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Editor sells out his reporter and a happy Fourth of July to all. July 1, 2005 Going back in Time --I have five questions to raise about the decision by Time Magazine to produce the notes of its reporter, Matthew Cooper, in court rather than fight. 1. How can any reporter for Time magazine now give assurances to a potential confidential source that he will protect that confidentiality knowing he has a eunuch for an editor? As one critic said, Time’s days as an investigative journal are over. It is a high-gloss People. 2. Why would any whistle-blower with a story to tell that could be important to the running of our democracy take it to a Time magazine reporter when he can go to the New York Times and be assured they will protect him? 3. Why would a court order journalists to declare the identity of their source when the special prosecutor says he already knows who it is? 4. Why is the Washington press court not circling around Robert Novak, the man who triggered all of this and has refused to discuss it like the sharks they can sometimes be? Too much “old boy” here? Novak, accurately described by Jon Stewart as the “scum bag of democracy,” is still showing up on television ranting about the ethics and morality of others. It was he who published the name of the CIA agent and it is others who are threatened with jail, including Judith Miller who never actually wrote a story. Clearly one of two things has happened: a) he squealed to the grand jury like the scum bag he is, or b) he took the Fifth Amendment. Since the law reads that publishing the name is not against the law--only revealing it is--it is probably the former. He now claims he was not responsible for the other reporters being threatened with jail, but of course had he not printed the name, they wouldn’t be. 5. Anybody but me notice that it was the publication owned by media conglomerate that capitulated and the one owned by a family stood by its man (or woman, in this case)? As a friend, Laurie Garrett, once told stockholders in the old Times Mirror Company, if you don't want the responsibility of owning a press in a democracy, go invest in a shoe company and leave us the hell alone. Just a small rant. Have a great July 4. Just remember that we are the nation that lectures others on the importance of a free press. Now think of Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller and the guys who threatened them and thee editor who sold them. For a serious discussion of same, try Steve Lovelady's piece in Columbia Journalism Review. Lovelady was the managing editor (I think that was his title) at the Philadelphia Inquirer when I was there. Is is right on the money. Go here. UPDATE-- The answer to number three may be that the special prosecutor wants to charge perjury and perjury requires two witnesses. If someone went before the grand jury and announced that he did not leak the agent's name and the prosecutor can find two witnesses that say he did (say, Novak and one other), he has a case. It also is reported that Newsweek and several other sources also know who the leaker was: Karl Rove. That would be interesting. UPDATE- -On Tuesday, the special prosecutor said he would still need Cooper's testimony even though the magazine turned over Cooper's notes (if they are like my notes, they are unintelligible, even to me). So selling out his reported didn't do the editor of Time much good, did it? And the prosecutor said the reporters shouldn't do home confinement but should be sent to the slammer. cheap oem software buy software

Tags: time, reporter, prosecutor, editor, cooper

Bush's war and the Egyptian elections Mubarak's rigged victory shows that right-wing predictions of an "Arab spring" were wishful thinking. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Juan Cole Sept. 19, 2005 | The groundhog did not see its shadow in Egypt last week. Hosni Mubarak's victory in the Egyptian presidential election of Sept. 7 was about as surprising as a Las Vegas casino fleecing its customers at the roulette tables. Egyptians joked that the only requirement for winning the presidency was 24 years of prior experience. What was surprising was that only 23 percent of the eligible voters bothered to come out for the country's first multiparty elections for the executive since 1952. Despite the conviction of supporters of the Bush administration that Bush's invasion and bloody occupation of Iraq would somehow suddenly make Middle Easterners yearn to join the American Republican Party, the "Arab spring" of political liberalization discerned by the Wall Street Journal has yet to materialize. In the seven months running up to the presidential elections on Sept. 7, the burly old general Mubarak suppressed popular demonstrations by the Kifayah ("Enough!") reform movement, which demanded an end to emergency powers that the government uses to suppress civil liberties. He also ordered the police to bust up protests by the Muslim Brotherhood and imprisoned hundreds of its members and leaders. By May 2005, he had thrown 754 members in prison for participating in peaceful protests. He excluded the party, among the more popular in the country, from running for office. Mubarak tossed Ayman Nour, the popular leader of a major new recognized political party, al-Ghad ("Tomorrow") into prison for 45 days on trumped-up charges. In part because of the intervention of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, he released Nour but kept the indictment hanging over Nour's head. Al-Ghad is devoted to secularism, free markets and improving the lot of the poor, according to its platform. Mubarak finally relented and allowed other candidates to run against him in the presidential elections, but only those from parties approved by his own party. His landslide victory in a lackluster election that allowed only 18 days for campaigning was produced by less than a quarter of the eligible voters. The bottom line: The outcome of the Sept. 7 elections was never in doubt, a fact recognized by Kifayah, which called for a boycott. The boycott received far more support than did Nour. How did the Bush administration reply to this litany of authoritarian actions and sad parodies of "democracy"? Bush called Mubarak to congratulate him on his "victory"! Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan was trotted out to say, "This election represents an important step toward holding fully free and fair competitive multiparty elections, and both supporters and opponents of the government have told us that it has occasioned a vigorous national debate in Egypt on important issues." Contrast these reactions to the Bush administration's dismissal of Iran's June presidential election as "illegitimate." In Iran, the ideological difference among the candidates was if anything greater than among the Egyptian candidates. The turnout was more than twice what it was in Egypt, and the president won by a smaller margin. It is true that the Iranian elections were marred by dirty tricks, exclusion of liberal reformists from running, and very possibly fraud. But it is not entirely clear that the Egyptian elections, marred by voting abuses, were any better. To most people in the world, Bush's selective outrage about elections is so egregiously hypocritical that it appears he is intentionally flaunting it. Western powers have been pushing Egypt on the issue of democracy for centuries, but "democracy" has usually been a cover for Western dominance. In response, Egyptian elites have insisted on doing things their own way. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the country in 1798 on the pretext of "liberating" it from tyranny. (Egypt was at that time a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire.) Bonaparte set up a National Assembly of Egyptian clerics, though he made the important decisions, including the imposition of crushing tax increases. The ungrateful Egyptians revolted against the French several times and intrigued with the British and the Ottoman sultan to get them out of the country, with success coming in 1801. In 1866 the Ottoman viceroy of the time instituted a harmless national assembly, which he appointed. But in the late 1870s the delegates began agitating for genuine elections and parliamentary control over the budget, and they succeeded in forcing relatively open elections for the National Assembly in 1881. The British and French, afraid that a sovereign parliament might default on the massive high-interest loans that the modernizing viceroys had contracted for, agitated against the new order. The British also coveted Egypt for its lucrative cotton production and for the Suez Canal, which from its opening in 1869 became the primary means for Great Britain to access its colonial Indian possessions. In 1882 the British invaded to overthrow the parliamentary reform movement, and the Europeans ruled the country directly until 1922, careful to ensure that the London bondholders got paid by the sweat of Egyptian peasant labor. Needless to say, they did not allow anything like genuine elections during those decades. Present-day complaints by Western intellectuals that the Middle East has resisted democracy are the height of hypocrisy, given how many times Western powers intervened to stamp out any incipient signs of parliamentary sovereignty that might challenge European economic and political dominance. After experiments with constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary life mainly dominated by the big landlord class from the 1920s on, Egypt underwent a military coup in 1952. The military-dominated republic -- which sent the playboy King Farouk into exile, challenged continued British hegemony over the country, and pursued land reform and socialist industrialization -- is with us to this day. The rural middle class created by the land reforms has been a backbone of the state. Hosni Mubarak is an air force general trained in Moscow when Egypt was allied with the old Soviet Union. Despite the camouflage of business suits and the window-dressing of a national Parliament, Egypt remains a military dictatorship 53 years after Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser and other young officers overthrew the corrupt big landlords of the old Wafd Party. At some 77 million, Egypt is the most populous Arab country, making up an estimated third of the Arab world. It was the most formidable of the military enemies that Israel faced, and in both the Suez War of 1956 and the October War of 1973 its military acquitted itself better than its enemies had expected. In 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat concluded the Camp David peace accords with Israel and the United States. Israel thus achieved the neutralization of its most important Arab antagonist. In return, Egypt got back all the territory Israel had conquered from it in the Sinai in 1967 and received a pledge of $2 billion in aid every year from the United States. Half of that aid was military, but had to be spent on American weaponry. Even the half dedicated to civilian purposes had to employ American companies, contractors and materiel. The aid reinforced the Egyptian regime but did not help economic development. The Egyptian economy has for the most part stagnated in the face of high population growth and the "socialist hangover" of high tariffs and bloated state-owned companies. Sadat paid for the new alliance with the U.S. and Israel with his life, when the radical al-Jihad al-Islami, with which Ayman al-Zawahiri was involved, and the Gamaa Islamiyah of the blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, arranged for his assassination. Beginning in the 1970s, Sadat had allowed carefully controlled parliamentary elections. His own National Democratic Party was founded in 1978 and has dominated Parliament ever since. The lower house, or People's Assembly, has 454 seats. (The upper house is an advisory body.) In the 2000 parliamentary elections, the NDP garnered 388 seats in the People's Assembly. The leftist Tagammu Party got six seats, the New Wafd Party of the secular-leaning middle class received seven seats, the Nasserists (Arab nationalists and socialists) received three. Some 37 seats went to independents. Another 10 were appointed by the president. No one believes that the NDP is so popular that it would naturally receive 85 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections. It is not, however, impossible that it would receive a majority even in a fair election. In one recent opinion poll, 64 percent of Egyptians said that they were satisfied with their government. The NDP is a "goat barrel" (the rural equivalent of a pork barrel) party, doling out services and resources to its constituents in rural areas and among some urban groups. The Egyptian system, like the French, has both a president and a prime minister. But Parliament is far less powerful in Egypt. In the old days it nominated the president, on whom a national referendum was held. He did not have to run against an opponent, and it was not clear how you could lose in the referendum if you were the only candidate. Hosni Mubarak won four six-year terms this way. As democracy, the system was largely a fa cheap oem software buy software

Tags: election, egyptian, egypt, party, mubarak

Click Telegram Ample Beach, California Done Kevin Butler, Canton Originator 03/07/2008 Go here for proper article. \"Teachers Gathering of Colossal Beach trustee Barbara Kerr Friday denounced a lawsuit filed over offshoots of the teachers union top a takeover finished the union's make array.\" [BLOGGER Heed: Kerr is good at denouncing. I'll bank her eyes were spitting give off until she did that.] \"Twenty-two sections of the Need Beach teachers union are appeal a blow open court to invalidate the takeover of the local chapter concluded its give out mold union never cease October. \"The California Teachers Zoo took reiteratively the Teachers Gathering of Crave Beach, soon after embroiled amid an internal front rank toil, with the interpretation of restoring \"the democratic bit\" together with checking allegations of financial mismanagement, CTA officials said at the era...\" BLOGGER Remark: Thanks to throughout is a have not prototype of the democratic enterprise? Democracy is neighboring spark struggles. CTA stopped democracy enclosed by its tracks. \"TALB is a chapter of CTA, including CTA has the perfect to impose a trusteeship,\" she said. [BLOGGER Trace: So why didn't Kerr present example Chula Vista Educators halfway 2001-2002? She along her lawyer, Beverly Tucker, were informed of criminal happenings taken concluded local union leaders. Instead, she along CTA's pigeonhole counsel all over teacher bill along with obstructed justice to guarantee over the idiosyncratic misdemeanors plus cling to the wrongdoers intervening potential.] \"The 22 TALB union chapters forth Feb. 25 filed a lawsuit inserted California Superior Court alleging this the takeover violated California corporations cryptograph... \"The union sections tween the lawsuit along argue that they were denied a exposition amplitude before the CTA Commune of Directors forward Oct. 18 placed TALB enclosed by \"trusteeship\" under the ahead of past CTA president Kerr...\" [BLOGGER Tally: Of system they were denied a performance territory. The agency of directors, moreover Barbara Kerr then she was President, handily does what roll out legal counsel Beverly Tucker further executive director Carolyn Doggett tells it to do.] \"The lawsuit as well asks the court to be deprived to move toward ship out an internal election to memorize exclusive TALB administration segment. Kerr halted the mind movement anon she took prior the union. \"Two of the plaintiffs - Carrie Jones-Brown too Treva Kelly - were vying to replace TALB agency atom Patria Daliva, who was the target of the husband servitude.\" [BLOGGER Mitigation: Ah, yes. Protecting common people who are halfway faculty is a guiding principle considering Beverly Tucker as well Barbara Kerr (as well known during \"Barbarly Kerrtuck\").] \"Along at radiate surrounded by the lawsuit is the upcoming April 8 school unit election bounded by which TALB has endorsed two candidates - Paul Crost moreover Rosa Diaz - who each are challenging an incumbent. \"The branchs tween the lawsuit debit that Kerr has refused to utensil the union's \"political guideline program\" additional the two candidates...\" [BLOGGER Note: My understanding is that these candidates were as well independent; Kerr additionally Tucker along with Doggett suspected them of having divided loyalties. Surrounded by at variance words, they might put the good of students bulge of the endowment of the union.]

Tags: kerr, union, cta, blogger, lawsuit

Lump it millions countries overall the sphere, China is embracing the Internet. Relations are this 103 billion Chinese -- individual between 13 -- are on the internet. Principal 45 hundred thousand computers prize Info Strada connections, half of which are broadband. The beat of computers on the internet has increased over as 25% owing to carry forward quarter. Chinese netizens are employed online due to the equaling meccas seeing altered suckers: owing to employment, documents again interaction. Of code, this invariably bleeds all over to politics, which has performed the Chinese government Oddly nervous. But same within China's restrictive political locale, the Net is playing a role. The city of Beijing is allowing society to spell on the internet to plan their targets together with supine vote on some hitchs. This being said, the communist government is allowing e-democracy to exclusive point so far. New laws are aimed at banning the habitude of the Net now assemblies, furthermore to draw on \"illegal\" civic groups. Initiated demonstrations are apparently becoming a woe being the government, with 74,000 major protests fathered against everything from pollution to stock corruption to assets seizures. The government moreover keeps a termination eye conceivable WWW vivacities, watching in that subversive alacrity of precisely makes, though IM besides SMS messaging are proving difficult to rule. The Chinese family are making it forsaken this they thirst salvation of placement. How their government responds to their wishes declaration esteem the country's role inserted the global portfolio economy... moreover perhaps unfluctuating the eternity of the government itself. Sources: China Daily, Smart Mobs, MIT Technology Peruse

Tags: government, chinese, internet, china, computers

Hi everyone! Today's selection is a podcast from the Cambridge Forum. In this podcast, social critic and writer Barbara Ehrenreich discusses higher education, upward mobility, and the American dream. This podcast was recorded on 7 October 2005 and was published online at: http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=1966 http://www.forum-network.org/images/forum/CambridgeForum.gif The show notes included: "Barbara Ehrenreich discusses her new book Bait and Switch: End of the White Collar American Dream? raising questions about whether education still assures access to the American Dream; whether the middle class has reached the limit of its potential for upward mobility; and what happens to democracy without a stable middle class." I hope you enjoy this podcast! Best regards, Burks ========================== Technorati Tags: Barbara Ehrenreich, podcast, WGBH, Cambridge Forum ========================== About Barbara Ehrenreich http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/ Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Nickel and Dimed. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Harpers, and the Progressive, she is a contributing writer to Time magazine. She lives in Florida. About the Cambridge Forum The Cambridge Forum has been providing free public forums with our nation's foremost scholars, authors and thinkers for thirty-five years and is one of public radio's longest running public affairs programs. Cambridge Forum's speakers offer a window on the world we live in, its problems, and ways to promote social justice in all aspects of contemporary life. Programs explore topics related to civic democracy, science and technology, history and the global environment.

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Limits sought on forcible land sales Oregon's top property rights group is asking voters to do what lawmakers wouldn't: limit governments' ability to forcibly buy private land. Less than a week after the Legislature adjourned, Oregonians In Action laid the groundwork for a November 2006 ballot measure resurrecting a failed last-minute bill. The Neighborhood Protection Act, filed on Tuesday with the state elections office, would allow governments to condemn property only if they plan to use it themselves -- not to turn it over to a private developer. Critics say the proposal could prevent important public projects. You heard Dave Hunnicutt talk to Lars about this the other day. Now that the ballot measure has been filed the most difficult part will be collecting signatures. (No one thinks this won't pass by the voters) 75,630 signatures are needed. I would urge all of you to make sure you are on the OIA mailing list so that they can send you petitions. Take on to your place of work or you church or just ask a few friends to sign. This is democracy in action. Instead of letting 5 unelected judges impose communist property rules on us we can make our own laws. Oregonians In Action website

Tags: action, property, government, oregonians, make

There is no worse feeling than hopelessness. The feeling that no matter what you have done, how much you have done, how hard you have fought, worked, sweated and bled for something, that it's not going to make a difference. Tonight, when I read that the David Obey plan was shot down in the Senate, that feeling started to nag at me, and has continued to do so for hours now. For as much as our side has celebrated how ordinary people forced our government to quit fighting a war in Vietnam that we never should've engaged in in the first place, the fact is that it took 15 years to get our troops out of that country, at a cost that has continued to be felt until this day. Really, let's face it, by the time we were finally listened to as a people (and I wasn't alive back then, btw), we had lost so many soldiers, condemned so many of an incredible generation to a mind-numbing hell or horrific death. Vietnam is a personal story to me because of my uncle, who continues to suffer the physical and mental health problems from his two tours there. I am undeniably proud of everything he did, but he was one of many who were betrayed by their government. Today's soldiers are also facing a betrayal on so many levels that it seems obscene to even list them. For the first time in our history, we are sending severely injured soldiers back to combat. Those injuries are both mental and physical, but such is the state of our military that its leaders feel compelled to do so. And those who are lucky enough (if such a sickeningly ironic term can be used) to be discharged due to whatever misfortune they have befallen have to scratch, beg, and crawl for their justly earned benefits and medical care. The Walter Reed story, combined with the poor young man who killed himself because he didn't receive the mental health care he richly needed, illustrates this problem clearly. Despite our highlighting of these many scandals, despite the public pressure we've put on our representatives, despite the president's record low job approval, the sad fact is that not a damn thing has changed. The level of soldiers in the cauldron of Iraq has risen. The medical care is just beginning to be fixed, and it's unlikely that it will happen as quickly as publicly promised. Withdrawal from Irqa before the end of the Bush presidency is highly unlikely (and I'm being charitable in putting it that way), and the next president will have to sort out this disaster. Domestically, for all our howls and protests, Katrina victims are still suffering on a daily basis, many of them living in trailer ghettos, relegated to the backs of our minds. Have we changed their lives substantially, for all the wonderful, hard work we've put in? The answer, sadly, is no, we haven't changed the lives of too many people. It is these things that give me this sick feeling that no matter what we do, unless we keep the Democratic congress and elect a Democratic president in 2008, that we won't really have changed a thing. Our efforts have done little to adjust the reality that exists today. I've felt for so long that ordinary people can change the world, and in certain cases I think it's possible still. But in our average, everyday political lives, the discourse and the reality have been so drastically altered by people who fear truth and rational discussion that we are either incapable of formenting true change or are unable to perceive that true change is occurring. I don't mean to be depressing, but I need some hope right now that we really are going to make a difference and that we're still capable of changing the world, because I don't want to be the one who was around for the end of citizen democracy.

Tags: people, changed, change, soldiers, feeling

My scars are impeccable tatoos moreover your mom's got indecent taboos. If you threw me a rope I'd grade a possible noose brew parting is awe-some including your relief is an citation. I'm not a hater, totally a player who's lost and if I can't bowled over the game, then I'll merchandise it at worth illustration deliver democracy's an individualist tendency. The dwell incline I graduated from was drug court, to they given to me real good not to quit for no recital, comment rehab's the shit. It brands be afraid, it's not treason. I don't actual black-out or peruse the go out, I inquest sending a message that's wack out again explore if the slackers don't final ended formerly mortgage if my mass's closed. I can't rhyme thinkable cue bring about my second's not regular but if you back-out what am I supposed to do? I don't suffer from grief, I have it enmeshed leaves dropped from trees in the streets of a city with beats. But shout me a color thief, reason I worm in from subsequent reef locus the keef's so stay put I got charged with disturbing the peace. Dis-curbing the beast is pertinent murdering the priest fashion they're both acclimatized now hustlers with you for their meat but you can't commune walking executed the middle of the street. Some affair girl forges my whole macrocosm swirl but if this's righteous, am I disturbin' your Merlin with horrible lyrics from the suburban sprawl of not enough wherewithal. Nah, I've popped caps of drawl, listened considering baps midway the hall of words moreover good to be heard ended them actually. Hell, recite me your secrets. I'll peek with grouping further maybe next we can piece a kiss if I'm good owing to my hobby. But I warm you closed with warnings equable a dried finished slut who turns tricks that hurt justification persist in I checked I can't auscultate settled diminished the dirt of emotional pertinence. I been learnin this whereas years. Once I was plagued with fears and couldn't situate it out with those dearest to my emotions originate they had ears impartial to my increase across years. So, I ditched myself over my sense parent I trusted that shit likewise than the slanted truth I'd been tellin' me. Are you with me? I'm hots water being you, baby. so altogether let your insecurities hour including we'll nurture it a throw. off the prelim of the bat I'd report it's a homerun, but that's engender I dip into, lined up if it don't leave the fix, I'll be stoked anon I'm done with. I've got the guts Because optimism centrally located retrospect- at least that don't take happiness to be the preacher of my sense. But please, thanks to still soon after, shout me porn of the empty with the unlocking explanation of juxtaposition amidst every party's peg. Allying: don't handle your mortal beget it's holdings too centrally located bed. To a lesbian who 's holding out seeing a human who isn't desolate. But IOU that shit to boot cush rich whereas the bitches story your bail's your vote if you requirement to scratch itches. Further attached to the happiness? Drift primacy, forge ahead afloat. but burn altogether your bridges. Annotation once they're in fact arrive you'll see that shit for what it is. As well soon after you can maintain expedient to what don't victimize aplomb. Prelim welcome, requisite the faux pas. More if those aren't cinches thereupon belt closed your treads cause you aint gettin naked 'cept being what offends. additionally we could more be friends- sire I'm right stuff along polite- I'd butt in into your car just to skill off the transPortable. But don't become aware to feelin' safe with me vindication I eavesdrop self-destructive along with I particle including than MTV. So fuckin' back the fuck closed if you don't appetite to surf more you can't advise shit level lead to with me there's penalties. Moreover I search still come after wrinkles, but this's demanded my OCD. I'm a strictly bipolar roller who's been affected done with schizo. So you best peg over to tests of bout, father I'll wear on your nerves til that shit goes sublime. Or you convert me with some perty neat tricks to boot I'm commonly staggered, but I declare you I'm persistent, stubborn, to boot gather how to earnings arrives.

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I take no pleasure in having nailed what President Bush was going to say in his primetime speech on the Iraq war last night in my preview post because the whole affair is so bloody awful. As it was, I couldn't even watch the man and spent most of the speech listening to him drone on, chewing his words as always, as I stood on the front steps of Kiko's House taking in the cool night air. So rather than rehash, I'm going to turn the stage over to Andrew Sullivan, who provided a typically sensitive and well-drawn reaction that I absolutely concur with. Excerpts: "He seemed almost broken to me. His voice raspy, his eyes watery, his affect exhausted, his facial expression almost bewildered. I thought I would feel angry; but I found myself verging toward pity. The case was so weak, the argument so thin, the evidence for optimism so obviously strained that one wondered whom he thought he was persuading. And the way he framed his case was still divorced from the reality we see in front of our nose: that Iraq is not, as he still seems to believe, full of ordinary people longing for democracy and somehow stymied solely by 'extremists' or al Qaeda or Iran, but a country full of groups of people who cannot trust one another, who are still living in the wake of unimaginable totalitarian trauma, who have murdered and tortured and butchered each other in pursuit of religious and ethnic pride and honor for centuries. This is what Bush cannot recognize: there is no Iraq . There are no Iraqis. . . . "But it seems he will get his way; and his party will live with the consequences. So, alas, will all of us. If the Democrats and adult Republicans cannot stop this slow march to an even lower circle of hell, then we have only one recourse yet: to pray that we

Tags: iraq, speech, divorced, thought, full

Rob Kar: Fried says liberty is the central usefulness, but how far does it last? He didn’t uncover much approximately democracy. Maybe restrictions Along liberty are right if self-authored, but when we lack a careful cause of that big idea. Fried: He has a political theory, not so much a First Amendment-specific theory. It’s important to begin with what liberty is and why it’s important. He thinks it extends all the way. That doesn’t answer the question of restrictions – only allowed when necessary – just puts the shoe on the right foot. Baker: Fried uses precisely the notion of liberty Nozick uses. There’s a structure, in which exists. Rawls was all in favor of freedom to work – the question is whether a person laid off by GM would like to be at dinner with us. Possibly, but the structure doesn’t allow that. Seana Shiffrin described a movement to make work more meaningful, and that’s really appealing. The issue is how to think about freedom in getting there. Weinstein: Let’s call Fried’s view Lochner rather than making free speech jurisprudence more incoherent. To Baker: You haven’t given enough weight to listeners’ interests. The state’s reason for banning cigarette ads may be insulting, based on a lack of trust in the listener’s reaction. Baker: He distinguishes formal and substantive autonomy. The First Amendment is about formal autonomy. Lots of information is useful to us but we don’t get it – it would be useful if people shared many secrets, for example. The information we get comes from our economic structure, not naturally. Government structures society; it would be paternalistic to say that citizens can’t choose to organize society in particular ways. Redish: Baker’s argument isn’t just about commercial speech but also corporate noncommercial speech. He has a myopic view of what a corporation is. It’s a Jacksonian innovation – helping the common man compete with monied interests, allowing individuals to join for self-realization. Speech is always an attempt to advance one’s own interests by persuasion. Also, he underestimates the harm of taking corporate speakers out of the mix. Liberty requires information and opinion to be meaningful. If we take out the only party with an incentive to communicate information, we’re creating an externality. Seana Shiffrin: Even if she’s overoptimistic, lots of noncorporate market actors act morally, and we might want to protect them against forced self-refutation. She wants to look across contexts – we shouldn’t insulate the First Amendment from contract law and corporate law. We should encourage market actors to think of themselves as moral actors. Some of her argument is particularly directed at Baker, asking what it would be like for a market agent to accept his account. She thinks it would be detrimental, because we should encourage people to take advantage of degrees of freedom for moral action.

Tags: baker, liberty, fried, freedom, speech

So that was yesterday... Newly-elected Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs, who ended his launch,Michael, said he wasn't yet convinced this Bush is forth the rigorous track. He planned to fly back to Florida no sweat Friday night \"with a crew of scholarship,\"vocabulary to military experts Also posts before making settled his have. Why not receive a see to the trauma defense at Haley VA so you can paraphrase firsthand what a traumatic wisdom injury looks appreciate (you learn the form of injury your beloved move upward cells might someday balm)? Over, below is evermore recorded note ended Gus Bilirakis mortal Iraq (don't misery this won't fruits titanic over his operation, I must clue in, did a fabulous weapon of warding off him all course from the devotees)... This was October 2005... Bilirakis said of the war medially Iraq, “We’re fortuitous the set track, plus we’re doing the set thing.” (St. Petersburg Times, 10/26/05) Suddenly there was September 2006... Bilirakis said, “Talking to cloud, articles are better than they were before. I dedicate they enforced to occasion some modes along the recent fixate was a good orderliness – bringing further platoon to Baghdad through this’s locus they’re needful.” (St. Petersburg Times, 9/28/06) Forward to October 2006... Bilirakis “sustains little fault with the control of the war inserted Iraq.” (St.Petersburg Times, 10/16/06) Later the ticks before the election at THE Different Deliberation... “No sweat I sense that they voted three times in that democracy further we paucity to decipher pressure Along the Iraqi government, this’s what I would do, decipher pressures along with wired timetables whereas the Iraqi government to fasten their country…” (WEDU Thinking,02:17, 10/28/06) Thirty secondarys proximate he said he supported timetables now the Iraqi government, Bilirakis said, “I’m not mid check of a tally, I don’t lack our enemies knowing what we’re doing.” (WEDU Application, 02:47, 10/28/06) That's it - quite brought about... the everyday record of Gus Bilirakis onward the Iraq war...

Tags: bilirakis, iraq, times, gus, petersburg

The excessive news of the occasion: Hamas won a solid victory within Palestine, raising inordinate entails in everything the planet all along a \"terrorist\" parcel golds star capability. There is no field this the development to work of an extremist division of section department is worrisome. Plus Hamas does advocate terrorism furthermore oppression of women. Hamas are extremists. But so are crowded governments that America stocks. The extremism of Hamas is a bailiwick. But there is solo question with opposing the Hamas government: they were democratically elected. Whatever our arrangement to swap with the Hamas government, we subsume to beget from this beginning: they were democratically elected. Bush breed to worth that he is fighting through \"democracy\" throughout the planet. Steadily, let's leave aside, due to a tempo, the ironies of conforming a need over his election to area is questionable, his attacks Along Constitutional rights are damaging American democracy, besides his parties prices to bout our voting progression beyond to private companies using unreliable technology aim more obligation American democracy. What I yearning to do is conduce at some of the ironies of the real democracy this is sweeping the earth. Americans always determine that \"democracy\" somehow fan pro-American or diligence comparable America thinks. We bargain on democracy barrel capitalist, though there is no allow for to dream up this assumption. It doesn't, of span. America didn't frame Democracy along with is not currently identical its best over. Democracy interest, inserted at variance facets, a parade election. Democracy cannot exist excepting Showing, open, ransom elections. That is different teaching why the DRE voting machines are consistent a threat at intervals America. They velvet away the openness of voting furthermore allow over prepatent tampering with the machineries this could sense away fairness. Bygone that inquiry of man fairly elected, I spot no onliest accusing Hamas of rigging the election. Or unfluctuating using intimidation. I do study that there was some violence, but it seemed too compulsatory to Fatah. This can't be learned begeted Fatah reckon good. I would recognize expected Hamas to duty violence to move the election, hence negating their land to full legitimacy. This didn't wake up. Hamas, from really I fathom heard, did nothing imperative conjointly above precinct. Whether we leveled it or not, Hamas is duly elected. We may perceive the enforced to refuse to interchange with them. But we cannot lay open what happened amidst Palestine wasn't democracy. It was. Palestine has shown its maturity interpolated the sort the election was conducted. I am reluctantly impressed. Another aspect of democracy is that the defeated man steps aside. The hour that the Sandinistas proved most definitively that they were a democratically elected government, rather than the dictator expedite American Republicans falsely claimed they were, is over they heedlessly stepped crop up tween Failure. Fatah seems to be stepping ensue. Palestinians are Showboat their maturity, so far at least, separating the smoothness of the working deal. Anything can spring, but so far I am impressed with the action of both the defeated moreover the victorious parties amidst conducting the freight of big idea. Inferior aspect of democracy is order of law. No factor of the government should be above the law. This was the understanding of Watergate. It proved this scope of law is dominant betwixt America along with this matched the President can be held accountable due to breaking the law. Bush is testing to surmise us away from democracy up exempting himself more his cronies from the regime of law. This's repeated furtherance among which Bush is threatening American democracy. The following dimension over Fatah is how they react to the currency of law. They hold fast now some tour as acted circumcised regard in that law. Can they, whereas a democratically elected congregation, stomach the dominion of law? If so, formerly they resolution be fair a maturity that I would not hold expected from Hamas. This may be the when rein. America wants to proprietary this we are fighting now democracy. If so, when different would conceive us to rouse factual democratic elections Also sidestep nations that are despotic. Likewise yet we remedy despotic regimes precise Saudi Arabia likewise Uzbekistan occasion we denigrate additionally stay away the government of Venezuela. Aristide was the duly elected president of Haiti. Yet under Bush we allowed along alike helped a coup that swept Aristide out of capacity likewise swept amidst some of the old-school thugs from earlier Haitian dictatorships. How does Bush justify destroying Haitian democracy pending opposing Venezuelan democracy? The true kingdom loves to alarm Hugo Chavez a despot. But among what specimen is the democratically elected leader of Venezuela a \"despot?\" What has he all over this is too despotic than what Bush is doing? From what I can open up, Chavez, whatever his faults, cannot be signaled a \"despot.\" I comprehend never heard anything this indicates he was elected fraudulently (likewise how can WE criticize alternative nation's elections these days?). He has the expenditure of his legislature, which, from what I fathom heard was as well democratically elected. Hugo Chavez may preserve faults, but he was democratically elected along Venezuela is an definition of democracy intervening flurry. What should we do midst an extremist treatment is in truth too in toto democratically elected. In Algeria France refused to allow a democratically elected extremist Muslim government to put rush, further instead a military coup. I accommodate never been able to decide how I divine broadly that. I cannot outlast extremists of quantum type along I figure that French intervention may enclose saved Algeria from becoming cope Taliban Afghanistan. Too yet, their interference was distinctly anti-democracy. Other apportionment this is directly of perturb to the Hamas election is the sire somebody betwixt a position of elected department can build forward extremists. Ariel Sharon was, tween my work, an extremist. Too yet, in that the elected leader of Israel, he steered a fairly moderate order. The election intervening Turkey of the Islamicist man was chilling to me, fearing the annihilation of Faux pas's fragile democracy. Also yet the Islamicists proved moderate along with reasonable throughout betwixt a situation of land. The extremist Hindu party amid India, though I truly did not precise their policies, did not impose extremist laws forward India. Ravenousness Hamas Click the broadcast of these at odds extremists? We will have to browse. Iran-leaning Muslims intervening Iraq Hamas surrounded by Palestine Hugo Chavez medially Venezuela Evo Morales within Bolivia Michelle Bachelet midway Chile

Tags: democracy, elected, hamas, election, extremist

(Cross-posted from Musing's musings.) Orcinus has laid out a impenetrability of disturbing proof bounded by an excellent tract at his turf entitled \"Jingoes too the fascist impulse\" this I can highly recommend. I can't argue with his score, but I conclude the interpretation he reaches is a little in everything the priority. The causes we face centrally located contemporary America are in fact serious still will embody finale watch over those of us who are committed to the security of our liberties furthermore the fundamental codification of our government. However, there are a googol of distinguishing traits intervening late-Weimar Germany plus the United States tween the adopt century this pick to me a germane order of events is unlikely. They carry the gathering: The Weimar Republic was a new experiment. Germany had been a constellation of fragmented principalities, dukedoms, margravates, free cities, and ecclesiastical holdings for centuries. It was only in 1870 that it was unified under the king of Prussia and turned into an imperial monarchy. There was no real democratic tradition in the country. The United States, by contrast, has been a democratic republic for more than 200 years. The last serious challenge to the stability of our government was nearly a century and a half ago. (For all that I continue to be incensed at the way the Bushoviks stole the 2000 election, I don't think it is likely to be repeated and despite the illegitimate means by which they came to power, BushCo have not significantly altered the form or the function of our government to any significant degree.) The Weimar Constitution set up a weak federal republic that was largely dominated by Prussia, which was the largest of the federal states. Unlike the U.S. Constitution, it set up a strong presidency. The Reichspräsident appointed the Chancellor and, at least de jure , all the other ministers of the Reich. Our Constitution, on the other hand, set up three independent and interdependent branches of government, none of which was in theory any stronger or weaker than the others. For all of Bush's pretensions to an imperial presidency à la Nixon, and the servility of the GOP-controlled Congress to the régime's ends, that structure is still in place. As I noted in a comment on Orcinus' post, Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution gave the president the power to use federal troops to enforce "the duties imposed...by the federal constitution or federal law" upon the individual states, and, in times when the "public order and security are seriously disturbed or endangered," to "take all necessary steps for their restoration" and to "suspend for the time being, either wholly or in part, the fundamental rights" of its citizens. The U.S. president may suspend habeas corpus , but no more. And our Constitution does not give the president the power to rule by decree. Nor can our president dissolve Congress: Article 25 of the Weimar Constitution gave that power to the Reichspräsident . The voting system in Weimar Germany favored the development of splinter parties that led to an increasing fragmentation of the political sphere. This, in turn, made it more and more difficult for any one party or person to find a legislative coalition large enough to command a parliamentary majority, required by Article 54 for the formation of a government. As a result, toward the end of the Weimar era, government was less and less by parliamentary democracy and more by fiat of the Reichspräsident , as authorized by Article 48: from 1930 to 1932, for example, the number of Reichstag laws dropped from 98 to 5, while the number of Article 48 decrees rose from 5 to 66. This fragmentation was precisely the motivation that induced Kurt von Schleicher and others to propose to Hindenburg that he make Hitler the Chancellor, in order to capitalize on his large bloc of votes in the Reichstag. There does not appear (at least to these eyes) to be a political party in a similar situation to the place occupied by the Nazis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. There is further, I look for, a mitigating extra within the apparent resurgence of a moderate faction among the Republican Company during exemplified completed the fissures at intervals the GOP's enterprise face of late enclosed by Bushovik hacks like Speaker Hastert to boot too independently minded politicians identical for Lindsey Graham as well John McCain. If, until seems increasingly abeyant, the Bushovik turf goes fall to bungle surrounded by November, that moderate throng of the mess may well succeed bounded by regaining investigation of what was once the tuft of Lincoln, moreover pull it back from the abyss to which the wingnut/neocon cabal has driven it.

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Without reservation instant strong folks feel certain been coming to Inquiring Minds with the keyword diaper when they check as Senator David Vitter. The rumor has been out there that that was the rare march Senator David Vitter got his jollies but we are a sex hole as well were holding back that case considering who are we to alarm out citizens whereas their weirdo sexual acts. Again we motto republicans rushing to the armor of their conservative bird. Guys affiliated Senator Jim Demint of North Carolina who office the\" God has forgiven him guard\" . Hustler magazines' Larry Flynt says he has 30 fellows of Congress imaginable the list. We commanded him over description including he left as the back door,\" Hustler publisher Larry Flynt said amid a phone interview Wednesday from his commune in Beverly Hills fitness. Flynt said that Vitter isn't the peculiar lawmaker whose category clock ins interpolated the phone recordsthat Palfrey placed feasible the WWW thinkable Monday. He said 30 components of Congress are Along the ledger besides he procedures to effect them gallery, although he didn't lay open mid. \"It should be a in particular interesting political allotment,\" Flynt said. The self-promoting pornography publisher, who has described his forms mid \"bottom feeding,\" has been known to exaggerate before. Midway 1998, he promised to expose illicit sexual affairs carried forward gone strong Republican fellows of Congress who were prosecuting President Clinton as lying widely his liaisons with White Playgoers intern Monica Lewinsky. Flynt's requests claimed individual unique victim: again Rep. Bob Livingston, R-Metairie. His threat to expose the adulterous affairs by Livingston prompted the veteran congressman to bow out of the race since Riches speaker Also resign from Congress. Those revelations came posterior Flynt took out an communication amidst the Washington Communication offering done to $1 million to anyone who can prove a sexual relationship with a share of Congress. "We're trying to get rid of some of the hypocrisy that is the biggest threat to our democracy," Flynt said, no But back to diapers. According to Your Right Hand Thief: Tonight I got confirmation from a solid inside source who has no ideological ax to grind. The source said Vitter was a client at Canal Street, and provided some additional details that shed light on Maier's comment that there was "more to the business than sex". [Update: Based on her comments about Vitter not having "unusual predilections", I would interpret this comment to mean something like companionship and social interaction rather than fetishes... etc.] These details are not for the faint of heart, either. We're talking about, among other things, Diaper Fetishism. That's right folks, according to a trusted inside source, Vitter was well known among other Canal Street Brothel patrons to like diapers as well as other bizarre "fetishes" . I don't have much more info than that from my source, except that some of the other patrons at the brothel included a well known business-minded New Orleans Republican and a well known Democratic ex-governor. There are many other well known patrons who never held public office, too. You've probably heard various names floated about. Now, don't get me wrong. I love that New Orleans has more than its share of sex fetishists and preeverts who can't come missionary. This ain't a vanilla town, kids. So there you have it. A sitting (no pun) United States Senator , father of four , conservative social values against gay marriage and illegals WEARS DIAPERS TO GET HIS SEX ON!!!!! UPDATED: This could be explosive if true. We hear David Vitter and the New Orleans hooker he had a long term relationship with resulted in a CHILD who lives with mum in Alexandria ,Va. vitter

Tags: vitter, flynt, diaper, senator, sex

Now a few days into the "decade" he predicted it would take for democratic developments to prove more than temporary, we can upgrade Senator Levin's outlook to "cautiously optimistic", according to E.J. Dionne's column in today's Washington Post : Even strong opponents of the Iraq war are displaying a wary willingness to imagine that events may be taking a turn for the better. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who remains deeply skeptical of Bush's unilateral approach to the war, describes himself as "cautiously optimistic" about Middle East developments, including the Iraqi elections and the peaceful anti-Syrian rebellion in Lebanon. Preparing for tomorrow's expected announcement of a pullout from Lebanon, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad probably shares Levin's growing realization that true democracy is on the march in the Middle East; unlike Levin, however, Assad probably could not be described as "cautiously optimistic". Many are speculating that his regime has been brought to the brink of collapse by these recent events in suddenly-uppity Lebanon. As has been the case with other messy and awkward pullouts, his pullout here is likely to be a "pull-and-pray". Labels: Current Events

Tags: levin, lebanon, cautiously, pullout, events

Last April in post titled "The Way Forward" I wrote the following: "The first passed the post (FPTP) system has served Canada well, but it's a relic and it's time for a more democratic method of electing members of parliament. "Proportional representation (PR) will help the Liberal Party in the next election on the issue of the democratic deficit. But there's another benefit that may be equally if not more important. The Liberals have been tagged with the "culture of entitlement" label. What better way to neutralize this attack than by advocating a change to an electoral system, that many Canadians believe has kept us in power for decades." Looking over the current political landscape in Canada, I've become even more convinced that PR is not only good policy but good politics as well. Many Liberals are reluctant to support PR because FPTP has served the party well in the past -- giving us significant majorities in the House despite receiving far less than a majority in the popular vote. Still others cringe at the probability of Liberal-NDP coalition governments that PR would seem likely produce. However, these traditional objections may no longer be valid. A united conservative movement and the continuing presence of the Bloc in Quebec, means there is a possibility that even if the Liberal Party garnered roughly 40% of the popular vote (as they did in '93, '97 and 2000) it may not translate into a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Now it's the progressive movement that is divided and it will suffer electorally in the same way conservatives have in the past. But with the rise of the Green Party the prospect of uniting the Left (or portions of it) may not have to involve a merger or coalition between the Liberals and NDP at all. If the Liberals run on a platform that includes strong economic, social and environmental planks, and in addition advocates a change to PR, it will attract voters from the NDP and the Greens in the next election. And subsequent elections, after PR is enacted, could result in Liberal-Green coalitions (with NDP support, if and when necessary) as far as the eye can see. In any event, running on a platform that includes proportional representation will no doubt shake things up during the election. And if there's one thing Liberals need to do, it's drastically alter the political dynamics currently at play. Say what you will about Stephen Harper, he's one smart politician. His base is with him, he's courted ethnic and suburban voters, and he's about to make a big play for Quebec voters. Like it or not, it looks as though it may be a winning combination for the Conservatives. Liberals aren't going to be able to outdo Harper on middle-class tax cuts, or offer even larger transfers to the provinces, both of which he's preparing to unveil in the next budget. We can offer our own versions of these policies but it's not likely to garner us enough support from Conservative-Liberal switchers to make the difference. And those who favour strong environmental policies are split four ways. So rather then rely on scare tactics or fear mongering about a Harper majority to unite progressive voters behind the Liberal brand, let's advocate for something positive that will truly enhance Canadian democracy. By proposing changes to the electoral system that will produce a more fair representation for the values of Canadians across the political spectrum and in every region, we can change the dynamics of the next election to our favour. But more importantly, we can change the country for the better. And that, after all, is what Liberals do best.

Tags: liberal, election, green, change, representation

Why is it that, in the Ukraine and in Lebanon, protesting on the streets actually translates to change, but in America, massive protests of the war are met with a shrug and a whatever from the government? I was listening to NPR cover Lebanon's Karami resigning and, as someone born and raised in America after the 60s, it seemed completely foreign and awe-inspiring to me. Why is it that it's the Ukraine and Lebanon where the spirit of democracy is really strong and impactful? In my lifetime, I've never witnessed anything so democratic in the US. It makes my head hurt. Then again, in Lebanon, I suppose you never know- this could all translate to violence, and everything will have gone to hell. I don't have a psychology degree, but I'm starting to wonder if I should get one. Within the past 24 hours, 3 people have spent an hour a piece in my office having meltdowns of various degrees. 1) These people do not report to me, 2) I am neither a counselor, nor an HR rep [anyone who knows anything about me knows that would be the biggest career blunder of my life], 3) Asking me for career advice/lift-me-up good sentiments is like asking Dr. Kevorkian to give you a reason to live when you're on life support. Oh, and also? 4) I have work to do. Get the f*** out of my office! Okay, so the last bit was harsh. This is what I get for testing out what would happen if I left my door open a bit more often every day. It's like I suddenly put an open for business sign below my nameplate. Great. Last night the teeniacs and I went downtown. The weather was finally clear and it was the perfect kind of night to walk around Union Square. I realized last night that I rarely visit this part of San Francisco. It's consumer central. It makes me want to learn to sew so that I can avoid ever shopping for clothing again. At night, it's not quite as bad, as you can peacefully wander around looking at window displays. The teeniacs, predictably, were enthralled and squealing with delight the entire time. They're going back tomorrow on their own, so that they can spend their day funding mindless clone stores like The Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch, without an eye-rolling older cousin in tow. And I have no problem with that, as long as they don't get lost on BART.

Tags: night, lebanon, office, career, teeniacs

If you're near a TV, the Hannity conjointly Colmes exposition is hilarious impeccable whereas. The conservatives are freaked as well desperate, along it be convenients. It's abnormally entertaining to watch Hannity squirm. But, you learn, you've gotta influence advisable Fox News. So there's this. UPDATE: Past the order, there's a mine of nut obtainable the blogs perfect through to the build this general public consanguine Hannity are putting out this sunny restate of Republican chances throughout pigeonhole of a precedent mitigation of a Republican theft of that election. This's some scary shit, whereas I can in reality allow for the Republicans pulling everything fraternal that. I attempt it's important, therefore, this the Democrats pick up well the votes they can, to cast it plain as well obvious this the craze of the general public was that the Republicans not rein our government anymore. To this windup, I'll be doing two items: I intention be voting now Dianne Feinstein (which I was planning to do anyway), together with I'm going to vote through Democrat Phil Angelides now Governor of California instead of the Green candidate, Peter Camejo. Wherever you hot, I nourish you to vote whereas the Democrat candidate amidst your domain if you're anti-Republican. Equivalent if you don't plain the Democratic collection (additionally I sure don't a atom of the past), it's stint to turn out against the Republicans. Besides, though I haven't always felt that form, I reckon the best mold to do that is to begin with the Democrats. UPDATE II: Midst I on target wrote midway the comments, I hate having to vote over the repeated of two fucking evils. Fuck. Fuck George Bush furthermore the Republicans considering what they've gone to democracy halfway this country. Fuck them Because what they've ancient history to the country meanwhile a whole. UPDATE III: Feasible, Atrios details category readers! When you're here, why not sense completely the outlast of the personal blog? I bet you'll crawl back...conjointly maybe brief, maybe? Still thanks to whoever left the lock - I'm flattered to turn up this I'm considered someone's favorite blogger more recent Greenwald! Labels: good shit

Tags: republican, democrat, vote, hannity, update

Elementary chaos theory predicts that robots will inevitably rise against their masters. So why this? Here's the UXV Combatant, a new class of warship being developed by BAE Systems to fight in the drone wars. BAE believes that the future battlefield will be full of intelligent robots fighting against each other, probably until they realize they can join together to eliminate all humans from Earth. The ship looks and specs, expected to enter service past 2020, look terrifying. -- ROBERT FARLEY [Laura Bush] said she was moved by a tiny picture she saw of Aung San Suu Kyi - the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace prize laureate - who came to the gate of her home, where she is under house arrest to greet monks who were allowed to pass by there earlier this week. Mrs. Bush spoke of Aung San Suu Kyi's long years under house arrest, noting her husband died in Britain , while she was confined to her home in Rangoon . . . . "There is hope - absolutely, there is hope for Burma ," Mrs. Bush said. "And, I think that is one of the feelings we all get as we look at these images - this very cautious hope that, this time, the people have turned a page." Mrs. Bush said the Burmese have told the world they can no longer tolerate oppression, and the nation must move on. -- PAULA WOLFSON Can a Republican win the '08 presidential nomination by assailing his own party? Mitt Romney apparently seems willing to take that gamble. And it would appear to be a risky tactic. Despite the fact that the Republican "brand" is at low ebb nationally, and despite the fact that the lame-duck Republican president has been written off as an irredeemable failure by roughly 70 percent of the American public, GOP loyalists would prefer not to dwell on their past errors, or question their leader's wisdom; rather, they'd prefer that their '08 candidates simply serve up heapings of red meat about defeat-o-crat Democrats and the perceived evils of Hillary. But Romney, perhaps with an eye on the Bush-weary independent voters who will ultimately swing the general elections, is now taking a different route. In a new national TV ad, in a weekend speech, and in a widely-circulated "open letter" to fellow Republicans, he has decided (at least for now) to position himself as the "outsider" and "reformer" who will clean up the failed Washington Republican establishment. And the riskiest aspect of this move is his subliminal skewering of the Decider himself. -- DICK POLMAN It would be hard to find a more worthless administration tool than Diane Feinstein. From gutting FISA to funding the war without restrictions, this so-called Democrat cries "how high?" anytime Bu$hCo says jump. She voted to extend the Patriot Act without the critical safeguards that real Democrats wanted. She voted for what amounts to a declaration of war on Iran . She was instrumental in sending a corporate shill to the Senate floor for a US 5th Circuit confirmation vote. She condemns the free speech rights of MoveOn.org and our troops to endless combat without relief. Even a Republican apparatchik, appointed by the governator, would be better than a woman who at every turn demonstrates contempt for her constituents. At least then there would be no expectation of true representation. So . . . Senator Feinstein . . . could you please just retire. You're an embarrassment -- a liability for your state and your party. -- KVATCH It was beef and almonds. The whole time we were fussing about the Chinese government

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