Every
morning at the crack of dawn, we send Will
Pitt out into the fields of news to harvest the tastiest
tidbits he can find. He refers to this stuff as, "All the
news that gives me fits."
For
those of you who never make it to the link the bottom of this
page, we have a second page of news that covers Internet, environmental
and world news, as well as a special focus feature. Good stuff
there. Don't miss it.
Page
Two
Prescience,
Synchronicity, or Political Acumen?
On
the very day DH2K columnist Jack Curtin wrote his latest "Great
Disconnect" column and made particular mention of the
Washington Post's Cece Connolly, it turns out that the paper's
very own ombudsman columnist did
the same (albeit without naming names).
In
further coincidentality, Salon also ran an article today that
takes a similar fishy-eyed look at the bias of mainstream reporting.
A
Miracle the Press Won't Report
Salon
How
biased is the nation's press corps? In the window since Labor
Day, the period when presidential campaigns start to get deadly
serious, the national media has literally inserted itself into
the race. In a series of shabbily conceived stories, which have
thrown George W. Bush's campaign temporarily off stride, the national
media has acted as little more than a spin machine for the Democratic
Party.
It's
the Liberalism, Stupid
Jewish World Review
This
election represents a crossroads for America because Gore is seeking
a mandate for collectivism over individualism, victimhood over
responsibility, mediocrity over excellence, statism over capitalism
and liberalism over conservatism.
Gush
& Bore Reach Agreement on Debate Format
CNN
Ending
weeks of haggling, officials for the Bush and Gore campaigns announced
Saturday that they had agreed on a variety of formats for three
upcoming presidential debates. The first presidential debate will
follow the traditional two-podium format; the second will have
the candidates seated at a table; and the third will be conducted
in a town-hall format. During the one vice presidential debate,
the candidates will be seated at a table.
Meanwhile,
Third Party candidates are demanding their right to enter into
the debates with the major parties' chosen two. See our Page
Two News for more on this issue.
Those
big-time, big-network debates aren't the only debates in town.
Judicial
Watch will be sponsoring a debate October 20, 2000,
at the George Mason University School of Law.
The
Great Debate Protests
Alternet
George
W. Bush and Al Gore may have finally smoothed over their differences
on presidential debates, but Green Party candidate Ralph Nader,
for one, is not satisfied with the results.
Nader,
whose only sliver of hope to contend in these elections is to
share TV time with Bush and Gore, announced he will be outside
the debate locations and available to the press for at least one
of the three scheduled events, and that supporters will hold a
demonstration in Boston to support his exclusion.
A
Libertarian Alternative for Voters
Antiwar.com
By
any reasonably objective criteria - ballot status, lower-office
candidates, even polling data - Browne should be mentioned every
time the newsies discuss minor-party candidates. Yet the typical
approach, on the few occasions the major and even the minor media
can pull themselves away from the earth-shattering question of
whether Dubya is sending subliminal RATS messages or Gore pre-planned
the clinch with Tipper, is to mention Nader and Buchanan as alternatives
Iowa
Welcomes Harry Browne
Harry
Browne's recent stumping through Iowa was covered by the Cedar
Rapids Gazette, the Iowa
City Press-Citizen, and the Daily
Iowan. All three articles offer insights into the
mind of Harry Browne, and since they no longer appear on the papers'
websites, we're taking the liberty of reprinting them. Just click
on the newspapers above.
Getting
Out the Parody Vote
Wired
What's
the difference between GWBush.com and GeorgeWBush.com? Well, one
is an official campaign site, and one is a parody of that site.
Can you tell the difference? Manny Frishberg reports from Seattle.
We
like to slip in a plug for LittleGeorgeBush.com,
a sharp-witted site created by our good friend, Felix Culpa.
Nader
Wins MasterCard Lawsuit
ABC News
Green
Party presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader
has slain another corporate giant, this time defeating MasterCardÕs
attempts to quash his presidential campaign ads. U.S. District
Court Judge George Daniels ruled Tuesday that MasterCard failed
to show how it was harmed by the broadcast of a Nader campaign
ad that parodies the credit card GoliathÕs famous ÒPricelessÓ
ads.
How
You Became the Enemy
The Progressive Review
At
the end of the Cold War, a top Soviet official promised America
one last horrible surprise. We are, he said, going to deprive
you of an enemy. It appears that the military lacks a decent foe.
In
the meanwhile, we just have to make do with -- and spend hundreds
of billions to protect ourselves against -- a "generic composite
peer competitor", "myriad formless threats", or
even, god forbid, an "asymmetrical niche opponent".
(What did you do in the last war, daddy? Well, son, I killed 14
generic composite peer competitors and would have wasted more
if a frigging asymmetrical niche opponent hadn't got me in the
chest.)
The
Purpose of Gun Control
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
After
a recent study concluded that the Brady law's gun control measures
were not a significant factor in gun crime reduction, the time
is right to clarify a misnomer: Gun control should be all about
reducing gun crime, not lawful gun ownership. That distinction
is not immaterial. The distrust the gun lobby exhibits toward
with gun control advocates stems from precisely the same reason
the abortion industry distrusts pro-life advocates. Both are afraid
that conceding any regulation will lead to total abolition.
Gunning
for Gore
The
National Review
The
National Rifle Association's membership is shooting through the
roof, thanks to the continual potshots at the organization from
Al Gore and the media.
The
gun group has gained more than 1 million new members in the last
12 months. "Americans have heard Al Gore say he wants every gun
registered, every gun owner licensed, and federal testing," says
executive vice president Wayne LaPierre. "That will only hit the
honest people."
Why
Bush Is Toast
Slate
In
principle, Bush could win. The stock market could crash. Gore
could be caught shagging an intern. Bush could electrify the country
with the greatest performance in the history of presidential debates.
But barring such a grossly unlikely event, there is no reason
to think Bush will recover.
Gush
& Bore Trade Hollywood Hypocrisy Jabs
CNN
Campaigning
took a back seat to swirling presidential campaign subplots Friday,
as Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush -- both
strident critics of the entertainment community -- found their
ties to Hollywood under scrutiny. With the contents of a new federal
report on entertainment marketing practices still warm after its
release earlier this week, the campaign operations of both men
were forced to play defense Friday.
McCain
Criticizes Bush Proposal to Sanction Entertainment Industry
CNN
Sen.
John McCain said Sunday he's leery of a proposal by Vice President
Al Gore to impose sanctions on the entertainment industry for
marketing violent movies to kids. McCain, R-Arizona., is chairman
of the Senate Commerce Committee, which heard testimony last week
on a Federal Trade Commission report alleging the entertainment
industry has been peddling adult material to underage audiences.
McCain has pledged follow-up hearings.
Should
the Government Regulate Media Violence?
Slate
The
Democrats couldn't have asked for better timing for the release
of the Federal Trade Commission report on the marketing of violent
fare to kids, and both Al Gore and Hillary Clinton are demagoguing
this one completely.
But
just because something is political doesn't mean it's wrong. We
have to examine the question on its merits: Should there be tighter
restrictions on the way violent fare is marketed to children?
Gore
Has Porn Biz Support
The Washington Times
They
say their support is fervent Ñ but unwanted. Nevertheless, several
thousand members of the Internet adult entertainment industry
are expected to endorse Al Gore for president during "IA2000,"
an upcoming trade show in New Orleans.
Al
Gore's Uncle Whit
World Net Daily
In
this first segment of a three-part feature on Al's extra-legal
favoritism for friends and family members, the authors take a
fishy-eyed look at Uncle Whit has been targeted as an alleged
drug trafficker by federal and state law enforcement officials
in Tennessee.
Experts
Warn Bush: "Arithmetic is Simple"
CNN
Three
prominent Social Security experts -- including a former commissioner
-- have asked George W. Bush to explain how he would protect the
system while diverting huge sums of money into private investments.
"The
arithmetic is simple," they warned, arguing the Republican presidential
nominee's proposal would drain $1 trillion from Social Security
and threaten benefits for millions nearing retirement.
"We
believe the question is simple and direct: Where will the $1 trillion
come from to protect Social Security benefits?" they asked.
Then
there was the bit about Little George being dyslexic. Puleez!
Let's not make excuses. The guy's not dyslexic, he's just plain
stupid...
Bush
Denies Dyslexia Report
ABC News
George
W. Bush denied suggestions his often mocked struggles with the
English language mean that he has dyslexia, as a magazine article
reports. ÒIÕm not dyslexic,Ó Bush said in an interview with ABCNEWSÕ
Good Morning America, "I'm just plain stupid."
'Honest'
Politics ... In Web Art?
Wired
The
real deal at the presidential conventions won't be found even
on so-called 'alternative' news websites, say two artists who
think their offering is more honest than mainstream political
coverage.
Democracy
- The Last Campaign, serves up the drama and spectacle
of the race between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George
W.Bush, while it blurs the lines between rapid-fire online news
and poetic, subjective Net art
