MyDD

Protecting Workers’ Rights Does Not Amount to “Globophobia”
by Jonathan Singer, Fri Dec 29, 2006 at 05:30:57 PM EST

The early responses to John Edwards’ announcement that he will run for the Democratic presidential nomination are coming in, and at least one leading Centrist Democrat does not like the themes being offered by the former North Carolina Senator.

Aides to presidential candidate Edwards say the former North Carolina senator can attract votes from the political center by conveying passion and commitment. But Clintonites like Progressive Policy Institute’s Will Marshall fret about rise of populist “globaphobia” within the party. [emphasis added]…

It should come as little surprise that Marshall, a DLCer who strongly advocated for America to wage war on Iraq, would voice concerns about the candidacy of someone who now opposes the war and would like to see an end to American involvement in the country. With his own views now thoroughly undermined by the reality on the ground in Iraq and rejected by the vast majority of Americans, Marshall, as well as others of his ilk, would have much to lose were the Democratic Party to choose as its standard bearer in 2008 someone with the fortitude to advocate the redeployment of American troops from Iraq. Facing the prospect of no longer having the ear of the powers within the party, Marshall has no choice but to dredge up a strawman argument: that any Democrat opposed to transforming the Middle East at the barrel of the American gun or in favor of protecting American workers’ rights in trade agreements is a “globophobe.”

But Marshall knows better, as do we. Implementing a trade policy that ensures America can compete on an even playing field by mandating some standards for workplace safety, protecting the enviroment and the like is not “globophobia.” Using America’s soft power through diplomacy instead of rushing to use America’s military forces when not necessary is not “globophobia.” Acknowledging that escalating the War in Iraq by increasing the number of American troops involved is not “globophobia.” Strengthening America’s ties to its allies throughout the world is not “globophobia.” Nothing that John Edwards advocates — or, for that matter, the vast majority of the populist Democrats who won key elections around the country on November 7, enabling Democratic control over the House and Senate — amounts to “globophobia.”

As Chris has written before, there is no place in the Democratic Party for those who make ad hominem attacks on other Democrats — particularly when those attacks involve the talking points used by Republicans. So if leading DLC activists insist upon helping the Republican Party win in 2008, whether by echoing their rhetorical assaults on Democrats or by openly supporting the presidential ambitions of non-Democrats like Michael Bloomberg, then I must renew my call to excommunicate the DLC from the Democratic Party.

Echidne of the Snakes

The Last Stance Against Femifascists

I thought that I was a feminazi but now I also seem to belong to the more general category of femifascists. This according to a forthcoming book by a sitting judge:…

Chapter 1 of Circuit Judge Robert H. Dierker Jr.’s book, “The Tyranny of Tolerance: A Sitting Judge Breaks the Code of Silence to Expose the Liberal Judicial Assault,” has circulated via e-mail since last month and been widely read in legal circles, lawyers and judges say.

The sentiments expressed in that chapter, which frequently uses the term “femifascists” and is titled “The Cloud Cuckooland of Radical Feminism,” have already prompted a complaint with the state body that can reprimand or remove judges…

Dierker ends his book by reassuring all us femifascists that he would rule fairly and justly from the bench should one of our cases come before him. So I am not at all concerned, naturally, as Mr. Dierker clearly doesn’t have strong prior prejudices to combat.

It’s odd how extremely powerful and evil feminists are in this country. How fascist and nazi-like they are. How vicious and evil. And powerful, did I mention that? You can see the influence of feminists everywhere: Those long government-funded maternity leaves and those bans on inquiring about pregnancy when interviewing women for a job! The long, unbroken chain of only women in the Supreme Court! The female bishops and of course the woman Pope! And nothing but women to run the large companies or this country! And of course women own all the media corporations, too and the porn providers on the internet.

No amount of my sarcasm will make any difference. It’s like that old cartoon showing a boardroom meeting with about twenty men and one woman sitting around a long table while being introduced to a second woman to join the board. The thought bubble over the sitting woman’s head says “Still only two women!”, whereas the thought bubbles over the heads of all the men say “We are surrounded!”

Posted by: echidne / 12/27/2006 02:04:00 AM

If you were a slugabed this morning, and didn’t get up in time to listen to Brent Budowsky on the Mark Riley Show talking about the future of progressive media, you can listen to the recording I made at the links below.  It’s a bit over 16 minutes.

Real    .mp3

Caro

Bush taking more time to craft Iraq plan
CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he’ll announce in the new year.

5 U.S. Troops Added To Death Toll in Iraq
December’s Number Steadily Edging Toward Highest Monthly Tally of ’06

Same as the old year.
What Now Cartoons

Source: Saddam Execution Likely By Sunday
A U.S. military officer says Saddam Hussein will be turned over to the Iraqis within the next 36 hours and he expects that the Iraqis will execute him before the start of the Muslim celebration of Eid on Sunday, reports David Martin.

3 million Muslims begin annual hajj
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia – In his tent in the desert outside the holy city of Mecca, Suleiman Ibrahim still couldn’t believe his luck. His wife, sitting nearby, broke down in tears of joy Thursday as he recounted the day they learned they would perform Islam’s hajj pilgrimage.

Army denies Israeli settlement report
JERUSALEM – Israeli settlers have set up 200 mobile homes in the West Bank without official approval during the past six months, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday, citing military documents. But both the army and a settlement watchdog group disputed the report.

Iran MPs oblige government to revise IAEA cooperation
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran’s parliament passed a bill on Wednesday obliging the government to “revise” its level of cooperation with the IAEA nuclear watchdog after the United Nations approved sanctions on Tehran over its atomic program.

Troops kill seven rebels in Afghanistan, child dies in bomb
KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) – Troops backed by attack helicopters from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan killed around seven Taliban militants overnight while a rebel bomb killed a child beggar, officials said.

Afghan president, UN reject Pakistan’s mining of border
KABUL (AFP) – Afghanistan’s president and the United Nations dismissed Pakistan’s decision to mine and fence the frontier between the rowing neighbours as a way to cut back crossborder “terrorism”.

Russia tightens grip on gas, threatens to cut supply
Russia is threatening to turn off the heat for the second straight winter. Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled natural gas monopoly, has told Belarus to pay double the current price for gas by New Year’s Day or supplies will be cut.

Free TVs spark populism in India
SUMATHUVAPURAM, India – These days, it seems, the huddled masses are yearning to get free TVs. Declaring color television a basic necessity, an Indian political party promised free sets to the poor and swept to power in May in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Somali troops enter Mogadishu to cheers
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Jubilant Somalis cheered as troops of the U.N.-backed interim government rolled into Mogadishu unopposed Thursday, putting an end to six months of domination of the capital by a radical Islamic movement.

WH says no terror threats for New Year’s
WASHINGTON – Americans should ring in the new year without undue worry about a terrorist attack, the White House homeland security adviser said Thursday.
But don’t FORGET about terror threats, Americans.  Don’t you dare start feeling safe, or anything liberal, like that.

Ford disagreed with Bush over Iraq invasion
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President George W. Bush and his top advisers made a “big mistake” in their justification for invading Iraq, Gerald Ford told journalist Bob Woodward in an interview embargoed until after the former president’s death.

Reyes: U.S. intelligence ‘manipulated’
WASHINGTON – Incoming House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes says he’d rather figure out how to stabilize Iraq and bring the troops home than get bogged down investigating what went wrong.
We need to do both, Mr. Reyes, both.  At the same time.  Why he doesn’t get this, I don’t know.

Dems likely to resurrect detainee issue
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats plan to use their newfound power to revisit one of the most contentious national security matters of 2006: Deciding what legal rights must be protected for detainees held in the war on terrorism.

Mental health bill to face House vote
WASHINGTON – After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both.

Reid seeks better U.S.-Bolivia relations
LA PAZ, Bolivia – A delegation of six U.S. senators led by incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid met Thursday with Bolivian President Evo Morales, seeking to smooth relations with the South American country’s left-leaning government.

Johnson remains in critical condition
WASHINGTON – Sen. Tim Johnson turned 60 on Thursday, two weeks after emergency surgery to repair a brain hemorrhage that has left him in critical condition.

Court Restores Inmates’ Voting Rights 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A state appeals court is restoring the voting rights of about 100,000 local jail inmates across the state who are serving a year or less for felony convictions. The state said it would not appeal the decision from the 1st District Court of Appeal.

Dow falls 9 after upbeat economic data
NEW YORK – Wall Street stalled Thursday after a battery of reports indicated the economy is stronger than expected and raised concerns that the Federal Reserve might be more aggressive about interest rates next year.

Consumer confidence, home sales rise
WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy is ending the year with a hopeful set of reports showing that consumer confidence soared in December and the worst of the downturn for the battered housing market may be over.

Has Google Built a Smarter Internet?
Day two of the Asian Internet crisis. Here’s a short update from Shanghai. Much of the situation reported yesterday remains the same for me: most sites still are not accessible after Tuesday’s earthquake off the coast of Taiwan. What keeps amazing me is that all Google services keep on humming as if there was no problem.

132 million people access Web in China
BEIJING – China’s population of Internet users has risen by 30 percent over the past year to 132 million, a state news agency said Friday.

“The old newspaper just doesn’t work for me any more”
Samuel Fromartz has at times subscribed to three newspapers. In 2007, he plans on dumping newsprint and getting all of his news online.

Media, tech cos probe possible high-def DVD hack
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The companies behind an encryption system for high-definition DVDs are looking into a hacker’s claim that he has cracked the code protecting the new discs from piracy, a spokesman for one of the companies said on Thursday.

Ice mass snaps free from Canada’s Arctic
TORONTO – A giant ice shelf has snapped free from an island south of the North Pole, scientists said Thursday, citing climate change as a “major” reason for the event.

Good News About the Blues: Scientists Discover Gene Therapy for Depression
Scientists have discovered a new gene that makes mice happy, a finding that suggests another avenue of drugs for improving depression in humans.

Sea slug offers clues to human brain disorders
By probing the brain of a marine snail, researchers identified more than 100 genes similar to those associated with all major human neurological diseases and more than 600 genes controlling brain development. The reseawrch suggests the animal will be a valuable tool in understanding and ultimately treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Head-banging snakes may predict quakes
China has come up with an earthquake prediction system which relies on the behavior of snakes, state media said on Thursday, two days after two quakes struck off neighboring Taiwan.

Samsung Develops Marathon Fuel Cell
Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reports that Samsung, the world’s third-largest maker of cell phones and a force in the notebook and display markets as well, has engineered a fuel cell that can power a notebook computer for up to a month.

Connect All Those Devices to Your PC, but Forget the Cables
Belkin has developed a wireless U.S.B. hub, allowing computer users to untether from the desk and still use all of their peripherals.

Tomorrow morning, Friday December 29, 5 to 6 AM ET, on Air America’s Mark Riley Show Brent Budowsky discusses his ideas for the future of progressive media.  He mentions a number of the websites that have published his essays. If you don’t receive AAR by broadcast or by satellite, you can listen on the internet.

The Huffington Post

Brent Budowsky

Future of Democratic Leadership and the Progressive Movement.

12.27.2006

This week through January 1 I am appearing on five one hour shows with Mark Riley, on his Air America show, which can be heard on AM and XM radio and streamed, downloaded, podcast at airamericaradio.com.

For those interested there are several large overriding themes discussed in our analysis of 2006 and forecasts for 2007, especially:

1. Democrats should aspire to build a new era in American history of patriotic reform and national renewal similar to the eras of FDR and JFK. By electing a Democratic President and Democratic Congress in 2008 we can inaugurate the next New Deal and New Frontier and we should think in large, idealistic terms.

2. 2007 will see the coming together of this growing alliance between Democratic leaders, national grassroots, the progressive blogs and progressive radio which will all flourish and support each other more than pundits predict. News and communications power will be further shifted from MSM to independent news sites.

This new alliance will empower voters, lift the party, widen the debate and attract political support and investment capital. The sites mentioned include Arianna and Huffington, Caro Kay and makethemaccountable, Mark Karlin and Buzzflash, Rob Kall and OpEd News and Bob Parry and consortiumnews among others…

Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit. Left government in 1990 for marketing and public affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent management. He can be reached at brentbbi@webtv.net.

[Click the title of the article, above, to read more.—Caro]

Bush’s Iraq Plan Gets Big Build-Up
WASHINGTON (AP) – Determined not to be rushed, President Bush has spent weeks figuring out a new war plan in Iraq. All the while, the American public’s expectations have been headed in one direction – up. Anticipation is high not just because people are weary of war, but also because of the way Bush has gone about deciding his next move.

billy talent ringtonesringtones 7510 blackberryringtone blackberry raidermy biz blog ringtones websiteringtones phone samsung bluetoothbon ringtones phone cell joviunlimited ringtones boostbrenton ringtones wood Map

Distressed American

movies free xxxmovie old postersporn movies oldfree porn moviemovies masturbation free femalemovies amature freebouncing free movie boobsfemdom movies Map

Bombings kill 23 civilians in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three bombs killed 23 Iraqis in Baghdad on Thursday, and the U.S. military announced the deaths of three American soldiers.

Saddam’s Baath party threatens to hit U.S targets
AMMAN (Reuters) – Saddam Hussein’s Baath party threatened on Wednesday to retaliate if the ousted leader is executed, saying hanging him was a red line the United States should not cross.

Abbas proposes closed talks with Israel
CAIRO, Egypt – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas proposed Wednesday that he start closed-door talks with Israel on some of their most difficult disputes including the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Iran MPs oblige government to revise IAEA cooperation
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran’s parliament passed a bill on Wednesday obliging the government to “revise” its level of cooperation with the IAEA nuclear watchdog after the United Nations approved sanctions on Tehran over its atomic program.

British soldier killed, three hurt in southern Afghanistan
KABUL (AFP) – A British soldier has been killed and three hurt when a blast caused a vehicle crash in Afghanistan’s troubled southern Helmand province, the NATO-led force and British military said.

SKorea says US must be more flexible on NKorea
SEOUL (AFP) – South Korea’s point man on North Korea has urged the United States to be more flexible in talks on scrapping North Korea’s nuclear programmes.

Ecuador names 1st female defense chief
QUITO, Ecuador – President-elect Rafael Correa appointed seven women to his Cabinet on Wednesday, including Ecuador’s first female defense minister, saying he wanted to promote gender equality in his South American nation.

Islamic forces abandon Somalia’s capital
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Islamist forces who have controlled Somalia’s capital for months abandoned the city Thursday after government forces advanced to within striking distance. Looting broke out and clan leaders called for calm.

Security Council ‘encouraged’ by Sudan’s acceptance of joint Darfur force
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The UN Security Council gave a guarded welcome to Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir’s readiness to accept the deployment of a joint African Union-UN force in strife-torn Darfur.

Coast-To-Coast Tributes For Gerald Ford
Funeral ceremonies beginning Friday in California, continuing in Washington, with burial in Michigan on Wednesday will give Americans of all walks of life a chance to pay final respects to the 38th president of the United States.

Ford Disagreed With Iraq Policy
In exclusive interview, Gerald Ford “very strongly” opposed Bush’s justifications for war; criticized his own former colleagues Cheney and Rumsfeld.

US tries to assure allies that extraordinary renditions are over
The US is telling its overseas allies that it has stopped “extraordinary renditions” and needs their help to empty Guantánamo’s prison cells. But human rights groups dispute this assertion and a question mark hangs over 200 “war on terror” detainees who could be held indefinitely without trial.

State Department challenges Israel
WASHINGTON – Israel’s plan to construct a new settlement on the West Bank drew rare criticism Wednesday from the Bush administration.

Gov’t watchdogs under attack from bosses
WASHINGTON – The inspectors general entrusted to unearth waste, fraud and abuse in federal agencies are increasingly under attack, as top government officials they scrutinize try to erode the watchdogs’ independence and authority.

Mental Health Bill to Face House Vote
WASHINGTON (AP) – After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both.

Ohio reprimands outgoing governor
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday publicly reprimanded Ohio Gov. Bob Taft for his ethics violations in office, a black mark that will stay on his permanent record as an attorney.

Mass. court rejects gay union vote bid
The state s highest court ruled Wednesday it had no authority to force lawmakers to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but it still criticized them for not acting.

Bright idea makes a big comeback: Conservation
Nearly all businesses share an all-consuming mission: sell, sell, sell. But power companies these days are increasingly being told by regulators to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into selling less electricity.

Dow closes above 12,500 for first time
NEW YORK – Wall Street surged higher Wednesday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials past 12,500 for the first time as year-end bargain hunters picked up stocks across a variety of sectors.

New homes sales unexpectedly strong
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sales of new U.S. homes were unexpectedly strong in November and the backlog of unsold homes shrank, according to government data on Wednesday that suggested the worst of the housing slump may be in the past.

Home loan demand plummets as refinancing dives
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. mortgage applications plummeted last week to the lowest in nearly five months, as home refinancing loan demand plunged amid climbing interest rates, an industry trade group said on Wednesday.

Investor Outcry Over Exec Pay Retreat
Shareholder groups are upset that the SEC has backtracked on how some executive compensation will be reported

Fox streaming bowl games on Web
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Fox Sports will digitally distribute college football bowl games and preview shows on several Web sites beginning Thursday.

Microsoft adds behavioral targeting
NEW YORK – Microsoft Corp. has started linking users’ search habits with other personal information as it prepares to show more personalized advertisements.

Bloggers must disclose sponsored posts
A company that helps advertisers connect with bloggers willing to write about their products for payment will now require disclosures amid criticism and a regulatory threat.

FDA set to OK food from cloned animals
WASHINGTON – The government has decided that food from cloned animals is safe to eat and does not require special labeling.

Talking Fish: Wide Variety of Sounds Discovered
At least 1,000 species communicate by sound, and scientists are only beginning to discover the range of bizarre noise-making and listening techniques.

Viagra for Women?
In its efforts to develop a new antidepressant, a German drugmaker has stumbled upon a substance that increases female arousal

Spam Slams Internet at Record Levels
An explosion of spam has security vendors salivating over potential sales of filtering products this coming year, with levels of the insidious mail clogging inboxes expected to grow at unprecedented levels.

Companies promote affordable all-in-one computer security packages
The fight to protect consumer PCs from hackers is heating up. Whether it leaves all digital intruders in the cold could be another matter. Major product rollouts from Symantec and McAfee incorporate features from acquired security firms that pack every conceivable cyberdefense into an affordable package. Comprehensive security packages go for $40 to $80, cheaper than buying products separately.

movies incest sapphictrailers movie shemaleracing movies street11 movie dbzdvd movie copy softwareboob movie free bigsluts free cum movies swallowingmilf free sex movies Map

On Deadline, USA Today

Strong reactions to grim milestone in Iraq

By reporting that the number of U.S. military personnel who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan (at least 2,978) now exceeds the number of people killed in the 9/11 attacks, the Associated Press has set off a vigorous debate in the blogosphere…

• MakeThemAccountable: “George Bush has now killed more Americans than Osama bin Laden.”…

Posted by Mark Memmott at 02:48 PM/ET, December 26, 2006