Neat article...

...from a guy who wrote obituaries for the Washington Post for 20 years. I know, it doesn't sound very interesting, it really is. Read it. Read More......

RNC vs DNC - one website supports the relief effort, one does not - guess which is which?

Ah yes, the GOP family values parade (charade) continues. The Democratic National Committee Web site has an appeal for donations to tsunami victims right up at the top of the DNC home page. The Republican National Committee Web site doesn't even mention the disaster, though it does have a lovely story about President Bush, inappropriately titled "Rising Tide." Read More......

Sunday night open thread

Anything new? Read More......

Religious right Web sites ignore Tsunami relief, while liberal religious sites appeal for tsunami donations

A review of the home pages of the religious right, inspired by a post to my comments, shows that America's "value voters" don't seem to have very good values. Most of the sites have taken the lead from their AWOL president and are far more concerned about gays and judges than about the human catastrophe in Asia. The chief Web sites of the "religious left" have all donated the top of their sites to appeals for money to help the tsunami victims.

A quick review of the home pages of the top sites of the religious right:

- American Family Association has one small news story up, not even something they themselves wrote, and no appeal for money. The only "action alert" is about the Ten Commandments. I guess AFA is only truly concerned about the American family: http://www.afa.net/

- The Family Research Council has nothing about the Tsunami. Their headline is about "activist judges." http://www.frc.org/

- Traditional Values Coalition has a very small link or two from WorldNetDaily about the Tsunami, but the link is BURIED on their page. No apparent appeal for money for the victims. But lots of news about the homosexual agenda, which apparently is a bigger calamity than 150,000 dead in Asia. http://www.traditionalvalues.org/

- Concerned Women for America, not a thing. Though they do have an essay about how the media has lost is sense of morality. Apparently the CWFA is only concerned about American women. http://www.cwfa.org/main.asp

- Pat Robertson's Web site. Nothing. www.patrobertson.com

- Jerry Falwell's Web site has nothing, even though he did post an updated letter from himself dated December 30, days after the Tsunami hit. http://www.falwell.com/?a=

- National Association of Evangelicals, nothing. http://www.nae.net/

- Focus on the Family to its credit does have a prominent link to give money. I wonder how long that's been up. http://www.family.org/

Just for yucks, I decided to check out the Web sites of the "religious left."

- The Interfaith Alliance, the coalition of progressive religious groups meant to serve as a counterforce to the religious right, has an appeal for money for tsunami victims at the top of their site. http://www.interfaithalliance.org

- Soulforce, the gay answer to the religious right, has a massive urgent appeal for Tsunami aid at the top of their page. http://www.soulforce.org/

- The Metropolitan Community Church, the largest gay church, has an urgent fundraising appeal at the top of their site. http://www.mccchurch.org/

- The United Church of Christ, which recently found itself in hot water over it's pro-gay pro-inclusion ad campaign, has an appeal for money to help the tsunami victims at the top of its site. http://www.ucc.org/index3.html

- The Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism (I'd call them the Jews' response to the religious right, though the RAC was around before the religious right) has a big appeal at the top of their site. http://rac.org/index.cfm?

I rest my case. Read More......

Rehnquist criticizes GOP over their jihad against so-called "activist judges"

AP reports that Rehnquist is none-too-happy with the President Bush, the GOP and the radical right for making a stink about the so-called "activist judges":

In his report, the chief justice did not name names but instead spoke of his concern for the "mounting criticism of judges for engaging in what is often referred to as `judicial activism."'

And then there's this little gem:

In the late 1990s, for example, he faulted Senate Republicans for blocking votes on the judicial nominees of President Bill Clinton.

Gee, you mean the Republicans in Congress were so obstructionist to President Clinton's judicial nominees that EVEN REHNQUIST came forward to criticize the GOP? Funny how that little factoid isn't being discussed more. Read More......

Dog saves little girl in India

Wow. Read More......

Social Security - your help needed

Gang, I'm working with a group of other bloggers and Net-fiends on this social security issue. I.e., opposing President Bush's plan to privatize social security, invest people's deductions in the market, etc. Part of the premise in our opposition is that the "crisis" isn't nearly as bad as Bush et. al. are claiming. But there are lots of other reasons as well.

What we're looking for is any information you've found on the Web that you think would help our cause. Examples are good Web sites, good fact sheets, good newspaper articles, etc. We just want to find as much Web content as possible to help us attack the Bushies. Anything you get, feel free to post in the comments.

And of course, feel free to discuss this issue in the comments as well. Thanks, JOHN Read More......

What makes us any different than the Soviets?

Now we're scheming about sending suspected terrorists - who, mind you, we don't have enough evidence to convict - to prison forever. Sure, there will be some mistakes and innocent farmers will be imprisoned for life without a trial because we got it wrong, but hey, this is war, and the ends justifies the means... comrade.

From the Wash Post and Kos. Read More......

Sunday morning open thread

Chat Read More......