ThinkFast: September 12, 2006
ThinkFast: September 12, 2006
“Islamic militants attempted to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday,” but were unable to breach the embassy’s high walls. Four guards, all Syrian, were killed.
New study “closes the loop” showing that human-induced global warming is “making hurricanes globally more violent and violent hurricanes more common.”
“A black man living in a high-crime American city can expect to live 21 fewer years than a woman of Asian descent in the United States,” according to a comprehensive new study of life expectancy in the U.S. “The man’s life expectancy, in fact, is closer to that of people living in West Africa than it is to the average white American.”
The FBI is investigating allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) awarded a woman a job in return for a personal check her husband wrote to one of Blagojevich’s children. Blagojevich claims the $1,500 check was a “gift for his daughter’s 7th birthday.”
For decades in Iraq, marriages between Sunnis and Shiites were considered “as ordinary as the daily call to prayer” and “the glue that held a fragile multi-ethnic society together.” But post-war sectarian violence is now leaving “no hope in this country anymore for Sunnis and Shiites to fall in love.”
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, responding to an Iranian offer to suspend its uranium enrichment efforts for two months, suggested the U.S. might suspend its pursuit of U.N. sanctions against Iran if there is verified suspension. The New York Times reports Rice’s statements as an “ever-so-softening of America’s stance.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that dropping out of high school has its costs around the globe, but nowhere is it steeper than in the U.S. “Adults who don’t finish high school in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what people who have high school degrees make.”
School students who sat with President Bush on the morning of 9/11 recounted their impressions after watching Andrew Card whisper to him that “America is under attack.” “His face just started to turn red,” said Tyler Radkey, now 13 and in seventh grade. “I thought, personally, he had to go to the bathroom.” “He looked like he was going to cry,” said Natalia Jones-Pinkney, now 12.
And finally: House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) led a congressional rendition of the national anthem at a 9/11 commemoration yesterday. We won’t comment on his performance, other than to say that it would have been better if he knew the words to the song.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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String this guy up with the republican criminals.
“You’re fired!”
September 12th, 2006 at 11:45 am“His face just started to turn red,†said Tyler Radkey, now 13 and in seventh grade. “I thought, personally, he had to go to the bathroom.â€
Kids never lie. Thats a brave commander in chief.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:45 amMeanwhile, punisher of conservative miscreants the Avenging Angel smites Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Frist…
September 12th, 2006 at 11:47 amI’m all for slamming Rod the Cod to the sod. The man has run his administration like a continual election cycle. TP keep exposing corruption on all sides of the politcal spectrum. Thanks.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:51 amCrooks and Liars has an excellent video up of Lauer interviewing the President on GMA the other day, pressing him on waterboarding and torture. At least the MSM is starting to catch on with this stuff.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:51 amFact Check — only one Syrian guard was killed; three of the fatalities were the terrorists. Additional people (including other guards) were wounded in the attack. Story through the link has been updated.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:00 pmMelding Facts with Fiction on ABC!
12th of September 2006
by Jay Randal
“We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom” (Dubya’s speech on 9/11/06)
Vile sinister propaganda is never a good thing for any nation, and denotes tyranny from an autocratic govt. that desires to mislead, or fool their voting population!
Propaganda tries to meld facts with fiction to blur the distinction between what is real, and what is phony, so altering facts deludes people into believing falsehoods!
Once fiction is woven with facts, and blended together, it smears the truth ino a concocted morass of lies and whitewashes devious things that a despot wants secret!
ABC and the Disney Corp. have formed an alliance, with the Bush Regime and the GOP, to mislead Americans into believing that Democrats are bad and the GOP good!
Disseminating a concocted phony docu-drama on 9/11 terrorist attack to try to blame former Pres. Clinton, and his administration members, is outrageous lying to conceal the guilt and malfeasance of Bush himself!
( Jay Randal, political activist and writer in Stone Mountain, Georgia.)
PS: Everyone must boycott ABC and Disney for foisting propaganda!
September 12th, 2006 at 12:00 pm4# and here is that amazing video interview
September 12th, 2006 at 12:01 pm“So what? Why is that not within the law?” — George W. Bush
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that dropping out of high school has its costs around the globe, but nowhere is it steeper than in the U.S.
If you aren’t in line with everyone else’s expectations in this country you are discarded. Non-liveable minimum wage, no universal health care, jobs being shipped out of country while corporations get tax breaks, etc. Then we wonder why we have one of the highest percentages by population in our jails, a falling life expectancy that is lower than most industrialized nations and a crystal meth epidemic coming.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:03 pmOOPS – the Blagojevich link goes to the WaPo story (from above it)…
this story won’t set well… the race is really getting contentious…
September 12th, 2006 at 12:07 pmbut topinka is linked to a convicted, sentenced criminal, so…
who know?…
Matt Lauer: I don’t want to let this “within the law issue†slip though. I mean, if, in fact, there was water boarding used with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and for the viewers, that’s basically when you strap someone to a board and you make them feel as if they’re going to drown by putting them underwater, if that was legal and within the law, why couldn’t you do it at Guantanamo? Why did you have to go to a secret location around the world?
President Bush: I’m not going to talk about techniques. And, I’m not going explain to the enemy what we’re doing. All I’m telling you is that you’ve asked me whether or not we’re doing things to protect the American people, and I want the American people to know we are doing so.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:10 pmCome on wake up and smell the coffee any other world leader would be thrown out of power Bush I using protecting America as his means – Thats like me saying I sold Heroin to school children to get my children new Nikey trainers cause everybody else has a pair
“… a silver lining.” ???
Travel slump after 9/11 slowed spread of influenza, study shows
By Anita Manning, USA TODAY
Limiting airplane travel could help slow the spread of flu in a pandemic, a report suggests.
…
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-11-flu-travel_x.htm
thwarting rummy’s profits and bushco’s excuse to “quarantine” us all…
September 12th, 2006 at 12:13 pmhopefully…
President Bush: I’m not going to talk about techniques. And, I’m not going explain to the enemy what we’re doing. All I’m telling you is that you’ve asked me whether or not we’re doing things to protect the American people, and I want the American people to know we are doing so.
He just doesn’t get it. He has to explain to the American people what he is doing and why and how he can justify it legally. I can give a rat’s ass about what Osama thinks about it.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:16 pmThe Blago link above is incorrect. Here’s the original Chicago Tribune story: tinyurl.com/ks3vl
September 12th, 2006 at 12:19 pmGood news:
“Attackers tried to drive two cars at the embassy compound but three men were killed by guards and a fourth was captured, the interior minister said.”
Four less radical Islamist barbarians we need to worry about.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:21 pmAnyone else notice that Bush looks and acts like he has been drinking in that interview with Lauer? His tone and speech are like a bully who has enough drinks in him to try to bolster his courage. And his eyes look it as well
Maybe its just me, but I used to bounce a bar while in college and i’ve seen alot of drunks
September 12th, 2006 at 12:25 pmFour less radical Islamist barbarians we need to worry about.
Comment by Exley — September 12, 2006 @ 12:21 pm
Yeah, never mind the 3 billion or so people around the world who hate us now because of Bush’s policies which you so fervently support.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:27 pm[...] Islamic Militants Attempt to Take Over U.S. Embassy in Damascus By the Webloggin EditorSeptember 12, 2006 at 11:22 am in Feature Article, The War on Terror UPDATE and Bump to top: True to form Think Progress gets the entire story wrong despite linking an update of the same AP article that I linked. “Islamic militants attempted to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday,†but were unable to breach the embassy’s high walls. Four guards, all Syrian, were killed. [...]
September 12th, 2006 at 12:31 pmFour less radical Islamist barbarians we need to worry about.
Comment by Exley
Dig Exley, saying he now doesn’t have to worry about those terrorists just killed – like he’s somewhere near the action.
Why would you worry about four men in Syria, bedwetter? You’re no-where near the action.
Keep pecking out these brave missives, there’s a war going on, and we need all the help we can get from armchair warriors like you! (sarcasm /off)
September 12th, 2006 at 12:37 pm#6
And that piece you wrote wasn’t full of pros and propaganda?
Tell me something… i am curious… were you guys up in arms when they made a movie about Ronald and Nancy Reagan that did no research or interviews with them. Nor was he able to answer to them as he lay on his death bed… and did they even sue or did the GOP right letters to try to get it off the air? And were you up in arms when they made the Last Temptation of Christ dipicting Jesus having a fantasy about Mary Magdalen?
While we are are it… were those evangelicals you so detest burning theatres down and killing people in the streets? Was the Catholic Church calling for law suits for defamation? Or running on conspiracy?
Bottom line whatever creative license the docu drama/ film etc took… the fact still remains we were sleep at the wheel. And it depicts it from both sides…. instead the movie is about you all and how it makes you look… pathetic
It is sad to watch how the left is so used to being seen as golden in the mainstream media without criticism, that when there is a hint of culpability against the left there are the politicians and senators whining and writing letters pointing fingers.
“The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest.”
MTV anyone? Pathetic..
And tell me what would have happend if a movie, which isn’t even remotelty worthy such as Farenheit 9/11 instigated a letter from the GOP. What would you all be saying? The hysterics from the left would be all over.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:41 pmall those questions, joneser… you’re kidding, right?
September 12th, 2006 at 12:53 pmyou don’t sound that ignorant…
I live in Chicago and i only hope people get out and vote for Bartopenka…
September 12th, 2006 at 12:55 pmBlogo has has about three federal investigations going on, up until he was exposed, he had the largest govenor security detail. He raided the government pension to pay for short comings of his spending on so many ridiculous programs. He has cost illinois so many jobs with his “user” taxes, that no company wants to do business here virtually. We lost a Honda plant to Indiana just recently.
#1
The FBI is investigating allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) awarded a woman a job in return for a personal check her husband wrote to one of Blagojevich’s children. Blagojevich claims the $1,500 check was a “gift for his daughter’s 7th birthday.â€
String this guy up with the republican criminals.
“You’re fired!â€
You liberals are all alike. Every time a Republican does something the slightest bit unethical you go on the attack. But when it’s one of your own, y….
Oh. Um….never mind.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:56 pmYes they are rhetorical questions… pretty much because when i ask a question around here they are greeted with cricket sounds or lame cliche TP lexicon.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:01 pm“he had to go to the bathroom.â€
“He looked like he was going to cryâ€
The young people were very perceptive because the fool still looks the same way. Albeit for a different reason–now he looks like he just went to the bathroom–in his pants-and is crying for his Momma.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:08 pm“…when i ask a question around here they are greeted with cricket sounds….” –joneser
Yep… Most that have shown to be trolls and use phrases like “hysterics from the left” are usually ignored.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:17 pmRod Blogojevich. Holy crap. I call him Governor Good-Hair.
This is what we have to choose from in Illinois: We have a centrist Democrat who is slightly more liberal than his centrist Republican opponent, but is completely incompetent. On the other side, we have a centrist Republican who is slightly more competent than her nit-wit centrist Democratic opponent. And they are both up to their eyeballs in old-time Illinois politics. Though, to be fair, Judy hasn’t been investigated yet … so far as we know.
It’s slightly left vs. slightly competent here in the Land of Lincoln.
Sigh.
But you wanna know what’s really depressing? Four years ago, Gov. (then U.S. Rep.) Good-Hair nearly lost the Democratic primary to Paul Vallas, the guy who singlehandedly saved the Chicago public schools, who was a genuine reformer, was as competent as the day is long, and was undoubtedly more progressive than Blogo any day.
But, hey, at least we Barak Obama over Alan Friggin’ Keyes as our senator.
So, we got that goin’ for us. Which is nice.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:21 pmNope, because the righties did all of that by themselves. (Bad punctuation)
Yes, the righties did just that. (Bad grammar)
Why would we care when the public air waves were not used and people had to pay to go see it.
No theaters burnt down or people killed, but neither was ABC or their board of directors.
Yes.
The Catholic Church is a conspiracy.
How old are you to not remember any of this stuff. Are you old enough to vote yet?
September 12th, 2006 at 1:24 pmBlagojevich, Blogojevich … whatever. He’s my friggin’ governor, so I’ll spell his name however I damn please. (Um, just kidding …)
September 12th, 2006 at 1:25 pmJoneser – I wish someone would tell the truth about Reagan but I wouldn’t go to some crappy docdrama to get it. The outcry over the film got it pulled I don’t disagree with that at all – the outcry from the same people who foamed over F911 I note – a film with editorial (disputable) on top of facts (not disputable). Path and F911 are two different things altogether. you could avoid F911 easily, same as you can avoid any Mel Gibson historical film. Last Temptation? your comment suggests that you haven’t seen it – you appear to have missed the point of that film. Besides the characters in that, if they existed, are long dead. Same as with the Passion. Besides, unlike Path and like F911 – Last didn’t use public airwaves under the public trust to broadcast. Path clearly contained blatant invention designed to mold public opinion for political ends. It qualifies as propaganda – finito Benito.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:34 pmI wasn’t sure where to post this, but it here it is. Guess who IS “winning the hearts and minds” of Iraq citizens? That’s right kids, it’s Iran! Oops, I guess we’re not doing that great of a job over there in the middle east. It seems Iran leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is smarter than we thought. If only our president was as smart, we might not be in this terrible mess. Anyway, here is the article on just how well we’re doing over there in Iraq. Sad, isn’t it?
September 12th, 2006 at 1:37 pmhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/12/iraq.iran/index.html
Yes.
I know facts can be tricky, but try using them some time.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:43 pmyou picked the correct thread, laura… at least for now…
September 12th, 2006 at 1:52 pmwouldn’t be surprised to see that story make it to it’s own thread…
jeesh… “heck of a job”, bushco…
…
Check out this site and tell me, what is wrong with this picture (except of course that New Orleans is under water at the time)…
September 12th, 2006 at 3:08 pmhttp://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushguitar.htm
I have heard of B movies, but never a F movie for failure.
September 12th, 2006 at 3:14 pmCheck out this site:
September 12th, 2006 at 3:20 pmhttp://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushguitar.htm
Now tell me, what is George doing wrong (except of course, strumming while his constituents were drowning).
??
““A black man living in a high-crime American city can expect to live 21 fewer years than a woman of Asian descent in the United States,†according to a comprehensive new study”
According to a misstated new study.
You left out the “on average” after ‘can.’
Statistical studies do NOT predict the experience of a single member of a group. They predict the experience of an AVERAGE member of the group, which as a moment’s thought will show, DOES NOT EXIST as such.
In a world with Rapepublican medievalism invading all quarters, please TP, be a bastion of science. Don’t misstate studies for effect.
September 12th, 2006 at 4:14 pm#23, Blago is hardly a liberal. He is a slightly (very slightly) left of center conservative Democrat. In fact he pisses off many democrats in Illinois because he has done so many things that are usually Republican in nature. He pisses off every republican in the state simply for being Democrat, even though he frequently acts (in policy) like one of them.
JonesR
With the Reagan movie you insinuate that no research was done. However the offending line about aids was actually taken from a Reagan biography. I believe it was Dutch, but I am not positive. The movie was a dramatization whose greatest crime was that it did not paint Reagan as a god like figure. Even before he left office there was a group formed to enhance his legacy their goal to get something named for him in every county in the US. This was during Iran contra while he and his administration were essentially being exposed for their crimes. Also with Path to 911 they distributed this thing to every right winger they could and the writer freely admitted that the point was to attack Clinton. SO the movie was maid strictly for political purposes and they admit it.
September 12th, 2006 at 4:37 pmWith the last temptation, you obviously never saw it, nor apparently do you understand the premise, so why even bring it up? Is it impossible for Christ to have been tempted by Satan while dying? Remember in the movie he resisted the temptation, wait you can’t remember if you did not see it.
Umm, the movie did not show that “we were asleep at the wheel” the movie says 911 is Clintons fault, period. The movie portrays Bush as decisive, and heroic, and makes shit up continually. Things like blaming the WAPO for a WATIMES story, why? The times is conservative so you can’t blame your friends. It makes up meetings to make Bush look better, meetings that never occurred. It makes Bush look as if he was concerned about terrorism from day one. He was not. He was concerned with missile defense, tax cuts, secret oil meetings, Puerto Rican firing ranges and looking for his political trifecta. He was dead in the water on September 10th because nothing he was doing was in tune with what the people of this country wanted. Path is billed as being base don truth when the pivotal scenes are all fiction, but more impotently they are fiction that the right peddles as truth in spite of the facts arrayed against them. The right keeps bringing up F911 as if it is a proven pack of lies, yet not one fact in the movie has been debunked, and as if it is relevant to the discussion at hand. Not everything is tit for tat or needs balance. Truth is truth.
I personally think that if the Dems regain control of congress and even attempt to exercise oversight that 1) people Like Jones R will become publicly violent (i.e. some hated dem congressman will be assassinated…I know a lot of unhinged right-wingers, also remember who the targets of the Anthrax letters were) 2) The right will never accept any findings 3) we will be attacked by terrorists once again. Not because the dems are soft, but because the right, like they did during the Clinton years, will become extreme obstructionists.
[...] Think Progress [...]
September 12th, 2006 at 7:14 pmI’ve lived in Chicago for a year now…the dems are as corrupt as the republicans here.
It’s pathetic, and makes me embarrassed to be a dem.
September 12th, 2006 at 8:13 pmAnd I suppose the nitwit won’t even thank Syria for protecting our people. Oh no. Diplomacy is for sissies attitude is why we are so hated and he won’t say thank you.
September 12th, 2006 at 9:58 pmAs for our gov. Well, we brought you Daily, daily jr., dead people voting, Ryan, Hassert, and the list goes on. But, on the bright side, we brought you Paul Simon, Lincoln, Durbin, Obama, ect. But, at least we are Democrats for the most part and can’t hack into voting machines. We just do dead people and crooked pols.
SEE “911 Press For Truth”
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1016720641536424083
The Jersey Girls rock!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:01 am