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January 2008 - Posts

A cool experiment in election group-blogging and linking

Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:33 PM
Along with a few other Tennessee bloggers, I've been invited to participate in an experiment in covering the Tennessee primary on Tuesday. This group of bloggers will spend the next several days bookmarking and annotating news stories, blog posts, and
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With Edwards out, things shift

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 11:00 AM
John Edwards has announced that he is withdrawing from the presidential race and is scheduled to make a formal announcement at 1:00 PM today. This is disappointing, if not unexpected, although I fully expected him to remain in the race at least through
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Edwards on Bush's final SOTU: "Groundhog Day"

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:55 PM
Here's what John Edwards had to say about Bush's final State of the Union address : Following the president's final State of the Union address last night, John Edwards told a crowd in Tulsa this morning that he doesn't know "how he [Bush] can say these
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No telecom immunity just yet

Monday, January 28, 2008 9:20 PM
As I mentioned the other day , Senate Majority "Leader" Harry Reid allowed a bill to come to the floor which would have included immunity for the phone companies that participated in Bush's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. The bill came to a vote
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The Sunday TN liberal blog roundup

Sunday, January 27, 2008 1:55 PM
R. Neal has posted this week's digest of what Tennessee liberal bloggers are saying. Go here . Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit
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Three disappointments in one day

Saturday, January 26, 2008 3:38 PM
For several years now, I've had breakfast every Saturday morning at Italian Market And Grill here in Knoxville; it's become a regular ritual for me over the last three or four years. Their omelets have been consistently among the best in town, and I've
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Mukasey dances with the one that brung him

Friday, January 25, 2008 7:39 PM
Gosh, what a surprise : Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Friday he doesn't plan for a special prosecutor to investigate whether the CIA broke the law when it destroyed videotapes of terror interrogations, defying some in Congress who want an independent
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Congressional Dems cave to Bush twice in one day

Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:30 PM
The spineless Democratic leadership of Congress has outdone itself; Pelosi and Reid caved to the Bush White House twice in one day. On the proposed emergency stimulus package, House Dems caved to the White House and struck provisions which would have
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The clueless Michael Chertoff speaks

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 8:54 PM
In 2004, the Department of Homeland "Security" passed a regulation which would have required anyone entering the US from Canada to provide proof of identity and citizenship: either a passport or a drivers' license plus a birth certificate. Congress enacted
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Where all the TN liberals at?

Sunday, January 20, 2008 2:04 PM
Liberals are distributed all over this state, blogging about all kinds of stuff; R. Neal has this week's roundup of what we've been saying rat cheer . Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit
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Update on Canadian torture watch list

Saturday, January 19, 2008 4:15 PM
A couple of days ago, I blogged about the US showing up on a Canadian watch list of countries that practice torture. As a result of behind-the-scenes political pressure, the US and Israel have since been dropped from that list: Canada's foreign ministry,
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Quote of the day (on economic stimulus)

Friday, January 18, 2008 4:34 PM
In response to a post about Bush's proposed economic stimulus (which includes the possibility of a tax rebate), a commenter at KnoxViews said this : Can I get my rebate in EUROS? You said it, Sarge. Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddi
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White House email: my dog ate it

Friday, January 18, 2008 11:42 AM
First, there's this : The White House possesses no archived e-mail messages for many of its component offices, including the Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President, for hundreds of days between 2003 and 2005, according
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Canada places US on torture watch list

Thursday, January 17, 2008 9:29 PM
This is beyond shameful (via HuffPo ): An inquiry into the Arar affair ordered a new focus on torture, and CTV News has learned that, as part of a "torture awareness workshop," diplomats are now being told where to watch for abuse. The aim of the workshop:
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Why you should vote early

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 9:12 AM
Early voting for the February 5 primary starts today in Knox County and runs through January 31. This election covers both the Presidential race and the primary for Knox County offices. We'll probably have a record turnout for this primary, due mostly
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Huckabee shows his theocratic urge

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 10:20 PM
Here's reason #1 Mike Huckabee is absolutely unfit to serve as President of the United States ( Raw Story via HuffPo ): "I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe
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More awesomeness from TED: amazing underwater life

Sunday, January 13, 2008 11:05 PM
TED is always a site full of provocative ideas. This video clip shows how little we really understand about the undersea world; most of the clip relates to visual camouflage and bioluminescence as tools for attraction, conveying information, and defense.
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My answers to a seriously unscientific survey

Sunday, January 13, 2008 5:22 PM
The mighty Joe Powell is soliciting answers to a set of questions for his readers. Here are the questions (in bold) with my answers underneath each one: 1) Do you have a preference for any one candidate in the current race for President of the U.S.? Please
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The Sunday liberal scoop

Sunday, January 13, 2008 1:26 PM
R. Neal has posted this week's juicy roundup of what Tennessee liberals are blogging about. Check out the list at TennViews . Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit
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Quote of the day (on the death of Vampira)

Saturday, January 12, 2008 8:55 PM
Maila Nurmi, the actress who played Vampira from the 1950s onward, passed away on Friday at the age of 86. This comment, seen at Newscoma's place , may qualify as the quote of the month: May you rest, but get back up and do it all over again. Hilarious.
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The topsy-turvy state of human rights

Friday, January 11, 2008 9:55 PM
Throughout the Cold War, propagandists in this country consistently painted the US as the world's champion of human rights and the rule of law, while the Soviet Union and its member states were cast as paragons of evil. Although neither characterization
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FBI wiretaps canceled for not paying the phone bill

Thursday, January 10, 2008 6:10 PM
This is just too funny : Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time. [...] In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence
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Sometimes history really does repeat itself

Wednesday, January 09, 2008 10:11 PM
In a fascinating example of history nearly repeating itself, it turns out that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened. The Vietnam War was based on false pretenses . The standard narrative of the run-up to the Vietnam War goes like this: The Gulf
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Pollsters blow it in New Hampshire

Tuesday, January 08, 2008 10:40 PM
Hillary Clinton won the 2008 New Hampshire primary by two percentage points over Barack Obama (39 to 36, as of 10:40 PM). However, yesterday, the day before the primary, this CNN story discussed Obama's alleged surge in the polls: On the eve of the New
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A sobering thought

Monday, January 07, 2008 10:41 PM
Elvis died when he was 42. If he were still alive (and, no, he isn't), he would have turned 73 on Tuesday. Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit
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Weekly liberal blog roundup

Sunday, January 06, 2008 10:04 AM
R. Neal at TennViews has this week's roundup of Tennessee liberal bloggers: A "corn fed" edition the TennViews weekly liberal blog roundup, with Iowa caucus/straw poll reaction from some of Tennessee's best and brightest bloggers: • 10,000 Monkeys and
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Edwards on Obama

Sunday, January 06, 2008 9:43 AM
The John Edwards campaign sent a blast email in the wee hours of the morning which contains this succinct statement of the difference between Edwards and Obama: In tonight's debate, there were two "change candidates" on the stage. But we have very different
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The French Anne Frank

Saturday, January 05, 2008 8:27 PM
Next week, bookstores in France will begin selling the diary of Helene Berr, a young French Jewish woman whom many are describing as the " French Anne Frank :" It starts like any other young woman's diary - with a description of hobbies, a first boyfriend,
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Some thoughts on Edwards

Friday, January 04, 2008 12:07 PM
After John Edwards's strong second-place finish in last night's Iowa caucus, he had this to say : [C]orporate greed has got a stranglehold on America. And unless and until we have a president in the proud tradition of Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt,
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Quote of the day (on the Bush presidency)

Thursday, January 03, 2008 9:42 AM
From a letter to the editor, in today's New York Times : The true greatness of America is that we will survive eight years of George W. Bush. I sure hope so. Share this post: Email | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit
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Justice to "investigate" CIA tape destruction

Wednesday, January 02, 2008 9:53 PM
Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced today that he has initiated an investigation into potential criminal wrongdoing by the CIA in its destruction of video tapes which showed the torture of detainees by US personnel : "Following a preliminary inquiry
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Cargo ships to be propelled by kites

Tuesday, January 01, 2008 8:42 PM
This is very cool : One of the first large cargo ships in 100 years to cross the Atlantic with the help of the wind will set off from European shores this month on a voyage which is due to make maritime history. When the 10,000-tonne Beluga Skysail is
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