Bob Somerby gives William Raspberry the Bronx Cheer, and reveals some more info on the Swift Boat Vets. Apparently, Roy Hoffman, the alleged instigator of the SBVs, was recently trashed in Doug Brinkley’s book Tour of Duty. Hoffman was portrayed as a reckless captain, thirsty for glory, willing to play God with his men’s lives. When John Kerry came back to the States and testified against the excesses of the Vietnam War, Hoffman is one of the people he was talking about.

Will somebody, for the love of all that’s holy, please explain to me why I haven’t heard any of this before? Why have the SBVs’ stories been swallowed wholecloth? Aren’t Hoffman’s claims immediately suspicious to anyone who knows that he was singled out in such a way?

More stuff you should be reading instead of this lousy blog…

• Wow. There is a limit. The St. Pete Times has reversed its endorsement of Mel Martinez and thrown its support behind Martinez’s opponent Bill McCollum. The action came after the Martinez campaign’s “nasty and ludicrous slurs” of McCollum. Who knew the Times had balls? (via Buzz Machine)

• Nice post at Body and Soul on the RNC protesters. Jeanne reminded me of Billionaires for Bush, which I almost blogged about yesterday. The more I hear about them, the more I laugh.

• Cool! Here’s a page that collects RNC news via RSS feeds from various news sources, and Flickr, too. Man, I love technology.

• Does anyone else remember that Rudy Giuliani’s political career was nearly finished before 9/11? Some do.

• Juan Cole rocks. Here, he puts intelligently what I could only incoherently blather about while watching the RNC speeches tonight: that the Republicans continue to conflate the Iraq war with the war of revenge against al Qaeda, and that “9/11 and the US military [are being used by the Republicans] for partisan purposes.”

• More RNC speech deconstruction from Slacktivist. (via Sisyphus Shrugged) I wonder who told Bush we couldn’t win the war on terror? You don’t think he’s been reading independent media, do you?

• Tena at First Draft points out, with the help of Paul Krugman, that Bush’s campaign in Iraq is on the brink of becoming a complete disaster.

You know, one of the things that bothered me about last night’s convention proceedings was the constant drumbeat of support for Bush’s “decisive action” in taking on terrorists by fighting a war with Iraq. Aside from the inherent contradiction in that move, if you’re going to pick a fight, make sure it’s a fight you can win. Walking into a bar and picking a fight with a bunch of bikers isn’t courageous; it’s just plain stupid. Winning a fight requires courage and brains.

• What the hell? Via The Talent Show, Jesus’ General notes that the Secret Service stopped NPR reporter Andrea Seabrook (among others, apparently) from getting close to or interviewing Michael Moore. I couldn’t find the audio at NPR, but one of JC’s commenters has made an mp3 file available here. Can someone explain this one to me?

• This is why the Democrats are doomed to fail: they actually have integrity. (Atrios)

• Hmm… From Boing Boing: “By entering a 2-digit code in a hidden location [into a Diebold central vote tabulator], a second set of votes is created. This set of votes can be changed, so that it no longer matches the correct votes. The voting system will then read the totals from the bogus vote set. It takes only seconds to change the votes, and to date not a single location in the U.S. has implemented security measures to fully mitigate the risks.” Does this sound like a defect to you? Or a feature? [By the way, clicking the link in the Boing Boing post to blackboxvoting.org results in a page stating the account has been suspended. I’m sure that’s just an administrative issue, right?)

I figure blogging will be a healthier way to deal with my frustration right now than yelling at the TV. I’‘m watching the Republican Convention on C-SPAN, and I was hearing the preludes to it on NPR earlier. The naked cynicism and manipulation are galling. I can’t do much more than spew some random thoughts…

• They’re actually using CJs – Convention Jockies – to narrate the coverage. What is this, VH1?

• Someone shut Ron Silver up. Stupid actors.

• I haven’t heard anything of substance yet. Maybe I’m expecting too much, as it’s only the first day of the convention, but I swear, I have yet to hear any talk of policy, vision, or, or… substance, fer cryin’ out loud. All I’m hearing is empty patriotic sentiment.

• Zainab al-Sujaib just claimed that the Iraqis are embracing the Americans with open arms. Well, certainly, the Iraqis in Najaf and Fallujah have opened their arms.

• They’ve got nothing. All they have is the war and 9/11. They’ve got nothing else to run on.

I’m just a little apoplectic. More to come. Maybe.

Update: Mario Cuomo agrees with me. (News Hounds) Well, not with me per se, but you get my drift.

More stuff you should be reading instead of this lousy blog…

• The Duluth City Council gets it: “We need to be more vigilant about civil liberties like free speech in times of war,” [Duluth City Councilor Russ] Stewart said. “We don’t want to give in to these terrorists by sacrificing the very things that they would take from us.” (via Brown Equals Terrorist) Why is it the Republicans, who supposedly want to get the government off our backs, are the first to pull the lever of governmental power when they want something?

• I don’t pretend to really understand quantum physics in anything more than the most rudimentary of ways, but this seems pretty amazing to me. Scientists have managed to link five photons, an important step, apparently, towards creating a quantum computer. That we are at the point of actually understanding how to manipulate photons and can contemplate doing this on a massive scale… this blows me away. (Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends, via Slashdot)

• Oh, and from the Slashdot comments on the above item, here’s a joke:

Werner Heisenberg was pulled over…
Police Officer: Can you tell me how fast you were going?
Heisenberg: No, but I can tell you exactly where I am!

Made me laugh.

• Douchebag. (NY Times) Double douchebag. (Hullabaloo)

• Here’s an article about Rob Glaser and his cohorts’ attempt to revive the Professional Bowlers Association (Wired News). In my opinion, all they’ve done is to prove that attitude sells. What’s the big deal? You could do this with Checkers, or Crazy Eights, or Jenga.

• How many protesters were at the Democratic Convention? Well, there are oodles at the RNC. In this New York Times article, “David Gergen, who has worked for several Republican presidents, and Bill Clinton [said,] ‘The irony is that was a convention held here because of echoes of 9/11, but it opens with echoes of Chicago and the Vietnam war.’”

• Athenae links to a true definition of Patriot Act. (First Draft)

• On top of it, as always, Josh Marshall slices, dices, and mashes the Republican spin machine.

• Juan Cole suggests that someone at a very high level was threatened by the Larry Franklin investigation.

• Damn. I wish I’d seen this Dean/Blitzer confrontation. (News Hounds) At least there’s a transcript here. (CNN.com) Read it.

It’s good to be back and outraged again. Now, here’s more stuff you should be reading instead of this lousy blog…

• Josh Marshall has been hinting at this for several weeks, and the story is finally out. Seems like there were a few rogue elements in the Department of Defense who took it upon themselves to set American foreign policy. (Washington Monthly) Comments on the article and its implications can be found from Digby, co-author Laura Rozen, and Juan Cole, among others.

• Maddening behavior at MSNBC, as chronicled by Atrios.

• Nice post by Sid the Fish on the Max Cleland mail stop at Bush’s ranch. Also, a bit of Michael Moore.

• Garrison Keillor may be the most underrated social commentator of our day. His Prairie Home Companion, a seemingly innocent public radio show, is laced with direct and indirect critiques of the state of affairs in America. Keillor’s current article in In These Times about the devolution of the Republican Party shows off his skills as an incisive political analyst and as a wordsmith. Good, good stuff.

• Outrageous. Via Boing Boing, Bikes Against Bush activist activist Joshua Kinberg was arrested yesterday as he was giving an interview to MSNBC’s Ron Reagan, and Kinsberg’s bike and messaging equipment were confiscated Read the details and various updates at Boing Boing. At face value, this looks like an unbelievably egregious abuse of police power.

• One-stop shopping for RNC coverage at A Whole Lotta Nothing. (via Boing Boing)

• Is Murdoch the new Hearst? According to Tim Ireland at Bloggerheads, Murdoch’s Brit-Tab The Sun, which for years has been featuring nude or scantily clad ladies as an inducement to buy, has lately been using their Page Three tarts to espouse Murdoch’s right-wing philosophy. (via Boing Boing). Meanwhile, on Murdoch’s American mouthpiece, News Hounds is reporting that Fox News has been steadfastly ignoring the protests in New York, even though other channels are devoting quite a bit of coverage to the demonstrations.

When William Remington requested to leave Cuba after the war he was sent to cover failed to materialize, Hearst is reputed to have cabled him, “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” With Murdoch’s increasingly masterful manipulation of message, could he possibly be attaining Hearst-like delusions of grandeur?

• Fortunately, there are still a few good editors left, as Jim Boyd demonstrates. (via Atrios)

• Man, Tena; I couldn’t have said it better. And, yeah, Athenae nails it, too. (First Draft)

I’m checking out the new photo service by Flickr. It’s pretty slick, and it just may end up replacing iPhoto for me.

I took this photo in Vancouver, BC, last week. These dogs were out for a walk and were as friendly as their owner was.

I’m baa-aa-aack. Didja miss me?

Oy. I’ve spent a day getting back up to speed. I can’t believe the Swift Boat Veterans thing is still getting play. Hasn’t it been debunked yet? What the hell is wrong with our press corps?

Hope the past week has treated you well. If you’re ever in Vancouver, BC, may I recommend you check out Bin 941 Tapas Parlour (which also has a killer website). We ate there on Tuesday night and loved it so much we went back on Wednesday. The restaurant has a funky, urban vibe and the food is simply outstanding. Bin 941 is at Burrard and Davie, and its sister restaurant, Bin 942 is at Granville and Broadway. Killer food, worth a trip to Vancouver.

We’ve had a lot of luck with restaurants in Vancouver, including The Brass Monkey on Denman and Comox. In fact, I don’t think we’ve been disappointed in a meal yet in that city, save for one crappy experience at the Granville Market.

Special shout out to Jill & Cliff for watching the place and taking care of our poor sick kitty while we were gone. You guys are the best.

It’s been a busy few days. I got married over the weekend, and even though I’m exhausted, it’s a happy kind of exhausted from the months of planning and two great, great, joyful days of celebrating with good friends and wonderful family. Thanks to everybody who showed up from all over the country—nay, the world. We both wished we had more time to spend with all of you, but your presence made our celebration extremely special.

I’ll be gone during the middle of this week, but I’ve got a day here to catch up on the haps, so here’s more stuff you shoud be reading instead of this lousy blog…

• Chris Matthews demolishes Michelle Malkin. You can see the video of the debacle at Oliver Willis site, but do yourself a favor and get there through The Poor Man, who’s back and feeling like his old self these days.

• This is why I’m so disgusted by the Olympics that I could spit: Via Slashdot, MSNBC is reporting on the IOC’s Brand Protection Team whose job is to cleanse all Olympic venues – both on- and off-camera – from the presence of any logos or products from companies who haven’t ponied up. Geezus. Just how narcissistic are these companies? I mean, how valuable do you think your logo really is? And how fragile is your corporate ego if you need a jackbooted goon squad to make audience members turn their shirts inside out on the off chance that a camera might linger over them for a couple of seconds? The Olympics are less a sporting event these days than a marketing event. No wonder people are so turned off by them. I feel bad for the athletes who have put their lives on the line for years to get here, only to be used as organic billboards and unwitting corporate shills. Screw the Olympics. Screw the Olympics and screw the sponsors.

• Thank god Fafblog understands.

• Via Boing Boing, here’s an excellent post on Apple iTunes and Digital Rights Management (DRM). Don’t do DRM. Just don’t do it. You can live without it.

• Read this from Atrios. Why is it that any right-leaning half-wit with a bankroll and a snide remark is given a megaphone, while left-leaners are shouted down if they make the meekest protest against injustice?

• Wow. Via Buzz Machine, see this Ed Cone piece, Don’t talk while I’m interrupting. It would be funny if it weren’t true.

• Via Engadget, Best Buy is busted doing bad stuff. Couldn’t happen to a nicer company.

• It’s hysterical to me that the Swift Boat Veterans are forcing fellow Republicans into defending John Kerry’s honor.

• Great quote: John Lord Morley
  “You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.” [Motivational Quotes of the Day]

• Does t seem right to you that 6,000,000 people just lost their overtime pay? How is it that what they have now is better than what they had before?

• Why do people take Bush seriously? Why do people like Larry King continue to ask Bush questions as if he were a serious-minded person with a real grasp of facts and policy. Hasn’t he demonstrated over and over again that he pays no mind to details?

This is very cool! The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a ruling in favor of P2P software maker Grokster. Now, to get to work on our congressmen…

Read the post at Boing Boing, then send the EFF some turkee.

Boing Boing: EFF wins Grokster! Software doesn’t have to be easy for Hollywood to wiretap!

Alright, gang. I’m starting a new category here at Stumax.com called Challenges. I’m going to occasionally raise issues that have been on my mind and challenge you to change my thinking about them. First up: prohibition.

Prohibition—the banning of substances or behaviors—has never been an effective legislative strategy. Prohibition is almost always instituted against things for which there is little organized support—alcohol, drugs, abortion, file sharing—and for which speaking against scores political points among certain sectors of the public.

Societally-reinforced prohibitions keep many things in check, like spitting on the sidewalk or yelling at your spouse in public. There are strong social mores against that kind of behavior and these are behaviors are discouraged by public disapproval. One can imagine that a ban against these things would be somewhat effective, if unnecessarily redundant. And, of course, laws against murder and theft are right and necessary because these things are agreed to be morally wrong and to cause actual harm to individuals.

However, when you try to ban something that a large number of people don’t think is essentially wrong, you don’t have the same social disapproval working in your favor. There may even be sublte encouragement or respect for people who violate the law when such a violation is seen as justifiable. So legislating against something that is popular and “harmless” does nothing eliminate the behavior.

Per capita consumption of alcohol was actually higher during Prohibition than when alcohol was legal. The prohibition of marijuana and other narcotics has been an utter failure. Worse, these prohibitions have fostered demonstrable increases organized crime, gang violence, and police corruption. The idea that certain substances or behaviors can be effectively regulated out of existence is a false hope that should be eradicated. The harm caused by these prohibitions to law-abiding citizens amounts to irresponsible governance, and the strategy needs to be removed from our legislators’ vocabulary.

Or am I wrong? Can anyone out there show me an instance where prohibiting a substance or behavior has been an effective strategy to reduce a perceived evil?

Prohibition has never worked. Prove me wrong.