[courtesy of Blog for America]

As poorly as the Bush administration has orchestrated the War in Iraq, they have entirely mismanaged military and civilian operations in Afghanistan.  Afghanistan was, of course, the country that did have a connection to 9/11, unlike Iraq which had none despite neocon attempts to make us think otherwise.  The Taliban resurgence has taken an aggressive turn and the country is slipping further and further into chaos.  From The Associated Press:

It's a grim gauge of U.S. wars going in opposite directions: American and allied combat deaths in Afghanistan in May passed the monthly toll in Iraq for the first time. 

And just yesterday in Kandahar, there was a massive prison break.  From The New York Times:

In a brazen attack, Taliban fighters assaulted the main prison in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Friday night, blowing up the mud walls, killing 15 guards and freeing around 1,200 inmates. Among the escapees were about 350 Taliban members, including commanders, would-be suicide bombers and assassins, said Ahmed Wali Karzai, the head of Kandahar’s provincial council and a brother of President Hamid Karzai.

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by paulhogarth [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

I wrote this for today's Beyond Chron.

To learn about Proposition 98's agenda, look no further than Dan Faller, President and Founder of the American Owner's Association (AOA) - the largest landlord group in California.  In a nine-page essay published in the association's magazine, Faller complains heatedly about rent control, calls pro-tenant elected officials "terrorists" and "suicide bombers," compares the effort to pass Prop 98 with World War II, says that renters "choose not to provide for themselves," and - with rhetoric that channels George Bush - tells landlords: "you are either for us or against us in this fight for your freedom and property rights."  We cannot dismiss Faller as just another right-wing kook, for his organization has already contributed $325,000 to the "Yes on 98" cause - and the AOA has plans to raise even more money in the coming weeks.  And with voter turnout in June expected to be very low, Faller's fringe beliefs might actually become public policy in California - if we don't act now.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Major Supporter Insults Tenants; Calls Elected Officials “Terrorists”

By Paul Hogarth

To learn about Proposition 98’s agenda, look no further than Dan Faller, President and Founder of the American Owner’s Association (AOA) – the largest landlord group in California. In a nine-page essay published in the association’s magazine, Faller complains heatedly about rent control, calls pro-tenant elected officials “terrorists” and “suicide bombers,” compares the effort to pass Prop 98 with World War II, says that renters “choose not to provide for themselves,” and – with rhetoric that channels George Bush – tells landlords: “you are either for us or against us in this fight for your freedom and property rights.”

We cannot dismiss Faller as just another right-wing kook, for his organization has already contributed $325,000 to the “Yes on 98” cause – and the AOA has plans to raise even more money in the coming weeks. And with voter turnout in June expected to be very low, Faller's fringe beliefs might actually become public policy in California – if we don't act now.