F*** you.

Supreme Court upholds federal abortion ban

Well, there you go. Conservatives can complain all they want about the president's performance on same-sex marriage and immigration, but the Bush-stacked Supreme Court -- having just announced its decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban -- has officially handed them a giant freaking gift. As the New York Times/AP reports, "The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion."

A few weeks ago John Kerry stated that he would not choose sides before the primary in Connecticut, and that he intended to support whichever candidate won the primary.

Here is his press release, just issued this morning:

I was sitting here at my computer listening to a new CD, Jackson Browne's solo acoustic volume 1, which is full of beautiful songs beautifully sung, when I happened to remember a diary here a long while back that veered off into a discussion of Jackson Browne's music.  It was wonderful to discover that at least on this particular subject people were able to come together in their appreciation.

As a rule, I disagree with most of the posters here on nearly eveything.  As a result I rarely post, and even more rarely write diaries.  But I remember that thread fondly, and thinking about it made me want to reach out to the kos community.

Posted on Dem Daily

"This was a fight over principle. Trying everything in our power to stop an ideological coup on the Supreme Court was the right thing to do. Everything in Judge Alito's record shows that he will actively work to erode civil rights, discrimination and privacy protections. The time to fight was now, before the irreversible decision of confirming a new Supreme Court Justice was written in stone.

    "We knew we faced steep odds, but we also knew that once Judge Alito becomes Justice Alito, there's no turning back the Senate confirmation vote. It wouldn't matter if we spoke up after the Supreme Court has granted the executive the right to use torture, or to eavesdrop without warrants. It wouldn't matter if we spoke up only after a woman's right to privacy was taken away and only after the courthouse door was slammed in the faces of women, minorities, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor. This was a debate worth having, and a debate we had no choice but to have today."

more after the break...

John Kerry sent out a new email late last night:

Support a filibuster

Dear Xxxxx,

Yesterday, Senator Ted Kennedy and I told our colleagues that we supported a filibuster of Judge Alito's nomination for the Supreme Court. And we weren't alone. But the bottom line is that it takes more than two or three people to filibuster successfully. It's not "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." If you want to stop Judge Alito from becoming Justice Alito, use your own email list and organize. We can't just preach to our own choir. We need to prove to everyone - from our friends and neighbors to our fellow Senators - that the American people know Judge Alito will take our country in the wrong direction, and they expect something to be done about it...

continued after the fold

John Kerry Offers Major Package of Legislation to Help Small Businesses, Others Devastated by Hurricane Katrina
September 9th, 2005

A few days ago we heard from John Kerry as he reached out to his email list and asked for supporters to donate to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Kerry said in his email, "I plan to work in coming days to find more ways that we can help joining with my colleagues in the Senate to support those who have lost so much and those working so hard to help them."

more...

I'm just back from downtown Boston.  There were so many volunteers at Kerry HQ that they were just sending people out to do visibility and hand out stickers and balloons.  

Over by Faneuil Hall there was a huge crowd.  Hundreds of people were standing quietly and looking at the Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in America, and has great clam chowder.  

Just heard this on the Ed Schultz show.

Kerry campaign has three days to let send them a rebuttal piece.

NICE WORK, KOSSACKS!!!!

Hesiod at Counterspin Central has a list of swing state tv stations with web polls asking for public opinions on whether they should run the Kerry smear documentary.

Please feel free to flame me if this is a duplicate, just wanted to make sure everyone saw it.

Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry, opening Friday.  

The film earned an "A" from Entertainment Weekly, a tough grader.  Here is the review.  

Great interview on Salon today with James Wolcott.  Here's a choice bit:

How much of the blog will be devoted to media criticism?

Via Altercation, a link to this cri de coeur by E.L. Doctorow, published in The East Hampton Star, and called The Unfeeling President.

I fault this president for not knowing what death is.

Chris Marcil wrote a wonderful piece in today's NY Times titled 7 Steps to a Better Candidate. In a few choice paragraphs he boils down to its essence all the unsolicited advice that's recently been offered to the Kerry campaign.

Check it out.  

Via Eric Alterman, an article in the International Herald Tribune points out that Shrub has the full support of terrorists in his campaign for re-election.  

For those of us who get tongue-tied while trying to explain the issues to potential Kerry voters, the indispensable Liberal Oasis provides us with this handy document, "Suggested Answers For Tough Questions About John Kerry".

Via Atrios, read it and weep:  

Soldiers say they were told to re-enlist or face deployment to Iraq

By Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News
September 16, 2004

COLORADO SPRINGS - Soldiers from a Fort Carson combat unit say they have been issued an ultimatum - re-enlist for three more years or be transferred to other units expected to deploy to Iraq.

Hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team were presented with that message and a re-enlistment form in a series of assemblies last Thursday, said two soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Please read this David Broder column, Quiet Calls for Change, from today's Washington Post.  It gave me chills.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Over many years of covering campaigns in New Hampshire, I've lost track of the number of times I've attended political events in the basement meeting room of the Manchester public library, which makes itself available to all candidates and parties. Never have I been to a quieter rally than the one I happened upon Monday afternoon.

Former senator Max Cleland of Georgia, the man who nominated John Kerry for president in Boston this summer, played host to three young people concerned about the Iraq war -- two veterans of the fighting and the wife of a soldier currently deployed -- along with perhaps 50 middle-aged and elderly voters and seven TV cameras. For most of the hour, you could have heard a pin drop...

 

...Scott Lewis, an Army Reserve sergeant home after 15 months in Iraq, spoke just a few words. "We need some new ideas in Iraq," he said. "People criticize John Kerry for changing his mind about Iraq, but I think that's actually a strength. And I'm a Republican."

Doug Madory, a recently discharged Air Force captain, was the last. He spent four months in Iraq, but most of his deployment was spent in Italy. He spoke of the way Italians embraced American servicemen in brotherhood after Sept. 11 and said, "President Bush squandered a good deal of that support all through Europe by rushing headlong into Iraq. George Bush should be held accountable. . . . People around the world are with us, but are not with George Bush."

That was it. I have no idea what it means in the larger scheme of things, but Cleland said he has been struck by the slow trickle of Iraq war vets now volunteering to speak out. "It is hard for them to do this in public," he said. "Americans obey their commander in chief and do their duty. But then they speak their minds -- just like John Kerry did 35 years ago."

The serious mood was broken by Sam Poulton, who rose in the second row, wearing a VFW cap, to poke fun at himself. He turned to face the audience and cameras. "I want you to look at this face," he said. "I'm 56 years old, a proud reservist. I was ordered back to Iraq. It's something when my son and I are both deployed. I went to war for George W. Bush; I came home to vote for John Kerry."

 Please go read the column.  And if you appreciate it as much as I did, drop Mr. Broder a line to let him know.  Maybe it will encourage him to write more such thoughtful pieces.

The discussion of the Iraq war resolution by Jon Stewart and Pat Buchanan was priceless (esp. the big stick part).

Don't miss it.