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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
buffalobill
Published Letters: 6 Editor's Choice: 1
Before Monday afternoon, I had no idea who Steven Colbert is. In fiscal protest for Time Warner's tacit endorsement of Bush, Iraqocide, and the Republican Bulldozing of the American Dream, I had cancelled TV in all forms. I chanced upon Colbert's presentation by accident. I was really interested in the Cat v Dog theme that Video Dog (Salon Premium) was running. There was a rerun of Colbert's piece from 4/29. Frankly, I was stunned. I was amazed that this monologue aired at all. I was amazed that the video feed was not mysteriously interupted. I was astounded that somehow, this barrage of ironic truth-telling had made it's way into a public forum. I was also profoundly impressed with the courage Mr. Colbert displayed. Colbert had an opportunity to be 'funny'. He passed. Instead, he chose irony (and parody) to lay bare the myth of George W. Bush as a Leader, a Thinker and a Diplomat. Stephen Colbert chose to take his fifteen minutes of fame to force the Executive Branch of Government and the Mainstream Media to face the havoc they have wrought. Colbert demanded that Bush and the compliant press face the words and deeds of the past five years. He used the doublespeak that has defined this Administration... To redefine this Administration. Never in the history of this country has the cliche that Dissent is Courage been more pertinent than now. Thank you, Stephen Colbert. Thank you for your courage.
Porter Goss resigns out of the blue... Why? Perhaps, the unthinkable. Perhaps he asked Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Hadley, Libby etc. some very specific questions about Iraq, Iraq Intelligence & WMD, The Plame/Wilson debacle, the plan for success in Iraq qnd the Cheney/Bush energy plans. Now, those answers the 'Principals' provided to someone who perceived himself to be a trusted member of the team, are being revealed to be a pack of lies. Goss considers himself (now) to have been played for a fool (and a fools messenger) as he has fought the good fight on behalf of this administration. Perhaps he has realized the depth and breadth of the crimes that have been committed by Bush and his pals. Perhaps, Porter Goss has realized just how close he is to spending a few years teaching civics lessons to drug dealers in Danbury Connecticut. Truth is starting to haunt this administration. Consider the reality that this was announced on a Friday afternoon, just like all of the other major stories Bush/Cheny have sought to bury.
Ann Coulters Big Gig is self promotion. She says outrageous stuff to get attention, not because it is true or even relevant. The best way to silence her is to ignore her. So, Salon: Please stop validating The Bitch Priestess of Right Wing Slime by ranting and just let her baseless ravings go without comment. After all, the best way to silence a Chihuahua is to ignore it.
Somewhere, in a discussion of the twisted musings of a right wing nut job I have been called 'Lazy and Cowardly'. I take offense and need to respond politely. The point I make here is that we validate right wing hysteria... simply by discussing it. When we make intellectual arguments to counter idiotic assertions by talking point spouting mouthpieces, we elevate them and diminish ourselves. The Coultergeist's ravings about 'Liberals' need to be countered aggressively, pointedly and factually. But, the strength of the argument lies in arguing substance, not style. If she is a plagarist, who cares? If she is a liar, a self promoter, and a venomous spewer of invention... call her out. The more we, as Progressives allow the dialogue to be dominated by discussions of plagarism, and ignore discussions of fact and ideology, the weaker our argument is. In essence, a discussion of plagarism by Ann Coulter is a Red Herring which validates her message by diminishing dispute. Surely, she did copy text. Intellectual laziness has taken her far, so why stop now? The point I make here is that Progressive dissent validates her by Headlining her obvious intellectual sloth.
Never Lazy, Proud of my Convictions, and Shouting from the Rooftops...
Buffalo Bill
Kudo's to Glenn Greenwald for doing a great job filling in for Tim this week. These are concise, well thought through posts and they reinforce my enjoyment of the Salon Forum.
Now to Joe Lieberman: Sorry Joe, but you've been playing both sides for too long. You've been caught, and you're being called out by your constituents. From the time you covered your own ass by standing for senator and VP at the same time (in 2000) to the multiple times you have triangulated over issues you needed to take a real stand about, you've been concerned about Joe, Joe, and Joe. When the country desperately needed someone (besides Russ Feingold and Robert Byrd) to stand up to the Neocon Nutjobs, Lieberman wasn't just silent, he was complicit to the Neocon crimes. There are very few members of the opposition party who were as well placed to stand up and say WTF when George and the boys were leading us into the current disaster in the Middle East. Joe distinguished himself as a cheerleader for the tragedy. From Budgets to Supremes to Medicare to Katrina to National Defense Joe has been a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). I'm sure Lieberman will make millions as a lobbyist for the special interests he has been sucking up to for the past 18 years, but as Clinton/Gore said of the Bushies in 1992... It's time for him to go.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
