You probably already knew this, but sometimes it's nice to get affirmation that yeah, you were right.  A recently released study by the non-partisan Rand Corporation titled How Terrorist Groups End shows that young Mr. Bush's anti-terror strategy hasn't significantly undermined al Qaeda's capabilities.  

As news goes, that's hardly shock or awe, is it?

The Internet Talk Host And 9/11 Documentary Film Maker Just A "Skin Head"?

PMD--Poem of Mass Destruction

I don't know why I do this. A friend of mine wrote a song called "Futility Attacks," with the line

"And the sound of the washing machine
in the basement
reminds us
we could have saved some money..."

I always feel a futility attack when I write about Palestine.

Here's someone who's more eloquent than I, even though some of the writing makes my gorge rise. In this column, Nicholas Kristof discussses solutions to the Israel/Palestine problem by addressing arguments of those who see Israel's draconian policies as right"

Tough Love for Israel?

This is the third part to a seven part series that includes an introduction to the Fox News Terror Survival Handbook and a description of the six crucial items that should be carried as part of the Terror Survival kit.

Part 1: The Introduction
Captain Subtext has taken upon himself to bring light to the otherwise deceptive information, data, comments, commentary and other general pronouncements that appear in the media. From time to time he feels that it is his civic duty to clarify the political landscape as he encounters it. On one of his treks through the wonders of the World Wide Web or as he calls it www dot oh my god dot you’ve got to be kidding dot do they think we’re idiots dot what a bunch of morons dot com, he stumbled upon the Fox News Terror Survival Handbook. What follows is his translation of the Fox News’ Terror Survival Handbook version into his unique view of reality. The Terror Survival Handbook text will appear in block quotes followed by the Captain Subtext translation labeled as, well, Captain Subtext translation.

Evidence the war on terror is a lie from former CIA Station Chief

This is the second part to a seven part series that includes an introduction to the Fox News Terror Survival Handbook and a description of the six crucial items that should be carried as part of the Terror Survival kit.

Part 1: The Introduction
Captain Subtext has taken upon himself to bring light to the otherwise deceptive information, data, comments, commentary and other general pronouncements that appear in the media. From time to time he feels that it is his civic duty to clarify the political landscape as he encounters it. On one of his treks through the wonders of the World Wide Web or as he calls it www dot oh my god dot you’ve got to be kidding dot do they think we’re idiots dot what a bunch of morons dot com, he stumbled upon the Fox News Terror Survival Handbook. What follows is his translation of the Fox News’ Terror Survival Handbook version into his unique view of reality. The Terror Survival Handbook text will appear in block quotes followed by the Captain Subtext translation labeled as, well, Captain Subtext translation.

If you missed part one click here.

Apologies that I mis-remembered the sponsors of the radio spots. The original post said it was the State Dept. It's actually that paragon of upstanding institutions, the Justice Dept. Your tax dollars at work.

My local Seattle Air America affiliate radio station has been running very serious-sounding ads, ostensibly from the National Crime Prevention Council. Their basic message is "Be afraid—at home, at work, wherever."

Now, the NCPC is an interesting organization that seems to be essentially a trade & lobbying association for companies that stand to profit from fear. They last floated into my awareness as the purveyors of those cute commercials featuring McGruff the Crime Dog® offering kids a guide to coping with strangers, school bullies, and similar threats. But their mission has obviously broadened to target adults and make sure we're good and afraid of scary people who might try to blow us up.

The interesting thing to me was the tag line at the end of the spots, which says (approximately): "Brought to you by the NCPC, the Department of Justice, and the Advertising Council." Would it be cynical of me to suspect that government and industry are partnering to crank up the terror threat as we head into the election season?

My local Seattle Air America affiliate radio station has been running very serious-sounding ads, ostensibly from the National Crime Prevention Council. Their basic message is "Be afraid—at home, at work, wherever."

Now, the NCPC is an interesting organization that seems to be essentially a trade & lobbying association for companies that stand to profit from fear. They last floated into my awareness as the purveyors of those cute commercials featuring McGruff the Crime Dog® offering kids a guide to coping with strangers, school bullies, and similar threats. But their mission has obviously broadened to target adults and make sure we're good and afraid of scary people who might try to blow us up.

The interesting thing to me was the tag line at the end of the spots, which says (approximately): "Brought to you by the NCPC, the Department of State, and the Advertising Council." Would it be cynical of me to suspect that government and industry are partnering to crank up the terror threat as we head into the election season?

Surprise visit yesterday from THE DUDE, the real one, not the character in The Big Lebowski....though that's who the character is based on--Jeff Dowd, the Dude. He dropped in to do KCRW's Guest DJ Project, and let me know he's a big fan of Left, Right and Center! Check the real DUDE out here: www.jeffdowd.com Meantime, today's show is: Guns and SCOTUS; North Korea and Nukes; Oil; Democratic Unity; Obamacons. Guest right is Jim Antle, Assoc. Editor of the conservative American Spectator Magazine. Here's today's show, some highlights below: KCRW's Left, Right and Centerwww.jeffdowd.com

 Okay - someone has to do it - and I haven't seen it elsewhere - even from the eloquent and incisive Mr. Greenwald - so here goes.  

 The reasons why the FISA capitulation is an enormity are legion - it betrays the Constitution, it establilshes a precedent for rampant lawlessness, it empowers a known serial liar based on a series of falsehoods, it shows that your trusted representative can easily be bought and it makes a mockery of the notion of "standing up" to Bush.

 But, there is another reason - the FISA capitulation makes us weaker, less safe and more vulnerable to a terrorist attack.  The reason is expanded below.

I try to keep up on things, but to stay informed you have to really try hard. Real info isnt delivered thru the national media, it is all largely a project in perception and opinion management that we get fed on a daily basis, which is why we are here, from all walks of life, banging away furiously at our collective keyboards and rooting around for truth.
Well, here is a story that got by me when it was going on...
The Raytheon 9
Yea...turns out that in Ireland it is legal for the citizens to inhibit activity that has been proven to lead to war crimes. In this case, Raytheon missile manufacture.

If so, looks like the 'boogeymen' will be letting our Troops follow it back to the homeland?, or the scare is being germinated in the populace in the lead up to What:

For the past several weeks, the Israeli government has been heavily engaged in indirect negotiations with its two arch enemies in contradiction to the policy of its greatest benefactor, the U.S., and its champion of champions, President George W. Bush.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are on the U.S. State Department's list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

There still is one way McCain can win:  scare the hell out of Americans and use Barack Obama's desire to run a decent, campaign (with no fear-mongering) against him.

There's a reason I use the breakin line to Greg Mitchells book So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits--and the President--Failed on Iraq.

Part of that reason is an article printed in the Asian Times, I just finished reading.

So John "InsaneInTheMembrane" McCain is dogging Obama about going to Iraq. If he isn't running for a Bush 3rd term, I find it odd because like Mr. Bush, he must not read the paper. Reported today, June 4, 2008:

Yup, guys like Newt Gingrich know what's good for America.  More terror attacks.

"This is ... one of the great tragedies of the Bush administration," Gingrich continued. "The more successful they've been at intercepting and stopping bad guys, the less proof there is that we're in danger. And therefore, the better they've done at making sure there isn't an attack, the easier it is to say, 'Well, there never was going to be an attack anyway.' And it's almost like they should every once in a while have allowed an attack to get through just to remind us."

What a patriotic Republican hero this man is!  It's a shame he didn't run for President!