Last week on Bill Moyers Journal LBJ tapes were presented detailing Lyndon Johnson's decision to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. Moyers connected these tapes with the current U.S. administration's quest for a solution in the Afghan War.
Moyers:

Now in a different world, at a different time, and with a different president, we face the prospect of enlarging a different war. But once again we're fighting in remote provinces against an enemy who can bleed us slowly and wait us out, because he will still be there when we are gone.

Once again, we are caught between warring factions in a country where other foreign powers fail before us. Once again, every setback brings a call for more troops, although no one can say how long they will be there or what it means to win. Once again, the government we are trying to help is hopelessly corrupt and incompetent.

And once again, a President pushing for critical change at home is being pressured to stop dithering, be tough, show he's got the guts, by sending young people seven thousand miles from home to fight and die, while their own country is coming apart.

And once again, the loudest case for enlarging the war is being made by those who will not have to fight it, who will be safely in their beds while the war grinds on. And once again, a small circle of advisers debates the course of action, but one man will make the decision.

We will never know what would have happened if Lyndon Johnson had said no to more war. We know what happened because he said yes. ("A Tale of Two Quagmires" - Transcript)


The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum began releasing the LBJ tapes in 1993. Today, 100s of hours of President Johnson's phone conversations are available to the public. The library sells copies of the tapes to the public for six dollars each and CDs for eight dollars apiece. The LBJ library is not the only place to find these recordings.

The conversations run the gamut and reveal much about Johnson, his policies and the process he used to arrive at his decisions. Some of the topics discussed include the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, civil rights, frustration over Vietnam, social security, and Nixon. C-SPAN has a nice searchable collection of many LBJ tapes, compiled from those recordings which aired on C-SPAN Radio. The University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs has a large collection as well (I read it was all of them but am unsure if it actually is). (Prev-iously)

Christmas delivery from the xkcd store

  • Nov. 26th, 2009 at 5:00 AM
Hey! A note to anyone interested in buying Christmas gifts from the xkcd store: the deadline for Christmas delivery of domestic orders is December 14th. We'll continue to ship after that, but won't guarantee by-Christmas delivery. (If you haven't been to the xkcd store lately, you might want to check it out. I've got some some new stuff there!)

xkcd store items

reb's daily tweets!

  • Nov. 27th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
  • 12:50 I'm a freaking douchebag and I hate myself so much right now. #
  • 14:29 I feel like less of a douchebag now. I have great friends <3 #
  • 14:58 Gotta go finish the mashed potatoes! I love Thanksgiving! #
  • 16:50 @rowenamarion adding you! #
  • 16:50 @rowenamarion it's not working??? #
  • 17:04 @glasgirl turkey is so bomb #
  • 20:46 The blueberry pie I made was DELICIOUS. #
  • 21:36 Officially put Google Wave on my toolbar. This is going to be fun once they iron out the glitches! #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated Aboriginal Australian dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land. The themes of these stories tell tales of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law. Each story comes with descriptions on its history, what the story means and the text of the original story as told by local story tellers. Be sure to check out the downloads section for free desktop wallpapers and MP3 bonus tracks.

Twitter Me Nao

  • Nov. 27th, 2009 at 12:02 AM
I can has lazy blogging.
Twitter me nao )
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Nov. 26th, 2009

  • 11:32 PM
Horrifying: Jason and I were invited to a co-ed Passion Party.

Did I mention HORRIFYING!?!

It think it would be really fun, if it wasn't TWO MONTHS and with HIS FRIENDS who all have been dating for years. Also, Stephanie REALLY wants me to go, and she was like if I can handle a passion party with my family; you can handle it with your boyfriend. Too awkward. Well, at least they think I'm sticking around for awhile. Hopefully, Jason will never bring it up, so I don't have to think about it. I can't handle this.

Seriously, who does co-ed passion parties? ;_;

I'm going to hide now.

Earn $50 for the JREF!

  • Nov. 17th, 2009 at 6:14 PM

randivisaSupport the JREF by applying for the CapitalOne JREF Platinum Visa!

Through a program from CapitalOne, you can earn $50 for the JREF with your first purchase. Subsequent purchases will earn the JREF 1% of sales, which may be tax deductible for US residents!

This is a great way to show your support without having to do anything other than switching your credit card.

Card benefits include:

  • $50 donation to JREF with first purchase before December 30, 2009
  • 1% of all purchases donated to JREF (may be tax deductible)
  • No annual fee
  • JREF branded card or design your own!
  • 24/7 Travel and emergency assistance, including roadside
  • Rental car insurance
  • Buyer's protection

For more information and to apply, click this link.

The JREF thanks you for your support. Your efforts here help keep us strong and growing.

(When you activate your card the message from Capital One will read that you have made a $25 donation to the JREF. Capital One, however, is making a special double donation to the JREF between now and December 31, 2009 and the actual donation is $50. Rest assured that the JREF is receiving the full $50 when you use your card before December 31, 2009.)

The Doggy's New Clothes

  • Nov. 27th, 2009 at 1:01 PM
My poor little old baby's got a skin condition due to it's old age. So the vet says it is better to keep her shaved down as it will be easier to maintain her skin.

But the first night that she was back, she was shivering really badly. I thought she must be really cold without her fur.


So I quickly rummaged thru my bag of unwanted clothes and found this sweet pink top that i used to love. A pity that I can't fit into it anymore.

But well, Snip snip Snap snap, SEW sew sew. I think she loves it too!Doggy models )

The Season of Reason!

  • Nov. 27th, 2009 at 4:15 AM

randitoon_01What is JREF's Season of Reason?
(Donate and earn a special-edition Best of TAM DVD!)

The Season of Reason is a celebration of critical thinking aimed at raising money to help the James Randi Educational Foundation continue to help equip young minds with the tools of critical thought. This new education effort is aimed specifically at introducing grade-school children to the concept of critical thinking. The JREF is poised to begin a program that uses a network of local educators and upstanding critical thinkers to make presentations to grade-school children and expose them to critical thinking as it pertains to everything from literature and science, even delving into novel areas such as sports and fantasy.

Gratitude

  • Nov. 27th, 2009 at 2:50 AM

It is perhaps appropriate, on this (American) Thanksgiving night, to invite our readers to spend a moment appreciating the chain of happy accidents that led to our sharing a planet with the two brilliant (English) humanists in the video below. This is an edited version of the most recent edition of the debate series Intelligence², which aired three weeks ago.

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mermaid
[info]jume
Meeko Nari and Jume
WILT

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