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News & ArtsSunday, March 22, 2009
News The Morning News
Posted by Unpaid Intern on Sun, Mar 22, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Posted by News Intern Aaron Pickus
Four officers shot, three dead: Traffic stop in Oakland leads to fatal shootings.
President Obama v. Dick Cheney: The President responds to Cheney's criticism, says that former President Bush's terrorism policy "hasn’t made us safer."
Asylum: Sen. Kerry requests that a gay Brazilian man, who is married to an American citizen, be granted asylum.
Theologian or meteorologist: Pope blames many of Africa's problems on "clouds of evil."
Shrinking: World economy on pace to shrink by 1 to 2 percent this year.
Utah and its discontents: Campaign to legalize polygamy is underway in Utah.
Isn't this the plot of a musical?: Man dies after two rival motorcycles gangs fight at Sydney airport.
Spitzer's comeback: Former governor of New York spits on AIG.
Numbers porn: President Obama's election broken down by congressional district.
The Drug War: President Obama prepares to send federal agents and resources to the Mexican border.
Fightin' til the last: Washington Mutual is suing the FDIC.
Sound Transit steel scandal: Ben Schiendelman of Seattle Transit Blog claims shoddy reporting by the Seattle Times. Martin H. Duke, also of Seattle Transit Blog, offers a defense.
Innocent bystander: Tree victim of automobile collision in the Central District.
1
Right. Because turning a blind eye to the worst financial collapse in our lifetime with frozen banking and double digit unemployment IS the way to make us safer ?!? Thanks for nothing Mr. Cheney. You, and the bankers/mortgage specialists/realtors are the new terrorists and far more dangerous to America and civilization around the world than any rag-tag band of Saudi desert extremist Al-Quaida-ists could ever be.
3
Obama should not have personally acknowledged Cheney's comments.
That said, it was also a mistake to say Bush didn't make us safer. It is factually true and easy for GOP to note that we were not attacked again after 911. Obama has a lot of time left as President and if there is another attack in America he is opening himself up for some major crow eating.
That said, it was also a mistake to say Bush didn't make us safer. It is factually true and easy for GOP to note that we were not attacked again after 911. Obama has a lot of time left as President and if there is another attack in America he is opening himself up for some major crow eating.
8
@4, I think so too. Which puts gays in the weird position of loudly proclaiming "Oh, no, gay marriage won't have ANY effect on any other kind of partnership," when most of us don't really give a damn, and it WOULD put FLDS types (and probably a lot of mainstream Mormons) in the position of working FOR gay marriage, so as to hasten the advent of polygamous marriage, except for their annoying tendency to judge relationships between people who don't share their fucking creed.
Polygamy: just like straight marriage, only "eversomuchmoreso." (Anybody else remember Robert McCloskey's Homer Price stories?)
Polygamy: just like straight marriage, only "eversomuchmoreso." (Anybody else remember Robert McCloskey's Homer Price stories?)
10
@9: There was the automatic doughnut machine you couldn't turn off, burying Centerville in mountains of doughnuts, like a never-ending mound of wedding rings. See, you have to read between the lines. Actually, the image (dougnuts, not rings) is making me hungry...
@7: Just in case you are not kidding, what happened is five people died, in a terror attack, that happened after 9/11, on W's watch.
@7: Just in case you are not kidding, what happened is five people died, in a terror attack, that happened after 9/11, on W's watch.
11
Emily: You can read about these post-9/11 biowarfare attacks on US….
Five people were killed, with an additional seventeen severely sickened.
Cheney's assertion that our former president kept us safe after 9/11 is factually false and easily demonstrated as so.
Five people were killed, with an additional seventeen severely sickened.
Cheney's assertion that our former president kept us safe after 9/11 is factually false and easily demonstrated as so.
12
We insisted, for decades, that other countries must have democracy. What Cheney refuses to recognize is that when we act as tyrants, those democratically elected governments that supported us fell as dominoes. Governments were then elected that opposed our policies. That clearly weakened us and our ability to fight terrorism. The most foolish part of their Iraq policy was the "go it alone" cowboy foreign policy. Even a cursory look at past mistakes shows the weakness of that attitude. Terrorism will be a threat no matter what we do. But if we act in good faith, we garner the support of the world's democracies. That is a good way to fight back.
13
So is everyone who feels burned by the Prop 8 outcome in California going to contribute to the "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Eve and Lillith" cause in Utah?
14
The 4th officer in the Oakland shooting was pronounced dead this afternoon. What a horrible situation in Oakland.
With tensions the way they were, this is the kind of incident that can either make things spin out of control or galvanize the community.
With tensions the way they were, this is the kind of incident that can either make things spin out of control or galvanize the community.
15
Surely you clowns jest.
5 dead people isn't even a three car wreck on I-5.
A 'terrorist' attack that no one ever heard of doesn't even register.
In 46 months let's meet again and see what Obama's tally is.
5 dead people isn't even a three car wreck on I-5.
A 'terrorist' attack that no one ever heard of doesn't even register.
In 46 months let's meet again and see what Obama's tally is.
16
10
11
A government employee nutcase doesn't really qualify as terrorism.
If this is the best you've got Bush's record is pretty safe.
11
A government employee nutcase doesn't really qualify as terrorism.
If this is the best you've got Bush's record is pretty safe.
17
When someone Obama releases from Guantánamo pulls the next 9-11 Obama will have to change his tune.
19
@ 3, 15 - so, yeah, if you ignore the worst act of terrorism in United States history, Bush has a pretty good record. And if you ignore the anthrax attacks which everyone who was alive in 2001 heard of, Bush has a pretty good record. And if you ignore the attacks on NATO allies and coalition members in 2004 and 2005, Bush has a pretty good record. So, really, I agree with you - Bush did a great job of keeping us safe, as long as you pay no attention whatsoever to what actually happened.
20
@ 15, 16 - do you know who considers the anthrax attacks terrorism? George W. Bush:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.…
"As all Americans know, recent weeks have brought a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country, deadly anthrax spores sent through the U.S. mail."
"The Postal Service and the FBI have offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and the conviction of the anthrax terrorists."
"We do know that anyone who would try to infect other people with anthrax is guilty of an act of terror. "
"I'm proud of our citizens' calm and reasoned response to this ongoing terrorist attack."
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.…
"As all Americans know, recent weeks have brought a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country, deadly anthrax spores sent through the U.S. mail."
"The Postal Service and the FBI have offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and the conviction of the anthrax terrorists."
"We do know that anyone who would try to infect other people with anthrax is guilty of an act of terror. "
"I'm proud of our citizens' calm and reasoned response to this ongoing terrorist attack."
21
@13,
Mainstream Mormons contributed to pass Prop 8. They hate polygamists. They blame the polygamists for giving Mormonism a bad name, and contributing to Prop 8 was an attempt to win over other conservative Christians. If the gays really want to fuck over Mormons, they should help out the polygamist cause.
Nevertheless, Utah will be the last state to legalize polygamy, if it's ever legalized.
Mainstream Mormons contributed to pass Prop 8. They hate polygamists. They blame the polygamists for giving Mormonism a bad name, and contributing to Prop 8 was an attempt to win over other conservative Christians. If the gays really want to fuck over Mormons, they should help out the polygamist cause.
Nevertheless, Utah will be the last state to legalize polygamy, if it's ever legalized.
22
Emily @16: No, the "best I've got" is 9/11 itself. That said, I agree with gist of your comment back @3, which is the number of
people who die is not a good way to judge a president's terrorism policy. You can get lucky, as Clinton did, and have very few terrorist fatalities on your watch (the only really big one was OKCity, I think), or unlucky, as Bush was, and have a lot. There was not too much either president could have done about those, short of
turning our country into a police state.
It's really our friend @15 who unwittingly put his finger on it. The reason why the anthrax attacks failed, as terror goes, is exactly
what he says "no one ever heard of" it. It's not that the guy was a nutcase (because let's face it, Emily, if it weren't for "nutcase" terrorists, there wouldn't be any terrorists at all) It's that our nation didn't come unglued over it. We didn't stop delivering the mail, and we don't make people take off their shoes
before mailing a package!
This is the where Bush failed the worst -- after 9/11 he defined the remainder of his presidency to be about fighting terror. The media
of course was glad to help him out, and the American public went along. A real leader (and yes this would have been hard -- which is
why they call it "leading" and not "cheerleading"), would have made the same point @15 makes, but even stronger: "2800 casualties is a horrible thing, but we lose that many people to highway fatalities every month. Some American families have paid an enormous price. We honor their loss the most by not allowing the terrorists to redefine who we are as a people." For a President who said that, and
believed it, using terror as a pretext for torture would never have been on the table. Using terror as a pretext for invading a country
that had nothing to do with 9/11 would never have been on the table. Had Bush started off by saying that, and believing that, our nation's health, and our soul, would be better off.
The worst thing you can do to a terrorist is ignore him. 9/11 was a big win for terrorists, for sure. The invasion of Iraq, and the use of waterboarding, and the stupidass color danger chart, made it much much bigger.
Obviously, we have to take sensible steps to make ourselves more secure, where we can. But I agree with Emily's main point and with @15's unintentional point: we certainly shouldn't use the number of fatalities on a President's watch as the way to judge his response to terrorism.
More...
people who die is not a good way to judge a president's terrorism policy. You can get lucky, as Clinton did, and have very few terrorist fatalities on your watch (the only really big one was OKCity, I think), or unlucky, as Bush was, and have a lot. There was not too much either president could have done about those, short of
turning our country into a police state.
It's really our friend @15 who unwittingly put his finger on it. The reason why the anthrax attacks failed, as terror goes, is exactly
what he says "no one ever heard of" it. It's not that the guy was a nutcase (because let's face it, Emily, if it weren't for "nutcase" terrorists, there wouldn't be any terrorists at all) It's that our nation didn't come unglued over it. We didn't stop delivering the mail, and we don't make people take off their shoes
before mailing a package!
This is the where Bush failed the worst -- after 9/11 he defined the remainder of his presidency to be about fighting terror. The media
of course was glad to help him out, and the American public went along. A real leader (and yes this would have been hard -- which is
why they call it "leading" and not "cheerleading"), would have made the same point @15 makes, but even stronger: "2800 casualties is a horrible thing, but we lose that many people to highway fatalities every month. Some American families have paid an enormous price. We honor their loss the most by not allowing the terrorists to redefine who we are as a people." For a President who said that, and
believed it, using terror as a pretext for torture would never have been on the table. Using terror as a pretext for invading a country
that had nothing to do with 9/11 would never have been on the table. Had Bush started off by saying that, and believing that, our nation's health, and our soul, would be better off.
The worst thing you can do to a terrorist is ignore him. 9/11 was a big win for terrorists, for sure. The invasion of Iraq, and the use of waterboarding, and the stupidass color danger chart, made it much much bigger.
Obviously, we have to take sensible steps to make ourselves more secure, where we can. But I agree with Emily's main point and with @15's unintentional point: we certainly shouldn't use the number of fatalities on a President's watch as the way to judge his response to terrorism.
23
Aaron, babe. You link to a New York Times story for something that happened in Oakland? You might need to go back to Linking 101 and study harder. There actually was more reporting from journos who cover the Bay Area on a regular basis. As in: Journos from Bay Area media outlets as well as bloggers.
24
Homer: Well, there's not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol is sure doing its job.
Lisa: That's specious reasoning, Dad.
Homer: Thank you, sweetie.
Lisa: Dad, what if I were to tell you that this rock keeps away tigers.
Homer: Uh-huh, and how does it work?
Lisa: It doesn't work. It's just a stupid rock.
Homer: I see.
Lisa: But you don't see any tigers around, do you?
Homer: Lisa, I'd like to buy your rock.
25
For people who see same-sex marriage as on a "slippery slope" leading to polygamy, just remember that you heteros started it by granting yourselves special rights in the first place. Nya Nya.
26
24
This would be a good analogy only if bears had killed 3000 residents of Springfield in the recent past.
This would be a good analogy only if bears had killed 3000 residents of Springfield in the recent past.
28
@26: Let me help your logic skills again.
I'm not mocking W (here, that is. I mock him plenty elsewhere, and have before and after the attacks).
I'm mocking people who think Bush kept you and me safe, for their specious reasoning.
For further reference as to how fucking stupid I think the idea that Bush kept us safe from anything (beyond the bill of rights), I suggest reading here.
I'm not mocking W (here, that is. I mock him plenty elsewhere, and have before and after the attacks).
I'm mocking people who think Bush kept you and me safe, for their specious reasoning.
For further reference as to how fucking stupid I think the idea that Bush kept us safe from anything (beyond the bill of rights), I suggest reading here.
29
28
Why don't you use your big brain and specious reasoning link on Dan and wise him up about the assinine "Every child deserves..." and "Youth Pastor Watch" series?
Why don't you use your big brain and specious reasoning link on Dan and wise him up about the assinine "Every child deserves..." and "Youth Pastor Watch" series?
30
I'm sure the far left is profoundly disappointed that there wasn't another devastating terrorist attack in the U.S. during Bush's terms; it would have strengthened their argument.
31
28
So Jonathan, do you think it was air traffic controllers who kept us safe for the 7 years after 9-11?
So Jonathan, do you think it was air traffic controllers who kept us safe for the 7 years after 9-11?
32
@30: Did you even read the original story? Cheney's making the rounds talking about how Obama's making Americans unsafe. How proud he and you will be if there is another attack. How vindicated you'll feel. You'll have all told us so, right?
Or is disappointment something only the right can feel?
Or is disappointment something only the right can feel?
33
@30,
Actually, I was far more disappointed when Bush and Cheney wiped their asses with the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (among other things), and many of my fellow citizens were so paralyzed with fear that they went along with it.
Actually, I was far more disappointed when Bush and Cheney wiped their asses with the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (among other things), and many of my fellow citizens were so paralyzed with fear that they went along with it.
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