Yes, the South.

As the 2006 mid-term elections near and debate heats up about the Iraq war, a new Institute for Southern Studies opinion poll finds that support for the war is deteriorating in the South — and by some measures, opposition is stronger in Southern states than in other parts of the country.

Link via the RockRap newsletter who says

This poll confirms how dangerous the idea promoted by liberals and lefties of Red States and Blue States really is. As has consistently been true in American history, the road to fundamental change leads through the South. Iraq, Katrina, etc. It’s time for all the hating on the South to stop. It’s time for all regions of the U.S. to link up with the South.

Absolutely. To say if someone is poor, white, and southern that they must be trash is as vicious (and untrue) as any other ethnic insult. Let’s put that crap aside and work together.

Also, the South has probably suffered disproportionally from the war(s) as their tradition of military service means more of them are coming home maimed or in body bags than in other parts of the country.

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The French parliament has voted to support a law that criminalizes denying the Armenian genocide happened. The European Commission attacked this saying open dialogue is needed about Armenia in Turkey, a potential EU member.

Yet Turkey has already made it illegal to discuss the genocide. In Germany, saying another genocide, the Holocaust, didn’t occur is also a crime. So, such laws are already on the books. So why the bizarre insistence there must be debate about something which obviously happened? especially when the perpetrator nation already specifically forbids such debate. Either both nations can have such a law (even if their intent is opposite) or neither can, but not just one and not the other.

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From the ANSWER Coalition listserv

Mr. Minuteman, Jim Gilchrist, flees debate with student protester on Democracy Now!

This morning, thousands listened in astonishment as Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, abruptly terminated a debate with Karina Garcia, student activist and Political Chair of Chicano Caucus at Columbia University. Last week on Wednesday, October 4, confronted with anti-racist protesters at Columbia University, the Minuteman violently attacked the protesters who were unfurling banners and Gilchrist terminated his speech and left the auditorium.

Gilchrist has spent much of the last week portraying himself as the champion of free speech and open debate, claiming that student protesters prevented any intelligent debate. Today, Mr. Minuteman had a chance to air his grievances and opinions on the events of last week, but after only a few minutes, he abruptly ended the debate. Sitting with his attorney in tow, he cited “legal advice,” pulled off his microphone, and walked out of the studio.

Watch the whole segment.

Send a fax to Columbia University demanding no disiplinary action against the students who organized the protest.

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Republicans to purge gays as voters purge them. Like being gay has anything to do with it. Like all of them didn’t cover it up for years.

As a sign how supernova this story has become, AOL, ABC News, Washington Post, and NY Times are running Google Adwords for “Mark Foley,” something they are not doing, for example, with “George Bush.”

AOL is second from top in the highest priced ad section.

ABC, Wapo, and NY Times are #2, 3, and 5 in the ads that appear in the right column.

It is, I believe, quite unusual for major media to buy Google Ads for a single story, something which demonstrates how much this story has grabbed the attention of the country. Some Brit blogs have wondered, why are the Yanks so focused on this when there’s wars going on? A good point, but FoleyGate isn’t just about sex, it’s about misuse of power, betrayal of trust, and I think will be looked back upon as when the neocons began to self-destruct.

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Investment firms from across the planet “representing trillions of dollars in assets” said companies need to pay serious attention to the effects of global warming.

How is that major investment banks are working to stop global warming while the troglodytes in the White House continue to insist there’s no such thing? That Dubya, once he makes up his mind, facts and reality are never ever allowed to intrude.

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Bush: Iraqis are willing to ‘tolerate’ this ‘level of violence’

Is he so deluded he actually believes this or is he simply no longer in contact with reality?

I’m sure Iraqis are just delerious with joy to see family members shot, relatives raped, friends traumatized, and homes blown up.

The collapse of a con man comes when he starts to believe his own lies. Maybe that’s what we’re seeing now with Bush and the neocons.

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