1. Just another day in the War in Iraq: “Bush wants 50 military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors” (JB: Looks like Ron Paul was right after all…)
2. Just another day in the (upcoming) War in Iran: “Israeli minister says alternatives to attack on Iran running out” (JB: It’s a good thing Israel’s not looking for war elsewhere. Not to mention, at least one of our presidential candidates is speaking truth to AIPAC rather than courting the Jewish vote.)
3. Just another day in the War on Terror: “10 Airports install body scanners that can peer under passengers’ clothes.” (JB: Here’s TSA and Homeland Security’s take: “It’s the wave of the future… We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging… I’m delighted by this development… You can actually see the sweat on someone’s back…”)
4. Just another day in the War on Crime (which, of course, has nothing to do with the War on Drugs): “Police plan vehicle checkpoints in DC neighborhood” (JB: “Papers, please!”)
5. Just another day in the War on Climate Change: Seattle Parks’ Department may ban beach bonfires because they contribute to global warming (JB: I’m still making up my mind whether this is more or less pathetic than San Francisco’s plan to ban woodburning fireplaces. Good thing “fixing” global warming is only going to cost $45 TRILLION — just 3x the current size of the U.S. economy)
6. Just another day in the War on Free Speech: MTV fined $484,500 by U.K. regulator for “widespread and persistent” breaches of its broadcasting code by four of its channels. (JB: Because, you know, flipping channels is tough nowadays since the invention of Tivo.)
UPDATE: 7. Just another day in the War on Privacy: “UBS AG is considering whether to reveal the names of up to 20,000 wealthy American clients as federal authorities intensify an investigation into offshore bank accounts, the New York Times said on Friday, citing people close to the inquiry.”
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JB, this statement was meant as sarcasm, correct?
“Not to mention, at least one of our presidential candidates is speaking truth to AIPAC rather than courting the Jewish vote”
Haha… yeah… Obama sold out his past support for the Palestinians in return for AIPAC’s backing.
I find this issue to be an interesting one, because financial support of Israel is probably the best example of how the two parties are more similar than they are different.
What amazes me (though I guess I shouldn’t be amazed anymore) is how even sites like antiwar.com and counterpunch.org are, for the most part, either ignorning altogether the story of Obama’s AIPAC speech, sugar-coating it, or making excuses for it. There seems to be a “hope” out there by the left that Obama is just being “politically savvy” by “pretending” to suck up to AIPAC or when he distanced himself from his old pastor. Or, I often talk to people who were vehemently against the war in Iraq, but who now use the same talking points as the Democratic leaders in saying that we need to keep funding it (to support the troops), how we can’t just leave overnight, etc.
How refreshing to have the chance to finally vote for a candidate (Ron Paul) who not only professes a policy I like, but has a long voting history consistent with his professed beliefs.
Back to Obama…I lost any respect I had for him when he threw his pastor under the bus, not by focusing on the crazier things his pastor said, but by actually disagreeing with one of the true things he said (essentially, the Paul argument that the 9/11 attacks were blowback). So when I heard that he was going to be talking to AIPAC, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised by what he had to say. Many of his supporters, however, must have been a bit confused and disappointed, but they sure didn’t miss a beat in continuing on with their support for him.
So I guess the “choice” in the 2008 elections will boil down to whether or not the American public wants “universal” healthcare coverage or not (that’s about the only difference I can think of between McCain and Obama). How exciting.
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