I floated an idea in one of the Open Threads about doing a weekly roundup of diaries that you may have missed throughout the week. It seemed to get a good response, so this is Part 1 of the series. I will probably post these on Sunday nights/early Monday mornings.
I have included the diary link, author, and a brief excerpt of the content.
Feel free to add comments below with links to diaries you would like to recommend to your fellow BooTribbers that aren’t on the list below the fold.
::: Drum Roll :::
A Real Struggle: Tying together progressive philosophy
by pyrrho, Sun Jun 5th, 2005
For me the real struggle is between:
- those that want to let other people do their own thing,
- and people that want to control other people.
that is the basic conflict for me.
Sunday Griot: Where Strawberries Come From
by Omir the Storyteller, Sun Jun 5th, 2005
This new berry the Creator had created was of course the strawberry. The Creator made it in the shape of a heart, and He made it sweeter than the other berries, to remind us that love is the most important thing in our lives, and sweet above all else.
Denial, Delusion and Bush, the dry drunk
by profmarcus, Sun Jun 5th, 2005
several years ago, i heard bush described as a “dry drunk…” as a veteran of 12-step programs, that term conjures up a very specific image – someone who, even though he or she has given up the substance of choice, still exhibits all of the behaviors of the addiction… i thought at the time it was an apt description… little did i know how it would continue to manifest down the road…
Under the Big Tent — Gov. Perry’s Circus Arrives in Fort Worth
by muledriver, Sun Jun 5th, 2005
Well, he had a choice. Get the Church to hold a religious service in the Capitol or conduct government business in a Church. Ah, what the heck. The fundamentalists spent the legislative session in the Capitol giving directions, the polite thing to do
is to go to their place. Besides, it was easier to take the Barnum and Perry Circus to Fort Worth than bring the entire congregation to Austin.
The mother of all Dinosaurs
by boran2, Mon Jun 6th, 2005
Scientists report that 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex discovered in Montana, unlike other dinosaur fossils found so far, has soft tissues, including blood vessels and possibly cells lining them, that have retained some of their original flexibility, elasticity and resilience;
Bush, Disassembling and the Way the World Works
by timelord, Mon Jun 6th, 2005
I was party to a conversation about whether Bush actually believes what he says when he insists charges that abuse is going on at Guantanamo are “absurd,” or whether he is really disassembling.
I think the answer is yes and no: he thinks he doesn’t believe it, but he knows it’s true, because that’s how the world works. It’s a belief that links upper class guys like him to working class guys like the saps who voted for him.
Nail Tom Delay and NAIL HIM NOW!!!
by mole333, Mon Jun 6th, 2005
The battle against Republican corruption continues. Generally I focus my efforts on several particularly corrupt Republicans, like Mike Oxley (OH), Roy and Matt Blunt (MO) and Conrad Burns (MT).
But most people are focusing on that most scandal ridden and nastiest of Republicans, Tom DeLay. So I want to push several efforts that represent a renewed attack on DeLay’s corruption.
Coingate: Fund Facts to Know and Tell
by ePluribus Media, Tue Jun 7th, 2005
Official filings for the Tom Noe business that incorporated one of the controversial coin funds are no longer in good order and may limit the legal protections available to him. Noe’s 1995 divorce judgment refers to a second, unnamed partner who may be benefiting from his/her position as co-owner of the coin fund’s parent company. ePluribus Media also offers a brief look at each of Noe’s identified business partners.
A timeline of the related Ohio corporate filings depicts the evolution of Noe’s overlapping and nested coin related companies.
Advani Resigns
by outlanddish, Tue Jun 7th, 2005
Well, here I sit in Texas visiting family, and in India there are dramatic happenings. The head of the BJP, the Hindu Nationalist Party, has resigned.
Please help with Awaken the MSM campaign
by smintheus, Tue Jun 7th, 2005
So please don’t turn your back on the Awaken the MSM campaign I’ve headquartered at dKos. Many in the Kos diaspora were strong supporters of that campaign last week. But today the diary really foundered without you. Here is the link, if you care to go over and write some more letters to the media: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/7/8421/73358
Italian Referendum on Assisted Procreation
by rom wyo, Wed Jun 8th, 2005
On December 11th, 2003, the Italian Senate passed one of the most reactionary laws in Western Europe regulating assisted procreation. In keeping with Berlusconi’s concept of power, there was no parliamentary debate nor were any of the opposition amendments allowed that would have made the law more palatable for the citizenry of a “modern democratic republic.”
The law was simply ram-rodded through both houses of parliament thanks to Berlusconi’s comfortable rubber-stamp majority. Much to the satisfaction of the Vatican State.
Benefit of the Doubt, Part II
by Aaron Barlow, Wed Jun 8th, 2005
The fundamentalist right has had us on the run for some years now, partly by taking advantage of our inclination to refuse absolutes, to consider, to question.
They have been hitting us about the head with their certainly. We have been running away with our tails between our legs, stopping only now and again to look at them, to admire their success and wonder how we can imitate it.
California: energizing the future
by Madrone, Wed Jun 8th, 2005
Imagine the state of California pulling together cities, counties, universities, businesses, energy experts, environmentalists, and citizens to create an energy program that ends our dependence on foreign oil, makes energy a lower cost of doing business, and builds new industries to keep California’s economy healthy.
Catholic Women Watch New Pope
by Frederick Clarkson, Wed Jun 8th, 2005
“As with any transition of power,” CFFC stated in a press release today, “the first 100 days are a crucial indicator and opportunity to establish the values and priorities of a new administration.
As we reach Day 51 of the papacy of Benedict XVI, Catholics for a Free Choice… reveals that the new pope is squandering that chance.
Republican Senate Candidate Endorses Hate Speech!
by Lavoisier1794, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
I received the following email from the Maryland Democratic Party Chair Terry Lierman and it is truly shocking. Apparently Michael Zak, a speaker at a GOP dinner in Calvert County, said that “mastery over blacks has always been Democratic policy.” And get this: Lt. Governor Michael Steele, a likely candidate for Senate and favorite of the rightwing blogosphere, called Zak’s book “his favorite book!”
FRC in Bed with KKK
by urizon, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
Dobson’s Family Research Council paid former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his list of radical right-wing donors.
Now there’s a shocker, huh?
Bolton the Fixer
by Bearpaw, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
It is no longer possible to argue that the Iraqi intelligence estimates of 2002 were not affected by politicization. And John Bolton helped create the chilling climate in which that Iraq NIE had to be written. This was no mere intelligence failure. Sir Richard Dearlove had that exactly right, at the time. The intelligence was fixed and Bolton was a prime fixer.
SusanHu’s FOIA Project UPDATE
by Tirge Caps, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
The purpose of this diary is to outline the next steps in the enormous task of sorting through the documents made available to the ACLU via their Freedom of Information Act request concerning US detention practices and a list of detainees at Guantanamo Bay made available by the Associated Press.
Recruiting abuse – Ever Jandres (learning disabled Salvadorian) still in the US Army
by keres, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
Wondering what had become of Ever (especially in light of the positive outcome of Ms. Cobb’s protest on behalf of her son), I did a web search and could not find anything past the initial report of Ever’s induction. So, I emailed Ms. Phillips (she and her husband are working to free Ever) and got the following response:
Philly is In! (US Climate Protection Agreement, that is)
by stand strong, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
So in the meantime from when I first spoke to Mrs. Bolling, even through a tense phone call when she called me out on my above linked comment (whereas her impression of me was almost completely destroyed), she had taken my interest seriously and had been researching ths US Climate Protection Agreement and creating a proposal to deliver to Mayor Street.
Yesterday, I got a phone call that she was preparing to deliver in today.
Today I got a phone call that Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street had signed on.
Calls for Deputy President to be Fired for Corruption
by Londonbear, Thu Jun 9th, 2005
Just in case this got your hopes up, this is about South Africa (with a topical comment on Zimbabwe at the end). The outcome of this and some other cases of corruption allegations in the South African administration will test just how robust institutions of that emerging democracy are.
Bolivia Update: Right backed down
by whataboutbob, Fri Jun 10th, 2005
President Carlos Mesa has resigned, and the next in line of succession, Senate Speaker Hormando Vaca Diez, has also declined the post, which is significant, since he was claiming the post yesterday.
German Justice for 9/11 Suspects
by Dvx, Fri Jun 10th, 2005
Germany’s Federal High Court of Justice (BGH) yesterday affirmed the acquittal of Abdelghani Mzoudi on charges of aiding and abetting the 9/11 hijackers.
Meanwhile, the retrial of fellow student Mounir el Motassadeq on like charges is nearing its end, and defense attorneys see grounds for optimism.
Guatamalen women “all afraid”
by Boudicca, Fri Jun 10th, 2005
And with very good reason: the brutal murder of women and girls is spiralling out of control. Of 500 murders in 2004, only one ended in conviction; many of the murders involve sexual abuse, torture and mutilation. Yet Guatemalan women’s rights have made great strides:
Quotable
by James Benjamin, Fri Jun 10th, 2005 – First Diary
Click the link and you’ll get a book review. It looks like it’ll end up on my list of books to pick up in the near future. From the book review, it appears that Dr. Pape has done a thorough study of suicide bombings and those who perpetrate suicide bombings. The basic thrust of his research is that the profile of the suicide bomber as portrayed by our politicians and the mass media is clearly false.
Rather than being under-educated religious fanatics, suicide bombers tend to be educated, secular types whose main objective is to remove occupying powers from their own national soil.
Military Injustice
by debraz, Sat Jun 11th, 2005
Mark Benjamin’s story “Military Injustice” chronicles one soldier’s personal battle with the military he dedicated 16 years of his life to serving. His heartbreaking story shows a web of deceipt and the frightening reality of unchecked power. At a time when our government is espousing the “spread of democracy” and the need for extending the powers of the Patriot Act, Lt. Goodrum’s story chilled me to the core.
Target the Corrupt Republican Campaign (ongoing)
by mole333, Sat Jun 11th, 2005
I ask you to do this because it is the clear context in which the Republican leadership would introduce H.R. 1316, which can be thought of as the “Make Congress More Corrupt” bill, which was approved along party lines, with six Republicans supporting and three Democrats opposing it. See below…
Free Culture II: GNU, RMS, and the Free Software Foundation
by Egarwaen, Sat Jun 11th, 2005
Last time we looked at the roots and reasons of the Free Culture movement. Now we’ll move on a little and look at the first of the Free Culture organizations – the Free Software Foundation and the GNU Project. Both organizations are focused solely on software, but are still significant, as we’ll see shortly.