WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.
In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.
This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.
full article
Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Peace March in Austin Jan. 27, 2007
It was a beautiful day for a drive to Austin. We drove the back roads for the scenery, and the fact that with less traffic it's also faster. However, we got to downtown Austin late due to an accident in Austin. Fortunately we had enough time to park 2 blocks from the capitol (on Congress Street no less) and walk up to the capitol to watch the protesters come up Congress Street.
Once they reached the street directly in front of the capitol, several protesters held a "die-in".
The news media estimated the crowd at a mere 1,000, but I am certain that 2 blocks of people is more than 1,000. Of course the media has been underestimating crowds since the March For Womens' Lives in DC, so I believe my own eyes, not media hacks.
Here are some more photos of the march:
I was impressed with the quality of speeches given by the college students, and amazed that they had spent time studying how the anti-Vietnam protests were done, how students organized, and gave our generation great respect. The news media, even in Austin, never noted that fact, of course. I am telling you, there is hope for the liberals in the younger generation, if they just get out there and vote, and run for office. These young adults exhibited qualities of fairness, concern for others well being, and concern about the direction of our nation, and were quite eloquent.
Now, I must confess that because of the distance of the drive, we figured we might as well kill two birds with one stone, and stopped at the new Ikea to check it out. Besides, I needed a fix of lingonberry jam and Austin is a heck of a lot closer than Houston's Ikea!
This was our first time to leave the house without worrying about my mother (God rest her soul), and hurrying to get home before dark and to make sure she had dinner.
It was strange, but a bit liberating all the same. Bittersweet, I guess.
Let us all work for peace every day. We must stop allowing corporate America to wasted our blood and treasure so they can stuff their pockets with money.
One more photo from the Austin American Statesman:
Once they reached the street directly in front of the capitol, several protesters held a "die-in".
The news media estimated the crowd at a mere 1,000, but I am certain that 2 blocks of people is more than 1,000. Of course the media has been underestimating crowds since the March For Womens' Lives in DC, so I believe my own eyes, not media hacks.
Here are some more photos of the march:
I was impressed with the quality of speeches given by the college students, and amazed that they had spent time studying how the anti-Vietnam protests were done, how students organized, and gave our generation great respect. The news media, even in Austin, never noted that fact, of course. I am telling you, there is hope for the liberals in the younger generation, if they just get out there and vote, and run for office. These young adults exhibited qualities of fairness, concern for others well being, and concern about the direction of our nation, and were quite eloquent.
Now, I must confess that because of the distance of the drive, we figured we might as well kill two birds with one stone, and stopped at the new Ikea to check it out. Besides, I needed a fix of lingonberry jam and Austin is a heck of a lot closer than Houston's Ikea!
This was our first time to leave the house without worrying about my mother (God rest her soul), and hurrying to get home before dark and to make sure she had dinner.
It was strange, but a bit liberating all the same. Bittersweet, I guess.
Let us all work for peace every day. We must stop allowing corporate America to wasted our blood and treasure so they can stuff their pockets with money.
One more photo from the Austin American Statesman:
Thursday, January 25, 2007
American Fascists: The Christian Right
I have been saying this for a long time and folks just thought I was crazy. I have repeatedly said that one of the most prophetic books that anyone should read is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I did not use the word fascism, but as time goes by it seems more and more appropriate. Smarter people than me have figured this out......read on...
BuzzFlash.com's Review (excerpt)
In a 2004 article that served as the basis for his new book pulling the fire alarm on thuggish Christian fascism, Chris Hedges recalled:
"Dr. James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told us that when we were his age, he was then close to 80, we would all be fighting the 'Christian fascists.'
The warning, given to me 25 years ago, came at the moment Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists began speaking about a new political religion that would direct its efforts at taking control of all institutions, including mainstream denominations and the government. Its stated goal was to use the United States to create a global, Christian empire. It was hard, at the time, to take such fantastic rhetoric seriously, especially given the buffoonish quality of those who expounded it. But Adams warned us against the blindness caused by intellectual snobbery. The Nazis, he said, were not going to return with swastikas and brown shirts. Their ideological inheritors had found a mask for fascism in the pages of the Bible.
...All debates with the Christian Right are useless. We cannot reach this movement. It does not want a dialogue. It cares nothing for rational thought and discussion. It is not mollified because John Kerry prays or Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School. These naive attempts to reach out to a movement bent on our destruction, to prove to them that we too have "values," would be humorous if the stakes were not so deadly. They hate us. They hate the liberal, enlightened world formed by the Constitution. Our opinions do not count.
This movement will not stop until we are ruled by Biblical Law, an authoritarian church intrudes in every aspect of our life, women stay at home and rear children, gays agree to be cured, abortion is considered murder, the press and the schools promote "positive" Christian values, the federal government is gutted, war becomes our primary form of communication with the rest of the world and recalcitrant non-believers see their flesh eviscerated at the sound of the Messiah's voice.
The spark that could set it ablaze may be lying in the hands of an Islamic terrorist cell, in the hands of the ideological twins of the Christian Right. Another catastrophic terrorist attack could be our Reichstag fire, the excuse used to begin the accelerated dismantling of our open society. The ideology of the Christian Right is not one of love and compassion, the central theme of Christ's message, but of violence and hatred. It has a strong appeal to many in our society, but it is also aided by our complacency. Let us not stand at the open city gates waiting passively and meekly for the barbarians. They are coming. They are slouching rudely towards Bethlehem. Let us, if nothing else, begin to call them by their name."
Hedges's book is a wake-up call to how the Christian-male "warrior" zealots are waiting for the chance to turn America into an Apocalyptic Unmerciful Christian theocracy.
If you believe this is sensationalistic fear mongering, read the book. Hedges is a former award-winning New York Times reporter and mainstream journalist. He is writing based on his research and analysis.
This is not fiction. link
The book is: American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America
BuzzFlash.com's Review (excerpt)
In a 2004 article that served as the basis for his new book pulling the fire alarm on thuggish Christian fascism, Chris Hedges recalled:
"Dr. James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told us that when we were his age, he was then close to 80, we would all be fighting the 'Christian fascists.'
The warning, given to me 25 years ago, came at the moment Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists began speaking about a new political religion that would direct its efforts at taking control of all institutions, including mainstream denominations and the government. Its stated goal was to use the United States to create a global, Christian empire. It was hard, at the time, to take such fantastic rhetoric seriously, especially given the buffoonish quality of those who expounded it. But Adams warned us against the blindness caused by intellectual snobbery. The Nazis, he said, were not going to return with swastikas and brown shirts. Their ideological inheritors had found a mask for fascism in the pages of the Bible.
...All debates with the Christian Right are useless. We cannot reach this movement. It does not want a dialogue. It cares nothing for rational thought and discussion. It is not mollified because John Kerry prays or Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School. These naive attempts to reach out to a movement bent on our destruction, to prove to them that we too have "values," would be humorous if the stakes were not so deadly. They hate us. They hate the liberal, enlightened world formed by the Constitution. Our opinions do not count.
This movement will not stop until we are ruled by Biblical Law, an authoritarian church intrudes in every aspect of our life, women stay at home and rear children, gays agree to be cured, abortion is considered murder, the press and the schools promote "positive" Christian values, the federal government is gutted, war becomes our primary form of communication with the rest of the world and recalcitrant non-believers see their flesh eviscerated at the sound of the Messiah's voice.
The spark that could set it ablaze may be lying in the hands of an Islamic terrorist cell, in the hands of the ideological twins of the Christian Right. Another catastrophic terrorist attack could be our Reichstag fire, the excuse used to begin the accelerated dismantling of our open society. The ideology of the Christian Right is not one of love and compassion, the central theme of Christ's message, but of violence and hatred. It has a strong appeal to many in our society, but it is also aided by our complacency. Let us not stand at the open city gates waiting passively and meekly for the barbarians. They are coming. They are slouching rudely towards Bethlehem. Let us, if nothing else, begin to call them by their name."
Hedges's book is a wake-up call to how the Christian-male "warrior" zealots are waiting for the chance to turn America into an Apocalyptic Unmerciful Christian theocracy.
If you believe this is sensationalistic fear mongering, read the book. Hedges is a former award-winning New York Times reporter and mainstream journalist. He is writing based on his research and analysis.
This is not fiction. link
The book is: American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
hey frogs is the water boiling yet?
I read the frogs comment on Huffpo and loved it. Why? It's true we are like frogs in hot water, and don't know that it has come to a boil. We, as a nation, are still simmering, and trying to be civil, even though our President's speech was total B.S.! It was rehashed crap from earlier, and part of it was taken from earlier Nancy Pelosi speeches, and the remainder was pure D fear mongering. Total baloney.
Most of what Bush proposed it total B.S. Ok my word for the night is B.S. It's all B.S.
Sen. Webb, rocks! That was one of the best speeches I have heard in ages. Clear, precise and to the point. Bush...take that! Whack!
Most of what Bush proposed it total B.S. Ok my word for the night is B.S. It's all B.S.
Sen. Webb, rocks! That was one of the best speeches I have heard in ages. Clear, precise and to the point. Bush...take that! Whack!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Gonzales questions habeas corpus!
Gonzales Questions Habeas Corpus
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/011807.html#When:09:50PM
By Robert Parry
January 19, 2007
In one of the most chilling public statements ever made by a U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales questioned whether the U.S. Constitution grants habeas corpus rights of a fair trial to every American.
Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn’t explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.
“There is no expressed grant of habeas in the Constitution; there’s a prohibition against taking it away,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales’s remark left Specter, the committee’s ranking Republican, stammering.
“Wait a minute,” Specter interjected. “The Constitution says you can’t take it away except in case of rebellion or invasion. Doesn’t that mean you have the right of habeas corpus unless there’s a rebellion or invasion?”
Gonzales continued, “The Constitution doesn’t say every individual in the United States or citizen is hereby granted or assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn’t say that. It simply says the right shall not be suspended” except in cases of rebellion or invasion.
“You may be treading on your interdiction of violating common sense,” Specter said.
____________________
Torquemada speaks.....what an ass! Did he ever actually READ the constitution?
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/011807.html#When:09:50PM
By Robert Parry
January 19, 2007
In one of the most chilling public statements ever made by a U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales questioned whether the U.S. Constitution grants habeas corpus rights of a fair trial to every American.
Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn’t explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.
“There is no expressed grant of habeas in the Constitution; there’s a prohibition against taking it away,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales’s remark left Specter, the committee’s ranking Republican, stammering.
“Wait a minute,” Specter interjected. “The Constitution says you can’t take it away except in case of rebellion or invasion. Doesn’t that mean you have the right of habeas corpus unless there’s a rebellion or invasion?”
Gonzales continued, “The Constitution doesn’t say every individual in the United States or citizen is hereby granted or assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn’t say that. It simply says the right shall not be suspended” except in cases of rebellion or invasion.
“You may be treading on your interdiction of violating common sense,” Specter said.
____________________
Torquemada speaks.....what an ass! Did he ever actually READ the constitution?
Hillary for President?
I signed up to watch her webcast tonight and submitted the following message:
Sen. Clinton, I would like to support you, but right now I am not sure that I can. You voted for the war in Iraq and you have yet to really prove to me, and others like me that are vehemently against the war, that you would remove our troops from Iraq. You see, I am not sure I can support anyone that is a member of the DNC, and is afraid to speak out and be unpopular. A lot of us are looking for a candidate with some guts.
When (and if) you apologize to the American people about your vote for the Iraq war, some of us might consider giving you a chance. As it stands now, you can tell me about universal healthcare, and think I'll believe you can do it. I don't see how you can, when you have not shown the fortitude to stand up to any corporations and take an unpopular stance. It will take an extreme amount of fortitude to get the insurance industry and their lobbyists to stand down, if we, the people, are to get universal healthcare.
You must prove to progressives like me that you understand that our country must change its direction from a corporate based country to one that puts its citizens first.
Thank you for the opportunity to have my say.
Sen. Clinton, I would like to support you, but right now I am not sure that I can. You voted for the war in Iraq and you have yet to really prove to me, and others like me that are vehemently against the war, that you would remove our troops from Iraq. You see, I am not sure I can support anyone that is a member of the DNC, and is afraid to speak out and be unpopular. A lot of us are looking for a candidate with some guts.
When (and if) you apologize to the American people about your vote for the Iraq war, some of us might consider giving you a chance. As it stands now, you can tell me about universal healthcare, and think I'll believe you can do it. I don't see how you can, when you have not shown the fortitude to stand up to any corporations and take an unpopular stance. It will take an extreme amount of fortitude to get the insurance industry and their lobbyists to stand down, if we, the people, are to get universal healthcare.
You must prove to progressives like me that you understand that our country must change its direction from a corporate based country to one that puts its citizens first.
Thank you for the opportunity to have my say.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Iraq is Not Delightful
From Huffpo (Huffington Post)
Bob Cesca: Iraq Is Not Delightful, Mr. President
After last weekend's 60 Minutes interview, I thought perhaps someone somewhere in Washington would inform our chief executive that grinning like a mental patient might not be the best way to express concern over the violence in Iraq. And if someone did in fact mention it to him, he didn't listen. Or he forgot. On PBS's NewsHour, he was doing it again. A lot. But unlike the sly, giggly grinning before, the NewsHour expressions more closely resemble a man who just finished watching a litter of puppies being fed ice cream by floating babies dressed in sunflower costumes.
Bob Cesca's article may be very biting, but it's true. To me it is apparent that our Fearless Leader is a bit psychotic or at the very least delusional. Totally clueless about anything serious and only concerned with his big plans to continue to be the world's biggest bully.
Bob Cesca: Iraq Is Not Delightful, Mr. President
After last weekend's 60 Minutes interview, I thought perhaps someone somewhere in Washington would inform our chief executive that grinning like a mental patient might not be the best way to express concern over the violence in Iraq. And if someone did in fact mention it to him, he didn't listen. Or he forgot. On PBS's NewsHour, he was doing it again. A lot. But unlike the sly, giggly grinning before, the NewsHour expressions more closely resemble a man who just finished watching a litter of puppies being fed ice cream by floating babies dressed in sunflower costumes.
Bob Cesca's article may be very biting, but it's true. To me it is apparent that our Fearless Leader is a bit psychotic or at the very least delusional. Totally clueless about anything serious and only concerned with his big plans to continue to be the world's biggest bully.
I will not supporr Hillary Clinton for President
This article by Molly Ivins is right on target. The venerable writer Ms. Iviins, verbalized the reasons why I won't support Hillary Clinton, and why I have been upset that she has even decided to run for President. I have blustered about it at home to my husband, kids and grandkids, but have been unable to state my reasons concisely. Thank you Ms. Ivins!
Here is an article
from Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0120-30.htm)
Published on Friday, January 20, 2006 by the Columbus Free Press (Ohio)
I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President
by Molly Ivins
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.
If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.
What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway ("First, you have to win elections"). Can't you even read the damn polls?
Here's a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, "There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008."
This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by "a string of bad news from the Middle East ... into calling for premature retreat from Iraq," versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.
Oh come on, people -- get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war -- from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.
You sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.
Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.
Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."
Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.
Here is an article
from Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0120-30.htm)
Published on Friday, January 20, 2006 by the Columbus Free Press (Ohio)
I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President
by Molly Ivins
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.
If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.
What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway ("First, you have to win elections"). Can't you even read the damn polls?
Here's a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, "There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008."
This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by "a string of bad news from the Middle East ... into calling for premature retreat from Iraq," versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.
Oh come on, people -- get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war -- from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.
You sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.
Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.
Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."
Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.
Cure For Yellow Ribbon Patriotism
by Robert Weitzel http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0108-31.htm
But like the word hero, the vitality of the sentiment expressed by “support our troops” has been sapped by mindless iteration and the Machiavellian genius of warmongers. It has become little more than a patriotic platitude on par with, “God Bless America,” and a euphemism for “support our war.” As a balm to the national conscience for once again consigning our troops to the killing field, it is the battle cry that leads and sustains our country in an unjust war.
In a recent Military Times Poll, only 35 percent of our troops approved of the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war, while only 23 percent believed Congress was looking out for them. The troops are telling us they do not feel supported by the politicians who sent them to the killing field for a dose of the “cure.”
Against the advise of both retired and active duty military leaders, President Bush’s new strategy for winning the war in Iraq is expected to include a “surge” of 20,000 to 40,000 additional troops to help quell the sectarian violence unleashed by the illegal invasion and botched occupation of that country.
A November 2006 survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org revealed that 72 percent of Iraqi Shias believe the presence of U.S. occupation forces only exacerbates an already lethal situation and wants them out of their country within the year, while 91percent of Sunnis approve of attacks on U.S troops.
Our troops, our top military leaders, and the Iraqi people are sending a clear message. It is time to for the U.S. to “cut and run.”
Yellow ribbon patriots finally have an opportunity to support our troops in a meaningful way. They can begin by removing their magnetic yellow ribbon bumper stickers, by listening to the troops and helping to get them home, and by demanding that those who took the country to war with lies and deception be held to account.
All Americans will continue to abdicate their responsibility to the living and the dead and the wounded troops if they are unwilling to inoculate themselves with the “cure” brought home from the killing field.
But like the word hero, the vitality of the sentiment expressed by “support our troops” has been sapped by mindless iteration and the Machiavellian genius of warmongers. It has become little more than a patriotic platitude on par with, “God Bless America,” and a euphemism for “support our war.” As a balm to the national conscience for once again consigning our troops to the killing field, it is the battle cry that leads and sustains our country in an unjust war.
In a recent Military Times Poll, only 35 percent of our troops approved of the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war, while only 23 percent believed Congress was looking out for them. The troops are telling us they do not feel supported by the politicians who sent them to the killing field for a dose of the “cure.”
Against the advise of both retired and active duty military leaders, President Bush’s new strategy for winning the war in Iraq is expected to include a “surge” of 20,000 to 40,000 additional troops to help quell the sectarian violence unleashed by the illegal invasion and botched occupation of that country.
A November 2006 survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org revealed that 72 percent of Iraqi Shias believe the presence of U.S. occupation forces only exacerbates an already lethal situation and wants them out of their country within the year, while 91percent of Sunnis approve of attacks on U.S troops.
Our troops, our top military leaders, and the Iraqi people are sending a clear message. It is time to for the U.S. to “cut and run.”
Yellow ribbon patriots finally have an opportunity to support our troops in a meaningful way. They can begin by removing their magnetic yellow ribbon bumper stickers, by listening to the troops and helping to get them home, and by demanding that those who took the country to war with lies and deception be held to account.
All Americans will continue to abdicate their responsibility to the living and the dead and the wounded troops if they are unwilling to inoculate themselves with the “cure” brought home from the killing field.
I will not support Hillary clinton for President
The article by Molly Ivins was right on target. The venerable writer Ms. Iviins, verbalized the reasons why I won't support Hillary Clinton, and why I have been upset that she has even decided to run for President. I have blustered about it at home to my husband, kids and grandkids, but have been unable to state my reasons concisely. Thank you Ms. Ivins!
Here is here articlm from Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0120-30.htm)
Published on Friday, January 20, 2006 by the Columbus Free Press (Ohio)
I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President
by Molly Ivins
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.
If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.
What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway ("First, you have to win elections"). Can't you even read the damn polls?
Here's a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, "There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008."
This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by "a string of bad news from the Middle East ... into calling for premature retreat from Iraq," versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.
Oh come on, people -- get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war -- from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.
You sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.
Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.
Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."
Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.
Here is here articlm from Common Dreams (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0120-30.htm)
Published on Friday, January 20, 2006 by the Columbus Free Press (Ohio)
I Will Not Support Hillary Clinton for President
by Molly Ivins
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.
If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.
What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.
The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
I listen to people like Rahm Emanuel superciliously explaining elementary politics to us clueless naifs outside the Beltway ("First, you have to win elections"). Can't you even read the damn polls?
Here's a prize example by someone named Barry Casselman, who writes, "There is an invisible civil war in the Democratic Party, and it is between those who are attempting to satisfy the defeatist and pacifist left base of the party and those who are attempting to prepare the party for successful elections in 2006 and 2008."
This supposedly pits Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, emboldened by "a string of bad news from the Middle East ... into calling for premature retreat from Iraq," versus those pragmatic folk like Steny Hoyer, Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman.
Oh come on, people -- get a grip on the concept of leadership. Look at this war -- from the lies that led us into it, to the lies they continue to dump on us daily.
You sit there in Washington so frightened of the big, bad Republican machine you have no idea what people are thinking. I'm telling you right now, Tom DeLay is going to lose in his district. If Democrats in Washington haven't got enough sense to OWN the issue of political reform, I give up on them entirely.
Do it all, go long, go for public campaign financing for Congress. I'm serious as a stroke about this -- that is the only reform that will work, and you know it, as well as everyone else who's ever studied this. Do all the goo-goo stuff everybody has made fun of all these years: embrace redistricting reform, electoral reform, House rules changes, the whole package. Put up, or shut up. Own this issue, or let Jack Abramoff politics continue to run your town.
Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news."
Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
January Ice and snow in South Texas
We have had all the fun of throwing snowballs, "sledding" on the mini hill on sheets of plastic
...and playing Pictionary in the semi darkness.
We have kept warm by the fireplace when the power went out, and wished for marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers only to find that the pantry only held graham crackers. In addition, the 9 of us in our multi-generational household, including 5 kids ages 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, have survived being cooped up without electricity for part of one day. Imagine young kids without video games and TV..what do you do? Board games. They are what God invented to keep parents sane!
The dog was also mystified by the cold and white stuff, but sooned learned he could eat "ice cookies" (what we call ice cubes) and better yet, snuffle the snow with his nose, and run like hell around the back yard, slipping and sliding and having a great time.
The kids were awestruck by the giant icicles that formed, loved sliding around on the ice, and decided that any piece of grass or tree that was encased in ice was to be called a fossil, even if it really wasn't. Why? Because it was like flies in amber, and totally cool.
Chipping one inch of ice off the cars took a long time, but a good time was had by all.
The saddest thing was listening to branches of trees break all day today. It was so quiet, with no traffic on IH10 and no planes going over that you could hear the sounds of the melt water dripping off the roof, the cracking of tree limbs and best of all, the cracking of the ice as you walked on it. That was a sound I had not heard in years!
So, the wild Indians (kids) are now snuggled in their beds with dreams on another day off school tomorrow. They will remember these days for the rest of their lives. I can only hope that we had enough fun....but I think we did. I know I had a great time.
We have now chipped our way out of the ice and will be making our ways to work tomorrow. Sad to leave the family group, bur ready to get out of the house!
...and playing Pictionary in the semi darkness.
We have kept warm by the fireplace when the power went out, and wished for marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers only to find that the pantry only held graham crackers. In addition, the 9 of us in our multi-generational household, including 5 kids ages 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, have survived being cooped up without electricity for part of one day. Imagine young kids without video games and TV..what do you do? Board games. They are what God invented to keep parents sane!
The dog was also mystified by the cold and white stuff, but sooned learned he could eat "ice cookies" (what we call ice cubes) and better yet, snuffle the snow with his nose, and run like hell around the back yard, slipping and sliding and having a great time.
The kids were awestruck by the giant icicles that formed, loved sliding around on the ice, and decided that any piece of grass or tree that was encased in ice was to be called a fossil, even if it really wasn't. Why? Because it was like flies in amber, and totally cool.
Chipping one inch of ice off the cars took a long time, but a good time was had by all.
The saddest thing was listening to branches of trees break all day today. It was so quiet, with no traffic on IH10 and no planes going over that you could hear the sounds of the melt water dripping off the roof, the cracking of tree limbs and best of all, the cracking of the ice as you walked on it. That was a sound I had not heard in years!
So, the wild Indians (kids) are now snuggled in their beds with dreams on another day off school tomorrow. They will remember these days for the rest of their lives. I can only hope that we had enough fun....but I think we did. I know I had a great time.
We have now chipped our way out of the ice and will be making our ways to work tomorrow. Sad to leave the family group, bur ready to get out of the house!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Official Attacks Top Law Firms Over Detainees
By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: January 13, 2007
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 — The senior Pentagon official in charge of military detainees suspected of terrorism said in an interview this week that he was dismayed that lawyers at many of the nation’s top firms were representing prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and that the firms’ corporate clients should consider ending their business ties.
Ok, doesn't this sound like a generalissimo speaking in a police state? Where are we going as a nation? A majority of voters want something entirely different from El Presidente, and the dictator does not feel he needs to listen to the American people. link to story
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A generational-defining moment
An article in Truthdig noted......I"n an interview with Truthdig research editor Joshua Scheer, Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the Fourth of July,” argues that Americans this week have a patriotic and generation-defining duty to speak out against Bush’s proposal to escalate the war in Iraq with more U.S. troops."
It is true, those under the age of 42 (the new max age to serve in the military) need to do some serious thinking about this war, and where it looks like it will be going. The megalomaniac, Bush, will likely soon invade Iran and who knows, maybe even Syria. We must stop this NOW.
It is true, those under the age of 42 (the new max age to serve in the military) need to do some serious thinking about this war, and where it looks like it will be going. The megalomaniac, Bush, will likely soon invade Iran and who knows, maybe even Syria. We must stop this NOW.
Plan? No Plan? Or Secret Plan?
Harry Shearer Huffington Post
01.12.2007
In the "I thought I dreamed it" department, I was listening to Condi Rice's testimony before Senate Foreign Relations Thursday (Hearings! Blessed hearings!), when I heard her say, in reply to a Senator--I forget who--grilling her on what happens if this plan doesn't work, that she didn't do Plan Bs, the administration preferred to concentrate on making Plan A work.
It sounded, as the Brits say, daft. But I didn't tape it, so I couldn't be sure, until I saw this item, quoting Condi to much the same effect.
What stunned me was not that she, a college grad and all, would say such a bizarre thing. It was that the Senator, obviously unaccustomed to asking followup questions not fashioned by his staff, didn't pursue her with a protocol-correct version of "Madame Secretary, are you shittin' me?"
The question remains: Are we watching an administration so cocksure and dumb they really don't have a Plan B for almost any contingency, or are we watching an administration whose Plan B for Iraq is an attack on Iran and, as Andy Card once memorably said of unveiling the original war plan in August, it was just too early for a new-product intro.
01.12.2007
In the "I thought I dreamed it" department, I was listening to Condi Rice's testimony before Senate Foreign Relations Thursday (Hearings! Blessed hearings!), when I heard her say, in reply to a Senator--I forget who--grilling her on what happens if this plan doesn't work, that she didn't do Plan Bs, the administration preferred to concentrate on making Plan A work.
It sounded, as the Brits say, daft. But I didn't tape it, so I couldn't be sure, until I saw this item, quoting Condi to much the same effect.
What stunned me was not that she, a college grad and all, would say such a bizarre thing. It was that the Senator, obviously unaccustomed to asking followup questions not fashioned by his staff, didn't pursue her with a protocol-correct version of "Madame Secretary, are you shittin' me?"
The question remains: Are we watching an administration so cocksure and dumb they really don't have a Plan B for almost any contingency, or are we watching an administration whose Plan B for Iraq is an attack on Iran and, as Andy Card once memorably said of unveiling the original war plan in August, it was just too early for a new-product intro.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Satire by Andy Borowitz: God Denies Talking to Pat
By Andy Borowitz
Just days after the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed on his “700 Club” program that God had warned him of “mass killings” that would occur in the United States late in 2007, God held a rare press conference today to deny having spoken to the controversial televangelist.
For the usually publicity-shy King of the Universe, the press conference at the Chicago Airport Marriott signaled a sharp break with tradition.
Appearing before the press in his trademark flowing robes and white beard, and carrying what appeared to be a lightning bolt, God said he had decided to convene the extraordinary press briefing because “I had to set the record straight about this.”
"I want to make it clear that at no time at the end of the year did I have any conversation with the Rev. Pat Robertson,” the Supreme Being said. “Personally, I think the guy is delusional.”
God then distributed his personal phone logs for the month of December to prove that he had in fact no contact with the Rev. Robertson.
"I don’t make a habit of talking to TV personalities,” God emphasized. “Although on New Year’s Eve I did have a brief chat with Ryan Seacrest to wish him good luck.”
Answering a reporter’s question, God acknowledged that with war raging around the globe, 2006 had been a “difficult year” for the forces of goodness, but he remained upbeat, pointing to some of his accomplishments in the year just past.
"At least I got Judith Regan fired,” he said.
Elsewhere, Britney Spears checked into a rehab center after being driven there by her 1-year-old son, Sean Preston.
source: Truthdig
By Andy Borowitz
Just days after the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed on his “700 Club” program that God had warned him of “mass killings” that would occur in the United States late in 2007, God held a rare press conference today to deny having spoken to the controversial televangelist.
For the usually publicity-shy King of the Universe, the press conference at the Chicago Airport Marriott signaled a sharp break with tradition.
Appearing before the press in his trademark flowing robes and white beard, and carrying what appeared to be a lightning bolt, God said he had decided to convene the extraordinary press briefing because “I had to set the record straight about this.”
"I want to make it clear that at no time at the end of the year did I have any conversation with the Rev. Pat Robertson,” the Supreme Being said. “Personally, I think the guy is delusional.”
God then distributed his personal phone logs for the month of December to prove that he had in fact no contact with the Rev. Robertson.
"I don’t make a habit of talking to TV personalities,” God emphasized. “Although on New Year’s Eve I did have a brief chat with Ryan Seacrest to wish him good luck.”
Answering a reporter’s question, God acknowledged that with war raging around the globe, 2006 had been a “difficult year” for the forces of goodness, but he remained upbeat, pointing to some of his accomplishments in the year just past.
"At least I got Judith Regan fired,” he said.
Elsewhere, Britney Spears checked into a rehab center after being driven there by her 1-year-old son, Sean Preston.
source: Truthdig
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Bush says he will balance the budget
Laughable initially until you really look under the surface of his comments, found on cnn.com:
"In February, Bush will submit a proposal to balance the federal budget by 2012, he said Wednesday.
The plan will make defense against terrorism a budget priority while preserving tax cuts that Bush said have led to an improving economy.
Lawmakers must then tackle entitlement programs, Bush said.
"We need to reform Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid so future generations of Americans can benefit from these vital programs without bankrupting our country," he said.
Line-item veto power would be a key tool in entitlement reform, Bush said, because money that could be used there is now wasted in a "secretive process" that often doesn't ever face a vote in Congress."
So hold on to your hats, and hope the Dems will save medicare, medicaid and social security. Get ready to march in the streets -- gray power of the boomers!
"In February, Bush will submit a proposal to balance the federal budget by 2012, he said Wednesday.
The plan will make defense against terrorism a budget priority while preserving tax cuts that Bush said have led to an improving economy.
Lawmakers must then tackle entitlement programs, Bush said.
"We need to reform Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid so future generations of Americans can benefit from these vital programs without bankrupting our country," he said.
Line-item veto power would be a key tool in entitlement reform, Bush said, because money that could be used there is now wasted in a "secretive process" that often doesn't ever face a vote in Congress."
So hold on to your hats, and hope the Dems will save medicare, medicaid and social security. Get ready to march in the streets -- gray power of the boomers!
Monday, January 01, 2007
As my mother's life ebbs
As my mother's life ebbs
As my mother slowly passes away, I have some thoughts I would like to write. I spent the day today, sitting in the nursing home (where she has been for the past 9 weeks) and contemplating her life. My Mom, has lived with us since 1987. My daughters hardly remember a day without grandma with us. She wasn't terribly kid-friendly in the current way, but she was always there. Today, my youngest daughter, asked me to leave the room while she said goodbye to her grandma, perhaps for the last time. I cried and cried as I stood in the hallway outside the door. My daughter came out of the room with red eyes, but had nothing to say. Her sister went in and said her peace. That was around 2 pm on Dec. 31st. I left at 10 pm, and my Mom, was still with us, but her labored breathing echoed in my ears. The nurses encouraged me to go home (2 miles away) and be with my family, and my young grandchildren, who had expected to have a party and fireworks. So, I went home, with a heavy heart. Before leaving, I told my mother that it was ok if she went to join my Dad and my sister Mary, and that it was ok to leave this plain of existence and be with God.
I got home to see 3 of my grandkids who where anxious to see me, and were worried about Great Grandma. Leo worried that Great Grandma was going to die. Ever the sensitive child, he worried and wondered. How do you discuss death with an 8 year old? The loss, but the hope that there is a life beyond death? After all, matter is never lost, it is merely transformed...a law of physics, of the universe and the heart of all religions.
It has been a very wierd day. I knitted, I read Barack Obama's book , the Audacity of Hope, and listened to selections my husband read from Senator Dorgan's book, Take this Job and Ship It. I stopped by my church (where I attend on a irregular basis) and although church had just let out, the priest had already left and the assistant rector told me he could not help me because he was immediately leaving on a mission. So, I was thwarted from any religious comforting, and had to leave a message at the parish office. 10 hours later, no return call from my parish. I resorted to calling the Catholic priest, where my grandchildren attend. Again, an answering machine. How interesting. When I grew up, as the daugther of an Episcopal priest, we took messages if needed and relayed them immediately to my Dad or whoever was covering for him. There were no answering machines. There was immediate assistance. Not today. There may be no sacrament of the sick for my mother, as she lays dying. No comfort for me, beyond my family and the kind (if fundamentalist) nursing staff. Who, I must say, are extremely caring, and gracious.
Looking back, my mother had a very interesting life and a very challenging life. She was very pretty, but very shy. Not very adventerous, but circumstances forced her to be so. She learned to camp, fish, drive, and raised 5 children, mostly by herself, as my Dad was TDY much of the time. So she had an inner strength that I am sure I will never know. She was tested by WWII, at which time she raised my 2 older sisters alone. Mom braved horrible living conditions, rats, snakes, blizzards and earthquakes, with a calm demeanor. She was petrified of lightning, and used to stand us girls in the door in Omaha, and have us watch the terrible beauty of lightning so we would not be afraid.
My mother also gave us another gift, her mother. Grandma Ida was the go-to person, the person who greeted us with warm home-made cookies every day after school and listened to our laments. She was the one who adored my husband made him pies, with the most tender pie crust on the planet. I will be forever grateful that my Mom and Dad saw fit to bring Grandma Ida to live with us when I was 6 . My parents may not have been perfect, but they worked darn hard to make sure that we had everything a kid could want, from the 1940's to 1970's when the last kid left home. That is a huge generational span, and they met the challenges for each one.
My mother is a typical northeasterner, she did not share her feelings, was not demonstrative, but fiercly loved her family. It is with great sadness that I see her reach the end of her 92 years. I just surely hope she does not linger too long, and will be soon reunited with my Grandma, Dad and sisters. They are calling her, and she just needs to let go.
May peace be upon her soul.
As my mother slowly passes away, I have some thoughts I would like to write. I spent the day today, sitting in the nursing home (where she has been for the past 9 weeks) and contemplating her life. My Mom, has lived with us since 1987. My daughters hardly remember a day without grandma with us. She wasn't terribly kid-friendly in the current way, but she was always there. Today, my youngest daughter, asked me to leave the room while she said goodbye to her grandma, perhaps for the last time. I cried and cried as I stood in the hallway outside the door. My daughter came out of the room with red eyes, but had nothing to say. Her sister went in and said her peace. That was around 2 pm on Dec. 31st. I left at 10 pm, and my Mom, was still with us, but her labored breathing echoed in my ears. The nurses encouraged me to go home (2 miles away) and be with my family, and my young grandchildren, who had expected to have a party and fireworks. So, I went home, with a heavy heart. Before leaving, I told my mother that it was ok if she went to join my Dad and my sister Mary, and that it was ok to leave this plain of existence and be with God.
I got home to see 3 of my grandkids who where anxious to see me, and were worried about Great Grandma. Leo worried that Great Grandma was going to die. Ever the sensitive child, he worried and wondered. How do you discuss death with an 8 year old? The loss, but the hope that there is a life beyond death? After all, matter is never lost, it is merely transformed...a law of physics, of the universe and the heart of all religions.
It has been a very wierd day. I knitted, I read Barack Obama's book , the Audacity of Hope, and listened to selections my husband read from Senator Dorgan's book, Take this Job and Ship It. I stopped by my church (where I attend on a irregular basis) and although church had just let out, the priest had already left and the assistant rector told me he could not help me because he was immediately leaving on a mission. So, I was thwarted from any religious comforting, and had to leave a message at the parish office. 10 hours later, no return call from my parish. I resorted to calling the Catholic priest, where my grandchildren attend. Again, an answering machine. How interesting. When I grew up, as the daugther of an Episcopal priest, we took messages if needed and relayed them immediately to my Dad or whoever was covering for him. There were no answering machines. There was immediate assistance. Not today. There may be no sacrament of the sick for my mother, as she lays dying. No comfort for me, beyond my family and the kind (if fundamentalist) nursing staff. Who, I must say, are extremely caring, and gracious.
Looking back, my mother had a very interesting life and a very challenging life. She was very pretty, but very shy. Not very adventerous, but circumstances forced her to be so. She learned to camp, fish, drive, and raised 5 children, mostly by herself, as my Dad was TDY much of the time. So she had an inner strength that I am sure I will never know. She was tested by WWII, at which time she raised my 2 older sisters alone. Mom braved horrible living conditions, rats, snakes, blizzards and earthquakes, with a calm demeanor. She was petrified of lightning, and used to stand us girls in the door in Omaha, and have us watch the terrible beauty of lightning so we would not be afraid.
My mother also gave us another gift, her mother. Grandma Ida was the go-to person, the person who greeted us with warm home-made cookies every day after school and listened to our laments. She was the one who adored my husband made him pies, with the most tender pie crust on the planet. I will be forever grateful that my Mom and Dad saw fit to bring Grandma Ida to live with us when I was 6 . My parents may not have been perfect, but they worked darn hard to make sure that we had everything a kid could want, from the 1940's to 1970's when the last kid left home. That is a huge generational span, and they met the challenges for each one.
My mother is a typical northeasterner, she did not share her feelings, was not demonstrative, but fiercly loved her family. It is with great sadness that I see her reach the end of her 92 years. I just surely hope she does not linger too long, and will be soon reunited with my Grandma, Dad and sisters. They are calling her, and she just needs to let go.
May peace be upon her soul.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Creationists get preference now, what a croc!
This email was sent by a friend. The author was so eloquent I will just post it in its entirety:
HOW OLD IS THE GRAND CANYON? PARK SERVICE WON’T SAY — Orders to Cater to Creationists Makes National Park Agnostic on Geology
Washington, DC — Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a 'national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’"
Is it true what Mrs. Hoover taught me in 8th grade Earth science about the formation of canyons?
National Park Service: No Comment.
Wow.
Ironically, in 2005, two years after the Grand Canyon creationist controversy erupted, NPS approved a new directive on "Interpretation and Education (Director’s Order #6) which reinforces the posture that materials on the "history of the Earth must be based on the best scientific evidence available, as found in scholarly sources that have stood the test of scientific peer review and criticism [and] Interpretive and educational programs must refrain from appearing to endorse religious beliefs explaining natural processes."
"As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan," Ruch added, pointing to the fact that previous NPS leadership ignored strong protests from both its own scientists and leading geological societies against the agency approval of the creationist book. "We sincerely hope that the new Director of the Park Service now has the autonomy to do her job."
Oh let's hope so, let's hope the new Director is allowed to follow basic facts, or let's all agree the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the geysers of Old Faithful by farting in the cosmic bathtub.
Seriously, I am a devout Lutheran, but even I know where to draw the line between science and pure fantasy. And trust me, Noah will not take it a slight that his flood did not create the Grand Canyon, and that he did not forget to pack the Unicorns on the ark.
Stop the madness now.
For those of you who don't know about the flying spaghetti monster go here. Pastafarians rule!
HOW OLD IS THE GRAND CANYON? PARK SERVICE WON’T SAY — Orders to Cater to Creationists Makes National Park Agnostic on Geology
Washington, DC — Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a 'national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’"
Is it true what Mrs. Hoover taught me in 8th grade Earth science about the formation of canyons?
National Park Service: No Comment.
Wow.
Ironically, in 2005, two years after the Grand Canyon creationist controversy erupted, NPS approved a new directive on "Interpretation and Education (Director’s Order #6) which reinforces the posture that materials on the "history of the Earth must be based on the best scientific evidence available, as found in scholarly sources that have stood the test of scientific peer review and criticism [and] Interpretive and educational programs must refrain from appearing to endorse religious beliefs explaining natural processes."
"As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan," Ruch added, pointing to the fact that previous NPS leadership ignored strong protests from both its own scientists and leading geological societies against the agency approval of the creationist book. "We sincerely hope that the new Director of the Park Service now has the autonomy to do her job."
Oh let's hope so, let's hope the new Director is allowed to follow basic facts, or let's all agree the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the geysers of Old Faithful by farting in the cosmic bathtub.
Seriously, I am a devout Lutheran, but even I know where to draw the line between science and pure fantasy. And trust me, Noah will not take it a slight that his flood did not create the Grand Canyon, and that he did not forget to pack the Unicorns on the ark.
Stop the madness now.
For those of you who don't know about the flying spaghetti monster go here. Pastafarians rule!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kucinich runs again, and more thoughts
From The Nation: Dennis Kucinich is running for President again, and yes, the passionately antiwar Congressman from Cleveland would love to cure what ails the United States. But first, he wants to cure what ails his own Democratic Party.
The Democratic disease, as diagnosed by Kucinich, is caution at the party's leadership level about moving to end US involvement in Iraq. "Democrats were swept into power on November 7 because of widespread voter discontent with the war in Iraq," says Kucinich. "Instead of heeding those concerns and responding with a strong and immediate change in policies and direction, the Democratic Congressional leadership seems inclined to continue funding the perpetuation of the war."
That is not the typical opening salvo for a presidential bid. But Kucinich is not a typical candidate. When he ran for the nomination in 2004, he said a lot of things that grassroots Democrats were thinking. But he didn't say them in a way that won him many delegate votes--only around 70 of the 2,162 needed to secure the nod. link
I happen to like Dennis Kucinich. I like what he stands for. Like Howard Dean, who I campaigned for, Dennis speaks his mind. Sadly, both candidates were jettisoned by the "inside the beltway" Democratic leadership that is sadly out of touch with the rest of us. We don't want their same old same old crap. Period. I was amazed when I returned from Iowa after the last Presidential primaries when I found out that the media (and our DLC leaders and the unions) jettisoned Dean in favor of Kerry, and the media used the so-called Dean scream (that wasn't) to discredit him. It was the first time I was actually at an event and saw that my experience was manipulated by the press. That is when I knew that our country was in trouble. That is when I knew that we, the people, were being manipulated by the "powers that be" so they could promote their agenda.
Hopefully, in this next election cycle, we the voters will wake up and see beyond the crap fed to us by the media and vote using critical thinking skills. Of course, critical thinking skills are in short supply in this country. I hope and pray that the American people will wake up and do what is good for the country and tell the Republicans and the Democratic leadership that we have had ENOUGH! Maybe?
The Democratic disease, as diagnosed by Kucinich, is caution at the party's leadership level about moving to end US involvement in Iraq. "Democrats were swept into power on November 7 because of widespread voter discontent with the war in Iraq," says Kucinich. "Instead of heeding those concerns and responding with a strong and immediate change in policies and direction, the Democratic Congressional leadership seems inclined to continue funding the perpetuation of the war."
That is not the typical opening salvo for a presidential bid. But Kucinich is not a typical candidate. When he ran for the nomination in 2004, he said a lot of things that grassroots Democrats were thinking. But he didn't say them in a way that won him many delegate votes--only around 70 of the 2,162 needed to secure the nod. link
I happen to like Dennis Kucinich. I like what he stands for. Like Howard Dean, who I campaigned for, Dennis speaks his mind. Sadly, both candidates were jettisoned by the "inside the beltway" Democratic leadership that is sadly out of touch with the rest of us. We don't want their same old same old crap. Period. I was amazed when I returned from Iowa after the last Presidential primaries when I found out that the media (and our DLC leaders and the unions) jettisoned Dean in favor of Kerry, and the media used the so-called Dean scream (that wasn't) to discredit him. It was the first time I was actually at an event and saw that my experience was manipulated by the press. That is when I knew that our country was in trouble. That is when I knew that we, the people, were being manipulated by the "powers that be" so they could promote their agenda.
Hopefully, in this next election cycle, we the voters will wake up and see beyond the crap fed to us by the media and vote using critical thinking skills. Of course, critical thinking skills are in short supply in this country. I hope and pray that the American people will wake up and do what is good for the country and tell the Republicans and the Democratic leadership that we have had ENOUGH! Maybe?
Martin Luther King Day March
The MLK March is Jan. 15th. For more information click on the link
It's the largest march in the nation, and there are always a lot of activities that make it just wonderful. Consider spending the morning (or longer) at the MLK march. You can get there using park and ride, which is very easy to do. Typically, we park at Crossroads and take the bus at around 8 a.m. That gives us plenty of time to hear some good old gospel music and get ready to march.
It's the largest march in the nation, and there are always a lot of activities that make it just wonderful. Consider spending the morning (or longer) at the MLK march. You can get there using park and ride, which is very easy to do. Typically, we park at Crossroads and take the bus at around 8 a.m. That gives us plenty of time to hear some good old gospel music and get ready to march.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Rest in peace, Gerald Ford
Ford was President when our oldest daughter was born. The one thing you can say about Ford was he was an ethical and honorable man, mostly. Our condolences to the Ford family.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
linkTuesday, December 19, 2006
Handing out phone cards at Audie Murphy VA in San Antonio
Today, I met these wonderful women, who had signed up at Volunteer for Change, sponsored by Working Assets, to deliver 120-125 minute phone cards to veterans at Audie Murphy VA Hospital. We came from all over San Antonio and outlying counties to thank our veterans for their service, and help them out with phone cards. We delivered 135 cards.
Many veterans were astounded at the generousity of our donors, 120 minutes was like gold to them. Many a tear were shed, by veterans and volunteers alike. These men and women gave service to their country that can never be fully repaid. So, this is just a little drop in the bucket of the thanks they deserve.
What I noted (as a former VA nurse) is that the veterans are younger, and younger. They will need our help for a lifetime. We, as a nation, need to be prepared to offer them that reward for their service.
Check out Act for Change. Part of their mission statement: Founded on the belief that building a business and a better world aren't mutually exclusive, Working Assets has been helping busy people make a difference since 1985. It's a belief that's generated over $50 million in donations to nonprofits working for peace, equality, human rights, education and a cleaner environment. And the process is simple. You just sign up for our long distance, credit card or wireless services and we donate a portion of your monthly charges to the causes you help select - at no extra cost to you. So why not change to Working Assets? You can rest assured it will be a change for the better. Sign up and volunteer, it will do your heart good.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Faithful America, living wage campaign
Let Justice Roll Sign the petition. Here is some information about the petition:
Leaders from Let Justice Roll will be meeting with Congressional leaders early in January where they plan to deliver thousands of letters signed by Clergy and lay leaders all calling for a raise in the federal minimum wage. We hope you will sign the letter below and add your voice to this important statement. Our goal is to get thousands of signatures from religious leaders, clergy and lay, across the country. You can help by signing AND by forwarding this to your friends and colleagues.
Leaders from Let Justice Roll will be meeting with Congressional leaders early in January where they plan to deliver thousands of letters signed by Clergy and lay leaders all calling for a raise in the federal minimum wage. We hope you will sign the letter below and add your voice to this important statement. Our goal is to get thousands of signatures from religious leaders, clergy and lay, across the country. You can help by signing AND by forwarding this to your friends and colleagues.
Today we deliver phone cards to Veterans
Supported by Working Assets, Veterans for Peace, Codepink, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Gold Star Famlies for Peace. Approximately 135 phone cards were delivered to me last week, and today I'll be heading to San Antonio to hand them out. Volunteers will be meeting me at the VA this afternoon. More later.
family values my ass! We slave for corporate profits,
In the United States there is no legal minimum number of vacation days for workers. I guess we're all supposed to be thankful to the rich for "giving us jobs."
The rest of the world? Different. (As you read this, remember that 20 days means minimum four weeks vacation by law, not three.)
Here are a few examples:
Austria: 5 weeks, for elderly employees 6 weeks
Belgium: 20 days, premium pay
Brazil: 30 consecutive days, of which 10 can be sold back to the employer
Bulgaria: 20 business days
Croatia: 18 working days
European Union: 4 weeks, more in some countries
France: 7 weeks
Tunisia: 30 work days
Saudi Arabia: 15 days
Who else gets none? China...
So a question: Who is our economy FOR, anyway? From Huffington Post,
The rest of the world? Different. (As you read this, remember that 20 days means minimum four weeks vacation by law, not three.)
Here are a few examples:
Austria: 5 weeks, for elderly employees 6 weeks
Belgium: 20 days, premium pay
Brazil: 30 consecutive days, of which 10 can be sold back to the employer
Bulgaria: 20 business days
Croatia: 18 working days
European Union: 4 weeks, more in some countries
France: 7 weeks
Tunisia: 30 work days
Saudi Arabia: 15 days
Who else gets none? China...
So a question: Who is our economy FOR, anyway? From Huffington Post,
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Military Appeal for Redress, protesting the war
For this first time since the Vietnam era, a robust movement of organized active-duty U.S. military has surfaced to oppose a war while still in course.
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen -- many of them currently serving on the front lines in Iraq-- are formally petitioning Congress to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home.
After the so-called Appeal For Redress materialized just a handful of weeks ago, almost 1,000 active-duty personnel have signed on, including dozens of officers. The voice of hundreds of active-duty soldiers joining the anti-war movement brings enormous moral clout to the effort to get the troops home.Link
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen -- many of them currently serving on the front lines in Iraq-- are formally petitioning Congress to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home.
After the so-called Appeal For Redress materialized just a handful of weeks ago, almost 1,000 active-duty personnel have signed on, including dozens of officers. The voice of hundreds of active-duty soldiers joining the anti-war movement brings enormous moral clout to the effort to get the troops home.Link
Friday, December 15, 2006
Operation Wagonwheel, immigration raids
From a new blog, authored in part by Christy Harvey,a project of a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. I find it very interesting that in these raids what they have done is indiscriminate arrests, looking for "brown" people without regard to their citizenship. Driving while black is often enough to get a black person arrested, now evidently working while brown is also enough to get you imprisoned. These are police state tactics, not good police work or investigative work. Even the name of the operation, "wagonwheel" is strange. The last time we circled wagons, we committed genocide against Native Americans. Where are we going with this?
Here's the rundown from MikeCheckradio:
Massive Immigration Raids
Crackdown! The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration division has arrested 1,282 people, most of them undocumented workers, as part of a massive raid on meatpacking plants in six states. The raid is the largest federal immigration raid in U.S. history. [TPM Muckraker]
The DHS insists that the plants, owned by the Swift meatpacking company, are the sites of widespread immigration violations and identity theft schemes.
But the raids have shocked the small communities where these plants were, with hundreds of citizens disappearing overnight. Federal raids on the plants are not an uncommon occurance, but in Worthington, Minnesota, “Never before had so many workers — 230 — been detained or arrested. Never before had the fallout of the raid created so much fear and distrust among so many.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
According to Jill Cashen of the United Food and Commercian Union,"Stormtroopers came in with machine guns, rounded [the workers] into the cafeterias, separated identified citizens from non-citizens, and then they took away all green cards and put non-citizens onto buses.”
The arrested workers have been barred from seeing lawyers or members of their family. Many of them had kids who were at school or daycare, and the children were left without any way to get home. At CanyonElementary School in Utah, 100 kids had parents or family members taken by the raids (about a quarter of the students). [KSL] via [TPM Muckraker]
The raids also allegedly used crass racial profiling: One worker described the agents separating non-latinos and people with light skin, while forcing everyone with dark skin to submit to careful scrutiny. “I was in line because of the color of my skin,” one employee said. “They’re discriminating against me. I’m from the United States…” [Salt Lake City Tribune]
Officials in Washington are bewildered by the timing of the raid, saying there is neither a relevant political motive, nor any real need for the sudden and harsh crackdown.Link
Here's the rundown from MikeCheckradio:
Massive Immigration Raids
Crackdown! The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration division has arrested 1,282 people, most of them undocumented workers, as part of a massive raid on meatpacking plants in six states. The raid is the largest federal immigration raid in U.S. history. [TPM Muckraker]
The DHS insists that the plants, owned by the Swift meatpacking company, are the sites of widespread immigration violations and identity theft schemes.
But the raids have shocked the small communities where these plants were, with hundreds of citizens disappearing overnight. Federal raids on the plants are not an uncommon occurance, but in Worthington, Minnesota, “Never before had so many workers — 230 — been detained or arrested. Never before had the fallout of the raid created so much fear and distrust among so many.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
According to Jill Cashen of the United Food and Commercian Union,"Stormtroopers came in with machine guns, rounded [the workers] into the cafeterias, separated identified citizens from non-citizens, and then they took away all green cards and put non-citizens onto buses.”
The arrested workers have been barred from seeing lawyers or members of their family. Many of them had kids who were at school or daycare, and the children were left without any way to get home. At CanyonElementary School in Utah, 100 kids had parents or family members taken by the raids (about a quarter of the students). [KSL] via [TPM Muckraker]
The raids also allegedly used crass racial profiling: One worker described the agents separating non-latinos and people with light skin, while forcing everyone with dark skin to submit to careful scrutiny. “I was in line because of the color of my skin,” one employee said. “They’re discriminating against me. I’m from the United States…” [Salt Lake City Tribune]
Officials in Washington are bewildered by the timing of the raid, saying there is neither a relevant political motive, nor any real need for the sudden and harsh crackdown.Link
Sunday, December 10, 2006
President Clinton came to San Antonio today
President Clinton spoke at Palo Alto College today, in support of Ciro Rodriguez. It was a rousing 20 minute speech, well received by the crowd. In fact, the crowd was loudly appreciative before and after the speech, stomping on the bleachers, hooting and hollering. The band that entertained before the speeches was just incredible!
Speakers included: Henry Cisneros, Charlie Gonzalez, Carlos Uresti, Boyd Ritchie, and of course, Ciro Rodriquez. The crowd included grandmas, grandpas, kids of all ages, many veterans. Veterans issues were extremely important to most in the crowd. Bonilla was booed many times when his anti veteran voting record was brought up.
All in all, a great time was had by all.
I apologize for the quality of the picture. I realized that people were getting better quality pictures with their cell phones than I got with my ancient camera, so it was frustrating that I could not improve this picture any more than this.
And here, the folkloric dancers:
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’
Think Progress � Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’:
Watch the video via the link provided. I can't believe this man is so crass, and uncaring. 11 military personnel have died this month so far in Iraq, and he chuckles???? What an ass.
"Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’
At a press conference this morning with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a reporter asked President Bush whether his use of the word “unsettling” to describe the violence in Iraq would “convince many people that you’re still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq.”
Bush responded curtly, “It’s bad in Iraq. That help?” and then chuckled."
Watch the video via the link provided. I can't believe this man is so crass, and uncaring. 11 military personnel have died this month so far in Iraq, and he chuckles???? What an ass.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Conservative Nanny State
The Conservative Nanny State: "The Government vs. the Market
A Useful Political Parable for Conservatives
Political debates in the United States are routinely framed as a battle between conservatives who favor market outcomes, whatever they may be, against liberals who prefer government intervention to ensure that families have decent standards-of-living. This description of the two poles is inaccurate; both conservatives and liberals want government intervention. The difference between them is the goal of government intervention, and the fact that conservatives are smart enough to conceal their dependence on the government."
The book is available free online for reading link
A Useful Political Parable for Conservatives
Political debates in the United States are routinely framed as a battle between conservatives who favor market outcomes, whatever they may be, against liberals who prefer government intervention to ensure that families have decent standards-of-living. This description of the two poles is inaccurate; both conservatives and liberals want government intervention. The difference between them is the goal of government intervention, and the fact that conservatives are smart enough to conceal their dependence on the government."
The book is available free online for reading link
Monday, December 04, 2006
The dollar melts as Iraq burns
Comment is free: The dollar melts as Iraq burns [James Galbraith] : "So here's the big question: is the age of the dollar economy lurching toward an end? Are China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other big holders of T-bonds about to start a rush, or even a stately promenade, toward the exits? Let's hope not, because the world is unprepared to replace the dollar with anything else. The euro is not suited for the job, and a joint dollar-euro system would need better central bankers than either America or Europe has got. An end to the dollar system would therefore be chaotic, inflationary, and very tough on world trade. The best argument for the dollar has always been: it's not in anyone's interest to bring it down.
Could it happen, though? Yes, it could. And it could be connected to that other unfolding disaster. As the 'Pax Americana' goes to hell in Iraq - producing a nervous breakdown among the pro-war elites - let's remember that security and finance are linked. Typically, the country that provides global economic security enjoys the use of its financial assets in world trade. And when the security situation changes, that privilege can be revoked. The consequences are unpleasant. Ask the British: after the sterling area folded, it took a generation for the UK to come all the way back.
That is partly why Economists for Peace and Security - a group I chair - opposed the Iraq war from the beginning. As far back as 2002, we understood - as the economically illiterate neo-imperialists did not - that a world system very favourable to America was on the line. And it was not, as they seemed to think, just a matter of military might. We knew that if the war undermined confidence in the power, good faith and common sense of the United States, that could lead toward disastrous changes on the financial front.
Four years in and with no end in sight, that risk may finally be catching up to the almighty dollar."
Something we have been talking about for a long time here at home. Wonder why our "fearless leader" can't wrap his head around this one?
Could it happen, though? Yes, it could. And it could be connected to that other unfolding disaster. As the 'Pax Americana' goes to hell in Iraq - producing a nervous breakdown among the pro-war elites - let's remember that security and finance are linked. Typically, the country that provides global economic security enjoys the use of its financial assets in world trade. And when the security situation changes, that privilege can be revoked. The consequences are unpleasant. Ask the British: after the sterling area folded, it took a generation for the UK to come all the way back.
That is partly why Economists for Peace and Security - a group I chair - opposed the Iraq war from the beginning. As far back as 2002, we understood - as the economically illiterate neo-imperialists did not - that a world system very favourable to America was on the line. And it was not, as they seemed to think, just a matter of military might. We knew that if the war undermined confidence in the power, good faith and common sense of the United States, that could lead toward disastrous changes on the financial front.
Four years in and with no end in sight, that risk may finally be catching up to the almighty dollar."
Something we have been talking about for a long time here at home. Wonder why our "fearless leader" can't wrap his head around this one?
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Airport x-ray screening test to be started in Phoenix
link to story: "Phoenix airport to test X-ray screening
Fri Dec 1, 7:02 AM ET
Sky Harbor International Airport here will test a new federal screening system that takes X-rays of passenger's bodies to detect concealed explosives and other weapons.
The technology, called backscatter, has been around for several years but has not been widely used in the U.S. as an anti-terrorism tool because of privacy concerns.
The Transportation Security Administration said it has found a way to refine the machine's images so that the normally graphic pictures can be blurred in certain areas while still being effective in detecting bombs and other threats.
The agency is expected to provide more information about the technology later this month but said one machine will be up and running at Sky Harbor's Terminal 4 by Christmas.
The security agency's Web site indicates that the technology will be used initially as a secondary screening measure, meaning that only those passengers who first fail the standard screening process will be directed to the X-ray area.
Even then, passengers will have the option of choosing the backscatter or a traditional pat-down search.
A handful of other U.S. airports will have the X-rays machines in place by early 2007 as part of a nationwide pilot program, TSA officials said."
Why don't we just go to the airport nude? This is a really big invasion of privacy! What if you have a colostomy, or a penile implant, do you want some smarmy TSA screener to know, and worse, do you want your naked photo in a federal data base? When will Americans rise up and say ENOUGH ALREADY! How many liberties do we think we should give up?
As I see it, I'll just volunteer to strip at the TSA counter like I did at the Senate office building in DC when they told me I had to remove all my protest buttons in order to go through the x-ray machine. The guards were alarmed. Scared of a 55 year old women stripping to her bra? Oh sad too bad.
Let's all strip in protest! Particularly all of you who have said you having nothing to hide where wire tapping is concerned. Are you ready to get naked at the airport?
Let's let our legislators to go first, and see just how brave they are.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Christmas wreath, a no-go??
t r u t h o u t | News Politics: "November 28, 2006 | Bill Trimarco and Lisa Jensen with their symbolic wreath. Last week, they were threatened with fines of $25 a day by their homeowners association until they removed the four-foot wreath shaped like a peace symbol from the front of their house. In its original letter to the couple, the association said some neighbors had found the peace symbol politically 'divisive.' The fines have been dropped, the three-member board of the association has resigned, and peace signs are multiplying in the town.
(Photo: Randi Pierce / Durango Herald)"
Imagine, some folks were complaining the peace symbol was "satanic." WTF! On what planet do these folks live???
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
Remembering our fathers
My husband and I, are remembering our fathers this week. My father, George, and my husband's father, Boris, died 3 days apart. Their legacies, are both interesting. We think that the two men, so opposite in many ways, had so much in common that they had a "date" in the next world. Boris was an immigrant to this country; my Dad could have been a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. What did they have in common? Love of this country.
They both served in WW II, my father in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and Boris in France and Germany. They loved SOS, spam, souse, and organ meats. They could both sing Maresie Doats, Don't sit under the Apple tree, You are my sunshine, my only sunshine and She'll be coming around the mountain, and loved slang words like schlemiel, S.N.A.F.U., and my Dad's favorite for us, "wrong way Corrigan!" They were both loved people and loved to talk.
My father served in the US Army Air Corps (US Air Force) as a Chaplain for over 30 years. My father-in-law, served in the US Army and civil service.
Their legacies?
Two examples, which of course, do not include the legacies of fun, frivolity, and love they left to their families, but what they left to their country.....
This is the Memorial Window at the Strategic Air Command Chapel at Offutt AFB, NE. It commemorates the service, duty and loyalty of USAF comrades during WW II. It was my father's project. Boris, left another legacy, his valuable skill as a translator during the cold war.
These men, and the men and women of their generation gave everything they had and more to this country. They came back from war to the GI Bill, and a country that thanked them for their service. The middle class was born, unions were strong, one man could raise a family and buy a house on his wages. Yes, we were more homogeneous then, and a lot of it was due to homogeneity forged in the military when all our fathers were just "GI Issue." Our country and our parents worked to rebuild Europe and Japan; many admirable things were accomplished.
President Jimmy Carter stated the following in his recent book, Our Endangered Values:
"Our people have been justifiably proud to see America's power and influence used to preserve peace for ourselves and others, to promote economic and social justice, to raise high the banner of freedom and human rights, to protect the quality of our environment, to alleviate human suffering, to enhance the rule of law, and to cooperate with other peoples to reach these common goals."
These were the goals of our fathers, ours and yours. Their legacy. They had a common bond, whether new immigrant or old immigrant, a bond forged in adversity. Now, in adversity, all we have done is polarize ourselves, forgetting the values that brought us together as a nation. For the sake of our fathers and forefathers, we should get back to the business of building a nation for everyone. ALL of us.
Again, to quote Carter, ..."our own well being [as a nation]would be enhanced by restoring the trust, admiration, and friendship that our nation formerly enjoyed among other peoples."
They both served in WW II, my father in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and Boris in France and Germany. They loved SOS, spam, souse, and organ meats. They could both sing Maresie Doats, Don't sit under the Apple tree, You are my sunshine, my only sunshine and She'll be coming around the mountain, and loved slang words like schlemiel, S.N.A.F.U., and my Dad's favorite for us, "wrong way Corrigan!" They were both loved people and loved to talk.
My father served in the US Army Air Corps (US Air Force) as a Chaplain for over 30 years. My father-in-law, served in the US Army and civil service.
Their legacies?
Two examples, which of course, do not include the legacies of fun, frivolity, and love they left to their families, but what they left to their country.....
This is the Memorial Window at the Strategic Air Command Chapel at Offutt AFB, NE. It commemorates the service, duty and loyalty of USAF comrades during WW II. It was my father's project. Boris, left another legacy, his valuable skill as a translator during the cold war.These men, and the men and women of their generation gave everything they had and more to this country. They came back from war to the GI Bill, and a country that thanked them for their service. The middle class was born, unions were strong, one man could raise a family and buy a house on his wages. Yes, we were more homogeneous then, and a lot of it was due to homogeneity forged in the military when all our fathers were just "GI Issue." Our country and our parents worked to rebuild Europe and Japan; many admirable things were accomplished.
President Jimmy Carter stated the following in his recent book, Our Endangered Values:
"Our people have been justifiably proud to see America's power and influence used to preserve peace for ourselves and others, to promote economic and social justice, to raise high the banner of freedom and human rights, to protect the quality of our environment, to alleviate human suffering, to enhance the rule of law, and to cooperate with other peoples to reach these common goals."
These were the goals of our fathers, ours and yours. Their legacy. They had a common bond, whether new immigrant or old immigrant, a bond forged in adversity. Now, in adversity, all we have done is polarize ourselves, forgetting the values that brought us together as a nation. For the sake of our fathers and forefathers, we should get back to the business of building a nation for everyone. ALL of us.
Again, to quote Carter, ..."our own well being [as a nation]would be enhanced by restoring the trust, admiration, and friendship that our nation formerly enjoyed among other peoples."
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
The Blotter
The Blotter: "First Daughter Barbara Robbed in Argentina
November 21, 2006 3:14 PM
From Our Sources:
Bush_sisters_nr First Daughter Barbara Bush had her purse and cell phone stolen as she had dinner in a restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, even though she was being guarded by a detail of Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement reports made available to ABC News.
It was not the only mishap on the two-week trip to Argentina by Barbara (right) and her twin sister Jenna (left).
A Secret Service agent on the advance detail got into an 'altercation' with someone after a night out and was badly beaten, according to the law enforcement reports. The Secret Service said today the incident was an attempted mugging that occurred while the agent was on his own time. The agent is doing fine."
My comment....Oh boo hoo Now you know how the rest of us manage to exist without body guards. Funny, I have been overseas but never mugged. Perhaps I knew, from long experience, to never carry a purse. Duh! Even may daughters don't carry purses. Guess you wanted your several hundred dollar status symbol purse to stick out. Well it did, moron.
November 21, 2006 3:14 PM
From Our Sources:
Bush_sisters_nr First Daughter Barbara Bush had her purse and cell phone stolen as she had dinner in a restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, even though she was being guarded by a detail of Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement reports made available to ABC News.
It was not the only mishap on the two-week trip to Argentina by Barbara (right) and her twin sister Jenna (left).
A Secret Service agent on the advance detail got into an 'altercation' with someone after a night out and was badly beaten, according to the law enforcement reports. The Secret Service said today the incident was an attempted mugging that occurred while the agent was on his own time. The agent is doing fine."
My comment....Oh boo hoo Now you know how the rest of us manage to exist without body guards. Funny, I have been overseas but never mugged. Perhaps I knew, from long experience, to never carry a purse. Duh! Even may daughters don't carry purses. Guess you wanted your several hundred dollar status symbol purse to stick out. Well it did, moron.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Calif. Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace - New York Times
Calif. Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace - New York Times: "Calif. Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSOk, sounds like a plan to me! Oh progressive grandpa..... LOL.
Published: November 19, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.
But they don't want you marching in the streets. They'd much rather you just stay home.
The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose immodest goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace.
''The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it,'' Reffell said Sunday. ''Your mind is like a blank. It's like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change.''"
President Bush: Driving Iraq Towards A Wall Of Death
President Bush: Driving Iraq Towards A Wall Of Death
Bob Cesca
Bob Cesca
"We'll succeed unless we quit," has to be one of the president's most ridiculous and dangerous statements about Iraq since, "Those weapons of mass destruction have to be around here somewhere." No wait. It was one of the most dangerous things he's said since, "It'll be just a comma." That's not it. Since, "Bring 'em on," maybe? Ah hell. There are so many stupid, dangerous and ridiculous things he's muttered with a smirk about this war, you could probably document them on enough paper to build a giant paper bridge from Washington to Baghdad allowing our soldiers to walk home.This article is well worth reading as it compares Iraq and Vietnam. Add to this McCain's statement that we need to send a massive number of troops over there and you can only see disaster looming. Will they re-institute the draft? And, where will all those troops come from? And where will the medical support come from? Old military medical folks like me,called back to active duty? Are they f*ing crazy?
This latest nugget of I'm-not-stay-the-course-but-stay-the-course-anyway ignorance was regurgitated by the president in Hanoi, Vietnam of all places which served only to underscore the tragedy of it all. And what's worse is he's signaled an intention to escalate the hostilities with increased troop levels in Iraq -- a plan that appears to be endorsed by the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group. It goes without saying the entire schmear is not only a slap in the face to all the soldiers who are dutifully departing on their fourth and fifth tours of duty, but also a kick to the throat of everyone who spoke out against the war on November 7.link
FRONTLINE: the torture question | PBS
FRONTLINE: the torture question | PBS
You can watch this online at this web site. Well worth watching. There is no excuse for torture. Bush and Cheney continue to push their torture agenda, but even the Senate voted 90-9 to stop torture.
You can watch this online at this web site. Well worth watching. There is no excuse for torture. Bush and Cheney continue to push their torture agenda, but even the Senate voted 90-9 to stop torture.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
AlterNet: We Need a "Can-Do" Attitude on Health Care
link:
By Barbara Ehrenreich, AlterNet, Posted on November 15,2006,
After their roaring two-house victory, the Democrats are squeaking about micro-policies. There'll be no impeachment, we're told, though maybe a bit more oversight of Halliburton-style war profiteering. No withdrawal from Iraq, only a 'phased redeployment.' And, the New York Times assures us (11/12/06), that the Dems ' have largely dropped ... talk of a Canadian-style national health insurance.' Instead, they might try to reverse the Medicare drug plan's ban on bargaining for drug price discounts.
They've caught the can't-do spirit that hovers over that former malarial swamp, Washington D.C. "
Wake up Dems! We, the activists helped get you elected and we, the activists can, and will, exert pressure if you continue this cowardly streak.
WE THE PEOPLE did not put you there to sit on your stinking hands! Get some balls and get out there and fight for what is right, even if you don't think you can. We need to see action on issues that are important to our society as a whole.
By Barbara Ehrenreich, AlterNet, Posted on November 15,2006,
After their roaring two-house victory, the Democrats are squeaking about micro-policies. There'll be no impeachment, we're told, though maybe a bit more oversight of Halliburton-style war profiteering. No withdrawal from Iraq, only a 'phased redeployment.' And, the New York Times assures us (11/12/06), that the Dems ' have largely dropped ... talk of a Canadian-style national health insurance.' Instead, they might try to reverse the Medicare drug plan's ban on bargaining for drug price discounts.
They've caught the can't-do spirit that hovers over that former malarial swamp, Washington D.C. "
Wake up Dems! We, the activists helped get you elected and we, the activists can, and will, exert pressure if you continue this cowardly streak.
WE THE PEOPLE did not put you there to sit on your stinking hands! Get some balls and get out there and fight for what is right, even if you don't think you can. We need to see action on issues that are important to our society as a whole.
Progressive Grannie's newest blog
Blog spot has a beta version.
Check it out. It is easier to use in some ways, but still not as functional as a myspace blog.
Check it out. It is easier to use in some ways, but still not as functional as a myspace blog.
Today's news
Bush reappoints overseas broadcast chief
boston.com/...
President Bush on Tuesday renominated the chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts even though the nomination has been stalled in the Senate amid allegations of misconduct.
Tom DeLay: Nancy Pelosi Refused To Have A Slave "Mindset" When She Was In The Minority | The Huff - Huffington Post
On Tuesday, Fmr Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay told the audience at the Time magazine Person of the Year luncheon and panel that he thinks soon to be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deserves to be awarded the magazine's cover and title this year. DeLay's reason for nominating her included a metaphor on Washington, plantations and the slave mentality. Read what DeLay said below, since he manages to explain it best.
"I'm going to shock you on two levels. One is I think the real Person of the Year ought to be Nancy Pelosi....I think it's unfortunate that you said I created the culture in Washington. The Democrats, when they lost power, it was like, as John said, it was like losing your plantation - they refused to work with the Republican majority. Back in the good old days they always talk about the Republican minority mindset like the slaves of the plantation and as long as they kept that, the Democrats, they all got along. It's when things got up and changed that we all got more partisan. Nancy Pelosi, I have to give her credit."
Gallup: Obama Now Posing Threat to Hillary in 2008 -- Giuliani Leads McCain on GOP Side - Editor and Publisher/
After a whirlwind political campaign and press tour riding a bestselling book, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois now trails Sen. Hillary Clinton by only 12% among Democratic voters (and Democratic-leaning independents) as their choice for president in 2008, in a new Gallup poll.
As Bush Goes To Vietnam, White House Website Displays The Wrong Flag Think Progress
Today, President Bush visits Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, “looking to burnish his foreign-policy credentials.” He’s off to a miserable start.
FOX NEWS INTERNAL MEMO: "Be On The Lookout For Any Statements From The Iraqi Insurgents...Thrilled At The Prospect Of A Dem Controlled Congress"Huffington Post
boston.com/...
President Bush on Tuesday renominated the chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts even though the nomination has been stalled in the Senate amid allegations of misconduct.
Tom DeLay: Nancy Pelosi Refused To Have A Slave "Mindset" When She Was In The Minority | The Huff - Huffington Post
On Tuesday, Fmr Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay told the audience at the Time magazine Person of the Year luncheon and panel that he thinks soon to be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deserves to be awarded the magazine's cover and title this year. DeLay's reason for nominating her included a metaphor on Washington, plantations and the slave mentality. Read what DeLay said below, since he manages to explain it best.
"I'm going to shock you on two levels. One is I think the real Person of the Year ought to be Nancy Pelosi....I think it's unfortunate that you said I created the culture in Washington. The Democrats, when they lost power, it was like, as John said, it was like losing your plantation - they refused to work with the Republican majority. Back in the good old days they always talk about the Republican minority mindset like the slaves of the plantation and as long as they kept that, the Democrats, they all got along. It's when things got up and changed that we all got more partisan. Nancy Pelosi, I have to give her credit."
Gallup: Obama Now Posing Threat to Hillary in 2008 -- Giuliani Leads McCain on GOP Side - Editor and Publisher/
After a whirlwind political campaign and press tour riding a bestselling book, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois now trails Sen. Hillary Clinton by only 12% among Democratic voters (and Democratic-leaning independents) as their choice for president in 2008, in a new Gallup poll.
As Bush Goes To Vietnam, White House Website Displays The Wrong Flag Think Progress
Today, President Bush visits Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, “looking to burnish his foreign-policy credentials.” He’s off to a miserable start.
FOX NEWS INTERNAL MEMO: "Be On The Lookout For Any Statements From The Iraqi Insurgents...Thrilled At The Prospect Of A Dem Controlled Congress"Huffington Post
Truthdig - Bush: I Can Hold Immigrants Forever, Without Trial
Truthdig - Bush: I Can Hold Immigrants Forever, Without Trial: "Bush: I Can Hold Immigrants Forever, Without Trial
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20061114_bush_immigrants_without_trial/
Posted on Nov 14, 2006
Soon will he try to ship dissidents off indefinitely? Thank goodness there will be some checks and balances in Jan. IF, and only if, the democrats quit this conciliatory B.S.
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20061114_bush_immigrants_without_trial/
Posted on Nov 14, 2006
From the AP: “Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts,” Bush & Co. officials said Nov. 13.
Maybe it’s time to stop singing that Lee Greenwood song “God Bless the U.S.A” ? (And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free...) Those lyrics don’t quite resonate anymore…
AP:
Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration said Monday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees.
In court documents filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., the Justice Department said a new anti-terrorism law being used to hold detainees in Guantanamo Bay also applies to foreigners captured and held in the United States.
Ali Saleh Kahlah Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar, was arrested in 2001 while studying in the United States. He has been labeled an “enemy combatant,” a designation that, under a law signed last month, strips foreigners of the right to challenge their detention in federal courts."
Soon will he try to ship dissidents off indefinitely? Thank goodness there will be some checks and balances in Jan. IF, and only if, the democrats quit this conciliatory B.S.
Truthdig - Barry Golson: Stop U.S.-Canada Immigration Now!
A little humor to brighten you day.
Truthdig - Barry Golson: Stop U.S.-Canada Immigration Now!: "The House of Commons in Canada’s Parliament today passed its final legislation of 2009, a controversial bill to strengthen Canada’s border with the U.S. The bill calls for erecting a wall across the continent from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, similar to the wall and demilitarized zone at the U.S. border with Mexico.
“Illegal American immigrants continue to take Canadian jobs,” said the Hon. Dashell Samuels, Minister of Public Safety. Samuels cited the estimated 10 million American “illegals” who “mow our lawns and bus our tables at below the minimum wage,” disrupting the Canadian economy."
Truthdig - Barry Golson: Stop U.S.-Canada Immigration Now!: "The House of Commons in Canada’s Parliament today passed its final legislation of 2009, a controversial bill to strengthen Canada’s border with the U.S. The bill calls for erecting a wall across the continent from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, similar to the wall and demilitarized zone at the U.S. border with Mexico.
“Illegal American immigrants continue to take Canadian jobs,” said the Hon. Dashell Samuels, Minister of Public Safety. Samuels cited the estimated 10 million American “illegals” who “mow our lawns and bus our tables at below the minimum wage,” disrupting the Canadian economy."
Monday, November 13, 2006
Slap a yellow ribbon on your SUV
Slap a yellow ribbon on your SUV watch here
Why did I post that Asylum Street Spankers song? The video, by the Asylum Street Spankers, brought to mind what I have said, in in various venues, that I am sick and tired of the lip service given to our veterans. As benefits have been cut time and time again, and our President has seen fit to ignore the dead and wounded, it's has become more and more obvious that this so-called war is all about money. Money for Halliburton, KBR, Caci, and Bush and Co.
They should be tried for crimes against humanity. I was interested to hear the following information on Democracy Now! There is never an excuse for torture, and our leaders should be made to step up to the bar of justice.
War Crimes Suit Prepared Against Rumsfeld
Why did I post that Asylum Street Spankers song? The video, by the Asylum Street Spankers, brought to mind what I have said, in in various venues, that I am sick and tired of the lip service given to our veterans. As benefits have been cut time and time again, and our President has seen fit to ignore the dead and wounded, it's has become more and more obvious that this so-called war is all about money. Money for Halliburton, KBR, Caci, and Bush and Co.
They should be tried for crimes against humanity. I was interested to hear the following information on Democracy Now! There is never an excuse for torture, and our leaders should be made to step up to the bar of justice.
War Crimes Suit Prepared Against Rumsfeld
Democracy Now!
Thursday 09 November 2006
The president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Michael Ratner, is heading to Germany today to file a new case charging outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes for authorizing torture at Guantanamo Bay. [includes rush transcript] Would Rumsfeld stepping down leave him open to prosecution? In 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a criminal complaint in Germany on behalf of several Iraqi citizens who alleged that a group of U.S. officials committed war crimes in Iraq. Rumsfeld was among the officials named in the complaint. The Iraqis claimed they were victims of electric shock, severe beatings, sleep and food deprivation and sexual abuse.
Germany's laws on torture and war crimes permits the prosecution of suspected war criminals wherever they may be found.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Rummy, this is for you
Black Sabbath War Pigs Paris 1970
Very appropriate as Rumsfeld leaves the office he totally screwed up.
Very appropriate as Rumsfeld leaves the office he totally screwed up.
Incredible!
OMG! We did it! We did it! The 50 state plan, boots on the ground, and pissed off Americans, what a marvelous combination. We pulled our country back from the brink of fascism. There is hope, for our country after all!
Now the work begins. We must continue to exercise due diligence, participate in our government and get ready for 2008.
A note from John Courage.
Dear Team Courage,
To All My Friends and Supporters
I have been honored and humbled to have been allowed to represent you as a candidate for the 21st Congressional District of Texas. From Austin to San Antonio to Kerrville and many places in between, I have traveled and spoken and worked to offer the best representation I know how to all of you.
To those of you I have informed, impressed, or convinced that I could and would do a better job in Washington to represent you I say thanks for your support and encouragement, and to those of you I may never have had the chance to meet, and to those I failed to convince to vote for me, I just share your hope that through your vote for my opponent we will receive good leadership over the next two years.
I will continue to strive to serve in whatever way I may be asked, and I will not end my commitment to make this district, state, and country a better place to live in.
Let me add a special congratulations to all the Democratic victors, especially Valinda Bolton, Susan Steeg, Charlie Baird, and Diane Henson in Travis County; and my Hays County friends Liz Sumter, Karen Ford, and Jeff Barton; and finally my San Antonio fellow Democrats Joe Farias, Larry Knoll, and particularly my friend Ciro Rodriguez for forcing Republican Henry Bonilla into a runoff.
All of the candidates, whether they won or lost, worked incredibly hard, and it has been a privilege to be on the ballot with them.
I also want to thank all the great Team Courage staff and volunteers for their work. I know if I name names I will forget someone or two, but you all know who you are and you should be proud of everything you did. The Austin crew, led by Teri, Matt, and Stewart were awesome, and the San Antonio crew of Madeleine, Davida, and Zada (my wonderful spouse) were amazing.
I’ll never forget this great effort and hope you won’t either.
To All My Friends and Supporters
I have been honored and humbled to have been allowed to represent you as a candidate for the 21st Congressional District of Texas. From Austin to San Antonio to Kerrville and many places in between, I have traveled and spoken and worked to offer the best representation I know how to all of you.
To those of you I have informed, impressed, or convinced that I could and would do a better job in Washington to represent you I say thanks for your support and encouragement, and to those of you I may never have had the chance to meet, and to those I failed to convince to vote for me, I just share your hope that through your vote for my opponent we will receive good leadership over the next two years.
I will continue to strive to serve in whatever way I may be asked, and I will not end my commitment to make this district, state, and country a better place to live in.
Let me add a special congratulations to all the Democratic victors, especially Valinda Bolton, Susan Steeg, Charlie Baird, and Diane Henson in Travis County; and my Hays County friends Liz Sumter, Karen Ford, and Jeff Barton; and finally my San Antonio fellow Democrats Joe Farias, Larry Knoll, and particularly my friend Ciro Rodriguez for forcing Republican Henry Bonilla into a runoff.
All of the candidates, whether they won or lost, worked incredibly hard, and it has been a privilege to be on the ballot with them.
I also want to thank all the great Team Courage staff and volunteers for their work. I know if I name names I will forget someone or two, but you all know who you are and you should be proud of everything you did. The Austin crew, led by Teri, Matt, and Stewart were awesome, and the San Antonio crew of Madeleine, Davida, and Zada (my wonderful spouse) were amazing.
I’ll never forget this great effort and hope you won’t either.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Truthdig - The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq
Truthdig - The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq
What do we need to do to support these men and women? Simply put, we need to elect veterans to office, who will then fund VA Hospitals and clinics, PTSD programs and generally stop the funding cuts in Veterans programs. The chickenhawks in DC just keep cutting the budget for veterans healthcare, without any regard for the lives that have been incredibly altered by war. Of course, many of those officials, including the President and Vice President have no skin the game, so they could care less. The sound like they support the troops, but when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are...they don't.
These injuries will be something these veterans will struggle with for 30-40+ years. This impacts them and their families. Reservists get little or no support at all.
This must stop! Stand up and demand better care for our veterans!
Thirty-eight years ago, on Jan. 20, 1968, I was shot and paralyzed from my mid-chest down during my second tour of duty in Vietnam. It is a date that I can never forget, a day that was to change my life forever. Each year as the anniversary of my wounding in the war approached I would become extremely restless, experiencing terrible bouts of insomnia, depression, anxiety attacks and horrifying nightmares. I dreaded that day and what it represented, always fearing that the terrible trauma of my wounding might repeat itself all over again. It was a difficult day for me for decades and it remained that way until the anxieties and nightmares finally began to subside.
As I now contemplate another January 20th I cannot help but think of the young men and women who have been wounded in the war in Iraq. They have been coming home now for almost three years, flooding Walter Reed, Bethesda, Brooke Army Medical Center and veterans hospitals all across the country. Paraplegics, amputees, burn victims, the blinded and maimed, shocked and stunned, brain-damaged and psychologically stressed, over 16,000 of them, a whole new generation of severely maimed is returning from Iraq, young men and women who were not even born when I came home wounded to the Bronx veterans hospital in 1968.
I, like most other Americans, have occasionally seen them on TV or at the local veterans hospital, but for the most part they remain hidden, like the flag-draped caskets of our dead, returned to Dover Air Force Base in the darkness of night as this administration continues to pursue a policy of censorship, tightly controlling the images coming out of that war and rarely ever allowing the human cost of its policy to be seen.
What do we need to do to support these men and women? Simply put, we need to elect veterans to office, who will then fund VA Hospitals and clinics, PTSD programs and generally stop the funding cuts in Veterans programs. The chickenhawks in DC just keep cutting the budget for veterans healthcare, without any regard for the lives that have been incredibly altered by war. Of course, many of those officials, including the President and Vice President have no skin the game, so they could care less. The sound like they support the troops, but when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are...they don't.
These injuries will be something these veterans will struggle with for 30-40+ years. This impacts them and their families. Reservists get little or no support at all.
This must stop! Stand up and demand better care for our veterans!
Bill Moyers | America 101
Again, Bill Moyers lays it out for the nation. The non critical thinkers among us need to pay attention, but will they?
Bill Moyers | America 101: " Rub the crystal ball: In the next few decades, when the huge liabilities start coming in due to Social Security and Medicare, there may be nothing left - less than nothing left - for public needs like education, highways, disaster relief, and social services, let alone national healthcare.
Small wonder that the Wall Street investor, Pete Peterson, a life-long Republican who served as President Nixon's Commerce Secretary, says our children's future is being ruined by a reckless fiscal 'theology.'
Theology asserts propositions that are believed whether or not they meet the test of reality. Not only do our governing elites act as if there's no tomorrow, they behave as if there is no reality. Alas, they won't be around to feel our grandchildren's pain.
In his recent book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed , the Pulitzer-prize winning anthropologist Jared Diamond writes about how governing elites throughout history isolate and delude themselves until it is too late. He reminds us that the change people inflict on their environment was one of the main factors in the decline of earlier societies. For example: the Mayan natives on the Yucatan peninsula who suffered as their forests disappeared, their soil eroded, and their water supply deteriorated. Chronic warfare made matters worse as they exhausted dwindling resources. Although Mayan kings could see their forests vanishing and their hills eroding, they were able to insulate themselves from the rest of society. By extracting wealth from commoners, they could remain well fed while everyone else was slowly starving. Realizing too late that they could not reverse their deteriorating environment, they became casualties of their own privilege.
Any society contains a built-in blueprint for failure, Diamond warns, if elites insulate themselves from the consequences of their decisions. Then he describes an America in which elites have cocooned themselves in gated communities, guarded by private security patrols and filled with people who drink bottled water, depend on private pensions, and send their children to private schools. Gradually they lose their motivation to support the police force, the municipal water supply, social security, and public schools."
Bill Moyers | America 101: " Rub the crystal ball: In the next few decades, when the huge liabilities start coming in due to Social Security and Medicare, there may be nothing left - less than nothing left - for public needs like education, highways, disaster relief, and social services, let alone national healthcare.
Small wonder that the Wall Street investor, Pete Peterson, a life-long Republican who served as President Nixon's Commerce Secretary, says our children's future is being ruined by a reckless fiscal 'theology.'
Theology asserts propositions that are believed whether or not they meet the test of reality. Not only do our governing elites act as if there's no tomorrow, they behave as if there is no reality. Alas, they won't be around to feel our grandchildren's pain.
In his recent book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed , the Pulitzer-prize winning anthropologist Jared Diamond writes about how governing elites throughout history isolate and delude themselves until it is too late. He reminds us that the change people inflict on their environment was one of the main factors in the decline of earlier societies. For example: the Mayan natives on the Yucatan peninsula who suffered as their forests disappeared, their soil eroded, and their water supply deteriorated. Chronic warfare made matters worse as they exhausted dwindling resources. Although Mayan kings could see their forests vanishing and their hills eroding, they were able to insulate themselves from the rest of society. By extracting wealth from commoners, they could remain well fed while everyone else was slowly starving. Realizing too late that they could not reverse their deteriorating environment, they became casualties of their own privilege.
Any society contains a built-in blueprint for failure, Diamond warns, if elites insulate themselves from the consequences of their decisions. Then he describes an America in which elites have cocooned themselves in gated communities, guarded by private security patrols and filled with people who drink bottled water, depend on private pensions, and send their children to private schools. Gradually they lose their motivation to support the police force, the municipal water supply, social security, and public schools."
Saturday, November 04, 2006
IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America - The F Troop
IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America - The F Troop
Get these bums out of power! We need checks and balances. That requires more Demo's in the house folks.
End the war in Iraq.
Friday, November 03, 2006
video the vote.mov (video/quicktime Object)
2004 Voting in Ohio. Will this kind of thing happen again? We need to prevent this from happening. REMEMBER, WHEN YOU VOTE ON A MACHINE, MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW TO ENSURE THAT YOUR VOTE WAS CORRECT.
video the vote.mov (video/quicktime Object)
video the vote.mov (video/quicktime Object)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Borat On Daily Show: "In Kazakhstan We Have Midterm Elections Just Like You, The Next One Is In 30 Years"... | The Huffington Post
Borat On Daily Show: "In Kazakhstan We Have Midterm Elections Just Like You, The Next One Is In 30 Years"... | The Huffington Post: "Kazakh journalist Borat appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart to discuss his upcoming movie. Borat and Jon discussed the similar nature of US and Kazakh democracies. Borat told Jon, 'In Kazakhstan, we have midterm elections just like you. The next one is in 30 years.'"
U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Guide - New York Times
Bush and Co. won't allow anti-war demonstrations, yet they allow the "cookbook" for nuclear bombs to be posted. This does not make any sense. Unless, you believe, as they obviously do, that by creating chaos, you can plunder the world.
Read on:
U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Guide - New York Times: "Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.
But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb."
Read on:
U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Guide - New York Times: "Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.
But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb."
Chertoff Given Henry Petersen Award...Petersen's Grandson Protests Decision: Chertoff Is "An Ass"... | The Huffington Post
Chertoff Given Henry Petersen Award...Petersen's Grandson Protests Decision: Chertoff Is "An Ass"... | The Huffington Post
Petersen's grandson is a smart man. Why award incompetence? Oh, it's the GOP (grand old pervert party) way.
Petersen's grandson is a smart man. Why award incompetence? Oh, it's the GOP (grand old pervert party) way.
The Blog | Brad Friedman: Here Ae Go Again: 'Just Push the Yellow Button and Vote as Many Times as You Want' on Sequoia Touch-Screen Voting Machines!
The Blog | Brad Friedman: Here Ae Go Again: 'Just Push the Yellow Button and Vote as Many Times as You Want' on Sequoia Touch-Screen Voting Machines! | The Huffington Post
Add to this the fact that Bexar County voters have noted their votes were not properly recorded when they got to the review screen, and had to try again and sometimes more than once to get their vote recorded properly. Review your votes folks!
Where are we going and why is it in a handbasket? I am glad I got to use a paper ballot and fill in the circles. Of course, I have nothing but praise for Darlene at the courthouse. She is a consummate professional, and very conscientious. Kudos Darlene!
Add to this the fact that Bexar County voters have noted their votes were not properly recorded when they got to the review screen, and had to try again and sometimes more than once to get their vote recorded properly. Review your votes folks!
Where are we going and why is it in a handbasket? I am glad I got to use a paper ballot and fill in the circles. Of course, I have nothing but praise for Darlene at the courthouse. She is a consummate professional, and very conscientious. Kudos Darlene!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Indicted Fmr. House Speaker Tom DeLay: "I Haven't Had No Ethical Problems"... | The Huffington Post
Indicted Fmr. House Speaker Tom DeLay: "I Haven't Had No Ethical Problems"... | The Huffington Post: "Tom Delay appeared on Fox News's Hannity & Colmes Tuesday night. The Former Speaker Of The House has been indicted for money-laundering and conspiracy to commit money-laundering, and has been linked to a number of other scandals. Colmes pressed DeLay on whether his 'ethical problems' have contributed to 'the negative view that Americans have of the Republican Party and Congress right now.' DeLay replied, 'I haven't had no ethical problems.'"
Ok, DeLay, you big fat liar, what the hell do you consider ethical? Do you remember the 10 commandments? Do you actually profess to be a religious person, perhaps even Christian? I think NO.
Ok, DeLay, you big fat liar, what the hell do you consider ethical? Do you remember the 10 commandments? Do you actually profess to be a religious person, perhaps even Christian? I think NO.
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