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Point/Counterpoint 
The Republican propaganda Under Prez-Sure by David Andreatta
A New Jersey public-school teacher claims she was bushwhacked by her principal yesterday when he ordered her to "get out" of the building after she refused to remove a photo of President Bush and the first lady from her classroom.
The White House-issued photo of the Bushes was pinned to a bulletin board that held portraits of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and a copy of the Constitution.
"I wouldn't touch politics in my classroom with a 10-foot pole, but [the principal] felt I was making a political statement," said Shiba Pillai-Diaz, 33, a seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher at Crossroads South Elementary School in Monmouth Junction.
"It was meant to be a picture of the current president, nothing partisan about it," said Pillai-Diaz, a Republican mother of one who volunteered at the party's convention in Madison Square Garden.
The controversy erupted Thursday night when a handful of parents objected to the photo during a back-to-school parent-teacher conference. Pillai-Diaz said three parents demanded the photo be removed ‹ or complemented with a picture of Sen. John Kerry.
Pillai-Diaz said she notified the assistant principal, Mark Daniels, of the brouhaha during a break in the conference and that Daniels defended her right to post the photo.
But yesterday, Pillai-Diaz said Daniels changed his tune and demanded she remove it before her first class.
"He told me that if I care about my employment at the school, I would take down the picture," she said.
When she refused, the matter was taken up by the principal, Jim Warfel, who Pillai-Diaz said accused her of "causing disruption and hatred" with her "inflammatory politics" and told her to "get out" of the building. [more]
The facts District Statement Regarding Bulletin Board at Crossroads Middle School Gary P. McCartney Ed D., Superintendent of Schools, South Brunswick School District
In an incident that has recently been reported to several media sources, a claim has been made by South Brunswick Middle School teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz, that she was fired for not removing a picture of President George W. Bush from a classroom bulletin board. The claim is false. While I am normally reluctant to discuss personnel matters in public, Ms. Pillai-Diaz' distortions of the facts, along with her aggressive efforts to get herself national media attention, leaves the district no choice but to set the record straight.
The facts are as follows:
Ms. Pillai-Diaz is a new Language Arts teacher in the South Brunswick Schools. Recently, the school administration began receiving complaints from students and parents that Ms. Pillai-Diaz was using her position, classroom and teaching time to engage in partisan politics. Students reported that she had made statements which denigrated one party over the other. The conversations included Ms. Pillai-Diaz telling some students who offered opinions contrary to her statements, that she was "glad they were not old enough to vote." Other comments to students, including such statements as, "you should be ashamed to be a Democrat" have been verified through student interviews.
A classroom bulletin board, normally intended for curriculum-related matters, was set up as what she herself described as a "personal bulletin board." On the bulletin board she placed a picture of the President, the President's dog, the Oval Office and several other Presidential artifacts. In addition, she placed a stuffed elephant on a classroom cabinet, which generated student reaction and discussion about partisan politics.
Following receipt of complaints from parents, the Assistant Principal met with Ms. Pillai-Diaz and cautioned her not to engage in partisan political discussions in her Language Arts classes. He did not initially ask her to remove the picture of the President. As the issue grew in intensity, the teacher herself chose to remove the stuffed elephant because of student comments. In the ensuing days, parents expressed increasing concern about the teacher's classroom behavior, the misuse of classroom instructional time and the personal bulletin board. The level of concern resulted in a classroom confrontation between some parents and Ms. Pillai-Diaz at the Back-to-School night program. It was at this point that the school administration decided to intervene again.
On Friday morning, October 1, Ms. Pillai-Diaz was directed by the Assistant Principal to remove bulletin board materials because they were being viewed as contributing to an ongoing disruption of the teaching-learning environment. She refused. She then met with the Principal who repeated the directive. At this point, Ms. Pillai-Diaz abruptly left the building, abandoning her post of duty and her classroom responsibilities.
At no time was she told to leave, asked to leave or given authorization to leave. School was still in session. At no time was she told she was suspended or fired. With professional responsibilities of a classroom teacher waiting, Ms. Pillai-Diaz chose, of her own volition, to walk out of the school, contact various media sources and claim she had been fired.
I had occasion to meet with Ms. Pillai-Diaz, along with a union representative and a police escort that she had requested, for approximately two hours when she returned to the building later that same afternoon. After listening to her story, I asked if any member of the administration had used the phrase "you're fired" or anything that remotely sounded like it. She admitted that no one had used any such language. When I further pursued why she reported to media sources that she had been fired, she said that she "thought" that she had been. I explained that principals cannot fire employees, that only Boards of Education can do so. With her union representative present, she said that she now understood. I asked that when she next spoke with the media, that she clarify her new understanding... [more
(links via Blah3.com)
Sarah McLachlan
World on Fire
Who's values are these?
International Law, Juvenile Executions, and the United States by Rowly Brucken
The execution of Sean Sellers on 4 February in Oklahoma was condemned by more than the usual chorus of domestic anti-death penalty activists. The American Bar Association, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Organization of American States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Defence for Children International added their voices also on behalf of clemency.
Why did these groups protest against this execution when each had done so only rarely prior to the previous 511 American executions since 1977? Unlike an increasing number of other death row inmates, Sean Sellers was guilty of the crime for which he was convicted. Unlike a majority of inmates on American death rows today, Sellers was white. Why the outcry, then? Sean Sellers was only 16 when he committed murder, and his execution plainly violated international human rights norms as they have evolved over the past fifty years. By permitting the execution of Sellers, the United States finds itself almost alone on a list of nations that allow the execution of offenders who were under the age of eighteen at the time of their crimes.
The United States is one of only six nations that has executed children, having done so eight times since 1990. The other five nations, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, have killed a total of nine, giving the United States the dubious distinction of being the world leader in this category. [more]
(link via abuddhas memes)
Don't forget to vote after tonights debate
DNC: Don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory
Alphabet soup
The New Right and Old Wrongs: The Quagmire, A to Z by Maureen Farrell
Now that Operation Iraqi Freedom has become Operation American Quagmire, it's remarkable how accurately a spattering of journalists, citizens and whistleblowers saw what was really going on beforehand -- a sizable feat considering the media's perpetual airing of WMD and other propaganda.
"There is no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. You never even get that idea floated in the mainstream media. If you bring it up, they hate the messenger. You've ruined everyone's good time," Janeane Garofalo said on the eve of war, in an article on how the prewar "debate" became a cartoon.
And though such flashes of insight are now relegated to yesterday's news (or tomorrow's, considering CBS' decision to postpone a story on the war rationale), it's important to understand the role hubris, incompetence and deception played in all of this. And while reviewing such things can be as painful as watching replays of that ball going through Bill Buckner's legs, we need to consider what went wrong, as the consequences of continued ignorance are far graver than any Bambino's curse.
How did we get here? How were we so readily duped by those who are, technically, supposed to be working for us? With the election fast approaching, we better figure it out. And with that in mind, here's an A to Z guide to help sort through this mess: [more]
Conservative and for Kerry/Edwards
Marshall [Wittman] Unbound! by Joshua Micah Marshall
(...)
In any case, last week was Marshall's last week with McCain. He's taken a post at the DLC/Progressive Policy Institute. He's bringing back the Moose. And in his first public statement since he got his voice back, he's endorsing Kerry-Edwards.
Says Marshall in the first graf of the piece ...
I am an independent McCainiac who hopes to revive the Bull Moose tradition of Theodore Roosevelt, and I support the Kerry-Edwards agenda. Don't get me wrong -- this Bull Moose is not completely in agreement with the Democratic donkey. But the Bush administration has betrayed the effort to create a new politics of national greatness in the aftermath of 9/11.
Marshall's political views probably aren't in line with the majority of TPM readers, though in many respects I'd say that they probably differ in ways that mine also differ from the majority of TPM readers. But Marshall is at the top of my list of those who straddle the line between being political thinkers and political operators. I think the world of him. [more]
Moose on the Loose by Marshall Wittmann
This unreconstructed Bull Moose will run with the donkey in November.
I am an independent McCainiac who hopes to revive the Bull Moose tradition of Theodore Roosevelt, and I support the Kerry-Edwards agenda. Don't get me wrong -- this Bull Moose is not completely in agreement with the Democratic donkey. But the Bush administration has betrayed the effort to create a new politics of national greatness in the aftermath of 9/11.
If John Kerry wins, it remains to be seen whether his administration will be more willing to break with its ideological base than a Bush team that has been slavishly loyal to its corporate paymasters. But there is no remaining shred of doubt that another four years of a Bush presidency would have a toxic effect on American politics. If George W. Bush is re-elected, unlimited corporate power, cynicism, and division will ride high in the saddle.
(...)
When McCain threatened Bush in the 2000 primaries, we got the first real glimpse behind the curtain of Bush World -- with its vicious and ferocious assault on McCain's patriotism and character. What the Bushies used against McCain was an unholy coalition of the two primary wings of the Republican Party -- the Corporate Warriors and the Prayer Warriors. These unlikely allies united against McCain despite the fact that he had a strong pro-life record and a conservative congressional record.
The alliance of Mammon and the religious right was consummated in opposition to McCain's support for campaign finance reform. The embodiment of this coalition was a key operative who implemented the anti-McCain assault in South Carolina -- former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, a Karl Rove crony who was also on the payroll of Enron. Reed had been my boss when I worked as legislative director of the Christian Coalition. Before the primaries, Reed warned me that he would implement an under-the-radar slime assault on McCain if he posed a threat to Bush -- just what happened in South Carolina after Bush's loss to McCain in the New Hampshire primary.
Anyone who was involved in the 2000 McCain campaign, as I was, knows exactly who is responsible for the "Swift boat" slime attack on Senator Kerry -- in Bush World, all low roads lead to Rove. [more]
Beautiful. We need more outspoken conservatives like this. Sensible people can work together, in spite of their differences. I just wish the revered McCain himself would extract himself from the slime of the Bush reelection campaign.
There is, there isn't, there is, there isn't, etc.
Rumsfeld trips over terror link by Phillip Coorey
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cast serious doubt yesterday on any link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, only to deny his own statement hours later.
Mr Rumsfeld was asked during an address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York to describe connections between Saddam Hussein and the terror group responsible for the September 11 attacks.
"To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two," he said.
Claims of a link between the two was one of the key US justifications for war in Iraq.
But as news of the startling admission started to spread around the world, Mr Rumsfeld rushed out a statement saying the CIA had "credible" and "solid" evidence of links, and his earlier comment "regrettably was misunderstood".
His initial comment starkly contradicts Vice-President Dick Cheney, who insists repeatedly there were "long-established links". [more]
CIA review finds no evidence Saddam had ties to Islamic terrorists by Warren P. Strobel, Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott
A new CIA assessment undercuts the White House's claim that Saddam Hussein maintained ties to al-Qaida, saying there's no conclusive evidence that the regime harbored Osama bin Laden associate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The CIA review, which U.S. officials said Monday was requested some months ago by Vice President Dick Cheney, is the latest assessment that calls into question one of President Bush's key justifications for last year's U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The new assessment follows the independent Sept. 11 commission's finding that there was no "collaborative relationship" between the former Iraqi regime and bin Laden's terrorist network. [more]
Republican Talking Points from TAPPED
(...)
To: LAs, LDs, Policy Analysts, Policy Advisors, Committee Staff, and Counsels
Pasted below are some RPC talking points on "Saddam Hussein Used Terror as a Weapon," highlighting that Iraq was a central front, and not a diversion, in the War on Terrorism.
I hope you find this information useful.
(...)
7) The 9/11 Commission found conclusive evidence of close cooperation between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda: " There was no question in our minds that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda. " Gov. Thomas Kean, Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, July 2004. [more]
(links via Cursor)
More evidence of corruption and lies from Cheney
New Report Alleges Cheney's Office "Coordinated" No-Bid Halliburton Contract
"The Vice-President had no operational involvement with letting of any contracts."
-Mary Matalin, Cheney Senior Advisor [NBC Today, June 1, 2004]
New Report
Halliburton Contract "Coordinated" By Cheney's Office. According to a new report by Time Magazine:
"Time has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official--whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon--that raises questions about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says 'action' on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was 'coordinated' with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the 'authority to execute RIO,' or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the contract 'contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP's [Vice President's] office.' Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids." [more]
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