September 30th, 2009
James Carroll NAILS IT.
An excerpt:
The only U.S. president who seriously tried to abolish nuclear weapons was the arch-realist Ronald Reagan, coming within a hair’s breadth of an agreement with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 to empty the arsenals of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. by 2000.
The nuclear radicalism that animated Reagan, the abolitionist, plays in a lower key with Obama, but it defines the other move that he will make on Thursday. In effect, it is the carrot that will be quietly dangled before Iran: The U.S. is getting serious about nuclear disarmament. Far from being the move of a naïve idealist, this is the essence of realism today. Chess, not checkers. Obama has one eye on Iran, but another eye on the dozen other nations that are waiting to see whether Iran will win this match. Tehran with the Bomb will promptly bring Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Mideast states into the nuclear arms race, with countries like Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina approaching the starting line.
September 30th, 2009
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been losing some of its energy-industry members because of its opposition to action on climate change, is now claiming that the organization has “never questioned the science behind global warming.”
The RECORD clearly proves otherwise.
September 30th, 2009
As this snapshot of Sean Hannity’s Web site (via Cannonfire.blogspot.com) makes clear, notions of a military coup against President Obama go beyond the incendiary column to which I referred in the post just below this one.
In the comments thread on that earlier post (see Nos. 5, 6 and 7), I cited the federal law against promoting a takeover of the U.S. government. Here’s more (again, via Cannonfire):
From the United States Code, Chapter 115 – Treason, Sedition and Subversive Activity — Section 2385:
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or
Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
Section 2387:
(a) Whoever, with intent to interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty, morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States:
(1) advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United States; or
(2) distributes or attempts to distribute any written or printed matter which advises, counsels, or urges insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United States—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
Section 2383 — Rebellion or Insurrection:
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
September 30th, 2009
John L. Perry, a seriously unhinged columnist for the right-wing Web site Newsmax.com, indulges a FANTASY that could serve as the basis of a jobs program for a whole team of psychiatrists.
An excerpt:
Military intervention is what Obama’s exponentially accelerating agenda for “fundamental change” toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama’s radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible.
UPDATE: I had the name of the columnist wrong when I initially posted this item. It’s been corrected. (Thanks to commenter shawnnews for the heads-up.)
But now it appears that Newsmax has taken down the offending column (see HERE.) I wonder why.
MediaMatters has more on the column HERE.
UPDATE II: Anyone inclined to agree with John Perry’s advocacy of a military coup against Obama should read Nos. 5 and 6 in the comments thread on this post.
UPDATE III: Despite Newsmax having removed Perry’s column from its Web site (perhaps nervously, one suspects), we’ve tracked down a full text HERE.
September 30th, 2009
Is there no limit to the ridiculous gripes from the Obamaphobes?
If the 2016 Summer Games end up in the Windy City, I expect THESE PEOPLE to be rooting against the American athletes, especially if the 44th president of the United States is still in office.
September 29th, 2009
I wasn’t going to write anything about the silly right-wing brouhaha over kids at some school in New Jersey singing the praises of President Obama during Black History Month, but then I ran across THIS.
September 29th, 2009
You’re going to have to think long and hard about the implications of THIS, but the effort probably will lead you to some new level of enlightenment.
Just another example of how Applesauce is a big cut above your average political blog.
September 29th, 2009
Here’s an example of why so many Americans believe so many things that just aren’t true.
In this case, Fox News anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle is corrected by the woman next to her, but not emphatically enough, it would seem, to counteract Guilfoyle’s falsehood in the minds of viewers who are especially inclined to believe the worst:
POSTSCRIPT: This episode brings to mind the common misimpression among millions of Americans that the courts have banned any mention of God or religion from public schools, an issue I addressed HERE just last month.
