Date

Stand firm, do not budge, hang on!

barbara — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:01:59 -0500

by barbara

We have an unlikely new hero. "We" are the American people. The "Hero" is Rocky Anderson, mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah"heart of redness, politically. Wednesday, the White Houses current occupant visited Utah, and Anderson stood up for all of us--right, left, center--making what was almost certainly the speech of his life.

Hes withstood a boatload of backlash from the right for telling the truth. And therein lies one of the principle problems with the Bush administration and their look-alikes all around the country. Truth is in short supply and when it surfaces, Republicans go all wiggy.

Labor Day weekend: mixed load

barbara — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 14:27:48 -0500

More voting shenanigans

Crooks and Liars ran a piece on the special election in Californias 50th district congressional race which pitted Democrat Francine Busby against the GOP's Brian Bilbray. With plenty of reason, Busby requested a recount. But Dennis Hastert ignored that, and swore in Bilbray on June 13 (one week after the election).

Labor Day: What's it all about?

barbara — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 11:03:43 -0500

by barbara

David and I have been holding down the fort. Were the only people left behind in the Twin Cities area. Everyone else has gone "up north" or "over to Wisconsin" for the Labor Day weekend.

Theyre gathering for family picnics and the final fun-in-the-sun op before the kiddos go back to school tomorrow. Since there are so many people in our families who have each other in their crosshairs, that is not an option.

Temporary setback

barbara — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 19:33:22 -0500

Having some technical difficulties.

Please stand by!

A new breed of Dixie chicks

barbara — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:10:07 -0500

by barbara

Theres a crimson tide rising. It has absolutely nothing to do with football, and its trending blue.

According to an AP story today, "President (George) Bushs once-solid relationship with Southern women is on the rocks."

Just for starters, Georgian Barbara Knight, who has been a life-long Republican (shes 66), proclaimed that "history will show (Bush) to be the worst president since Ulysses S. Grant." See, even after all these years, Grant is still the Souths number one poster boy for perdition. Nationally, he is arguably among the U.S. presidents most likely to be voted off the island. But his stock in trade is rising as George moves to the head of the line.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

barbara — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:40:16 -0500

by barbara

Here are some of today's headlines on CNN:
Faulty fuel sensor could delay shuttle
Sea blockade of Lebanon ends
Video shows Bin Laden, 9/11 hijackers
CNN Pipeline offers real-time stream of 9/11/01
Chilling al Qaeda orders: Kill 'at least one American'
Clinton officials to ABC: Fix or pull 9/11 show
Armitage: 'I feel terrible' about Plame leak
Giveaway clues of fliers thinking of terrorism

Time to act: Please help!

barbara — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 15:23:23 -0500

by barbara

I have tried to ignore the brouhaha around the ABC docuspin, "Path to 911." Cant do that any longer.

For background, read Tim Rutten's piece in the LA Times.

This is a call to storm the Bastille, aka ABC and Disney. But we need to act right now. Every one of us.

The first installment of the ABC/Disney history-rewriting flick is due to air tomorrow night (Sunday), concluding on Monday, 9/11. (sigh)

The legacy of loss

barbara — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:38:47 -0500

by barbara

How does one craft a concise, grammatically correct piece about the cataclysmic event that changed our world forever? It did, you know. But not in the way we thought on 9/11 in 2001. And the answer to my question is, "One doesnt." The day defies any attempt at conventional description.

We all remember. I was home. A radio station I loved was playing something by, oh, Saint-Sans, lets say. I have forgotten that part.

September 12: Good morning. Go vote!

barbara — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 21:07:08 -0500

by barbara

(opinions expressed herein are mine, so don't be blaming Susan)

Theres a lot riding on these primary elections. The outcome, of course. But its also a chance to show some incumbents that were not fooling around any more. Were mad as hell (with good reason), were focused and were determined to oust anyone with even the faintest whiff of essence of Bush. You can run and you can hide, but the aroma lingers on.

Who's on first?

barbara — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:51:49 -0500

by barbara

It was very tense last night. My time was evenly divided between following primary election results and keeping an eye on the Twins game. Given that I solemnly foreswore political involvement this cycle, and that I have never been a baseball fan by strict definition, it was a tense and weird evening.

Here's the deal. I dont watch television. Turned it off in 1992 because Id grown weary of that blaring, illuminated Cyclops in my family room. I thought it was a temporary thing. Maybe it was. How long is temporary? I made an exception on 9/11, but even then, I had to uncover the set (it was being used as an end table) and search for the remote. I forgot there was an on/off button on the set itself.

Mixed load day at the Clothesline

barbara — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:27:11 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read the whole post)

There is growing evidence that the world is more screwed up today than yesterday. I can hardly wait for tomorrow.

(1) According to an AP story in the New York Times, Air Force secretary Michael Wynne is promoting the testing of nonlethal weapons on American citizens. For real.

Whats in a name?

barbara — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:27:02 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read the whole post.)

Japans newborn prince left the hospital today to begin life at home with mom and dad. In a ceremony steeped in tradition, the baby was named Hisahito. It means "virtuous, calm and everlasting."

The Japanese royals sure know how to pick em. And that got me to wondering about the American royals"George and Barbara Bush"and the naming of their four sons. Girl children are not factored into succession plans in this country either, so their daughter Dorothy is out of luck.

Celebrate Susan!

barbara — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:15:42 -0500

I heard Bill Clinton
Will be here for your birthday
George sends his regrets.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRL!!!

Al Gore speech @ 11:30 CDT

barbara — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:08:30 -0500

Here's the , where Al Gore will be giving a major speech on climate crisis TODAY.

That's the good news.

Bad news is that it seems to be an endless loop from NYU's home page to the event page.

Anyone smarter about this than I am (your numbers are legion!!), please let me/us know where we can hear this live.

NYU will archive the speech, if all else fails.

To George or not to George . . .

barbara — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:05:56 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read the whole post.)

"Should Democrats Focus on GOP Congress Instead of Bush?" Thats the question posed by NY Times columnist Adam Nagourney.

The simple answer is, "Well, yeah! Bush is like, so quack, limp, quack, limp."

A plea for an ailing planet

barbara — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:30:46 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read entire post.)

I found it! In spite of my technodoltery, I managed to tune in to the webcast of Al Gores speech on the climate crisis, presented at New York University Monday. Its very long, but please read all of it. And then read it again.

Gore is not an alarmist. Hes a realist, and theres a world of difference between the two. Gores conclusions are backed up by painstaking documentation and credible research. Facts, in other words. Not opinions. Not political expediency. Facts that affect every Republican, Democrat, Shiite, Sunni, Hutu, Tutsi and unaffiliateds, worldwide.

A little hypocrisy goes . . . oh, you know

barbara — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 10:30:53 -0500

by barbara

Okay, with apologies to out-staters, what follows is a snippet of Minnesota insider stuff.

Seems our self-appointed moral compass, U.S. Senator Norm ("Its Wednesday; which party shall I belong to today?") Coleman, took a jab at Air Americas Al Franken, whose fundraising for Dems is prodigious and growing prodigiouser. Franken has attracted dollars for Dems from some Minnesotans with veddy deep pockets and also some Hollywood glitterati.

If you find stray marbles, we know where they belong

barbara — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:18:28 -0500

(Click here to read the entire post.)

We have a guest post today by Minnesota activist Michael McIntee. But first, a little scene-setting.

John Kline. Remember that name. Beginning in January, well refer to him as the military guy who used to be a congressman in Minnesotas second congressional district. Yes, it was necessary to redistrict out here in order for that to happen. But as we have learned, there is almost no limit to what Republicans will do when they are cornered and until they are caught at it.

When things begin to look dicey for Republican incumbents like Kline, they set aside all pretense of Minnesota nice. Their campaign "literature" becomes vicious character assassination (this is a recurring and predictable theme) and some of their staff lose their marbles.

Take a look at Michael's post:

Dark underbelly of Kline Kampaign Exposed
by Michael McIntee

(Retired) FBI agent Coleen Rowley's race against Republican Congressman John Kline has picked up new steam thanks to some very strange incidents.

Take the A(mtrak) train. Its wide open.

susan — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:25:31 -0500

(Click here to read the entire entry)

by susan

Ive been wondering if theres a surge of new business at Amtrak, given the inconvenience and indignity of air travel these days. So last week when my sister and her husband flew to Minneapolis for my birthday and decided to take the train back to Chicago, I got up pre-dawn to take them to the station.

Boys of summer morph into boys of autumn

barbara — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 07:30:13 -0500

(Click here to read entire post.)

Guest post by LeftyMN

Allow me to wax poetic in my first post to the Clothesline blog. I speak not of things politic but of the lyricism of the sport of baseball and the Minnesota Twins, who are the local practitioners of the national pastime.

There have been remarkable comebacks in sport. There have been underdogs who won it all. But I venture to say that the beauty and absurd grace of the 2006 Minnesota Twins is astounding. This is a team that, as late as early June, was in the bottom of the major leagues and in the position of trading off veteran stars to begin a three-to-four-year rebuilding process.

Digby does it right

susan — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:47:50 -0500

by susan
There are days when I'm flattened by the morning news. Lots of them. And I wonder if all this writing and frothing does any good.

And then along comes Bill Clinton ripping into a simpering Chris Wallace on Fox News, or Digby politely explaining why we have right to be incredibly pissed off thank you very much digbysblog and it pulls me right back up off the pavement. As we say around here in Wellstone land -- but seem to have forgotten -- stand up, keep fighting.

The First Punctuator defines Iraq's place in history

barbara — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:38:14 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read full post.)

I was an English major. I used to have (and may still have) a pretty good grip on punctuation. Even metaphorical punctuation.

So it caught my attention when The First Punctuator (FP) blew off his personal Iraq War as nothing more than a comma in historical narrative. A comma? A slight pause for breath, a clause pause? A wee historical hiccup? Tell that to Cindy Sheehan.

Why the Big Dick really invaded Iraq

lynnell — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:04:56 -0500

by Lynnell Mickelsen

Every day I read Juan Cole to learn what's happening in the Middle East. Cole is a professor of Middle East History at University of Michigan, a frequent guest on PBS' Lehrer News Hour and writes for a lot of different publications and websites. He reads the European, Arabic and American press (he's fluent in Arabic and Persian) and gives a daily summary of events, plus his analysis. It's the best one-stop shop for finding out what's happening in Iraq--beats the New York Times, hands down.

Identical twins separated at birth?

barbara — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:58:52 -0500

by barbara

(Friedman, left and Ventura, right)

[Click here to read entire post.]

There's a big wind blowing in Texas this week. Turns out its former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Well, Jesse Ventura plus Kinky Friedman, the country singer (he was part of the Texas Jewboys) turned comedy-mystery novelist "who is trying to become the first independent elected Texas governor since Sam Houston nearly 150 years ago." Kinky and Sam. Woo hoo! They're mighty peculiar guys, but that's not all bad.

With detention and torture for all

lynnell — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:32:07 -0500

by Lynnell Mickelsen

Hey Folks:

As an American citizen, I can't believe I'm writing this, but the U.S. Senate will soon vote on whether or not to make torture legal. The House just passed a bill making it legal about 30 minutes ago. Now the bill goes to the Senate and Bush is hoping to sign it into law as soon as possible.

Republicans voted in favor of the bill by 219 to 7. Democrats voted against the bill by 160 to 34. (And yeah, I know. I wish those 34 Democrats had voted against it. But still, most Democrats ARE are speaking out against torture.)

Forget all the spin about how "moderate" Senators put in "safeguards." The fine print is pretty bad. Torture and indefinite detention will be legalized for any one that the President or Secretary of Defense declares "an unlawful enemy combatant." And wait---it gets worse---the President or Secretary of Defense gets to decide who is an unlawful enemy combatant using any criteria that they choose.

This proposed law doesn't just apply to Al Qaeda or the Taliban. It's not even limited to aliens. It covers U.S. citizens as well. There's no time limit either---peace time or war time. You can read more about it here, here, and here.

And to make matters even worse, neither of my Senators in Minnesota, Mark Dayton (D) or Norm Coleman (R) has taken a stand on this bill. I guess they're still trying to make up their minds about whether waterboarding is good for the kids or family-friendly enough. I just called both of their offices and was told that neither Senator had formed an opinion about the torture legislation yet

So give if you're from Minnesota, give them a little help.

Sen. Mark Dayton: 1-202-224-3244, local 612-727-5220

Sen. Norm Coleman: 1-202-224-5641; local:651-645--0323

If you're from other states, call your Senators now.

I mean, Jesus Christ (who BTW was tortured to death), if you can't figure out whether torture is wrong or not, you shouldn't be in public office.

Too much torture

susan — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:06:03 -0500

by susan

Speaking of torture, the Republican National Committee announced today that they've chosen our little old burg on the prairie for their 2008 national convention. Boy, they really know how to kick us when we're down. "Hey, we're gonna make it legal to torture people in America and by the way, we're bringing our dance of death to Minnesota." Can we sign up for some waterboarding instead? How many Dems on a board would it take for them to call this trip off? I offer myself.

Not funny. Minnesota is home to some of the most decent and ethical politicians this country's ever seen, including some great old style Republicans. To have this new breed of torture-touting, crony-coddling, bible-toting, tax-cutting, profit-stashing, corporate-kissing, self-righteous profligate jackals yapping through our streets is like letting the KKK rally at Martin Luther King's grave. Okay, I'm a little wound up.

Let America be America again

barbara — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:08:34 -0500

by LeftyMN

Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers, Mennonites, Hutterites, Catholics, Jews, Russians, Germans, Irish.they all left the Old World to come to the new to escape persecution. In some cases, that included violent persecution and torture.

In November 1776, the Continental army was defeated at the Battle of New York by the British. Viewing the aftermath through a spyglass, General George Washington watched as several of his captured soldiers were not given "Quarter" and were beaten and slaughtered by the British and Hessian mercenary troops.

It is thought that the British officers understood the 18th century concept of "Quarter" to apply to regular army troops of sovereign nations and not to guerrilla rebels fighting for an "illegitimate" rogue government.

In December 1776, Washington made his famous crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Eve and defeated the Hessian troops at Trenton, New Jersey--a victory that became an American legend.

After the victory when the American troops were clamoring for revenge upon the captured Hessians, Washington ordered that the captured troops be treated with kindness and civility and fairness and forbade the abuse or torture of those prisoners. (Source: "Washingtons Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer)

Now Congress is prepared to pass a "Torture Bill" that will allow our government and military the right to torture guerrillas and insurgents defined as enemy combatants, to indefinitely detain them without charges, conduct secret tribunals, and not allow the accused to fully and fairly confront the evidence and witnesses against them.

Ever since reason conquered darkness and the Founding Fathers issued the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the foundation of the United States has been the Rule of Law.

Sadly, passage of the Torture Bill in Congress will give another despot the right to torture and the right to hold prisoners without charges and without the ability to fully confront their accusers and hear all the evidence against them. Our nation is turning its back on the freedom and liberty we forswear to hold so dear from sea to shining sea.

I can't sit idly by and do nothing. If my sons are called to fight in Iran or Syria or Tajikistan in the near future by these same lawmakers and their despot leader, I hope they will be treated humanely. That they will be treated in ways the United States of America once championed.

Remember this?

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

LeftyMN

First: Do No Harm

susan — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 01:26:15 -0500

by susan
On the day that the senate approved the torture bill I went to a fundraiser for an organization called the Center for Victims of Torture. It is their 20th year of service and in those 20 years their clients have been people from places where government-sanctioned torture is a fact of life, where dictators and war lords rule and no one has heard of, or abides by, the Geneva Conventions. In 2001, 94% of new clients came from Africa. Think Liberia, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone. Until the reign of George Bush, these were places that had nothing much in common with America.

Let America be America again (continued)

barbara — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 07:57:47 -0500

by barbara

(Click here to read entire post.)

On this final day of September 2006, I have come to a terrible realization. Americans are not safe, and al Qaeda is the least of our worries.

I am afraid of our president. The man who finagled (thanks, Soo!) his way to two election victories is systematically dismantling democracy in this country that I love.