BILL FRIST THE REPUBLICAN ROLE MODEL of the Day # 4 The shame of Rocky Top
Get ready for the next big FRISTING see skb Frist is pissed because SCOTUS got him out of our bedrooms. So Bill is thinking about a Constitutional Amendment to get back in. This rich Medicaid Fraud already profits by abortions while buying votes opposing them. He's rich because his father founded HCA, the nation's largest hospital company that just agreed to pay $880 million to settle charges of health care fraud the GOP has simply replaced a racist with a corporate crook. Frist was born rich, and got richer - thanks to massive criminal fraud by the family business. the Bush Justice Department suddenly ended a near-decadelong federal investigation into how HCA for years had defrauded Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare (the federal program that covers the military and their families), giving the greedy health-care behemoth's executives a sweetheart settlement that kept them out of the can."
Frist Gets Rich from Abortions While Trying to Outlaw Them
Bill Frist votes to outlaw 99.5% of abortions, good enough to earn him a 100% voting record from the National Right to Life Committee - and 0% from Planned Parenthood and NARAL. But Frist owns at least $5 million worth of HCA, a for-profit hospital chain that provides abortions, thus fattening Frist's own wallet, and that of his brother, HCA's CEO.

More Here on Bum's Rush

"But, Ann, you're mean -- vicious, really -- which is why we do not believe that you in any way serve the public good. "

THE COULTERGEIST has her own dedicated spot Treason
just to cover the Hate and venom of this Republican savage cruel bigot
Visit Man about Murfreesboro for a Coulter-roast on his June 30 blog
Resonance and South Knox Bubba post great pieces on Chris Matthews in a good old fashioned Horse's Ass Kickin Coulter-roast. Read it and comment

UPDATE: The Coulter roasting continues unabated with numerous cites of the Richard Cohen op-ed trashing of the Coultergeist Atrios, puddingbowl, rhetorica, seetheforest, submeat, fromtheswamp, rub, elevendayempire, hnn, nancynall, dangerousmeta, Buzzflash it is great that the blogosphere is taking this on from the start.

ANNOUNCING REPUBLICAN ROLE MODELS OF THE DAY
Check back daily for details on the who's who of the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
One has to ask oneself, "Are these the people I really want to be associated with?"


Please participate by adding your nominees for REPUBLICAN ROLE MODEL OF THE DAY in the comment section.

As someday it may happen that a victim must be found
I've got a little list, I've got a little list.
Of society offenders who might well be underground
And who never would be missed, they never would be missed.
I'VE GOT A LITTLE LIST The MIKADO Gilbert and Sullivan.

WE ARE KNOWN BY THE COMPANY WE KEEP.
THE FUNNY FARM is a great place to get the lowdown on animals of all breeds. Thanks to Tom for sending contestants to Republican Role Model of the Day.
If the comment section is down please e-mail entries to aurabass-at-hotmail.com

REPUBLICAN ROLE MODEL OF THE DAY # 3
SENATOR JOSEPH McCARTHY After World War II McCarthy ran against Robert La Follette to become Republican candidate for the senate. Campaign posters pictured him in "full fighting gear, with an aviator's cap, and belt upon belt of machine gun ammunition wrapped around his bulky torso." He claimed he had completed thirty-two missions when in fact he had a desk job and only flew in training exercises. Sound familiar?
McCarthy attacked La Follette who was forty-six when Pearl Harbor had been bombed, and was too old to join the armed services for not enlisting. On his first day in the Senate, he proposed a solution to a coal-strike that was taking place. McCarthy called for John L. Lewis and the striking miners to be drafted into the Army. If the men still refused to mine the coal, McCarthy suggested they should be court-martialed for insubordination and shot.
McCarthy's first years in the Senate were unimpressive. People also started coming forward claiming that he had lied about his war record. he was being investigated for tax offences and for taking bribes from the Pepsi-Cola Company. In May, 1950, afraid that he would be defeated in the next election. Edmund Walsh, a Roman Catholics priest, came up with the idea that he should begin a campaign against communist subversives working in the Democratic administration.
McCarthy an alcoholic and Roy Cohen savaged witnesses and misused the investigative power of the Senate until censured by the Senate in 1955. He died of alcoholism shortly thereafter.

REPUBLICAN ROLE MODEL OF THE DAY # 2
Bill Bennett "Where Bush Rewards Terror" Who had accused our president of making "concessions to terrorism" and "ceding ... lands to dictators?"
Indeed it was – "William J. Bennett"! What had the president done to merit Bennett's invoking of Munich and the Holocaust? The president had suggested that Ariel Sharon's rampage through refugee camps with tanks, where hundreds were cut down including women and children, was "not helpful."
The icon of homophobic conservatism. Bill (Virtues) Bennett The pompous scold who can blow $8 million on slot machines while he tells us how to live moral lives.

REPUBLICAN ROLE MODEL OF THE DAY # 1
Antonin Scalia "We are fools for Christ's sake. We must pray for the courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world." "Alas being tough and traditional is a heavy cross to bear. Duresse oblige."
He's so Old School, he's Old Testament, misty over the era when military institutes did not have to accept women, when elite schools did not have to make special efforts with blacks, when a gay couple in their own bedroom could be clapped in irons, when women were packed off to Our Lady of Perpetual Abstinence Home for Unwed Mothers.
Justice Anthony Kennedy gave patriotism true meaning in time for the Fourth of July. His ruling eloquently reminded the country, "Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct."
Antonin Scalia is Archie Bunker in a high-backed chair. Like Archie, Nino is the last one to realize that his intolerance is risibly out-of-date.

REPUBLICAN ROLE MODELS OF THE DAY EMERITUS
Tricky Dick Nixon crook and cover up artist
STROM THURMOND Click on this link to hear Strom speak.
Pork Barrel Segregationist
More here

GOD'S OTHER SON GEORGE
UPDATE available here
Palestinian Premier Abbas said that at Aqaba, Bush promised to speak with Sharon about the siege on Arafat. He said nobody can speak to or pressure Sharon except the Americans. He was speaking with factions of the PLO in a post Aqaba meeting.

According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."

And, in what form do you suppose these messages from God come, anyway? Stone tablets? Vivid dreams? Memos from Karl Rove's office? Or perhaps a burning BUSH?


Illustration inspiration fromHullabaloo

Could it be that George Walker Bush is a present day William Jennings Bryan/ Matthew Harrison Brady? Harken back to the Scopes Trial in Dayton Tennessee where the teaching of EVILoution was on trial and the famous populist Bryan came to defend the Holy Bible and the Creationists. In the movie starring Spencer Tracy as Clarence Darrow, Matthew Harrison Brady is called to the stand as an expert on all things Biblical. "So God speaks to Brady and Brady tells the world" thunders Darrow "Is that the way of it then?" "Perhaps we should have the book of Brady." "We can hex the Pentateuch and slip it in nicely between Numbers and Deuteronomy" "Brady, Brady, Brady, Almighty" Substitute Bush for Brady and forget about Weapons of Mass Destruction and cast a cold clear gaze on this Weapon of Self Delusion.
UPDATE: Last night I sent e-mail to Arnon Regular about the quote in his story for HAARETZ
This is his reply via e-mail this morning:

Dear Mr. Bozeman
The protocols are the official protocols of meetings held last week between mr. Abbas and the palestinian fractions in gaza. mr. abbas speech on GWB was his statement on GWB.no more and no less. its not a proof that mr. bush actually said it but its definite that mr. abbas said it because the protocols are confirmed from his side and the fractions side.

There is no question about what Mr. Abbas said and I have not seen any denial by Bush or his minions.

Interesting that Calpundit in an extremely rare defense of Conservatives has a different take on this event.
Others support my point of view:
Sick of Bush Prometheus Speaks and Hullabaloo each cover this story in a similar manner.

A report this week has Abbas visiting Bush at the White House. It would be interesting to hear Mr. Bush field questions in the Rose Garden upon conclusion of their talks if a reporter in attendance could get Abbas to repeat his claim at that time.

A Little more to the Rights comments on Rush Limbaugh

Rush 'my anal cyst is killing me' Slimeball

3 typical Limbautomized lunacies featured on the ALMTTR blog:
1) “It seems like every time Congress or SCOTUS is in session, our liberties are up for grabs.”
Limbo is of course speaking of the Republican Congress and the Reagan/Bush packed SCOTUS. Has Rush come around to the liberal way of thinking?.

2) On abortion, “The pro-choice people are not pro-choice unless you make the 'right' choice, and every time an abortion is going to take place that doesn't, they feel a setback in their political movement.”
Limbo reverts to his old demonizing ways here claiming that pro-choice people do not want choice but infanticide.

3)"dependents outraged that government won't foot the bill for their antacid, now they won't be able to cram pizza and chorizo down their throats without consequences unless they ante up."
This one is humorous indeed. It draws a mental image of the 'BIG FAT IDIOT' himself bloated and billious stuffed with pepperoni and sausage sitting on that famous ANAL CYST that got this fat CHICKENHAWK his deferment.

"I thank heaven for Rush Limbaugh. Without him I'd be another mind-numbed liberal robot." Jeff
Well congratulations Jeff, you are a mind-numbed LIMBAUGHTOMIZED robot who believes the Republican Congress and the SCOTUS are eroding your liberty. I have to say you are pretty well screwed any way you look at it. Perhaps this site will serve it's purpose with you and break the evil Limbaughtomy spell that you are under. My fervent hope is for your partial recovery. Keep on believing that the Republican Congress and the SCOTUS are eroding your liberty - they are.

JOB CREATION this SKB comment section for a totally unrelated post contains comments about Job Creation.
"Bush hasn't lost jobs nor did clinton add them. The market did. Prove me wrong. " is the verbatim statement by Say Uncle

My position was that during the Clinton tenure a record number of jobs were created and that under the current Resident that jobs will decrease for the first time since Herbert Hoover. Now Say Uncle says that Clinton and Bush were not responsible for this radical swing in the employment outlook. My question to him is why the Residents men are trying to make it appear that his policies do make all the difference. Are they misleading us Uncle?

MORE HERE

We can fully expect that Ann Coulter's TREASON will take up where Ann Coulter's SLANDER concluded. And just how nasty is Coulter’s conclusion? She draws an ugly conclusion indeed. “Except for occasional forays to the Wal-Mart,” she says, “liberals do not know any conservatives.” But conservatives “already know” liberals, she says. Conservatives know liberals as “savagely cruel bigots who hate America and lie for sport.” Incredibly, that is Coulter’s final phrase. It closes her strange, disturbed book.

On the eve of TREASON's release we need to reacquaint ourselves with the LIES of SLANDER and there is no place better to do that than the archives of THE DAILY HOWLER**

Coulter as media whore & Coulter as high heel gunslinger

Bob Somerby meticulously details the misrepresentations and lies in 780 footnotes used in Slander. He proves that Ann Coulter is not to be believed or taken seriously Ann Coulter is a whore in the classic sense. She has sold herself for money instead of truth. If not SLANDER Coulter is LIBEL and her TREASON is against AMERICA for America is not only the self-righteous right. America is all of us. Ann Coulter is dedicated to bringing out the worst in us just like Rush Limbaugh. Ann is waging her own conservative jihad. Draw your own conclusion about who is the "savagely cruel bigot who hates America and lies for sport".
**Scroll to the bottom of the linked page to the entries from July 9, 2002 through July 26, 2002

TBOGG cracks me up

Join the Hullabaloo over at Digbys

For another great take on the dangers of overexposure to Rush
Read this brave and sordid tale about descent into the malestrom of limbaughtomized madness.
Digby Rules.

Mr. Hobbs is wrong again when he states "Al Gore's Liberal News Network is doomed to fail" quoting a source he repeats. Hobbs should check his sources.

Al Gore is not starting a liberal news network

Democratic Veteran and Sick of Bush are new members of the Rocky Top Brigade. HOORAY and WELCOME
We needed the balance after the past few additions we were listing too far to starbord.
The intelligence level of the RTB just increased dramatically

Welcome aboard there Mateys. I look forward to reading you daily.
Be sure to use the RTB Forum when you can

What is a Liberal, a Conservative, a Libertarian, or an Authoritarian
THE POLITICAL COMPASS will let you know where you are.
If you do not know you should read this site and take the test to see where you stand compared to world leaders and historical figures.

-2.2 to the West and -6.9 to the South is where I am. How about you?

Use the RTB Forum for comments

Sunday browsing brought a perfect find
LIBERALS LIKE CHRIST
It is an epiphany for the religious right.
Would Jesus be a Democrat or a Republican?
This is an extensive site with detailed scripture references and it makes a strong case.
Can you refute it?

Make your comments on the RTB Forum

Forked Tongue

The old indian adage "Rich white man speaks with forked tongue" is true.

When speaking with Forked Tongue one uses the NEWSPEAK DICTIONARY

The belief in the supremacy of law is the defining characteristic of our country, and what has made America the strongest and most successful democracy in human history. Now we’ve made an international spectacle of our disregard for the principles of law in the single-minded pursuit of our narrowly-defined (and, in my view, poorly-defined) interests.
What's rotten here has nothing to do with the criminal and everything to do with the cop. If our cause against Iraq was just, we should have taken the time to make the case, and should have appeared willing to accept a different outcome if the facts were against us. Some would call that weakness. Others would say that real weakness is giving in to the passions of the moment, without regard to the larger good that is being destroyed by our righteous, arrogant rage.

LIFE AND DEATH for Conservatives

Richard Cohen raised an interesting question today. Why do "political conservatives, who don't think the government can do anything right, trust it to take a life?" Only when it comes to capital punishment does the system operate perfectly. Such is the thinking, if it can be called that, of George Bush himself. No one has presided over as many executions as he did as governor of Texas -- and with as little doubt about guilt and as much faith in his own righteousness.

Prosecutors as a rule are politicians. Their aim is conviction and strong sentences to make their record shine as tough on crime. Can no one see the conflict of interest in this? Using the power of the police and the money of the State they promote their careers (often to the detriment of justice). This is part of the Conservative Paradox. They love less government at a smaller cost except for courts, police, and prisons. This is the opposite end of their "The State has the right to Choose" support of "life" from conception to birth - but not beyond.

There is little reason to suspect that conservatives are rational when they mistrust government in everything but the two most important decisions - life and death.

US prepares to move troops to Azerbaijan

The United States will ensure political stability and continuity of power in Azerbaijan. Azeris base this conclusion on reports in the Western and Turkish media that the US is going to move about 15,000 of its troops from Germany to Azerbaijan, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports.

Well that figures folks. No oil in Germany - Lots of oil in Azerbaijan
These Bushies sure have the geology and geography right don't they.

MoveOn does real politics

Last Thursday MoveOn.org sent out an e-mail to its members -- all 1.4 million of them -- asking if they'd like to take part in an online Democratic presidential primary later this month. Candidates would answer questions that MoveOn put to them, and if one of them managed to pull a majority of the members' votes, the organization would endorse him.

This is no straw poll In most presidential primary processes, pundits, pollsters and wealthy donors determine the outcome long before the actual primaries. By the time the rest of us cast our ballots, the nomination is typically a done deal. The MoveOn.org PAC Primary will allow hundreds of thousands of voters to speak out now, adding their weight to the campaigns of their choice

Join MoveOn

RED WHITE AND BLUE the Bush American Flag

RED is for the money and the blood that we have lost
WHITE hot is our anger and our pain
BLUE is how we feel about the lives his war has cost
When Bush is gone life will be good again

Republicans will raise 200 million Dollars for the 2004 campaign

Clinton was the previous high since donation limits at 42 Million.

I think Bush should feel slighted. Afterall his tax cuts saved his fatcat friends 900 Billion.
200 Million is chicken feed given that amount. Heck Halliburton has gotten 216 million in no bid contracts alone.

Bush is getting stiffed and should demand a bigger cut.

BILL HOBBS acknowledges me as "another blogger"

"Another blogger, who I'll link to when he posts something worth linking too,"
worthy of comment but unworthy of linking to HMMMM
MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT MR. HOBBS IS AFRAID OF

BILL HOBBS NOMINEE FOR RTB A LITTLE MORE TO THE RIGHT should be schooled in BILL HOBBS favorite subject of JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY prior to acceptance.

It really sucks that on the day we add a new member to the Rocky Top Brigade that member posts a LIE about a fellow Tennessean. And I quote (Al "I Invented The Internet" Gore.)

Now I really don't give a damn who you vote for or support but to repeat the lie told so often three years ago is low and classless.

Al Gore is not a candidate.
Al Gore received a half million more votes for the Presidency than George Bush in 2000
He gracefully withdrew his name from consideration for 2004.
He is a Tennessean and deserves the truth if not your respect.
He never said "I invented the internet."
You are the liar in this case and you should post an apology and a retraction.
The Rocky Top Brigade does not need a member from outside the state who posts lies about Tennesseans who are not candidates for public office. We at the RTB should back up our posts with facts and references and require it of our members.

This addition has been made to the offending site:
"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the internet.." ~Al Gore

You'll of course notice that his exact word is "create", not "invent". Dictionary.com states that the definition of "invent" is "create".

This post was intended to be a humorous jab at the supporters, not Mr. Gore himself. A fellow blogger has taken exception to this post as though it were detrimental to Mr. Gore. An apology has been demanded. Since no foul has been issued an apology will not be forthcoming.

A Little More to the Right is quite aware of the nature of his comment. He is now aware that he was incorrect. The Al "I invented the Internet" Gore label was meant as a slur the same way that Bush and the Republicans used it to question Gore's honesty. Everyone that reads it knows that is the truth. A Little More to the Right has proven himself incapable of retracting a comment that is proven erroneous as a quote and erroneous in it's intent. A Little More to the Right is unworthy of being taken seriously.


The true story about Al Gore and the Internet

BILL HOBBS SOBS AGAIN

Now I know that I don't hold a small match to shine against the Bill Hobbs floodlight Still I will continue to illuminate the little darkness I can when he behaves like a small minded hypocrite. Today's post is another in a recent spate of bad offerings by Hobbs. Bill fumes and flames against Bill Clinton's receiving a nice payday for a speech in Japan. Of course Bill never knew about Reagans big Japanese payday following his term.
In Hobbs America it seems only Republicans are allowed paydays although this one for Clinton involved no US Taxpayer dollars.

That doesn't stop Bill from applauding big no bid contracts to convicted felon Republican interests like KBR and Halliburton paid for by American Taxpayers. Bill still hasn't responded to my proof of his LACK OF JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY shown by his TCS article post in the comments on SKB (read the comments) while he blindly supported the felons of Halliburton and their no bid open ended contract. Bill loves to sqawk about inaccurate journalism and the retractions he has caused. But he cannot even reply when his gaffes are revealed.

For more on that just scroll down to my Saturday June 14 item on Halliburton
Don't hold your breath waiting for Mr. Hobbs correction he is too busy bragging about how rapidy the blogs respond to correct his own mistakes.

Bill Hobbs added the following after reading my comments: Of course Bill just refers to me as "another blogger" worthy of comment but unworthy of linking to. What is Hobbs afraid of? Is that one of those Chickenhawk yellow streaks I see running down his back?
UPDATE: Another blogger, who I'll link to when he posts something worth linking too, sez I wuz wrong to criticize Clinton and that I "never knew about Reagans big Japanese payday following his term." You mean the one where Reagan was paid $1 million? Yeah, I never knew about that. Puhleeze. Of course I knew about that. It's why I joked about Clinton being a "money-grubbing ex-president cashing in," which was the basic charge the liberal media leveled at Reagan -
You see it is the fault of the LIBERAL MEDIA that Bill did not refer to the million dollar Reagan payday. What a crock Bill.
Whatsa matta Bill - can't take a little of what you like to dish out.?

Fibbing It Up at Fox

Flat out lies should be confronted ~ Bill O'Reilly; Fox News Channel; May 22, 2003

Since the Iraq conflict began on March 20, Fox News has been on a mission to legitimize it. One problem for Fox's protracted apologia is that despite promises of evidence of current weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by the Bush Administration, the evidence has been ambiguous at best. Unfortunately for the network, Lew Rockwell has been keeping a scratch diary of their reports since the war began.

Foe's of Fox Spews should enjoy this take down of the enemy of the right to know and the purveyor of the Right is Right.

Iraqi mobile labs nothing to do with germ warfare, report finds

George W. Bush told reporters in Poland that we had found the 'weapons of mass destruction' in the form of these two trailers. U got some splainin to do Georgie.

An official British investigation into two trailers found in northern Iraq has concluded they are not mobile germ warfare labs, as was claimed by Tony Blair and President George Bush, but were for the production of hydrogen to fill artillery balloons, as the Iraqis have continued to insist.
The conclusion by biological weapons experts working for the British Government is an embarrassment for the Prime Minister, who has claimed that the discovery of the labs proved that Iraq retained weapons of mass destruction and justified the case for going to war against Saddam Hussein.

Bill Hobbs comments on SKB Comments include a link to this article

The article on Tech Central Station by Hillery Kramer includes the following:
What is the bill so far for this expedient work by Halliburton (subcontracted out to two different firms, I might add)? A mere $50.3 million-a fraction of the $7 billion we keep hearing about.

Well according to Congressman Waxman's Letter dated May 29, 2003 71.3 million dollars have been spent and another $425 Million in work orders under a second Iraq contract for a total near 500 Million is the accurate figure. The Toronto Star Article linked below makes the figure 187 million on the no bid contract now. But HOBBS choose to post a link to an April 25th TCS article to prove his point.

This would appear to bring the JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY of Mr. Hobbs into question (a subject near and dear to Mr. Hobbs heart) I am waiting to see if he will print a retraction.

An additional story of 187 Million in billing from Halliburton

Be sure to comment on the RTB Forum - the Halliburton and Cheney Thread

Underground Church - It CAN Happen Here

"Your kids first task of the evening event is to elude the secret police of a corrupt, anti‑Christian government, and locate safe houses run by the Christian underground." Secret Police - corrupt anti-Christian government - in the USA? What better way to teach kids fear and hate of anyone who does not share the misguided zeal of the leaders of a fundamentalist Rightwing church.

Read SouthKnoxBubba and participate in the comments

Tax cut estimator
Give the TAX CUT Estimator a try and see how your cut compares with others.

STATE OF THE UNION a William Kristof take on the yellow cake uranium story

George W. Bush's words "The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon, and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production." January 28, 2003
In February 2002 Dick Cheney dispatched a former Ambassador to Niger to check on a document that indicated Saddam was attempting to purchase uranium. In March of 2002 that envoy reported back that the document was beyond doubt a forgery. Ten months later the President of the United States is telling the nation that Saddam had recently sought uranium from Africa.
Every word of a President is studied and vetted, particularly those used in the most important annual address to the Nation. It strains all credulity to think that the President was unaware of the findings of Cheney's envoy and 2 other investigations that arrived at the same conclusion.
We also know that the aluminum tubes in question are unsuitable for nuclear weapons production as alleged.
You got some splaning to do Georgie!!!

Congressional letter from Congressman Waxman on this State of the Union issue.

13 MYTHS

A factsheet was produced using this web site to organize the research. See the factsheet and all the feedback received on it, here or in PDF form (ready to print and hand out). It is documented with over 120 references, mostly from mainstream and primary sources.
This "13 Myths" web site was conceived after activists involved in Organizers' Collaborative used the Internet to research and distribute a comprehensive flyer detailing distortion of the truth in the battle for the White House in the aftermath of the 2000 election. This is a very comprehensive data base for specific references on the WMD controversy and other key issues. Check it out.

Please post comments to the RTB Forum

Bush V. Bush
If you have not seen the Bush V Bush video by Jon Stewart follow this link
and click play da video.
This is the funniest thing I have seen in weeks and it features a debate between the Governor and the Resident.
Talk about Flip/Flop - you remember the thing Republicans accuse Clinton of mastering?
Just listen to Bush in his own words - you can even understand most of these.

SAVAGE Michael Savage Day is June 26th
Everyone should join in

Has Bill Hobbs seen these examples of Lack of Journalistic Integrity?
Thank goodness Hobbs got those NYT editors fired.
Take SKB's link to the Expose' - It is well worth the trip

Wow - slipping down the internet poll

IF YOU FEEL A NEED TO PROJECTILE VOMIT READ THIS
Hannity tells Pat Robertson what Evil Is.

Charlie Daniels pushing his Soapbox Rightwing Tapes MTB members with Jimmy Carter in 76

The opening concert of the Dixie Chicks Tour was the focal point of a rightwing attempt to dent the DC's popularity. Rightwingnuts promoted a concert by the Marshall Tucker Band - a very popular all ex-marine band from Spartanburg-Greenville SC where the DC concert was taking place. Now we are talking Strom Thurmonds South Carolina here folks - where Paris Island leathernecks rule. I worked on the road with the MTB for my sound company Mountain Sound of Knoxville during their heyday from 1979 and 1982 (The CDB was also a Mountain Sound act but don't hold that against me). There were a total of 31 Dixie Chicks tickets traded for MTB tickets in the highly promoted and well organized protest in this bastion of Bush Marine Corps Military Strom Thurmond stronghold. People on the radio actually threatened physical violence and mayhem if people attended the concert. Only 31 people were swayed to stay away. The Dixie Chicks will be my favorite band for a long time. I just ordered another 10 copies of Home to give away to friends. I suggest we all do what we can to stop the Dixie Chick bashing. I bet they all look better than Bill Hobbs. 8^) Former Roadie who knows the truth that the MTB and the CDB got Jimmy Carter elected President before the hard life on the road killed all of Charlie Daniels brain cells and hardened his heart.
Actually it is amazing given the current situation that the Dixie Chicks sales did not plummet like a rock. With Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, Liddy, North, Scarborough, Savage, Robertson, Fallwell, Carlson, Novak, and the entire rightwing spin machine taking time off from Clinton Crushing and Bush Boosting to chew on the Chicks. Since Sony Music and Francis Preston and the CMA heirarchy made Nashville the land of the RICH and Republican instead of the home of the Coal Miners Daughters the politics of country music have become the politics of fear. Country artists who hold Democratic views are afraid to perform on behalf of Democratic candidates for fear of reprisal by BMI ASCAP and Record Companies and Publishers. Prior to Reagan any Democrat could depend on a number of CMA artists to help but now only Steve Earle and very few others will stick their necks out. Nashville's once very cool and poetic music scene has become a bastion of plastic Lee Greenwood money for pseudo-patriotism. And regretfully I have a connection there in a brother who owns 25% of the former Lee Greenwood Theater in Sevierville. Bush one and Swartzkoff attended the grand opening.

World's Most Watched Internet Ad?

New Honda commercial in the UK.
There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in the film. The film took 606 takes. On the first 605 takes, something, usually very minor, didn't work. They would then have to set the whole thing up again. The crew spent weeks shooting night and day. By the time it was over, they were ready to change professions. The 2 minutes cost six million dollars and took three months to complete

Why do we wait so long for these reports?
UN Weapons Inspector from Norway in Iraq for 100 days says no way
We received much incomplete and poor intelligence information from the Americans, and our cooperation developed accordingly. Much of what has been claimed about WMDs has proven to be sheer nonsense. From what I have seen they are going to war on very little," Siljeholm told Dagbladet.

After 100 days in Iraq, Siljeholm, is now a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .

"I strongly doubt that the American will find anything at all. In any case I doubt that they will find WMDs that constitute a military threat," Siljeholm said.

PLEASE POST ALL COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG TO THE RTB FORUM

The Bush administration is like an Eclipse over America
It is blocking the sun and stealing the light of the freedom.

Are these writers twins? Are all redheads liberals?
At least the left has the better looking writers (see AC below with RR)

Why is this man baring his teeth?
Looks like a mouthful of WMD's

Did Ronald Reagan have an Intern with a blue dress too?

.
BUSH AND HIS VERY GOOD AMI JC
Looks like a marriage made in heaven

POST COMMENTS TO THE RTB FORUM

Turning up the heat

"When Ronald Reagan came into office, he cut taxes, we had big deficits, and we lost 2 million jobs. When Bill Clinton came into office, he raised taxes without a single Republican vote; we balanced the budget; we gained 6 and a half million jobs. George Bush has already lost 2 and a half million. I want a balanced budget because that’s how you get jobs in this country is to balance the books. No Republican president has balanced the budget in 34 years. …You had better elect a Democrat, because the Republicans cannot handle money. … We’re the party of responsibility, and they’re not." Candidate Dean

If you watched the Iowa gathering of Democrats on Sunday you got a pretty good dose of what's to come in the year ahead. I heard Graham, Kucinich, and Howard Dean speak and Dean was by far the most relaxed, connected and articulate of the three. Bob Graham closed with a verse of his new campaign song - the man cannot sing. And Kucinich in a Tee shirt gave a more traditional Democratic stump speech that showed nerve and invective. But Dean capitalized on his early opposition to the attack on Iraq to the cheers of the crowd who are invigorated by the WMD damage done to Bush and dubya co.

POST ALL COMMENTS TO THE RTB FORUM

The Man about Murfreesboro thinks Wolfowitz is looking to get fired

He is a puzzled as everyone else about that Bush remark in Poland
Where he told the Polish press that he had found the WMD's
Seems George thought those jokes about Polish intelligence were serious.
Maybe he doesn't know the difference between a joke and the truth.

007 in Revolt --- License to Kill Cancelled

RESONANCE beguiles us with the tale of the JAMES BONDS of the British Isles pulling the plug on the PM. What would M and Money Penny have to say about that.

“Ws” Monstrous Deception

Despite the recent disgrace suffered by the Guardian involving out of context quoting and Paul Wolfowitz, they come back today with two reports:
1) The first is most interesting. Those MOBILE LABS that “W” thought proved that the WMDs were had been found? The Observer has established that it is increasingly likely that the units were designed to be used for hydrogen production to fill artillery balloons, part of a system originally sold to Saddam by Britain in 1987.

Saddam's trucks were for balloons, not germs

2) The second report describes the “ bush fire that refuses to be stamped out, the flames of doubt are still licking around the 'coalition of the willing', drawing in the US, Australia and even Spain. But the way the allegations have caught fire in the US is all the more extraordinary, since the Bush administration - unlike the Government of Tony Blair - has not had to rely on the existence or not of weapons of mass destruction as a casus belli, committed as the US was to a policy of regime change in Iraq.
What is driving them, as much as a desire to find out the truth, is a desire to limit the huge influence and power that has been accumulated by the Pentagon and the coterie of hawks gathered around Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, which many fear is now dominating America's relations with the rest of the world.”
This description portends a rift in the coalition of the willing.

Weapons of self-delusion?

3) These words spell trouble for the WMD witch hunt. It seems the weapons research moved to small houses in 1996 to keep capability alive but no weapons were produced after 1996.
An unnamed general in charge insisted that search teams would find no weapons. "I challenge anyone in Iraq, from north to south, to find anything," he said.
According to the general, a research program was set up in 1996 with members of the Mukhabarat intelligence agency and the Special Security Organization. "The orders came directly from Saddam, what we called a red order, and his words were we must keep the victory going," he said. "We did small trials, experiments in basements or rooms. From the outside nobody would guess. But because of these cells we could start up production again very easily."
The existence of the program was confirmed by Dr Ala Saeed, who was head of quality control at the Al-Muthanna State Establishment, Iraq's main chemical weapons complex.


Saddam's chemical labs 'made no weapons'

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Findlaw has just posted a rather remarkable assessment by JOHN DEAN of Watergate fame about the missing WMD's and the possibility of the circumstances leading to IMPEACHMENT.
This is a serious scholarly assessment that deserves your consideration.
you can find the details at the following link:

JOHN DEAN ON FINDLAW

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Sometimes it is better to look at the end result
Then decide if it fits one of the reasons given.

At this point we know beyond any doubt that Halliburton has been awarded $425 MILLION Dollars in open ended no bid contracts to get the oil flowing in IRAQ. That is a clear result.

We do not know about the WMD
We do not know about Saddam Hussein
We do not know about Democracy in IRAQ
We do not know (for sure) if the IRAQIs are better off.
We do not know if the Iraqis are happy we are there.
We do not know if we are safer from terrorist
We do not know if Saddam Hussein helped Al Queda

WE do know that Halliburton is making huge amounts of money
Despite the fact that Halliburton
1) pled guilty to a felony paid a 1.2 million dollar fine
2) moved ops to a Cayman tax shelter to avoid 80 million in taxes
3) over charged taxpayers 2 million dollars on a Fort Ord contract
4) offered to settle fraud lawsuits by stockholders for 6 million dollars.
5) admitted to illegal bribes in Nigeria
6) paid Dick Cheney 40 million dollars
7) is under SEC Investigation for questionable accounting practices.

Despite these violations of law and trust Dick Cheney's old company is raking in big bucks and the oil will flow.

That has to be worth the blood spilled and the money spent by US Taxpayers and soldiers; OR DOES IT??

This answers the question of why we went to war in IRAQ.
Follow the money and figure out the end result.
The END justifies any reason or means for those who profit on the blood and trust of the American public

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Below are the link and the first pages of the Judicial Watch lawsuit.
The $475,000 amount is explained as is the fact that Cheney is defendant.
What seems most interesting is the fact that this lawsuit has been offered a settlement of $6,000,000 dollars over 10 times the sought amount.

Also check the highlighted section where Halliburton has pled guilty to a FELONY and is a FELON that has paid 1.2 million in fines due to illegally exporting goods to the terrorist nation of Libya in violation of 50 U.S.C. §§ 1702 and 1705, 31 C.F.R. §§ 550.202, 550.208, 550.409, and 18 U.S.C. § 2

JUDICIAL WATCH LAWSUIT IN DALLAS COURT

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS DALLAS DIVISION

STEPHEN S. STEPHENS, LYLE LIONBARGER AND DEANNA J. LIONBARGER as trustees for the LW & Deanna J. Lionbarger Family Trust Dated 06/25/96,
Plaintiffs,
v.
HALLIBURTON COMPANY, D/B/A HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES;
RICHARD B. CHENEY;
DAVID J. LESAR;
LAWRENCE S. EAGLEBURGER;
ANDERSEN; ANDERSEN WORLDWIDE; ARTHUR ANDERSEN, LLP;
and DOES 1-20, inclusive,
Defendants.

THE CORPORATE DEFENDANT
9. On information and belief, less than ten years before the filing of this action, on or about July 25, 1995, in United States v. Halliburton Co., U.S.D.C. Criminal Case No. 95-CR-157-ALL (S.D. Texas), Halliburton pled guilty to illegally exporting goods to the terrorist nation of Libya in violation of 50 U.S.C. §§ 1702 and 1705, 31 C.F.R. §§ 550.202, 550.208, 550.409, and 18 U.S.C. § 2, was fined $1.2 million on conviction, and is a convicted felon.

DIRECTOR AND OFFICER DEFENDANTS
10. Defendant Richard B. Cheney (“Cheney”) is currently the Vice-President of the United States, domiciled in the State of Texas or Washington, D.C., a resident of Washington, D.C., and was the Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton from 1995 into 2000. Cheney is sued herein under Texas state law as a direct participant, aider and abettor, and co-conspirator in the fraudulent acts, omissions, and scheme set forth below.

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HALLIBURTON SET UP CAYMAN TAX HAVEN DURING CHENEY TENURE
Why should a tax evading corporation be the beneficiary of open ended no bid contracts worth millions?
Because they have friends in high places right

Cheney has lauded the White House's commitment to "more accountability for corporate officials." But what kind of accountability can we expect when corporations are not only allowed to walk away with little more than a slap on the wrist for defrauding taxpayers but continue to be richly rewarded with government contracts?
Congress is currently considering legislation that will bar the Pentagon and the new Homeland Security Department from doing business with companies that have set up offshore tax-cheat havens since January. Which means that all the corporations that had the foresight to profit early from their disloyalty, depriving the government of $70 billion a year, are A-okay. If something is so wrong on Jan. 1, what made it right on Dec. 31?

We should bar the government from signing contracts with any corporation that has moved offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Period. And we should go further and not enter into any contracts with any company that has been fined for ripping off taxpayers. As the president said last year, you're either with us, or you're against us.


COMMENT ON THE RTB FORUM

THIS JUST IN
HALLIBURTON OFFERS SIX MILLION DOLLAR SETTLEMENT IN LAWSUIT

Halliburton Co. (HAL) said Friday it has agreed to pay $6 million to settle 20 shareholder lawsuits that accused it of using deceptive accounting practices while Vice President Dick Cheney (search) led the company.

But that is not all.
HALLIBURTON FACES LEGAL INQUIRY IN FRANCE
PARIS, June 2: Halliburton, the US company which has obtained the lion's share of contracts for the re-establishment of petroleum production in Iraq, is at the centre of a French judicial investigation that suspects that the company, and its then chairman, now US Vice-President Richard Cheney, took part in a massive bribery operation over the development in the late 1990s of an LNG field located near Bonny Island, Nigeria. Much pressure is being placed, however, says a judicial source, on the French government to see to it that the French judges quietly put aside the case.

We are MAD as HELL and we're not going to take it anymore.

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MORE ON HALLIBURTON

a Halliburton Primer
The forces of accountability and frugality in government should familiarize themselves with the SEC Investigation of Halliburton, Dick 'show me the money' Cheney's former and future(?) company
There is also information at this Wapo site about Judicial Watch's lawsuit against Cheney

Judicial Watch filed suit on behalf of shareholders against Cheney and 13 other Halliburton directors, as well as Halliburton itself and its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen LLP and Arthur Andersen Worldwide. The suit charges Cheney and Halliburton with fraudulent accounting practices and misleading press releases resulting in the overvaluation of the company's shares, leading to shareholder losses. The lawsuit alleges Halliburton overstated revenues by $445 million from 1999 through the end of 2001. Two shareholders, Stephen S. Stephens of Indiana and Lyle and Deanna J. Lionbarger of New Mexico, have been listed as plaintiffs. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

When you link the SEC INVESTIGATION and the JUDICIAL WATCH LAWSUIT to the $500 MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS on NO BID CONTRACTS a very UGLY picture emerges where the Vice-President of the United States is bailing himself out of potential trouble with taxpayer dollars.

Do you Conservative Republicans think this is a good way to spend your tax dollars?
WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE Hobbs, Shots Across the Bow, Say Uncle and INSTAPUNDIT

Throw the fact that Halliburton admitted to TWO MILLION DOLLARS in fraudulent billing of the government on the pyre and there is a huge bonfire in the Executive Branch where too little attention is paid.
The Great and Powerful OZ asks that you pay no attention to the man behind the curtain while you watch his fireworks in Afganistan, IRAQ, and IRAN.

WE ARE MAD AS HELL AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.

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HALLIBURTON IS RECEIVING NO BID FAVORED TREATMENT TO THE TUNE OF 425 MILLION DOLLARS IN IRAQ
WHERE ARE THE CRIES AGAINST THIS WINDFALL OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO A COMPANY THAT PLED NO CONTEST TO OVER CHARGING TAXPAYERS OVER TWO MILLION DOLLARS??

Waxman Letter to Acting Secretary of the Army

Read this letter by Ranking minority member of the House committee to Thomas ENRON White's temporary replacement.

HALLIBURTON and subsidiary KBR (Kellog, Brown, & Root) have already received over $425 MILLION DOLLARS of taxpayer money for IRAQ related contracts given on NO BID
This is the same HALLIBURTON:
1) Run by VP Dick 'show me the money' Chickenhawk Cheney
2) That pled no contest to overcharging the government for over TWO MILLION DOLLARS caught by the GAO
3) That gave VP Chickenhawk 80 MILLION DOLLARS when he left the Presidency of Halliburton althought Halliburton was losing money for it's shareholders despite bilking the US Taxpayer (that is you and me folks)

Now this is the kind of stuff that Say Uncle, Shot Across The Bow and Bill Hobbs should even agree should not happen since they appear to be in favor of reduced spending and accountability.

I even think Dingbust who has evidently raised Bill Hobbs hackles to a new irritating high, and his friend Barry of Inn of the Last Home SouthKnoxBubba and LeanLeft should all be able to agree that it is not good policy to give millions of taxpayer dollars in a no bid situation to a company that has already admitted a TWO MILLION DOLLAR over charge and which has such close ties to the Vice President of the United States.

Scroll down to May 29th for in depth information of how Cheney Led Halliburton to Feast at the Public Trough.

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TROUBLE BREWING AT LAST
Has the BUSH Bubble gone BUST???

All three major news magazines TIME, NEWSWEEK, and US NEWS and World Report run major features this week on the MISSING WMD problem.

The Asia Times has a good summary article about these stories and the flap raised at major Conservative organs like The Weekly Standard and the WSJ (someone else will have to provide that link since I see no future in paying to read trash)

Is the HONEYMOON finally over?

Hypocrisy Between Friends Commentary

The link above will take you to a nice debate on vituperative commentary.
Below is a taste of the final post. If you like what you read here you may wish to take in the whole debate and add your thoughts.

RICH: Here's my last take on this, after which you gentlemen are welcome to the last word.

The fact is President Bush has never claimed that Al Queda was finished; Dowd made the claim for him and Ivins picked it up and ran with it.

Posted by rich at June 3, 2003 07:05 PM

BARRY B. Well there is no sense in continuing since you and I read from different points of view. Logic and reason fail to move you. Case in point:

You say:
“The fact is President Bush has never claimed that Al Qaida was finished; Dowd made the claim for him and Ivins picked it up and ran with it”.

The TRUTH IS:
Ivins said that Bush’s statements indicated that Al Queda was "broken up" not FINISHED but Damaged beyond effectiveness. So the fact IS that IVINS never claimed that Bush said Al Queda was FINISHED. However that is what you read into it because it is Molly Ivins saying it.

You over-react to IVINS because of your political viewpoint just as I react negatively to LIMBAUGH
So let's look at a Limbaugh comment:

"There is no greater testament to the depths to which the Democratic Party and liberalism have fallen. You now position yourself, Senator Daschle, to exploit future terrorist attacks for political gain. You are worse, sir, than the ambulance-chasing tort lawyers that make up your chief contributors. You, sir, are a disgrace. You are a disgrace to patriotism, you are a disgrace to this country, you are a disgrace to the Senate, and you ought to be a disgrace to the Democratic Party but sadly you’re probably a hero among some of them today...Way to demoralize the troops, Senator! What more do you want to do to destroy this country than what you’ve already tried? [pounding table] It is unconscionable what this man has done! This stuff gets broadcast around the world, Senator. What do you want your nickname to be? Hanoi Tom? Tokyo Tom? You name it, you can have it apparently. You sit there and pontificate on the fact that we’re not winning the war on terrorism when you and your party have done nothing but try to sabotage it, which you are continuing to do. This little speech of yours yesterday, and this appearance of yours on television last night, let’s call it what it is. It’s nothing more than an attempt to sabotage the war on terrorism for your own personal and your party’s political gain. This is cheap. And it’s beneath even you. And that’s pretty low." Friday Nov 15, 2002 The Rush Limbaugh Radio Program

Let’s see compared to Limbaugh’s fair-and-balanced comments Ivins is a creampuff.
Or do you find these LIMBAUGHTOMIZED comments civil Rich?

For good measure try on a very little Ann Coulter
Too much will make you ill: SEARCH THE DAILY HOWLER ARCHIVES IN JULY FOR A COMPLETE DE-BUNKING OF THE OUTRAGEOUS LIES OF ANN COULTER. I reccommend Bob Somersby at the Daily Howlerto everyone who seeks the truth.

"COULTER (SLANDER page 205): Except for occasional exotic safaris to the Wal-Mart or forays into enemy territory, liberals do not know any conservatives. It makes it easier to demonize them that way. It’s well and good for Andrew Sullivan to talk about a “truce.” But conservatives aren’t the ones who need to be jolted into the discovery that the “bogeymen” of their imagination are “not quite as terrifying as they thought.” Conservatives already know that people they disagree with politically can be “charming.” Also savagely cruel bigots who hate ordinary Americans and lie for sport."

Just a small sample from me to you since I am by Coulters lights a 'SAVAGELY CRUEL BIGOT WHO HATES ORDINARY AMERICANS AND LIES FOR SPORT'

Sorry Rich but that is my parting shot and I would gladly offer up this debate for review and vote on who made their point best

The point being that Molly Ivins and Tip O’Neil as your examples of didactic diatribe from liberal pundits in balance with Limbaugh, Liddy, Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity, North, Robertson, Falwell, Novak, Scarborough, Savage etc... just don't measure up. But then I find it interesting that you even choose to debate the issue, which you could so easily admit.

Right wing conservative money buys the best most vituperative pundits. It is a simple unassailable fact.


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THE ARROGANT MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE HAVE OVER-RULED THE PEOPLE ONCE AGAIN.

The schism between Americans was obvious in the FCC Commissioners' comments and votes. (On the latest relaxing of media ownership rules) Though it had 3 votes needed to change the rules, the majority ignored 750,000 public comments, 150 congressional representatives, and groups like the NRA, NOW, and Common Cause, which were opposed to the decision. The arrogance of the majority mirrors the arrogance of the majority in the U.S. Congress.

The Republicans are incapable of civil discourse.
They are loath to entertain opposing viewpoints.
They engage in ad hominem attacks when confronted with alternative perspectives.

The majority decision was based on facts and logic; the dissenters, they said, were well meaning but misguided by the same emotions and fear of Americans who were against the hijacking of the airwaves. Fools they, and fools we, Abernathy said. History will prove Americans wrong, and the three who know better than we what is in our public interest chose the right path for us. Monopolistic control of the media will benefit diversity of views (there is that Bush regime Alice-in-Wonderland logic again).
It was not so much the decision, for none of us can truly predict the end result. Though unlikely, the Supreme Court may reject or remand the new rules (still unpublished, for we--you and I--don't need to know what they are just yet, you see). No, it was the way the big three spoke about you and me. It was the way they dismissed the comments of three-quarter million Americans. It was the way they put us down, that chauvinistic accusation of emotionality for our challenge of their decision. It was the defiant attitude, the belligerent tone.

It was George Bush telling the rest of the world that he would do what is best for Iraq and the world, world leaders' insight and expertise be damned.

It was the Supreme Court awarding the Presidency to George Bush. Voters and elections be damned.

It was the government telling the governed that their opinions did not count.

It was a democracy handing over the avenues of First Amendment expression to a powerful few that support the Bush regime.

It was the FCC telling Americans to go to hell.

with thanks to ELAINE CASSEL of Counterpunch

Awaken the WOODSTOCK NATION
"WE'VE GOT TO GET OURSELVES BACK TO THE GARDEN"

SouthKnoxBubba has issued a wake up call.
This link is to a must read post for the fans of Rush Limbaughtomy.

I also suggest that you read the commentary below this post.

We're mad as HELL and We're not going to take it anymore
should become a rallying cry on our way back to the garden.
2004 should make the 60's look like the 80's as the Woodstock Generation throws off the yoke of tolerence in the face of Fascist agression against all that is good about America. We need to fight to save America. It is clear our opposition is fighting to destroy it.

For Rocky Top Brigade member Barry

I do give a great deal of thought when I am challenged on my tolerance and tact. I do not wish to be counter-productive.

Perhaps a couple of maxims (pour moi) apply.
1) THE LIBERALS AND THE LEFT BY VIRTUE OF THEIR POLITICS TEND TO BE TOO TOLERANT. Does the LEFT have an equivalent of Rush, Hannity, Coulter, O’reilly, Savage, Robertson, Falwell, Liddy, North, and Carlson? Who? Carville or Begala might come to mind but they are closer to Matalin and Novak in temperment. If you flush out the list of likely RIGHT leaning pundits to include Sununu, Schafley, Buckley, Buchanan, Kilpatrick, Scarborough and their ilk you might counter with Mike Kinsley or Bill Press but where does it go from there? The tone of debate is set by the obvious debators and these by in large are the ones who set the tone of debate. In the press we have Dowd V. Safire and Dionne V. Will but these are more tolerant examples of debate. Unless you can show me a pit bull of some stature on the left who uses the language of Limbaugh and Liddy or the vituperation and invective of Coulter and O’reilly I would say that any intolerance I show is somewhat warranted.
2) THE PARTY IN POWER IS ALLOWED LESS TOLERANCE THAN THE PARTY THAT IS OUT OF POWER. In other word the powerful have less need of intolerance and strong language. They have the power politically to effect the changes they wish to see made. The powerless have little to use to get their point across and to effect change except their words.

It is because of these maxims that I can loudly decry the whining of Hobbs and Rich when Hobbs (see Hobbs online in the RTB to the left) moans about a liberal bias at the Tennessean in 1994 or Rich (see Rich Hailey in the RTB to the left) wails about the bigotry against Republicans. Both seem to be saying: “Oh whoa is me. I’m rich, white, powerful, on top politically, own the Presidency, the congress, the Supreme Court, the FBI, Justice, the CIA, the oil, the weapons, the gun lobby, the banks, most of the money, and much of the airwaves but I can’t catch a break from these nasty bigoted liberals and their liberal media.”
HOW MUCH CAN WE TAKE BEFORE WE BECOME A LITTLE LESS TOLERANT ?????

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THE FOLLOWING IS A REPLY TO RICH AT SHOT ACROSS THE BOW
Barry B., thanks for the reference to the "Knoxville 22." I had no idea we had our own little cottage protest industry here in K-town, complete with vandalism and fire bombings.

There you go again Rich. There was no vandalism and no fire bombings associated with the Knoxville 22

A brief history of THE KNOXVILLE 22 since I just spent 3 hours at Lawson McGhee Library reading the Jan 1970 News Sentinel on microfiche:

1) a Faculty and Student committee was set up to review candidates for replacement of Andy Holt as UT Pres.
2) That committee reccommended several academics as potential candidate and asked specifically that Edward J. Boling not be selected because he was a fund raiser not an educator.
3) My familiy and I were good friends of the Bolings and I worked for him as head of the Student Alumni Fund Raising Office. I had nothing against Ed Boling.
4) On Jan 15 following revelations that the Board of Trustees had not listened to student faculty committee reccomendations and selected Boling a Rally was called for on the Hill across from Ayers Hall in front of the Adm. Building.
5) Gus Hadorn, Peter Kami, Carol Bible and a few others spoke to a small crowd of about 200. At the end one of them said we should go into the adm building and stand in the "Drop and Add" lines to slow down the administration.
6) Most of the people there thought that idea was boring and started to walk away.
7) Classes were changing and a few 100 more students started crossing the area. At the same time a phalanx of helmeted UT cops with Shields came marching into the area with riot batons and began shoving students back. They galvanized the crowd.
8)Aside from some shoving as they were being pushed and a single broken diamond shaped pane of glass in an admin building window there was no 'violence' of any kind. Students voiced thier opinion of a right to assembly.
9) The UT cops formed a semi-circle in front of the admin entrance.
10) Dean Almond or Burchett announced that anyone who did not leave immediately would be arrested.
11) About 100 City cops poured out of the admin building and began arresting people. They had obviously been in the building from the start.

The incident was precipitated by the UT administration and the city government particularly the Attorney General and the Police and Mayor Leonard Rogers. It was planned as a way to nip any campus protest in the bud. Kami was called a Commie and Rep Duncan (John the Sr.) called for his arrest and deportation back to Brazil. - He was a foreign student.

I had gone to the hill to register and was coming out of the admin building when the assembly was in process. I had been President of the Freshman Class, President of my fraternity, on the student senate, and on the student supreme court. I stopped to talk with 3 fraternity brothers in front of the building and my picture was taken by surveilance cameras and featured on the front page of the News-Sentinel in the foreground in front of the protesters looking in the opposite direction.

Six weeks after the incident I was arrested for Inciting a Riot on a true bill handed down by the grand jury brought by the REPUBLICAN Attorney General based solely on the picture that appeared in the News Sentinel (it can be seen at the library). My father who had been the Democratic County Judge and candidate for congress against Howard Baker Sr. was to be smeared and discredited by my arrest.

Those events made me into a radical.

My father asked me to plead to the misdemeanor of obstructing the entrance to a public building and I did so on his behalf. He was afraid that in the climate of the day that the Felony of Inciting a Riot (although no riot occurred and I had no part in not inciting it) could lead to five years of imprisonment.

Eventually no one was tried for the felony and all misdemeanor fines were dropped. It was merely the Conservative Republican way to stifle dissent in East Tennessee.

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PARANOID REPUBLICANS

What is it that REPUBLICAN’S fear?
And why is their FEAR so irrational?

This latest flap about BIGOTRY directed at REPUBLICANS is just more LIMBAUHTOMIZED LUNACY.

Who (by in large) is armed to the teeth?
A. Your average liberal hippie?
B. Your average REPUBLICAN NRA member?

Who controls the money in America?
A. Your average liberal democrat?
B. Your average REPUBLICAN FAT CAT?

Who controls the political power in America? The Presidency, The Congress, The Supreme Court?
A. The Liberal Democrats?
B. The Republican Fatcats?


Who controls the media in America?
A. Your average union Democrat?
B. Your corporate REPUBLICAN FAT CAT?

Which party is more likely the chosen home of a sympathizer of the KKK or a Fascist?
A. The liberal democratic party?
B. The Conservative REPUBLICAN Party?

Which party is more likely to condemn and imprison opponents. (Favor more prisons and the Death Penalty?)
A. The Liberal Democrats?
B. Republican Fatcats?

Which Party is more likely to favor Ashcroft’s invasive Patriot Act and Santorum’s invasive sex laws.
A. The Liberal Democrats?
B. The Republican Fatcats?

And which party is more likely to spend 80 million taxpayer dollars investigating a bad $58,000 investment and a private sex act?
A. The Liberal Democrats?
B. The Republican Fatcats?


Which political ideology is more likely to be:
INCLUSIVE?
A. Conservative
B. Liberal

EXCLUSIVE?
A. Liberal
B. Conservative

GIVING?
A. Conservative
B. Liberal

GREEDY?
A. Liberal
B. Conservative

ARMED?
A. Liberal
B. Conservative

If you answered B to all of the above you are correct.
And if you answered B to all of the above you might ask yourself; From whom do I have the most to fear?

A. Liberal Democrats?
B. Republican Fatcats?

Why should anybody be bigoted against Republicans?
They have all of the power
Most of the money
And they control the military, the Justice Department, The FBI, The CIA, The Courts and most of the guns in America.
Yet they fear
Because Republicans are mainly good at two things
They can tell you what to fear
And who to blame.

I am not BIGOTED against REPUBLICANS
I simply know them for what they are.

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Shots Across The Bow

This link will take you to the discussion referred to below

Fellow RTB bloggers Shots Across The Bow And South Knox Bubba
are into a little back and forth over a Metro Pulse article by Willie Stern.

below I offer an exchange I have started with Shots Across the Bow

A little hypocrisy between friends
Willie Stern wrote a piece in the Metro Pulse about a little discussed phenomenon in polite society: Bigotry against conservatives.

Actually it was a story about a blind date who said “republicans are assholes”. There are Conservative Democrats and the Neo-con Republican is anything but Conservative in the traditional sense where the Constitution is paramount.

We know it exists; we've seen it in action.

We don’t know any such thing.

“We've seen it in our universities, where conservative professors are afraid to 'come out of the closet', because it could cost them a chance at tenure. As a result, college campuses are becoming increasingly dominated by liberal professors. Conservative professors and students feel they have to hide their convictions, or face repercussions from their liberal peers and professors.”

Academics and intellectuals are often confused with being “anti-conservative” since they tend to favor science over religion and devote their lives to teaching instead of the accumulation of wealth. They tend to prefer intelligent discussion and thought over Limbaughtomized lunacy and the didactic diatribe of Falwell, Robertson, Coulter, Hannity, O’reilly, Horowitz, and Scarborough et al. They are usually tolerant of intellectual conservativism i.e. Buckley or Ayn Rand. I was at the University of Tennessee from 1964 thru 1972 which was a high water mark of liberalism on campus and I never saw any repercussion against conservatives on the campus. The “liberals” however were subjected to arrest – Knoxville 22 and the Billy Graham Republican Nixon Crusade – when legally demonstrating over 400 liberals were arrested and charged with felonies for expressing their opinions. Name me one conservative who was prosecuted for expressing his or her views.

There are plenty of ultra-conservative and religious universities that have absolutely no liberal or radical presence. Far more of these exist than the alternative. And State Universities in this day and time are filled with Conservative and religious organizations.

We've seen it in blogs. I was told by one blogger that ALL conservatives are either misguided fools, or corrupt ideologues. He specifically denied any possibility of rational conservative thought. I challenge anyone to find anything I've written that says the same about liberals.

I think we have ample evidence here as to the depth of misguided opinions by Republican Conservatives.
What kind of paranoia caused them to believe that their professors or fellow students of progressive or liberal political leaning would cause them harm - either physically or intellectually?
It seems that Republicans think any intellectual opposition is a threat.
Is that because they are so insecure in their mindset
Or is the paranoia born of a deep feeling that they are WRONG?