Kaloogian Shows his True Republican Colors

1Man, bloggers are amazing. Here is an okay Newsweek Piece on the matter.

Online sleuths can claim another victory. Howard Kaloogian, a Republican candidate in California’s 50th Congressional District, has removed a picture from his campaign Web site that he claimed was evidence that journalists are distorting how bad conditions are in Iraq. The photo purported to show a placid street scene in downtown Baghdad, including a hand-holding couple in Western dress and shoppers out for a stroll on a cobblestone street in an unmarred business district.

I first heard about it on Josh's site, but apparently it was up at Kos a bit before. Either way, this whole Baghdad debacle has really shown just how powerful the blogging world is. In a matter of hours, a bunch of people from all over the country, came together to show that Kaloogian was not being entirely honest. In fact, the picture was not even from Iraq, but rather from a suburb of Istanbul.

Kaloogian, being the real man that he is, decided to blame the webmaster and offered a rather unconvincing explanation for the mix-up. All in all, we have seen the dishonesty of Republicans (who can only blame the media for what is going on in Iraq) and the incredible power of online communities. And even Wikipedia is getting in on the action. Ha! He might not get elected (go Busby!), but at least he will always be remembered.

Here is an even better rundown of the whole Kaloogian unraveling.

Tag: Kaloogian, Iraq

Media Bias

Atrios,

I know this has been said by others and no matter how many times it is restated paste-eaters like Jeff Goldstein will faily to comprehend but I'll give it one more try.

Imagine if 30 people were killed every day by car bombs in US cities. Monday, 30 dead in Denver. Tuesday, 30 dead in San Francisco. Wednesday, 30 dead in Philadelphia. You get the idea.

Now scale that roughly relative to population size. Make that 300 dead per day. Every day. Would the lead story on the evening news be about all the people who weren't blown up that day? No. The country would be completely hysterical.

Couldn't have said it better.

Fuck Tom Tancredo... Wait

1I think it is safe to say that this country has a problem with illegal immigration. And it would be even more safe to say that people want some sort of reform. However, reform requires that we approach the topic with at least a bit of an open mind, and more importantly, reason. Rationality, unfortunately, does not resonate with Right Wing. Instead, hate seems to be the key.

Tom Tancredo, the Republican congressman, the four-term Coloradan has positioned himself as the loudest, angriest voice against the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. They are "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation," he says.

Fuck Tom Tancredo. This guy does not deserve to be a Representative of our government with the kind of hate he breathes. What is even more sorry is how powerful he has become - he is the head of the House "Immigration Reform Caucus"31, which is a sorry attempt by 89 Republicans and two Democrats to limit immigration and capitalize on the fear of 9/11. Tancredo is also considering running for President in 2008, if Republican candidates don't push immigration reform to the top of their agenda.

I hope he does end up running. He will show America how sick the right wing really is and will destroy the eventual nominee - securing an election that even Democrats can't fail to win. Although his views are disgusting, he may end up being a savior to the Democratic Party and a wedge for the Republicans.

So, on second thought, keep talking Tom Tancredo. Your extremism is alarming, and will only destroy your party's electoral chances in the future.

Newsweek Article on Tom Tancredo

Tag: Tom Tancredo

Priorities

1This is a quote32 from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma,

"The $72 billion appropriations bill could send 9.5 million children to Head Start for a year," Woolsey said. "It would give every child in the world basic immunization for the next quarter-century. Instead, we've damaged the trust of America and its leaders and destroyed basic human democracy."

It really is that simple.

Tag: Iraq War

SJC to Minutemen: Take Your Hate Elsewhere

1I love my city and today, I couldn't be more proud of San Juan Capistrano.

Organizers of the March 25 Swallows Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano said they wouldn't let the group march...

This decision comes on the heels of Laguna Beach32 also deciding against allowing the border vigilantes from marching in their annual Patriots Day Parade. The basis of the ruling is that the Minutemen are a political group - a category barred by the parade's bylaws. More importantly, the deicison was unanimous - the council voted 15 - 0 against the Minutemen! That is very impressive, especially with the kind of following the group has in South Orange County.

Overall, this is a victory for the citizens of San Juan Capistrano. Many of them will be able to go to the parade and not be hounded for their race or national status. After all, this is to celebrate our heritage as Capistranoans, a group that is much more diverse than the Minutemen wish it to be.

Tag: Minutemen, San Juan Capistrano