Open thread

So, where are people spending Thanksgiving? I'm in Chicago :-) Read More......

Nearly 60% of Americans think Iraq is like Vietnam

And they don't mean culinarily. Read More......

Let's document just how much the American Family Association utterly caved last night

Let's take a look at the religious right hate group, the American Family Association, and the specific complaints they had with Wal-Mart - complaints that led them to call for a boycott of Wal-Mart. A boycott, mind you, that they called off last night after declaring victory.

Per the AFA's email alert earlier this week:

Here is why we are asking you not to shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club this Friday or Saturday:

Wal-Mart gave $60,000 to homosexual group to support homosexual agenda in the workplace

Wal-Mart made a generous donation to the Northwest Arkansas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center

Wal-Mart sells pro-homosexual items from their website

Wal-Mart asks for, and receives, permission to join Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

Wal-Mart invites homosexual ad agency to headquarters for 2-day seminar to indoctrinate employees.

Last March, Wal-Mart chose to promote "Brokeback Mountain" video over a top-selling family-oriented film. Wal-Mart began taking advance orders of the homosexual love movie, "Brokeback Mountain." A large display greeted customers when they walked through the front doors of the store. "Brokeback Mountain" was released the same day as best selling pro-family movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia" which Wal-Mart did not promote.

Now let's look at what the AFA got that convinced it to declare victory and call off the boycott.

1. Wal-Mart's $60k donation to civil rights group? No change.

2. Wal-Mart donation to community center? No change.

3. Wal-Mart refuses to ban online sale of products that in any way, shape, or form deal with gay issues, topics, people? No change.

4. Wal-Mart becomes member of Gay chamber of commerce? No change.

5. Wal-Mart solicits advice from gay ad agency? No change.

6. Wal-Mart advertises new product, Brokeback Mountain movie? No change.

What DID Wal-Mart do? They issued a statement saying they wouldn't support "controversial causes." None of the issues raised above is a "controversial cause," nor did Wal-Mart back off of any of the concerns raised. Also, to the extent that Wal-Mart ever does anything to support the religious right or Evangelical Christians, all we need do is raise hell because that will make said support "controversial" and Wal-Mart will, per this new statement, drop them. Some victory there, AFA.

That's called an all-out, utter failure on behalf of the religious right hate group American Family Association. But then again, it's par for the course. AFA called of their years-long Disney boycott after accomplishing nothing (they of course declared victory). AFA declared victory after Ford Motor Company gave them nothing last December except coal in their chastity belts, then the AFA boycotted Ford when Ford came forward and said AFA was full of crap (and do ask AFA how that Ford boycott is faring, they can't quantify a thing). Then there was the religious right attack on Microsoft last year - same deal, lots of bluster, and utter failure.

America doesn't like a hater. And the haters-for-Jesus, just like their OJ-loving TV network, are increasingly-angry paper tigers who are quickly falling out of favor. Sad.

Not. Read More......

Ted Haggard's pal, Dr. James Dobson, will be on Larry King Live tonight

CNN is advertising hate monger James Dobson's appearance as a chance to discuss Dobson's good friend, Ted Haggard.

However, via Pam's House Blend, we learn that the press release from Focus on the Family mentions nary a word about the former leader of the evangelical movement/meth head/closet homo:

Dobson will be King's guest for the entire hour, and is expected to make his first televised comments about the results of the Nov. 7 election -- and what's next for the social conservative movement. He also hopes to talk to King about the growing threat of radical Islam to the United States -- and the necessity for the federal government to continue to take that threat seriously, regardless of the political power balance in Congress.

CNN claims they'll be discussing Haggard, but Larry never asks tough questions. He'll probably wimp out and let Dobson dictate the agenda. Larry purports to welcomes viewer questions so e-mail your own questions for Dobson here.

And, if you need a refresher, read Michelangelo Signorile's interview with the former male prostitute who exposed the Haggard scandal. Might give you some ideas. Read More......

Gay obsessed Romney cuts funding for gay suicide prevention

What is it with Mitt Romney? He can't stop thinking about homos. And, Mitt's really, really working hard to get the theocrats to think he doesn't like queers. Too hard if you ask me. It's weird.

But this latest stunt to prove his manhood just reeks of pure hate. He's cutting funding for gay suicide prevention. That should burnish his credentials with the right-wingers. Andy at TowleRoad has the details. Read More......

Falsely accused Dem intel staffer reinstated

The Democratic House intelligence committee staffer that Republican members shamefully, maliciously, and falsely smeared has been reinstated. Rep. Ray Lahood (R-IL) previously admitted that the staffer was accused as payback for Democrats releasing a report on Duke Cunningham's malfeasance, and one hopes that the McCarthyist tactics won't cause lasting damage to the career and reputation of the staffer.

I understand that the staffer would probably like to simply get on with his life (especially after receiving threats when his name and contact information were leaked), but I would also guess he has options for legal redress. Either way, though, at least this issue has been redressed. Read More......

There isn't enough equipment for the war in Afghanistan

Who the hell is running our military? For Christ sakes, we actually invaded Afghanistan because of September 11th. Bush has screwed up this war, too. But not enough equipment for our soldiers? That's a crime:

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan today declined to say whether more American troops will be needed to confront increasing insurgent and terrorist attacks in the country.

But Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry said the United States should provide more military equipment to beef up Afghanistan's security forces.

"Now is a very appropriate time to increase the level of equipment, the sophistication of equipment," Eikenberry said at a Pentagon news conference with Afghan Minister of Defense Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Eikenberry said the United States should provide helicopters, Humvees, fixed-wing aircraft and protective helmets and body amour because the U.S.-trained Afghan Army has learned how to "operate this equipment effectively."

Note from John: I'm more interested in finding out more about this "body amour." Can I help test it? Read More......

Religious right caves, as usual

The religious right called off their ludicrous "two days after Thanksgiving" boycott of Wal-Mart (it's not really a boycott when you tell folks it's okay to shop Thursday and Sunday and every other day except Friday and Saturday). Anyway, Wal-Mart issued a statement saying they have not taken a position on gay marriage - uh, duh - so the religious right called off their boycott. Oh yeah, Wal-Mart also said they won't support controversial causes - again, duh, what company does? The irony here, of course, is that the religious right think this means that Wal-Mart will no longer reach out to its gay customers. Not true from what I hear. Nothing has changed at all. Check this out from AP:

Mona Williams, Wal-Mart's vice president of communications, said in a telephone interview that the company would continue working with the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and other gay-rights groups on specific issues such as workplace equality.

Wal-Mart has simply said it won't support "controversial causes" - gay customers aren't controversial customers. Not to mention, to the degree to which controversial causes includes the gay community, it would also include the evangelical Christian community. So, at worst, the religious right just got Wal-Mart to issue a statement writing them off. As an aside, this entire campaign has been coordinated by the religious right hate group the American Family Association. They have a track record of lying about these boycotts, then claiming victory when they lost (e.g., Disney, Ford). Read More......

Ask Karen Hughes a question

She's up next on Yahoo! on 28 November so maybe she can tell us about her success in "leading efforts to promote America's values and confront ideological support for terrorism around the world." Who would have known that someone is even working on such a project? The results speak for themselves. I will be interested to hear how she responds to fair and unemotional questions. Read More......

Bush to meet Iraqi Prime MInister -- In Jordan, he's not going to Baghdad this time

No "surprise visit" to Baghdad next week. Bush isn't even going to the country he invaded. He's meeting in a safe place:

The meeting between Bush and Maliki in the Jordanian capital Amman, a much safer venue than Baghdad, will follow a weekend visit to Iran by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and this week's landmark visit to Iraq by Syria's foreign minister.

Funny how Bush is rushing over to meet Maliki now that Iran and Syria are becoming Iraq's new best friends.

What a difference three years makes. Remember this?
Read More......

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good luck if you're traveling today. Be safe. No matter how rough it gets, it's still safer than traveling around Iraq.

What's on the radar? Read More......

Iraqi civilian deaths reach new high in October

3,709 civilians killed in October according to UN calculations. Bush and the GOP are disgracefully casual with the mounting deaths of innocent Iraqis and still do not seem to appreciate the mess that they created. Read More......

American right wing policy linked to global HIV death increases

Do we really need to re-visit the Dark Ages again? We do have plenty of advanced science despite what many in the GOP think and if they believe in god, didn't god give us the gift of science to help others? It sickens me when I think about the Republican half-baked programs to stop AIDS which reject science and focus time, not to mention millions and millions of US taxpayer money, on talking about abstinence. Now their favorite example of success, Uganda, is witnessing an increase in HIV as they increase their focus on Bush's extremist Christian abstinence program.

Why does the GOP want to sit back and promote silly theory (like the theory that dragged us into Iraq) that continues to fail and let these people die? Talk about abstinence, sure, but how about focusing on real results and real science instead of this insanity? Good grief, I hope Congress takes a serious look at this quackery and makes some changes. Continuing this policy is at best hateful, at worst, contributing to millions of deaths and parentless children. Maybe it's time some of these clowns visit places like Africa and actually see the end result of their policy because it is not a pretty sight.

The spread of the HIV/Aids pandemic continues unabated, with the number of people infected rising once more in some countries which had been thought to be beating the disease, according to the UN.

There are now 39.5 million living with HIV infection, according to the annual UNAIDS report, released ahead of World Aids Day on December 1, and 4.3 million of those were infected in 2006. That is 400,000 more than were infected in 2004.

And Bush's showcase country, Uganda...

The reasons for the increase are not clear, but there has been a shift in the message from Uganda's leadership. Between the early 1990s and early 2000s, HIV prevalence fell sharply in major cities among pregnant women - the group most commonly monitored because they have contact with health services - as President Yoweri Museveni worked to raise awareness of the dangers of HIV and put the authority of his office behind condom use.

But in recent years the message on condoms has been diluted in favour of greater emphasis on sexual abstinence until marriage - in line with the thinking of the Bush administration, which is spending millions of dollars on HIV prevention and treatment. Critics say many women are not in a position to abstain from sex and that many are infected by their husbands.

Read More......

Open thread

Bed time. Read More......