“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Obama, 'Please give it up for my friend, John Edwards'
Minuteman president Chris Simcox said it seems both Barack Obama and John McCain are avoiding the issue of illegal immigration during their runs for the White House. He said his group wants them to pledge to adopt their plan to use members of the 25,000 National Guard to secure the nation's border with Mexico and Canada as well as beef up Coast Guard patrols.
"We really don't care which one is elected president as long as both of them see we're bringing a message from millions of people across the country," Simcox said.
The daylong event will take place in Congress Park, a residential neighborhood east of downtown Denver. The group has no plans to protest in the fenced-off area designated for protesters on the grounds of the Pepsi Center, the site of most of the DNC's events.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Russia pressed the United States on Wednesday to choose between "a real partnership" with Moscow or an "illusory" relationship with U.S. ally Georgia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday says the United States should choose sides. Washington said it's sticking with Georgia.
"As to choosing, the United States has made very clear that it is standing by the democratically elected government of Georgia," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.
She spelled out the Bush administration's stance after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Georgia's government "a special project for the United States."
"And we are aware that the U.S. is uptight about this project," Lavrov said in remarks broadcast on Russian television. "But a choice will have to be made someday between considerations of prestige related to an illusory project and a real partnership in matters which indeed require collective efforts."
Rice: Any cease-fire violation would risk Russia's status as partner Russian military action in Georgia "must stop now," Rice says Bush warns Russia not to interfere with humanitarian shipments
"To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States and Europe and other nations ... Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis," Bush said Wednesday in Washington.
He announced two steps by the U.S.:
* Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel first to Paris for a meeting with France's President Nicholas Sarkozy, then Georgia, to express "America's unwavering support" for the democratically-elected government of President Mikhail Saakashvili * The U.S. military has dispatched a C-17 cargo aircraft, loaded with humanitarian supplies, to Georgia
Dursun Karataş, leader of the far left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/ Front (DHKP/C), died Monday at a clinic in the Netherlands. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer in the clinic in Arnhem, the Netherlands, for a prolonged period.
Officials at the Police Directorate's Interpol Department have formally asked their Dutch counterparts for an explanation on Karataş's presence at the Dutch clinic. In a letter, Turkish authorities requested information as to how long Karataş had been receiving treatment at the clinic.
Based on the information the Dutch authorities will provide, Turkey may consider a series of actions, including a complaint against the Netherlands at the relevant UN institutions.
A brief perusal of newspapers of the day—and indeed throughout most of the history of journalism in this nation—quickly reveals that the press has never been more than an extremely imperfect tool in the service of Democracy. More often the press has been exercised as a mouthpiece for its owners, or simply played to the perceived appetites of its readers to sell ads.
And non-stop coverage of John Edwards’s all-but-meaningless foibles or the completely meaningless ones of Britney Spears or Paris Hilton are a natural extension of those impulses.
Even the Press isn’t immune from this. Alaska’s embroiled in what may prove to be the most important election season in our state’s short history, and there’s a glut of other important policy stories happening all around us too.
Some comments posted on message boards affiliated with Tsinghua University in Beijing were bombastically generous in Phelps's favor.
"If he was Chinese, his accomplishments would make him even more popular than Yao Ming and Liu Xiang combined," said one commenter. Another said, "He is definitely one of the 25 greatest athletes of this century; no, actually, he's one of the top five in all history."
By Sunday, when Phelps is expected to win his eighth gold medal, perhaps the Chinese news media will respond with the same wide coverage as their American counterparts, said Zhang Chao, 22, a college student. He spread his hand across the top of the front page of a newspaper in the Main Press Center kiosk and said, "Maybe he will be here."
Darn! I really wish I could watch this.
ReplyDeleteMinuteman president Chris Simcox said it seems both Barack Obama and John McCain are avoiding the issue of illegal immigration during their runs for the White House. He said his group wants them to pledge to adopt their plan to use members of the 25,000 National Guard to secure the nation's border with Mexico and Canada as well as beef up Coast Guard patrols.
ReplyDelete"We really don't care which one is elected president as long as both of them see we're bringing a message from millions of people across the country," Simcox said.
The daylong event will take place in Congress Park, a residential neighborhood east of downtown Denver. The group has no plans to protest in the fenced-off area designated for protesters on the grounds of the Pepsi Center, the site of most of the DNC's events.
DNC Rally
John Edwards, the Breck Girl, isn't he special?
ReplyDeleteBTW - With Obama or McCain, we're screwed. McCain will institute cap and trade just as Obama will.
Russia to U.S. Choose us or Georgia - CNN.com
ReplyDeleteWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Russia pressed the United States on Wednesday to choose between "a real partnership" with Moscow or an "illusory" relationship with U.S. ally Georgia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday says the United States should choose sides.
Washington said it's sticking with Georgia.
"As to choosing, the United States has made very clear that it is standing by the democratically elected government of Georgia," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.
She spelled out the Bush administration's stance after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Georgia's government "a special project for the United States."
"And we are aware that the U.S. is uptight about this project," Lavrov said in remarks broadcast on Russian television. "But a choice will have to be made someday between considerations of prestige related to an illusory project and a real partnership in matters which indeed require collective efforts."
Rice: Any cease-fire violation would risk Russia's status as partner
Russian military action in Georgia "must stop now,"
Rice says Bush warns Russia not to interfere with humanitarian shipments
"To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States and Europe and other nations ... Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis," Bush said Wednesday in Washington.
ReplyDeleteHe announced two steps by the U.S.:
* Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel first to Paris for a meeting with France's President Nicholas Sarkozy, then Georgia, to express "America's unwavering support" for the democratically-elected government of President Mikhail Saakashvili
* The U.S. military has dispatched a C-17 cargo aircraft, loaded with humanitarian supplies, to Georgia
Georgian City
"Rielle gave it for John all you girls in the audience give it up for John too."
ReplyDeleteNational Enquirer--Your Only Source For News You Can Trust
ThreatsWatch.Org RapidRecon Did Russia Employ Communist PKK Ahead of Georgia Invasion
ReplyDeleteSteve links some dramatic video, can someone describe who's shooting who?
Dursun Karataş, leader of the far left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/ Front (DHKP/C), died Monday at a clinic in the Netherlands. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer in the clinic in Arnhem, the Netherlands, for a prolonged period.
ReplyDeleteOfficials at the Police Directorate's Interpol Department have formally asked their Dutch counterparts for an explanation on Karataş's presence at the Dutch clinic. In a letter, Turkish authorities requested information as to how long Karataş had been receiving treatment at the clinic.
Based on the information the Dutch authorities will provide, Turkey may consider a series of actions, including a complaint against the Netherlands at the relevant UN institutions.
Tension with Netherlands
Looks like the fellows in the BMP are trying to use a US anti-tank LAW at 1:19 in the vid.
ReplyDeleteThat evidence enough of being PKK, or just another US proxy?
Bet he does not "know" this new edition of John Edwards?
ReplyDeleteA brief perusal of newspapers of the day—and indeed throughout most of the history of journalism in this nation—quickly reveals that the press has never been more than an extremely imperfect tool in the service of Democracy. More often the press has been exercised as a mouthpiece for its owners, or simply played to the perceived appetites of its readers to sell ads.
ReplyDeleteAnd non-stop coverage of John Edwards’s all-but-meaningless foibles or the completely meaningless ones of Britney Spears or Paris Hilton are a natural extension of those impulses.
Even the Press isn’t immune from this. Alaska’s embroiled in what may prove to be the most important election season in our state’s short history, and there’s a glut of other important policy stories happening all around us too.
Guide to News
James Burke - Balanced Anarchy
ReplyDeleteSome comments posted on message boards affiliated with Tsinghua University in Beijing were bombastically generous in Phelps's favor.
ReplyDelete"If he was Chinese, his accomplishments would make him even more popular than Yao Ming and Liu Xiang combined," said one commenter. Another said, "He is definitely one of the 25 greatest athletes of this century; no, actually, he's one of the top five in all history."
By Sunday, when Phelps is expected to win his eighth gold medal, perhaps the Chinese news media will respond with the same wide coverage as their American counterparts, said Zhang Chao, 22, a college student. He spread his hand across the top of the front page of a newspaper in the Main Press Center kiosk and said, "Maybe he will be here."
Little Attention in China