Fascinating email I just received

Seriously, it was quite interesting. Here goes:

I doubt you'll have any more time/inclination to help me than any of the other political activist voices I've contacted recently, but I thought I'd give this one more try before giving up on the whole prospect of attempting to understand politics and just pick a party line to rubber-stamp every four years like my parents always did.

What, exactly, does it mean to call oneself a "Liberal" or a "Conservative"? I've been reading dozens of blogs and politically-oriented websites, as well as sampling talk radio and politically-oriented cable TV offerings from both sides of the "debate" (to use that term very loosely), and I have tentatively arrived at the following conclusions:

1) If you spend virtually every waking moment studying everything your political opponents do or say and analyzing it for things you can say are stupid, but never under any circumstances say anything meaningful about what you believe in or support, then you're a Conservative.

2) On the other hand, if you spend virtually every waking moment studying everything your political opponents do or say and analyzing it for things you can say are dishonest, but never under any circumstances say anything meaningful about what you believe in or support, then you're a Liberal.

I don't mean to sound flippant here, but that really is the total semantic content of virtually every commentary I have run across so far. I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to help me out, although based on my experiences thus far I've come to expect that isn't likely to happen.

And for the record, I did answer, though I told him that it was a damn good question and one liberals were try to answer themselves nowadays. I especially liked his analysis of the way conservatives and liberals look at each other - basically we think they're evil, they think we're inept. :-)

So, answer his question - what is a liberal? And what is a conservative? One thing I didn't say in my email response, because I forgot, is that conservatism stands for a strong military, lower taxes and limited government, but it doesn't REALLY. They just say that. I think conservatives would be just as hard pressed to give an honest answer as to what they stand for IN PRACTICE. Read the rest of this post...

GAO: There is no Social Security crisis

I'm melting, I'm melting, what a world... Read the rest of this post...

Evening open thread

Anything up? Read the rest of this post...

Was Saddam capture in that hole all a big fake?

This story was going around in the European press at the time of his capture. UPI says they've got more info.

Silly UPI. This administration would never lie to us. And especially about the war in Iraq. Read the rest of this post...

Italy is not happy with the US

And the Coalition of the Willing shrinks again (I predict). Read the rest of this post...

Lebanon: Why Can't It Just Make Up Its Mind And Do What Bush Tells It To Do?

"The Daily Show w Jon Stewart" calls the Middle East Mess O'potamia, and with good reason. It truly is a troubled region, even though Bush has been crowing for the last few weeks that baby steps in the Palestinian territory and elsewhere count as vindication for invading Iraq. And when Democrats don't explode with enthusiasm or suggest the region is more complicated than Bush wants to admit, they're lambasted on the Sunday talk shows by right wingers for being spoilsports who "want America to fail."

Reality check. Bush cheered when demonstrators in Lebanon demanded Syria leave. Crowds equaled tens of thousands, an impressive number since Syrian troops still basically control that country. But yesterday, Hezbollah organized a demonstration of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS saying Syria is welcome and the US should butt out. Today, the Lebanese assembly re-elected the pro Syrian prime minister who was forced to resign a few days ago.

Everyone says Hezbollah is the best organized group and has the best military outfit. It's gaining strength in office and should pick up more seats in the next election. Will Bush cheer this terrorist organization if it reflects the will of the people? Given what he's done in Latin America (by supporting coups against democratically elected leaders he thought were too leftist), I'm guessing no.

This doesn't mean the majority of the Lebanese want Syria to stay. But it would be silly to claim the majority categorically want them to leave after yesterday's mass protest. Some have suggested Hezbollah has hurt itself long-term by aligning with Syria. Certainly the intellectual elite and the upper and middle class want it gone -- that's why their smaller demonstrations were termed part of the BMW revolution.

Bush faces the same problem in Iraq, where horse-trading among the groups that can't wait to take their pound of flesh out of the Sunni minority that dominated the country for ages still hasn't resolved whether Iraq will be merely influenced or dominated by the Koran. Then there's Afghanistan, which according to many reports has devolved into a narco-state where a good third of the country is controlled by war lords and drug dealers. Opium production is at near-record levels.

The only good news lately is from the Palestinian territories, where the real breakthrough came because Arafat died, not because of Bush's global savvy.

None of this is pessimism. The elections in Iraq were an important symbolic event. But stable democracies take a long time to put down roots (as we've seen in Central and South America, where Bush's cynical manuevering has UNDERCUT democracy). And Bush can't continue to claim democracy as his first goal when his closest allies there are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

So stop crowing over minor steps, Bush, before you have to eat crow, as in Lebanon. Read the rest of this post...

GannonGuckert open thread

You asked for it, you got it. All things GG. Read the rest of this post...

Rep. Conyers says he fears for our democracy

Raw Story, that little upstart, got an exclusive with the congressman that's quite interesting and quite disturbing at the same time. From Gannon to the White House to our democracy, it's a good and interesting and troubling read. So read it :-) Read the rest of this post...

Coverage of USA Next $25m lawsuit today

AP (This is a new AP link, hopefully doesn't require a password, etc.)

RawStory.com

Salon.com

Editor & Publisher

365gay.com Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Anything new? Read the rest of this post...

USA Next sued for $25 million over anti-gay anti-AARP ad

This is why I've been busy this morning. As you may recall, I'm working for the couple as their spokesman. Salon.com already has a short story out on this here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2005

Contact: John Aravosis
Spokesman for Richard M. Raymen and Steven P. Hansen

‘USA NEXT’ SUED FOR $25 MILLION
Couple Used in Homophobic Anti-AARP Ad Files Federal Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, DC A $25 million lawsuit was filed today against right-wing front group USA Next and political consulting firm Mark Montini International for stealing an Oregon couple’s wedding photo and using it without permission in a high-profile gay-bashing ad designed to drum up support for social security privatization.

Following an admission of photo theft by the creator, advertiser and publisher of the ad, the couple whose image was stolen - Rick Raymen and Steve Hansen of Portland, Oregon - today filed a four-count lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC. The suit alleges that the use of the couple’s image without permission constituted an invasion of privacy, was libelous, violated their right of publicity and constituted an intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In one version of the USA Next ad disseminated widely on the Internet in February, and aired repeatedly by television news programs and newspapers nationwide, the couple’s image, superimposed with a green checkmark, is side-by-side a picture of a US soldier with a red “X” across it. Below the photos is the phrase “The REAL AARP Agenda.”

“Our privacy and personal integrity were violated when our wedding photo was stolen and used to portray us as treasonous, unpatriotic, and a threat to American troops,” Rick Raymen said. “We have been harassed and humiliated by this hateful ad campaign and by the bigotry and anger it has generated against us nationwide.”

"Our lawsuit is intended to make USA Next and Mark Montini pay for the harm they have caused and to send a message to them that they cannot recklessly play with peoples' reputations and make them targets of hate, as they have done with us,” Raymen said. “When we get our judgment, we intend to donate to those who fight the kind of hate and homophobia that USA Next and Montini have demonstrated."

Christopher Wolf, counsel for the Oregon couple, and a partner in the Proskauer Rose law firm, explained the basis of today’s lawsuit in the complaint filed with the court. “When they created and published the advertisement, defendants knew or should have known that the publication of the plaintiffs’ image would subject them to an invasion of privacy and ridicule,” Wolf wrote in the complaint. “As a result of the publication of the advertisement, plaintiffs have suffered embarrassment, extreme emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. In addition, as a result of the libelous statement communicated by the advertisement about plaintiffs, their reputations as patriotic American citizens has been severely damaged.”

“Our lawsuit seeks to hold the defendants accountable for taking two private citizens and maliciously making them targets for homophobic bigots,” Wolf said today. “Our clients did not volunteer to be models in a right-wing hate campaign. There are serious legal consequences for deploying them against their will.”

Simultaneously with the filing of the complaint, Wolf filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against USA Next and its ad agency to get them to stop using the photo. The motion also seeks the return of all pictures containing the couple's image and an accounting of all places where the photos have been used or sent, in light of the refusal of USA Next to retract or apologize for its ad.

The dispute leading to the lawsuit began a few weeks ago when Raymen and Hansen noticed their wedding photo published on the conservative America Spectator Web site as part of a homophobic USA Next ad meant to slur AARP. Not having given their permission for use of the photo, Raymen and Hansen contacted the copyright holder, the Portland Tribune, and the paper quickly confirmed that it had not sold the photo to anyone and that the image had likely been stolen from its Web site.

In the meantime, the intentionally controversial ad quickly achieved USA Next’s goal of being viral marketed for free to millions of viewers on the Internet, on network television, and in major news publications across the country.

On behalf of Raymen and Hansen, attorney Christopher Wolf wrote USA Next chairman and CEO Charles Jarvis on February 28, 2005, demanding that USA Next immediately stop using photos of the couple and that it publicly apologize for the ongoing harm it is causing.

While refusing to respond to the letter, USA Next repeatedly told the media that it had lawfully purchased the photo and that Raymen and Hansen were being “silly.” In fact, USA Next and its surrogates were surreptitiously trying to buy the photo at the same time they were assuring the media that it had already been purchased.

Raymen and Hansen have yet to receive an apology from USA Next. Read the rest of this post...

HRC Announced Solmonese President

HRC announced today the hire of Joe Solmonese as the new HRC President. Solmonese is currently CEO of EMILY's List:

As a key political strategist, Solmonese oversaw one of the nation's most successful efforts to elect progressive candidates by appealing to heartland and mainstream voters. His work included broad outreach across the nation, speaking with large and small groups about the important issues facing the American people.

He has been at EMILY's List for the last 12 years serving in several key capacities from deputy political director, to chief of staff and the CEO position he's occupied for the past two-and-a-half years.

He's certainly got the political experience to run the organization (and hopefully run it like a real organization that is accountable to its donors).

In his own words:

"We must tell the stories of our lives and the struggles we face to our straight friends, co-workers and family members. Increasing our presence and visibility across America will be a top priority of my tenure.

"HRC is not simply a GLBT organization; we're an organization of everyone who supports GLBT equality. We'll ask every GLBT American to enlist three new allies - a straight co-worker, a friend and a family member - in our work for full equality.

"We know that we have broad support across the country and we need to ask our friends and families to be involved at the ballot box or talking directly to elected officials.

"Our movement will grow as our unity grows.

"With more Americans of both parties on our side, we will be an unstoppable force. We must ensure that every American family has equal rights and responsibilities; that it's illegal for the boss to fire the star employee simply because of who he or she is; that families have the security of marriage and all the rights and responsibilities that it affords and that every American living with and at risk for HIV takes prevention seriously so that this generation does not experience the devastation that the last generation did at the hands of this disease.

"That's why I intend to hit the road in my first week. We are broadening the American conversation about equality. I'll be meeting with GLBT families, religious leaders, corporate leaders, communities of color and employee groups and GLBT community leaders across the country, and talking about the path to our equality."

Let's give Joe a few recommendations. What should our Top 5 priorities be for '05-'06? Read the rest of this post...

Time to go, Joe

Don't let the door hit ya... Read the rest of this post...

Morning open thread

I can't believe I'm awake Read the rest of this post...

Gas prices to jump again for summer

But don't worry, at least we brought peace to the Middle East. It's all going so well and according to plan. Read the rest of this post...

Congress tries hard again to show they are useless

Steroids in basball? Issuing subpeonas to get MLB players to talk? Sorry, but who gives a damn? The GOP always loves time-wasters like this when they can't address anything real. In the past it was always Old Glory and flag burning but now they have a new ploy.

So what about something substantial such as, oh I don't know, national security and Valerie Plame? GuckertGannon? GOP corporate welfare? Forget that, how 'bout something really important, GOP style -let's have a committee to debate what is more America between apple pie and mom. Read the rest of this post...

Off to bed

Chat away. Early day tomorrow. Read the rest of this post...