] Two weeks after declaring his intention to run for
] president, Clark was still registered to represent a high
] tech contractor, Acxiom Corporation, giving him the rare
] distinction of seeking the White House while registered
] as a lobbyist. Shortly after Clark announced his
] candidacy, a company spokesman said the general no longer
] lobbied for Acxiom, but, according to the Senate Office
] of Public Records, Clark had not filed any termination
] papers.
]
]
] Clark has been lobbying for the firm since January 2,
] 2002; Acxiom has paid more than $830,000 for Clark to
] advance its agenda and meet with government officials.
] Clark also serves on the company's board of directors.
]
]
] According to federal disclosure records, Clark lobbied
] directly on "information transfers, airline security and
] homeland security issues," for Acxiom, which sought
] funding to do controversial informational background
] checks on passengers for airlines. Privacy advocates have
] criticized the program, called the Computer Assisted
] Passenger Pre-Screening System II, because of concerns
] that the data collected would be an overly invasive
] violation of individuals' rights to privacy. The public
] outcry has been so strong that there is a bi-partisan
] effort to create more oversight for the program to
] protect privacy interests if CAPPS II is implemented.

So Clark helped lobby for CAPPS II. While he was a presidential candidate. So that's fun.

The Buying of the President 2004 - Clark as lobbiest for CAPPS II

] Instead, the typical Internet user is an avid reader of
] books and spends more time engaged in social activities
] than the non-user, it says. And, television viewing is
] down among some Internet users by as much as five hours
] per week compared with Net abstainers, the study added.

CNN.com - New study shatters Internet 'geek' image - Jan. 14, 2004

inignoct wrote:
] good read... somewhat dense in spots for those of us without
] a lot of experience in political philosophies.
]
] i take from all this that Neocons generally define themselves
] as pragmatists, acting in all cases in such a way as to
] maximize the global benefits for the U.S. specifically with a
] middle-of-the road approach to the tradeoffs between the size
] of government and the availability of social programs.

What's especially interesting to me is an article I read today on Talking Points Memo which states that the conservatives are equating neocon to mean conservative jewish people. I had no freaking idea that this was going on, but apparently, when you criticize neocons, yuo are "anti-semitic," according to some of these sources. Totally absurd notion. Read the talking points memo story at: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_01_04.html#002372

RE: Conservatives and Neoconservatives

] An 11-year-old girl sold heroin on the street while
] dressed in her school uniform or even her pajamas, doing
] the bidding of her mother and a man who may be her
] stepfather, police said.

!!!

CNN.com - Dressed in her school uniform, 11-year-old sold heroin, police say - Jan. 6, 2004

] Dean's Kentucky campaign begins poorly: Letters received
] by Dean after he signed Vermont's civil-unions bill: "I
] was really sorry to read where you have allowed the
] passage of a bill recognizing queers to marry," wrote
] someone from Kentucky, "who vowed never to vacation in
] Vermont again." "I have been a Democrat all my life, but
] now that the Democrats are turning into queers, I am
] switching to the Republican Party. I hope you and all
] your queer buddies rot in hell."
]
] Another said, "Dean Is a Faggot Lover. All Homosexuals,
] Go to Vermont, Dean Loves You. All Normal People, Stay
] Away From Vermont. A State Full Of Perverts—Run By
] Perverts. Boycott Fag Run Vermont." On one fund-raising
] walk after the bill-signing, an elderly woman walked up
] to Dean and said, "You fucking, queer-loving son of a
] bitch."

Just when I think my faith in the American voter cannot sink any farther, I run across something like this. Ah, my old state never serves to disappoint. I mean, seriously.

A Browser's Guide to Campaign 2004, Cont'd - Slate reads another Dean book so you don't have to. By Chris Suellentrop

Decius wrote:
] Here is a direct link to the recent Gallup results on American
] opinions about the Iraq war. What you think of those opinions
] probably has a lot to do with how closely they resemble your
] opinions. The exception is the one Ryan pointed out... Do you
] think Sadam was involved with the 911 attacks? He wasn't and
] this is a simple factual measure of how confused you are about
] what is going on.
]
] The rate is as high now as it has ever been. A slight decrease
] in the number occurred in September when Bush said he wasn't
] involved, but now its right back up again, proving that the
] only thing worse then our grasp of the facts is our attention
] span.
]
] Campaign finance reform attacks the symptom and not the
] disease. We don't need campaign finance reform, we need voter
] clue reform. As long as so many people remain completely
] incapable of independent thought they will always be the
] victims of big marketing budgets.

Ryan: I absolutely agree. I wish there were some way to penalize people for lying in the mainstream media. The media lies, the people running the show lies. I just wish I could stop idiotic arguments before they start.

RE: Gallup Poll Analyses - Americans are clueless

Here is a direct link to the recent Gallup results on American opinions about the Iraq war. What you think of those opinions probably has a lot to do with how closely they resemble your opinions. The exception is the one Ryan pointed out... Do you think Sadam was involved with the 911 attacks? He wasn't and this is a simple factual measure of how confused you are about what is going on.

The rate is as high now as it has ever been. A slight decrease in the number occurred in September when Bush said he wasn't involved, but now its right back up again, proving that the only thing worse then our grasp of the facts is our attention span.

Campaign finance reform attacks the symptom and not the disease. We don't need campaign finance reform, we need voter clue reform. As long as so many people remain completely incapable of independent thought they will always be the victims of big marketing budgets.

Gallup Poll Analyses - Americans are clueless

] # On June 13, 2001, the House Appropriations Committee
] voted down an amendment by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
] that would have provided an additional $50 million for
] the Food Safety and Inspection Service to increase
] inspection of imported meat. The amendment was voted down
] by conservatives. [Source: House Appropriations Vote,
] 6/13/01]
]
]
] # An amendment by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) in May of
] 2002 would have provided $35 million "for the Animal
] Plant Health Inspection Service toincrease protections
] against foot and mouth and mad cow disease." At the time,
] Kaptur "said it was a `miracle' the United States had not
] suffered an outbreak given the problems this year in
] Europe." Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman
] Henry Bonilla, R-Texas "said there was no need for the
] amendment " and "the amendment then failed on a 35-27
] vote." [Source: Congress Daily, 5/11/02]

Daily Kos || Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

] Slightly more than half of the American public now
] believes Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the
] September 11th terrorist attacks.

53% according to the Gallup poll. This is a new one, from December 15-16 of this year. Ridiculous. I can't believe this still hasn't been cleared up.

The Gallup Organization

] When they first arrived, I was surprised that there were
] people who celebrated Christmas over there. Since the
] only thing I know about Iran is what I've gathered from
] the media, I guess I kinda figured they were all
] fundamentalist Muslims who want to kill me. For all the
] talk about religion (and lack thereof) that I put on this
] site, I feel slightly hypocritical that I somehow feel
] closer (in a sense) to Iran now that I know there are
] people there who celebrate "our" holiday.
]
] Since the news of Thursday's earthquake, I can't shake
] the thought that the people who wrote these cards might
] be dead. It's even more troubling that the earthquake
] which leveled an Iranian city was virtually identical to
] one that I felt just the other day. Our earthquake only
] killed two people, but Iran is looking at up to 40,000
] casualties.

Food for thought....

The Talent Show: Out of sight, out of mind