Can someone please explain to me why Michael Moore is sitting in the press area at the RNC?

I'm baffled as to why such a false documentarist is sitting amongst credentialled members of the press.

Posted by: Michele at 10:19 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 He's writing a column on the RNC for USA Today. You can find his first column at http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2004-08-30-moore-gopamerica_x.htm I confess I haven't read it; I prefer my blood pressure to be at a reasonable level :~)

Posted by: Victor at August 31, 2004 09:04 AM (L3qPK)

2 Actually, I suspect it was because it made it easier for McCain to humiliate him last night... At least, I can dream that was it.

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at August 31, 2004 09:55 AM (k3fvZ)

3 I'm just surprised he was able to squeeze through the doorway. I'm guessing they had to grease him up pretty good first.

Posted by: Harvey at August 31, 2004 11:55 AM (tJfh1)

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It seems that Kerry is all the there is to talk about these days. I'm rather suprised at the simplistic and sweeping generalizations I've been reading from both sides. While a rare few bloggers (Anticipatory Retaliation) examines the possible viability of a Kerry Presidency, many, many more have posted about Kerry's intellectual and experiential assets, or lack thererof, as a candidate. To some he's an insightful and intelligent choice. To others, like Mark Steyn he is downright stupid. (via BarcePundit).

I'm not of the thinking that Kerry is either. With credentials like his (several degrees, including one from Harvard Law School), he could be called slimy, a liar or even an opportunist, but never inept or stupid. Let me explain why. more...

Posted by: Michele at 12:28 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I was doing a bit of catch-up with my favorite European bloggers last night. Two which I read faithfully are: Barcepundit and NO PASARAN!.

This week, both have powerful stuff up on their site... more...

Posted by: Michele at 11:24 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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While doing my daily catch-up with fellow bloggers last night, I saw that Bravo Romeo Delta’s blog – Anticipatory Retaliation – had an incredible post sparked by Alexander Tytler’s essay entitled “Terrorism and Elections”.

This is the same portion of Tytler's essay that _Jon of We Swear wrote his post on Tytler's pronouncement of "The Death of Democracy." Inspired by both _Jon and Tytler I wrote "The Great Democratic Experiment" in which I pronounce Democracy alive and well, thank you very much. Until yesterday when I went to lunch and was caught in the middle of protestors struggling with Police, who had managed to bring them down off the side of a sky scraper after they defaced private property. Thus, I wondered as I stood there watching their struggle, could this scene be a metaphor for democracy in the event of a terrorist attack?

This was a question Bravo Delta Romeo felt up to the task in answering through his post. There he examines the very life blood of Democracy -Elections- in the event of a terrorist attack, and elaborates as to “Al Qaeda’s objectives and ... what might be affecting their current operational mindset”. However, before reading this insightful essay, you must sit down with a nice beverage, as his post is chock full of intriguing and thought provoking assumptions that will get your spinning wheels turning at greater velocities. more...

Posted by: Michele at 11:59 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Interesting point that Al Qaeda would be willing to impoverish the entire world if it would give them the chance to rule the crumbling, starving remnants. "It's better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven" Who's the Great Satan now?

Posted by: Harvey at August 20, 2004 10:18 AM (tJfh1)

2 If we continue to play by our rules your concerns might have validity. But the more the terrorists are successful the less we will adhere to our civil mandates. Eventually those pleading civilized restraint will be silenced(ignored) and the war will be fought as a war. This would include special ops. In about 50 years we might decry our conduct, but we will do so from a point of stablity and freedom.

Posted by: Mike H. at August 20, 2004 11:08 PM (ib/bd)

3 YOu know, Michele, I do all my weekly visits on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. I realized I hadn't changed your address Done-neighbor P.S. Thanks for the prayers for my dad.

Posted by: Rae at August 21, 2004 05:16 PM (0p0a3)

4 boy are you guys deep! you all write mad long essays, in a way they paint a scary picture. I hope Mike is wrong and it doesn't come to that. my hope is for no acts of terror.

Posted by: melissa at August 21, 2004 06:19 PM (beN4P)

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Thanks to the dear Elder from Fraters Libertas
for helping to uncover the truth and helping to spread the news around the blogosphere.

Posted by: Michele at 01:05 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Jeff Jarvis has been a bit angry and writing about the McGreevey affair and its repercussions. IÂ’m pissed too! People here are angry for a number of reasons. There's the McGreevy political and moral transgressions, and there's those of his party. By now, the transgressions of the party, reflected in the number of scandals, just keeps increasing without a sign of contriteness or remorse by any of the party leaders. more...

Posted by: Michele at 01:24 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Dearest Jon:

Thanks for posting your essay on “Death Of Democracy”. Before I offer my 2 cents I want to point out that the excerpts of the letter you used (which I tried to find unsuccessfully) was based on information that has since been rendered obsolete as a result of new discoveries in the past century. Then there’s that troubling Euro-centric view that was all the rage in those days, which makes me want to respond to the gentleman in question forcefully, but I can’t, since it’s fruitless to argue with a corpse.
more...

Posted by: Michele at 06:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 no other form of gov't can ever be as succesful or as long lasting as democracy. well, maybe except for tyrany, and we all saw where that got Sadam.

Posted by: igor at August 15, 2004 01:31 AM (JjrEO)

2 The general theme of my response is that I don't agree with him. My intro plays nice with his opinions in order to shred his core argument. btw, link posted. http://www.lookingglass.mi.org/web_blog/archives/000222.html

Posted by: _Jon at August 15, 2004 10:44 AM (RZ4Hy)

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Below is an email response I sent to my best friend, whom I believe is trying to win me back to the left. I've got news for her, I was never part of the left even when I worked in DC during the Clinton era. Anyway, this will be the first in a series of articles "Deconstructing Kerry's" platforms.

Dear Lisa:

Thanks for forwarding Paul Krugman's op-ed piece to me. I'm sure you did so trying to enlighten my moderate/centrist views by trying to prove that the media is biased against Kerry. Unfortunately, you're both way off the mark here. In all fairness, this is one time you really can't blame lack of coverage of Kerry's Health Care platform on a biased media. Nope, you can't even blame it on what Krugman is calling the "Triumph of the Trivial." in the news. The reason Krugman hasn't found any information regarding Kerry's Health Plan is because their isn't any. At least there wasn't anything new in his acceptance speech that he didn't say in the primaries. Nope; no details, no updates, not even fine print.

Oh, on the johnkerry.com website you'll find the following general outline embedded within several pages deep, but there's nothing new since the primaries. Well, except for John Edward's name being added to the site. Here's the general outline:

"The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide $177 billion in tax credits to make health care more affordable for people and businesses that BUY into the new Congressional Health Plan. These credits include:

- A 25 percent credit for seniors aged 55 to 64 whose salaries fall below 300 percent of poverty.
- A 75 percent credit for people between jobs and whose salaries fall below 300 percent of poverty.
- A tax credit of up to 50 percent for small businesses that cover low-to-moderate income workers.
- A tax credit for workers not eligible for other provisions of the Kerry-Edwards plan. This credit would limit premiums to less than 6 percent of income for workers below poverty, then phase out to 12 percent of income for workers at 300 percent of poverty."

Please note, that you have to BUY into his plan in order to be eligible for it. You also have to PAY ALL your premiums and then, only if you file your income tax, and providing you meet the income/deduction qualifications imposed by the IRS, then and only then can you get your money back as a tax credit.

Oh wait, I forgot to mention one very, very important thing: when you fall 300% below the poverty level not only are you eligible for Medicare (another Federal Health Care Program made more robust under Clinton), you're also too freakin' poor to worry about health care. Why? Simple, you're too busy scrounging for food and how to pay for electricity and heat to care if you live or die!

Now in the interest of fair play and objectivity, I will examine what these extremely poor folks options are, other than suicide. Regarding every child being insured.... they already are under a federally funded program, free of cost to low income parents (as a result of Hillary's Health Care Commission). It's also available to middle class parents at a moderate cost. It's been that way since before Clinton left office.

As for the millions of people uncovered by health insurance, the federal gov't currently gives money to states (also done under the Clinton Administration) in which those families that fall through the cracks (not poor enough to be eligible for Medicare and still not financially able to afford health insurance) are able to get insurance at reduced premiums with HMO's. BTW, small businesses are also covered in 16 States under a similar program, where low cost premiums are available to employers and their employees.

FYI, this money is given by the federal gov't, in a lump sum to each state earmarked specifically for health insurance programs for it's citizens not institutions. In NYS, Pataki used the state's surplus to match federal money and created the Small Business Health Insurance Program, the first of it's kind in the nation, which was quickly adopted by other states.

Now my question is, how does Kerry actually intend to cut "government" waste and "bloatedness" if he's adding layers to the federal health care programs already in existence. Oh, wait, I just got it! Maybe he plans to do away with Medicare. Wow, why didn't I think of that. That's a really effective cut in waste. Then my financial calculations on how Kerry's programs will be paid, that is without "increasing taxes". The math will finally jive and balance out without increasing the deficit too much. Hmmmm, that's an interesting concept. If you only insure the abject poor, then those that are only struggling financially will eventually fall into a hole and thus meet the financial requirements to be eligible for his programs, and so then everyone is insured. I must say, itÂ’s a clever plan.

So as you can see, the reason there's nothing out there for Kruger to read, is because there is nothing out there for anyone to read. God forbid they publish something and put the fine print in print. Then of course there's the campaign, the road trip and all. They've been to busy to flesh things out and update their site. Oh and there's the complexity thing. You and I both know Health Care is sooooooo COMPLEX, we really can't be trusted to understand it all. They really want us to leave it to the John's.

I wonder how Krugman would feel once he discovers that Kerry's $650 billion health insurance plan DOES NOT cover lower and middle-income families (as Kerry alleged in his speech). Well at least it won't until they fall 300% below the poverty line. Yep, too bad I don't have Krugman's address, otherwise IÂ’d share a link and a thought or two with him.

Posted by: Michele at 04:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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