IOKIYAR – The Church Edition

Ken AshfordBush & Co., GodstuffLeave a Comment

[NOTE: IOKIYAR = "It’s Okay If You’re A Republican"]

In the 2004 election, the Bush campaign openly used pulpits all over the country as a campaign marketing tool.  From WaPo, July 1, 2004:

The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives.

Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush’s base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity.

"We strongly believe that our religious outreach program is well within the framework of the law," said Terry Holt, spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign.

Well, I guess something changed, because there is a different standard for churches espousing a "liberal" point of view:

The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California’s largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church’s former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991’s Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … " The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

Isn’t that odd?  The tax code prohibits churchs from intervening in a political campaign or election, yet when pro-Bush churches intervene in the middle of the 2004 presidential campaign, the IRS looks away. 

Yet, when a so-called "liberal" church spoke out against the Iraq War (which isn’t a political campaign or election), the IRS jumps down their throat.

Little Movies

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

HeavenkeatonShakespeare’s Sister had a question of the day from last Friday:

What little movie do you just love, that you find yourself recommending to everyone, because hardly anyone has seen it?

There are tons of these for me, although a particular favorite is Henry Fool.

That’s a tough one.  Not including short features, animation and Chaplin/Keaton shorts, I guess I would pare my list to the following (in no particular order):

  • Run Lola Run – Just a fun movie to watch
  • Night On Earth – A masterpiece from Jim Jarmusch, but why isn’t it out on DVD yet?
  • Diner – Okay, maybe this isn’t a "little" film to some, but it is to most.  Great acting my some fledgling stars
  • The White Balloon – From Iran.  Touching.  Not on DVD yet.
  • The Hudsucker Proxy – Also maybe not a "little film", but certainly an overlooked one
  • Twelve Monkeys – Terry Gilliam’s best, except for possibly Brazil
  • Harold & Maude – a quirky romantic film between a 20 year old man-child and a 79 year old woman
  • Sid & Nancy – a quirky romantic (in its own way) film about Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen
  • Local Hero – a quiet and extremely funny film from Bill Forsyth
  • Gregory’s Girl – a charming teenage comedy, again from Bill Forsyth
  • What The Bleep Do We Know? – The buzz film from last year; Love it, hate it — but it’ll make you think
  • Heaven – A Diane Keaton "documentary" about real people’s ideas of the afterlife
  • The Thin Blue Line – Randall Morris’ documentary which ended up freeing an innocent man from death row

Bush’s “I Am Not A Crook” Moment?

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

President Bush, today:

"There’s an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again. So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law. We do not torture."

What does he mean by that?

We obviously DO torture.  Abu Ghraib was the tip of the iceburg.  The servicemember in Iraq know the score:

"I think our policies required abuse. There were freaking horrible things people were doing. I saw [detainees] who had feet smashed with hammers. One detainee told me he had been forced by Marines to sit on an exhaust pipe, and he had a softball-sized blister to prove it. The stuff I did was mainly torture lite: sleep deprivation, isolation, stress positions, hypothermia. We used dogs."

And what about setting up a series of secret CIA detention camps where "waterboarding" is permitted?  Does Bush believe and will he state categorically that no torture has ever occurred at those camps?

The comment suggests one of several possibilities:

(1)  The Commander-in-Chief is severely isolated and out of the loop as to what is actually going on under his command;

(2)  Bush’s idea of "torture" is different from that of everybody else, including the Geneva Convention;

(3)  Bush is simply lying, and still thinking that the power of his words carries weight and credibility;

(4)  Bush is engaged in some form of clinical denial.

Either way, it is quite unsettling.

But fine.  If Bush believes we don’t do torture, what possible reason could he give to NOT do ALL of the following:

(a)  Shutting down the "black sites";

(b)  Allowing the ICRC to visit each and every facility in which we hold prisoners;

(c)  Telling Dick Cheney to stop lobbying against the McCain Amendment?

Email Time Capsule

Ken AshfordWeb RecommendationsLeave a Comment

Forbes has a free service where you can send an email to yourself, and have it arrive in 1, 3, 5, 10, or even 20 years.

An interesting idea.  I don’t expect to use it, since I doubt I will have my email address 20 years from now.  But it does raise a question: what would you write if you could send an email to yourself to read 20 years from now?

A Wonkish West Wing

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

The show has lost a lot of its appeal for me, starting way back when Aaron Sorkin left, and I feared that this evening’s episode — airing live — would be gimmicky.

But actually, it was kind of interesting, and made you long for REAL debates.  More here.

UPDATE:  Mmmm.  I thought this was interesting:

The performance — a blend of scripted dialogue and improvisation — was repeated three hours later in another live airing for West Coast viewers. The actors and Sawyer pulled off the latter half of the double-header smoothly and without major glitches.

I’m not sure what "glitches" were in the East Coast version I saw.  But it did seem that there was some improvization (talking over each other, etc.).  It really added to the realism.

Another Smoking Gun

Ken AshfordBush & Co., IraqLeave a Comment

The New York Times reveals that the Bush Administration was warned in February 2002 that its source of knowledge for the claim that Iraq was training al Qaeda in chemical and biological weapons was “was intentionally misleading the debriefers.”

Yet, even though the Bush Administration was warned that their source was full of shit in February 2002, they continued to propogate the law well into 2003 and 2004:

Powell: “Al-Qaeda continues to have a deep interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. As with the story of Zarqawi and his network, I can trace the story of a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these weapons to al-Qaeda. Fortunately, this operative is now detained and he has told his story. I will relate it to you now as he, himself, described it…The support that this detainee describes included Iraq offering chemical or biological weapons training for two al-Qaeda associates beginning in December 2000.” [Powell remarks to UN, 2/5/03]

Bush: “Senior members of Iraqi intelligence and al Qaeda have met at least eight times since the early 1990s. Iraq has sent bomb-making and document forgery experts to work with al Qaeda. Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training.” [2/6/03]

Bush: “Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. And an al Qaeda operative was sent to Iraq several times in the late 1990s for help in acquiring poisons and gases.” [2/8/03]

Bush: “Some al Qaeda leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior al Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year, and who has been associated with planning for chemical and biological attacks. We’ve learned that Iraq has trained al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases.” [10/7/02]

Cheney: “[Saddam] also had an established relationship with al Qaeda, providing training to al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons, gases, making conventional bombs.” [10/10/03]

Cheney: “[Saddam] also had an established relationship with al Qaeda — providing training to al Qaeda members in areas of poisons, gases and conventional bombs.” [10/17/03]

Cheney: “It’s clearly established in terms of training, provision of bomb-making experts, training of people with respect to chemical and biological warfare capabilities, that al-Qaeda sent personnel to Iraq for training and so forth…” [CNBC’s “Kudlow & Kramer,” 6/4/04]

From Think Progress.

Wilkerson Keeps Talking

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

You may recall Colonel Laurence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Colin Powell who recently caused a…hullabaloo when he shocked, shocked everyone with his report of the existence of a cabal that has hijacked foreign policy under Bush. Well, Colonel Wilkerson now tell us the orders to torture prisoners came from the highest levels of government, specifically Cheney’s office.

"The secretary of defense under cover of the vice president’s office," Wilkerson said, "regardless of the president having put out this memo" – "they began to authorize procedures within the armed forces that led to what we’ve seen."

He said the directives contradicted a 2002 order by President George W. Bush for the U.S. military to abide by the Geneva conventions against torture.

It’s About The March 18, 2003 Determination Made In Accordance With Public Law 107-243, Stupid!

Ken AshfordBush & Co., IraqLeave a Comment

I’m blogwhoring this in its entirety from Steve Soto at The Left Coaster:

When Harry Reid shut down the Senate earlier this week due to Pat Roberts and Bill Frist’s stonewalling of a Phase Two investigation over how the Bush Administration used intelligence in making its case for war, many of us wondered why now? What took you guys so long to use a procedural lever that you’ve had available to you all along that could have been employed before the election to raise the issue of Bush’s lies into a campaign issue? Was it a sudden re-growth of guts and balls that did this, or did the Democrats now come into possession of new information that was withheld from them before the election that gave them the club to force this issue out into the open now? We now know the answer, and it is the latter.

According to Editor and Publisher this afternoon, the New York Times has been provided with a previously-classified intelligence document by Senator Carl Levin. And what does this document say, which was provided to the Democrats conveniently months after the 2004 elections?

The intelligence document says that the US intelligence community knew as early as February 2002 that an Al Qaeda operative who was the source for the Bush Administration claims that Saddam was training Al Qaeda members in bomb-making and chemical weapons was indeed a fabricator. And who knew this? Rummy’s Defense Intelligence Agency. And yet what did Bush do eight months later in Cincinnati just before the war resolution?

“Among the first and most prominent assertions was one by Mr. Bush, who said in a major speech in Cincinnati in October 2002 that ‘we’ve learned that Iraq has trained Al Qaeda members in bomb making and poisons and gases.’”

Some of you may say that “big deal; so Bush lied about this.” But keep in mind that we now know that the Bush Administration also knew as far back as January 2003 that the Niger uranium claim was based on forgeries. We know that the Bush Administration was also told that the aluminum tubes story was bogus before the invasion as well. We now know that the claim that Saddam was assisting Al Qaeda was also a lie, and that the Administration knew this from Rummy himself as far back as February 2002. And we know that the IAEA was still on the ground in Iraq and had not confirmed any of Bush’s claims that Saddam had definitively stockpiled WMDs in violation of the two UN resolutions that Bush based his war upon.

And why exactly is this so important? Because take a look at the certification that Bush sent to Congress to start the war, which was required in the October 2002 war resolution, and then see that as we suspected over two and a half years ago, Bush has a big problem now:

March 18, 2003

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

This latest revelation means that at the time Bush justified the commencement of war against Iraq consistent with what was required under Public Law 107-243, he certified things not in evidence, and made claims to Congress (Saddam’s active operation of a WMD program and Saddam’s assistance to Al Qaeda) that he, Cheney, and Rummy already knew were false.

He lied to Congress to start the war. And now 53% of the American public says that if it is clear that Bush lied, they would support Congress considering impeachment proceedings against the president.

That may be why the Democrats just now made their stand this week. They have new evidence that Bush lied to Congress, and that the March 18, 2003 determination was faulty, and that Bush knew it was based on fabricators, faked documents, and doctored intelligence.

The "Bush Lied; People Died" chant (which I was never too fond of) is actually beginning to have support.

At Least Michael Brown And Harriet Miers Aren’t Getting One

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Well, when George Tenet got one of these things, the whole concept of the "Medal of Freedom" became a sad joke.  Apparently, anyone can get one of these.

That said, and working from the pretense that Medal Of Freedom Awards are still a worthy honor, let me comment on some the recently-announced recipients who will recieve their awards next Wednesday:

* Muhammad Ali. The three-time heavyweight boxing champion, who lives in Berrien Springs, Mich., successfully defended the title 19 times and was a gold medalist at the 1960 Olympic Games.   COMMENT:  He actually deserves this for his principled stands against the Vietnam War as well as his work toward poverty.  Still, the White House is going to put the Medal of Freedom around a Muslim’s neck?  I wonder how tightly.

* Carol Burnett. The actress and comedian debuted on Broadway in 1959 and starred for more than a decade on "The Carol Burnett Show."   COMMENT:  Hey, I like her just as much as the next person, but does she deserve it?  Let’s hope she doesn’t do that overdone "Tarzan" yell.

* Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn. They designed the software code used to transmit data over the Internet.   COMMENT:  Fine, but I think we should email it to them.  They’ll probably erase it, thinking it is spam.

* Robert Conquest. The historian is known for his work on Soviet history, politics, and foreign policy. More than 35 years after its publication, his book, "The Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge of the Thirties," remains one of the most influential studies of Soviet history.   COMMENT:  A historian named "Conquest"?  I think this is a fake person.

* Aretha Franklin. The singer has nearly two dozen No. 1 singles and has won numerous awards. The Detroit native was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.   COMMENT:  Again . . . why?  Yeah, she’s talented, but what did she ever do for the cause of Freedom?

* Alan Greenspan. He has been chairman of the Federal Reserve for the past 18 years.  COMMENT:  Fine.

* Andy Griffith. The actor first achieved national acclaim in the 1950s for his standup comedy routines. He went on to star in television shows such as "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock" and numerous Broadway productions and films.   COMMENT:  You’re kidding, right?

* Paul Harvey. The radio personality’s broadcasts started airing nationally in 1951.  COMMENT:  You’re really kidding, right?

* Sonny Montgomery. A veterans’ supporter during his 30 years as a member of the House of Representatives. The Montgomery GI Bill helped make education affordable for millions of veterans.   COMMENT:  Fine.  Never heard of him, but he it sounds worthy.

* Gen. Richard Myers. He recently retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.   COMMENT:  Another Bush loyalist/warmonger gets awarded for beating the Administration drum.  History will not be kind to him, so he better enjoy the awards ceremony.

* Frank Robinson. The current manager of the Washington Nationals, Robinson won most valuable player awards in both the American and National leagues. He broke the color barrier for managers, becoming the first black manager in Major League Baseball in 1975.   COMMENT: Okay.  He broke a color barrier.  Throw one at him, too.

* Jack Nicklaus. The golfer won 18 major tournaments as a professional and more than 70 PGA Tour events.   COMMENT:  He broke a color barrier too, as the first extremely white golfer.

* Paul Rusesabagina. The hotelier’s life was the subject of the movie "Hotel Rwanda," which depicted his courage and compassion in sheltering people at the hotel he managed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.   COMMENT:  Kudos.  He deserves it.  Although if I were Jack Nichlaus, I would be embarrassed for myself to be standing next to this guy.

He Wanted To Be Rainbow High

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Bushevita1I guess Bush thought that going to Argentina would be fun, and he would be high flying adored.

But, as it turns out, the descamisados don’t like El Busho too much.  In fact, they revile him more than Americans do:

A recent poll of Latin Americans in business, government, and education in six Latin American nations showed that just 17 percent of Argentinean leaders and 12 percent of leaders in Brazil viewed Bush positively.

Evita1 Not a lot of Buch lovers there:

A crowd of 10,000 protesters chanting “Get out Bush!” swarmed the streets of this Argentine resort Friday, hours before the hemisphere’s leaders sat down to debate free trade, immigration and job creation.

Before dawn, thousands greeted a train bringing the last group of fellow demonstrators from Buenos Aires, including Bolivian presidential hopeful Evo Morales and soccer great Diego Maradona, who donned a T-shirt accusing President Bush of war crimes.

Chanting “Fascist Bush! You are the terrorist!” the protesters hung from the engine and moved up the sides of the train, trying to shake hands with those inside.

Maybe Bush could find job satisifaction in Paraguay.

[What?  Too many Evita references?]

Sweeney Todd: The Reviews Are In

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

SweeneytoddNewsweek: An innovative Broadway revival has its share of delights (starting with Patti LuPone) but misses the tragedy at this dark musical’s heart

New York Times: "Brace yourself. They’re putting on one helluva show."

The interesting thing this revival of "Sweeney Todd" is that it is pared down and somewhat minimalist.  The New York Times explains this:

[Director John] Doyle, conditioned by the economic limitations of long years in regional theater, delivers what is, on one level, a skeletal "Sweeney." This production features one set, 10 actors (excellent) and 10 musicians (also excellent). The actors and musicians, by the way, are the same people.

Yet this concentration of resources only tightens both narrative pull and emotional focus. The original Broadway "Sweeney," directed by Harold Prince, was a big-picture masterpiece that placed the show’s luridness in a distancing Dickensian social framework. Mr. Doyle’s version, by contrast, draws you claustrophobically close. As they say at the entrance to spook houses, enter if you dare.

RELATED:  "Sweeney" star Patti Lupone says "Broadway ain’t for sissies!"

NOT ENTIRELY RELATED, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH:  I’m hearing a "buzz" about "Naked On A Bearskin Rug". 

Okay, I’m not hearing a "buzz", so much as trying to create one.  Stay tuned.

Fresh Air

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Tomlinson_webYay.  Ken Tomlinson resigns from the CPB board.  Quits after a probe. 

I wrote about him way back here.  He’s the guy who hired someone to watch Bill Moyers and report on all the heinous liberalism going on at NPR and PBS:

A consultant who monitored news and talk programs on public radio and TV found that liberal and anti-administration views were widespread, but critics said the consultant’s work was itself biased and riddled with errors.

The consultant, Frederick W. Mann, was secretly hired last year by Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the agency that disburses about $400 million in federal tax funds to public broadcasters. In recent months, Tomlinson has criticized National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service for an allegedly liberal bias and has pushed PBS to add programs with a more conservative tone.

***

The report labels guests on these programs "liberal," "conservative" or "neutral," or categorizes them by such descriptions as "pro-Bush," "anti-Bush," "support administration," "oppose administration." It found "Now" (hosted by Moyers and in part by David Brancaccio) to be rife with liberal views; of 136 segments reviewed, it said 92 "clearly opposed" administration policy, while the balance were "neutral" or "not about policy." It also found that when "conservatives/Republicans" were guests, they "mostly opposed" the administration. Tomlinson has often cited the Moyers show in his public critiques.

Of 46 guests on Rehm’s program, "liberal" viewpoints outnumbered "conservative" viewpoints by 22 to 5, according to Mann.

But Mann never explains his labeling criteria or indicates in any detail which specific comment or comments earned a guest a particular characterization.

Dorgan pointed out that "red-blooded" conservatives such as Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and former congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.) were classified as "liberal" and "anti-administration" apparently for briefly expressing views that differed from administration policy. Dorgan called the report "kind of a nutty project" and an "amateurish attempt to prove a liberal bias," noting Mann had apparently faxed his findings to Tomlinson from Mary Ann’s Hallmark, a card store in Indianapolis.