There will be no blogroll next Friday. Instead, I will be here...
...and here...
Chicago rules. But anyway, that's next week. This week, I'm still here, and once again, the blogs were pretty top-notch. It's a pretty easy connection to make, really...the worse and more dramatic the week, the better bloggers write.
Idiot Media
"How is it that the response of CNN to our failure in Iraq and Israel's continuing failure in Lebanon is to wonder if Revelations is coming true? (Dana Blankenhorn)"
Israel/Lebanon
"No one gets a pass from me on the basis of their 'race', ethnicity, or nationality. Governments aren't 'a people', they're governments, and they all do bad things from time to time. Jews and/or Israelis are no different from the rest of the human race (Avedon...well freaking said)."
"How convenient for all of us then that the Israelis are fightin' 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here. No wonder we rushed in those delayed missiles. We can't let "world terror" win fergawdsake! (Digby)"
"In recent days, Roger L. Simon, co-founder of Sickbag Media, has linked to a site purporting to show that 99% of Beirut has been unscathed in the recent bombing. I wonder how big a percentage of New York City was hit on 9/11; yet the impact was, to put in mildly, considerable (Wolcott)."
"Say it!! Say you love Israel!! (Alicublog)"
"If it breeds more terrorists through its actions than it eliminates and/or deters, then it's not helping its security, but engaging (unwittingly or not) in collective punishment, which is both illegal and morally unjustifiable (Demosthenes)."
"As a political discussion about Israel grows longer, the probability that a defender of Israel will level accusations of anti-semitism against the critics of Israel approaches one (Interesting Times)."
Iraq
"Welcome to the Pessimists Club, David. You're going to love the initiation rites (Billmon)."
"If you want to know what the U.S. should do about the new Middle East war and any other complex, grave national security matter, you have to talk to Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes and Stephen Hadley and Peter Beinart and Joe Lieberman and John McCain and Tom Friedman and Rich Lowry and Newt Gingrich and all the other "serious" tough guys who might have been wrong about every single thing they said about Iraq but, for some reason that is impossible to discern, are supposed to be the only ones with any credibility on these questions -- still. But whatever you do, just don't listen to Howard Dean or anyone of his ilk, no matter how right he might have been about Iraq (Greenwald)."
"While all those so-called panderers like Howard Dean were opposing the launch of the Clusterfuck formerly known as Iraq, what was brave, brave, prime fightin' age Beinart doing? Oh, yes, decrying people like Howard Dean who were opposed to the invasion of Iraq as being not just a mistake but counterproductive to fighting terrorism. Guess who turned out to be right Petey? (Rising Hegemon)"
Iran
"I'm not sure what to do with the endless parade of articles talking about plans to start a war with iran. it seems self-evident that any such war would be incredibly stupid and make an even greater mess out of the country and region.and yet, i also realize there are people surrounding this president who are not really living in the same reality the rest of us are (Upyernoz)."
The American Dictatorship
"Bush seems to have created a dictatorship by exploiting a national tragedy, by manipulating a wave of fear, by fanning the flames of racial and religious prejudice. He divided the world into two opposing camps: us and 'evil-doers' and declared that if you disagreed with him, then you, too, were an 'evil doer'. Declaring that he did not do nuance, Bush made stupidity a virtue (Existentialist Cowboy)."
"There's a new Diageo/Hotline Poll [PDF press release] out this morning, and it's a beauty (First Draft)."
Homeland "Security"
"Just a reminder that this happened on Bush's watch, as did the 9/11 attack, the failed response to Katrina, the loss of $9 billion by the CPA, the erosion of Constitutional protections, and the fake war that has resulted in thousands of needless deaths while creating a training ground for terrorists. Did I mention that the Vice President shot an old man in the face? (blogroll newcomer TBogg...no idea why TBogg wasn't on the blogroll...especially after many Quote(s) of the Day...major oversight)"
The Decider's Lapdog
"Dogs simply love you, and will do whatever you want, no matter how much you mistreat them (AMERICAblog)."
The Shrill One
"Who would have imagined that history would prove so easy to rewrite in a democratic nation with a free press? (Atrios)"
Bush Foreign Policy
"In South Korea, traditionally a U.S. ally, two-thirds of people under 30 said in a recent poll that if there were war between North Korea and the United States, they would side with North Korea (Great Society...how disgusting is that???)."
"Frankly, after reading all of this, "Grrr, Arrgh" pretty much sums up my mood (Firedoglake...by the way, the "Grr, Arrgh" is the single best part of The Butterfly's love of Buffy. We own all the episodes, and we've made our way to Season 4...that's a lot of "Grrr, Arrgh"'s, but it has yet to get old. Oh, and Christy...she very much thanks you for the link to the pilot. I, on the other hand, am a little too pissy from the Newsweek article to actually enjoy it.)."
Bubba and Joementum
"Days after Bill Clinton stood next to Joe Leaverman and he and Hillary expressed their support for his reelection, the Big Dog came out yesterday and told Israel that their Lebanese campaign is disproportionate and a cease-fire is necessary to stop the killing. What will the Big Dog do when Joe sticks it to Clinton and continues to side with letting Israel do whatever it wants for as long as it wants? (Left Coaster)"
Gay Marriage
"Both parties are defending a different branch of 'traditional marriage', branches which once were seen as harmonious but now have been revealed to be in conflict (Debate Link)."
Marriage
"There is a widespread view of marriage in this country which sees "the family" as a sacred institution and expects real living people to mold themselves to fit this sacredness, even if it hurts like hell (Echidne)."
Abortion
"In this ever-changing world, it's good to know there are things we can count on, and pro-lifers assuming that women who obtain abortions are entirely devoid of agency is certainly one of them (Lefarkins)."
"As we’ve covered before, it’s one of the inconvienent facts about the abortion debate that you cannot make an argument against abortion rights without either turning your back on the American ideal of equality and/or resorting to religious nonsense (Pandagon)."
Lame Bob Casey
"Casey is a step up from Santorum. Of that there is no doubt. But he is no friend of gays. Or women. Never again are we going to allow them to clear the field for a candidate like Bob Casey in a state like Pennsylvania. We'll go all Lamont on their ass (BooMan)."
"It’s okay to vote for Bob Casey because he won’t vote to put assholes like this in charge of the environment (Susie Madrak...I don't love this logic, but I guess she's right...plus, I'm a sucker for any mention of the Dumbest Senator in US History)."
Life Expectancy
"Those with good insurance plans--a decreasing fraction of the population--get good, life-extending health care. The rest must make do. And the result is that enough people fall through the cracks to place us at the bottom of the rich country life expectancy tables (Gadflyer)."
Missouri Politics (a.k.a. Let Them Eat Cake!)
"Earlier this week, Senator Jim Talent made news by calling for an investigation into AmerenUE and their handling of the power outage in St. Louis. But later in the same day, after getting pressure from his major political contributors, he backed off that statement (Fired Up! Missouri)."
One More Reason Why Chicago Rules
"Of course, Wal-Mart is hinting that this will mean that they won't be gracing Chicagoland with any more Wal-Marts and may close the ones that they have. To which the Chicago city council says 'Tough. Costco already meets our wage and benefit requirements. Why can't you?' (Mercury Rising)"
And Finally...
"Mannion. Lance Mannion. (For the record, I most resemble Gene Hackman. The Butterfly most resembles Heidi Klum. As has been said many times, I outkicked my coverage.)"
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