Reading Around

October 25, 2007

images.jpegGood day, class. Lots on the plate today with very little time to get to it. So let’s go into rapid-fire mode. Buckle up and read:

The Vermont Press Bureau finally got around to acknowledging the protest at Congressman Peter Welch’s office on Monday. Okay, okay, so they’re only three days late. But it gets worse. They buried their mention of the protest at the end of an article by Dan Barlow titled “Welch Says Blackwater Hurting Iraq Efforts.” Check it out.

And now let’s examine the article a bit. First, a quick response to the headline: No shit. I think the fact that “Blackwater is hurting Iraq efforts” has not only been established but it’s been established months ago. But, hey, rookie congressmen apparently need to take their sweet time to acknowledge the obvious. Welcome aboard, Peter. What’s next, you gonna announce that there were no WMDs in Iraq?

But let’s get back to the article. After Welch does his typical huffing and puffing about how obviously out of control Blackwater is, he proudly announces that he’s the co-sponsor of a bill “that would bring contractors such as Blackwater under more congressional oversight.”

Say what? These thugs are running roughshod over a supposedly sovereign nation, killing and maiming as they go, and you’re proud of the fact that you’re offering some “congressional oversight”? Boy, I’ll bet the Iraqis feel great about that. Sleep tight, folks, because Congress is watching….

The obvious solution to Blackwater in Iraq is that Blackwater must be kicked out of Iraq. Period. It’s what that Iraqi government wants. It’s what the Iraqi people want. And it’s the only thing Blackwater deserves for terrorizing the people of Iraq with their mercenary madness while lining their pockets with our taxpayer cash.

Government oversight? Mr. Congressman, Blackwater is killing innocent people. May I suggest jail?

But if you really want to get ill, watch how seriously Bush is taking the issue:

–Speaking of Blackwater, they apparently realize that the toothless yipping and yapping from Congress about their illegal actions won’t be bothering them in the long term. And so why not a logo makeover? Yep, Blackwater recently announced that they had modified their logo to remove the not-so-subtle crosshair/scope look. Here’s what Lauren Miller, a design professional, told the New York Times about the logo change:

I would say it’s a highly significant change; they’re repositioning themselves. The old log suggests that they’re targeting people. The new logo is a more ambiguous, more safe corporate logo…The subtle changes mean everything here by eliminating the scope of a sniper’s rifle.

Of course, we won’t bother with the fact that the corporate mission and corporate culture won’t change.

–

Credit where credit is due: Congrats to Senator Bernie Sanders for announcing that he will be voting against the appointment of Michael Mukasey for attorney general. Now if he can just get his Vermont cohort, Patrick Leahy, to do the same. And while I’m in the warm and fuzzy mode, let me also remind you that Sanders was the only one of Vermont’s three members of Congress to vote against the resolution to condemn the MoveOn antiwar advertisement. Thanks, Bernie.

–

If you missed it last week, check out this editorial by the New York Times about the state of the Democratic Party. Why is it that everyone except the Kool-aid-drinking Dem zombies can see how pathetic the party has become? The last paragraph is worth repeating:

It was bad enough having a one-party government when Republicans controlled the White House and both houses of Congress. But the Democrats took over, and still the one-party system continues.

Ouch.

–

Finally, for the fun of it, check this site out: Government is Good. And while you’re there, take the “Government IQ Test” that’s featured in the sidebar at the site. I’ll show you my score if you show me yours.

–

Housekeeping 101: I believe the comments problem has been ironed out (again). But I’m still working with the powers-that-be to have the comments option appear on the front page so people will see there’s a discussion taking place. So feel free to sound off. But, as always, if you want to reach me in private, write to me at: mcolby@broadsides.org

Thanks for playing.

Posted by M. Colby | Filed Under blog, media & politics, vt media, vt politics, war & peace 

Comments

4 Responses to “Reading Around”

  1. Anon on October 25th, 2007 12:46 pm

    It is unbelievable that Blackwater is still in Iraq. Where’s the outrage? Are there any members of Congress who’ve introduced legislation to require an immediate Blackwater removal from Iraq? Or are they all blowing hot air like Welch?

  2. Burlap Prog on October 25th, 2007 3:11 pm

    The only thing I’ve seen is a congressional call to make Blackwater officials subject to the same rules/laws as our military. I think Welch supported it but it would seem to be a no-brainer.

  3. peter Buknatski on October 25th, 2007 3:36 pm

    Michael is right about the Dems. (as he is right about everything–my fingers are crossed) Welch now needs to apologize to VERMONT–to its 70-plus % of citizens who want something DONE about this evil war and this evil system that’s been adopted in the name of 9/11. We don’t need a Congressional Rep doing Cheney’s work, or Homeland’s work. DO WHAT YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO, Welchie!

  4. Nate Freeman on October 25th, 2007 7:57 pm

    Here’s an interesting tidbit in a freepress.org article titled, “Bush & the Rise of Managed Democracy.”

    http://freepress.org/departments/display/20/2005/1158

    While the Democratic base sees a life-or-death battle over the future of democracy, the Democratic leadership generally favors a business-as-usual approach that requires little more than tweaking the party’s rhetoric and upgrading campaign tactics to better target Democratic voters.

    Many in the Democratic base, however, believe a more drastic redirection is needed, including both a more aggressive explanation of Democratic values and a crash program to build a media infrastructure that can compete with the many giant conservative megaphones in TV, print, radio and the Internet.

Got something to say?





*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word