Pat Boone Spreads Rightwing Lies on ACLU

Dispatches from the Culture Wars reports that Pat Boone is now writing for the right wing WorldNet Daily. They are particularly upset about this column on the ACLU which repeats the usual right wing lies about the ACLU’s position on public displays of religion. It’s the typical tactic of the authoritarian right. Rather than admitting their authoritarian agenda, they attack those who resist their plans by misrepresenting their beliefs. In a way Pat Boone performed a valuable service. By writing so many lies in one post, he gave Dispatches from the Culture Wars an opportunity to refute them all in one excellent blog post.

Plan B Prevents Abortion

There’s a campaign starting in the blogoshere to promote Plan B. Pharyngula provides the scientific background, with more information here. Get your shirts from Bitch Ph. D.

Harris Poll Shows Support for a Democratic Congress

The Harris Poll continues to show bad news for George Bush and the Republicans. Bush’s approval is at 34%, unchanged from July. When asked whom they would vote for “if elections for Congress were held today,” 45% of adults said they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 30% would vote for the Republican.  In April, 41% said they would vote for a Democratic candidate for Congress and 37% would vote Republican.

The old gender gap is alive and well. 50% of women would vote for a Democratic candidate and 28% a Republican candidate. 40% of men said they would vote for the Democrat candidate and 33% would vote for the Republican.

For those Bush-worshippers who claim that these polls are from the biased liberal media, note that this report is taken from The Wall Street Journal.

Dick Cheney Demeaning Democracy

Ted Kennedy has an op-ed in the Hartford Courant on how Dick Cheney has been Demeaning Democracy:

The comments he made on the result of the Connecticut Democratic primary – that it might encourage “the al-Qaida types” who want to “break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task” – are an attack not just on Democrats, but on democracy itself.

What happened in Connecticut is in fact a model for democracies everywhere. The people of the state heard a vigorous debate between two competing visions of how to protect this country. Young citizens became deeply involved, and turnout was high. The primary reminded us of the miracle of our democracy, in which the nation is ruled by its people – not by any entrenched set of leaders. There are few better messages we could send the world in these troubled times.

Cheney’s comments about the election were ugly and frightening. They show once again that he and his party will stop at nothing to wrap Republicans in the flag and to insinuate that anyone who votes against them is giving aid and comfort to the terrorists. It’s obvious that this administration lacks basic respect for our fundamental freedoms.

Cheney and his crowd are all for free and open elections – as long as they turn out their way. They are all for free speech – provided it supports the administration. They are all for the rule of law – as long as the law does not prevent them from doing whatever they want to do. When elections, speeches or laws are inconvenient, he does not hesitate to declare that they are helping the terrorists. I can think of no graver offense against our democracy.

This statement is similar to what I and other bloggers were saying during the Lamont campaign. What is significant about this is not specifically what Kennedy says, but that Kennedy and other Democrats are stranding up to the outrageous statements coming from the Bush Administration. 

Further discussion:

All Spin Zone:  Republican Campaign Strategy, As Usual
Lamont Blog:
 Kennedy: Cheney and Lieberman “Attack Democracy Itself”
The Democratic Daily:  Ted Kennedy: Cheney Cannot Use Fear To Cling To Power

Plus some oldies below the fold.

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Story on Photoshopped Photos Goes from Blogosphere to MSM

One of the stories I covered at DemBloggers during the week before this blog opened was the manipulation of photos from Lebanon by a photographer who has subsequently been fired by Reuters. Credit for this actually goes to the right wing blogosphere (here and here). While Little Green Footballs is not one of our favorite sites, they were not deserving of death threats for exposing this photoghrapher. This story is also interesting due to way in which it spread from the blogosphere to the mainstream media. There were several news stories on it last week, as well as today’s op-ed in the Rocky Mountain News.

Assuming the accusations of manipulation are true Reuters was certainly right to pull the pictures. If true, LGF deserves credit for exposing this, but hopefully this does not turn into an all out right wing attack on the credibility of the news media.
My stories on this at DemBloggers are under the fold.

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George Will: Kerry Had a Point on Terrorism

This morning on This Week George Will was asked what we can take from the breaking up of the terrorist plot in Great Britain. George Will–yes George Will–said that Kerry had a point and quoted from John Kerry during the South Carolina Democratic debate on January 29, 2004:

KERRY: The war on terror is less — it is occasionally military, and it will be, and it will continue to be for a long time. And we will need the best-trained and the most well-equipped and the most capable military, such as we have today.

But it’s primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation that requires cooperation around the world — the very thing this administration is worst at. And most importantly, the war on terror is also an engagement in the Middle East economically, socially, culturally, in a way that we haven’t embraced, because otherwise we’re inviting a clash of civilizations.

And I think this administration’s arrogant and ideological policy is taking America down a more dangerous path. I will make America safer than they are.

Related Stories:

Bruce Schneier also explains how “Last week’s arrests demonstrate how real security doesn’t focus on possible terrorist tactics, but on the terrorists themselves. It’s a victory for intelligence and investigation, and a dramatic demonstration of how investments in these areas pay off.”

Firedoglake covers Russ Feingold’s appearance on This Week.

Seymour Hersh applies this lesson to Lebanon in The New Yorker.

The Boston Globe reports that Romney, Kerry spar over fight on terror.

Weeds Returns

WeedsWeeds returns for a second season Monday night on Showtime. Mary-Louise Parker (previously of The West Wing) stars as a widow who needs to come up with a way to support herself and two sons. Becoming the local pot dealer in a Los Angles suburb helps pay the bills.

Salon says, “It’s official: “Weeds” is the coolest show on TV.” For an example, check out this clip at Crooks and Liars. A Bush supporter is challenged to give his reasons for why he supports Bush and the war. After hearing the standard talking points on the war, be prepared for a surprise response to the question, “How can you be so blindly pro-Bush.”

DeVos Goons Try To Silence Web Site

Dick DeVos, who is trying to use the Amicare/Alticore fortune to buy the Michigan Governor’s office (as a stepping stone to the White House) doesn’t seem to like bad publicity. In July the Grand Rapids Press ran a story entitled Alticor leaders cheated investors, suit says, with the suit naming Dick DeVos. Quixtar Blog and Michigan Liberal are reporting on a letter received from Scott Larsen who runs the AmQuix.info website. The letter was from attorneys representing Alticor denying the validity of the suit, accusing Larsen of bias, and request that he “Please take immediate action to correct your website’s misleading impression of the Wardrop lawsuit.”

I am not in a position to judge the merits of the case. Perhaps DeVos is innocent of this. It is even possible that Scott Larsen is biased. What a shocking discovery this would be: there are biased web sites out there which take sides in a political race. Who would have thought this could happen? It is even conceivable that such biased web sites would link to articles with negative information about a candidate from local newspapers. Who would have guessed that this could take place out on the internets?

Enough sarcasm? After the DeVos attorneys, who apparently are unaware of the First Amendment, harass little web sites, will they next go on to try to prevent editorial writers from writing biased editorials opposing DeVos or supporting Jennifer Granholm? As Quixtar wrote:

The First Amendment allows us to be biased. People may not like that but it’s our right to be as biased and unfair in our coverage of public figures and corporate entities as we desire. As long as that coverage is true (and sometimes when it isn’t) our speech is protected. There’s absolutely nothing obligating us to be fair and balanced and communicate all sides of any given issue.

It’s that very freedom that allows companies like Alticor and Quixtar to publish reams and reams of rosy reports and testimonials without sharing less rosy reports and complaints. No law requires Alticor, Quixtar or Dick DeVos to publish criticism or unfavorable reports in publications they control. It’s their right to be biased. That’s the American Way!

Such disregard for civil liberties is just one reason to be very afraid of Dick DeVos succeeding in his political ambitions. I’ve previously reported on the far right wing organizations he supports with an agenda to increase the role of religion in public life and government.

Don’t think you’re safe from Dick DeVos if you don’t live in Michigan. John Kerry has warned, while campaigning for Jennifer Granholm, that Dick DeVos has already purchased the DeVosforPresident.com web address (copy of email below). I verified this at whois:

Domain Name………. devosforpresident.com
Creation Date…….. 2004-12-18
Registration Date…. 2004-12-18
Expiry Date………. 2007-12-18
Organisation Name…. Richard Devos Iii

Note the date. Well before winning the nomination for Governor, DeVos was looking ahead to other offices. Besides purchasing this domain, he has also purchased several others, including for Senate as well as President.

I’ll reprint my old posts on Dick DeVos under the fold. Before doing so I must type DeVoss, DeVoss, DeVoss. Back at the Democratic Daily I mistakingly spelled his name as Dick DeVoss (that’s DeVoss with an extra s). I found that many people doing web searches also spelled his name incorrectly, and by having mispelled his name in the blog post we received many links in such cases.

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