Gina's asked that we note what we picked as a children's book that left an impression at The Third Estate Sunday Review. Confession, I didn't offer one. Everyone was rushing. And time was called. I'm not griping about that and wasn't going to say anything but since Gina wants me to note my pick, I need to note that I didn't offer one.
I'd pick the Nancy Drew books. But note the ones from when I was a child. I found the originals in my elementary school library. They don't have photos on the cover (they might have had dusk jackets, if so the library lost them before I was in elementary school). They were published in the thirties. Nancy had an amazing car with running boards on the side which I thought was the only way a car should look. (My father collected antique cars.)
She was also more independent in the original series. Each series has weakened her in my opinion. Any of the early books from the thirties are my favorites. I liked the Dana Girls as well if it was from the original series.
Gina and Krista are doing a very lengthy essay on children's books in the upcoming gina and krista round-robin. They want to be sure everyone's in the mood for that. This is the official round-robin. Right now, as most of you know, they're doing a daily one during the Roberts' hearings. I participated in the discussion last night and will again Wednesday night. (And the hearings are just now going off on Pacifica.)
Tonight, I think Jim and Cedric are participating along with Ava and C.I. Ava and C.I. are giving time for it every night that the hearings go on and I wish I could but I'm just not up for that.
I find the hearings very frustrating. I see people applauding some who aren't, my opinion, doing much more than grand standing. I think Ted Kennedy was sincere. I'll offer one positive note.
I agree with C.I. that they need to drop the sports metaphors.
This isn't a game, this is the highest court in the land. I really wish someone would make that point to him. Just say, "Mr. Roberts, we're not on a baseball field, we're in the United States Senate. Please conduct yourself appropriately for someone who's nominated to be Chief Justice."
Now Mike and I have three things from Democracy Now! that we'll both be noting tonight so check out Mikey Likes It!
U.S./Iraqi Attack on Tall Afar Kills 200 (Democracy Now!)
In Iraq, at least 200 are dead in the city of Tall Afar after U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major assault on the northern city over the weekend. On Monday the Iraqi Red Crescent Society sent in aid for families displaced by three days of bombardment. It was the largest attack since the siege of Fallujah. U.S. officials originally portrayed the bombing as essential to stop the flow of foreign fighters from Syria. But the Washington Post reports the targets were largely Sunni Turkmen. According to the Post, the Kurdish militia known as the Peshmerga - not the actual Iraqi army - led the assault. Meanwhile the U.S. is denying an accusation that the military used toxic gases in the attack. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi reportedly posted an audio message online claiming the U.S. was using some type of chemical weapons in the city.
This was a must headline because we don't think this has anywhere near the attention from the media that it should. The New York Times has done an awful job reporting it and as C.I. noted in the editorial, Green Zone reporters don't appear to spend a lot of time out of the Green Zone. In fact, they seem to file stories about what they saw even when they didn't see anything.
Lawyers For Frances Newton Seek Stay On Execution (Democracy Now!)
Lawyers for Texas death row inmate Frances Newton has asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for a 30-day stay to try to prove that authorities erred in linking her to a presumed murder weapon. Newton is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday night. She is set to become the first African-American woman executed in the state since Reconstruction. Meanwhile the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused on Monday to stop the execution and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously not to recommend that Perry commute the sentence to life in prison.
How can we call ourselves fighters for "liberty" and pretend that in the midst of the invasion/occupation? Because of the things we do to the people here. Francis Newton clearly deserves another trial due to the new issues raised. But we're going to execute her and act as though it's not a big deal and just life as usual in the US. What's really scary is that this is becoming life as usual in the US.
Journalists Released From Haitian Jail (Democracy Now!)
In Haiti, two journalists have been released after spending the weekend in jail. Independent journalist Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil of the Associated Press were arrested while covering a police raid on a church led by the jailed priest Gerard Jean Juste. Pina is a regular contributor to the Pacifica Radio program Flashpoints.
This is one of the reasons most people don't care about Judith Miller. The New York Times wants to editorialize about press freedoms and attacks on them. But they didn't have an editorial on Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil.
If you read C.I.'s "ABC 'fixes' Colin Powell" and/or Ava's "Note from Ava on ABC's altering Colin Powell's remarks," then you know that ABC fixed a quote by Colin Powell and the fix makes him sound much better. He's not repeating words, he's not saying "uh" repeatedly. He sounds like a smart person who had no hesitation when asked a question. The question is about lying to the people, to the world, when he presented phoney claims at the UN. I think it's disgusting because if you alter a quote, you note it and they didn't. They being ABC. A report they've written up of the interview with Barbara Walters makes Powell look so much better which makes you wonder if that wasn't the point?
No peace quote tonight. I'll grab one tomorrow.
