Kos's Dictatorial "Purge" of Opinion on DailyKos

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Sunday January 21, 2007 · 9:22 AM PST

2007/01/21 · 09:22

In the FAQ on DailyKos there is a listing for Controversial Diary Topics, with the following warning:

Controversial Diary Topics

Diaries on certain topics are likely to generate angry responses. Most of these topics fall under the general heading of "conspiracy theories", e.g., "JFK was killed by Martians". The rule for posting such diaries is "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". The more extreme the claim, the higher the burden of proof that commenters will demand. If you can't provide evidence to back up your claim, it is best not to post the diary. This guideline also applies to recommending extraordinary-claims diaries. If a diary makes an extreme claim with little or no evidence to back up that claim, it shouldn't be recommended, no matter what that claim is.

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Do you agree with Kos's purge of "conspiracy theories" on DailyKos?

331 votes Vote Now!

Do you agree with Kos's purge of "conspiracy theories" on DailyKos?

Yes

250 votes

81 votes

Boycott of Corporate News Media Starts Here, on DailyKos

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Sunday January 14, 2007 · 12:44 PM PST

2007/01/14 · 12:44

Danny Schechter of MediaChannel has written an eloquent indictment of the mainstream corporate media for their lopsided, propagandistic coverage of Bush's latest plan for Iraq, the "surge" of 21,500 troops. I propose that we look critically at our lopsided coverage of the mainstream corporate media right here on DailyKos and make a concerted effort to read and cite more alternative news sources, such as other blogs, the international press, and liberal magazines.

Poll

23 votes Show Results

Should we shift our coverage here on DailyKos away from mainstream, corporate sources of news and commentary, toward more alternative, independent sources?

23 votes Vote Now!

Should we shift our coverage here on DailyKos away from mainstream, corporate sources of news and commentary, toward more alternative, independent sources?

Yes

18 votes

5 votes

Against Torture

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Friday January 12, 2007 · 1:25 AM PST

2007/01/12 · 01:25

It is widely accepted that "a fate worse than death" exists. Indeed, people suffering from painful terminal illness regularly beg to be "put out of their misery" and commit suicide. Questions of "Did she suffer?" attend normal deaths, and we are comforted to hear that a person died peacefully.

What is this fate worse than death, and why is our government in the business of inflicting it on people?

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Friday November 17, 2006 · 5:42 PM PST

2006/11/17 · 17:42

Today I saw one of the most disturbing videos I have seen in a long time -- possibly ever. It is of a student at UCLA being repeatedly "tasered" -- i.e. electrocuted -- in full view of hundreds of students in the UCLA library. He was handcuffed and repeatedly told "Stand up, or you'll get tasered again" before being... tasered again. His screams of agony reverberate throughout the library, as students scream at the police to stop.

Here is the full story: Furor Over UCLA Student Tasered By Police (by Joe Gandelman, at The Moderate Voice)

Here is the video, which a student took on his mobile phone. (via YouTube) Read More

Problems with the Mainstream Conception of "Support The Troops"

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Saturday April 08, 2006 · 4:25 PM PDT

2006/04/08 · 16:25

A few days I wrote a diary called "Support The Troops: Why Should I?" that provoked some pretty heated discussion. I've had some time to rethink my position, and I thought I'd take a second stab at the topic, this time hopefully with more precision and clarity.

First, what do I see (A) as constituting "supporting the troops"?

A1. To recognize that they are doing a necessary job, and that it is very dangerous.

A2. To ensure that they have adequate funding and supplies to complete each mission as quickly and safely as possible.

A3. To support them as veterans, through medical care, retirement pay, and support for their widows and children.

A4. Finally, to be conservative by only declaring war when diplomacy has failed. This is related to #1: making sure that each war is NECESSARY, and recognizing that war should be avoided if possible because it is DANGEROUS. Read More

Support the Troops? Why Should I?

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Thursday April 06, 2006 · 2:29 AM PDT

2006/04/06 · 02:29

Why should I support the troops?

For purposes of thought-experiment, imagine if our military were made up entirely of mercenaries. Would we pin "support Blackwater" magnets on our cars? Why not? Because they're just in it for the money, of course. They don't care about "duty, honor, country", whatever that may mean. They have a baser motive.

The Troops, though, are another story. They are, according to popular mythology, all patriotic Good Samaritans, intent on dedicating their lives to defending this Great Country and Spreading Democracy to the less enlightened corners of the world. Read More

Neocons Orchestrated 9/11: An Amazing Documentary (Streaming Video)

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Thursday February 23, 2006 · 11:04 AM PST

2006/02/23 · 11:04

Check out this incredible documentary (streaming video) on 9/11. It does an amazing job of laying out the facts so that the viewer can easily digest a mountain of information. It all indicates that the official story -- 9/11 was orchestrated and carried out by al Qaeda -- is bogus. Read More

Hating Hillary, Loving W.: Principles vs. Practicality

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Saturday February 04, 2006 · 10:36 PM PST

2006/02/04 · 22:36

People hate Hillary Clinton. These are people like my parents: normal people just going about their lives; not really caring much about politics; interested in family, shopping, pets, sports. They hate Hillary because she and Bill are "fake" -- she's just with him so she can become President. In contrast, the Bushes really care about family. "I've always like Barbara Bush." "Hillary is just ugly." The Clintons carted things off from the White House when they left. Bill Clinton did lots of gross things with women. Bill Clinton looked concerned when he looked out an airplane window at hurricane damage, and then went back to playing solitaire. It was just a photo-op.

In thinking about political issues, most people don't think in practical terms. If they did, they'd care more about the war in Iraq than about whether Congressmen pay for their lunches. They'd care more about the war than about what Clinton did with an intern in the Oval Office. But then, people would care more about politics in general than about serial killers, celebrities, and scandals. Read More

How the Media Cover Up Civilian Deaths

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Tuesday December 13, 2005 · 5:06 PM PST

2005/12/13 · 17:06

Burying the Lancet -- How the Media Cover Up Civilian Deaths

As a result of the US invasion of Iraq, 100,000 civilians have died, according to a survey conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Al-Mustansiriya Universities and published in the British medical journal the Lancet in November, 2004.

Even though this report used standard survey techniques, took measures to err on the side of conservatism, and was conducted by the same group that conducted a widely accepted study of deaths in Congo from war and famine, the figure of 100,000 civilian deaths has been roundly criticized by US/UK government officials and as a consequence mostly ignored by reporters.

This in-depth report by the British media analysis group MediaLens examines criticism of the Lancet study in the media and by government officials and determines that the criticism rests largely on innuendo, without any real arguments to back it up. MediaLens shows how the media have completely different standards with which to judge "safe" and "dangerous" stories.

There's more... Read More

Corporate Plunder of Iraqi Oil

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Thursday December 08, 2005 · 5:08 PM PST

2005/12/08 · 17:08

Great story over at the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), which has consistently great commentary, on the corporate plunder of Iraqi oil reserves:

Report outlines plans for corporate plunder of Iraqi oil

A report published in November by the London-based environmental and social justice network Platform ... entitled "Crude Designs: the rip-off of Iraq's oil wealth", is a concise review of how Iraq's vast energy resources, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, will be handed to transnational companies over the next several years.

Following are excerpts from the WSWS article... Read More

Harold Pinter: Art, Truth & Politics (Nobel Lecture)

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Wednesday December 07, 2005 · 12:02 PM PST

2005/12/07 · 12:02

video and text of Pinter's Nobel Prize speech:

http://nobelprize.org/...

excerpts:

In 1958 I wrote the following:

'There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.'

I believe that these assertions still make sense and do still apply to the exploration of reality through art. So as a writer I stand by them but as a citizen I cannot. As a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false?

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