Boston Globe: Kerry says the US needs a…. Stupid choice in words if you ask me – I won’t repeat them. I find his criticism suspect since his voting record says otherwise. Nevertheless…

I ask as I did yesterday: Who will be louder? Will the left rally around him or will the right rip him to shreds?

Senator Kerry has a higher profile the Congressman Kucinich. Will this be ignored as well?

Speaking of candidates, Atrios attended a Howard Dean meetup. Read the thread. Dean’s organization get’s the Internet judging by the posts.

Update 4/6/2003: Kerry responds to his critics and it looks like his stand is starting to get noticed.

U.S. Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich has taken a stand.

Who will be louder in response? Voices of support or the chorus that is sure to come down on him?

Update: A day later I have my answer. Neither side appears to have responded at all.

Update: Humph… Gary Hart ignored as well.

It’s not a joke. Conversations are taking place that may lead to James Capozzola to run for Senate against Arlen Spector (R).

Speaking of webloggers, Gary Hart now has one! He should turn off commenting.

A prayer for service men and women, their families, and our leaders to find the wisdom thru this.

TV news overage, portrays war like a spectator sport. Can’t stand it. Newspapers and websites seem to be the only place to go.

Speaking of newspapers, Philly.com‘s is among the best. I work for the company and yes I’m biased. But it’s good to see breaking news beyond the expected Reuters and AP.

Kevin Sites is very close to what’s going on. Possibly why he hasn’t updated his weblog since Tuesday.

Wbur.org’s weblog on Iraq is impressive.

The Rational Enquirer is pulling links from around the web.

WashingtonPost: Putting Patriotism to the Test:

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

SFGate: Family Portraits: A new generation for peace.

Times Shadow: Responsibility

So when the shooting starts and the terrible things happen, the burden is on us to keep faith with them, not to judge them, even if we couch our judgment in words like ?grieve.? Better one should grieve for oneself than presume to grieve for the moral failure of a soldier doing his or her duty, holding up their end of the bargain while we shirked ours. They will not fail in their military objective. Some few of them may fail in their duty as a soldier and as a human being, and commit acts not in accordance with the laws of war. Even then, the burden is on us to keep faith with them, because we placed them in those circumstances, through our own inaction and indifference. We keep faith with them by holding our tongues, and we forgive them, and we ask them to forgive us. We let them down first. Our institutions will hold them accountable. It?s hard to say if anyone will hold us accountable.

Thanks to Jonathon Delacour for the last one.

Mainstream TV news sucks beyond belief. It’s commentary seems pulled directly from football games and boxing matches. You will need to dig to form educated opinions.

frontline: the long road to war. Find out how we got here. A comprehensive backgrounder on the last 12 years.

Esquire: The Pentagon’s New Map. The expressed goals: To connect the world. Spread globalization. Disconnectedness defines danger. Shrink the gap.

Guardian: Bill Clinton: Trust Tony’s judgment. President Clinton was globalization’s greatest champion.

Reuters: no clear proof globalization helps the poor. Uh-oh.

Newsweek: Where did the love go?. I won’t repeat their stupid title. But after 9/11 the world stood behind us. What about now? A must read.

WashPost: Gary Hart, out of the shadow of doom. A candidate?

Questions to ask yourself:

1. President Clinton acted without UN support in Bosnia. Read his speach to the United States justifying our actions. What is it about this time that is different?
2. Whether or not you believe our actions in Iraq are justified or not, how long do you think our commitment will need to be to reach our goals? How about after the military action stops?
3. What will the ramifications of the commitment be? Are we prepared to make the called for sacrifices? Is anyone asking us of them? Warning us of them?
4. What of Bin Laden, the bastard that attacked us? Are we safer today then we were before 9/11? If so, by how much?
5. Are you among those who think Saddam was behind 9/11? Why with the reporting (altnernative and mainstream) to the contrary?
6. Does the growing intolerance of thought and expression worry you?
7. Is patriotrism love of the flag or of the Constitution?
8. Did you vote last election? Is not voting patriotic? Did you not vote but recently feel someone else wasn’t patriotic? What are your responsibilities as a citizen?
9. Where did the wide support after 9/11 go? Do you even remember it?
10. Do you feel these events are beyond your control? Do you wonder why you should even care?
11. President Clinton was the first Boomer President. President George W. Bush is the second. Boomers and Gen-X are largely in charge now. Do you think it a coincidence that the structures the WWII generation put in place are now being dismantled, marginalized, and maligned?
12. Broad cooperation is needed to fight terrorism. How have our diplomatic efforts gone to achieve this aim?
13. Doesn’t it prove something positive that Germany is pacifist?
14. Are there any historical time periods that mirror our own and do they provide us with any lessons? What did leaders in that age do in response? Were the 90s a mirror image of the 20s?
15. Do you think that leaving Saddam in place is good for the civilian population of Iraq? How has it been the last 12 years? What are the alternatives?

Also providing you links that make you think: rc3.org, dangerousmeta, Oliver Willis, Eschaton, The Rittenhouse Review.

Like Rafe (rc3.org) I apologize for the current events linkage. I will refrain from commentary and do my best to not contribute to data smog. It’s real, real thick right now.