ironwood

Notes & comment on politics, culture & society

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Steve Trumbull is a photographer and photo researcher based in Charlottesville Virginia. He has done many photo projects including the current C'ville Images, focused on photographs of his hometown.

18 April 2005

Stop The Presses

For 20 years the State Department has published their analysis of the threat of terrorism in an annual report.

For this past year the State Department has found that, despite the administration’s claim to the contrary, terrorism is at a 20 year high.

So much for “winning the war on terror” as our boy George continues to brag about.

The Bush response to these new findings? Stop the presses.

There will not be a State Department report on terrorism for the year 2004.

For the record, the National Counterterrorism Center (the agency that provides the State Department with such data) reported 625 "significant" terrorism attacks worldwide in 2004, up from a previous high of 175 attacks in 2003.

17 April 2005

Ted Speaks

We should be "hardcore, radical extremists demanding the right to self defense…Let's next year sit here and say, 'Holy smokes, the NRA has 40 million members now.' No one is allowed at our barbecues unless they are an NRA member.”

-70’s rocker and current gun enthusiast Ted Nugent as a guest speaker at an NRA rally.

Seems reasonable: no kielbasa unless you're packing.

12 April 2005

Lott to Delay

"That's the problem, you know, Republicans eat their own. ... Democrats stand by their own until hell freezes over.”

-Former Senate majority Leader Trent Lott, commenting on current House Majority Tom Delay's predicament

11 April 2005

What's Your Share?

The current amount the U.S. government (ie. "we, the people") owes: $7,782,816,546,352.29

10 April 2005

New Low

Bush's approval rating is lower than any of the previous second-termers at this point in their presidency, according to Gallup's March numbers. Here are the approval ratings for the last eight two termers taken in March following re-election:

Truman: 57%
Eisenhower: 65%
Johnson: 69%
Nixon: 57%
Reagan: 56%
Clinton: 59%
Bush: 45%

09 April 2005

The Politics of Cars

Recent marketing research (CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, OR) reveals the poltical leaning of car buyers. Here are a few of the results:

Republican-preferred cars:

Porsche (all models)
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Toyota 4-Runner
Ford Expedition
Ford F-150
New Volvos


Democrat-preferred cars:

Pontiac (all models)
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Prius (hybrid)
Subaru Outback
Honda Civic
Old Volvos

08 April 2005

Independent Voice

"I think it [the invasion of Iraq] was all done to get oil. And the loss of life that we had, and the cost of it, was to me just a re-election move, and they're going to try to live off it. Probably start another war, wouldn't be surprised, next year. Probably in Iran."

-Vermont Sen. James Jeffords (Independent-formerly Republican)

01 April 2005

The Bush Boys

Hypocrisy of Life

The American Prospect has an article on the hypocrisy of the Bush brothers' “culture of life”.