After reading Spencer Ackerman's short piece today entitled "No More Voices Behind My Back" a few things came to mind that I would like to discuss.  Emails and phone calls with people in Middle Eastern or Southern Asian nations could cause the government to secretly and negatively focus attention on innocent parties.  Ackerman writes, makes and receives such emails and phone calls because of his work in journalism.  The scrutiny of his communications would undoubtedly take place at a higher level, and from more directions, than the scrutiny of domestic communications.  Having said that, and keeping in mind that I still consider all such spying illegal under the Constitution of the United States, political and rights activists here in the United States have plenty of reasons to worry about Bush's Big Brother policies.

More After The Flip

In the past two days McCain went for the trifecta, playing the phony Ayers card, Hamas card and the Wright card.  So much for a respectful campaing on the issues.

"By sinking to a level that he specifically said he’d avoid," said an Obama campaign spokesman, Hari Sevugan, "John McCain has broken his word to the American people and rendered hollow his promise of a respectful campaign."

I on the other hand made no such promises. It is time to remind everybody of John McCain's, and the Republcian party's, ties to terrorists.

1. John McCain has been an Arizona politician strongly supported by mainstream and conservative business and development interests in that state. They have over the years met with him, endorsed him, done fundraisers for him and given him money.

2. John McCain from the beginning of his career has a solid anti-abortion record. Over the years people associated with anti-abortion groups have met with, endorsed him, done fundraisers for him and given him money.

So perhaps somebody who has EVER supported John McCain, has sometime EVER been associated with either of these two separate Terrorist circles:

Now that the McCain campaign has decided that Ayers is a legit story, it is time to remind everybody of John McCain's, and the Republcian party's, ties to terrorists.

John McCain has been an Arizona politician strongly supported by mainstream and conservative business and development interests in that state. They have over the years met with him, endorsed him, done fundraisers for him and given him money.

John McCain from the beginning of his career has a solid anti-abortion record. Over the years people associated with anti-abortion groups have met with, endorsed him, done fundraisers for him and given him money.

So perhaps somebody who has EVER supported John McCain, has sometime EVER been associated with either of these two separate Terrorist circles:

Last fall, we learned that anti-choice groups like Operation Rescue had begun circulating a politically motivated petition to seat a grand jury to investigate Planned Parenthood — all as part of a strategy to restrict access to reproductive health care for women and families in Kansas.

I have argued for some time that Lake of Fire, the 2 1/2 hour documentary on the politics of abortion would make waves when the ripples started to swell following showings around the country.  This is starting to happen.  One time militant Operation Rescue leader Randall Terry, who is featured in the film, is attempting to use the film as a platform to resusitate his failed career as an activist  in the wake of the Terry Schiavo debacle in which he played a leading role as a "spokesman" for the Schindler family.  Terry was subsequently trounced in a Republican primary for state senator by the longtime incumbent, despite a characteristically histrionic campaign with help from the other two members of the Schiavo trio -- Fr. Frank Pavone, and former O.R. pr man Gary McCullough.

A few days ago, I did a little post on here in regards to Round 3 of an attempt by dominionists to force an acceptable GOP candidate--or they're going to take their ball and run to the Constitution Party.

In the post, I had noted how--either way--it is good news for the Democratic Party; especially in the case of a Constitution Party split, there is a likelihood that the situation that got Bill Clinton handily elected in 1992 could repeat itself (with the Constitution Party and GOP splitting the vote and giving Hillary Clinton a win against Giuliani--this is, of course, a "worst case" scenario).

Apparently, I'm not the only one concerned.  Surprisingly, it seems, OPeration Save America is thinking the same thing--and trying to prepare their troops for likely defeat, even as the dominionist "in-church" GOTV engine ramps up to promote the Constitution Party as a "real contender".

As the Army of God honors executed murderer Paul Hill in Milwaukee and Operation Save America descends upon the same clinic bombed by Eric Rudolph, Operation Rescue prepares to host its own event in Wichita. Its target is Dr. George Tiller, the object of a years-long crusade by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline.

Besides the usual gang of suspects with shadowy pasts and dubious friends, this year's list of high-profile guest stars includes the president of a United States NGO delegation to the United Nations.

Not bad for a group with its own ties to the Army of God.

Two recent news stories, taken together, are indicative of the turbulent period that lies ahead for the religious right.  Even as such major institutions as Pat Robertson's Regent University and the late Jerry Falwell's Liberty University are becoming well-established and attracting presidential candidates as commencement speakers, times are going to be tricky for the religious right, even for its preeminent leader, James Dobson.

In reading redmcclain's wonderful diary on being an escort at abortion clinics just now, I had a thought for a strategy I've never heard used before.  If it has been used, let me know.  If enough people say it has been used, I'm willing to delete.  But it strikes me as an interesting possible approach to dealing with such protestors.  Part of it involves psychology, part law, which I supposed why it appeals to me.

There are many reasons to want an abortion, some of them involving a pure exercise of personal choice (h/t Atrios) over how one would like to live one's life.  But one, certainly, is that one doesn't have the money to raise the child.

Like Bush being willing to sacrifice an unlimited number of troops to avoid being tagged with having lost a war, clinic protestors are willing to ask women to endure an unlimited amount of financial and emotional burden in order to gratify their belief that they are Doing God's Work.  So, what if we asked them to put their money where their mouths are?

And what if they said "no"?

Sketches towards a more detailed plan appears below.

The most ambitious and likely to be the most influential film ever made on the politics of abortion, will have its U.S. premier on January 28th, during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Lake Of Fire, by film maker Tony Kaye, in the works for more than 15 years, was a hit at the Toronto film festival last fall, gaining strong, positive reviews, for example in the Miami Herald and Variety.  It sought to be an exceptionaly even-handed treatment of the subject. By everything I have read so far, it looks like Kaye succeeded.

A New York Times reviewer said: "it serves as a prime candidate for the definitive abortion documentary."

In Kansas, you can give a friend of organized criminals a top position in law enforcement -- and about all that will appear in the news media is that he is the brother of a prominent polititian.

Our story begins in the summer of 1991, when the militant antiabortion group, Operation Rescue invaded the city of Wichita, Kansas. Hundreds of people were arrested, and at its peak, televangelist Pat Roberston led a rally of 25,000 people. Among the protestors were two Oregon residents, Paul deParrie and Shelly Shannon. Both, it would turn out, would be members of the violent, antiabortiont underground group, the Army of God. Wichita attorney Don McKinney says he worked with deParrie to help get some of those arrested out of jail.

What if an attorney and close associate of a well-known operative of a domestic terror organization became a special prosecutor -- nvestigating a top target of the domestic terrorists?  

Sounds like a script for a Fox TV drama series. But if it were the real world, and it were say, an animal rights attorney with ties to the Animal Liberation Front, we would be hearing nonstop howls of outrage on Fox News.  Hannity and O'Reilly would never get over it. Greta would be pondering the crisis of the breakdown of legal ethics every night. The president would hold a press conference to  denounce the opposition party for coddling domestic terrorism.  But in fact, the hypothetical situation above became reality this week in Kansas, where the outgoing GOP Attorney General  has appointed  antiabortion activist  Don McKinney to the job of investigating Wichita abortion provider George Tiller. Tiller has been the target of an assasination attempt that left him wounded in both arms and his clinic has been the target of a variety of criminal acts. McKinney has protested outide Tiller's clinic and is a longtime pal of the late Paul deParrie -- a promient member of the Army of God who has called Shelley Shannon, the would be assasin of Dr. Tiller, a "hero."

File this under: It's about fucking time!

Well, better late than never IMO:

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service has revoked the tax-exempt status of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue West for prohibited political activity during the 2004 election.

The fact that the IRS made a move to revoke the group's status signals a significant shift in policy, that maybe GOP candidates can't hide under their "faith-based" umbrellas for sweeping them into office (and neither can the umbrellas hide underneath the rain of the "faith-based" tax shelter).

Onward, to November!