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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mannie who wrote (27565)	9/15/2003 9:14:23 AM
From: thames_sider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Funding for new work, which will be open only to U.S. firms as lead contractors To be fair, if this is the US government or a govt-funded body spending its own money, then while it might not be wise to have a US-only, no-bid assignation of funds - while it might not be in the best interests of the US itself to be handing money to big GOP donors - it's not illegal and there's no legal reason why the funding should be thrown open to competitors. Rnning a country on "What's good for Bechtel is good for us all" possibly isn't that wise. But it'll be interesting to see who ends up as a 'consultant' for them, or HAL, or Fluor, or Carlyle, after the 2004 elections. Could abuse of office and misappropriation of federal funds be grounds for criminal trial? Treason, even? hopefully something carrying the death penalty... and given how biblical these guys are, I think it only fair to enforce such punishments even unto the seventh generation which would at least ensure we'll have no Bush III.

To: Mannie who wrote (27565)	9/22/2003 9:15:52 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

s1: I really hope the Seattle PI continues on...it's one of my favorite newspapers and I find its website to be very intuitive...Yet, it looks like a large legal battle may be catching up with the paper...fyi... editorandpublisher.com <<...Just four years ago, the future of the Seattle joint operating agreement (JOA) forged in 1983 between The Seattle Times, principally owned by the Blethen family, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, published by Hearst Corp., looked so bright that its principals decided to extend it for another 50 years. Now the fate of the 140-year-old P-I could be sealed as early as Sept. 25, when King County (Wash.) Superior Court Judge Greg Canova announces a key ruling in Case No. 03-2-23950. Depending on how the judge rules, the P-I could disappear before Oct. 29, 2004. And even though the Times is the far stronger JOA partner, its very existence is also riding on the judge's decision, according to Times Co. CEO Frank Blethen. In a memo to employees earlier this month, Blethen claimed that Hearst is using a "deep pockets and aggressive 'bleed' strategy" to keep his newspaper in an untenable JOA that will eventually force his family to fold or sell. The Blethens control a 50.5% stake in the Times, and Knight Ridder controls the rest. If Judge Canova does not stop the 18-month countdown to the end of the JOA, Hearst says the P-I will be unable to continue publishing because all the printing presses, delivery trucks and other production equipment and facilities are owned by the Times Co. Hearst has put the P-I up for sale, but a second newspaper with virtually no production assets and a declining circulation is unlikely to find any serious takers...>>

To: Mannie who wrote (27565)	9/22/2003 2:04:58 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

A description of Clark's new book... publishersmarketplace.com Winning Modern Wars by General Wesley Clark Description: General Wesley K. Clark, U.S.A. (Ret.), was Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, from 1997 to 2000 and is currently a military analyst for CNN. He served as a director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon from 1994 to 1996 and was the lead military negotiator for the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton in 1995. All of this makes him uniquely qualified to appreciate, perhaps better than anyone else, both the awesome power and capabilities of the American military and the complicated, crowded world in which that military operates. In his previous book, Waging Modern War, he examined his experience in Kosovo directing NATO forces in the age of instant communications, unending diplomacy, and imperfect, uneven coalitions. In Winning Modern Wars, he offers a critical look at how the current American administration has used its military might in the war against Iraq and why taking down the regime is not the same as taking down the terrorist movement. He will argue that the Bush administration has used the tragedy of 9/11 to carry out its mistaken foreign policy. That they are heading down a long, ineffectual and ultimately deadly path in ignoring the difference between state and movement. He writes that unless the US changes tactics they will find themselves, much like the Israelis, several years, even decades down the road with no end to bloodshed in sight. Clark also uses his experience and knowledge of classic military tactics to evaluate this administration's larger strategy and, frankly, finds it lacking, and perhaps foolish and frightening. Clark offers a surprisingly sharp evaluation of the current administration, sharper perhaps because it comes from a military insider who has been on the frontlines of the political and real wars. Publication September 2003, 208 pages.