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"Sinclair Broadcast Group has ordered its seven ABC stations not to broadcast Friday's "Nightline" that will air the names and photographs of the more than 500 U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war."

The history we like to forget The history the rest of the world can't forget http://www.adbusters.org/jams/history/flash.html

Congressman omits 'under God' from Pledge of Allegiance A spokesman for McDermott said Wednesday that McDermott, 67, made a mistake in his recitation of the pledge Tuesday on the House floor. Spokesman Mike DeCesare said McDermott told him that as a child he had learned the pledge without the phrase "under God." The phrase was added to the pledge in 1954. No, you're not reading The Onion...

The Bush administration will today seek to prevent a former FBI translator from providing evidence about 11 September intelligence failures to a group of relatives and survivors who have accused international banks and officials of aiding al-Qa'ida. Sibel Edmonds was subpoenaed by a law firm representing more than 500 family members and survivors of the attacks to testify that she had seen information proving there was considerable evidence before September 2001 that al-Qa'ida was planning to strike the US with aircraft. The lawyers made their demand after reading comments Mrs Edmonds had made to The Independent. But the US Justice Department is seeking to stop her from testifying, citing the rarely used "STATE SECRETS privilege". Today in a federal court in Washington, senior government lawyers will try to gag Mrs Edmonds, claiming that disclosure of her evidence "would cause serious damage to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States".

Propaganda Critic http://www.propagandacritic.com/ Propaganda techniques http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Propaganda_techniques

Chris Vlasto "Also significant is the identity of one of the report’s producers: Chris Vlasto. He was last in the news when he was identified as a media agent of the right-wing operatives who engineered the Clinton impeachment. Vlasto picked up the tab for a celebratory dinner for Paula Jones and her Christian fundamentalist attorneys the day they succeeded in hauling Clinton before a grand jury and compelling him to testify under oath about his sexual history, including answering questions about Monica Lewinsky." Now he's gunning for Kerry with this "Exclusive" for ABC News

Psychology of the right Bush Dominates a Nation of Victims http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16243 Language: A Key Mechanism of Control http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4443.htm Limbaugh's Fans Are Certain They're Right http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1112-02.htm Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition[pdf] http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/Jost/_private/Political_Conservatism_as_Motivated_Social_Cognition.pdf Paternalism & The New GOP http://www.g21.net/right8.html The right wing's summer of hate http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2003/08/15/hate/index_np.html Stunning Victory in a Propaganda War http://truthout.org/docs_03/091403J.shtml

"We see life as it is," May says of Red Americans. Stein calls Blue Americans "whiners."

University of Maryland researchers found that Fox News viewers were four times more likely than National Public Radio listeners to believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, that most of the world supported the Iraq war, that U.S. forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They didn't just believe Pentagon spin, they believed things that are completely -- and demonstrably -- false. But here's the rub: CBS ranked right behind Fox with a 71 percent score, while CNN and NBC tied as the best-performing commercial broadcast audience at 55 percent. Forty-seven percent of print media readers held at least one misperception.

I've never been called "a douche-nozzle" before. At least, not that I know about anyway. The insult came from one supporter of the Fox News Channel. But then I don't think The Globe and Mail has ever been called "the far-left Toronto Globe and Mail" before. That's what this great newspaper was called by Bill O'Reilly on the Fox News Channel on Monday night.

This is further proof that "we the people" can no longer count on "the fourth estate" to keep the government in check. We must do it ourselves. Executives at news organizations, many of whom have protested the policy, said last night that they had not known that the Defense Department itself was taking photographs of the coffins arriving home, a fact that came to light only when Russ Kick, the operator of The Memory Hole, filed his request. "We were not aware at all that these photos were being taken," said Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times.

Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites)'s military records, released on Wednesday after critics questioned one of his medals, show he was a highly praised commander credited with killing at least 20 enemy soldiers. Initial AP story: By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Records of John Kerry's Vietnam War service released Wednesday show a highly praised naval officer with an Ivy League education who spoke fluent French and had raced sailboats - the fruits of a privileged upbringing that set him apart from the typical seaman. Later update to this: By NEDRA PICKLER The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Records of John Kerry's Vietnam War service released Wednesday show a highly praised naval officer who volunteered for a dangerous assignment and at one point was "unofficially credited with 20 enemy killed in action."

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. Pastor Martin Niemöller

Today I read an article about a document from one American official in Iraq to another. The article went to great lengths to explain what was in the memo, and what it meant, without ever showing the memo. Meanwhile I was thinking "why not just print the memo and let ME decide what it means". Well, somebody finally got the idea. Decide for yourself what it means.

So, Republicans really ARE different.. Politics on the Brain? Resorting to M.R.I.'s for Partisan Signals "But they have already noticed intriguing patterns in how Democrats and Republicans look at candidates. They have tested 11 subjects and say they need to test twice that many to confirm the trend."

Looks like Bob Woodward has tracked down another Republican breach of the constitution: “Gets to a point where in July, the end of July 2002, they need $700 million, a large amount of money for all these tasks. And the president approves it. But Congress doesn't know and it is done. They get the money from a supplemental appropriation for the Afghan War, which Congress has approved. …Some people are gonna look at a document called the Constitution which says that no money will be drawn from the treasury unless appropriated by Congress. Congress was totally in the dark on this." These guys just hate to play by the rules. Will they finally get a slap on the wrist by congress? Don't hold your breath.

... Bush O.K., tell Tenet to get himself down here in the next few days. I want to make sure that we're doing everything possible to prevent whatever the Evil One is planning. I want people at our borders looking out for bad guys. And if Big Beard is into aviation, let's watch flight schools and airports. We're America. Nobody pushes us around. Briefer Mr. President, the bureau already has 70 investigations open on bin Laden. They're on top of it. Bush I want to make sure. Word's got to get out that stopping an attack is top priority. If there's chatter about a major attack soon — Oklahoma City or worse — I don't want us sitting on our duffs. I want to light a fire under the bureaucracy. Let's kick butt. ... Oh, sorry...That was all a dream.

Here is today's CNN quick poll: Who is responsible for the current crisis in Iraq? &125; The coalition &125; The insurgents OhKay... Somebody decided that the site MUST BE INTERACTIVE , apparently, no matter how pointless that interaction.

You can't make this stuff up: The president also stressed that the memo's two explicit references to hijackings were "not a hijacking of an airplane to fly into a building" but "hijacking of airplanes in order to free somebody that was being held as a prisoner in the United States." Oh, is that all... I guess a standard run-of-the-mill hijacking would not be worth getting excited about... I fault the printer. You see, Al Queda had beautiful engraved invitations all picked out, but the printing run was late, so the president didn't get his.

Well, they are bringing it. And we are still losing troops. Meanwhile, back in Texas, George Bush is clearing brush on the new ranch. Here is a suggestion for the April 12 PDB (Presidential Daily Briefing)... Dear Mr. President, We know how pleasant a long vacation can be (though it has been a while), and Texas can be beautiful this time of year. However, you started a war a while back, and though you planned for it to be over by now, sorry to say, it is still going on. Now pay close attention, because this is the "actionable" part. Why don't you get off your POTUS ass, and GET BACK TO WORK. Sincerely, The American People

Well, a few folks from Harlem are annoyed that their favorite radio station WLIB has turned into AirAmerica Radio. As an African American who used to live in Gotham, I gotta say...I won't miss it. The fact is, the station was caribean centric, and though I have some ancestry there, it is not a focus for me, or, it seems, most NYC African Americans. The station never made money, and after all, it was a business in the end. The complaints that there are not enough AAs at AirAmerica, is not quite accurate, as there are at least three. For a national station, that seems like a pretty healthy ratio (last I checked, the country was still majority white). I understand that the protest was organized by a former employee of WLIB (not the one who moved on to AirAmerica, I suppose). Fox news is gleefully reporting this, of course, as are other conservative outlets.

Here is a great list of propaganda techniques that the right wing employs so well. Next time you are listening to Rush, Bush, Hannity, or Cheney (you listen?) see if you can pick out the techniques being employed. "We won't get fooled again!" - The Who

The right wing Washington Times is peddling the idea that Clinton's final report does not show that Al Qaeda was an urgent threat. "...refers to Osama bin Laden by name just four times." http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040406-121654-1495r.htm But it's best to read the report for yourself: Key paragraph: "Afghanistan remains a serious threat to U.S. worldwide interests because of the Taliban's continued sheltering of international terrorists and its increasing export of illicit drugs. Afghanistan remains the primary safehaven for terrorists threatening the United States, including Usama bin Ladin. The United Nations and the United States have levied sanctions against the Taliban for harboring Usama bin Ladin and other terrorists, and will continue to pressure the Taliban until it complies with international requests to bring bin Ladin to justice. The United States remains concerned about those countries, including Pakistan, that support the Taliban and allow it to continue to harbor such radical elements. We are engaged in energetic diplomatic efforts, including through the United Nations and with Russia and other concerned countries, to address these concerns on an urgent basis." This is the only use of the word "urgent" in the whole report. Also: "Whenever possible, we use law enforcement, diplomatic, and economic tools to wage the fight against terrorism. But there have been, and will be, times when those tools are not enough. As long as terrorists continue to target American citizens, we reserve the right to act in self-defense by striking at their bases and those who sponsor, assist, or actively support them, as we have done over the years in different countries. Fighting terrorism requires a substantial commitment of financial, human, and political resources. Since 1993, both the FBI's counterterrorism budget and the number of FBI agents assigned to counterterrorism have more than doubled. The President has also created and filled the post of National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism. Three presidential directives now coordinate the efforts of senior counterterrorism personnel from various government agencies in dealing with WMD and other threats at home. The FBI and the State Department, respectively, operate Rapid Deployment Teams and interagency Foreign Emergency Support Teams to deploy quickly to scenes of terrorist incidents worldwide."

The killing in Fallujah was outrageous, But two points ought to be made: 1. Why is it the military can afford to pay these mercenaries $1000 per day, but can't afford to provide body armor and good pay for all of our regular troops? 2. How outraged should we really be when we know that just 60 or 70 years ago, this kind of thing was common in this country! Lynching in America The lynching of Rubin Stacy. Onlookers, including four young girls. July 19, 1935, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

NEWSWEEK EXCLUSIVE: Before Rice Agreed to Testify in Public, 9/11 Commission Executive Director Faxed White House 1945 Photo Showing Presidential Chief of Staff Appearing Before Pearl Harbor Congressional Panel the photograph would"...be all over Washington in 24 hours," http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040404/nysu007a_1.html Did you notice the elipses in the quote? I wonder what the whole quote said. Maybe something like "probably leak out and"... the photograph would"...be all over Washington in 24 hours,"

"The Bush administration came in and the scope of our investigation was considerably shortened. I had never seen something so corrupt and lawless in my entire career." Jack Spadaro Here we go again... Another round of corruption and cover-up. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/01/60minutes/main609889.shtml

I found this article to be funny in a way: Taiwan interior minister offers to resign http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-04-04-taiwan_x.htm The funny part is the fourth paragraph: "It is a Taiwanese tradition for government and military officials to take responsibility for problems or mistakes and resign." The Associated Press assumed that since nobody in government here ever takes responsibility for mistakes, they'd better explain. I laughed 'till I cried (or vise-versa).

A really really funny Bush Vs Bush Flip Flop video

Daily Kos has another list of Bush Flip-Flops.

The Associated Press recently compiled a list of recent Bush flip-flops: •The president initially argued that a federal Department of Homeland Security wasn't needed, but then devised a plan to create one. •He resisted a commission to investigate Iraq intelligence failures, but then relented. •He opposed, and then supported, a two-month extension of the 9/11 commission's work, after the panel said protracted disputes over access to White House documents left too little time. •He initially said any access to the president by the commission would be limited to just one hour but relaxed the limit earlier this month.

Google is offering 1 gigabyte of storage space for their new email service. Sounds incredible, but rest assured that Google has crunched the numbers. These guys are scientists and mathmaticians. First off, the growth of storage space is not linear with signups. There are no special pieces of each disk set aside for each user just a quota number. Secondly, people will have a tendency to delete unwanted messages such as spam just so they won't have to look through them. Third, if you think disk space is cheap for your own pc, imagine what it costs for Google. Finally, this bold move is going to suck all the life out of all the other free email services long before anybody hits 1Gig of storage space.