Where’s the Outrage?

For a nanosecond, I do agree with Tucker.  The Jena 6 are not heroes or celebrities.  On the other hand, anyone who can stand up to the injustice should be honored.

As usual,  the press has condensed the whole Jena 6 incident into the beating up of a White teenager.  If you just focus on the one incident then it is hard to see what folks are upset over.  On the other hand, if you look at the whole thing, the incident comes into focus.  I’m not saying that fighting is the answer.  I’m not saying that beating up a White teenager was right (BTW, I’m not sure about the unconscious thing is wrong.)

 

 Tucker - Jena 6 question [4:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Media, Race by ecthompson
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Katie Couric tried to portray the Wilsons are wreckless and bitter. What new information did Couric give us? Nothing. This was nothing more than at most a poor summary of what we already know. At least, it was a waste of time for the Wilson’s and the viewers. Where’s Mike Wallace, retired, Steve Kroft where is he? What about Bob Simon who was stationed overseas who had been captured during the first Gulf War? Instead we get Ms. Superficial asking questions like What happened when your name was leaked? Was the leak serious? The only stupid superficial question was wasn’t asked as what kind of handbag did you have with you? Maybe she did ask that question and it was edited out of the final version.

The only thing that was clear from this interview was that Valerie Wilson was an undercover CIA operative at the time she was outed by Robert Novak.

 

 Valerie Plame - 60 minutes [15:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Valerie Plame by ecthompson
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Here is a description of Sam Houston from William Freehling’s The Road To Disunion: Secessionists At Bay 1776-1854—-

Sam Houston had studied survival tactics with experts. In his youth, after a mysteriously awful brief marriage on the western frontier, a shattered Houston had …disappeared from whiteman’s society. He reappeared three years later, his old self-confidence restored, his new understanding of how to get along set for life. He had saved himself by savouring the forbidden. This white leader had lived with an Indian princess……His appearance signaled the way he operated and the persona he cherished. President Sam Houston marched around Houston City dressed like an Indian chief….The white chieftain’s red man’s garb proclaimed…a strategist not predictably of any color, not predictably anything at all.

I thought this was interesting. It shows the mix of circumstance and self-creation that helps form a personality.

While one has to be concerned with becoming a self-parody, Sam Houston here shows you can leave your more obvious identity behind and become what works best for you in life.

It’s always difficult to construct an identity and a personality that diverges from what seems most apparent. But it can be done.

Tags: Books, General by Texas Liberal
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I know that’s the question that is on everyone’s mind. Chuck Norris. Why? Why should anyone care? Well, I guess that Chuck Norris wants us to care. Who is the winner of Chuck Norris’ support and money? Mike Huckabee!!!

Huckabee has been gathering a little more momentum lately. After he had a second place showing in the Iowa straw poll, more money and more media attention has been coming his way. It is interesting with Huckabee’s background as an ordained minister, he didn’t win the Values Voters Summit this weekend. He came in second (there was some interesting voting going on). It would seem that he would be a perfect fit for the Religious Right.

Anyway, back to the Norris endorsement, here’s what Chuck had to say on the conservative blog WorldNet Daily- [Read more →]

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson
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Most informed Americans understand that Valerie Plame Wilson was a CIA operative. She was outed by Robert Novak because he wasn’t too bright. Yes, the Bush administration had feed her name to him (Richard Armitage didn’t really feed him her name but that’s a very long story). He had several warnings that intelligence reporters would have known what was up. Novak didn’t.

Anyway, so Valerie’s name is released. We all know the aftermath. She and her husband are smeared by the Right Wing. She does testify before Congress and clearly states that she was covert at the time of her outing. What I didn’t know what that Al Qaeda wanted to kill her. Larry Johnson, an ex-CIA agent, posted a story last night that Al Qaeda wanted to kill Valerie.

From Larry Johnson - In 2004 the FBI received intelligence that Al Qaeda hit teams were enroute to the United States to kill Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Valerie Plame. The FBI informed Valerie of this threat. This was just more “good” news piled on the fact that her intelligence career was in shambles, that intelligence assets she had recruited/managed were destroyed, and that she was unable to rebut publicly false and malicious smears of her character and reputation by a bunch of partisan Republican hacks. As the mother of two pre-school children, her first thoughts were about protecting her kids. She took the threat seriously and asked for help.

When the White House learned of these threats they sprung into action. They beefed up Secret Service protection for Vice President Cheney and provided security protection to Karl Rove. But they declined to do anything for Valerie. That was a CIA problem.

Johnson went on to note that the CIA didn’t do squat. Whatever happened to we protect our own? Oh, that’s the Army. What about we will not leave anyone behind? That’s the Marines. Shouldn’t the CIA have something similar? The Brad blog has some further information here. Still, I find this whole thing amazing.

Tags: Bush Administration, National Intelligence, Valerie Plame by ecthompson
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Whenever the Bush Administration was losing an argument, they sent out the Hammer. Vice President Dick Cheney would got to some conservative area and deliver “the speech.” Well, I’m guessing that the Bush Administration didn’t think that the American people were buying into the Iran is the ultimate evil. So, here’s the hammer, right on schedule.

Just remember this - “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us. And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors — confrontations that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will continue to develop with his oil wealth.” Vice President Dick Cheney at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, August 26, 2002.

 

 Cheney has Iran in his crosshairs [0:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Iran by ecthompson
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Jake Westbrook maybe made out to be the goat in this game but he shouldn’t be.  He was shaky in the first 3 innings.  He gave up a run in each of those innings but the Cleveland Indians still had a chance.  Westbrook settled in.  He pitched 3 scoreless innings and gave his club a chance to get back into the game.  Daisuke Matsuzaka wasn’t as solid.  He got out of the first 3 innings but was tagged for a run in the 4th and again in the 5th.  He was taken out in the fifth.

Cleveland had a chance to tie the game at 3 - 3.  The folks at Fenway were biting their nails.  It just seemed that the ball was simply bouncing the right way for the Red Sox tonight.  It started with Manny’s grounder to the shortstop which should have been a route double play but the ball took a weird high hop.  It hopped over the shortstop’s head which allowed a runner to score.  How else would you explain the 3rd base coach not allowing Kenny Loftin, still very fast, to hold up on first.  Next batter grounds into a double play.

You can read more here and here.

So, it will be Boston and Colorado.  This is going to be fun.

 

 Red Sox win in 7 [5:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Sports by ecthompson
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