media watch
The Kurds say that they will resist Turkish troops in Iraq. Greeeaat. Anyone remember when Dubyua said that he was a uniter, not a divider?

In bad omen news, lightening strikes Jeb Bush's plane. I'm not religious, but could somebody be trying to tell us something?

What seeming started out as a review of "What Liberal Media?: The Truth about Bias and the News", by Eric Alterman, became Salon.com's lead article yesterday: "All conservative, all the time". Leave all your notions about the "liberal" media at the door, or don't and let this article dispel them for you.

media watch
The KKK has applied for a permit to hold a demostration in support of Augusta National Golf Club's male-only membership policy. I imagine that the owners of this golf club, upon hearing this news, are waddling around with big loads of something in their pants.

More opposition to war in Iraq: the AFL-CIO has come out against unilateral action. Dr. Howard Zinn penned a beautiful column that take a look at the coming war from a historical prespective. The column, with it's no punches pulled look at Vietnam, can be depressing; but it is uplifting at the same time, discussing what we HAVE to do to stop these atrocities.

British groups are caling for a ban on the user of cluster bombs.

The FCC holds hearings/debate in Richmond, VA., about whether or not to scrap media ownership rules. Owners of large media corporations contested that the media would be just as diverse as it is now if they were allowed to buy out their conpetition and own everything. Yup, mmm hmm. Right.

dubya speaks, I listen
Dubya, still pushing for war in Iraq, said that overthrowing Saddam will bring stability to the Middle East, in a statement where some questionable things were said. Bush said that ending the Hussen regime in Iraq would make way for democracy in the Middle East, all while brokering with Turkey to insure that the Kurds do not have their own democratic nation. It just another example of the United States giving the Kurds the shaft. Bush also said that by ousting Saddam, we could move forward towards "a truly democratic Palestinian state." This comment comes on the heels of Ariel Sharon forming a new government coalition in Israel which is likely to oppose a Palestinian state. Bush also points out that, "The passing of Saddam Hussein's regime will deprive terrorist networks of a wealthy patron that pays for terrorist training and offers rewards to families of suicide bombers." While he is correct that Saddam pays the families of suicide bombers, that is the only link to terrorism that they have been able to dig up on Saddam, and our goveernment has not beeen able to draw a link between Saddan and al-Qa'ida. (Perhaps this is due to the fact that Saddam is a secularist, and Osama bin Laden and a fundmentalist who also criticizes Saddam for running a "socialist" state.

Bush, and the rest of the media, neglect to bring up the topic of just how we will rebuild Iraq. we don't have a "Marshall Plan" in place, and it's not like we're doing a great job rebuilding Afghanistan.

Bush also insists that by going to war, we will win peace. When has THAT ever happened?

Some people who read this might confuse me with being a sympathizer for Saddam. The links I have provided do not show Saddam in a good light, and I would also like to see the man out of power. I'm not confident that we aree taking the best step towards that goal, though.

media watch - late edition
A Canadian government official is appearently very peeved at the Shrub administrations handling of the crisis in Iraq: "Damn Americans. Hate those bastards." This should, no doubt, increase the levels of French prejudice in the lower 48.

Germany now has a new theme park based off of Communist East Germany. I wonder if you can goto the park restaurant and get an iron napkin. [insert cheesy drumroll here]

Baseball news: Yankees' pitcher David Wells is coming out with an autobiography, blowing the lid off drug use in professional baseball, including the minor leagues.

media watch
Mr. Rogers has passed away, a victim of cancer. Sad, sad, sad...

A high school student is sent home for the high crime of wearing a shirt that featured a picture of Dubya with the caption, "Interenational Terrorist". His vice principle told him that the shirt "supports terrorism". I would suggest that this high school is probably has Civics classes that are involved in some lively discussion right now, but thinking might support terrorism, too. Step in line.. Or else!

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon has formed a new government coalition. He pushed his primary political rival, far-right leader Binyamin Netanyahu, out of the picture (yay!) in exchange for.. More leaders from the far-right! (booo!) In other, more blunt news, expect more suicide bombers.

media watch
The Virtual March on Washington floods congressional phone lines, with an estimated 250,000 calling in to voice their opposition to war.

In the UK, members of the Labor Party are breaking rank with Prime Minister Tony Blair, as 122 of them vote against war in Iraq.

A White House press conference ends with reporters laughing Ari Fleischer out of the room when Ari scoffed at a reports notion that the US was attempting buy the votes of other nations, trying to get support for our war with Iraq. What's the matter? The court jester is finally getting some laughs out of his dog and pony routine.

Salon ran a great story yesterday on the kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt by FARC rebels in Columbia, when she was running for President of that country. They interview her rather mature 17 year old daughter, going into topics of Columbian politics, American support of them, and how these issues surround her mothers kidnapping. One glaring omission from the article that I have to point out: they never mention that Ingrid Betancourt ran for President as a Green Party candidate.

virtual march on washington
Here's the skinny: you make phones calls and send faxes to your senators and representatives today and join thousands across the nation who are participating in the Vritual March on Washington, D.C. The objective is to flood our representatives offices with antiwar messages, so they get the message.

You'll have to do the phone calls yourself, but sending a fax is simple as shit if you have access to a computer for 2 seconds. Visit truemajority.com, fill out the form, and click send.

Participate, make sure your voice is heard.

media watch
Robert Fisk shows us how CNN censors the news, and tells us what to expect from them during the war in Iraq.

Consumer confidence is closing in on a 10 year low. I guess that tax cut really didn't work after all.

The Independent in London reports on US progress in our nation building in Afghanistan. The account, that you aren't going to see in the American press, discuesses how the CIA has been paying off Afghani warlords who use their private armies to control trade routes and oppose the American-installed "official" Afghani administratgion in Kabul, "night letters" appearing in cities that call for jihad against foreign enemies, a Desert Storm veteran talking about how patrolling Afghanistan is far more dangerous when compared to Iraq, finding huge weapons depots that have been left over from their war against the former Soviet Union, the lack of money from the world community to help rebuild Afghanistan, and the regrouping of the Taliban. Here's how the article ends: "Another Western observer summed up his views more acidly. 'If the Americans think this is success, then outright failure must be pretty horrible to behold.'"

Makes one wonder about what is about to become of Iraq...

John Ashcroft has turned his attention to the other unending war, the War on Drugs, by busting dozens of people for the high crime of selling pipes and bongs. To defend this action, DEA chief John Brown said, “People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug dealers. They are as much a part of drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide.” Wow. Part of drug trafficking, eh? I guess all of those bong dealers must be knee deep in the trenches of Columbia, fighting paramilitary forces with the drug lords.

Ironically enough, you would have to be on some type of drugs to believe that that's happening.

media watch
Newsday reports that Bush lied when he stated in a speech that blue-chip economists said that the economy would grow by 3.3% if his tax plan is instituted. Makes you wonder what else he might be lying about.. [cough]iraq[cough]

A report says that 24 US firms sold weapons technology to Iraq. UK firms: 17. German firms: 80.

As the US and UK have introduced a resolution to the UN Security Council that wants to set the stage for war, France, Germany, and Russia are set to introduce a new resolution to insure a more peaceful resolution to the standoff. And as anti-french prejudice in America continues to spread (I cannot find a link to support this claim, but that's just how I feel with all the talk radio I listen to; maybe being three quarters french makes me sensitive), one wonders when the self-styled patriots will call for a boycott on french fries.

Saddam wants to debate Bush on the issues, styled like a presdential debate. This might confuse Americans, who might see this and think that the presidential election is happening this year and you can vote for Saddam.

Here's a smathering of military news from Afghanistan. Appearently, the Taliban is still attacking US forces, and Afghani officials are still counting the nobody of innocent lives taken.

The first mass trial of an experimental AIDS vaccine has failed. Try, try again.. I'm simply a layman and the article doesn't specifically discuss this, but I'm hoping that this trial means that there has been more progress made towards a cure.

kofuxup
former News Corp. employee Keith Olbermann slams them in his new column discussing why Sandy Koufax has left the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization, owned by News Corp., over a gossip item printed in a New York paper, also owned by News Corp.

News Corp., of course, owns Fox News. And we all know the quality of news on that channel. Olbermann's column further discusses the quality of the News Corp. company in his column. (Yes, it's a "sports" column and not technically news, but I think it spreads itself into both categories. So deal with it.)