In his usual habit of linking to something approvingly without first checking whether or not it is categorically false, Glenn Reynolds yesterday directed readers to this mean-spirited post on a blog called "Classical Values". The classical values-espousing writer implies that a Daily Kos poster's call to send care packages to our troops is a cynical ploy, designed solely so that the troop-hating moonbats over there can use this for propaganda in a few months. Commenters at the site then simultaneously marvel at how late in coming this "Kos Kid" expression of support was and note their own past efforts in a self-congratulatory tone.

The problem with all this? Posters on Daily Kos have been sending care packages and participating in other hands-on gestures of support throughout the war. Is it fair to question their motives? If you're very cynical, I guess, and if you keep in mind that many of them have friends and family members in the military. But to imply that they're doing this at the last minute to make themselves look better is phenomenally dishonest. This kind of us-vs-them "the other side hates our troops" rhetoric (which can indeed be seen at Daily Kos quite often as well) is intentionally divisive and, paired with the dishonesty of suggesting that this was the only such effort on Kos, would seem to reflect an iffy interpretation of the meaning of "classical values".

I posted a comment calling them on the factual aspect of this (in a respectful tone) last night, but for some reason it has yet to show up over there...

-Ben | Comments | Topic: Iraq

This is a hectic semester for me as it's my last in college, but I've also been working on a new project that will hopefully eventually replace Catalyst with a prettier, perhaps a bit more "Web 2.0-y" blog. In the meantime, I've been doing consulting work for, and also blogging from time to time on, the Campus Progress site, which is a great resource for anyone interested in progressive politics generally and, more specifically, in countering the right's great (read: well-financed) youth-training and campus organizing infrastructure with a progressive alternative.

Hopefully I'll have something up here in the not too far future, but until then...

-Ben | Comments

The latest news out of Myanmar:

An active member of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party in Burma has died under interrogation, as the crackdown against last month's protests continues.

Win Shwe, a 42-year-old member of the National League for Democracy was arrested with five colleagues on September 26, the day the junta began to put down the demonstrations.

According to a Thailand-based human rights group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the security forces told Win Shwe's family that he had died during interrogation.

Check out the US Campaign For Burma for regular updates and action ideas.

-Ben | Comments | Topic: World politics

Kathryn Jean Lopez, in a post titled "Come Off It, Already":

Now Mrs. Edwards is questioning Rush Limbaugh's deferment.

Is the Democratic party that insecure that they can to try to destroy this powerful, successful voice?

They really don't know fairness. Fairness seems to be "getting your way" in the left-wing dictionary. Air American can't stand on its own? Fairness Doctrine! We screw up and let MoveOn disrespect the commanding general of our troops in Iraq? Attack Limbaugh!

I'd correct "Air American" but there's far more evil afoot here.

First of all, the Fairness Doctrine, when it did exist, was not once applied to talk shows. It simply didn't happen. Only a heavily-modified Fairness Doctrine would actually require balancing conservative talk shows with liberal ones, and, since the last attempt to restore the Fairness Doctrine failed miserably, it's kind of a moot point either way.

More importantly-- is there anyone, outside of the National Review offices, who doesn't question Limbaugh's deferment? How many other people can say they got out of fighting in a major military conflict due to ingrown ass hairs?

-Ben | Comments | Topic: Right-wing wankery

• Greg Mankiw argues against SCHIP by noting increased insurance coverage of kids over past decade. Increased insurance coverage of kids over past decade was due to SCHIP.
• David Brooks argues against book he clearly didn't read.
• David Horowitz insists picture of stoning in Iran he uses for "Terrorism Awareness" legit; still of stoning is from classic Dutch movie. Horowitz disappears blog post.

-Ben | Comments | Topic: Right-wing wankery

According to the NYT:

Under a program developed by a Defense Department warfare unit, Army snipers have begun using a new method to kill Iraqis suspected of being insurgents, planting fake weapons and bomb-making material as bait and then killing anyone who picks up them up, according to testimony presented in a military court.

If this is true (caveats buried later in the article: it emerged as part of a defense strategy for soldiers accused of murder; on an official level the military of course denied it), it sounds a lot more like just "planting weapons on people" than "baiting suspected insurgents."

Update: The original WaPo article goes into better detail, and has this inane quote from the captain of an elite sniper platoon:

"Basically, we would put an item out there and watch it. If someone found the item, picked it up and attempted to leave with the item, we would engage the individual as I saw this as a sign they would use the item against U.S. Forces."

As Eugene Fidell of the National Institute of Military Justice points out:

"In a country that is awash in armaments and magazines and implements of war, if every time somebody picked up something that was potentially useful as a weapon, you might as well ask every Iraqi to walk around with a target on his back,"

More here.

-Ben | Comments | Topic: Iraq

Via my dad.

-Ben | Comments

And probably the best one so far:

-Ben | Comments | Topics: Humor, US politics

"Poll results" from Michelle Malkin's site, demonstrating incontrovertibly that almost all Republicans are opposed to the Bush/Kennedy/McCain Immigration Bill.

Nice to know she's making good use of her Oberlin degree.

-Ben | Comments | Topic: Right-wing wankery

For some reason I've recently embarked on the project of aggregating a bunch of data on the popularity of presidential primary candidates on social networking and futures trading sites. You can check it out here; the question of whether or not this is completely useless is an exercise left to the reader. Personally I think that the exact vote counts will be proportional to each candidates' number of Myspace friends.

Obama is winning the YouTube and Myspace wars; Giuliani watches too much To Catch a Predator and is the only candidate stodgy enough to make his Myspace friends-only.

If I have the time, I'll add more data sources and candidates, set things up so the data updates automatically, and show trends from day-to-day. For now, current data should be updated once or twice a day.

Slate is also keeping track of futures data, and with pretty graphs.

-Ben | Comments | Topics: US politics, Tech junk, Presidential Primary 2008 Indicators