May 2004
May 31, 2004
Memorial Day
I watched PBS's 15th annual Memorial Day celebration last night and could not help but feel tears well up as young soldiers, missing limbs or walking with great difficulty, sat in front as a reminder of the sacrifice we ask of our young people. Ossie Davis, the host, kept things in balance, ending with, "Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me."
Looking in the Capital Times and elsewhere at the pictures of young soldiers from Wisconsin, killed in Iraq, and knowing the impact on the lives of spouses, many with young children, friends who comforted them, parents who prepared them for Kindergarten, grandparents who loved them without question, teachers who taught them in school, employers who saw them off and promised to keep their jobs for them, makes for an especially sad Memorial Day. Eighteen Wisconsin soldiers have died in Iraq. Of the 18, 10 were younger than 24 years old when they fell.
We ask, "For what?" but that does not diminish our respect for their sacrifice and the suffering of the wounded and the surviving relations.
It took Kurt Vonnegut to remind us in a recent article of the the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
I cannot help but wonder if those who caused this invasion watched last night. And, I must ask, when will we celebrate the peacemakers? Doctors Without Borders, Peace Corps volunteers, Red Cross workers and medics in the field. Why not a national peacemaker day? We would have a lot to talk about and to celebrate.
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May 30, 2004
Not my fault
Every now and then a story appears that absolutely boggles the mind. On Saturday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that 4.6 billion gallons of untreated sewage was dumped into Lake Michigan. (That is "billion" not "million.") That one-month dump was greater than any annual dumping since the system was opened in 1993.
Who is at fault?
Not Kevin Shafer, the executive director of the Sewerage District. Get this: "We are not the ones who produced the water that got into the system...you can only do so much." Words to live by. Not Shafer's fault; not the board's fault; not the DNR's fault; not former Mayor Norquist's fault, although they hint that his wife might have been at fault; not Tommy or Scott's fault; not Jim Doyle's fault, and certainly not Charlie Sykes' candidate for governor, Scott Walker's fault.
It is, screamed the Sunday MJS, the fault of, you guessed it, lax environmentalists. I'm not making this up.
The Republicans killed the Public Intervenor, forced the independent DNR into Tommy's cabinet, reduced enforcement of the Clean Water Act, cut the DNR budget, but it ain't their fault. No siree. Alberta Darling, state senator and doyen from River Hills, was quoted, "It would sure help to have the environmental groups exert pressure on us."
Not to be outdone, the MJS found Quarles & Brady lawyer Tony Earl, who also blamed the environmentalists. "The traditional environmental groups were absolutely AWOL during this whole thing, and that troubles me. They didn't do a damn thing." Tony, who lobbied for the Crandon Mine following his re-election defeat in 1986, did not offer his solutions or explain where he was during this battle.
As for the Journal Sentinel, had they pushed for a solution to the sewerage problem instead of hiring lobbyists to convince the Legislature that spending a billion on Miller Park was more important, perhaps they might be a credible source. (They did report that 4.6 billion gallons would "fill Miller Park 15 times from home base to the retractable roof." Is that a suggestion?)
Do we still have a DNR?
Where is Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker? Yup. On a Harley ride around Wisconsin. At least he was smart enough to leave town.
Where is the leadership in this state?
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May 29, 2004
Is anyone in charge here?
President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair disagree over the key issue of military decisions after June 30. Blair says (incredibly) that the Iraqi government will control, Bush says the U.S. will control, while saying (incredibly) that the Iraqi government will be sovereign.
Ahmed Chalabi, the greatest con man in modern history, played the U.S. for a sucker by working with Iranian intelligence to convince the U.S. to invade Iraq and dispose of Saddam and thus eliminate Iran's biggest threat. And, voila! Chalabi becomes president of Iraq.
Someone woke up and raided Chalabi's headquarters and made it clear the U.S. now knows they were chumps. But not so fast. Get this. Richard Perle (who recently said Seymour Hersh is a terrorist), Newt Gingrich and former CIA director James Woolsey, according to the New York Times, "marched into the West Wing office of Condoleezza Rice, to complain about the administration's abrupt change of heart about Mr. Chalabi."
I'm not making this up. Perle, while denying CIA reports he has business dealings with Chalabi, has turned his light from Seymour Hersh to, get this, "Jerry Bremer," who is engaged in "an outrageous abuse of power." Yikes! Perle, who stays far from harm in Iraq but close to the Bush administration and his patron, Don Rumsfeld, must be going nuts. So close to Iraqi oil profits from President Chalabi.
If this were fiction it would not be believable.
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May 28, 2004
Don't forget Feedback (or fundraising)
For superb reaction to articles and blogs on our site, hit the Feedback button. I'm always impressed with the good thoughts and different perspectives one finds in these letters, and the most recent posting provides a particularly good sampling. We can't post them all, but we read every one. Keep writing.
For those close enough to make the trip, plan to come to our fun and fund raiser on June 9th at Cafe Montmartre in downtown Madison. We will celebrate our new grant from the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of the Capital Times, raise more money, and, perhaps, have a laugh or two.
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GuestBlog: By Bill Kraus
The Wisdom of Pogo
Thomas Jefferson said that if the citizens get a choice between a free press and free elections, they should pick a free press everytime.
Putting aside the question of just how free our press is for the moment, just how important is a free press if the citizens are out to lunch?
Once again Pogo is right: the enemy is us. We are not paying attention, we are not voting, we are not making those who represent us turn square corners. We are getting the government we deserve.
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Tsk Tsk NPR
Yes, it's true. National Public Radio relies more on Republicans than Democrats. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) says the majority of sources NPR reporters interview are, oh say it isn't true, Republicans. "Individual Republicans were NPR's most popular sources overall, taking the top seven spots in frequency of appearance."
The study covered May through August 2003. An NPR spokeswoman did not challenge the findings but relied on the intelligence of the audience who "day after day think we're fair and in-depth in our approach." Thank our lucky stars she did not say "fair and balanced."
It could be that the Republicans have more to explain. But so much for the old Bob Dole line that NPR is tilting so far left it will soon tip over.
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May 27, 2004
Too late Tommy, too late Bradley Foundation
Too late to apply for the presidency of the great state university of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson may have to look to the private sector for employment after his life in Bushville. In the understatement of the month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, business leaders as well as university professors said "he would bring significant expertise in fund-raising...but his reputation as a cheerleader for the state would not be enough [for others] to compensate for his lack of expertise in other areas." Like academic credentials, perhaps?
On the other hand, think of the fun we would miss. Jon Litscher, former DOC Secretary, could be the new Dean of Letters and Science. Jim Klauser as Dean of Political Science. Phil Prange as lead fund-raiser. Charlie Sykes heading Wisconsin Public Radio and Belling at Public TV. This would be a fun time. What the hell. If we are going to sink the ship, might as well enjoy the voyage.
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Bye bye, Superior Daily Telegram
Why am I not comforted that the citizens of Superior will get a better daily now that Knight-Ridder (KR) has purchased the Superior Daily Telegram? KR owns the Duluth News Tribune and lots of other papers. They also bought the Budgeteer News in Duluth (whatever that is) and the paper in Cloquet. I raise the issue of monopolization of news in the article posted to FightingBob.com today, and now here is more proof. Why not One Big Paper? If only Journal Communications, Gannett, Lee Enterprises, and Knight Ridder would get together.
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May 26, 2004
Whoa Nelly!
As Dave Barry would say, "I'm not making this up." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that a group is trying to recruit Tommy Thompson to head the University of Wisconsin system. This is obviously a Bradley Foundation ploy to privatize the UW campus. So they turn to the man who made prison construction our number one growth industry, thus robbing much needed funds from the university to be diverted to embarrassments like supermax in Boscobel or the privately built prison in Stanley, to complete the job.
Under Tommy, state support of the university plummeted. Why? Same reason the proponents of vouchers want our public schools to fail. If tuition gets high enough, and state support low enough, why not go all the way and privatize the Madison campus. Where are we Toto? Kansas is beginning to look good.
The same paper reported that the Milwaukee Common Council approved plans for a Harley-Davidson museum in the Menomonee Valley. Now there is the job for Tommy. Curator of the Harley museum assisted by protege and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker who is now riding around Wisconsin on his Harley. If not Harley-Davidson, how about heading the English Department?
Here is the Whoa Nelly moment. A top aid (unnamed, probably to protect his family) said Jim Doyle "would not stand in the way" of an appointment. Of course not. Doyle does not want to run against Tommy, so why not place the UW on the altar of sacrifice? As Tommy would say, "Wisconsin. Eagles soar, Harleys roar, Packers score."
Help!
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May 25, 2004
Understanding war
In order to provide alternative information to our subscribers, we link to a variety of sources well outside the mainstream media flow in America. For starters, click on the Links button and scroll down. Check British news in The Guardian, the BBC, or the Independent. Then hit Common Dreams, Cost of War, and Alternet for a variety of views.
FightingBob.com attempts to focus most of our articles on Wisconsin, GarveyBlog is all over the place, and our Links provide you with a refreshing menu of out-of-the box articles from around the world. Enjoy.
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Welcome to the occupation
Last night the president started referring to U.S. as "occupiers" in Iraq. Ever since the U.S. invaded, the administration insisted we were "liberators" not "occupiers."
Why the shift? Because on June 30 the USA will hand over control of Iraq to an American-appointed Iraqi government. But that government may not force the U.S. to leave because? You guessed it. We occupy the country, we run the military, we define their form of government as "occupiers," not as a friendly foreign power. As Colin Powell allegedly said to Bush, "If you invade it, you own it."
Well, here we are. When my wife and I bought our first home the Welcome Wagon came by to welcome us to the neighborhood. Corny, maybe, but nice. Where, may we ask, is our Welcome Wagon in Iraq?
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May 23, 2004
Fighting Bob Fest
Let the fun begin. Many of you have emailed asking about the third Fighting Bob Fest. Yes, back to Sauk County in that wonderful setting in the hills of Baraboo. This year it will be a little later--September 18--and our keynote speaker will be our friend and FightingBob.com subscriber, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa.
Tom carries on the fight for Paul Wellstone every day and I can hardly wait to hear his charge to thousands of progressives. We used to say Wisconsin had three Senators in the days of Hubert Humphrey. Well, we have three again with Tom Harkin.
Mark the date on your calendar. The full list of speakers will be posted soon.
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Fahrenheit 9/11
I knew Michael Moore was a genius when "Roger and Me" was released. Siskel & Ebbert said it should win the Oscar, but, of course it was way too honest and revealing. "Bowling for Columbine" was even better and this time it was impossible for the Hollywood poo-bahs to ignore this important movie. He won the Oscar.
Now comes "Fahrenheit 9/11." I haven't seen it yet, but it must be so powerful it has the boys in a sweat. Why? Well, read, Dude, Where's My Country and you will get a hint. A 20-minute standing "O" at Cannes, and winner of the coveted top prize, I heard a CNN reporter speculate that movie houses will be reluctant to show the movie because it could defeat George W. Bush in November.
Let's make a deal: Take Fox News off the air and we'll ask Michael to delay showing his film until December. That seems fair.
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May 22, 2004
Anyone for a swim?
Before taking your kids to swim in Lake Michigan this summer, you might think about alternatives. Milwaukee dumped 1.5 billion gallons of untreated raw sewage into the great lake this week--at a minimum. Illinois? Dumped none.
What's going on? Can we permit this to continue? Is this a Milwaukee problem or a problem for the entire state? What would we be saying if Illinois or Michigan were doing this? C'mon.
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Rename the Pulitizer
After the reporting by Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker, the Pulitzer committee should simply name the top investigative reporting award the "Hersh." No need for explanation--he has done what no other journalist has done since the invasion of Iraq.
Without his digging and clawing for information we would not know about Abu Ghraib. Without Hersh we would not know about Specialist Joseph Darby who, when he was assigned to Abu Ghraib, related to a friend, "The Christian in me says it's wrong" after viewing pictures of naked prisoners. The New York Times reports Darby, in sworn testimony, said, "I knew I had to do something. I didn't want to see any more prisoners being abused because I knew it was wrong." If Hersh is the reporter, Darby is the hero.
It was not just a few privates who punished prisoners. Here is what Seymour Hersh reported in this week's New Yorker: "The roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal lie not in the criminal inclinations of a few Army reservists, but in a decision approved last year by Don Rumsfeld, to expand a highly secret operation."
We learn more every day. On Saturday the Times headlines, "Dogs and Other Harsh Tactics Linked to Military Intelligence."
What have we become? We would not be asking, had it not been for Hersh. Thank you Seymour Hersh.
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May 21, 2004
GuestBlog: By Bill Kraus
As the only admitted Republican on the national board of Common Cause, it falls to me to remind this organization about the realities of reform in this country at this moment in time.
Common Cause is familiar with the difficulty of getting its agenda (spending limits on everybody now and redistricting reform eventually) past recalcitrant Republicans when they are in power.
As an organization that leans Democratic, Common Cause operates under the delusion that the reform agenda will advance quickly and easily when the Democrats are in charge.
It falls to me to point out to this august organization that as, if, and when this Edenic situation is reached, they are going to have as big a problem with duplicitous Democrats as we now have with the aforementioned recalcitrant Republicans. Incumbents of both parties, because they are incumbents, have the keys to the campaign contribution vault and they have no interest in surrendering them.
Want reform?
Find and elect more John McCains and Russ Feingolds.
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May 19, 2004
Good for Marathon County: By Ed Garvey
As the utility companies push for the loopy idea of an extension cord from Manitoba to Wausau, the Marathon County Board said "Whoa! Slow down."
An American Transmission Co. PR man said, "We can't be in limbo for much longer." Really? Who appointed you the spokesperson for our environment?
The Marathon County Board denied access to public lands. Tom Kreager, president of SOUL, praised the move. "You guys do a great job of reviewing the issues." Thus far, ATC has acquired only one public land easement. They offered $250,000 to the Marathon School District and the school board agreed.
ATC knows schools need money, so why not throw a few bucks in that direction? Could we begin by asking about the health of the children along the line?
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Hearings? Why bother?
Q. Why are both U.S. Senators from Wisconsin on the Senate Judiciary Committee?
A. So both Democrats could endorse state Supeme Court Justice Diane Sykes for appointment to the Court of Appeals in Chicago despite her refusal to answer tough questions. They even endorsed her appointment before any questions were asked and she had a chance to not answer them.
Q. If Illinois Senator Dick Durban opposes her confirmation, why would Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold support it?
A. Democrats work in strange ways.
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Contract? What contract?
My May 7 blog entry dealt with the final paragraph of a lengthy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article that focused on the Milwaukee Brewers' debt. In the final paragraph, MJS quoted Marc Marotta, Secretary of the state's Department of Administration, that "a new non-relocation agreement was signed this week" because the old one had not been executed by Gov. Tommy Thompson. I raised the question of how such a vital part of Wisconsin taxpayer's decision to spend a billion dollars on Selig's palace could go unsigned. Now we know--sort of.
MJS's Spivak & Bice tried to explain in Sunday's paper but actually raised more questions than they answered. Here are a few. S&B asked how could a governor, addicted to details, "forget to sign the contract to prohibit the Brewers from leaving Wisconsin". They quote PR man Evan Zeppos, saying "our lawyers remember specifically giving them a final document for signature." Well, now, who are "our lawyers," and "to whom" did they present the "final document"? And where is it?
Tony Jewell, speaking for Thompson, is vehement in saying the document never made it to Tommy's office. So I guess Tommy is off the hook. Egad. The defense is that no one sent over the most important document to Wisconsin taxpayers in years, so forget about it? And when Marotta says a "new" non-relocation agreement was signed, is it different than the "old" one, and, if so, how?
S&B say the only "significant difference" is that it points out the Brewers now play in the National League. What, may we ask are the "insignificant differences?" And would any alteration affect the validity of the agreement?
Why didn't anyone know about this? S&B go off the manse however when they suggest Tommy deliberately did not sign because of not-so-secret differences with Selig. Come again? He doesn't like Selig (laughable) so he hands him a billion dollars on a handshake deal?
Not to worry, S&B go to the file marked "unidentified spokesmen and other insiders" to come up with this gem: "He's just so mad he wasn't going to sign the agreement, speculated a top state official." Yah, sure Ole.
Another unnamed pol said Tommy's pals thought the agreement would not stop the Brewers from moving anyway. "There was a serious question about whether it was worth the paper it was written on," said the nameless "insider."
In an outburst of unexpected candor, Marrota said, "Typically, people don't enter into agreements if they don't mean something."
Could we now discuss, in this context, the "accidental destruction" of 100 boxes of Tommy's papers that included his files on the Brewer stadium deal? Not to worry, accidents happen, contracts disappear, fingers are pointed, and we pick up the tab.
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May 17, 2004
Feel sorry for Powell?
Suddenly, Colin Powell seems to be telling the truth. On "Meet the Press" he admitted his infamous UN speech was based on false information, some of it deliberately misleading and inaccurate. Then, at a commencement speech, he said "Just do what's right."
While I am tempted to feel sorry for him, it really is, as Stanley Kutler said in his FightingBob.com article, time for him to go. Either he was lied to or he lied. Either way, he has lost all credibility in the world. And last time I checked, the Secretary of State needs credibility.
One must ask, "Mr.Secretary, you know Tenet, Wolfowitz and Cheney. Why are you surprised?"
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Watch out for mixed marriagese
Yo! The Vatican, a stranger to marriage, has put out a warning to Catholics who might be tempted to marry Muslims. Surprising Vatican watchers, the church has discouraged Catholic women from marrying Muslim men. Listen up! "Bitter experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth preparation is called for."
Now for the hot news: The Vatican warns that Muslim men might not treat Catholic women with respect. Whoa Nelly!
If Catholics choose to marry Muslims, "They must be sure to baptize their children. All Catholics must take a firm stand on what the church requires."
Let's review the situation in the Catholic Church. Women cannot become priests; cannot marry priests; cannot give communion; and cannot have control of their bodies, but should worry about Muslims not respecting them? Oh my.
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Prisons: there and here
Governor Tommy Thompson, against the advice of his secretary of Corrections, Mike Sullivan, and most prison wardens in Wisconsin, decided to build a Supermax prison in Boscobel. He sent a team around the country to visit other so-called supermaximum facilities to make sure Wisconsin's would be the worst of the worst for inmates. He succeeded.
It should be noted that then-Attorney General Jim Doyle did not speak up in opposition and politicians from both parties swore to "eliminate country club conditions" in our prisons. When Chief Judge Barbara Crabb issued an injunction ordering the removal of seriously mentally ill inmates from Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (f.k.a. Supermax), acting Governor Scott McCallum opposed the order and tried to go back on the agreement entered into with counsel for plaintiffs and the Department of Corrections. Then Assemblyman and would-be governor Scott Walker was appalled that the prison would improve by including outdoor recreation and cooler cells.
Now think about Iraq. The Red Cross was so upset with American prisons in that country they wrote to the administration. "The internment of persons in solitary confinement for months at a time in cells devoid of daylight for nearly 23 hours a day is more severe than the forms of internment provided for under the Geneva Conventions."
Welcome to Boscobel, where some inmates have been held in solitary for two years without ever seeing daylight. How can Wisconsin condemn the treatment of Iraqi inmates when our own prison violates the minimal standards of the Geneva Conventions?
On June 1, Governor Doyle's Department of Corrections will argue before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago that the court should overturn Judge Crabb's ruling that cells must be cooled by air conditioning, the only practical method for doing so, according to the state.
We have Tommy Thompson, Scott McCallum, Jim Doyle and Scott Walker all in support of the same inhuman conditions. Shameful.
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May 15, 2004
Keep holy
Once again the Catholic church hierarchy has gone off the beam. It all started with the La Crosse Bishop who threatened to deny communion to Wisconsin public officials who supported a woman's reproductive choice. When he moved to St. Louis we breathed a sigh of relief.
But it turns out Bishop Burke was the "progressive"! The Bishop of Colorado Springs said, and I'm not making this up, that Catholics who vote for candidates who support stem cell research or women's choice also cannot receive communion. And for good measure he threw in "gay marriage and euthanasia as intrinsically evil." Aparently pedophilia is not as bad.
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May 14, 2004
Don't worry, the PSC will protect us
FightingBob has been railing against the Public Service Commission since we went on line. The problem is that the PSC is dominated, controlled, and coddled, by the utility companies they are supposed to govern. (I can hardly wait to see where PSC commissioner Ave Bie will find employment when her term ends next March.)
Watching the PSC rubber-stamp the Arrowhead-Weston extension cord, despite enormous costs and overwhelming opposition from citizens, was not pretty.
But Wisconsin ratepayers were always assured that our rates are lower. Well, not so fast, Nutley. "Wisconsin residents are paying more for electricity than consumers in seven other Midwestern states," so sayeth the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ah, but not to worry. Alliant says business rates are 10 percent below the national average. So when you pay your utility bill, be comforted in knowing that WMC's members are paying less.
Can we change the name to Private Service Commission?
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GuestBlog: By Bill Kraus
The harm that labeling can do.
I was driving back from Central Wisconsin recently and heard a radio ad for the Capital Times. The label the ad put on the newspaper would be widely regarded as accurate. The ad said it was “progressive.” So far so good. But once that label is pre-empted, competitors seem to be reduced to the antonym: regressive.
Amusing.
Less amusing is the pre-emption embodied in those in the abortion choice debate of the label. Pro-life. As Bob Williams once asked, “What does that make me? Pro-death?”
The latest label ogre on the horizon is something called TABOR, which is an acronym for Taxpayers Bill of Rights. Unarguable but misleading. The organizations and people behind the label are really, in my mind anyway, in favor of revenue limits and against representative government. It is kind of a “Stop me before I tax again!” response to lawmakers who are too weak-willed to say no to anything.
But that is an aside. The fact is that the TABOR idea may or may not be attractive, but the label is dynamite.
Dangerous.
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May 13, 2004
Seven come eleven
Governor Doyle is learning that gambling is tough business. For inexplicable reasons, Governor Doyle entered into permanent pacts with the tribes with no legislative oversight. Had Tommy done that, we would be screaming bloody murder.
Tough news and a new fiscal crisis when we do not need it, but the state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the governor exceeded his authority. Now the fireworks begin all over again. Of course, if Diane Sykes gets Senate approval, Doyle will name a Justice. Vegas odds are 4-1 he or she would rule differently.
Rehearing anyone?
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Peg Lautenschlager takes on Bush
Peg Lautenschlager is the first attorney general in the country to pass judgement on the infamous "No Child Left Behind" law. Our AG issued an opinion that the law is "probably administered unconstitutionally and illegally in Wisconsin."
This awful law would cost Wisconsin taxpayers $2 billion to fully implement, according to WEAC. It is, in other words, one more unfunded mandate designed to damage public schools to set the stage for vouchers.
Good for Peg.
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Your duty as a Badger
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorials are a nice diversion from the war and other realities. The paper that hired lobbyists to push through Miller Park and used its front page to boost the idea, now editorializes that, "Attendance is up. Consider it a fresh start. This is the time for everyone to step up and support the Brewers with more than lip service."
Why carry cartoons when you can write editorials? No mention of the firing of Ulyce Payne, the attempt to cover up the losses facing the team, or the drastic payroll cuts. No, "it is time" for everyone, sports fans and non-sports fans, to give money to the Brewers.
Yikes.
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UW, Inc.
The Board of Regents announced that they may hire a corporate CEO to replace Katharine Lyall. Now there is a novel approach. The idea might catch on and corporations might hire academics as CEOs.
As our university moves closer to the Lyall dream of privatization, it should awaken all in the state that hiring a corporate CEO moves us closer to corporatization. You can bet the CEO will be looking to the private sector more than the public sector. Will this great land grant university look more like Harvard than the UW that has been our most important institution? You betcha!
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May 12, 2004
Taguba steps up
Showing great courage, General Taguba, flanked by superiors at the Senate hearings, did not back down. He said the military police officers suffered from "a lack of discipline, no training whatsoever and no supervision." And he agreed with the International Red Cross conclusion that "coercive practices, like holding prisoners naked for long periods, were used in a systematic way as part of the military intelligence process at the prison."
Under questioning from Carl Levin of Michigan, Taguba agreed that this was "not just oversight or negligence but purposeful, willful determination to use these techniques as part of an interrogation process." Where are we Toto?
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Your lying eyes
More words of wisdom from Rumsfeld. The New York Times quotes him saying, "Photos and video images at Abu Ghraib ought not to be allowed to define us--either in the eyes of the world or our own eyes. We know who we are."
Thank you Mr. Secretary.
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May 11, 2004
Could it really get worse?
Secretary Rumsfeld warned Congress that it will get worse in Iraq.
Worse than what? The Red Cross reported that "up to 90 percent of Iraqi detainees were arrested by mistake." Rumsfeld and Powell ignored warnings from the Red Cross for months. It appears obvious that the only reason these abuses have become public is the work of Sy Hirsch of the New Yorker.
In light of all that has come out, the Army Times called for the firing of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. "The entire affair is a failure of leadership from start to finish. From the moment they are captured, prisoners are hooded, shackled and isolated. The message to the troops: Anything goes." The independent Army Times editorial went on: "This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level. This was a failure that ran straight to the top. Accountability here is essential."
Strong words from a publication devoted to military news. Senator John Warner, in what can only be described as a desperation move, said, "We don't have time to confirm a new Secretary of Defense. We have two wars going on." Take a nap Senator.
If Rumsfeld goes, he should be accompanied out the door by Colin Powell and George Tenant.
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May 10, 2004
Welcome Stan Kutler
We are very pleased to welcome noted historian Stanley Kutler to FightingBob.com. Professor Kutler raises the question on many minds. Why doesn't anyone resign?
Where are the Elliot Richardsons of this generation? He ends his superb column with a suggestion that if Powell were to resign, he would be assured of a historic and successful memoir.
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Let us review the contract
Last year, the Defense Department approved a series of aggressive interrogation techniques for use at Guantanamo Bay, according to an article in the New York Times.
No kidding! The official the Times quoted said the approved techniques included disrupting sleep routines and requiring prisoners to disrobe entirely for questioning. Who has been sent to Iraq to clean up the mess at Abu Gharib? The General who had been in charge in Guantanamo Bay, where, according to Rumsfeld, the Geneva conventions do not apply. There is comfort for you.
Mercenaries were hired to "help" interrogate prisoners. Who hired them? Who vetted them? Did they agree to be bound by the Geneva Conventions? Would it be asking too much to submit the contracts to the American people for review? We are, after all, paying them and they are destroying our image throughout the world. And, while you are going to the files, who ordered the taking of photos?
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May 7, 2004
Oh my goodness!
With the report that the Milwaukee Brewers are up for sale and deeply in debt, read this: "Marc Marotta said a new non-relocation agreement was signed this week because state lawyers recently determined that Tommy Thompson never signed it." That was at the very bottom of a long Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. Whoa Nelly!
Tommy Thompson, who, with significant help from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, pushed through the stadium deal, never signed the one document that might keep the Brewers in Wisconsin? What? He forgot? C'mon. And Bud Selig's lawyers at Foley & Lardner never asked for a signed copy? And the Journal Sentinel, having hired lobbyists to push through the deal, never asked?
At the time, Jim Doyle was Attorney General. Didn't he check it out? And are we really supposed to believe that not one person in Governor Doyle's Department of Administration asked to see it when the Brewers announced the team was for sale several months ago? Who is in charge here? This is remakable to say the least.
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GuestBlog: By Bill Kraus
A story in the New York Times reports that something called a "deliberative poll" demonstrates what we are all coming to believe: John Edwards would be a stronger candidate against George Bush than John Kerry is.
It did not take any particular genius or a deliberative poll to learn that John McCain would have been a stronger candidate against Al Gore than George Bush was.
So how did both major parties end up with such flawed candidates?
The primary system did it.
The Bush organization proved that you can push your candidate all the way to the nomination if you are rich enough. By the time the 2000 primary campaign moved south, McCain was out of money, and Bush was in.
The Kerry organization, after a skillful campaign in Iowa that used Vietnam veterans to devastating effect to propel him over the ABB's [Anybody But Bush] favorite, Howard Dean. Dean, of course, would complete the job with the self-destructing "I have a scream" speech. This left Kerry as the most fervid anti-Busher, and since the ABBs were dominating the nominating races, a shoo-in for the nomination.
It is too early to write Kerry off, and events are likely to be more important in the long run this year than personal appeal, but it is clear at this early stage that Kerry is not appealing to the great unwashed majority that is less sure of anything than the true believers are of everything.
The point of all this is not the 2004 election or the 2000 election, but the fact that in this post political boss, post-powerful-political-parties era we have kind of stumbled into a nominating process that has been dominated by money and by zealots.
Maybe we should rethink this.
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May 5, 2004
Disney--Say it ain't so
Not since Fox sued Al Frankin has any entity made such a stupid mistake as Disney by blocking the distribution of Michael Moore's new movie--"Fahrenheit 911." If it is as revealing and funny as his book, Dude, Where's My Country?, this movie will challenge Mel Gibson.
Moore's Stupid White Men should have been dedicated to Disney. They have guaranteed that this movie will be a cult film at a minimum.
Oh yes, Moore's sin according to Disney? He is too critical of W. Bush. Imagine that? Just when things are going well in Iraq. Why criticize Bush, for heaven's sake? (If you have not seen Bowling for Colombine, rent it this weekend.)
Back to Michael Moore. A true genius. He must know someone at Disney.
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Indian School
Bruce Murphy has written a superb piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the shenanigans at the Milwaukee Indian school.
The school, endowed with millions of dollars from the Potowatomi casino in Milwaukee, is cutting staff. Murphy tells us why. The Republican lawyers at Michael Best & Friedrich have been paid almost $3 million, the board is compensated in high style, and the new board chair will be paid $300,000 annually. Read the article and gain insight into the inner circle of the inner circle. Too bad.
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RadFest is coming, are you going?
Check our Documents button to get the low-down on the upcoming RadFest. Yes, I will be there with lots of other progressive voices. You will learn a lot and, here is the best part, it's fun!
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Just because you are paranoid...
The old saying comes to mind, "Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you," when I think about voting by computer. The definition of paranoid? "A mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions based on the supposed hostility of others." Well, call me paranoid if you must, but touch screen voting without a paper trail, conducted by a Republican contributor to George W. Bush, is not comforting to me. Nope! Am I delusional or cautious?
Johns Hopkins professor Avriel Rubin has been teaching his students how to hack into computerized voting machines to make the point that we must have a paper trail if the American people are going to trust our voting system.
Here is what professor Rubin said to the New York Times: "I continue to believe that the Diebold voting machines represent a huge threat to our democracy." Wow! Maybe I'm not paranoid.
Think about this. Voting machines in African American districts develop a glitch on election day. Who comes to fix it? What if someone pulls the plug and the computers won't run? Or cuts the power? Or inserts a chip to change votes from Democrat to Republican?
California has banned Diebold "because of security and reliability concerns." Whoa Nelly! Time to raise hell, folks. Demand a paper trail like we have in Wisconsin.
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May 4, 2004
Affirmative Action?
The state of Wisconsin does not have a large African American population except, that is, at our Supermax prison. There, 59-62 percent of the inmates are African American and 8 percent are Hispanic.
Why is this of interest?
Let's start with Spanish-speaking inmates. Calls to inmates are monitored. But there is a problem when the inmate is Spanish-speaking because Boscobel does not have a Spanish-speaking guard or staff person. Result? If the inmate or the caller cannot speak English, the call is not permitted.
And not one guard or staff member is African American.
Can you believe it? We will ask the governor how his affirmative action program is working.
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May 3, 2004
Welcome!
We now link to WOJB and the Superior Broadcast Network. Go to our Links section and check out these two terrific sites. While checking our Links, check The Wisconsinite as well for some refreshing views.
As part of trying to become your "one-stop progressive shopping" site, don't skip past Adbusters, the Cost of War, the Guardian and many others.
Special welcome to Eric Schubring of WOJB and Nick Vander Puy of Superior Broadcast Network.
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BP or AP?
The invasion of Iraq will be judged BP--Before Pictures or AP--After Pictures. Described on Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now" as "The pictures that lost the war," it appears that everything is different.
We have learned that CBS was planning to release the pictures of humiliation (ours as well as theirs) on April 14, but at the request of the Bush administration CBS waited two weeks before showing them to the world. Given the probable impact on our presence in Iraq, further endangering our soldiers, we must go back and review the actions and words of our "leaders" over the past two weeks. The nearly out-of-control Rumsfeld at a news briefing and the decision to permit General Amer Bakr al-Hashimi to take over in Falluja must be, in part, attributable to the pending release of these awful photos.
This is a defining moment. When asked about serving under the man Bush 41 called "Hitler" and the man Bush 43 uses to justify this terrible invasion, General al-Hashimi said "I feel proud." I'm not making this up. It was in the New York Times.
Back to the pictures. Knowing they were going to be released two weeks before we did, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B. Myers, said on "Face the nation," and again I am not kidding, "I haven't read the report yet."
Heads should roll. It is that simple.
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May 2, 2004
Lurching forward
A New York Times writer described the Bush policy in Iraq as "lurching forward toward June 30." That is a very kind way of saying that there is no short-term plan, no strategy, and no civilian leadership.
USA Today reported a survey from Iraq showing that 45 percent of the Iraqi people feel they are worse off now than they were under Saddam; 42 percent say they are better off; 71 percent say the U.S. is an occupying force; and only 19 percent see the U.S. as a "liberator."
This is alarming even for those of us who opposed the invasion from the get-go. And that survey was before the pictures of prisoner abuse. Want to bet the numbers of those calling us "occupiers" have risen in recent days?
Presumably the 42 percent who say they are better off are Shiites--long suppressed by the Baathists. So, what does the administration do? They turn Fulluja over to a Baathist general from Saddam's era who is greeted with cheers. Small comfort to the majority Shiites.
The military hates the word "retreat." They prefer, "strategic withdrawal." Isn't that what happened in Fulluja? A retreat by any other name is a defeat.
It is time to get our soldiers out of there. The people of Iraq do not want them there; the American people do not want them there; and there is no reason articulated by the Bush folks for why they remain there. To say they are creating democracy or engaged in nation-building is a farce.
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May 1, 2004
War and unintended consequences
With outrageous photographs of American soldiers smiling while forcing naked or hooded Iraqi prisoners into humiliating positions circulating the world, we must recall early reports that Saddam was interrogated naked and hooded.
While not confirmed, spokesmen for the CIA and Pentagon would not deny these reports. Well, did it happen? And, if so, were these soldiers in effect, encouraged to humiliate prisoners?
And, may we ask about the mercenaries? Are they constrained in any way? Must they follow the Geneva Conventions or are they free agents? Is there a contract with the U.S. governing their conduct, and if so why hasn't it been published? Who enforces the contract? Do they take orders from corporate headquarters or officers on the ground? It was four mercenaries--not soldiers--who were killed, burned, and dragged through the streets of Fulluja. Why?
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Cheney The Warrior
This week the Pentagon announced that more than 600 soldiers were wounded in action in Iraq, bringing the total to 3,900. More than 700 have died and April, as we know, was the worst month yet with more than 100 dead.
If we listen closely to Richard Clarke, Condi Rice, Don Rumsfeld and Bob Woodward, it becomes clear that Dick Cheney was the hawk-in-charge. Colin Powell said Cheney had a "fever" for invasion of Iraq. Apparently he had a fever for combat and invasion but no concept of the consequences of his actions.
As a young man, he understood consequences. Hawk Cheney has condemned war hero John Kerry, but now we know that Cheney applied for and received five, count 'em, five deferments while Kerry and millions of other young men were in combat or ready to go. Few would raise this issue if Cheney were not the leading hawk in the Bush administration.
It is worth repeating the views he expressed on the topic of his service to the Washington Post: "I had other priorities."
The dead and wounded soldiers in Iraq also had "other priorities." The thousands of dead and wounded non-combatants in Iraq had "other priorities."
John Kerry has one ally: Dick Cheney. Every time Cheney questions Kerry's criticism of the Vietnam war, he reminds us that Cheney-hawk ducked service and today is paid by Halliburton, the primary recipient of lucrative no-bid contracts in Iraq.
Howard Cosell once asked me, "Will the hypocrisy ever stop?" Apparently not.
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