Monday, October 11, 2004
"A thoughtful, forward-looking theory on terrorism and how to fight it..."
Photo courtesy: The New York Times
First off, f-ck the media spin machine again. Kerry won on Friday. The only time he came close to messing up was on his semi-tortured answer to the abortion issue question he was posed but he even saved himself during his rebuttal on that one. But, while Bush was much improved from his first debate performance (which wasn't hard to do), how anyone could judge Friday night a tie is completely bananas to me.
But only the GOP could take a reasoned, balanced New York Times profile on Kerry and parse his words to create a negative TV ad within 24 hours. Their relentless politics of fear is not only dishonest, it's really getting tiresome too. (BBC News)
Doesn't matter though, Kerry's debate wins are starting to have an effect at the polls. (USA Today)
Meanwhile, the NYCLU fights the effects of the Patriot Act with the NYCLU Surveillance Camera Project. Related: U.S. Patriot Act raises Canadian privacy fears. (Reuters/AlterNet)
And an Open Letter to President George W. Bush citicizing the Harvard MBA's failed economic policy. Can a 170 (or so) tenured or emeritus professors all be wrong?
While a new BBC documentary "The Power Of Nightmares – The Rise Of The Politics Of Fear" blows up the spot (pun intended, I guess) about the virtually zero chance of any real danger from the detonation of so-called dirty bombs and the true nature of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network based on information cribbed from the Popbitch weekly newsletter posted here on the Beastie Boys website. An official description on the BBC website though makes it sound little more innocuous, but still intriguing. "The Power Of Nightmares" airs 9pm on October 20th for my British readers. Related: a Telegraph UK story.
Meanwhile in the US, the right-leaning Sinclair TV Group is trying to play fast and loose with the media-related election laws. (BBC News)
Fight to Survive - a blog by soldiers in Iraq opposed to the current occupation. Related: Rumsfeld promises some serious pie in the sky. (The Washington Post)
"Bush lied, my son died" (Salon.com | note: subcription or or reg' for a Day Pass req'd to view story)
The United States Commission on Civil Rights posts a report critical of the Bush administration's civil rights record on their website but voted Friday to wait until after the election to discuss it. Huh? (Related: The Civil Rights Commission press release)
Speaking of which, November 2 could make Florida 2000 look idyllic according to this article from The Washington Times (but via AP) if you can believe it. This has got to be the first time I've cited that ridiculous newspaper on this site.
