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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
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"Sides are being chosen, and the future of man hangs in the balance! The enemies of virtue may be on the march, but they have not won, and if we put our trust in Christ, they never will ... It is for us then to do as our heroes have always done and put our faith in the perfect redeeming love of Jesus Christ," - Tom DeLay, in Washington yesterday. I have no idea where people could get the idea that the Republican party has been turned into a religious sect, do you? 
(Via Daily Dish.)
11:04:36 PM 
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 Baghdad Photo Scandal
"On March 28th 2006, Howard Kaloogian's campaign website contained a photograph which he claims to have recently taken in downtown Baghdad. It was accompanied by the description: "We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism."
Upon further analysis by members of a discussion forum on Democratic Underground, it was found that this photo was actually a fake photo of Baghdad, because it was most likely taken in Istanbul, Turkey. Many inconsistencies, including the following, were found: Many signs are written in Turkish, but none in Arabic, Women are seen wearing revealing (western) clothes, Taxi cabs are similar to those seen in Istanbul, Uniquely Turkish traffic signs are present, Signs of businesses based solely in Turkey are present."
And he claims he took this photo himself in Baghdad. Are these people fucking idiots or do they think everyone else is? I'm not going to ever take anything a Republican says at face value ever again. If you are a non-lying Republican, you should really think about calling yourself something else, 'cause let's face it, "Republican" is now synonymous with Liar. This would be a HUGE story if there were some Democrats involved. But, as we all know, it's okay if you're a Republican.
More links from Talking Points Memo, Busted!, Kaloogian's Website Bamboozlement & In For A Dime In For A Dollar. And from Editor & Publisher: Congressional Candidate Slams Press Coverage of Iraq--With Bogus Photo
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(Via Bedazzled!.)
10:58:28 PM
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The big bookstore chains will not be standing up for free speech: Borders, Waldenbooks Won’t Carry Magazine. (Hat tip: Brenda Walker.)
Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.
“For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority,” Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham said Wednesday.
The magazine, published by the Council for Secular Humanism in suburban Amherst, includes four of the drawings that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in September, including one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban with a lit fuse.
Islamic tradition bars depiction of Muhammad to prevent idol worship, which is strictly prohibited.
“What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression,” said Paul Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry. “Cartoons often provide an important form of political satire ... To refuse to distribute a publication because of fear of vigilante violence is to undermine freedom of press — so vital for our democracy.”
Bingham said the decision was made before the magazine arrived at the company’s stores. Borders Group, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., operates more than 475 Borders and 650 Waldenbooks stores in the United States, though not all regularly carry the magazine.
“We absolutely respect our customers’ right to choose what they wish to read and buy and we support the First Amendment,” Bingham said. “And we absolutely support the rights of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoons. We’ve just chosen not to carry this particular issue in our stores.”
(Via Little Green Footballs.)
10:55:10 PM
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© Copyright 2006 Steve Michel.
Last update: 4/6/2006; 10:03:05 AM.
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