Am I a Hillary Cheerleader?
By Larry Johnson on December 22, 2007 at 10:12 PM in Current Affairs
Several of you are wondering who I am backing to be the next President. I have not decided on a final choice because, to be candid, I have little say in the matter. I live and vote in Maryland. By the time primary season rolls around in my neck of the woods and bay inlets, the die will be cast.
Of the current field of democratic candidates I like three in particular–Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. If I were participating in an Iowa caucus or voting in New Hampshire, I’d go for Joe. But he is not getting any traction. So that leaves me with Hillary and Edwards.
I favor giving Hillary more coverage at No Quarter for a very simple reason–no other candidate for president in my memory has been subjected to as many vile, baseless attacks as this good woman. You don’t have to be a rightwing nut to know or believe some of this garbage. According to these critics Hillary is a murderer, a practicing lesbian who is getting it on with her Saudi chief of staff, a swindler, a cheat, and a coverup artist. Oh yeah, her and Bill employ, so we are told, their own hit squad who run around silencing critics.
What I find amazing is how inept that Clinton “hit” squad is? If they were worth a damn (or REAL) then critics like this bozo in Texas, Robert Morrow, would be a worm buffet by now (I will not link to anything written by Morrow). Ain’t it amazing that Bill and Hill are known to kill their opponents and yet so many opponents and critics are still walking around unscathed?
The evil witch, bitch caricature of Hillary is a lie readily embraced by many in America. But it is not the Hillary I have met. I am not a good friend nor a close advisor. And I am not lobbying for a slot in a Clinton Administration. I’m not ready for a pay cut and I like to sleep until 9am. But I have been in her office twice and briefed her on issues concerning terrorism and Iraq. If you had asked me before my first visit in 2005 if she could be president I would have said, “There are two ways–no way and no way in hell”. Sadly, much of my initial opinion about Senator Clinton was based on the filth I had heard about her lack of character and private behavior.
The briefing occurred shortly after I had testified on the Hill about the harm done to Valerie Plame. Senator Clinton was aware of my testimony and congratulated me on standing up for Val. The Senator was very gracious, engaging, and charismatic. And she does not have fat legs (the number of guys who have dissed her for not having great gams is obscene). She is an attractive 60-year-old woman. But that was not what stood out for me. She is scary smart.
I was not alone at the briefing–there were two other participants who are well-known experts on the Middle East and Iraq. We had not submitted our briefings in advance. We made our respective presentations and had a genuine, in-depth discussion about viable options. She asked us tough questions and could think on her feet without having to look at notes. She focused on what could be done to achieve U.S. interests in Iraq without bleeding our country’s treasury and military.
As we talked about the limits and efficacy of using military assets to go after terrorist targets, the Senator brought up the book, Not a Good Day to Die by Sean Naylor. She did more than bring it up. She described in detail the challenges that special operations military forces actually face on the ground. I was stunned. This is not an easy book to read. It is an excellent work and provides enormous detail on special operations and CIA military activities in Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda. But it is tough sledding for folks not familiar with military terminology. She had it nailed, and it was not a mere pre-planned politician’s trick. She knew what she was talking about.
I came out of that meeting and realized I could be seeing the next President. If people could always see the real Hillary she would win in a cake walk. I admit her main failing is to over-think the politics of every situation and, as a result, she has at times appeared rigid, robotic, and programmed. But that is not the real her. She’s funny, quick, and can think and talk on her feet without choking on a pretzel.
So if No Quarter appears to be a pro-Hillary site, it is simply me trying to balance out the mountain of shit tossed her way.
I also like John Edwards. But he has not tasted even a hint of the personal and political attacks that have been launched against Hillary. Therefore I do not feel as much of a need to “defend” him. However, I have given my friends–Wayne Williams and Brad Parker–full permission to publish any John Edwards piece they want. They are rabid Edwards promoters.
Who would be the strongest national candidate for the Democrats? I think it is Edwards. That’s my analytical conclusion. I worry that the hatred and prejudice against Senator Clinton is so deep that it will be a tough obstacle to overcome. But then I think back to a time when I had accepted the anti-Hillary propaganda and what subsequently happened to my thinking after meeting her. The Hillary I saw behind the closed doors of her office is a genuine, smart, very likable person. If America is permitted to see that woman then she has a chance.
This goes a long way in explaining your position and I thank you. However it does not explain her blind support of the DLC, or her support of the AIPAC. When you can do that I’ll reopen my mind. I am goddamned tired of being snookered by elite bullshit.
How the bloody hell are you going to run from NY with its 36 electoral votes and not support AIPAC?
How about being honest? Is that so fucking out of reality? What country has been caught spying on this country more than any other in the last 20 yrs? Care to venture a guess? Why is it an American has to fear speaking out against the influence of an other country on our goddamn government?
Couldn’t agree more! It’s so out of control with support for Israel that even the chickens in the USA lay white eggs and they want to charge you extra for healthier, “organic” brown eggs. Eggs are white because the US poultry industry uses the Kosher/Israeli standard of not allowing the chickens to see daylight. Don’t elect anybody that supports AIPEC!
Oh for heaven’s sake — white eggs are not the result of some zionist-kosher-jewish plot. Egg color depends on the breed of chicken laying them.
AIPAC maybe be dictating our foreign policy, but they’re not dictating the color of our eggs.
Sorry, but you’re wrong. Only chickens that do not see daylight lay white eggs. If the minority Koshers want white eggs, then let THEM pay extra! Why should the majority pay extra for brown eggs? Brown eggs are the natural standard around the world!
Centrocita, gypsy is right. The colour of the eggs depends 100% on the breed of the chicken, not on whether they ever see daylight, for heaven’s sake.
Oh - and the colour of the eggshell is irrelevant to whether an egg is or is not kosher. Brown eggs most certainly ARE kosher. The general rule is that eggs from kosher chickens are kosher, eggs from non-kosher chickens are not.
You can’t blame “the Jooz” for everything, Centrocita.
Of course, Americans wouldn’t know the difference, but brown eggs have more protein and a dark yellow, almost orange yolk. That’s because chickens that lay brown eggs receive sunlight. Shirin, please don’t tell me the chickens in Iran lay white eggs because I wouldn’t belive it for a second. When I was growing up in the USA in the 50’s, store-bought eggs were brown — but that was before the Israeli lobbies took over our country. You’re probably not old enough to remember that American chickens also used to receive sunlight.
Centrocita, although I have been to Iran, I did not buy eggs there, or pay attention to the colours of the eggshells, so I don’t know what colour eggs chickens in Iran lay. I CAN tell you with absolute certainty and from direct experience what colour eggs chickens lay in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Pakistan, in Britain, in Mexico, and in the United States.
You see, I have at various times, kept chickens myself here in the U.S., and in Iraq we had a lot of chickens on the agricultural lands we owned. My chickens here ran around loose all day, and were shut up in a pen with a house at night. Some of the chickens at the villages in Iraq were completely free, and others lived in large open enclosures with houses to roost in. The mukhtars from the villages would come to the city several times a year to settle the accounts, and each time they would bring us dozens and dozens of eggs from the hens in the village. The eggs ranged in colour from white to dark brown and every shade in between, depending on the breed of the hen that laid them. The same is true of the chickens I kept.
In Pakistan the overwhelming majority of chicken eggs are white. Brown eggs are considered superior, but they are difficult to obtain and about twice as expensive as white eggs.
My recollection is that in Lebanon eggshell colours are as they are in Iraq - a big variety of colours, ranging from white to dark brown.
In Britain, the eggs I bought in the market were white.
The colour of the eggshell, and the shade of the yolk has nothing - NOTHING to do with sunlight. It has everything - EVERYTHING - do to with the breed of the hen that lays them.
And it has absolutely NOTHING to do with “the Jooz” or Israel, or kosher, or AIPAC, which is in any case a secular organization that deals in political matters, and has nothing to do with imposing kosher standards on anyone.
And, in any case, as I have said before, brown eggs are completely kosher as long as they come from kosher chickens.
So, you are wrong on all counts.
PS The reason most of the eggs sold in the United States now are white has to do with the breed of hens used in the majority of the mass-production farms are from a breed that produces eggs with white shells. It is as simple as that. It has nothing to do with sunlight, it has nothing to do with “the Jooz” or AIPAC (for heaven’s sake!) imposing kosher standards on U.S. egg production.
Shirin, I’m from Delaware. Delaware is a chicken state. The University of Delaware football team is called the Delaware Blue Hens. The Blue Hen is also the state bird. I can assure you that the chickens raised for the poultry industry on the East Coast are kept in covered houses that never get any sunlight. They produce stark, white eggs with pale, yellow yolks. Only chickens that are “free range” produce brown eggs.
Centrocita, your logic is flawed. If the chickens in Delaware are producing white eggs it is because they are Single Comb White Leghorns, not because they are kept in closed houses.
Fact: For mass production of brown eggs, instead of keeping White Leghorns in closed houses, they keep Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire, and Plymouth Rock hens in exactly the same types of closed houses, and voila! Brown eggs.
Fact: The purpose of light control in laying houses is all about maximizing egg production and has nothing to do with the colour of the eggshells.
Fact: Free range White Leghorns produce white eggs.
Fact: Brown eggs are every bit as kosher as white eggs are, therefore there is no need for “the Jooz” to try to force United States egg producers to produce white eggs.
Fact: AIPAC is a secular, political organization that has nothing to do with religion, food, kosherness, or anything else to do with eggs, except that probably most of its members eat eggs.
Fact: You just can’t blame “the Jooz” for the colour of eggshells.
centrocitta, you have truly jumped the shark here. This is the stupidest fucking thread I’ve ever read. Shirin is correct on every count, and you are wrong on every count. And frankly, your continued blather about a subject which you clearly don’t know the first thing about, and one which is so obviously and easily fact-checked, together with your effort to make a political connection between the ‘Joooz’ and AIPAC and the color of EGG SHELLS for god’s sake, rather undermines your credibility on all the other “facts” you’ve put forth here in the past, on other subjects. You’ve dug a bit of a hole here. Do yourself a favor - admit you’re talking out of your ASS on this particular subject and stop digging.
I have have learned a lot on this site about a lot of things but I have to admit that the egg debate tops them all. Actually I had a delicious 3 egg omlette this morning but I cannot remember what color the eggs were or what state they were from but they were good.
Now I believe after hearing from the egg experts I can safely ask the age old question which came first the chicken or the egg?
(Only joking people and just trying to add a little levity to the egg discussion!!!)
But were they KOSHER eggs, Bill?
Seriously, I have heard The Jooz accused of all kinds of things in my lifetime, but never ever could I have imagined that I would hear them be accused of undue influence over egg shell colours!
Oh yeah - and I forgot to mention something. You know that state bird of Delaware, the Blue Hen Chicken? Well, that was rather a - ummmmm - red herring? See the Blue Hen Chicken is not a hen at all, and it has nothing to do with eggs. The Blue Hen Chicken is really a rooster, and its claim to fame is cock fighting, not egg laying.
Shirin, I enjoy your debates, however, you can take the girl out of Delaware but you can’t take Delaware out of the girl! So I don’t agree with you about the state bird. At any rate, you are loads of fun and I must give you credit for trying. Merry Christmas and I hope Santa treats you well. Sincerely yours,
The Woman in the Leopard Print Slip
Centrocita, you are free o disagree with the facts as much as you want, but they will remain the facts.
“The Blue Hen Chicken has been the state bird of Delaware since 1939. This gorgeous chicken originally came from Kent County and was used in cockfights.
“It was during the Revolutionary War that soldiers from Kent County brought along chickens for amusement during their down time. The fierceness of the chickens became the namesake for the tough-fighting troops, and a symbol throughout Delaware.
“This rooster is tall with black legs and big black tail. The chest is grey. The mantle is yellow changing to red at the top of the head, with a bright red comb.”
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art24222.asp
“The second company was composed of men from Kent County…. The troops often amused themselves by staging cock fights with a breed known as the Kent County Blue Hen, recognizable for its blue plumage.
“The renown of these chickens spread rapidly during the time when cock fighting was a popular form of amusement, and the “Blue Hens’ Chickens” developed quite a reputation for ferocity and fighting success.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hen_Chicken
“Mr. Caldwell produced a strain of fighting gamecocks noted for their blue plumage and fighting ability that were descended from a famous Blue Hen.
“It’s said that heroics during the battle of Long Island firmly established the connection between the Delaware soldiers and their fighting gamecocks. Again, at White Plains, New York, the Delaware regiment distinguished itself, earning the reputation of fierce and courageous warriors like the ‘Blue Hen’s Chickens’ they had brought with them. When not fighting the enemy, the officers and men amused themselves by pitting their Blue Hen Chickens in cock-fights. The fame of these cock-fights spread throughout the army and when in battle, the Delaware men fought so valiantly that they were compared to these fighting cocks“.”
I looked and looked and looked, and not a single word about eggs in connection with the Blue Hen Chicken.
Chickens, egg-shells and AIPAC!? LOL. What will AIPAC and Israel think of next?
AIPAC is part of the Jooz scheme to rule the world, starting one eggshell at a time.
But which came first: the eggshell or AIPAC?
….This gorgeous chicken originally came from Kent County….
Now, with this I must heartily agree. We Delaware chics are very good looking! Maybe that’s why our commuting Senators have been known to lend assistance in carrying our bags off the train.
….I looked and looked and looked, and not a single word about eggs in connection with the Blue Hen Chicken….
Very interesting. Did you read then that they were cloned?
Well, Leslie, that certainly is ONE good question!
Centrocita, did you miss the point deliberately? Blue Hen Chickens are not now and have never been used in egg production. Their claim to fame is as fighting cocks, not egg layers.
Did I accidentally fall through the Looking Glass or something?
And what about the Araucana chickens, and similar South American breeds? They lay BLUE or GREEN eggs! Whose fault is that, the Ukranians’?
Nah - that’s the doing of lazy American Christians who want their Easter eggs to come pre-coloured.
bill, please go check the garbage so you can ascertain the color of the eggs and report back to us. inquiring minds and all of that.
nat’l security and eggs.
~~~
omg, this thread has provided great comic relief.
lions, and tigers and bears, oh my.
OK, eggsperts, so it’s the breed of chicken that determines egg color. Well, like I said before, when I was growing up in Delaware in the 50’s storebought eggs from big grocery chains such as A&P were BROWN! So eggsperts, please tell me why the breed of chicken has been changed? Could it possibly have been changed, for some odd reason, to the same breed of chickens used in Israel? Could it possibly be because the idea is to give everybody Kosher eggs because non-Jews wouldn’t know the difference anyway? Could this possibly be it or am I just even further out in left field? Who are the lobbyists for the poultry industry in America? And by the way, if brown, free range eggs wern’t a healthier choice, why do they cost more?
I can’t resist but here is where it all started:LOL
The Egg Basket of the World!
http://www.sonic.net/~tdn/Pet1.html
Centrocita, what part of “brown eggs are as kosher as white eggs are” has not been clear to you so far?
Here’s the deal, Centrocita:
Fact: Brown eggs that come from kosher hens are kosher.
Fact: White eggs that do NOT come from kosher hens are NOT kosher.
Conclusion: Egg colour does not determine whether or not an egg is kosher.
Here’s another little tidbit for you, Centrocita. It is not only brown eggs from free range hens that are more expensive. White eggs from free range chickens are more expensive as well, and organic eggs are even more expensive. The reason is simple. They cost more to produce and there are fewer of them available on the market.
Now, how about letting go of your “Eggshell Protocols of the Elders of Zion” fantasy, and moving on to a new one, please? This was fun for a while, but it’s getting a bit boring.
Ciao tutti. Buon Natale!
I believe we could add a few other countries who spied on our country more than Israel in 20 years. And getting caught doesn’t show much mastery in spying, so maybe we might be paranoid and figure out how many time Britian spied on us, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Russia, India, etc. Then we say, “Israel” spied on us more than anyone, we’d at least be accurate.
I can’t make much sense of your demand of Larry to do something so you’ll have an open mind. You want Truth!? well, when you say convince you and then you’ll open your mind, I can only respond truthfully with, I’d prefer your mind was wide open. WIDE. If you don’t wish that, don’t put that condition on Larry, or anyone else. You are busy implying that Clinton has to have integrity, but you don’t display integrity so how will you recognize it?
Clinton and others play these politician games and I’m busy watching them thinking about them as kids, Biden, Dodd, Clinton, Roy Blunt, etc, as awkward teens who think they know so much, and see their faces get old and fat. I see how they talk with such seriousness but their heart isn’t in it. I also see tons of humble professionals who would do a much better job, but don’t want it. Once in a while the blowhard politician is useful if you are playing off the board.
Venture if you will to a place above the board where the king and queen aren’t the main objects of affection and defense. When the moves are made, which ones are more powerful? I don’t think we should forget the bishops, knights, rooks and of course pawns. Will an unknown like Congressman Robert Wexler of the Florida 19th be the one who successfully introduced a bill to discuss impeachment hearings.
Who is your representative? What is their voting record, is it consistent with your values/principles? are you in the political minority where you are?
Look MEP, I’m sick of king and queen making. I’m sick of stamping my name to their game and seeing much of the same including the outing of plame, and there will be nobody to blame, but me, if I spend too much time expecting Hillary Clinton to get it.
Thanks for your fiery passion, but be mindful if you aren’t getting real results towards your real goal, if its independence and happiness for people.
chris you mention other countries spying on hte u.s.
i will point out the israel attacked the uss liberty with 34 killed and 170+ wounded. and the lavon affair. thought about/tried to assassinate our ambassador to lebanon in ‘79. gave the soviets the jonathan pollard material, which was only the mother of all goldmines for ivan. ad naseum.
nice “allies.” they are in a league of their own.
ps. and virtually all americans know jack squat about the uss liberty…to include naval academy officers!
I agree, and it is a shame
Isn’t this more a necessity than a failing?
Awesome post. Sums up my feelings as well (that is, I think Edwards is the strongest national candidate) but helps allay me fears and concerns over Senator Clinton, whom I want to like, but find cold and triangulating in public. Thanks very much!
Edwards IS potentially the strongest national candidate and the one the ReubliCONS fear the most - which explains the focus on bashing Hillary and Obama - “don’t throw me in da’ ‘der brier patch!!!” - There is no doubt that Hillery is up to the job, it’s just that She and Obama will raise the NeoKKKons faster than Rush with a handful of Viagra and Oxyies in a Dominican Orphanage at lights out . . .
Lets talk about the Constitution. Lets talk about the Country that my father earned 13 fucking battle stars from the U S Navy during WWII. Hillary can’t get elected if she goes against the AIPAC? Who gives a fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Goddamnit!
MEP, tidbit, they do make decaf brands that taste just as good as the real deal. Just a thought. And, what about the Constitution? While you may be tired of people caving into the whim of AIPAC or whatever, I’m getting tired if impotent citizens who are so busy yelling at their representatives and getting nothing in return, then continuing the same course of action the very next day. What is up with the citizens of these days and this country that so many of these changes can be done in front of them and they simply don’t care.
My second tidbit would be in how you would get those citizens to sit up and take notice to the shredded paper around them that used to be their Constitution and Bill of Rights. What happened to their Executive Branch, their Legislators, and Judiciary? Or perhaps, was it always like that?
You say you hate elites, and many would agree with you there, but can you convert the masses?
but can you convert the masses?
An example might be The Revolution of 1789.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-FrenchRe.html
I was totally decided not to vote for her and most likely stay at home or cast a blanc vote. I might just vote for her if she wins the primary. Until then, Edwards is my first choice.
And no, I don’t think you are a Hillary cheerleader.
The influence of the AIPAC? Gee why is it we can’t have a serious conversation? Larry, please give me and others an answer, or an attempt at one.
MEP, Gore was an even bigger AIPAC lover than Hillary is! He used to make his annual speech at their convention, and he would go all weepy and talk about his great love for Israel.
Her connection to AIPAC is just one part of what concerns me about her. She has no intention of letting all of Bush’s efforts on Iraq go for nothing. She will finish the imperial job for him.
Shirin
I don’t give a shit about Gore. We are talking about NOW! I do not always agree with you and others but I admire your honesty and your heart. We are talking about the survival of our WORLD! You, me and the goat herder in Oman. The rice farmer in Nepal. The Mayan farmer in Central America, who according to many was a Commie and the poor little bastard was just trying to protect his family from rape and pilage. Where does this shit end?
Part of my point was that you aren’t going to find a successful politician in Washington that goes against AIPAC.
Darlin, I understand your statement, I do not except the outcome. I’m a southern white former redneck. If I can see a different course, others can also. I will not lay down as a doormat for what is proscribed as the “easy path”. I will rail and raise hell whenever, in the hope that sanity will prevail. Its late and I’m tired if my spelling is at fault oh well. And just to let you know, for me to call you Darlin is a term of endearment cause you have balls.
And just to let you know, for me to call you Darlin is a term of endearment cause you have balls.
Priceless!
If you have something to say in my direction say it. If not, she has the balls and you don’t
Relax MEP - you’re flying off the handle for no damned reason. Are you just searching for reasons to fight?
My point in saying “pricelss” is that your comment was funny — it made me laugh — not for any other reason.
And I agree with about Shirin. Her depth of knowledge and presence here is worth me visting this blog everyday.
Sheesh. Touchy, touchy.
You are right I am touchy, cause I am just fucking sick that thousands of people have died and many more will. if that makes me a fool I gladly wear it.
I forgot to add Fuck off!
You are making a fool of yourself. I intended no insult.
Now you can apologize for behaving like a paranoid jerk.
Larry - thanks for elaborating on your perspective.
I have never doubted HRC’s intellect or detailed grasp of issues. And yes, I have heard from people who’ve met and traveled with her that she is every bit as personable and charming as you say.
My problems with her remain: her embrace of corporations and their needs — to the detriment of citizens, her willingness to “negotiate” with insurance companies and big pharma in creating a fair and equitable health care system, and her habit of playing both sides against the middle on practically every issue, which results in a lack of opennesss about her real views.
To me, she represents the past, the good ol’days of the 90’s. So many of us knew in 2000 that her carpetbagger gig in New York was just a jumping off point to presidential run. Then there was her push for a flag burning amendment, her vote for the AUMF, her long-drawn out refusal to acknowledge any mistake in judgment…
These things all add up to the image of a very calculating politician, something I am not comfortable with.
As I’ve said many times, if she is the nominee I will support her candidacy in the GE, because I cannot abide the thought of any more outright criminality and corruption such as I have seen with the Republican party of the last seven years.
But the prospect of it does deflate me, just as I felt deflated working for and voting for Kerry when my first choice, Howard Dean, lost the nomination in 2004.
HI there, Shoephone. Still using that fabulous lotion you brought me at the hospital. Thank you again. It was special to meet you.
I keep thinking about 2003-2004 too. A friend came over today, and we reminisced about our Meetups — the huge gatherings here, in such a small town, for Howard Dean. Those were the days. It was hard to work for Kerry, but every time I saw George Bush, it helped me campaign for Kerry.
Now, I think about the Supreme Court, Social Security, the environment, energy, and international relations.
My big worry about John Edwards: His commitment to public financing through the general. That’d really cripple him in a GE. I cannot fathom why he went for that. (And I saw that he failed to get the FEC to give him matching funds for those millions of dollars people donated to ActBlue’s site.) Kos has written about the huge problem this poses for a Edwards nomination. I wish he could get out of it. Is there a way?
“There are two ways–no way and no way in hell”.
Word for word I heard this from a cohort a work.
With no explination as to why he felt this way.
I guess I’m just totally out of touch with reality. And no I will never learn to gush on command. Good night.
Hi Susan - I’m so glad you like that lotion, I do too! Mostly because it makes your hands feel like silk and there is no lingering strong frangrance to it.
I’m also concerned about the challenge Edwards faces because of the public funding scenario. I think he felt he had to do it because at the time he wasn’t pulling in nearly as much $ as either Clinton or Obama and figured this option would help him. And the ruling on Act Blue donations really stinks. It’s NOT a PAC and I can’t understand why the judge defined it as one.
I’m not clear, though, on whether this move was only intended for the primaries or the whole campaign enchilada, if you will.
If Edwards were to win the nomination, the 527’s (which he has said he doesn’t approve of) would have to gear up for advertising in a monumental way.
As someone who has been working for public campaign financing at the state and local level, I should check into the particulars of Edwards’ situation more.
*I’m having a hard time with our incessant dark days and constant rain the last two weeks. How ’bout you?
Happy Holidays Shoephone…which Judge?
On another note : And I agree with about Shirin.
Shirin: Sorry if I made you batty…Thanks.
Well, right now, you are all making me blush. :o}
Oops - Sorry. It wasn’t a judge (doh!). It was the FEC…
And I just checked and, of course, Act Blue IS registered as a PAC.
I guess what this means is the blogs sponsoring Act Blue pages are going to have to remind and strongly urge Edwards supporters to contribute to his campaign directly.
***HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU TOO***
shoephone, excellent suggestion about support for Edwards.
Shoephone
If the shoe does not fit, you have my apology. Yep I’m a bit testy. Learned tonight that a family member is at risk of being deployed. If I lashed out and hit the wrong target, I am surely at fault. My point now is that soon it may be someone close to you and yours. I should have been more “targeted” with my venom. I just do not have any more leash available for parsing. I do not want to see another American of Iraqi killed for bullshit reasons. Someone explain to me why another American or Iraqi should die for the policy of another country. i’ll let you or who ever fill in the blank as to what country I’m referring too.
Apology accepted, MEP. Hoping for the best regarding your relative.
They shouldn’t. I hope your relative is not deployed.
Have you seen the latest from Scott Ritter?
December 17, 2007
US Must Reevaluate Its Relationship With Israel
by Scott Ritter
The insidious manner in which the current Israeli government has manipulated the domestic political machinery of the United States to produce support for its policies constitutes nothing less than direct interference in the governance of a sovereign state. The degree to which the current Israeli government has succeeded in this regard can be tracked not only by the words and actions of the administration of President George W. Bush and the American Congress, but also by the extent to which a pro-Israel lexicon has taken hold within the mainstream media of the United States. Witness the pro-Israel bias displayed when discussing the situation in southern Lebanon, the air strike in Syria, or the Iranian situation, and the retarding of any effort toward a responsible discussion of anything dealing with Israel becomes apparent.
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/ritter.php?articleid=12064
Scott makes some excellent points in that article, but also makes some nauseatingly fawning comments along with them.
Israel is a country that could not have been created, and could not continue to exist without massive and continuously ongoing ethnic cleansing (I recommend The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe). Its expansionist ambitions are part of of the documentary record, and are demonstrated in its behaviour, continuing until today. Israel has also, from before it became a state, displayed contempt for international law, human rights, and the community of western, democratic states, of which it claims to be a member. Israel has consistently shown contempt even for its own agreements, including the famous UNGA 181 that allotted 56% of the land to a European immigrant community that comprised barely 30% of the population, and opened the door to the ethnic cleansing of some one million indigenous people, whose families had inhabited the land for centuries. When Israel’s founders agreed to 181 they had no intention of honouring it. Israel’s human rights record ranks among the worst. Israel is a racist ethnocracy that, in many cases officially, in other cases, merely with a wink and a nod, provides one level of privileges, services, and rights to its Jewish citizens, and quite another to its Palestinian citizens. Israel’s Palestinian citizens are, in fact, considered above all else a “demographic threat”. Israel’s record of aggression and blatant provocation against its neighbors is well known.
And of course, Israel has a propaganda and P.R. machine that has no rival anywhere.
(I recommend The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe).
Read it. Isn’t he living in the UK now?
I was justed stunned to learn all that I did after years of conditioning.
In 1895, Herzl, the founder of Zionism, wrote in his diary:
“We must expropriate gently the private property on the state assigned to us. We shall try to spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries, while denying it employment in our country. The property owners will come over to our side. Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discretely and circumspectly. Let the owners of the immoveable property believe that they are cheating us, selling us things for more than they are worth. But we are not going to sell them anything back.” (America And The Founding Of Israel, p. 49, Righteous Victims, p. 21-22)
Yes, Cee, the understanding that it would be necessary to “transfer” (aka ethnically cleanse the indigenous Palestinians began right at the very beginning, has continued throughout Zionism’s/Israel’s history, and is still very much in force today pertaining both to Israel’s own “equal” Palestinian citizens, and more openly to the Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
For those of us who have studied the Zionist/Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nothing in Pappe’s book comes as a surprise. It is a very valuable book because he finally calls it by its name, and presents it as what it was.
For the best accounting of Zionism’s history in regard to ethnic cleansing, read Expulsion of the Palestinians by Nur Masalha.
“a pro-Israel lexicon has taken hold within the mainstream media of the United States.”
Scott makes it sound as if this were something recent! On the contrary, it has been the case all along. And Israel has mechanisms intended to squash any attempt at an honest portrayal of Israel’s less pretty face. The organization C.A.M.E.R.A. is part of that mechanism.
And then, of course, there is MEMRI, the ultra-right-wing Zionist group whose raison d’etre is to comb through Arabic and Persian media to find items and snippets that they can use to demonize Arabs, Iranians, and Muslims. They then translate them, deceptively, if “necessary”, and get them into the American media. They are wildly successful. Just about anything negative you see or hear about in the U.S. MSM that comes from the Arabic media probably comes from MEMRI.
One of the techniques that MEMRI uses to change the meaning of something is malicious translation. In a malicious translation, when there is more than one way to translate a word or phrase, the translator ignores context and intent, and chooses the worst available translation. But, as you will soon see, MEMRI does not stop there.
I to have noticed MEMRI used as THE source on CNN and Fox and it always looks bad. Arabs= terrorist is what is pointed out endlessly at a intellectually lazy public. In fact our whole media has been doing this forever. When is an Arab ever portrayed as a good guy or even human-like? NEVER, they’re always wild eyed AK- 47 wielding and screaming as they commit homicidal acts against helpless women and children. this is a carefully crafted view of Arabs but it is no where near reality. It is the equivalent of showing an endless video loop of KKK meetings and deducing that all white people or Americans are racist bigots. My wife’s father a (Lebanese man) fought against Hitler’s army in WW2. I bet that will never be mentioned on MEMRI’s “Arab 10 minutes of hate”.
the best way to know what Arab people are like is to go out of your comfort zone and actually talk to them. (Oh yeah and eat their WONDERFUL food). I know farfetched, talk instead of shoot.
Ah one can dream?
Your father-in-law can probably confirm my translation and analysis of MEMRI’s deceptive, ugly mistranslation.
I wish he ( my father in law) could, but he has passed on. I hope we have other translators working for our media/government OTHER than MEMRI or we are screwed. can you do this site a favor? whenever you hear the next installment of the boogieman chronicles, can you translate it so us uneducated in the arabic language can hear what is really being said? it would be a great service to all.
thank you if this is possible Shirin
another question…..Shirin,
Are there any Arab PAC’s or law firms in the USA that can go after these guys (MEMRI) in court for falsely translating arabic to suit their agenda ( slander or whatever)? there ought to be some claim of them being anti Semitic as well since they propagate the “Arab Myth”. why are they allowed to get away with it?
if we can’t hear what is truly being said, we have no ability to make an informed decision on what to do with this information.
Sorry your father-in-law is no longer around!
Regarding the translations, I will do what I can, but in all honesty, I don’t usually pay much attention to this stuff unless someone gets in my face with it.
Apparently there is not a whole lot anyone can do legally about MEMRI’s agenda of demonization. If there were, I would think one of the Arab or Muslim advocacy groups would have tried by now.
Here is an example of MEMRI’s fine work, which many of you probably have seen.
Do you remember some months ago seeing a horrifying clip from a Palestinian children’s show that featured a Mickey-Mouse-like character? It was all over the MSM for a week or so - I think even John Stewart did a bit on it. Scandalous wasn’t it, and bordering on child abuse? Well, that was translated and then generously provided to the U.S. media by - you guessed it! - MEMRI.
Here are a few excerpts from it, first in transliterated Arabic, then the correct translation, then MEMRI’s “translation”.
Sanabel is the little girl in the clip:
Arabic: “Sanabel, enti shoo hate’mali … ya’ni … min ajl el-Aqsa? Shoo hatefdi … ya’ni roohek min ajl el-Aqsa? Shoo hate’mali?”
Correct translation: “Sanabel, what are you going to do … like … for the sake of Al Aqsa? What are you going to sacrifice … like your soul for the sake of Al-Aqsa? What are you going to do?”
“MEMRI mistranslation: “Sanabel, what will you do for the sake of the Al-Aqsa Mosque? How will you sacrifice your soul for the sake of Al-Aqsa? What will you do?”
This is a good example of a malicious translation. Here the incorrectness in the MEMRI translation may seem subtle, but it changes the sense of the question that is being asked of the little girl.
_________________________________
Sanabel: “B’di arsem soora.”
Corrrect Translation:” I will (lit. I want to) to draw a picture.
“MEMRI Mistranslation: “I will shoot”
There is exactly zero chance that this is an honest mistake. Draw a picture and shoot are not even remotely similar in Arabic.
_________________________________
Arabic: “Aish hane’mal ya’ni kaif ehna bedna ya sanabel enharrer …”
“Correct Translation: “What are we going to do … Sanabel, like how are we going to liberate …”
“MEMRI translation: “Sanabel, what should we do if we want to liberate…”
Sanabel answers:
Arabic: “Bedna enqawem.”
Correct Translation: “We will (lit. want to) resist.”
MEMRI Mistranslation: “We want to fight.”
It is not possible to confuse the two verbs. Resist and fight are two completely different Arabic verbs conveying two completely different concepts. Resistance may include violence, but most often does not. (In fact, Palestinians have always used more nonviolent than violent resistance in their struggle, though the nonviolent resistance is hardly ever reported.)
____________________________
And then there is this brazen corker from MEMRI (Sanabel is speaking here):
Arabic: “Betokhoona el yahood.”
Correct Translation: “The Jews will shoot us.”
MEMRI Mistranslation: “We will annihilate the Jews.”
Unbelievably blatant, and clearly intentional! Even a first-year Arabic student could not make this mistake. The words for shoot and annihilate are completely different, cannot be confused with one another, and grammatically, it is not possible to confuse the direct object and the subject.
Need I say more about the trustworthiness (not to mention the obvious intention) of MEMRI’s work?
keep it up Sharin,
thanks for translating …. Nothing should be translated with an agenda behind it.
The truth is all we need, not invented enemies.
MEP: You were out of line..
I have a son in Falluja and you are correct..your venom was misplaced..
Thanks for apologizing to the bloggers here..
MEP, your family member, unlike the Iraqis, has a choice. Your family member can say “hell no, I won’t take part in this criminal enterprise”.
But will your family member have the courage to do that?
M