Hillary is right
posted by TheDon

The right is having a collective aneurysm over Hillary Clinton’s assertion that it’s time to replace an “on your own” society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it’s time to replace an “on your own” society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity. The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an ownership society really is an “on your own” society that has widened the gap between rich and poor.

“I prefer a ‘we’re all in it together’ society,” she said. “I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none.” That means pairing growth with fairness, she said, to ensure that the middle-class succeeds in the global economy, not just corporate CEOs.

“There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed,” she said. “Fairness doesn’t just happen. It requires the right government policies.”

This is being argued as a bad thing. She’s a (gasp!) SOCIALIST!!!

Apparently, if we just let the magical free market work and get the government out of the way, prosperity will cover the land, godly people will prosper and all will be well in the world. Last night I saw Pat Buchanan smirkingly ask, “What does she want to do? Regulate the markets?” Then he laughed his maniacal laugh.

Well, yeah.

People need rules, structures and penalties or BAD things happen. During the monolithic Republican control of the government there was no oversight. Some people in the Executive Branch took the opportunity to grab power and corrupt our government at a breathtaking rate. It didn’t help matters that the “news” outlets were uninterested in pursuing any real corruption or constitutional violations.

Wiretapping. Phony voter fraud prosecutions. Ignoring corruption by fellow Republicans when possible. Putting talentless political hacks in charge of everything. Editing scientific findings to comply with political agendas. No-bid contracts. No-result contracts. Lying to Congress when they even bothered to show up. Lack of oversight and amoral, power-hungry politicians and businessmen combined to create a perfect storm of corruption.

With rules, capitalism is a wonderful economic system which forces innovation, creates wealth and makes a nation strong. Without rules, capitalism is a system which will drive labor costs as low as possible (slaves are preferable), create monopolies, market unsafe products, create unsafe working conditions and create wealth only for the thinnest upper crust. For the Republicans out there, I will point out that these are all BAD things.

Without a sense of community, of shared responsibility, a ‘we’re all in it together’ society, if you will, we can’t create the structures which allow people to prosper. If people don’t think that their hard work will earn them the ability to live happily and retire comfortably, they won’t work. And why would they.

People need to know that their sacrifices will pay off for them and/or their children. They need to know that the whole society (as represented by their government) cares about the $4/gallon gas that is cutting into their budget. They will conserve and scrimp if they know everyone is pulling together to fix the problem. Instead they get cynical manipulation of markets, the highest profits in the history of the world, and $400 million retirement packages. And contempt. Lots of contempt.

It’s the kind of situation that causes people to show up at the polls with more than a little anger. And a sense of shared purpose and responsibilty.

We’re in a dogfight with the terrorists
Posted by TheDon

I don’t know how it’s playing around the country, but in Atlanta we are following the story of Mike Vick *allegedly* being in the dog fighting business with a lot of interest. It’s a bottom-feeder sport which appeals to the most cruel instincts of “humans”. In order to be involved in the “sport”, you have to believe that it’s ok to train dogs to tear each other to pieces.

from SI.com:

“It’s [Vick’s] property; it’s his dogs. If that’s what he wants to do, do it,” Portis said. He added that if Vick were convicted of dogfighting, he would be “behind bars for no reason.”

It’s the same mentality that allows the current White House to kidnap, torture, rape, bomb and kill “terrorists” – as defined by them. In their minds, terrorists are generally brown people, generally Islamists, and always hate America. Terrorists are NOT good-old-boys from Alabama with guns and bombs, looking for abortion clinics to blow up real good. They are NOT attendees of Jerry Falwell’s funeral, looking to use home-made bombs to stop troublemakers. They are certainly NOT human.

So torture away, Gonzo. Keep Gitmo open, Bob Gates. And keep killing A-Rabs, Mr President. If that’s what you want to do, do it. And if anyone goes to jail for war crimes, perjury, obstruction of justice or corruption during the execution or defense of your plans, they will be “behind bars for no reason.” In your evil low-life minds.

Ted’s in Central Asia…But New Guest Bloggers Are in Da House!

The siren call of the Stans is luring me back to the windswept steppes and soaring peaks of post-Soviet Central Asia and tumultuous South Asia too, but the won’t be dormant while I’m traipsing through the Pamirs. Instead, say hi to my special new guest bloggers who’ll expound on anything and everything they deem interesting.

Enjoy and see you soon.

Be very afraid
posted by TheDon

I’m really afraid that when the current administration is told this:

The NYT fronts word that experts who are advising intelligence agencies say the interrogation techniques used since 2001 are outdated and inefficient. In a study commissioned by the Intelligence Science Board, the experts said the government has not taken the time to perfect interrogation techniques and is frequently relying on harsh tactics that are ineffective. Some are urging intelligence agencies to pick up new techniques from sources such as law enforcement and marketing. “We have a whole science literature on persuasion,” one of the experts said. “It’s mostly on how to get a person to buy a certain brand of toothpaste. But it certainly could be useful in improving interrogation.”

the only part they hear is “the interrogation techniques used since 2001 are outdated and inefficient”. And maybe toothpaste.

New Cartoon Collections by FORs:

If you’re in the market for some interesting, hard-hitting political cartoons, please check out two new books by my friends Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood. Mikhaela was in “Attitude 2” and Masheka is up and coming. Both are self-published, so every dollar (well, most of them) goes to cartoonists at a critical time in their careers. Come on, support new talent, folks! Ordering information, etc. follows:

Mikhaela and Masheka’s Books:

Attack of the 50-Foot Mikhaela! Cartoons by Mikhaela Reid (Foreword by Ted Rall).

Bushies are bum-rushing Cheney’s secret bunker! Ex-gays are quaking in their closets! Abstinence educators are shivering in their shiny silver purity rings! Greedy CEOs are heading for the hills and Minutemen are bolting for the border! Cartoonist Mikhaela Reid is on the rampage—and no hypocrite is safe! Attack features 150 of Reid’s greatest cartoon hits, plus rarities, odds, ends and behind-the-scenes commentary! Available June 4 at Lulu.com!

Deep Doodle: Cartoons by Masheka Wood.

Masheka Wood takes you deep into the warped, candy-colored recesses of his brain as he tackles a variety of social, political and just plain grody targets. Here are Wood’s “Not Just Knee Deep” cartoons, assorted illustrations and a delicious dose of old-school comics. Prepare to lose your mind—or your lunch! Wood’s work has appeared on MTV, The New Standard and Jackson State University’s art exhibit, “Other Heroes: African American comics creators, characters, and archetypes.” He is a 2007 Glyph Comics Award nominee for ‘Rising Star.’ Available now at Lulu.com!

Mikhaela and Masheka’s Book Tour:

Click on any of these events for more details or view the calendar here.

Three Troops Missing in Iraq

4,000 U.S. soldiers are searching for them. For three people.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped–some by gangs, others by insurgents, others by U.S. forces. But the U.S. occupation forces don’t lift a finger to find them.

It’s been said before, and I’ll say it again anyway: Until we start acting like other people’s lives count for as much as Americans, people overseas are going to hate our guts. Who can blame them, really?

Ted Rall Discusses the French Elections: Live in Washington DC

I’ll be joining Radio France Internationale correspondent Claude Porsella, TF1 correspondent Guillaume Debré, and fellow cartoonists Jeff Danzinger (New York Times Syndicate), Kal (The Economist, ex-Baltimore Sun) and Nick Galifianakis (Washington Post Writers Group) for a panel discussion about the French presidential elections tomorrow night in Washington.

When: Wednesday, April 25, at 6:30 pm

Where: Alliance Française, 2142 Wyoming Avenue NW | Washington, DC 20008 | Phone 202.234.7911

Cost: $8.00 for members of the Alliance Française, $12.00 for all others

Cartoonists wth Attitude in San Francisco

Today is day two and the final day of the Alternative Press Expo (APE) independent and small press comics creator confab at 620 7th Street (near Brannan) in San Francisco. Come out and buy artwork and books by yours truly, Mikhaela B. Reid, Masheka Wood, Ben Smith, Matt Bors, August Pollak, Stephanie McMillan and others. Look for the CWA booth! Yesterday was fun but soggy; today is looking to be sunny and dry. It’s today between 11 and 5; hope to meet you there.

Congrats, Censors!

Media Matters for America, founded by David Brock, is crowing from the sorta-left (can you really trust an ideological traitor?) about Imus’ firing. MM is even distributing a hit list of right-wing talk show hosts and others who they want to see fired for spewing what they deem to be offensive language.

Over on the probably-right are outfits like BeliefNet, that are using Imus’ firing as a staging ground for attacks on popular music. Tipper Gore, call the batcave! Here’s what BeliefNet’s latest email says:

Don Imus Controversy
With Imus Gone, Let’s Clean Up Rap
“Imus got what he deserved, but the root of the problem is our vulgar culture. As a black woman and a child of God, I ask, Why don’t Christians stand up to rap artists?”
Poll: Should Imus Have Been Fired? | Discuss
His Apology: Accept It | Not Enough
Talk Radio Is the Real Culprit
“It’s time to stop handling these rappers with kid gloves and letting them run free every time they cry “I’m innocent.” Young minds are at stake every time they turn on the television and see a man disrespecting a woman, sliding a credit card down the crack of her backside–thanks, Nelly–or just allowing women to exploit themselves in a music video for a crummy paycheck. (Yes, the women agree to be in these videos by their own free will, but when will they decide they don’t want them to sell themselves to the highest bidder anymore?) Young ears are being flooded with the poisonous lyrics of today’s rap music. Stop conveying the message that it could ever be appropriate to call a woman a “‘ho” or a “b*tch”–regardless of what you personally know about them. It’s not okay, ever–whether you’re an African American rapper or a white talk-radio shock jock. “

Charmers all around, I’m sure.

Well, congratulations. It took you 30 years to notice that he told tasteless (and often funny) jokes, many of which relied on racial and gender stereotypes, but he’s gone. Hurrah!

Meanwhile, the Rutgers women he offended have seen their lives improve not…one…bit. Their fathers and brothers still risk getting pulled over and searched and beaten and raped and murdered by police for no reason whatsoever. African-American team members whose parents live in inner cities spent their spring breaks in areas that have been abandoned by city and state governments that don’t care what happens to them. Their own job prospects are limited by their skin color. But hey, at least they got that loud-mouth talk show host fired. Yay for racial justice!

No one is crowing louder than the left. There’s just one, or maybe two problems: One, it’s not like Imus will be replaced by, say, me. (I’m keeping my phone open just in case CBS calls, though.) Two, he was one of the most progressive voices on talk radio.

Obviously, Imus’ “hos” joke was stupid. But an apology was more than sufficient. He didn’t deserve to be fired. Could it be that the P.C. soft-liberal “left” has played into the Republicans’ hands–again?

Follow-Up Interview Re: Coulter Censorship

The excellent New England-based LGBT newspaper Bay Windows has a follow-up interview with me about the campaign by some gay organizations to get Ann Coulter’s column cancelled by newspapers. I oppose censoring Coulter because opposing censorship is always the right thing to do, even–especially–when the person being considered is unappealing. Sadly, the First Amendment is the least popular part of the Constitution–everyone is in favor of speech they agree with.