Mr. President, on Afghanistan, I disagree

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Wednesday December 02, 2009 · 11:23 AM PST

2009/12/02 · 11:23

President Obama has made his decision. 30,000 more of our young men and women will be sent to fight and potentially die in Afghanistan.

If I could give the President my thoughts, I'd thank him for his thoughtful process. I'm glad people who were arguing against sending more troops - like Vice President Joe Biden - were in the room during discussions. I'm glad he asked for more plans from his generals. And I'm glad he's thinking deeply about the decision.

But at the end of the day, I would like to tell President Obama that I deeply disagree with the conclusion he reached. We do not need to escalate in Afghanistan to keep this country safe, and the cost of escalation in the middle of the greatest economic depression since the 1930s is staggering. And therefore, we should not.

More after the jump. But if you want to tell Obama your disagreement, sign the petition here.

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday December 11, 2008 · 10:28 AM PST

2008/12/11 · 10:28

If you are coming to DC for the inauguration, and you'd like the option of staying out all night, sign our petition to make it happen!

Senators Robert F. Bennett and Dianne Feinstein are trying to overrule a DC City Council law allowing bars to stay open 24 hours during the inauguration. Why are they being the no-fun police?

Full text of their letter after the jump.

fatbyjhnsn

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Sunday April 27, 2008 · 11:22 AM PDT

2008/04/27 · 11:22

Well, after shutting out Fox news so far in the campaign, Barack Obama finally had an interview this morning. Despite promises from campaign staff that the candidate would "take on" Fox for its persistent lies and misinformation, the interview was pretty tame:

Obama definitely pushed back hard on some of Chris Wallace's questions, but at no point did he draw attention to Fox's spreading of lies about him or critique the network in a general sense.

Obama had a perfect opening to do this, too. Wallace pressed him repeatedly about Jeremiah Wright and the bogus "flag pin" nonsense -- a perfect set-up for Obama to point out that Fox had obsessed about both these issues to an obscene degree and that Fox had been at the forefront of spreading the Obama-is-a-Muslim lies.

So, Obama is no progressive candidate. Big surprise. I'm pretty sure most people already knew that.

Does that mean he's a lost cause? Does that mean Hillary's better? Well, no.

fatbyjhnsn

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Tuesday April 08, 2008 · 8:23 AM PDT

2008/04/08 · 08:23

The new CBS/New York Times poll, the same one widely reported saying 81% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, has another amazing statistic buried in the numbers (pdf):

The war in Iraq ranks second behind the economy as the country’s most
pressing problem and most Americans think the cost of the war has

contributed to the country’s economic woes, including two-thirds who
think it has contributed a lot.

HOW MUCH HAS THE IRAQ WAR CONTRIBUTED TO U.S. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS?

A lot 67%
Some 22
Not much/not at all 10

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday March 06, 2008 · 8:28 AM PST

2008/03/06 · 08:28

On December 18th, the FCC passed a rule further deregulating media:

The three Republicans on the Commission, Chairman Kevin Martin, Deborah Taylor Tate, and Robert M. McDowell voted for the rule changes, while the two Democrats — Micheal J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein — voted against the measure, despite oppositions by both parties in the Senate.

The new rule eliminated the ban on "newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership," meaning one company can now own a radio or television station and a major newspaper in the same city of town.

Despite the fact that, according to Josh Silver at Free Press, "99% of public comments did not support further consolidation," and despite the fact that, according to Tim Winter of the Parents Television Council, "Studies show newspapers do not take television and radio stations to task when they are owned by the same outlet," the FCC went ahead and gave big media companies more room to consolidate at the expense of local coverage, minority ownership, and balanced reporting.

But some in the Senate are fighting back. More info and action items after the jump...

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday March 05, 2008 · 10:55 AM PST

2008/03/05 · 10:55

Lost among all the Obama/Clinton pie fights was the Texas Senate primary race. Rick Noriega not only won the primary, but passed the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. With the primary behind him, the people-powered Noriega campaign can take on Bush lap-dog John Cornyn with full force.

More after the jump...

fatbyjhnsn

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Friday February 29, 2008 · 11:35 AM PST

2008/02/29 · 11:35

After moving to Washington, D.C., I quickly noticed the slogan on the local red, white, and blue license plates. Every D.C. plate says:

Taxation Without Representation

That's right. A full 235 years after the Sons of Liberty - led by prominent founding fathers like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and John Adams - dumped tons of British tea into Boston Harbor among cries of, "No taxation without representation," this basic issue has still not been resolved. D.C. residents lack a voting member in either house of Congress, yet we pay federal taxes like everyone else. Just last year, Congress again voted to disenfranchise its half-million residents.

Now, the U.S. Mint has rejected DC's protest in the form of its quarter design. More after the jump.

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday February 27, 2008 · 8:39 AM PST

2008/02/27 · 08:39

Today, the New York Philharmonic completed its much anticipated concert in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was the first time so many outsiders had visited the isolated country. Though the trip was ostensibly apolitical, as usual, people on both sides of the demilitarized zone used the opportunity to push an agenda.

But this is about more than politics. When art is involved, some things suddenly seem more important.

More after the jump.

fatbyjhnsn

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Thursday February 14, 2008 · 8:42 AM PST

2008/02/14 · 08:42

Since September 11th, 2001, over a million people have died as a result of the War on Terror:

70,000 military personnel on both sides have been killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
Over 1,000,000 civilians have died in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
Hundreds more military fighters have been killed in Israel, Palestine, North Africa, and Asia
Thousands of civilians have been killed on those same fronts

Now, the Bush Administration says it plans to kill six more.

After we kill them, can we call the war on terror over?

More after the jump....

fatbyjhnsn

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Tuesday February 12, 2008 · 12:12 PM PST

2008/02/12 · 12:12

I just got off a conference call with Chris Dodd. Not surprisingly, he said he was "disappointed" by the outcome of the votes today. He said, "We’ve just sanctioned the single largest invasion of privacy in American history."

More after the jump...

fatbyjhnsn

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Wednesday January 23, 2008 · 8:34 AM PST

2008/01/23 · 08:34

The FISA fight is heating up again, and Senator Chris Dodd's threat to filibuster any FISA bill with retroactive immunity in it still stands.

But where are the other presidential candidates? The time for talk is over. Show America what you can do and you'll have my vote.

fatbyjhnsn

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

Saturday January 19, 2008 · 11:37 AM PST

2008/01/19 · 11:37

...this is what they'd say!

I spent a weekend with some friends recording hip hop parodies of every GOP candidate. They're pretty damn funny if I say so myself. Take a listen, I think you'll like it!

And yes, that's me doing all the singing. Nothing to write home about, I know, but at least I'm better than the Republican Christmas carolers!

You can download the track here (mp3). Feel free to spread it around! We love file sharing...

And if you want the lyrics, they appear after the jump.

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Mr. President, on Afghanistan, I disagree

ACTION: Save the 24 hour inauguration party!

Obama's No Progressive - That's OK

89% Of Americans Think Iraq Has Hurt the Economy

ACTION: Help Congress Fight Media Consolidation

TX-Sen: Noriega Wins His Primary, Ready To Take On Cornyn!

US Mint Rejects "Taxation Without Representation" DC Quarter Design

Politics vs. Art: The New York Philharmonic in North Korea

How Many More Must Die Until The War On Terror Is Over?

Dodd: We passed the largest invasion of privacy in history.

Whichever Candidate Stands With Dodd Has My Vote

If Republicans were rappers... [audio, hilarious?]