admit I'll miss it. The 4:30 time was perfect for viewing while at my desk. Sure, it was a bunch of white guys screaming at each other, but I liked what half of them had to say.

Speaking of pundits, here are 14 Hairstyles of the Pundits from LA Weekly.

Reservists Asked to Serve Longer

"Army leaders are considering seeking a change in Pentagon policy that would allow for longer and more frequent call-ups of some reservists to meet the demands of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to an official quoted in today's Washington Post.

Reservists already account for 40 percent of the troops in Iraq, and that will soon rise to 50 percent. And a "temporary" increase of 30,000 active-duty troops likely will need to be made permanent.

"The reserves are already overstretched," a retired Army colonel said. "To change the rules will almost certainly backfire and accelerate the deterioration of the reserves."

"We're All Torturers Now"

In a compelling op-ed published in the New York Times, Mark Danner says that our government's selection of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general is the ultimate endorsement of his position that torture is okay -- as long as Americans are doing it. Danner calls the storyline of this scandal troubling:

"Wrongdoing is exposed; we gaze at the photographs and read the documents, and then we listen to the president's spokesman 'reiterate,' as he did last week, 'the president's determination that the United States never engage in torture.' And there the story ends."

But he argues that "by using torture, the country relinquishes the very ideological advantage -- the promotion of democracy, freedom, and human rights -- that the president has so persistently claimed is America's most powerful weapon in defeating Islamic extremism."

Danner is the author of Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror.

MORE things to forget about 2004

Arianna Huffington's not done. Here are more things she'd like to forget about 2004.

Part 1 here.

Religious Right MIA on Tsunami Relief

Okay, it's not fair to criticize any one person or individual for not doing enough to support the tsunami relief efforts. Many people will donate in private ways, and will do it when and how they choose.

But the absence of even a mention of the disaster by the leaders of the religious right is puzzling and disturbing. Take a look at the sites of Focus on the Family, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, the Christian Coalition, the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, the Traditional Values Coalition, Concerned Women for America, and the National Association of Evangelicals.

Nothing.

Nothing?

Incredible.

Is It Over Yet?

As you brace yourself for President Bush's inauguration, take heart in the fact that his presidency is 49.42 percent over. Keep track at Is It Over Yet?

What God Told Pat Robertson: Read It Here

Thank goodness we have the Rev. Pat Robertson to tell us what God sees ahead in 2005. Robertson said on "The 700 Club" that God recently told him: "I will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly, and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith." He also "heard it from the Lord" that President Bush will pass Social Security and tax reform and that Muslims will turn to Jesus Christ.

Frank Rich: Washington Parties On

I haven't written about the tsunami and relief efforts yet, but I will soon. The main thing I've been thinking about is the huge disconnect between what's going on in that part of the world and how our lives in America seem unaffected. Frank Rich addressed a similar disconnect in his column on Sunday -- contrasting the Kennedy Center honors with the Mosul bombing that had occurred the night before.

Looking ahead to the inauguration, Rich writes: "Roosevelt decreed that the usual gaiety be set aside at his wartime inaugural in January 1945. There will be no such restraint in the $40 million, four-day extravaganza planned this time... The official theme of the show is 'Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service.' That's no guarantee that the troops in Iraq will get armor, but Washington will, at least, give home-front military personnel free admission to one of the nine inaugural balls and let them eat cake."

PETA to Carter: Fish Have Feelings Too

After hearing President Carter describe getting hooked in the face while fishing, PETA is urging him to stop fishing so the fishies can live in peace.