Tyrant
“This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.†– Plato
Dump this Congress – 109 Reasons Why
Great List! 109 Reasons To Dump The 109th Congress from The Progress Report Issue 11/07/2006, by Judd Legum, Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney, Amanda Terkel and Payson Schwin We need a new Congress — here’s why: 1. Congress set a record for the fewest number of days worked — 218 between the House and Senate combined. [Link] 2. The Senate voted down a measure that urged the administration to start a phased redeployment of U.S. forces out of Iraq by the…
Iraq for Sale
Private military contractors are earning billions of dollars in Iraq — much of it from U.S. taxpayers. “Lucrative U.S. government contracts go to firms called on to provide security for projects and personnel — jobs that in previous conflicts have been done by the military” (and under military regulations). From Hunter at Daily Kos, on the Aegis contractor video (complete with Elvis soundtrack): And so the circle — or spiral — continues. For those with short memories, it was the…
Iraq Raid
Who do you call to protect you from the New Iraq’s security forces? We found out a few hours later that one of our neighbors, two houses down, had died. Abu Salih was a man in his seventies and as the Iraqi mercenaries raided his house, he had a heart-attack. His grandson couldn’t get him to the hospital on time because the troops wouldn’t let him leave the house until they’d finished with it. His grandson told us later that…
Quotations of the Day
“Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free…
American Agenda Simply Off Track
Here’s what we should all be pulling for – it’s from FDR’s “Four Freedoms speech,” on January 6, 1941: “The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are: Equality of opportunity for youth and for others. Jobs for those who can work. Security for those who need it. The ending of special privilege for the few. The preservation of civil liberties for all. The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in…