Pardon John Walker Lindh; WHY?

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday December 17, 2008 · 6:09 PM PST

2008/12/17 · 18:09

Because Josh Marshall has brought this up several times, I think someone ought to respond. Specifically, Josh says today, that

Lawyers for John Walker Lindh (the 'American Taliban'), who has now spent seven years in prison, are asking President Bush to commute his sentence. Not expecting a lot of agreements. And I don't think it's particularly likely. But I think it's the right thing to do.

This has been some sort of cause celebre for Josh. Earlier, Josh asserted that

This guy was simply a victim of Fox News justice, a paroxysm of jingoism that the justice system is supposed to resist and counter rather than enforce. This isn't to romanticize the guy. Like a lot of other losers and goofballs who slip into cults and extremist groups, I'm sure he was a real piece of work, at least at the time. Perhaps he still is. But the evidence that he had ever committed an act that actually transgressed against a real American law was meager at best.

Join me on the flip for why I think Josh's priorities are misplaced.

Poll

175 votes Show Results

Does John Walker Lindh deserve a pardon?

175 votes Vote Now!

Does John Walker Lindh deserve a pardon?

Yes, absolutely.

72 votes

Not a chance

67 votes

Under an ideal pardon system yes, but not the one we have.

4 votes

There are people much more deserving so we shouldn't waste advocacy for this.

32 votes

Letter to Party Leadership: Publicly Denounce Hillary's Fratricidal Tactics

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 07, 2008 · 12:27 AM PST

2008/03/07 · 00:27

I have had it. Logically, this should be a good thing: two great Democratic leaders, fighting neck-in-neck for an impassioned primary electorate of Dems, people registering as Dems just to vote in an exciting race, free air-time for our candidates as they discuss how much better they could make this country, people forgetting about that old washed-up McBush, and reinforcing the impression that the Democratic race is the real race for the White House. That's what it looked like it was going to be (to me) on Super Tuesday. A drawn-out race, but a good race. Didn't happen. Hillary went dirty. Of course, she has every right to differentiate herself from Obama, but the bullshite lies, the impugning of his integrity, and finally the "me and McCain are ready, but Obama's not" crap that we are hearing. . . . This must stop.

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday February 19, 2008 · 11:27 PM PST

2008/02/19 · 23:27

This is not only in response to a specific diary, but also in response to a lot of comments I am starting to hear around here, in other blogs, and from my friends. I am a fervent Obama supporter. I have maxed out my contribution to him, and so has my wife. I've met him on two ocassions, canvassed for him, and made calls for him. In short, I want him to win the nomination. I want him to win the election. Hell, i think I want him to win re-election already. I have been turned off by some of the Clinton tactics (mainly Bill's) in this campaign. But I do like Hillary, have a fondness for the Clinton Presidency, and really believe my signature: "I am not voting against Hillary, I am voting for Obama." I wish people on both sides would keep that in perspective, but that is not what this diary is about. No, I want Obama to win, and I would be thrilled personally if it all wrapped up now. But I do not think that would be good for the party, good for the country, or good for Obama. Hillary is not obligated at all to drop out and she should not drop out.

Join me on the flip to explain.

Poll

162 votes Show Results

Should Hillary Drop out?

162 votes Vote Now!

Should Hillary Drop out?

Yes, Now.

33 votes

No, not Now.

8 votes

If she Loses Texas AND Ohio

29 votes

If she Loses Texas OR Ohio

68 votes

She should fight on to Pennsylvania regardless and then reassess

23 votes

Who cares? Go McCain!

1 vote

S. Carolina Dem Turnout HUGE

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday January 26, 2008 · 6:46 PM PST

2008/01/26 · 18:46

By my count, roughly 100K more people turned out to vote in the Democratic primary than in the Republican primary in South freaking Carolina. That's huge. This is a state that has been reliably Republican since the very beginnings of the Southern realignment in the 60's. What are people's takes on this?

Poll

206 votes Show Results

Is the huge turnout in South Carolina indicative of a Dem landslide in November?

206 votes Vote Now!

Is the huge turnout in South Carolina indicative of a Dem landslide in November?

Yes.

94 votes

25 votes

Maybe so

87 votes

This Site Jumps the Shark with Pro Bin Ladin Diary That is Frontpaged

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday September 09, 2007 · 10:54 PM PDT

2007/09/09 · 22:54

That's it. I quit. I have been a long-time member of this community. I've even made the rec list once or twice. But the front-paged diary, promoted by Meteor Blades, positing that Bin Ladin is not evil and is just fighting some injustices; that the victims of 9/11 have a right to be pissed, but the rest of us don't; that Bin Ladin is just another misunderstood revolutionary. . . . That's where I get off this train. I thought we had shared values.

I thought by most commenters' views, and by Kos himself that one of the reasons we got Iraq wrong was because we should have killed/captured Bin Ladin in Tora Bora and continued to dismantle al Qaeda. Now, I am reading that this is all apparently BS meant as a ruse to give us an excuse to be against the Iraq war, and really we should just listen to Bin Ladin who has some legitimate gripes and is no different than Ronald Reagan and other American leaders. I am out of here, and it's diaries like that one, front-paged by Meteor Blades no less, that make all the right-wingers' parodies of this place, that I have fought time-and-again, suddenly ring true. See y'all. I'll be at OpenLeft or somewhere else without this kind of crazy crap.

Why does Volokh Hate Israel -- Everyone There is Harry Reid

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday May 02, 2007 · 11:18 AM PDT

2007/05/02 · 11:18

As everyone will recall, the right wing, and its dead-end supporters in the blogosphere, had a conniption when Harry Reid noted the obvious and stated, "This war is lost, and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday." Numerous right wing bloggers claimed, even supposedly reasonable ones like the "esteemed" Perfesser Volokh, that Reid's statements "will have grave [a] cost" and "distress and delight must be caused by statements that represent that the Congressional majority actually believes the war to be lost."

Meanwhile, as everyone will recall, last summer, Israel fought a disastrous war against Hezbollah that did not accomplish the goals that it was supposed to accomplish -- destroying Hezbollah or at least weakening its ability to attack Israel from Northern Lebanon. How does Israel deal with this? Join me on the flip to see:

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday January 28, 2007 · 3:04 PM PST

2007/01/28 · 15:04

Here is the text of a letter written to the ADL about the "Anti-Idiotarrian Rottweiler"; a racist, authoritarian blogger (often linked to by Instahack, who is using the symbols of my faith (not his), Judaism, to support his views. And using those symbols right next to a real symbol of anti-semitism and the slaughter of tens of thousands of Jews during the crusades:

Text on the flip:

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday January 27, 2007 · 3:14 PM PST

2007/01/27 · 15:14

From what we know, it appears that Al Gore will not run for President. I understand why Gore does not want to run. I understand why Gore does not want to put his family through another run. I understand why Gore does not want to put himself through another run. But this is not about Al Gore. This is not about Al Gore's family. This is the future of our country. Al Gore has a responsibility and an obligation to run. We are at a moment in our history where we need a great leader, a proven leader, and a leader who can unite our nation (and our party). Al Gore is this leader.

[Note: I changed the title, because I think maybe the word "betraying" is too strong and implies that he is committing treason. What I mean is that I think Al Gore would win, would make a great President, would do great things for the country and the world, and thus failing to act would be a betrayal to his potential and to the potential good he can do for the country and the world.]

Poll

185 votes Show Results

Does Al Gore Have A Responsibility To This Country To Run For President?

185 votes Vote Now!

Does Al Gore Have A Responsibility To This Country To Run For President?

Yes

106 votes

79 votes

Support the REAL Fairness Doctrine: The 1st Amendment

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 10, 2006 · 11:19 AM PST

2006/11/10 · 11:19

I must respectfully, and vehemently, disagree with the diary re restoration of the fairness doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine is bad policy and arguably unconstitutional. Let me tell you about the original fairness doctrine. It was authored in 1789 by James Madison and was passed by Congress shortly thereafter as a proposed Third Amendment among twelve. It was ratified, along with ten of the twelve proposed amendments, by the States in 1791 as the First Amendment. Its words provide, in relevant part:

Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . .

Do we really want Congress meddling in cable and satellite television and radio -- or even the internets: it's not that far-fetched if you agree with the former.

Join me on the flip for more discussion. Read More

An I/P Diary We Can All AGREE On -- Right Wing Chicken Hawks Are WATB's

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday July 16, 2006 · 11:54 AM PDT

2006/07/16 · 11:54

Discussions of the tragic situation in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon have been very-heated. I myself have gone over the top one too many times. So let's take some time away from fighting with each other about this and let's navel-gaze and look at how nutty some right-wing chickenhawk reactions to this are. . . . . Read More

Reagan Was Right -- TNR Does Not Get It

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday June 24, 2006 · 5:30 PM PDT

2006/06/24 · 17:30

Ronald Reagan was right!?! Yes, President Reagan, not his son of the same name (whose politics, we all like better than his father's). Some people will probably go crazy just by the title*, but I am not talking policy I am talking politics. Remember the Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." To many liberals of the '70s and '80s, this was something to be scoffed at, and used as evidence of Reagan's "fascist" tendencies. Not true. Join me on the flip for a little history, and why many of us can learn a little from the Gipper.

NewDem

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday June 21, 2006 · 1:19 PM PDT

2006/06/21 · 13:19

For some stupid reason, I watched this bloggingheads tv episode where Mickey Kaus debates Robert Wright about Kos' supposed "ethical" violations by supporting Mark Warner, because Warner hired Jerome Armstrong, and, you know, Armstrong and Kos are friends. Thus, Kos is unethical (Kaus keeps repeating that it's not illegal, just unethical -- guess he does not want to get sued). We all know Kaus is a complete hack -- a guy who pretends to be a Democrat but loves to bash Dems at every opportunity (as Joe Lieberman is President Bush's favorite "Democratic" senator, Kaus is Instapundit's favorite "Democratic" blogger -- you know, so he can say "even lefties like Kaus agree that [insert RNC talking point here]"). But let's look at his absurd, ethical BS that he pulls. Join me on the flip for the story of Kaus's ethics. . . . Read More

Newer
Older

RSS

Pardon John Walker Lindh; WHY?

Letter to Party Leadership: Publicly Denounce Hillary's Fratricidal Tactics

Why this Obama Supporter Thinks Hillary Should Not Drop Out

S. Carolina Dem Turnout HUGE

This Site Jumps the Shark with Pro Bin Ladin Diary That is Frontpaged

Why does Volokh Hate Israel -- Everyone There is Harry Reid

My Letter to the ADL About Mainstream Right-Wing Blogger

Does Al Gore Have A Responsibility To Run? [New Title] (with simple poll)

Support the REAL Fairness Doctrine: The 1st Amendment

An I/P Diary We Can All AGREE On -- Right Wing Chicken Hawks Are WATB's

Reagan Was Right -- TNR Does Not Get It

Mickey Kaus's "Ethics"