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A New Target for Advisers to Swift Vets By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 - Taking its cues from the success of last year's Swift boat veterans' campaign in the presidential race, a conservative lobbying organization has hired some of the same consultants to orchestrate attacks on one of President Bush's toughest opponents in the battle to overhaul Social Security. | |
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Digby: Our old friend hesiod reminded me by e-mail today that the man spearheading this son of swiftboat smear, Charles Jarvis,... Yuval Rubinstein: The "One-Size-Fits-All" Swift Boat Slime Machine — By now, I'm sure you've all read today's NY Times article informing... Joe Gandelman: The AARP Better Run For Cover... Batten the hatches, AARP: you're about to come under fierce, unrelenting fire from the folks who ran the Swift Boats Vets p.r. campaign. |
Kevin Drum: In any case, USA Next has now hired the same guys who created the SwiftVets commercials last year — apparently the... Avedon Carol: Via Ampersand. Swiftboatload against AARP. Josh Marshall: As you've probably already seen in the Times this morning, one of the Republican party's two main 'seniors' astroturf... |
| Also: Mathew Gross, Orrin Judd, Ezra Klein, Atrios | |
Hunter S. Thompson, 65, Author, Commits Suicide NYT — Permalink Hunter S. Thompson, the maverick journalist and author whose savage chronicling of the underbelly of American life and politics embodied a new kind of nonfiction writing he called "gonzo journalism," died yesterday in Colorado. | |
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Flamingo Jones: An over-looked obituary — I'm sure everyone, myself included, is mourning the loss of Hunter S. Thompson today. Charles Bird: Hunter S. Thompson, 1937-2005 by Charles Having long ago read and enjoyed his Fear and Loathing books (among others),... Digby: Rest In Peace You Brilliant Goddamned Beast — For some of us of a certain age, Hunter S. Thompson was our muse, our godfather, our Shakespeare. |
Joe Gandelman: In his style journalism, the journalist himself becomes part of the story. Norbizness: I hope he willed his stash to John Ashcroft — What better way to eulogize Hunter S. Thompson than with one of the best... Michelle Malkin: Also: Ramblings' Journal, Resurrection Song, The American Mind... *** Tim Worstall notices a discrepancy: NY Times... |
| Also: Dean Esmay, Avedon Carol, Jeff Jarvis, Matthew Yglesias, Skippy, Zoe Kentucky, Orrin Judd | |
Hunter Thompson commits suicide By / Denver Post — Permalink Woody Creek - Hunter S. Thompson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Woody Creek on Sunday night. He was 67. Regarded as one of the most legendary writers of the 20th century, Thompson is best known for the 1972 classic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." | |
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Steve M.: Damn, I do wonder what drove Hunter Thompson to this. Joe Gandelman: Hunter Thompson, Quintessential "New Journalist" Commits Suicide — May I be allowed to say I was not surprised at all... Jerome Armstrong: "On Feb. 20, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head at his fortified compound in Woody Creek, Colorado." |
Susan Q. Stranahan: Go to comments — February 21, 2005 Blog Report Goodbye Gonzo, Fox's Clean-up Crew and Get Your Bobblehead Now The... Tom Paine: Hunter S Thompson, the model for "Uncle Duke" in Doonesbury, shot himself today. Ed Driscoll: Not Too Surprising: Dr. Gonzo Pulls The Trigger — I just saw the headline on Drudge that Hunter S. Thompson blew his own brains—or what was left of them—out. |
| Also: Kevin Aylward, Susanna Cornett, Michelle Malkin, Michele Catalano, SK Bubba, Greyhawk, Radley Balko, Giblets, Jeff Goldstein, Orrin Judd, Stephen Green, Gary Farber, Ace, Chris Lawrence, Ogged @Unfogged | |
The price paid for blogging Iran By / BBC — Permalink Iran is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to keep an online diary. Web logs have become a popular forum for dissent. And the Iranian government has responded by arresting dozens of bloggers. Some of those detained are reportedly being held in solitary confinement and tortured. | |
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Jan Haugland: In Iran, bloggers face prison and torture — Sitting down to write another posting, it is sobering to see the threats... Bill Hobbs: Mad Mullahs Attack Iranian Bloggers — The BBC reports: "Iran is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to keep an online diary. Pejman Yousefzadeh: DANGER FOR IRANIAN WEBLOGGERS — This is the latest story. |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: The bottom line is that Iran has become an extremely dangerous place to blog — a place where dozens of bloggers are arrested and tortured. Norm Geras: Iranian bloggers — Further to this story about a British blogger suffering negative consequences for what he wrote on... K. J. Lopez: MULLAHS UNPLUG & PUNISH — BBC: "Iran is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to keep an online diary." |
SOLDIER STUNNED BY LETTER KIDS' RANTS By / New York Post — Permalink An American soldier overseas is fuming over letters he received from Brooklyn middle-school children accusing GIs of destroying mosques and killing civilians in Iraq. Pfc. | |
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Baldilocks: From the Pens of Babes — In the imagined shadow of the Twin Towers that are no longer there, the students of teacher... Kevin Aylward: Rob Jacobs.February 21, 2005 — An American soldier overseas is fuming over letters he received from Brooklyn... Betsy Newmark: How would you like to be serving in Iraq and get this bundle of letters from a bunch of sixth graders? |
Joe Gandelman: Inexplicable School Politicking — Man, the world has changed: when I was a kid, if kids wrote to a soldier overseas it was to make them feel good. Joanne Jacobs: Not so heart-warming mail for a soldier — Usually, when school kids write letters to a soldier overseas, it's a heart-warming exercise. |
President and President Chirac Discuss Common Values, Vision White House — Permalink PRESIDENT BUSH: It's my honor to be joining Jacques Chirac for dinner. I thank you for coming, sir. I've really been looking forward to this moment. Every time I meet with Jacques he's got good advice. And I'm looking forward to listening to you. | |
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Jan Haugland: Those are fighting words in France — Highlight of press conference with President Bush and President Chirac in Belgium. K. J. Lopez: And then there was his cowboy Chirac moment... |
William J. Dyer: Needs no snarky commentary — From a transcript on the White House website of press questioning today during Dubya's... |
Global blogger action day called By / BBC — Permalink The global web blog community is being called into action to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers. The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers' is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 February to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day". | |
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Jan Haugland: According to BBC News, the committee also encourages bloggers to not post anything on this day except the support for this campaign. Joe Gandelman: And to show solidarity with two Iranian bloggers who have been locked up in jail, a committee set up to protect bloggers... |
Judith Weiss: The Committee to Protect Bloggers is calling for tomorrow - February 22 - to be designated "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day" throughout the blogosphere. Bill Hobbs: Here's a related report on a "global blogger action day" being called to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers. |
U.N. Official Quits in Harassment Case By / WaPo — Permalink UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 20 — The U.N.'s top refugee advocate resigned Sunday amid a festering controversy over allegations that he sexually harassed several female employees at the U.N. refugee agency. | |
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Avedon Carol: The right-blogosphere is of course deeply interested in the story about a UN official quitting amidst a sexual... Pejman Yousefzadeh: FROM THE HEAD DOWN — The sexual harassment scandal that is enveloping the United Nations is beginning to have an... Tim Graham: MORE UN NEWS TO BE SKIPPED — While the networks wasted no time publicizing sexual-harassment charges against Bill Cosby... |
Michelle Malkin: "In doing so, the Independent actually scooped the blogosphere, which had paid little attention to the UN High..." Mark Krikorian: ANOTHER UN SCANDAL — Re: Ruud Lubbers, the UN High Commission for Refugees, who announced Sunday that UN Secretary... Glenn Reynolds: MORE EMBARRASSMENT: [snipped quote] On the other hand, this story of rape and child abuse by U.N. peacekeepers in the Congo seems like much bigger news. |
Injustice, in Secret WaPo — Permalink ATTORNEYS FOR the Justice Department appeared before a federal judge in Washington this month and asked him to dismiss a lawsuit over the detention of a U.S. citizen, basing their request not merely on secret evidence but also on secret legal arguments. | |
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Avedon Carol: But one national issue of true importance is on the editorial page at The Washington Post, and of course only TalkLeft... Kos @DailyKos: Secret arguments — They are truly out of control: [snipped quote] Just when you think things can't get more absurd. |
TChris: We're all familiar with classified facts and secret warrants, but should there be such a thing as secret legal arguments? |
President Discusses American and European Alliance in Belgium White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Guy, or Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your kind introduction and thank you for your warm hospitality. Distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen. Laura and I are really glad to be back. | |
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Orrin Judd: REAL IDEALS: President Discusses American and European Alliance in Belgium (George W. Bush, Concert Noble, Brussels,... K. J. Lopez: IRAN, SYRIA, DEMOCRACY... President Bush is supposedly on an apology-crawl visit to Europe, but he sounds like a pretty cool and confident leader, here in Belgium. |
EBW @Wampum: Maandag, 21 februari 2005 De Standaard reports the day's meeting schedule, first with Albert and Paola, then Guy... |
The Right's Right By / TCS — Permalink Welcome to the furthest right reaches of the right: the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC for short. Here, evolution is a wild hypothesis, "Log Cabin Republican" is a slur and young women know they have to wear short skirts to get ahead. | |
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Jon Henke: He also links to this Ryan Sager piece, which is worth a read. "Needless to say, triumphalism permeated the proceedings. Ramesh Ponnuru: RYAN SAGER ON CPAC — He says that "conservatism can't survive by religious extremism and tax cuts alone." |
Bill @INDCJournal: True, True — Ryan Sager writes about ideological tensions at CPAC, divisions that mark a larger looming split in the... |
Secret Recordings Seem to Offer Future President's Candid Views on Drug Questions, Faith and Rivals ABCNEWS — Permalink Feb. 21, 2005 — The friend of the Bush family who secretly recorded nine hours of conversations with George W. Bush says he never intended for the tapes to become public but felt he had a duty to accurately represent a man who he believed would one day become president. | |
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Avedon Carol: Anyway, you have to scroll past five stories to get to something else, and it's the ancient Bush tapes in which we learn... Bill @INDCJournal: Bush's Comments (UPDATED) For the record, I didn't find anything particularly surprising or embarrassing about President... K. J. Lopez: SOME FRIEND — What a rotten thing one Doug Wead has done—taping his "friend" George W. in the first place, now making the tapes public. |
Francis J. Beckwith: According to a February 21 ABC News story: "The friend of the Bush family who secretly recorded nine hours of... James Martin Capozzola: (0): WHAT YOU SAY | MORE INTRODUCTIONS NEEDED Phone-Tapping Fun With no apparent recognition of the historical... |
So much for your hunt ban, Mr Blair Telegraph — Permalink Almost 100 foxes were reported killed by hunts across Britain yesterday during a mass show of defiance by foxhunters against the Government ban on their sport. | |
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McQ: So much for the Fox Hunt ban: a study in civil disobedience — I'm not sure if you've been following the news in the UK,... Wind Rider: Tally-Ho! Very, very suspicious activities, indeed. |
Joe Gandelman: The British government has banned fox hunting but it looks like some people may have gotten around the ban — so... John Derbyshire: STANDING ATHWART HISTORY crying "tally-ho"! |
The Forecast: Overheated, Gusty and Increasingly Bloggy By / WaPo — Permalink Could this be the perfect storm of bad news for the news media? Already hemorrhaging readers and viewers and losing public trust, the mainstream media are being battered hourly by the surging denizens of the blogosphere, accused of raw partisanship, rank incompetence and conspiratorial coverups. | |
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Avedon Carol: Howard Kurtz sees the challenge of weblogs as something to invigorate the mainstream media if they only figure out how to cope. Will Collier: All that said, I'd be a complete cad if I didn't take this chance to thank Kurtz for noting VodkaPundit on CNN last week... |
Terry Heaton: Howard Kurtz looks less at the business of the media and more at what's going on inside and concludes that, in many ways, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Betsy Newmark: Howard Kurtz has one of his typical "compile a lot of quotes from various sources" columns about the blogosphere. |
Last of the Confederates By / Boston Globe — Permalink CONSERVATIVES often complain, with good cause, about America-hating left-wing radicals in academia. Yet in recent weeks, a college professor who co-founded an organization that refers to the United States as an ''alien occupier" in its manifesto — and whose... | |
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Mitch Townsend: She also wrote an infuriatingly wrong-headed column about The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History and its... Chris Lawrence: I got your outrage right here, pal — Mitch Townsend disagrees with Cathy Young's suggestion that Thomas E. Woods'... Greg Ransom: HISTORIAN Thomas Woods gets hammered by Cathy Young. Woods is identified as a co-founder of the racist and secessionist organization "League of the South." |
Tim Cavanaugh: If not, dig the outrage here and here. Orrin Judd: THE LOONEY RIGHT: Last of the Confederates (Cathy Young, February 21, 2005, Boston Globe) [snipped quote] When you find... |
Britain's Navy Is Encouraging Gays and Lesbians to Enlist By / NYT — Permalink LONDON, Feb. 21 - Five years after Britain lifted its ban on gays in the military, the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging gays and lesbians to enlist and has pledged to make life easier for them when they do. | |
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James Joyner: Britain's Navy Is Encouraging Gays and Lesbians to Enlist — Britain's Navy Is Encouraging Gays and Lesbians to Enlist... |
Edward _: "The navy announced today that it had asked Stonewall, a group that lobbies for gay rights, to help it develop better... |
Lebanese Hold Historic Anti-Syrian March By / AP — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon - Tens of thousands marched Monday in the biggest anti-Syrian protest in Lebanese history amid signals that Syria will soon withdraw its troops from parts of the country. President Bush renewed demands for Syrian forces to leave Lebanon immediately. | |
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Charles Johnson: Anti-Mubarak Rallies in Cairo — Along with the amazing news coming out of Lebanon, where tens of thousands of Lebanese... |
Hindrocket: Lebanese March to Protest Occupation — Tens of thousands of Lebanese marched today in Beirut to demand an end to the Syrian occupation. |
Writer Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself By / AP — Permalink ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the hard-living writer who inserted himself into his accounts of America's underbelly and popularized a first-person form of journalism in books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," has committed suicide. | |
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James R. Rummel: One of the people who perfectly encapsulated the mind set of the time was Hunter S. Thompson, who committed suicide yesterday. Kehaar: Let me preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about Hunter S. Thompson, but after hearing about his suicide, my first thought was "what a Hemingway wannabe". |
SK Bubba: Shocking news... Author Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself UPDATE: From the Denver Post. UPDATE: The Aspen Times. Charles Johnson: RIP: Hunter S. Thompson — He was a writer of incredible, crazy energy, and yesterday he committed suicide: Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself. |
Chavez says US plans to kill him BBC — Permalink Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he believes the US government is planning to assassinate him. "If they kill me, the name of the person responsible is [President] George Bush," Mr Chavez said. | |
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Captain Ed: Who knew that chief executives bandying unsubstantiated allegations of assassination strategies about would turn into a growth industry? McQ: Hugo Chavez, El Presidente of Venezuela is convinced Bush is out to off him: "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said... |
Jan Haugland: Chavez says US wants to kill him — Hugo Chavez appears to have taken lessons from collegue Kim Jong-Il on how to get... |
'Simpsons' Animates Gay Nuptials, and a Debate By / NYT — Permalink LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 - In the ongoing culture wars over whether gays should have the right to marry, an animated question reared its head on Sunday prime-time television: as goes "The Simpsons," does the nation go, too? | |
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James Joyner: In related news... 'Simpsons' Animates Gay Nuptials, and a Debate (NYT rss) [quote] In an episode titled "There's Something...[end quote] Jim Boulet: JOHN DERBYSHIRE, MEET HOMER SIMPSON — Via the New York Times: [snipped quote] A Simpsons = math episode index is here. |
K. J. Lopez: He told the NYTimes: [snipped quote] If parents don't want their kids asking for explanations of jokes on hot-button... |
Author Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide By / AP — Permalink Denver, Colo. — Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his home, his son said. He was 67. | |
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Kevin Aylward: From the Washington Post obituary:Hunter S. Thompson, whose life and writing, vivid and quirky reflections of each... Kos @DailyKos: There are only two authors I have ever gone out of my way to read everything they've written — Hunter S. Thompson and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. As everyone knows, Hunter is gone. Julian Sanchez: Hell's Angels — [snipped quote] Hunter S. Thompson is dead, by his own hand. His (retroactively weirdly apt) final column is here. |
Michelle Malkin: Washington Post obit is here with more detail: "Sheriff Bob Braudis said in a brief telephone interview that Thompson was alone in his kitchen when he shot himself with a handgun. Mike Stark: Edited to point to WaPo story. ] His son has made the announcement. The best political journalist ever is dead. It scares me. Kevin Roderick: Thompson's wife, Anita, was not home. The link is to AP; everybody has pretty much the same news. Reaction is gathering across the blogosphere. |
| Also: John J. Miller, Kevin Drum | |
Whatever happened to Washington's Birthday? San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Whether today should be called Washington's Birthday or Presidents Day is a question that will not distract most Americans from patriotic golf rounds and shopping excursions. But it's less a question than a crusade for Lafayette lawyer Jason Bezis. | |
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Ken Masugi: By the way: There is no Presidents Day— it's still Washington's Birthday convincingly argues a San Francisco attorney:... |
K. J. Lopez: FIGHTING FOR WASHINGTON'S DAY — A California lawyer tries his best. |
Unintelligent Design By / NYT — Permalink Recently a school district in rural Pennsylvania officially recognized a supposed alternative to Darwinism. In a one-minute statement read by an administrator, ninth-grade biology students were told that evolution was not a fact and were encouraged to explore a different explanation of life called intelligent design. | |
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Greg @TheTalentShow: Dummy Designer — This is the best article about intelligent design I've ever read (via Kottke) : "But if we can't... |
Chris Mooney: Anyway, couldn't help noting this in the New York Times Magazine the other day: [snipped quote] Geez, I wonder how many... |
Bucking the Deans at Dartmouth By / Weekly Standard — Permalink WHEN WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY founded National Review in 1955 at the age of 29, he lit the fire that sparked the modern conservative movement. Buckley had already achieved notoriety—if not celebrity—with the publication of God and Man at Yale in 1951. | |
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Todd Zywicki: Tear Down This Wall: As Scott Johnson notes this morning, the speech restrictions regarding the Dartmouth Trustee Elections are very strict. Glenn Reynolds: INTERESTING PIECE on the Dartmouth Board of Trustees race, which includes Todd Zywicki of The Volokh Conspiracy. |
The Big Trunk: Tear down this wall, take 2 — The Daily Standard has posted my column on Ward Churchill, Lawrence Summers, "Cool Hand... |
A presidential library - for Presidents Day - Experts recommend books by and about chief executives By / Washington Examiner — Permalink In honor of President's Day, The Examiner asked a group of experts to recommend a single outstanding book about several popular chief executives. Here's what they said: Many academics recently have written "warts and all" biographies of the founders - emphasizing just the warts. | |
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Ken Masugi: Presidential Biography Picks: (BTW, There is no "Presidents Day") UPDATED — So-called Presidents Day reading... Betsy Newmark: Here's a list of recommended Presidents' Day reading. |
John J. Miller: Read the results here. |
Thousands in Lebanon Protest Government By / AP — Permalink (02-21) 06:35 PST BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Tens of thousands of opposition supporters shouted insults at Syria and demanded the resignation of their pro-Syrian government in a Beirut demonstration Monday, marking a week since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. | |
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Charles Johnson: Lebanese Protest Tyranny — An amazing transformation seems to be taking place in Lebanon: Thousands in Lebanon Protest Government. |
Glenn Reynolds: MASSIVE ANTI-SYRIA PROTESTS in Lebanon. Good. UPDATE: Bush is on the offensive: [snipped quote] They'd be well-advised to comply, I think. |
Author Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself By / AP — Permalink DENVER - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. | |
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Ed Cone: Gone-zo. Thanks, HST. For Hell's Angels, snippets of which still bubble into my consciousness with some regularity 21 years after I read it on an overnight train to Rome. Atrios: Holy Crap RIP: ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counter-culture author of books such as "Fear and... Susan Madrak: THE DOCTOR IS OUT — Oh no, oh no, oh no: "ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who... |
Michele Catalano: RIP Dr. Gonzo — Wow. Hunter Thompson dead. Not really surprising when you think about. I mean, who expected him to go quietly? James Martin Capozzola: (0): WHAT YOU SAY | CAUSE/CHARITY OF THE MONTH Let's Focus on Suicide Speaking of suicide — and we were — even... Gary Farber: HELL'S BELLS. Sad. And I was just talking about him not long ago. Read The Rest as interested; more substantive accounts won't arrive for some time, after all. |
| Also: Mathew Gross | |
The State of Iraq: An Update NYT — Permalink HAVING completed its first democratic election, Iraq is teeming not just with traffic and street bazaars, but with political energy as well. And the professed willingness of some Sunni Arab leaders to help write the new constitution may compensate for the very... | |
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Steve Lovelady: Today, that one was printed, on the op-ed page of The New York Times. |
Cori Dauber: State of Play — It's unfortunate that the opinion figures don't take the election into account, nonetheless, these numbers are very interesting. |
'Brooklyn's Abu Ghraib' By / NY Daily News — Permalink Defense attorneys call it Brooklyn's Abu Ghraib. On the ninth floor of the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, terrorism suspects swept off the streets after the Sept. 11 attacks were repeatedly stripped naked and frequently were physically abused, the Justice Department's inspector general has found. | |
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Juan Cole: Abu Ghraib in Brooklyn — Larry Cohler-Esses of the New York Daily News reveals that Abu Ghraib has been going on in the United States itself. |
Billmon: The Out of Towners — [snipped quote] New York Daily News 'Brooklyn's Abu Ghraib' February 20, 2005 liberty.jpg |
What Percent Is 'Slam Dunk'? By / WaPo — Permalink The controversial decision to reorganize America's sprawling intelligence establishment has set in motion the most sweeping bureaucratic change for sensors, spies and satellites since the end of World War II. | |
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Kevin Drum: Instead of simply writing up their conclusions in vague, bureaucratic language, they should assign probabilities to... |
Alex Tabarrok: Writing in the Washington Post Michael Schrage argues: [snipped quote] All true. |
Supreme Court on a Shoestring By / WaPo — Permalink AUSTIN — Comes now the plaintiff, surely one of the most unusual to get a case to the highest court in the land. He's homeless; he's destitute; and his law license is suspended. | |
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Betsy Newmark: This is an amazing story about how a former lawyer who is now homeless has brought a case against the state of Texas for... |
Tim Graham: One of its front-page stories hails a homeless lawyer from Texas who's suing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state capitol. |
Hunter S. Thompson, Founder of 'Gonzo' Journalism, Shoots Himself to Death at Colorado Home AP — Permalink ASPEN, Colo. Feb 20, 2005 — Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counter-culture author of books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. | |
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C. D. Harris: Sad, But Somehow Unsurprising — Hunter S. Thompson killed himself this weekend. He was 67. Jeff Goldstein: And with his death, America has lost a fascinating bit of its living history. **** update: From the AP: [snipped quote] **** update 2: The Denver Post . |
James Joyner: Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide — Author Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide (AP) [snipped quote] via Jeff Goldstein, who has commentary and photographs. |
More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery By / NYT — Permalink For the first time, more blacks are coming to the United States from Africa than during the slave trade. Since 1990, according to immigration figures, more have arrived voluntarily than the total who disembarked in chains before the United States outlawed international slave trafficking in 1807. | |
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Mark Krikorian: OUT OF AFRICA — A story on increasing African immigration in today's NY Times helps illuminate black Americans' conflicted views on the issue. Greg Ransom: THE TIDAL WAVE of immigration — they're coming by the 100's of thousands from India, from Central America, from Europe,... |
James Joyner: More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery — More Africans Enter U.S. Than in Days of Slavery (NYT rss) [snipped quote] Facinating. |
2000 changed everything By / Townhall.com — Permalink Sometimes a decision made in the heat of partisan battle has reverberations for years to come. One such decision was the one of Al Gore's campaign to selectively challenge the results of the 2000 election in Florida by demanding hand counts of votes cast in three counties — Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Michael Barone writes that Gregoire in Washington state is now trying to govern just as Gore would have had to if he'd... |
Orrin Judd: NEVERMOVEON.ORG: 2000 changed everything (Michael Barone, February 21, 2005, Townhall) [snipped quote] Not least because it's a scab they can't stop picking at. |
Hunter S. Thompson, Part 2 Salon — Permalink Hunter S. Thompson lives in Woody Creek Canyon in western Colorado, about 10 miles or so down-valley from Aspen. His home, Owl Farm, is a rustic ranch that borders the White River National Forest. His beloved peacocks roam the property freely. | |
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Greyhawk: Thompson got his start as a journalist in the Air Force, writing for the Eglin Air Force Base newspaper. |
Avedon Carol: Author Hunter S. Thompson kills himself [snipped quote] Biography ESPN HST Archive Paris Review interview, Part I and Part II, in Salon. |
Good night, Fallujah: 'Raider' starts for home By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ - Raider Platoon's final combat patrol in Iraq hardly felt like a transition. During the miserable graveyard shift, the rain-lashed armored vehicles cut along a dark ribbon of highway, east of Fallujah, scouring the cold night for enemies. | |
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Cori Dauber: Credit Where It's Due Department — Jason finds a reporter who lets the voices of the troops come through his writing. |
Jason Van Steenwyk: Reporters, sit up and take notice... This is how to write a story. A keen grasp of detail, a sensitivity to the subjects. |
Writer Hunter S. Thompson dead at 67 AP — Permalink DENVER - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. | |
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Matt Davis: H.S.T. , RIP Hunter S. Thompson has apparently killed himself. |
Tbogg: Dead Pool Fantasy League — Would the person with the Hunter Thompson - Sandra Dee - John Raitt trifecta ticket please come by and pick up your winnings. |
Hard News By / WaPo — Permalink The venerable newspaper is in trouble. Under sustained assault from cable television, the Internet, all-news radio and lifestyles so cram-packed they leave little time for the daily paper, the industry is struggling to remake itself. | |
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Donald Sensing: The Washington Post explores the bleak future of traditional newspapers and other print news media. Terry Heaton: Frank Ahrens writes that the venerable newspaper is in trouble and that the industry is struggling to remake itself. Greg Ransom: And the fact that there are so many women like my wife is one reason that newspapers are slowly dying. And here's another. |
Richard Reeb: According to this lengthy article, it can, but not without big risks and losses. Orrin Judd: W OUTLASTS ANOTHER FOE...: Hard News: Daily Papers Face Unprecedented Competition . . . Hugh Hewitt: From today's Washington Post article on the decline of newspapers, "Hard News." |
| Also: Jay Rosen, Arnold Kling, Jeff Jarvis, Bill Hobbs | |
Report: U.S. in Secret Talks with Iraqi Insurgents Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers are conducting secret talks with Iraq 's Sunni insurgents on ways to end fighting there, Time magazine reported on Sunday, citing Pentagon and other sources. | |
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Andrew Olmsted: TOP TOPICS Is the United States conducting secret negotiations with Iraqi insurgents to deliver their surrender? Wretchard: The first, "U.S. in Secret Talks with Iraqi Insurgents" describes alleged negotiations between elements of the Ba'athist insurgency and US officials. Orrin Judd: WE WIN: U.S. in Secret Talks with Iraqi Insurgents (Reuters, 2/20/05) [snipped quote] It's a little understood truth... |
Jan Haugland: Reuters reports that the US has back-channel negotiations with the nationalist part of the rebellion: U.S. diplomats and... Roger L. Simon: I think that's more than a little optimistic, but two articles (less than three hours old) linked one Power Line today... Hindrocket: This could come to nothing, of course, but it also could be the best news from Iraq in a long time: "U.S. in Secret... |
Sunnis Seek Place in New Iraqi Government By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. Marines and Iraqi security forces launched an offensive Sunday against insurgents in troubled cities west of Baghdad after two days of carnage that left nearly 100 people dead. Sunni Muslim tribal leaders met to determine their place in a Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. | |
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Jan Haugland: Patrick Quinn at Associated Press reports that Sunni leaders want to get into the democratic government (better late... Roger L. Simon: Meanwhile the second recent report has Sunni Tribal leaders having second thoughts about joining the government:... Hindrocket: This news story is closely related: "Sunnis Seek Place in New Iraqi Government": "As the Shiite majority prepared to... |
Wretchard: The second link, "Sunnis Seek Place in New Iraqi Government" recounts the efforts by Sunni leaders to get on the train as it is leaving the station. Dean Esmay: Iraq's Sunnis: Uh, Wait, Maybe We Should Talk About This... by Dean As Iraq's fascist holdouts are increasingly staring... |
Talking with the Enemy By / Time — Permalink The secret meeting is taking place in the bowels of a facility in Baghdad, a cavernous, heavily guarded building in the U.S.-controlled green zone. The Iraqi negotiator, a middle-aged former member of Saddam Hussein's regime and the senior representative of the self-described nationalist insurgency, sits on one side of the table. | |
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Greyhawk: Meanwhile, back at the Front 'Insurgents' negotiating with coalition forces in Iraq? Perhaps so. Daniel Drezner: Interesting developments in Iraq — In the wake of yesterday's suicide attacks in Iraq, Time's Michael Ware has an... |
Juan Cole: Back Channels — The US military has established back-channel negotiations with some of the leaders of the Sunni Arab guerrilla war, according to Time magazine. Norm Geras: Straws in the wind — In Time magazine, Michael Ware reports on secret negotiations between the US military and representatives of the Iraqi 'insurgency'. |
The blog squad can add another notch to its belt By / LAT — Permalink I'm all for the defenestration — and perhaps even the decapitation — of journalistic felons. Jayson Blair, Jack Kelley, Stephen Glass and their ilk are serial fabricators who betrayed their profession, their colleagues and our democratic society. | |
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Greg Ransom: For lots of good reasons, but stuff like this by columnist David Shaw is typical enough. Steve Bainbridge: Shaw writes: "I'm all for the defenestration — and perhaps even the decapitation — of journalistic felons. Glenn Reynolds: THIS COLUMN BY DAVID SHAW in the Los Angeles Times adds to the bloggers-as-lynch-mob meme that a lot of Big Media folks are peddling: "Bloggers can be useful. |
Avedon Carol: The blog squad can add another notch to its belt: Much of the criticism of Jordan came from angry bloggers, and Jordan... Hugh Hewitt: Today's article on Eason Jordan blasts but does not name "angry bloggers," amusingly concedes that "[b]loggers can be... The Big Trunk: The LA Times gets it wrong — Reader Diana Magrann draws our attention to this lame column on Eason Jordan by media... |
New Tapes Say Bush May Have Smoked Marijuana By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush indicated in secretly taped interviews he once used marijuana but would not admit it for fear of setting a bad example for children. Portions of the tapes, recorded from 1998 to 2000 by author Doug Wead without Bush's knowledge, were aired on ABC News on Sunday and published by The New York Times. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: (Link)" BFD. Barbara O'Brien: So I googled. Apparently Bush is on tape admitting that he smoked marijuana a long time ago. Big yawn. |
Ace: The Bush Tapes (Hoke) New Tapes Say Bush May Have Smoked Marijuana. "I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Skippy: reuters: [snipped quote] we certainly wouldn't want our little kid to say that, because it's such a misuse of... |
Fixing federal tax code likely to cause headaches By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush says he wants to take some of the pain out of federal income taxes, but trying to fix the current system could become an excruciating ordeal. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Crisis On Infinite Returns — Value-added taxes and a national sales tax are being reliably trotted out...again for the... Matthew Yglesias: Watch Those Numbers — Knight-Ridder reports on tax reform, including a proposal for a national sales tax: "The proposal... |
Kevin Drum: BATS**T INSANE...Knight Ridder reports on ideas for reforming our tax system: [snipped quote] As Matt points out, Tom... |
When Camels Fly By / NYT — Permalink It's good news, bad news time again for the Middle East. The good news is that what you are witnessing in the Arab world is the fall of its Berlin Wall. The old autocratic order is starting to crumble. | |
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Donald Sensing: Thomas Friedman: "The fact that the extremists and autocrats have had to resort now to unspeakable violence shows how... Betsy Newmark: Thomas Friedman makes a good point. We're seeing the beginning of something important in the Middle East. Orrin Judd: T.F. ON AN UPSWING: When Camels Fly: What you are witnessing in the Arab world is the fall of its Berlin Wall. |
Cori Dauber: Tom Friedman has a different take on where the Arab street is headed, and it'w well worth reading in its entirety for its combination of hopefulness and caution. Pejman Yousefzadeh: IN SEARCH OF THE MIDDLE EASTERN VELVET REVOLUTION — Thomas Friedman is encouraged by the movement towards democracy... Steven Taylor: Today's Thomas Friedman: When Camels Fly [snipped quote] Indeed and indeed. The whole piece is worth a read. |
NEWSWEEK PERISCOPE: Gannon's Enemies List PRNewsWire — Permalink NEW YORK, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ — NEWSWEEK PERISCOPE item: Jeff Gannon is considering suing liberal interest groups, bloggers and others for a "political assassination" that drove him from his job as a reporter for a conservative news outfit called Talon News, he told NEWSWEEK. | |
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Tbogg: Which leads us to Jeff's threat: Jeff Gannon is considering suing liberal interest groups, bloggers and others for a... Skippy: and newsweek's most recent press release details how jeff "mandate" gannon plans to sue all those mean nasty blogs that... |
SLZoll: In recognition of his achievement, we hope to get his named added to Gannon's Enemies List (because we think that being... Roger Ailes: Frivolous Republican Lawsuits — James Guckert sues reality ... for a divorce. [snipped quote] I look forward to discovery. |
When the Readers Speak Out, Can Anyone Hear Them? By / NYT — Permalink A FEW days after publication of my Jan. 23 column on innumeracy ("Numbed by the Numbers, When They Just Don't Add Up"), Tom Torok, The Times's chief database editor, expressed his strong objections to what he perceived to be a damaging portrayal of his work. | |
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Avedon Carol: Media moments — Okrent is talking about feedback, but not in a way that makes me feel all that much more optimistic about the way the NYT handles reader complaints. Rebecca MacKinnon: Okrent is on to something — In his latest column, When the Readers Speak Out, Can Anyone Hear Them? Cori Dauber: Never Happen — Daniel Okrent suggests a new and creative use of the Times' web space: not a blog, not the LA Times'... |
Dan Gillmor: Speaking Back to the NY Times — In his column today, Dan Okrent, the New York Times' Public Editor (read: ombudsman),... Steve Bainbridge: Speaking of media introspection — When the NY Times ombudsman asked why the NY Times won't print letters to the editor... |
Sen. Clinton: Iraq Insurgency Failing AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (search) said Saturday a string of attacks killing more than 50 Iraqis in two days were failed attempts to sow sectarian strife and destabilized the country. | |
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Jack Cluth: "No standards, and the worst thing is that they're behind on their official Bush Speak Style Guide. |
Atrios: Fox News Doctors Clinton Quote — No standards, and the worst thing is that they're behind on their official Bush Speak Style Guide. |
Europe's Jews Seek Solace on the Right By / NYT — Permalink PARIS — A curious thing is happening in Belgium these days: a small but vocal number of Jews are supporting a far-right party whose founders were Nazi collaborators. The xenophobic party, Vlaams Belang, plays on fears of Arab immigrants and, unlike the prewar parties from which it is descended, courts Jewish votes. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Jews To The Left of Me, Jews To The Right — Phoebe Maltz comments on The New York Times's discovery that many European... Jason Van Steenwyk: Why, Jews are supporting Nazis, of course! (nevermind that 95% of them don't.) Splash, out Jason (Via Cori Dauber, who's got lots of good stuff up today.) |
Orrin Judd: CONTRADICTIONS DO TEND TO RESOLVE THEMSELVES: Europe's Jews Seek Solace on the Right (CRAIG S. SMITH, 2/20/05, NY Times)... Cori Dauber: Stunning — The New York Times seems shocked, shocked, that more and more European Jews are abandoning the left. |
Presidential Also-Ran Shows No Signs of Fading Away By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — He has neither gained weight nor grown a beard, headed to Europe nor exiled himself to some distant ivory tower. Instead, Sen. John F. Kerry is back on Capitol Hill, working hard to fashion himself into something rare in American politics: a presidential also-ran who isn't an afterthought. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: What I want to write about is this article from yesterday's Los Angeles Times. Orrin Judd: Presidential Also-Ran Shows No Signs of Fading Away: Sen. Kerry goes against precedent, getting back in the political spotlight in a leadership role. |
Captain Ed: Kerry Refuses To Leave The Party After It's Over — Anyone who holds dinner parties on a regular basis has experienced... |
Ken has a lot to be sorry for By / Observer — Permalink The useful label 'the pseudo-left' has been knocking around the internet political blogs since 11 September, and it is high time it was brought into the mainstream media. | |
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Norm Geras: Consistently on the wrong side — Nick Cohen discusses Ken Livingstone's support for Yusuf al-Qaradawi, seeing the... |
David T: Nick Cohen on Livingstone — Not much here we haven't said here ourselves. |
SHUT THE CELL UP By / New York Post — Permalink Unsuspecting cellphone users may find themselves saying that more often now that cellphone jammers — illegal gizmos that interfere with signals and cut off reception — are selling like hotcakes on the streets of New York. | |
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John Derbyshire: TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN USE — I have **GOT** to get one of these. Cellphone story. I came up from DC Saturday evening on the train — that is, via Amtrak. |
Jeff Quinton: Cellphone Jamming in N.Y. NY Post "Unsuspecting cellphone users may find themselves saying that more often now that... |
U.S. and Iraqi Forces Launch Operation Against Insurgents AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — U.S. Marines and Iraqi security forces launched an offensive Sunday against insurgents in troubled cities west of Baghdad after two days of carnage that left nearly 100 people dead. Sunni Muslim tribal leaders met to determine their place in a Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. | |
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Chris Bowers: He claims he has the votes. If this is true, whether or not America remains in Iraq the war will last for years, porbably at least a decade. |
Armando @DailyKos: Chalabi Claims Votes for Iraqi PM Post — Ahmad Chalabi claims he has the votes to become the new Iraqi Prime Minister: [snipped quote] What a strange twist of fate, no? |
What's US policy on Europe? No giggling By / Telegraph — Permalink Two years ago, I wrote that America and Europe were now engaged in a new Cold War. And just like the old Cold War it's not only about Jacques Chirac issuing Krushchevian boasts to Washington that "we will bury you"; it's also got room for the occasional détente phase. | |
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Jan Haugland: Mark Steyn argues that the US policy on Europe now is 'no giggling.' Bush, Rice and even Rumsfeld may be seen as... Peter Burnet: FAMILY REUNION — What's US policy on Europe? |
Charles Johnson: Steyn: A Massive Hoot of Derision — A great new Mark Steyn piece at the Telegraph: What's US policy on Europe? No giggling. |
Hariri's killers 'recruited from Syrian-linked group in Iraq' By / Telegraph — Permalink Assassins who killed Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, travelled from Iraq through Syria to carry out the attack, according to the Beirut judge leading the inquiry into the bombing. | |
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Damian Penny: Hariri's killer — While the Syrians implictly blame the Jooooooos for the murder of Rafik Hariri, the Sunday Telegraph... Charles Bird: Although preliminary, the Beirut judge in charge of the inquiry has stated that the assassins traveled from Iraq through... Orrin Judd: NO ALAWITEWASH: Hariri's killers 'recruited from Syrian-linked group in Iraq' (Damien McElroy, 20/02/2005, Sunday Telegraph) [snipped quote] The noose tightens. |
Jan Haugland: Judge: Hariri killers linked to Syria, Iraqi terrorists — A Lebanese judge links the assasssins of Rafik Hariri not... Captain Ed: Hariri Assassin Traveled Through Syria For Murder: Lebanon — The self-proclaimed suicide bomber of Lebanese statesman... |
Newcastle 1-0 Chelsea BBC — Permalink Patrick Kluivert ended nine-man Chelsea's dream of an unprecedented quadruple as his header put Newcastle into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The Dutchman struck after four minutes before Mateja Kezman hit the underside of the bar as Chelsea came back. | |
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Norm Geras: Quadshmuple — Heh - though it's probably Chelsea's way of lightening the fixture list, so they can concentrate on holding their Premiership lead against you know who. |
Damian Penny: TOON ARMY! The Premiership season has been totally wasted, but this makes up for it. |
Privilege and Presumption By / WaPo — Permalink American democracy is a conspiracy of special interests against the general interest, but every special interest thinks that it is the general interest. Journalists often see this firsthand. They talk to a farmer about farm price supports and report back amazed at the ferocity and self-righteousness of the farmer's views. | |
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Susan Madrak: "Michael Kinsley doesn't get it. The people who received sensitive information about Valerie Plame were parties to a crime. |
Roger Ailes: Kinsley vs. the Law — The usually astute Michael Kinsley engages in some sloppy reporting here: [snipped quote] Uh, the Branzburg case was decided by the Supreme Court in 1972. |
Democrats' Grass Roots Shift the Power By / WaPo — Permalink The bloggers have been busy on the Democratic National Committee Web site since Howard Dean was elected party chairman a week ago. "Paul in OC" and "Steviemo in MN" wrote that they had made their first-ever contributions to the national committee. | |
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Jerome Armstrong: As Dan Balz notes, the DNC has kicked ass with it's financial operations: "Figures compiled by the Center for Responsive... Tim Graham: CUSSING "LIKE CRICKETS" — The Washington Post displays a little softness toward the Democrats today in an article... Orrin Judd: WING MAN: Democrats' Grass Roots Shift the Power: Activists Energized Fundraising, but Some Worry They Could Push Party... |
Captain Ed: However, as Dan Balz points out in today's Washington Post, the Democrats appear clueless as to how Dean's leadership... Pejman Yousefzadeh: DEANIACS VS. CLINTONITES — The selection of Howard Dean as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee has only... Rickheller @Centerfield: Activists Energized Fundraising, but Some Worry They Could Push Democrats to Left — The Washington Post's Dan Balz... |
Demos split on electoral strategy in South By / New Orleans Times-Picayune — Permalink WASHINGTON — As former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean took the helm of the Democratic National Committee a week ago, he declared he would make the party competitive in all 50 states, including in the South. | |
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Vince Leibowitz: Southern Strategy — The New Orleans Times-Picayune has an interesting article regarding Democratic party strategy and the South. |
Betsy Newmark: The Democrats are still struggling to find a voice in the South. |
'Perfect Madness': The Mommy Trap By / NYT — Permalink Manifestoes blast their way into the popular consciousness on two kinds of fuel: recognition (we see ourselves in them) and rage (we can no longer tolerate the injustice they describe). Judith Warner's ''Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety'' brims with both. | |
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Laura Rozen: Here's an area where France puts America to shame. The Judith Warner book "A Perfect Madness" that the NYT's Judith... |
Rebecca MacKinnon: But after reading this review of Judith Warner's ''Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety'' I wonder even... |
Fighting Words By / NYT — Permalink ON one more steaming day in Baghdad, word filtered out to the artillery regiment that some of the younger guys were not going to get to fly home for their promised rest-and-relaxation break. Soldiers fumed. | |
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Cori Dauber: Slap on That Template — Yet another article where a New York Times reporter portrays American soldiers as just what she expected them to be. |
Nick Gillespie: Perhaps the most interesting aside in the story is this: [snipped quote] Whole thing here (reg. req.) . |
A Year-Round Party for Blacks By / LAT — Permalink The GOP is their hero. Just look at the calendar. Cynics like to say that February was chosen as Black History Month because it's the shortest month. But actually, it was because February is the most depressing month, coming, as it does, long into winter, with seemingly no end in sight. | |
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Ace: No Wonder Al Franken Turned Tail and Ran From John O'Neill (Hoke) Franken prefers a forum where rebuttal is impossible... |
The Big Trunk: In today's Los Angeles Times he shows he can hustle racial issues with the best the Democratic Party has to offer: "A year-round party for blacks." |
The mole, the US media and a White House coup Observer — Permalink For two years Jeff Gannon cut an unobtrusive figure at White House press conferences. The shaven-headed, craggily handsome man worked for an obscure news agency called Talon News, known for its conservative sympathies. He was often the subject of jokes by colleagues on weightier news organisations. | |
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Jerome Armstrong: Looking from the outside in — The UK's Observer has a long article giving context of the 'Gannon' case to it's readers, and gives way to much credit to rightwing bloggers. Natasha @PacificViews: The Guardian Observer reviews Gannongate. The obvious-to-some point is made that if this had happened in the Clinton White House, all hell would be breaking loose. |
Avedon Carol: The Observer leader discusses the failures of the US mainstream media and asks a question: "On the internet, the mainstream media is derided and scorned. |