THE US is losing the war of ideas in the Islamic world, failing to elucidate its policies to Muslims wary of American intentions and "self-serving hypocrisy", a Pentagon advisory panel has found.

The Defence Science Board, in a report made available today, urged the creation of a "strategic communication" apparatus within the White House and an overhaul of public diplomacy, public affairs and information dissemination efforts by the Pentagon and State Department.

"If we really want to see the Muslim world as a whole and the Arabic-speaking world in particular move more toward our understanding of 'moderation' and 'tolerance,' we must reassure Muslims that this does not mean that they must submit to the American way," the report stated.

The toughly worded report said that while America's efforts to explain its policies have failed, improved public relations efforts cannot sell faulty policies.

"Muslims do not hate our freedom, but rather they hate our policies," the panel stated.

Obama made a big speech in Lansing, Michigan, on our energy dependence and need to move away from foreign oil.

Without a doubt, this addiction is one of the most dangerous and urgent threats this nation has ever faced - from the gas prices that are wiping out your paychecks and straining businesses to the jobs that are disappearing from this state; from the instability and terror bred in the Middle East to the rising oceans and record drought and spreading famine that could engulf our planet.

In response to these challenges, Obama announced his New Energy for America plan, which includes an immediate energy rebate to Americans struggling with high gas prices, the creation of five million new green jobs, and the elimination of our dependence on Middle Eastern oil in ten years.

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Dan Abrams began a new series Monday chronicling the politicization of the Civil Rights Department of the DOJ under George W. Bush. Politicization would be a polite euphemism for turning the very basis for the creation of a Civil Rights Department inside out. And like everything else about the Bush Administration, it appears its sole focus is to operate on a strictly partisan basis and without regard to competency.

This is a subject that has been tirelessly investigated by blogs like BradBlog (See here, here, here, here, and here) , TPMMuckraker (See here, here, here, here and here) and Greg Palast, so it's about time this got some MSM attention.

My HUGE thanks to Heather for the videos and links.

The Creation Museum, a $27-million tourist attraction for those who don’t care for modern science, will open its doors this morning near Cincinnati. The LA Times had an interesting editorial on the facility.

[B]efore the first visitor risks succumbing to the museum’s animatronic balderdash — dinosaurs and humans actually coexisted! the Grand Canyon was carved by the great flood described in Genesis! — we’d like to clear up a few things: “The Flintstones” is a cartoon, not a documentary. Fred and Wilma? Those woolly mammoth vacuum cleaners? All make-believe.

Science is under assault, and that calls for bold truths. Here’s another: The Earth is round.

Continue reading »

Will Bunch is taking a short sabbatical from AttyTood for a special project that sounds right up our alley, and he's got some questions for you:

One of the ways that journalism must change is that we must start and -- in the case of this site -- continue our two-way dialogue with the community, as oppose to talking down to some unseen "audience" (that's been fast disappearing, anyway). This project isn't just advocating that conversation, but it is an embrace of that.

So, what do you want to see from the news organization of the immediate future?

If the phony objectivity and on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand balance of the late 20th Century didn't work, what should replace it?

How can journalists better become part of their community, and become voices of the everyday people, and not mouthpieces for the powerful people that we cover?

How can mainstream journalists and bloggers work together for a better informed American public?

In an era of shrinking print advertising and a not-so-promising picture for online ads, either, who will pay for investigative reporting?

Do you, as a citizen and reader, have a role to play in the creation of journalism? If so, what is that role?

The Carpetbagger Report: In anticipation of the revival of checks and balances in American government, BushCo is lawyering up

Drum Major Institute: Year in Review for the year’s best and worst public policy, the 2006 Injustice Index, progressive efforts from the states, a look at the dangerous policies advocated by conservative think tanks, profiles of eight top advocates for progressive policy nationally, the year’s must-read list, and a recap of the year in the netroots. 

Truly Equal: Esquire magazine's current issue features perhaps the best cover of the year.  It's subject will undoubtedly be the next victim of a rightwing smear

HillCountryGal: On any given night in America, there are about 300,000 U.S.Military Veterans who are homeless

Welcome to Pottersville: It's a Blunderful Life

HOLY CRAP: An interview with the chief of staff of Christian Embassy, the behind-the-scenes ministry in the news for proselytizing in the Pentagon...A Voice for Bethlehem...Differences of opinion on religious toIerance...The creationist billboards of Minnesota...

The Heretik: While the White House has been melting over Miers, Katrina, and Iraq, few may have noticed the creation of the ominously named National Clandestine Agency.

d r i f t g l a s s: You mean they hate Jews too? Holy Shit! I thought it was just darkies and Liberals? And smart chicks. And Ayrabs. And queers. And people who read. And Spics. And so forth.

The Left Coaster: Miller's Mea Culpa And Convenient Memory Lapses To Protect Cheney

Crooked Timber: Talking rubbish about DDT

Pandagon: ...And Aloha Means Goodbye. Our loss, Strickland's gain. We'll miss ya, Jesse.
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Ballon-Juice just made my day: "The 2005 Creation Mega-Conference, slated from Jul. 17 to 22 in Lynchburg, Va. tackled several prominent issues facing the creation/evolution debate, such as the dinosaurs, the flood and Big Bang theory...read on.

Here's my favorite: Dinosaurs were also explained. According to John Whitcomb, co-author of the seminal creationist book, The Genesis Flood (1961), Noah’s ark carried 1,000 different kinds of dinosaurs as well as all of the other species, and the book has sold more than a quarter of a million copies in English…read on

As John says the report is so rich that any attempts at snark would simply fall short, so I will not even try.

Click here to check out the analysis.

Excerpt: Somehow I saw this one coming...

Bush:The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy.

Fact: "The Social Security system cannot go bankrupt, for it has no creditors. By law, the trustees will continue to pay reduced benefits even if the trust fund is exhausted. Payroll taxes will continue to come in and benefits will continue to be paid."
-- CBS MarketWatch

Bonus Fact: "Social Security is Financially Sound: According to the Social Security trustees report, the standard basis for analyzing Social Security, the program can pay all benefits through the year 2042, with no changes whatsoever. Even after 2042 the program would always be able to pay retirees a higher benefit (in today's dollars) than what current retirees receive... Social Security is more financially sound today than it has been throughout most of its 69-year history."
-- Non-partisan Center for Economic and Policy Research

So wait, is it a solution or not?

Bush: As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts.

Fact: "The creation of private accounts for Social Security will not deal with the solvency and sustainability of the Social Security fund."
-- U.S. comptroller David Walker