Boing Boing: Law enforcement memo of “imminent” terror attack?
It's can't-lose politically. Scare some marginal voters to vote for Bush, CYA if there is an attack, claim credit for stopping it if there is not.
Of course a climate of fear plays right into the terrorists' hands, but who knows, maybe they vote too…
Great news from Human Rights Watch! Your constitutional republic at work spreading the Rule of Law around the world!
U.S.: Detained al-Qaeda Suspects 'Disappeared' (Human Rights Watch, 12-10-2004): At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have “disappeared” in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured.
The 46-page report, “The United States’ ‘Disappeared’: The CIA’s Long-Term ‘Ghost Detainees,’” describes how the Central Intelligence Agency is holding al-Qaeda suspects in “secret locations,” reportedly outside the United States, with no notification to their families, no access to the International Committee of the Red Cross or oversight of any sort of their treatment, and in some cases, no acknowledgement that they are even being held.
“‘Disappearances’ were a trademark abuse of Latin American military dictatorships in their ‘dirty war’ on alleged subversion,” said Reed Brody, special counsel with Human Rights Watch. “Now they have become a United States tactic in its conflict with al-Qaeda.”
Oh goodie, the US joins the proud company of the USSR and fascist latin dictatorships. We are so proud.
Remember when everyone was all worked up about 'apathy'?
It's not news that 'freedom of the press belongs to he who owns one'. And even in this Internet age of 'everyone a publisher' the fact remains that TV remains the dominant media form in the US, and much of the world.
Sinclair media's decision to abuse its ownership of a group of stations to air a low-quality anti-Kerry propaganda film a few days before the election — to order the stations to dump network programming and run junk instead — is a classic abuse of power.
What's interesting is how Internet users are fighting back. Some, like Ernest Miller, are writing about the context — how the current regulatory climate lacks the safeguards that used to prevent such a blatant abuse of power.
Others are concentrating on how to fight back. One set of ideas comes via Kevin Hayden, suggesting a national pushback aimed at Sinclair's national advertisers. This is a good strategy if you don't live in one of the affected communities.
Another method appears via Kevin Drum, and emphasizes the local angle. I think it's a winner.
Someone sent me a link to a film contrasting the speaking style of GW Bush 10 years ago to today . It's a striking contrast. Nevertheless, I'm conflicted about this one.
[Update (10/12): The server hosting the film seems to be melting down under the strain of links from all over the word. The URL is http://www.blogitics.com/footage/BushTenYrs4MB.mov, and I find that if I try it several times I get “not found” and other errors but eventually it works….]
On the one hand, I think that suggesting that a candidate is suffering from pre-senile dementia is a low blow. Too low.
On the other hand, the Bush campaign has left open the door to this sort of speculation, made it almost inevitable, by mysteriously cancelling Bush's annual physical. (I'm sure his doctor would make a house call to the Bush hacienda if asked to.) The example of Paul Tsongas, who suggested he was well when he was in fact not, ought to make us demand that our candidates level with us about their health.
On the gripping hand, if this film clip is representative (and I have no idea if they just took a particularly good moment or if the ten-year-old clip is what he was like), then Bush was vastly — I mean vastly — more articulate ten years ago than he is today, and if there's any chance that the cause for this striking deterioration is physical, as opposed to psychological, we have a right to know.
I hit the wrong button the radio today while driving to get the kids and was transported to AM Radio Land. Let me tell you, it's different out there. On one station, the host spent ten minutes screaming at the top of his lungs about how Kerry insulted the nation during the second debate when he looked around and said that no one in the audience looked like they were earning over $200,000 per year. “He called you losers!!!” the guy kept shouting, “He said you are all losers!!!” over and over and over again. (Is everyone who makes under $200,000 a “loser” in AM Radioland?)
Three stations to the right, there's a female evangelist saying that many people have asked her if the storms lashing Florida might be some chastisement that G-d has aimed at Florida. No, of course not, she replies, these storms come from the Enemy and are part of a plot to distract people into caring too much about daily life, and ignoring the really important thing we must all do. And what is that? Why, we must elect the right people to office come November 2: “G-dly people, not liberals.”
I am not making this up.
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